Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Since they had finally gone out, Li Que bought his students bubble tea and fried chicken on the way back as a special treat.
Nian Youyu was thrilled.
The moment they returned to the classroom, he eagerly opened the bags, pulled out the drinks and fried chicken, and began feasting.
To Li Que’s surprise, Meng Mo was still snoring away in the classroom, sleeping blissfully.
Li Que was speechless. What had that boy been doing last night?
He shook his head and turned away. Nian Youyu was wolfing down food, while Bai Lu sipped her bubble tea and seemed to be in a good mood.
Only Lin Xiaoyu appeared unhappy, staring constantly at the red knot around her wrist.
“Xiaoyu, come to my office.”
Something occurred to Li Que as he spoke.
Lin Xiaoyu immediately followed him out.
After they left…
“Hey, wake up!”
Nian Youyu shook Meng Mo. “Sir bought fried chicken. If you don’t wake up, there won’t be any left.”
Meng Mo showed no sign of waking. Bai Lu glanced at him indifferently.
“The dream should end. Sir’s guidance wasn’t meant for you to lose yourself in it.”
Her voice became extraordinarily clear, as though it could cross the boundary between illusion and reality.
Meng Mo’s sleepy eyes snapped open. He stretched lazily.
“What happened to you? Why were you sleeping so deeply?” Nian Youyu asked.
“I fell asleep while listening to Sir’s lesson…”
Excitement glimmered in Meng Mo’s eyes.
“You know what? I had a dream. Inside it, I seemed to become a dream dreamed by a butterfly. My power to make other people dream is even stronger now!”
…
Inside the office…
“There’s no need to be nervous, Xiaoyu.”
Li Que smiled warmly at Lin Xiaoyu.
“You mentioned that something had happened at home. Can you tell me what it is?”
He had wanted to learn more for some time. Lin Xiaoyu seemed to be in a better mood after the escape room, so now was a good opportunity to ask.
“My aunt… may be sick,” Lin Xiaoyu answered.
She said nothing more.
Li Que sighed softly. The only family Lin Xiaoyu had in this world was her sister, Lin Xiaoshuang, and Auntie Miao.
Auntie Miao was ill, so Lin Xiaoyu was worried and wanted to return home to care for her?
That showed admirable devotion to her family.
It was a good thing.
“When you go home, how about I come with you?”
He planned to make a home visit.
A trace of excitement appeared in Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes.
“Really, Sir?”
Li Que smiled. “Of course.”
“By the way, do you like that red knot?”
The knot had appeared around Lin Xiaoyu’s wrist after the escape room. She had stared at it throughout the taxi ride and ever since returning to class.
“I had one when I was little,” Lin Xiaoyu said. “But this one is… a little different from the one I remember.”
Hesitation seemed to flicker in her eyes.
Li Que thought for a moment.
“If you like it, how about I make you a new one? You can get rid of this one.”
The knot on her wrist looked faded, dusty, and rather dirty.
Lin Xiaoyu froze. After a moment of silence, she nodded.
“Thank you, Sir.”
Li Que smiled. “All right. Go back and eat something.”
Lin Xiaoyu turned and left.
Li Que began preparing for the home visit.
Five Dragons Mountain was fairly remote. Lin Xiaoyu’s family also seemed to be struggling, so he ought to bring gifts.
…
Lin Xiaoyu left the office. When she passed a trash can in the hallway, she suddenly stopped and removed the red knot from her wrist.
The knot was old and faded. In Lin Xiaoyu’s pupils, it suddenly transformed into a fiery red snake, flicking its tongue at her.
She stared at it for a long time, then tossed it into the trash and walked away.
“Hey! You don’t want it?”
Nian Youyu had appeared without anyone noticing. He shouted after her.
“Sir is going to make me a new one.”
Lin Xiaoyu didn’t look back.
Nian Youyu’s eyes lit up. He set down his fried chicken, stared hungrily at the knot inside the trash can, and immediately retrieved it.
“Now this is something good!”
He licked his lips.
…
At that moment, inside an office building not far from Mingjiang No. 7 Special School…
Qin Shiyu sat calmly in an office. A young woman now sat across from her.
The young woman looked remarkably similar to Lin Xiaoyu.
But while Lin Xiaoyu appeared quiet and obedient, an uncanny air constantly lingered around this girl’s eyes.
“You gave her the knot. What about my little sister?”
The young woman smiled at Qin Shiyu. “If she successfully contains it, she’ll become even more terrifying than before. She may even display some of its divine authority. You understand that, don’t you?”
She blinked. A layer of white frost seemed to cover her long eyelashes.
“Before we gave her the knot, we soaked it in Divine Fire Ash for a very long time,” Qin Shiyu replied calmly.
“If she truly contains it, the Divine Fire Ash will severely wound her.”
The frost-lashed girl nodded. “A good plan.”
“But what if she notices the problem, refuses to contain it, and runs away?”
Qin Shiyu remained composed.
“She won’t.”
“The Divine Fire Ash was applied with extreme care. She’s still only S-class, so she can’t detect anything wrong with it.”
“Besides, that knot is the only hope of bringing back the Water God. It means too much to her. Even if she senses something is wrong, she’ll most likely force herself to contain it and risk everything on one attempt. Isn’t that right?”
The frost-lashed girl smiled. “You understand my little sister better than I do.”
“Now all we need to do is wait,” Qin Shiyu said.
She looked at a specialized instrument on the table. “If anyone contains the Divine Fire Ash, we’ll know immediately.”
“Then you can make your move.”
The moment she finished speaking…
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The value on the instrument rapidly fell to zero.
That meant the Divine Fire Ash had been completely contained.
“See? She couldn’t resist in the end.”
Qin Shiyu smiled and looked at the frost-lashed girl.
“After the Divine Fire Ash severely wounds her, her strength will plummet. Once you capture her and advance to SS-class, you’ll gain the qualifications to begin condensing the Water God’s Authority.”
The frost-lashed girl smiled as well. “Then let’s go.”
Qin Shiyu rose and left the office building with Frost.
The instant they stepped onto the street, the bright sky abruptly darkened. Freezing wind howled through the summer city as though winter had arrived without warning.
“What the hell is wrong with the weather? How did it get this cold all of a sudden?”
“El Niño? It shouldn’t be this extreme! It was thirty degrees a minute ago!”
“It’s freezing. Wait… Why is there frost on the road?”
Throughout the streets and alleys, every citizen caught in the wind began shivering violently.
Most people wore short sleeves, skirts, and other summer clothes. Goose bumps rose across their skin in an instant, and their noses began to run.
“Get home! Put on more clothes!”
“Damn it. Something’s wrong with this weather.”
“Could an anomaly have appeared?”
Panic spread. Pedestrians ran through the streets, trying to reach home or find somewhere warm. Drivers turned their heaters to maximum.
To everyone’s shock, many vents blew air laden with white frost. The systems strained until they smoked without producing the slightest warmth.
“No. This is wrong. This is completely unnatural!”
“Call the authorities! Something happened!”
“What kind of anomaly is this?”
Everyone on the street descended into terror, calling every government hotline they knew.
Qin Shiyu frowned. “Isn’t it a little early to act?”
She understood Frost’s ability well. In less than an hour, all of Mingjiang City would be covered in ice.
People with limited mobility would quickly succumb to hypothermia in the absolute cold.
This was the power of an S-class anomaly. Not one person in the city would survive.
“First, seal the entire city. We can’t let her escape again.”
The frost-lashed girl smiled and lightly licked her lips.
“I haven’t seen my little sister in a very, very long time. This time, I’m going to swallow her whole.”
…
At the Anomaly Suppression Bureau…
When white frost crept across the Bureau’s windows, every telephone line was overwhelmed.
Every government department knew this had to be an anomaly incident, and all of them urgently tried to alert the Anomaly Suppression Bureau.
Ordinary people were helpless before anomalies. The Bureau was their only hope.
Every officer inside wore a grim expression.
“This frost… It’s S-class!”
“Since when did another one come to Mingjiang City?”
“The entire city is cooling rapidly, and every heating system seems to have failed. At this rate, everyone will freeze to death!”
They frantically analyzed the anomalous frost while every machine ran hot enough to smoke. Each officer was sick with worry.
Even the anomaly wielders of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau felt the cold biting into their bones. Low-level wielders had no way to resist it.
Inside the conference room, a detailed file on Frost filled the large screen.
“Name: Frost”
“Class: S-plus”
“Ability: Rapidly freezes moisture within a set range. Once white frost forms, conventional heating methods cease to function. Every living creature within the affected area will die of hypothermia.”
“Characteristic: Frost-Congealing Anomaly Domain”
S-plus!
One S-class Rain had already been enough to overwhelm them. Now an S-plus-class anomaly had appeared too?
“Deputy Director, Frost wouldn’t appear without a reason. The Hall of Anomalies or the Eclipse Organization is almost certainly making a move,” Zuo Qingting said.
“We should head to the scene immediately. If we wait until they obtain the Water God’s Authority, it will be too late.”
Shi Xuan glanced at Zuo Qingting, then turned to Wang Zhong.
“What do you think, Wang Zhong?”
Wang Zhong considered the question.
“Frost and Rain are the two anomalies most likely to inherit the Water God’s Authority. The Hall of Anomalies hunted Rain many years ago. I suspect they’re behind this as well.”
“They may already control Frost. If they capture Rain too, the Water God’s Authority will truly fall into their hands.”
“I recommend that we intervene.”
Shi Xuan nodded, then looked at Xu Changjiang.
“What do you think, Changjiang?”
Xu Changjiang’s expression was equally grave. He drew a deep breath.
“I am the director of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, responsible for protecting the people of Mingjiang City. Our immediate priority should be opening an escape route so the citizens can evacuate safely.”
“An S-plus-class Frost is already beyond the Mingjiang City Anomaly Suppression Bureau’s capabilities.”
Shi Xuan studied him for a moment, then considered his words.
“Xu has a point. We can’t fight Frost in the short term, so we should first find a way to evacuate the citizens.”
“We’ll split into two teams.”
“Wang Zhong, Zuo Qingting-you two track Frost. Xu and I will open an escape route for the citizens.”
Wang Zhong and Zuo Qingting rose and left without hesitation.
Once they were gone, Xu Changjiang looked at Shi Xuan in confusion.
“Deputy Director Shi, what are you…?”
“The Hall of Anomalies has entered the game. It’s time to give the Eclipse Organization a chance to show its face.”
Shi Xuan smiled. He had deliberately chosen not to go so the traitor would have an opportunity to act.
Sometimes, the best way to capture something was to let it loose first.
“I’m curious about one thing, though. Are you really that confident?”
Shi Xuan studied him.
An S-class Rain, an S-plus-class Frost, the mysterious Hall of Anomalies, and the Eclipse Organization-what trump card could make Xu Changjiang so calm?
“I have faith.”
Xu Changjiang drew a deep breath. “Deputy Director, we should head to Mingjiang No. 7 Special School now.”
They would observe from the shadows.
Shi Xuan clicked his tongue in surprise.
He knew Xu Changjiang well. Xu took his responsibilities extremely seriously and would never stand by while an anomaly slaughtered civilians.
When Xu said they should open an escape route, Shi Xuan had believed he meant it from the bottom of his heart.
But Xu Changjiang had merely feinted.
That meant Xu believed an S-plus-class Frost couldn’t cause any real trouble in Mingjiang City.
“All right.”
Shi Xuan grew even more curious. What exactly was hidden in Mingjiang City?
…
At that moment, inside the public restroom at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School…
“Damn it! This thing is poisonous!”
“It burns! It burns!”
Screams rang out one after another, punctuated by a series of wet, explosive noises.
It was Nian Youyu.
After a long time, he finally emerged from the restroom. He looked utterly drained and walked with his legs spread wide.
His ass burned too badly to bring them together.
“That bastard put fire ash in there to poison me!”
Nian Youyu’s entire body trembled.
He had eaten the red knot Lin Xiaoyu threw away.
It had given him violent diarrhea on the spot.
Now he was furious. He raised his eyes toward the world beyond Mingjiang No. 7 Special School, and the pupil of some enormous beast seemed to flash within their depths.
“Just wait. I’ll teach you the true meaning of cruelty!”
…