What...?
Zhao Yibing stood where she was and opened the police notice.
After quickly reading it, she felt an indescribable surge of anger.
"There's evidence that the boy acted in self-defense? No, I don't believe it! Why won't they release it?"
"Right, and the school-what does the school have to say?"
She opened the school's homepage next.
Fluttering streamers suddenly filled the screen, accompanied by festive music with gongs and drums.
The first line of large red text that greeted her read:
"Congratulations to Shen Ye of Class 5 of Grade 9 on signing an early contract with the Human Martial Arts Group! Five key provincial high schools have already offered him guaranteed admission!"
Zhao Yibing felt as though she had been struck over the head. She froze, unable to react for a long while.
Elsewhere.
Shen Ye stretched and sat up in the large, soft bed.
What a long day.
A few minutes earlier.
A gentle, friendly young woman had brought Shen Ye to his private room.
The moment he entered, he could see the bouquet of Clivia on the table.
Works by several artists hung on the walls.
The bookcase held all sorts of comics, every volume brand-new.
The room also had a treadmill and an exercise bike, while the terrace outside had a swimming pool for his exclusive use.
He opened the refrigerator to find it filled with chocolates from around the world, cheese, nougat, Xiangpenpen-brand braised snacks, and frozen pineapple and grape juice.
A small line of text pulsed on the television:
"Welcome to the group, Mr. Shen Ye. Please say 'turn on the television.'"
"Turn on the television," Shen Ye said.
A beautiful young girl appeared on the screen.
Standing in a bikini beside the rippling blue waters of the Golden Coast, she flashed a radiant smile at the camera.
"Hi, Shen Ye. I'm Xu Mulin."
"First of all, congratulations on joining the Human Martial Arts Group. You're amazing!"
"Since you're younger than me, I'll call you my little brother."
"Little brother, thank you for all your support and affection."
"As your big sister, I hope you'll study hard, work to improve your strength, and become someone truly remarkable."
"I've prepared a few concert tickets for you and already mailed them out. I'm sure you'll receive them soon."
"This world is vast, and it's worth working hard together."
"I hope we can meet soon."
"Remember to come to my concert! Here's a little secret: I saved you front-row seats!"
The girl waved with a smile.
The video ended.
Silence returned to the room.
A faintly reminiscent look crossed Shen Ye's face.
According to his memories, the old Shen Ye had been very fond of this celebrity named Xu Mulin.
Everything in this room, from the flowers to the paintings, the books, the food and drinks, his sporting interests, and even the celebrity-
Everything was something the boy Shen Ye had liked.
The group went this far for a single newcomer.
Shen Ye walked over to the broad floor-to-ceiling windows and gazed at the night outside.
This was the 105th floor. He stood above the clouds, looking down over the lights of the entire city and at the countless stars in the sky.
Who wouldn't want to stay above the clouds?
Who wouldn't want to ride the wind and soar to the heavens to see truly magnificent sights?
And who would want to spend their whole life as a lackey?
Shen Ye glanced back at the clock on the wall.
It was seven in the evening.
Today, he had completed a set of practice questions, performed a magic show in the Otherworld, returned to take a mock exam, gotten into a fight, been called to the police station and nearly killed, completed his first "Dark Whisper," and finally joined the Human Martial Arts Group.
He really was a little tired.
He would take a hot bath in a bit, then get straight to bed.
His gaze suddenly grew resolute.
At midnight tonight, I'll open the Gate to the Nightmare World and try to earn another good appraisal trait.
I have to get stronger!
I absolutely can't get eliminated in the entrance exam the day after tomorrow!
Time passed.
Late that night.
Ring, ring!
The alarm rang.
Shen Ye got out of the large, soft bed, dressed, and washed his face with cold water.
He felt refreshed and energetic.
Now I can go to the other world.
He pressed his hand to the wall and silently said, Gate.
Sure enough, a door appeared in the wall.
Shen Ye peered through its window, and his expression abruptly changed.
The entire corridor was littered with broken bones. Even the occasional intact pieces were covered in countless cracks.
A skull lay on a heap of bone fragments, a large hole in its crown. The dim Soulfire in its eye sockets flickered like a candle in the wind, seemingly about to go out at any moment.
"Big Skeleton?"
Shen Ye couldn't help calling out.
The Soulfire in the skull's sockets suddenly leaped.
"I'm dying! Save me!"
The skeleton shouted urgently.
"I-I don't know how to heal," Shen Ye said.
"Do you have any more of that precious medicine from last time? Hurry, give me a few more!" Big Skeleton said.
A few?
I don't have even one!
That had been a Marrow-Replenishing Pill, something money alone couldn't buy. His father had gone back to seek out old connections and spent the family's entire savings just to obtain one.
"Sorry, I don't have anything like that on hand," Shen Ye said.
The Soulfire in Big Skeleton's eye sockets immediately dimmed.
"It's over. To think I'd end up dying here. How ironic! Hahahaha!"
The skeleton laughed wildly a few times, then stopped paying attention to Shen Ye.
Shen Ye, however, fell into thought.
If this skeleton dies, I can safely cross the corridor and open the door opposite.
But-
Back at the police station, it was through the "Dark Whisper" I traded for that I sensed the corpse and became alert. That was how I escaped being killed and ultimately discovered the truth.
That was one of the Undead Race's three most ancient innate abilities.
So-
This fellow seems... perhaps... maybe, possibly, to have a little value.
I guess.
It is a decent trading partner, after all. Should I try saving it?
But how?
A scene suddenly flashed through Shen Ye's mind.
He remembered that after Big Skeleton ate the calcium tablets, the cracks in its legs had faded a little.
Right!
Calcium tablets!
I don't have a Marrow-Replenishing Pill, but I still have calcium tablets.
Shen Ye took out his phone and began placing an order online as he said:
"Hang in there, Brother Skeleton. I'm working on something."
"What?" Big Skeleton's hopes rekindled.
"You had calcium tablets last time, remember?" Shen Ye said.
Big Skeleton's hopes were instantly dashed. "Those work too slowly. They're no use," it said dejectedly.
Shen Ye's hand paused.
Calcium tablets won't work?
Hmm...
This is an emergency. There's no time to waste. I need to think of something fast!
Got it!
Shen Ye selected an online medical consultation.
He carefully chose an orthopedic specialist who was online and, with considerable pain, dipped into the living allowance he had just received.
The specialist answered the consultation call.
"Hello? What is the patient's current condition?"
"Fractured bones," Shen Ye said.
"Where? Have you had X-rays taken? How severe is it?" the specialist asked with practiced ease.
"Well..." Shen Ye glanced through the window. "There's a bowl-sized hole in the skull, and cracks all over the body, but a little flame of hope is still burning in the eyes."
"What medication could be used for this?"
The specialist was very polite. "Perhaps you booked the wrong department? How about this: I'll refund you, and you can book a psychiatric consultation?"
Shen Ye slapped his forehead.
I got distracted!
The door's still between us. I wonder whether saving the skeleton like this can improve my appraisal a little.
He had been so preoccupied with that thought that he had blurted out the truth.
Looking back at his phone, he saw that the specialist had indeed issued a full refund and even recommended several psychiatrists.
Tsk.
Treating the undead with human medicine really is a bit beyond its scope.
No choice.
I'll have to handle this myself-
It's a long shot, but I might as well try!
Shen Ye kept tapping his phone, switching pages and placing orders.
Two hours and forty minutes later.
He opened the Gate connecting the Main World and the Nightmare World.
He pushed a large aquarium, two meters long, one meter wide, and one and a half meters tall, through the doorway into the gloomy corridor.
The aquarium was already full of water.
Using a clothes pole, Shen Ye lifted Big Skeleton's skull and gently lowered it into the aquarium.
The skull sank to the bottom with a bubbling sound. The Soulfire in its sockets flickered as it observed its surroundings through the surging currents.
It seemed very surprised.
Only now, after bustling about, did Shen Ye catch his breath. He sat on a small folding stool outside the door, drinking frozen pineapple juice.
He still hadn't gone through the door.
After all, his performance on his first entry each day determined the grade of his appraisal trait.
If I set up the aquarium inside and find I'm missing something, wouldn't coming back out to fetch it ruin the trait outright?
I absolutely can't let it affect the appraisal trait!
"See? I've really spared no expense to save you," he told the skull in the aquarium.
Big Skeleton's voice sounded beside Shen Ye's ear:
"What's going on? Why do I feel as though my condition has stabilized?"
Shen Ye chuckled.
"Of course! I spent all my money buying Calcium Gluconate Oral Solution and Calcium-Magnesium-Zinc Liquid Calcium to fill this huge tank for you. This has to be better than taking calcium tablets, right?"
"What's oral solution?" Big Skeleton asked.
"You can think of it as the pro max version of calcium tablets," Shen Ye said.
"What do you mean, 'poor Max dies'? I don't want to die!" Big Skeleton cried in fear.
"Don't worry, these are more potent calcium tablets," Shen Ye hurriedly reassured it.
Still somewhat puzzled, Big Skeleton asked, "What exactly is this tank-"
"Just relax-clean glass, professional bottom filtration, one-touch waste removal, an extra-long-life standby battery, automatic wave generation, and it can even give you lighting and karaoke."
Shen Ye crouched outside the door, studying the fish tank closely.
-I really wanted to keep fish back then, but sadly, I never got to.
I never thought that dream would come true in another world.
He casually pulled out a remote and pressed a button.
Shifting rainbow lights appeared in the fish tank, and ripples washed back and forth.
A familiar voice sang out loud and clear:
"What do you call Daddy's daddy? Daddy's daddy is Grandpa."
The skull swayed, drifted, and spun with the current, full of rhythm.
Shen Ye pressed the remote again.
The lights, ripples, and sound all vanished.
"Was that you singing just now?" Big Skeleton asked.
"To encourage you to get well soon, I recorded a bit myself. How was my singing?" Shen Ye asked, his face full of anticipation.
"...You sang well. Don't sing again," Big Skeleton said weakly.