Under the moonlit sky, the bell signaling the end of the evening self-study echoed through the air. Students poured out of the classrooms, chatting and laughing as they walked into the night. After a day of challenges, this was perhaps their most relaxing time.
No homework, no teachers, surrounded by a few close friends. After a refreshing shower at home, they could comfortably climb into bed and rest. What could be better?
Amidst the scattered crowd, a group of over a dozen students marched purposefully towards the school gates, with a blindfolded boy at their center, wrapped tightly like dumpling filling.
This large group instantly attracted the attention of all surrounding students.
"I can actually walk back by myself, really," Lin Qiyue's mouth twitched slightly as he spoke, somewhat helpless. "I can see, it's just that my eyes are sensitive to light."
"No need to say, Lin Qiyue," interrupted Jiang Qian, speaking sternly. "We promised your aunt that we would take care of you, and we will do just that!"
"Yeah, Qiyue, our homes are in the same direction, so it's convenient for us to walk together."
"I'm going the same way."
Lin Qiyue: ...
To be honest, he would prefer to be the one left alone. Having spent too much time in the dark, he wasn't used to the feeling of being cared for by so many people. It made him uncomfortable.
Of course, Aunt and Yang Jin didn't count because they were family. But others, well-intentioned as they were, made him feel awkward. However, he couldn't say anything and could only follow the crowd.
"I'll turn right at the next intersection, but I can walk with you for a bit longer."
"I'm turning here. See you tomorrow."
"See you."
...
As the distance from the school increased, students who had surrounded Lin Qiyue gradually said their goodbyes, leaving only five people around him after a few minutes.
The previously lively atmosphere gradually quieted down, and the space became more spacious. Lin Qiyue took a long breath.
"Do you guys think the mist will really resurge and engulf Great Xia?" Li Yifei, carrying his bag, turned to ask curiously.
"Haven't you heard what those experts said? The chance of the mist resurging is very low. Maybe there won't be any changes for the next hundred years. And what happens after a hundred years, well, we won't be around to worry about it anyway," Jiang Qian rolled her eyes.
"Ah, you know, those so-called experts' words are the least reliable. What if we finally get into college, haven't enjoyed life properly, and then the mist swallows the whole of Great Xia? That would be a huge loss, right?"
"So, this is why you spend your days idling around and not focusing on studying?" Jiang Qian walked up to Li Yifei, speaking seriously. "I must remind you, Mr. Wang has already said that if you get the last place in this exam again, you'll have to move your desk to the front of the podium."
"I know, I know," Li Yifei said awkwardly.
"But, I really don't think the mist will resurge," said Wang Shao, who had been silent all along. "In the end, the mist is just a natural phenomenon. After reaching a certain critical point, it will gradually dissipate. It's like the Ice Age; when glaciers cover the land, with the temperature rising, they slowly recede, ushering in a new era."
"I know what you're talking about; it's like the natural disaster theory, right? It's quite widely accepted nowadays," Jiang Qian nodded.
"But what if... the mist is not a natural phenomenon?" At this moment, Lin Qiyue, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Wang Shao was stunned and then laughed, "Qiyue, you don't actually believe those so-called theologians who claim the mist is related to supernatural forces, do you?"
"It's the 21st century; we should believe in science. There's no room for so many supernatural things in the world," a student named Liu Yuan interjected.
Lin Qiyue didn't answer. He knew better than anyone whether there were things beyond science in this world, but there was no need to tell outsiders.
Li Yifei muttered quietly, "I do think, though, that if there really are such things, the world would be more interesting."
"Why bother with all these useless things? It's not our concern. Instead of worrying about whether the mist will resurge, it's more realistic to sleep in a bit longer during the three-day holiday on Survival Day," Jiang Qian laughed.
"Yes, the holiday is the most practical!"
...
Meanwhile, in the old district of Cangnan City.
A man was carrying a sign, walking calmly on the desolate and dimly lit streets. Dim, antiquated street lamps cast a faint glow, elongating his silhouette continuously.
He glanced at his phone, reached a narrow street intersection, and stopped.
"This is it..."
He muttered, putting down the sign on his shoulder and adjusting it.
Under the flickering streetlight, the shadow of the sign appeared and disappeared, while the bright red words on the black background were extraordinarily eye-catching!
—No Entry Ahead!
The man leaned against the streetlamp, lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and then opened his earpiece.
"Captain, the third sign is in place."
"Received, begin."
"Mm."
The man walked to the front of the sign, placed his thumb on the tip of his tooth, and bit down hard!
A droplet of blood oozed from the wound as he squatted down, using his bloodied thumb to draw a long horizontal line across the four large characters that read "No Entry Ahead"!
His eyes focused, an inexplicable momentum erupted around him.
He looked up at the dark red sky, grasped the hilt behind him, and slightly squinted his eyes.
"Ghostface Operation, commence."
In the next moment, the bloodstain on the sign in front of him rapidly faded, as if it were being absorbed. Then, the four large characters "No Entry Ahead" flashed with a crimson light!
Gradually, they returned to their original state.
The man sat on the ground, heaving a long sigh, and complained.
"Damn it, emptied again..."
At this moment, if someone were to overlook Cangnan City from the sky, they would see three points of light near the old district. These three points of light would then connect, forming an equilateral triangle with a dark red hue!
In the instant the triangle was formed, half of the old district it covered seemed to be wiped off the map, gradually disappearing...
However, from the ground, the old district still looked the same.
Simultaneously, at the center of this triangle, six cloaked figures streaked across the sky like lightning!
The man leading them raised his head, looking up at the dark red sky, and reached for the handle of his knife, his eyes slightly narrowing.
"The Ghostface Operation has begun."