Chapter 002 Warning
With his nose covered, Liu Shiqing crept towards the classroom, targeting High School Second Year (Class 9) for his secret infiltration. Step by step, he made it to the bottom of the window and gently tapped on it. His buddy Zhang Songsheng looked up and almost burst out laughing at the sight of Liu Shiqing's messy appearance.
Separated by the window, Liu Shiqing dared not to make a sound but instead mouthed the words: "Is the head teacher here?"
Zhang Songsheng was making faces in response when an authoritative voice interjected: "Zhang Songsheng, what are you up to?"
Startled, Zhang Songsheng ducked and promptly buried his head in a pile of books. Liu Shiqing, sensing something was amiss, turned to leave when an upright figure emerged from the classroom. "Liu Shiqing, quite bold of you, being more than fifty minutes late. How is this any different from skipping class?"
Liu Shiqing turned around sheepishly, "Teacher Ban, I apologize for my tardiness."
The head teacher's surname was Ban, an unusual last name. His full name was Ban Zhengping, nearing sixty and rumored to retire in about a year's time. If nothing happened, Liu Shiqing's class would be the last class he taught.
Ban Zhengping initially wanted to reprimand Liu Shiqing severely, but upon seeing Liu Shiqing's face, he paused. "What happened? Why is your face covered in blood?"
When Liu Shiqing wiped the blood with tissue, he might've missed some spots because he just wiped based on feeling. Now his nose was still stuffed with tissue, making him look painfully obvious. "I was rushing and ran into a utility pole."
Ban Zhengping sighed, "You're almost seventeen and you are still so reckless. Be more cautious in the future, don't worry your family."
Liu Shiqing nodded.
Ban Zhengping added, "You should head to the medical office first. You can skip the morning self-study session. Hurry up, don't delay."
Feeling the genuine concern from Ban Zhengping, Liu Shiqing gave a bow before heading to the medical office. The school doctor treated him hastily. By the time it was all done, the self-study session was over.
When Liu Shiqing returned to the classroom where his classmates were hastily grabbing breakfast, they burst into laughter on seeing his face half-covered in white gauze.
Zhang Songsheng, carefree as ever, slapped the table, "Shiqing, you're really something! The lengths you've gone to avoid the headmaster disciplining you, even romancing an utility pole must've not been fun."
Angrily embarrassed, Liu Shiqing retorted, "Buzz off, you unprincipled villain, who's too faithless to be a worthy friend. I don't even know why I know you."
After Liu Shiqing had taken his seat, Zhang Songsheng tossed him a bread roll, "Haven't had breakfast yet? I saved this for you."
Liu Shiqing tore the plastic packaging and wolfed down the bread, muttering, "For your benevolence, I will pardon you for your crime."
Zhang Songsheng wasn't one to step back either, "This bread is almost expired anyway. Rather than wasting it or worse, letting stray dogs eat it, I thought you might as well have it."
Liu Shiqing glared at him, readying for a verbal battle, but the class monitor interjected: "Stop arguing, you two. Didn't you see the class flower buried in her problems over there? If you disturb her, you might just end up getting butchered by her fan club."
Having long crushed on the class flower, Zhang Songsheng sneakily took a peek and noticed that she was indeed furrowing her brows. Immediately, he stuck out his tongue and stopped quarreling with Liu Shiqing.
The class monitor was a girl named Li Ziran, slightly overweight, but pretty among the thirty-three girls in the class. Rumor has it that she had a crush on Zhang Songsheng who was quite good at basketball. As for the specifics, it was not something outsiders could know.
Li Ziran walked over to Liu Shiqing and Zhang Songsheng, "How are your preparations coming along? Teacher Ban has told me that in the College Entrance Examination three months from now, ten students with good grades from our class will be selected to experience the examination atmosphere, to prepare for the real battlefield next year."
Zhang Songsheng shook his head, "No chance for me. I guess Shiqing isn't in the running either, our grades are just mediocre in the class. No amount of effort would make any difference. We should just keep playing our green leaf roles well. Shiqing, don't you agree?"
Cramming the last bite of bread into his mouth, Liu Shiqing responded, "Don't involve me in your conversations with the class monitor. I'm not interested in being a third wheel."
Li Ziran retorted bashfully: "Liu Shiqing, you're asking for trouble."
Liu Shiqing grinned, took a book out of his school bag, and began to read it pretentiously.
All three meals of Liu Shiqing were served at school. After evening self-study, he rode his somewhat dated Bicycle back home, late into the night.
Liu Shiqing's home was in a regular community with a modest area of a little over sixty square meters. He was the only child of the family, with both parents still alive. However, for over a year now, he was living alone at home, as his parents had answered the call of the government and had gone to Tibet for border support.
Liu Shiqing looked in the mirror, removed the gauze that the school doctor had pasted on his face, touched his nose to make sure it was fine and then threw the gauze into the trash can. He prepared a packet of instant noodles for late night snack. While waiting for the noodles to be ready, he pulled out a textbook from his school bag, planning to briefly review it before going to bed. During this process, Liu Shiqing also pulled out the small, worn-out home appliance he had just bought in the morning.
This little box, about the size of a cigarette pack, resembled a radio at first glance. Square and with a brand-new black shell, there was no trace of wear and tear. Instead, it exuded a sci-fi flair. Occupying most of the front was a piece of plastic covered with numerals and symbols. Above and below the panel were several buttons. On one side, there were several sockets, three of which Liu Shiqing could identify—one seemed for a pair of headphones, another probably for a power source, and one that astonished Liu Shiqing as it looked like a USB port on a computer.
With no clue when radios became advanced enough to turn into computer peripherals, Liu Shiqing's curiosity was aroused. He looked over the "radio" for an on switch, trying every button out on the front, but the radio remained inert.
Could it be because there were no batteries? Liu Shiqing took out the batteries he bought at the school's small shop during the day. He flipped the radio over, trying to remove the back cover to insert the batteries. What puzzled Liu Shiqing was the radio's smooth back panel that had no place for batteries and not even a slit or screw hole. Liu Shiqing did notice several lines of gold-inscribed small characters on the back panel—'Neglect of one's secrets by a king will result in him losing his minister. If a minister neglects his secrets, he will lose his life. If machine matters are not kept secret, disaster will ensue. Therefore, a sage diligently keeps his secrets and does not divulge them.'