8:00 a.m.
"...I'm awake."
Shi Yu propped himself up into a sitting position. He had slept poorly and looked rather listless.
Shi Yu dragged himself out of bed, grabbed the clothes left beside it, pulled them on, then opened the door and left the room.
"Awake?"
Sure enough, Han He was already fully dressed in the living room. He greeted Shi Yu when he came out.
Shi Yu shook his head, answering as he felt his way toward the bathroom:
"Yeah..."
But before Shi Yu could even sit on the toilet, his phone rang. He answered it straightaway.
"Hello? Shi Yu? Are you up?"
It was Huo Qiuliang.
Recognizing his voice, Shi Yu replied.
"I'm up. When are we going to the Police Station today?"
Huo Qiuliang's voice came through the phone:
"No rush. I'll come pick you up in a bit. Han He's with you, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good. The three of us will go see Hu Zihao first. I hear he's recovering fast. His ladder is probably a physical enhancement type. We'll visit him, then head back."
Although Shi Yu didn't know the specifics of Hu Zihao's ladder, it wasn't hard to tell that it granted self-healing. It was thanks to that ladder that Hu Zihao had survived.
"Okay. I'll wait for you at home."
After confirming things with Huo Qiuliang, Shi Yu hung up.
Huo Qiuliang arrived quickly. That was one advantage of a small place: getting anywhere was quick.
When Huo Qiuliang arrived, Shi Yu asked about the situation at school.
"...The vast majority of students and teachers are fine, but they still need follow-up treatment. We've reported the incident. They'll probably send nearby Heirs or gifted people with relevant abilities to help. We can discuss the rest when we get there."
Shi Yu nodded. He was still a little worried, but there wasn't much else he could do.
The three of them took a taxi to visit Hu Zihao.
"Second Hospital, please."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Huo Qiuliang told the driver their destination, then, unusually, said nothing more and simply sat there quietly.
Han He wasn't much of a talker to begin with, and Shi Yu didn't say much either. For no particular reason, the three of them stayed silent the whole way.
The driver was fast. Once they reached the hospital, Huo Qiuliang paid the fare, got out, and stood to one side. Looking at Shi Yu and Han He, he said:
"Let's go, rookie squad. Time to visit your hospitalized classmate."
Then he casually went around Han He and stood beside Shi Yu.
"?"
It was a very inconspicuous movement, but to Shi Yu, who possessed "Thought," it slightly defied the logic of his behavior.
Shi Yu tilted his head to look at Huo Qiuliang, whose expression seemed perfectly normal, then at Han He, whose expression hadn't changed at all. Following them, he asked:
"Are you scared of Han He?"
Huo Qiuliang jolted and turned to Shi Yu in shock.
"Bro, did you have to say that out loud? Couldn't you spare me some dignity?"
Han He, the other person involved, offered no opinion. He simply watched Huo Qiuliang and Shi Yu calmly.
Huo Qiuliang hunched his neck.
"Buddy, don't look at me like that. Honestly, I could tell yesterday that we weren't very compatible. You inherited from the Hunter, right?"
Han He nodded.
Watching Huo Qiuliang, Shi Yu recalled his abilities.
Concealment, deception, temptation, panic.
And as an inheritor of the Hunter, Han He's abilities undoubtedly came with cunning, strength, traps, and insight.
Incompatibility between abilities would instinctively make both parties uncomfortable around each other.
Huo Qiuliang muttered quietly to Shi Yu:
"Don't even get me started... I met someone with the Hunter's eighth art before. Nearly got skinned alive when we sparred."
Shi Yu found Huo Qiuliang's manner a little funny. So he'd been taught a lesson by a Hunter and ended up with PTSD.
"Come on, Han He isn't going to hit you for no reason. What are you scared of? You didn't seem this scared yesterday."
Huo Qiuliang glanced at a poster on the wall and led Shi Yu and Han He toward the surgical ward, saying:
"I wasn't sure yesterday. Besides, I had
Yiyi and the others with me. Then I asked when we got back, and Shen Bai told me Han He inherited from the Hunter. I honestly felt like the sky was falling. I really don't want to work with a Hunter."
Han He shook his head when he heard that.
"I'll cooperate."
Huo Qiuliang gave Han He a somewhat strange look, then glanced at Shi Yu and whispered:
"That's exactly what Hunters do best. You're done for if you believe them."
Han He: "..."
Shi Yu nudged Huo Qiuliang and rolled his eyes.
"I think you've told so many lies that you've started scaring yourself!"
As they talked, the three of them arrived at Hu Zihao's room, a specially arranged private room.
"Did Yiyi and the others arrange this?"
Shi Yu asked before they went in.
With so many of the school's teachers and students hospitalized, it was hard not to imagine that Liu Yiyi and the others had specially arranged this private room for Hu Zihao, a newly awakened gifted person.
But Huo Qiuliang paused before answering Shi Yu, and his answer was unexpected.
"...No. His family arranged it."
"Huh?"
Before Shi Yu could dwell on his confusion, Huo Qiuliang gently knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
A crisp, brisk female voice answered. Its owner was clearly a decisive woman, but a trace of exhaustion was audible in her voice.
Huo Qiuliang pushed open the door, and Shi Yu looked inside.
The room was tidy, with standard hospital furnishings. White dominated the view, and a vase of flowers stood on the bedside cabinet. Hu Zihao lay in bed with his eyes closed.
A woman sat in the chair beside him. She looked a little over forty, her hair neatly pinned behind her head. Her features were somewhat sharp, with a heroic air about her brows and eyes. She was on the thin side, and her well-fitted navy suit lent her even more distinction.
One look told them she was Hu Zihao's mother. He was practically a larger, taller male version of her.
Shi Yu really hadn't interacted much with Hu Zihao before. He hadn't expected his mother to look so much like an accomplished professional.
And for her to secure a private room for her child at a time like this, it went without saying that neither money nor capability alone would have been enough.
Hu Zihao had never mentioned it either. Over their two days together, Shi Yu hadn't sensed any airs about him.
"Hello, ma'am. We're Hu Zihao's classmates. We've come to visit him."
Hu Zihao's mother stood and nodded, her expression softening slightly. Looking at the three of them, she spoke in a gentler tone:
"You're Xiaohao's classmates? Thank you for coming to see him. I'm his mother. My surname is Feng. You can call me Aunt Feng."
Following Huo Qiuliang's lead, Shi Yu addressed her as Aunt Feng, then glanced at Hu Zihao's closed eyes, feeling a little puzzled.
Hu Zihao still hasn't woken up? That shouldn't be right.
Theoretically, Hu Zihao hadn't had too many memories erased, and his injuries were mostly physical. Given the speed of his self-healing, he should have woken by now even without anyone else's treatment.
Shi Yu decided to ask:
"Aunt Feng, has Hu Zihao been unconscious this whole time?"
As he spoke, Shi Yu turned to look at Hu Zihao.
Feng Wanshu looked at Hu Zihao too and sighed.
"He woke up once last night. After seeing me, he was upset for a while. But he seemed strange, as though he wanted to tell me something, only he never did. Then he went back to sleep and hasn't woken since. The doctor checked on him this morning and said he'd suffered a shock and was having a stress response, so he should rest more."
Shi Yu nodded.
Perhaps things were more complicated than he had thought. This abnormal sleep was probably still due to some lingering power, but since Shen Bai had said there was no problem, it probably wasn't anything serious. More sleep would be good too.
Then Shi Yu thought back to Hu Zihao's choice.
Hu Zihao still hadn't told his mother what had happened.
What had he been thinking back then?
Shi Yu didn't say much about it and began talking to Feng Wanshu about Hu Zihao's everyday life.
While Feng Wanshu was asking Huo Qiuliang about things at school and they were chatting, another knock came at the door.
"Come in."
The authority returned to Feng Wanshu's voice.
The door opened, and a nurse walked in carrying a treatment tray holding two injections and medical supplies such as a tourniquet and cotton swabs.
"Ms. Feng, Dr. Liu said the patient experienced some palpitations and fright last night, so we're giving him two additional injections this morning."
Feng Wanshu nodded and thanked her for her work.
As the nurse approached, Shi Yu suddenly felt something was wrong.
But he hadn't yet worked out what it was. The feeling seemed to come from Thought.
While Shi Yu was still doubting himself, Huo Qiuliang suddenly spoke beside him.
"Nurse, didn't the doctor leave orders when he examined him last night? Why weren't the injections included with this morning's medication? My classmate's terrified of needles. Having to get another two shots separately like this will really scare him."
The nurse spoke as she arranged the supplies on the tray.
"Ah... these injections react with the medication he received this morning, so they have to be given some time apart."
At those words, Shi Yu's feeling intensified. He abruptly raised his head to look at the nurse.
Huo Qiuliang stood, his tone turning icy:
"Your story's full of holes. Who are you?!"
The nurse said nothing. Moving with incredible speed, she grabbed a syringe and drove it viciously into Hu Zihao's neck! So fast, so ruthless! No one had time to stop her!
The liquid in the syringe was rapidly pressed into Hu Zihao's body, so quickly it seemed to meet no resistance. In an instant, it was all injected.
Bluish-purple lines swiftly crawled along the blood vessels beneath Hu Zihao's skin. His eyes snapped open, and he spewed mouthfuls of blood onto the pillow, leaving a dark stain.
"Kh... ugh..."
The boys beside her hadn't reacted at all, while the woman screamed in terror. Only then did they scramble to their feet, trying to rush over and stop Li Yan.
Li Yan chuckled, took a satisfied look at her handiwork, then turned and dashed for the door.
She was nothing like that useless fool by the door, whose abilities came only from a superior's favor. Her ladder was "Super Speed"!
How could these brats possibly stop her? If this mission hadn't involved the authorities, killing everyone in this room wouldn't have been difficult!
Li Yan savored the sound of wind slipping past her ears. Watching the door draw closer, she couldn't help chuckling again.
How wonderful, this feeling that no one can do anything to me.
Crash!!
A dull, swelling ache suddenly burst across Li Yan's head, followed by violent dizziness and searing pain.
Before Li Yan understood what had happened, another dull blow struck her, this time at the back of her head. She vaguely heard glass shattering and water splashing, then lost consciousness completely.
"Your story's full of holes! Who are you?!"
Feng Wanshu froze. Just as she was about to ask the boy with the narrow, upturned eyes what was wrong, she witnessed something she couldn't believe.
The nurse suddenly moved too fast to follow. In an instant, she grabbed a syringe and rushed to Hu Zihao's bedside, then stabbed it into the pillow. Afterward, she smiled disdainfully.
Her son suddenly woke after the nurse plunged the syringe down. He rolled straight out of bed and sprang to her side, watching the nurse warily.
At that same moment, the vase beside her suddenly moved on its own, as if someone had grabbed it and hurled it hard at the smiling nurse.
The tall, quiet boy moved with frightening speed too. Snatching up the sheet beneath him, he rushed to the door and locked it instantly.
After smiling, the nurse also rushed toward the door. Like someone blind, she completely ignored the tall boy who had already locked it and charged straight at the wall, slamming into it with a bang!
The vase, which had initially missed, suddenly stopped just before hitting the wall. The gentle-looking boy thrust out his hand and swept it sharply, and the vase changed direction in midair, smashing into the back of the nurse's head!
Crash-
The vase shattered against the back of the nurse's head. The tall boy caught her and swiftly bound her tightly with the sheet.
Everything happened in an instant.
Feng Wanshu felt her understanding of the world suffer a powerful blow.
She hurriedly pulled Hu Zihao over from in front of her and examined him carefully. Only after confirming he was unharmed did she relax a little.
But before she could collect herself and speak again, she heard the door being pushed open.
Yet the door had clearly just been locked.
A refined-looking man wearing glasses walked in, looked at the nurse at his feet, then turned toward Huo Qiuliang.
"It's a Curtain-Caller."
Shen Bai spoke.
Then a deathly silence filled the room.
But soon, Feng Wanshu could no longer bear the confusion. Drawing a trembling breath, she stood and looked at the others in the room and the now-awake Hu Zihao.
"I need an explanation."
*Note:
The "Super Speed" ladder: first rung, "Brisk Stride"
"We sought to escape the shackles of the body. Our first attempt was running."
"O freedom I long for, I will embrace you with everything I have."
Before you continue