Compared to Tang Qi, a true newcomer, Sally clearly knew her way around. She swiftly led Tang Qi through the complex campus, avoiding a few trouble-seeking youths blocking the central path, and saved Tang Qi from the fate of fighting with several hormonally charged brats.
However, Tang Qi felt somewhat helpless because the route they took seemed to be the one Sally used to avoid bullying, so by the time they reached the end, they had also left the campus grounds.
"Creak~"
Hearing the noise, Tang Qi turned around just in time to see a rusty iron gate slam shut with a "bang."
This was an inconspicuous side gate of Saint Thorn High School; very few students used this exit.
Tang Qi didn't need to guess why, as the messy and dilapidated scene in front of him said it all.
It looked like a very secluded street: empty, with foul-smelling piles of garbage in the corners, graffiti scrolling down the walls, the ground covered with blackened, cracked bricks and stones, newspapers fluttering past with the breeze, and greasy billboards at the street corner.
A look of realization flashed through Tang Qi's eyes; he was somewhat surprised that there was a place like this near the Holy Thorn Campus.
Silently recalling the nearby layout, Tang Qi now knew where he was.
Messer City is divided into five major districts, among which there are four districts namely Blank District, Lopez, Newton, and Rach District, all surrounding the central "Central District."
Naturally, Central District is the largest and wealthiest, attracting many rich and upper-class individuals who enjoy the resource supply of the entire Messer City, and Saint Thorn High School is located in this district.
As for the other four districts, Blank District is where refugees and poor people gather; Lopez is the favorite of the middle class; Newton has a long history but a very weak presence; while Rach District is where the petty bourgeoisie and some less established wealthy people congregate.
Tang Qi's original family home was in Rach District.
If he wasn't mistaken, the street Tang Qi and Sally were on should be part of Blank District.
Juxtaposed right next to Central District, to get here they must have traversed the entire Holy Thorns campus.
While Tang Qi indulged in fond recollections, he unwittingly made Sally think that he was looking down on the place.
That was quite normal; although Tang Qi tried his best to appear as an ordinary Asian teenager, the details, such as the designer clothes he wore and his polite demeanor, still revealed his upper-class background.
Because of the morning's incident, Sally, a girl who was often bullied, felt quite favorable towards Tang Qi. This was also why she was willing to risk being bullied again by leading Tang Qi to this place.
Unfortunately, her long-standing inferiority complex stopped her from even daring to ask the boy in front of her anything.
Her face turned a shade darker and she said to Tang Qi in a low voice, "There's a bus stop around the corner of this street, in a few minutes the next bus will come, so... goodbye."
After speaking, Sally turned and ran to the other end of the street, her rush and possibly her oversized pants almost causing her to fall.
She staggered but didn't fall, yet her face turned even paler, and it looked like she was about to cry behind her black-rimmed glasses.
She hastened her steps, about to disappear at the end of the street.
This sudden change caught Tang Qi off guard; this girl named Sally was extremely sensitive, like a frightened little rabbit, and Tang Qi was somewhat unable to keep up with her train of thought.
Shaking his head, Tang Qi turned towards the bus stop, planning to find this girl again tomorrow to explain.
As for returning to campus, since he was already out, Tang Qi had a few places in mind to go, all outside the campus. This opportunity was good for a visit; he would return to his own brick house once his mission was accomplished. After all, night had just fallen, and it wasn't too late.
Tang Qi had just taken a few steps when a couple came out from a bakery ahead on the street. They dashed toward the stop as soon as they emerged, with the guy in the lead muttering, "Pegi, hurry up, it's your fault for wanting that special blueberry pie. It's so late and we're still lingering in Blank District. Let's get out of here quickly, the vicious hoodlums will be out if we're late."
The black-haired girl, feeling guilty, didn't argue, panting as she tried to keep up with her boyfriend in high heels.
Behind the pair, the last store on this street, a bakery named White Truffle, also creaked shut its main door.
Tang Qi stopped, first glanced at the nearly reached bus stop with its faintly visible lights, a touch of helplessness crossed his face, then he decisively turned and chased after the direction Sally had left.
They'd only met twice, but after all, they were schoolmates.
What was more key was that Tang Qi had a very good impression of this girl.
That reason was enough.
On the other hand, Sally really did run into big trouble.
She was cornered in a gloomy alleyway, facing three oddly dressed Caucasian youths.
One with yellow hair and a nose ring, another bare-chested showing off his muscular upper body, toying with a knife, while the third looked somewhat normal, except for his lustful face and arms filled with needle marks, practically having "not a good person" tattooed on his forehead.
The drug addict looked to be the leader among the three standing in front, tilting his pale face, with his disgusting tongue licking his bruised lips, and a depraved gaze in his eyes fixed on Sally.
"Look at this, we've hit the jackpot today; we've found a top-notch girl."
"Don't judge a book by its cover; this girl may look unsophisticated, but I can't take my eyes off her hot, perfect body. Believe me, she's top-notch. We take her back and lock her up, not only can we enjoy her for a few days, but even after she's broken, we can sell her off and make a tidy profit."
"Hehehe~"
Although the words of the drug addict seemed unreliable, at that moment, Sally's frightened and rapid breathing, along with the rise and fall of her chest and abdomen, made the other two thugs' eyes light up with similarly disgusting expressions.
Sally didn't scream, nor did she utter any fearless but empty warnings. She just pursed her lips, and beneath her black-rimmed glasses, along with deep despair and fear, there was a hint of determination that was hard to detect. She secretly reached into her small bag and gripped something.
It was a small knife, too short and not sharp, and given her own lack of strength, it was difficult to use for self-defense. But for committing suicide, it was fast enough.
She had to travel through this dangerous place because her home was in Blank District.
But in the past, she had perfectly calculated the streets she would pass and the time it would take, avoiding all the dangerous corners with little chance of encountering the likes of these people.
Blank District was very dangerous, as it was a hub for gangs, assassins, and other dangerous individuals.
But to her, as a female student, even if she encountered these people, there was no need to worry.
The real danger came from others.
Like bottom-tier thugs, wandering drug addicts, and an exceptional few dangerous vagrants.
She had avoided them before, but this time,
Because she was with Tang Qi, who wasn't familiar with the streets, and in her sadness and panic due to a misunderstanding with Tang Qi, not only was it getting late, but she also took a wrong turn or two. And now, she was in trouble.
As the three disgusting thugs closed in, the determination in Sally's eyes intensified.
Her hand gripped the small knife tightly and slowly drew it out, with the force directed not towards the three men in front of her but towards her own stomach.
After all, she was just a female student; with a knife, she could not defeat three strong men, especially when one of them was a crazed drug addict.
But she could deprive these three creatures of any gain; by the time they got to her, there would be nothing left but a corpse.
"Girl, don't resist. Be good, and we guarantee you'll have an experience you'll never forget."
"As a girl like you, you must be the least popular among boys at school, with no one courting you. Your first kiss, your first night—they must all still be intact. Relax, leave it to us, and soon you'll know what it means to be in ecstasy."
The drug addict stepped closer, the words coming out of his mouth precisely hitting Sally's weak point.
The determined look on her face instantly turned to intense anger, and the direction of the small knife pivoted towards the young Caucasian man.
Clearly, Sally had been figured out.
Although a drug addict, he indeed had a way with young girls.
He had even prepared his stance to exert force, slightly sidestepping, ready to quickly move behind Sally and grab her once she moved, bringing everything to a conclusion.
In the dim alley, aside from the flickering streetlight, there wasn't even the shadow of a ghost.
Just as Sally's bag showed a small gap and the expected gleam of knife light appeared, much to the three men's anticipation, the drug addict laughed boisterously, ready to pounce on Sally.
But then, the unexpected happened.
"Swish"
A shadow, silent and stealthy, darted into the alley entrance.
Like a ghost, it appeared behind Yellow Fur and the man with the small knife, with a pair of pale hands shaped like blades chopping down directly on the back of their necks. Two crisp sounds rang out, and the two men's eyes rolled back as they fell to the ground.
The shadow didn't try to snatch the knife from the hand of Small Knife but instead, as the drug addict heard the noise and tried to swiftly dash toward Sally, hastily increased its speed to intercept, with presumably frail arms ferociously strangling the drug addict's neck.
Just as the drug addict felt a twinge of joy at the perceived weakness in the grip, a tremendous twisting force came, and the fragile human neck could not resist this power. With a "crack," his neck broke, and his body immediately went limp.
After dealing with the three men, the shadow also staggered and leaned against the wall, then took deep breaths, with chest and abdomen heaving like a bellows.
The faint streetlight illuminated Tang Qi's face, which had turned red due to the brief intense exertion.
"Sally, you..."
"Bang"
"Ah~"
As Tang Qi let out a breath, intending to console the girl in front who must have been terrified, he raised his head only to see a figure suddenly plunging into his embrace.
Then, Tang Qi couldn't help but let out a pained scream.