Principal Zhou clearly understood Wang Yunxiao and his gang's temperament well, as he had arranged for a security guard at their dormitory entrance that very night. The guard blocked the door with a Wolf Fang Club, permitting exits only for bathroom visits.
The next morning, the homeroom teacher entered, left hand carrying a bucket of pickled vegetables with cornbread, right hand holding a stack of books, and kicked open the dorm door with a loud bang.
"Two 600-word essays each day for every student, and ten reading comprehension exercises; you cannot leave until they are done!"
The homeroom teacher was furious, having done nothing himself but teach diligently. He had barely arrived in the morning when Principal Zhou had dragged him into his office for a scolding.
You want me to manage them? How am I supposed to do that? These boys are at their toughest age, not hurt by hits or swayed by punches, and each one of them is without parents. How do you expect me to discipline them?
Whoever wants to manage them, whoever can, I'll step down and let them do it!
Youtiao shivered at the sight of the pile of books and quickly raised his hand: "Teacher, I would like to do the math paper!"
"Don't even think about it!"
The homeroom teacher sneered, "Bring math papers so you all can copy from each other? Dream on!"
Wang Yunxiao held back Youtiao and asked, "Teacher, how is the class president doing?"
"Why ask so many questions? From today onward, just stay quietly in the dormitory, don't even think of going anywhere!"
After thinking for a moment, the homeroom teacher added to Wang Yunxiao, "Give me a promise."
Wang Yunxiao quickly nodded and said, "I promise! We won't go out, even if it kills us!"
This wasn't the first warning he had heard.
From the attitudes of Principal Zhou, Nurse Liu, and the homeroom teacher, it was clear that the situation with Haowen was not simple.
As the saying goes, good words can hardly persuade the destined ghost.
If people kindly remind you over and over, and you still continue on defiantly, that's not bravery, it's stupidity.
It's indeed challenging for fiery youths to distinguish between these two.
But Wang Yunxiao's mind was cool.
I have no system or obligation. Why should I unnecessarily trouble myself?
Since the morning, the school entrance had not been quiet.
First, the military truck that had arrived the previous night returned, unloading many in grey military uniforms.
Soon after, several cars drove in, their occupants unknown.
Not long after, an angry woman's roar was heard from downstairs: "My son! My poor son! What kind of school is this? Are you trying to kill my son?"
The woman's voice was so piercing it was probably heard even in the classrooms.
But her outburst was just a single scream, and then there was silence.
Wang Yunxiao was eavesdropping near the window when soon he heard a loud bang—a figure was violently kicked out of the building.
He must have been kicked.
The kick landed on his abdomen, bending his body into a concave shape, and sending him flying over twenty meters. He tumbled more than a dozen times on the sports field.
Such a blow would have left an ordinary person considering not just full-body compound fractures but what tools would be best for scooping them up.
Yet the person kicked was still not dead and struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth and shouting towards the school building, "Huo Qingyang! Don't think you can cover the sky with one hand..."
He hadn't finished speaking when Huo Qingyang reached him.
Wang Yunxiao couldn't see clearly how Huo Qingyang had approached; in a flash, he was already in front of the man, lifting his leg for another powerful kick.
Then they once again witnessed a complete airborne performance.
With a clang, the man crashed down onto a car at the school gate, completely crushing its roof.
Soon, grey military uniforms escorted a dozen people out of the school building, likely those who arrived in the cars that morning, possibly bodyguards, all bruised and disheveled.
Some carried a stretcher, likely bearing the gunshot-wounded Haowen, followed by a couple, the woman still wailing, but without the ear-piercing screeches from before.
"This Shen Family has an extraordinary background…"
Youtiao whispered to Wang Yunxiao, "You know, it's strange, this kind of young master doesn't attend a good academy, so why did he come to our school?"
Wang Yunxiao nodded slightly, agreeing.
Qinghe Middle School used to be one of the few key middle schools in Tianmen City, but that was in the past.
Given the current state, it's good enough if the original students can maintain their enthusiasm for learning, let alone expecting any educational quality.
Why would the offspring of high society deliberately choose to study here?
Is it because the teachers here privately teach the Nine Yin Scripture, or because the cornbread in the cafeteria tastes sweeter than outside?
It makes no sense…
Wang Yunxiao was actually worried he had crossed into one of those worlds where, upon opening his eyes, he sees his ex-girlfriend, the school beauty, making him a cuckold while the Zhang family's third young master and the Li family's fourth queue up to slap him.
He had already breathed a sigh of relief, but now, seeing this scene, he couldn't help but start doubting again.
Looking at the situation, could it be that Huo Qingyang is holding the script for the protagonist?
Look, young and handsome, powerful and influential, skilled in martial arts, and even has ambiguously romantic women helping him draw enmities...
That's it! Wang Yunxiao suddenly realized.
Of course, he would never say such wild thoughts out loud.
Nurse Liu not only had a gun, but she really dared to use it!
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
After everyone else had left the school, Nurse Liu came to check on the dorms.
She checked everyone's pulse, examined their pupils, and carefully asked if they had any nightmares. When it came to Wang Yunxiao, he couldn't help asking, "Sister, what happens if you have nightmares?"
"There are two possibilities."
Unexpectedly, Nurse Liu really started explaining to him, "The first is a normal situation where you're scared by something you thought about during the day and then you dream about it at night. The second is an abnormal situation where you keep dreaming about the same monster or other terrifying things. If that happens, it means your spirit has been tainted... plain and simple, it means being possessed."
Curious, Wang Yunxiao asked, "What happens after being possessed?"
"There are many variations, but the more common ones include possession, erosion, demonic infusion, and degeneration."
What?
Wang Yunxiao was profoundly shocked.
This is considered common? What do the uncommon ones look like?
What kind of place is this!
Perhaps noticing Wang Yunxiao's confusion, Nurse Liu patiently explained, "To put it simply, possession means you wake up one morning and find that new memories have suddenly appeared in your mind. As these memories accumulate, you gradually begin to forget who you are and become someone else."
What?
"Erosion means your body will endure unnecessary burdens, becoming weak and feeble, and, over time, even mutate."
Ah, this...
"Demonic infusion is easiest to identify — suddenly, a person's temperament changes drastically, they lose their sanity, and while they used to be timid, they now become bold and reckless, fearless."
Well...
"Degeneration refers to being unable to control one's desires, becoming (involved) in eating, drinking, gambling, and gradually losing moral conscience."
So basically, thinking you've time-traveled, finding out your body is weak, fighting terrifying monsters, and lacking moral conscience?
The deja vu is strong.
Wang Yunxiao's expression was rigid.
"Big brother, why are you sweating?"
"It's too hot in the dorm, let's open the window a bit."
Fortunately, Nurse Liu seemed not to find any issues with him.
"Alright, there's nothing wrong, don't overthink."
Nurse Liu put away her stethoscope, clapped her hands, and said to everyone, "Now I'll teach you all some simple methods to ward off evil spirits. The simplest is to keep your mind clear. Some ghost creatures might look scary, but in reality, they just have the ability to scare you. As long as they don't scare you, they are not frightening at all."
Well, you might as well have said nothing.
"Also, reading more is another method. Don't think I'm deceiving you. Studying is like arming your mind — just like this glass of water."
Nurse Liu picked up a glass of water from the table, explaining, "If the glass has clear water, adding sugar will turn it into a beverage, adding salt will make it soup, adding a drop of ink will turn it black. It's like an empty, crystal-clear brain, easily influenced by all kinds of nonsense. But if you replace the clear water in the glass with porridge, adding sugar or salt will still keep it as porridge. Do you understand this principle?"
Everyone nodded vigorously.
We understand the principle, but studying is not going to happen... Of course, since you have a gun, you're right!
Wang Yunxiao raised his hand and asked, "Sister, I want to know, what should we do if we encounter the kind of monster from the cafeteria in real life?"
"First, keep your distance, then call the police; there are professional departments to deal with such situations."
Nurse Liu paused, then added, "I know what you mean, like what to do in an emergency. If you can't run away from a ghost creature, look for light, turn on the lights, or start a fire, all of which can work as most ghost creatures are afraid of light."
It seems guns might be useful too, but she didn't mention them.
"Another situation, like last night, if you encounter a classmate who is possessed, it's best not to try to control her. She is not lucid at that time and struggling might easily cause her to twist or break limbs. What you can do is this—"
She raised her hand and slapped the table hard, startling everyone present.
"This is called the Resonance Method. Whether it's stomping on the ground, hitting a wall, or knocking on an object, creating a sound resonance—I don't know if you have learned about this aspect of physics yet. Any rhythm is fine; the rhythm is not important, what's important is creating a resonance that reaches the other person's brain."
Nurse Liu explained, "The higher and more uniform the frequency of the sound, the better. For someone who was just possessed, she still retains a subconscious resistance. This sound resonance can quickly wake her up, effectively weakening the ghost creature's control."
It does sound very scientific, but…
Wang Yunxiao silently lamented in his heart, is it necessary to be so materialistic?