Tang Qi led Sally through the bustling campus. Although Tang Qi's external appearance was quite good and he had plenty of charm, he still had the so-called "unlucky Sally" by his side. To prevent any bad luck from rubbing off on him, Tang Qi only received a few sparse invitations during the process.
They were just a few promotional brochures, not very enthusiastic at all.
It actually made Sally feel even more embarrassed. Fortunately, the two of them left Thorny High School rather quickly.
When they got on the bus, Sally visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
But she quickly became tense again, looking around anxiously, afraid that something unlucky would happen at any moment, proving that she was indeed plagued by misfortune.
She had had enough of days without a single friend. While some people might enjoy solitude, she was not that kind of girl.
The most crucial thing was that she had encountered a genuinely kind friend.
That's right, Sally could feel very clearly that she might have made a sincere friend.
As a girl who had been entangled with so-called bad luck since childhood, her life had been very tough, whether it was malice from her environment or from other humans, she had experienced a lot of it.
These experiences had shaped her current personality and also gave her a sharp perception.
At least in judging whether someone was sincere, she was very confident. If it weren't for such abilities, perhaps she would have been ruined by those recklessly bad students due to her special luck a long time ago.
Precisely because of this, she cherished the new friend Tang Qi even more.
Tang Qi noticed the girl's nervousness, and it eased the slight sense of urgency in his heart.
He knew the world was undergoing massive changes, that a powerful enemy was waiting for him, and even that the current sheltered environment he was in was actually a trap being set by some superpower.
The situation was not as rosy as it appeared on the surface, and his life was not as blissful as that of a wealthy second-generation kid who could enjoy life without a care.
But at least, it wasn't bad enough to keep Tang Qi constantly on edge.
Sitting by the window, Tang Qi looked at the streets the bus passed, at buildings that were similar to those on Earth in a previous life yet different in the details. With a faint sigh, Tang Qi suddenly started making casual conversation with Sally.
Of course, it was mostly Tang Qi asking and Sally answering.
There's a hidden rule present in most schools: a girl who is silent and introverted is usually a scholastic achiever.
Sally was not only a scholarly achiever, but also one with a vast range of knowledge.
She could provide answers on both regular subjects and some bizarre topics.
Tang Qi could ask targeted questions and then get precise and detailed answers, allowing him to quickly increase his understanding of this new world without having to sift through large amounts of data.
Time flew by in the pleasant conversation between the two of them, and the journey was very stable throughout.
After they got off the bus, they reached a grand and ancient building, a library filled with literary atmosphere.
Messer Library!
Built almost simultaneously with Messer City, its history was extremely long, and it had one of the largest collections in Secret Phoenix State, perhaps only rivaled by a few libraries in Secret Phoenix City, the capital of the state.
Arriving before the closing time, Tang Qi successfully borrowed a few books that seemed very weighty.
Sally glanced at the books Tang Qi had borrowed. They were obviously unrelated to the coursework, such as "Twelve Saints' deeds verification", "Federation Hundred Years of Strange, Absurd and Real", "Hundred Guesses of Mysterious Meteor", "Detailed Examination of Unsolved Cases of the Federation Bureau", ... The only one that could remotely be related was "Monster Records".
Although it was a bit strange, Sally didn't ask any questions.
A smart girl, she would not deliberately cross any boundaries.
And what made this thoughtful girl very happy was that until they parted at the central stop in Blank District, nothing unexpected happened. The larger mishaps she had foreseen did not occur.
The girl was very excited and also very puzzled.
While waving goodbye to Tang Qi, she couldn't help but mutter to herself.
She didn't expect that Tang Qi's various physical attributes were growing stronger every day, his hearing had become acutely sharp, and he overheard all of Sally's mutterings just before she left.
"Today was so strange, why didn't Tang Qi trip over, or get hit in the head by a basketball that came flying out of nowhere, or lose money, or even bump into anyone when walking... It's too strange."
"Could it be that my bad luck has vanished and I'm no longer the unlucky Sally?"
"Great, today might be the most peaceful day of my life."
"No, I can't relax too much, today might just be an exception, and tomorrow it will be back to the familiar series of accidents."
"Hopefully Tang Qi can stay strong, he should be able to, after all, he is so impressive, and he played the hero saving the damsel that night."
"Oh my, looks like the beauty is me, so nervous."
…
Tang Qi looked at Sally going home with an amused expression and couldn't help but marvel at how much the girl could talk in such a short time. It seemed that those accustomed to talking to themselves could indeed gain a bit of a speed boost in their speech.
However, Tang Qi's smile twitched slightly upon hearing the latter part.
With a wry smile, Tang Qi shook his head and carried the books toward his current home.
There was no need to take a big detour to reach the main school gate; it was probably locked by now. Tang Qi headed straight for the side gate of the school.
Although it meant passing through the chaotic Blank District, the upside was that it was very close.
But barely a minute had passed when Tang Qi turned a corner—two streets away from his brick house—his footsteps suddenly stopped.
Snap!
Pausing, Tang Qi slightly turned his head to look at a dark alley beside him.
From within, a series of strange noises could be heard.
They were sounds people make when they're engaged in activities they enjoy: suppressed moans that seemed to reflect unbearable pleasure, along with faint pain. Considering the setting, it wasn't difficult to imagine what was happening inside.
It was simply what one would expect after a hasty client encountered a nightingale.
As a high school student, Tang Qi should have simply turned and run.
Yet at that moment, a strange expression appeared on his face. He placed the books one by one into a cloth bag provided by the library, grabbed it in one hand, and then stepped into the alley.
"Tap tap"
Although there were already plenty of noises in the alley, the light breeze carrying a faint smell of sewage managed to carry the sound of Tang Qi's steps into the ears of three figures entangled with one another.
To be precise, two figures.
Aided by the dim streetlight overhead, Tang Qi saw a horrifying scene in the alley.
There were exciting and romantic elements, just not in the way most people would imagine.
The tangled figures included a middle-aged man with a grievous face, dressed in a clean but cheap suit, with a bald forehead, seemingly a typical office worker who came to relieve stress on an adventure; the other two figures, wearing exaggeratedly revealing dresses, one in black and one in white stockings, with heavily applied makeup, fit the "nightingale" profile.
But at that moment, they were tangled in an unusual manner.
At least it shouldn't be two nightingales using both hands and feet to wrap around the middle-aged man, then gnawing on his flesh with their pearly white teeth; his neck half-bitten through, his head drooping, one beautiful head intent on sucking the spurting fresh blood.
The other nightingale was crouching over the man's belly, munching away merrily and not forgetting to stuff greasy intestines into her mouth.
Without Tang Qi's interruption, the two nightingales would probably be in a very good mood, as not everyone could enjoy a feast with a good friend in the middle of the night.
Of course, the moment their greenish eyes reflected Tang Qi's figure.
Their mood improved even more.
"Giggle giggle... look what we've found, a tender little rabbit."
"Surprise, the joy we haven't felt in so long."
The two young ladies, delighted with the interruption of their meal, gracefully stood up, leaving the poor middle-aged man behind, unconcerned about nearly exposing everything.
But at that moment, Tang Qi wasn't interested in appreciating them anyway.
Tang Qi carefully placed his bag in a clean corner and then walked slowly towards the two beauties, who were grinning at him, under the light of a streetlamp. His enhanced eyesight allowed him to see the fresh red flesh in the gaps of their teeth and the thick blood dripping down.
As he walked, he recalled the book "Federation Hundred Years of Strange, Absurd and Real" that he had flipped through and borrowed from the library.
Inside were many chapters discussing urban oddities.
"I've seen the Blank Dog-faced Man."
"Now, on to chapter two, explain to me what is a... Corpse-eating Nightingale?"
"Bang! Bang!"
Almost the instant Tang Qi uttered these words, the two beautiful figures shattered the floor tiles beneath them. Amidst the rolling turbulence, they pounced like two evil ghosts towards the fresh and tempting high school boy.
ps: Chapter Twenty-nine has been censored, and the recovery date is to be determined. You may join the group (number 726582990) to catch up; it won't affect the plot.