Casio briskly moved forward on the cobblestone road, pushing open the door of the dormitory to the sound of raindrops hitting leaves.
"Li Wei bro, you're back."
"We saved some food for you…"
"Sit here."
The five guys in the dormitory all responded warmly. Ever since Casio told them a thrilling tale about a beauty and a vampire the night before last, their camaraderie had grown leaps and bounds.
Previously, the five of them would usually just go to sleep when they returned to the dormitory as there was nothing much to do. Now, each of them would wait for Casio to recount a short suspenseful story before they could fall asleep, even willingly skipping some of their meals to piece together a dinner for Casio.
That was considered Casio's "fee" for telling stories twice a day.
"Let's eat. Li Wei, why don't you change into something more comfortable first, Aaron and I can wash the clothes for you." A slightly big-headed guy came over, holding an iron box in his hand.
"Sure, thanks." Casio immediately changed his clothes under the watchful eyes of his roommates. Being all guys, there was nothing to feel shy about. He could take a shower after telling his story.
The big-headed guy opened the iron box, revealing bread, vegetables, and meat. No one knew where he had gotten the box from.
"Li Wei, you eat. Aaron and I will get going." There was a thin guy holding clothes standing a few steps away. He suddenly turned back and added, "Don't coax Li Wei into telling the story while we're gone. Be good…"
"Don't worry, I'll eat a bit slower," Casio reassured them. Only then did the two nod, push open the door, and leave quickly.
Entertainment was scarce in these times and the Youth Training Camp was run in a closed manner where their days were filled with training and sleeping. Casio's eye-catching suspenseful stories were considered a rare treat and the five young men were all getting hooked.
He couldn't have imagined that something he had merely said as a conversation filler would earn him a guaranteed dinner every day.
Then Casio picked up the iron box and satisfied his hunger.
Fifteen minutes passed and under the hopeful eyes of everyone, he continued telling the unfinished story of hunter Van Helsing.
An hour later, the dormitory was filled with waves of snoring. Casio glanced at the gloomy sky outside, still drizzling, and then turned his head back, his hands clasped on his chest.
He narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Then turned over, got off the bed, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the dorm.
Male dormitory area, building number seven.
Faint howls resonated in the air. Finn was lying on the bed while a young boy beside him was applying potion to his body from a brownish-yellow bottle.
"Hey, be gentle!"
"Damn it! Get someone else, someone with a lighter touch!"
Finn grimaced, his eyelids twitching. The mixing sensation of exhaustion and the burning sensation of the potion was driving him mad. The double training volume was killing him, and thinking of the remaining nine days made him feel nauseous.
Thinking of Li Wei and Dan Dong's faces made him feel even worse. Recalling the pointing and giggling from the students in groups three and four, Finn wanted to beat them all to the ground.
"I just made a small mistake when I was drunk, is it necessary to hold it against me like this?" Finn exhaled aggressively.
He felt rather wronged. In reality, the truly drunk wouldn't have the energy to do such dirty things. It was evident Finn had depraved intentions all along and used being drunk as an excuse for his malfeasance.
"Rub some more under my shoulder, and open the door a crack, it's a little hot." Finn directed his two sidekicks.
Enduring the excruciating pain all over his body, the relieving sensation brought by the potion gradually suppressed the numbness. Finn clenched the towel in his hand: "This matter can't end just like this…"
"I was beaten black and blue, and had to stay in the hospital for over ten days! The sight of his face enrages me!"
Lashing out a few sentences, Finn's housemates looked at each other awkwardly. Finn, as a relation to the instructor Marne of the Youth Training Camp, had the highest position in the dormitory.
"We have to find an opportunity, preferably lure him out of the training camp and beat him up. I can't swallow this insult." Finn said.
"What's your plan? We're all ears..." The other boys exchanged glances before responding. Despite being lackeys, they were quite capable.
Finn considered for a moment, then started speaking. He believed his plan was flawless even though it was actually riddled with holes. But the malicious intent behind it was very much like a grown-up's.
"It's like this. In fact, we don't have to be afraid. We were indeed caught off guard last time, especially since we were slightly tipsy. It's normal to be given the slip by that kid. This time we strike first, and it should be pretty easy to teach him a lesson…"
Finn lay on the bed, stretching his arms out. A younger boy was gently pounding on his muscles with his fists.
"Tomorrow when I…"
A creak and the barely open door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, followed by a silhouette rushing straight in.
"Damn, Li Wei!"
Finn turned his head in astonishment, his hands about to prop him up from the bed. But Casio suddenly took a leap and sat firmly on him, pinning him down.
The next second, punches rained down on Finn.
"You want a piece of me, huh?!"
"Ah!"
"Do you have a problem with me, huh?!"
"Ah!"
"You still want my sister, huh?!"
"Ah!"
Each punch Casio threw was accompanied by a howl from Finn.
"Damn it, come help me!!!" Finn tried several times to lift his body up but his weak arms wouldn't allow him to.
The startled young men finally reacted, attacking Casio with punches and kicks. As they were beating up on Casio, Casio was landing blows on Finn. It wasn't until a few dozen seconds later that he was forcefully dragged off.
By then, Finn's head was so beaten he could only blink, speechless. On the other hand, two or three boys surrounded Casio, continuously punching and kicking him.
Bruises and cuts rapidly appeared on Casio's body. He cast a venomous glance at the boys around him. Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, he yelled, "Beating up someone!! Help! They're beating someone! Instructor! There's a fight in dormitory number seven!"
The shouts were loud and insistent. They quickly awakened many of the sleeping students who hurried over to see what was happening.
They could see Casio being beaten by three or four boys, blood being drawn. He was dodging the blows one after the other, retreating step by step.
Soon, students with a strong sense of justice rushed in to intervene.
A chaotic brawl ensued.
It wasn't until several minutes later, when the night-shift instructor rushed over, that it stopped.