Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Two weeks later, in the boys’ dormitory of Class F.
The moon outside the window was veiled by dark clouds, leaving the room dimly lit.
Xie Chang’an sat alone at his desk, gripping a pen between his fingers as he carefully wrote notes. Spread open on the desk before him was 《Illustrated Guide to Common Aberrants》. Compared with 《Basic Theory of Abilities》, this book was far more practical for him.
The storm surrounding Zhou Que had finally subsided.
Ji Qing had helped him—once again.
Xie Chang’an’s pen suddenly paused. A drop of ink, drawn downward by gravity, fell onto the white paper. He lowered his eyes, and a complicated emotion flickered across his face—an uneasy mixture of shame, self-reproach, and anxiety.
He had not even thanked him for what happened on the train, and now he owed him another favor.
He was truly pathetic.
The survival rules Xie Chang’an had learned in the orphanage were useless in the outside world. The self-discipline he had once taken pride in had been defeated by an unfamiliar environment, unfamiliar rules, and unfamiliar people.
He was happy to reunite with Song Xiaoran, but he had never expected Song Xiaoran to say that he did not know him.
How could Song Xiaoran not recognize him?
They had once been inseparable close friends. They had even shared the same secret. When Xie Chang’an heard those words, panic had instantly seized him, and the fear of abandonment strangled his thoughts without mercy.
He had forcefully grabbed the hand Song Xiaoran used to leave.
But…
He had overlooked something.
Just like the girl from the News Club had reproached him: “Have you ever considered that you have gone through many things, and the other person has gone through many things as well?”
“Seven years is a very long time. Not everyone can remain standing in the same place.”
And the truth was exactly as she said—Song Xiaoran had lost his memory.
What he had experienced during those seven years was far more difficult than anything Xie Chang’an had gone through. Moreover, he had no intention of regaining those memories. The current Song Xiaoran truly did not know Xie Chang’an.
While blaming himself, Xie Chang’an could not help but feel a trace of melancholy.
Zhou Que had originally intended to help Song Xiaoran. However, because he simply did not know how to speak properly, it had turned into a conflict between the two of them. When Xie Chang’an finally understood this, he realized the awkward position he had placed himself in.
The source of the conflict had been him…
After learning the truth, guilt overwhelmed Xie Chang’an. He had not only hurt his friend, but he had also caused his friend’s friend to suffer unjust accusations.
Ji Qing had helped him, and he wanted to thank Ji Qing.
But when the students of Class S heard about his intention, their expressions immediately turned awkward.
“He does not want to see you. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that none of us want to see you. Class S will begin off-campus training next semester. We really do not want to deal with irrelevant matters.”
Irrelevant matters…
“You will have very few chances to meet him again,” another Class S student said while elegantly rolling up his sleeves. His words revealed a cruel reality. “After all, during the next two years, even people from our own class will only see each other occasionally.”
That was true… Xie Chang’an thought silently.
He wanted to join Class S.
A thought he had never had before surged into Xie Chang’an’s mind. He did not want his connection with Song Xiaoran to end here, and he also wanted to stand in front of Ji Qing with dignity and personally offer the gratitude that had been delayed for so long.
If only people from Class S could achieve that, then why could he not become a member of Class S?
However, an even harsher problem soon appeared before him.
An academy of abilities naturally respected strength above all else. How could he rely on an Ability he still did not understand to become one of the people standing at the top of the academy’s pyramid?
Defeating Zhou Que alone could never accomplish such a thing.
Even if he defeated many classmates in the school tournament, he would only be relying on his swordsmanship and physical strength. Those two things had nothing to do with Ability.
With such circumstances, how could he enter Class S?
Xie Chang’an could not help covering his eyes, which had begun to ache from the lamplight. He thought that perhaps he should learn to accept his fate.
But since he had already come this far, he truly did not want to accept it.
There were still many things he wanted to understand, yet these were things an orphan like him had no way of learning.
Xie Chang’an’s world had once been extremely small—only the orphanage and his swordsmanship teacher’s residence. He moved back and forth between those two places and believed that was the entirety of his life.
But his teacher’s death had shattered that understanding.
Infected, Aberrants, Ability users…
He had encountered many unfamiliar people and many unfamiliar events. Xie Chang’an slowly clenched his fist again, and his gaze gradually grew steady.
Even if it were futile, what did it matter?
At least he would have tried.
He would study knowledge diligently, practice his swordsmanship tirelessly, and then achieve results in the school tournament—and in the future—that no one could ignore. Finally, he would stand upright and properly thank the people who had helped him.
“Have you heard that rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“You do not even know about it? I think you would not even know how you died.”
Voices drifted from outside the door—his roommates deliberately lowering their voices while speaking in a mysterious tone.
Xie Chang’an lived in a four-person dormitory. He shared the room with three other male students from Class F. Gu Lingxue had once told him that Class A had two-person dormitories, while all members of Class S had single rooms.
The academy even created differences like this…
Xie Chang’an suddenly felt a subtle discomfort.
This matter deepened his understanding of the law of the jungle within the world of abilities. Thinking back to his reckless behavior at the beginning of the semester, he felt ashamed once more.
If Ji Qing had not intervened, his campus life would not be as peaceful as it was now.
Click—
The door was suddenly pushed open.
His three roommates walked in one after another. They had gone out to play basketball with classmates that evening, and naturally, they had not invited Xie Chang’an.
Because of his reckless actions at the beginning of the semester, he had not formed close relationships with anyone.
A Class F student—the very bottom of the academy’s hierarchy—had publicly challenged a Class S student. Even though the Class S student had indeed spoken improperly, Xie Chang’an was still gradually distanced by his classmates.
However, he did not particularly care.
Compared with the incident that had nearly gotten him expelled, these things were nothing more than minor disturbances.
The boy who entered first acted as if he had not seen Xie Chang’an at all. He turned around with a grin and said to the others, “Hehe, you should all be grateful that I have such reliable information.”
One roommate beside him complained with obvious disdain.
“Stop acting mysterious. Just say it.”
The last roommate closed the door behind him and agreed.
“You have been teasing us about it all the way back. What exactly happened outside the city?”
Seeing this, the boy gave up his dramatic act, though he still lowered his voice mysteriously.
“You must not spread this around. And do not say that I told you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know.”
The two roommates responded perfunctorily.
The boy cleared his throat and said seriously,
“I heard from the seniors that an Infected has appeared nearby.”
Xie Chang’an’s breathing suddenly stopped.
He remembered his own experience: when that twisted, spider-like Aberrant had appeared before him, he had been so terrified that he could barely hold his blade.
His instincts told him one thing clearly—
He could never retreat from such a fight unharmed.
He could not fight a massive multi-legged monster in close combat within a narrow space. The Tang Saber was a weapon meant for wide, sweeping movements. It required sufficient space to wield properly.
And in battles between humans and Aberrants, the advantage always belonged to the Aberrants.
Because a human only needed to be injured once to risk infection, while an Aberrant could still stand unless it was completely killed.
The spider’s blood had stained his hair and his clothes.
As his chest rose and fell violently, that blood had also invaded his lungs.
At that moment, Xie Chang’an had stared ahead with lifeless eyes, wondering where he should go as an Infected.
Fortunately, the test results showed that he was not an Infected.
Instead, he had become an Ability user.
“Are you serious?!” one roommate blurted out. He hurriedly lowered his voice and leaned closer. “If there really is an Infected, why has the city defense army not dealt with it yet? This is inside the city.”
“Shh. It is only in the outskirts of Yancheng,” the informant whispered hurriedly.
“That sounds similar to what is happening near my home…” another roommate said nervously, hugging his arms. “As long as things are not too serious, the city defense army will not intervene…”
“They would not even deal with that?!” the first roommate said angrily.
Hearing his voice grow louder, the informant quickly covered his mouth and made a frightened shushing gesture.
“Quiet! Quiet! The walls have ears.”
“I regret telling you already,” he muttered irritably. “But it is fine. As long as we do not leave the campus for a while, nothing will happen.”
“I heard the seniors are already trying to identify the Infected. The matter will soon—”
“Do you know where it appears?”
Xie Chang’an suddenly spoke.
The sudden question stunned the three of them.
The informant finally remembered that Xie Chang’an was also in the dormitory. Because he rarely spoke, the others hardly paid attention to him.
Xie Chang’an was a man of very few words.
But he had defeated Zhou Que—even if Zhou Que had not been fighting seriously. That alone was impressive.
So the informant hesitated before saying,
“I can tell you, but you cannot tell anyone else…”
Xie Chang’an said nothing.
His dark eyes calmly looked at his roommate as he softly replied,
“All right.”
***
Several days later, Xie Chang’an appeared in the outskirts of Yancheng.
He wore a gray jacket and an old baseball cap, blending into the crowd like a contact agent from some hidden organization. This was his first time leaving the academy.
The uniform of the Third Ability Academy was far too conspicuous and would make it inconvenient to search for someone.
Back in Spring City, Xie Chang’an had secretly worked as an underground fighter behind the backs of the adults he knew. His tall figure and sturdy physique meant that even when he simply stood silently to the side wearing a mask, he could still exude an intimidating presence.
He had once planned to become a mercenary after reaching adulthood.
But now that he thought about it, he could also become a hunter…
Xie Chang’an fell into thought.
In the wasteland world, hunters often faced the risk of infection from Aberrants or from the wasteland environment itself, which made it difficult for ordinary people to take on such dangerous work.
Ability users, however, were different.
Even the lowest-level Ability users could work outside the walls transporting minerals, and the pay was naturally far higher than work inside the walls.
Without realizing it, Xie Chang’an’s future had gained far more possibilities because of this identity. If he could successfully obtain a graduation certificate from the Ability high school, those possibilities would multiply even further.
From this perspective—
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like he had experienced a rise in social status.
Xie Chang’an quietly walked toward the dance hall.
Although he did not understand why an Infected would appear in a dance hall, his roommate had spoken with such certainty that there must be some reason behind it.
His purpose in seeking out the Infected today was not to help them.
He only wanted to answer a question that had been lingering in his heart.
Who exactly was he?
Was he an Infected, or an Ability user?
Xie Chang’an had only been identified as an Ability user after a fierce battle with an Aberrant. The timing was too suspicious to be called coincidence.
If he truly was an Ability user, why did he still not know what his Ability was?
The dance hall was sparsely populated, perhaps because of the rumors about the Infected.
Xie Chang’an walked silently to the bar counter. Seeing the drinks placed before other customers, he ordered a glass of fruit juice with his limited money.
Even that fruit juice cost him five times the price of a meal.
“Here.”
The bartender shoved the juice toward him with obvious disdain.
Now he probably looked even more conspicuous.
Although Xie Chang’an felt awkward inside, he maintained a calm expression. He lowered his head and took a small sip.
The juice tasted good… perhaps because it was expensive.
Suddenly, he felt curious about trying other drinks. Opportunities like this to go out were rare for him.
Just as he lowered his head to browse the drink menu, a sudden, lazy male voice sounded beside his ear.
“If you are a child, you should not drink alcohol.”
Xie Chang’an’s body instantly stiffened.
But it was not only because a stranger had suddenly approached him.
It was because of the thick scent of blood lingering at the tip of his nose.
Uneasy, he thought:
This person… could he be…
Xie Chang’an slowly raised his head with mechanical stiffness.
The man wore a black windbreaker and a half-covering black mask. Through the dark veil of the mask, a pair of crimson vertical pupils stared directly at him like a predator that had spotted its prey.
“I just dealt with one over there.”
The mysterious man with black hair and red eyes sighed theatrically. Then he casually sat on the bar stool beside Xie Chang’an.
A faint, threatening smile curled at the corner of his lips as he softly said, “You are an Infected too. Be careful not to get discovered.”