Beginning to intervene

"...Confirmed."

Shi Yu sighed.

It was all real.

The abilities were real, and so was the inheritance. Evil Sin was real, and so was death.

Just as Shi Yu was about to get dressed and check on Han He and Hu Zihao, he heard a soft knock on the dorm room door. Then it was pushed open, and Hu Zihao poked his head in, meeting Shi Yu's eyes.

Hu Zihao froze for a moment, then waved at Shi Yu.

Immediately afterward, the door swung fully open, and Han He walked in and looked at Shi Yu.

"...Give me a moment. I'll be right there."

Autumn mornings in the northeast were always foggy. It was not cold enough for frost yet, but there was already a chill, and threads of cold wind carried the damp mist into people's pores. On the sports field, three boys talked as they walked.

"Yang Desheng was hanging around the school gate so early. He definitely knows about last night."

Hu Zihao frowned. Knowing something was wrong with the man but being unable to do anything about it was maddening. Frustrating as it was, there was no other option right now. He might as well clear up what he was curious about first.

Hu Zihao asked Shi Yu.

"So you really have superpowers now?"

Hu Zihao looked at Shi Yu as he asked. His fingertips and joints had been carefully wrapped in layers of bandages. A crisp, cold scent slipped through the gaps, smelling like a freezing wind passing through a birch forest.

There was no doubt that was Han He's handiwork.

Shi Yu had to admit that Hu Zihao really had a good mindset. Even though he was the one who had nearly died last night, he could still chat with Shi Yu so energetically this morning. He really had nerves of steel.

Shi Yu nodded as he looked at Hu Zihao's hands. He already knew what had happened last night. After he had passed out, Han He had treated Hu Zihao's wounds and taken him back to the dorm room.

And throughout the entire process, not a single person had woken up. Everyone had seemed dead to the world.

Shi Yu raised his hand, studying the lines on his fingers as he slowly began to speak.

"It was like someone poured knowledge into me. Before, using my ability was a vague idea, but now it's a definite sensation. I know clearly that I'm using my power."

Then Shi Yu turned to Han He and said:

"I'm definitely not an Heir, but the ability I gained told me that my ability is 'Thought,' the tiers of 'Thought,' with 'Coincidence' as the first tier. It sounds similar to the 'arts' you mentioned before."

"I can make small, logically possible things happen, like influencing someone's minor movements or opening a door that can be opened. Apart from that, I can move objects with my mind, but only relatively small, light things, and they can't move faster than the fastest I could throw them by hand. This seems to be one manifestation of 'Thought.' My thinking has improved, too. I can easily focus on one thing without getting distracted."

Han He thought for a moment and said:

"I've never heard Grandpa mention anything like this, but it's a good thing, at any rate."

Listening beside them, Hu Zihao was incredibly envious. Those were the superpowers of his dreams, but he also felt a lingering fear.

Without people like Han He and Shi Yu, I would've definitely died last night. And not just me. What about afterward? What else would happen after that?

Talking on and off about their current situation, the three soon reached a secluded corner.

Han He also took the oilpaper package out of his pocket. He had used some of its contents yesterday, but half remained. He took out the materials inside, set the dagger on the ground, and said:

"I told you, I inherited 'Hunter.' The power of an inheritance starts at ten, and the smaller the number, the stronger the power. But you only awakened last night, and you already knew you were at the first tier. I think your power works in reverse to an inheritance: the bigger the number, the stronger it is."

Han He spoke without stopping his hands. Twigs, bird feathers, and animal teeth traced a strange shape on the ground. Han He picked up the dagger and plunged it into the center of the pattern.

"The ninth art: Wolf Fang."

Han He picked up a bottle of liquid in each hand. With a push of his thumbs, the caps came off both bottles.

"My physical fitness, strength, and five senses are enhanced. I can accumulate power while I'm silent and steady. Using materials, I can perform certain rituals related to the wild, nature, and spirits, releasing unconventional powers to fight Evil Sin without a physical form."

No wonder he acts mute every day. Turns out he's charging up something big.

That was what Shi Yu thought after hearing him.

Han He's right hand slowly poured out a smooth reddish-brown liquid. It slid down the dagger, leaving a reddish-brown trail like a winding, crawling snake.

His left hand abruptly tipped its bottle upside down. The clear liquid crashed down with a crisp sound as it left the glass, all of it striking the dagger and splashing the reddish-brown traces apart.

The surrounding twigs, bird feathers, and animal teeth stirred slightly, as though they had come alive.

In that instant, Shi Yu and Hu Zihao seemed to hear the cries of wild beasts.

"'Veins of Green Blood,' a minor ritual, and one of the rituals I can master. It reactivates the power of the ritual materials, allowing them to function individually, and links them to the person who initiated the ritual, granting that person the protection of their power."

Han He quickly gathered everything and tucked it inside his clothes.

It was almost time for class.

"Let's leave it at that and go to class. That Evil Sin saw us last night anyway, and with Yang Desheng watching the gate, we can't run. It doesn't matter either way."

Shi Yu watched Han He put everything away, then led the other two toward the classroom building, speaking as he walked:

"I can sense that the mark on Hu Zihao is gone. If Evil Sin needs to kill people to increase its power and get through its advancement stage, then shouldn't it have become a little weaker after failing last night? I want to see who that Evil Sin marks today, then tonight we'll do the same thing as yesterday. I've gained an ability this time, so maybe we can stop it again. That way, its power should weaken quickly, and Yang Desheng will weaken along with it. We should be able to hold out until next Friday."

Hu Zihao sighed and said:

"Too bad we're no match for that Evil Sin. All it did yesterday was close a door, and we had to go to all that trouble. If it hadn't been for you two, I'd have died there yesterday. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm going to piss myself."

Shi Yu pushed open the classroom building's door and said:

"I don't dare use my ability on Yang Desheng lightly now, either. If we keep our abilities hidden, we might still make him wary. If he discovers we're actually no match for him, we're screwed. We'd probably just get listed as missing."

Han He looked toward the distant school gate. Besides Yang Desheng, two school administrators were standing there. Han He had seen those two at the opening ceremony of the sports meet.

Han He frowned and followed Shi Yu and Hu Zihao into the classroom building.

Not long after the three entered, Yang Desheng seemed to spot something in the distance and said something to the gate guards. Then he hurriedly made a phone call and left the school gate. Before long, a vehicle Shi Yu and the others had been longing for pulled up outside.

A police car.

The police had arrived.

The principal also ran out of the classroom building. It seemed Yang Desheng had just called him. There was some distance between the classroom building and the gate, so it would take the principal a little while to get there, but the police had already gotten out of the car. There were four officers in total, and they walked over to the guardhouse together.

"Hello, here are our credentials. A notice was issued recently, and we need to conduct an inspection and a safety briefing at the school. Please contact the school administration if you can."

The older officer in the lead handed their credentials through the guardhouse window.

The gate guards were two men. They took the credentials, examined them carefully, then exchanged a glance. The older guard said:

"Of course, of course. Just a moment, I'll open the gate. Please sign in here. The principal will be here shortly."

Then he pressed the gate switch and returned the credentials to the officer. The gate slowly opened, and both guards came out as well.

The principal reached them just then. The overweight Zhang Ya was panting with exertion, but he still remembered to greet the police.

"Oh...oh dear...officers...why didn't you...oh dear...let us know in advance you were coming...so we could come out and welcome you..."

Zhang Ya could not catch his breath. The four officers did not speak immediately, waiting until his breathing had steadied a little before the older officer said:

"Here's the situation. We also received word from above at short notice. They're pushing hard on this, so this inspection is being carried out urgently, without advance notice."

At the same time, the older officer raised his hand slightly. The three younger officers behind him understood and checked again that their body cameras were working.

"I understand, I understand. I'm the principal of Yishi No. 12 Middle School. My surname is Zhang, and my name is Zhang Ya. I'll certainly cooperate fully with this inspection. Shall I show you around, then?"

Having caught his breath, Zhang Ya introduced himself.

But the older officer waved a hand, declining Zhang Ya's offer.

"That won't be necessary. We don't need anyone accompanying us for this inspection. We're mainly checking for safety hazards in the classroom and dormitory buildings, as well as whether the safety facilities are adequate. We've all been to No. 12 Middle School before. We know the layout."

"Ah...haha...sorry for the trouble, then. It can't have been easy coming all this way. I have some tea my family produced in my office. Why don't we take a short break before starting?"

A trace of disgust flashed in the older officer's eyes, but it quickly vanished. Once again, he declined Zhang Ya's invitation.

"Principal Zhang, we have a tight schedule and a heavy workload. We need to get started quickly. We have two more schools to visit today. If you've been informed of this inspection and confirmed our identities, please go back. We'll leave on our own when we're finished."

The older officer's wording was blunt and allowed no refusal. Seeing there was no room to maneuver, Zhang Ya could only leave in disappointment.