Chapter 115.1 Merfolk Shore
Not too long ago, right under the streetlight, Mr. Qi repeated Arlon’s words exactly as they were. He wasn’t foolish. He highlighted how he had almost died at Arlon’s hands, creating an atmosphere of shared hostility.
Just like Arlon had thought, Mr. Qi couldn’t stand having unknown dangers at the academy. Mr. Qi wasn’t as crazy as the principal. He always saw merfolk as a problem, and now there was an extra problem.
“Do you know who this person is?”
Mr. Ruan’s eyes almost seemed to bleed. He clenched his teeth as he said three words, “I don’t know.”
Mr. Qi had a deeply selfish and uncaring nature. He proposed, “It’s better to let the principal know about this situation. Otherwise, we’d always be on the defensive.”
Confronted by predators, taking even a slight step back allowed the attackers to take advantage.
Be it wickedness or righteousness, the principal always stood as Mingzhu Academy’s guardian.
“Merfolk are skilled at manipulating people’s intentions. I had an unsettling feeling before,” Mr. Qi calmly analyzed. “This time, it might be the merfolk causing trouble, trying to divide us from the inside.”
Mr. Ruan’s expression turned icy, about to speak, when suddenly Mr. Qi interjected, “I never believed the Merfolk King truly died.”
A momentary surge of killing intent boiled within Mr. Ruan, but his face remained neutral. “Is that so?”
Hidden behind, his hand was covered with a thin layer of lake-blue scales, and the front part of the webbed claw had incredibly sharp talons.
“The other side wanted me to convey this message, didn’t they want to figure out your nature? You want to kill me, don’t you?” Mr. Qi, who rarely smiled, suddenly laughed. “Although we’ve all eaten merfolk flesh, you and Lily are far more formidable than me… Actually, on the way here, I already informed the principal.”
The talons receded, returning to the smooth appearance of human fingers.
Mr. Qi emphasized one last time, “Mr. Ruan, the bigger picture matters, and you’re not empty-handed either.”
As the words fell, they received notice of an emergency meeting called by the principal.
Not long after the previous meeting concluded, mentors, senior instructors, and others returned to the conference room within fifteen minutes.
Once everyone had assembled, the principal looked at Mr. Ruan, whose shirt was impeccably buttoned, almost seamlessly up to his throat. His tone carried the solemnity he was expected to show. “Mr. Ruan, is it true?”
In reality, he already had a clear idea in his heart.
Mr. Ruan’s nails pierced his palm, the first time he didn’t comply with the higher-up’s wishes.
Lily at the side cast a complex look. Whether it was her or the principal, they had always harbored suspicions about Mr. Ruan. To test him, the principal had even personally cooked merfolk flesh and invited him to partake.
Except during their mating period, merfolk wouldn’t consume members of their own kind. To prevent their species from dwindling, they started interbreeding excessively with humans.
Back then, facing merfolk meat, Mr. Ruan had shown eagerness and submission as he ate it without any hesitation. However, due to the fact that the other party had spent three years studying abroad, the principal still held doubts. Not being a native child of Merfolk Shore, there was always some lingering uncertainty. Considering that Mr. Ruan’s strong family background was somewhat suspicious, it was best to keep a close watch on him.
So, ever since Mr. Ruan joined the academy, although he worked diligently, important tasks were never assigned to him.
Unexpectedly, he was now being…
“I hope you can provide a detailed account of the situation,” the principal said with his usual hypocritical tone. “Mr. Qi’s concerns aren’t baseless. This might be an internal divisive scheme by the merfolk.”
Lily added, “That’s right, the victim is innocent.”
Mr. Ruan’s eyes turned piercing, he enunciated each word, “I… have… not… been… victimized.”
Ironically, this attitude only solidified that something had indeed happened.
In the eyes of the principal, all the staff and students were merely utilitarian tools. He threw out a piece of meat bun, “This year’s music concert will be coordinated by Mr. Ruan, in collaboration with Mr. Qi.”
One reason was to placate Mr. Ruan, while also implying he shouldn’t target Mr. Qi because of this incident.
This was the benefit Mr. Qi mentioned, Mr. Ruan could gain some trust from the principal.
Goals he had been scheming to achieve for years were suddenly realized, but through this unexpected means.
Mr. Ruan’s gentle facade shattered completely.
He stopped pretending, and surprisingly, others seemed understanding.
“The night was chaotic.” Mr. Ruan closed his eyes, his tone subdued, breath slightly quickened. “I need time to organize my thoughts.”
He certainly couldn’t mention using the King’s power to repel the intruder. To fit the victim role, he even had to fabricate repugnant details.
After about five or six minutes passed, Mr. Ruan opened his eyes again, his icy gaze unmoving. “I heard a faint singing that night. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention. After all, it was the faculty dormitory building…
“Later, someone jumped in through the window from behind. I didn’t see clearly. He subdued me from behind. I tried to call colleagues and the principal,” Mr. Ruan combined known information, steering the narrative in his favor. “He tore my clothes, claimed the principal was inspecting near the lake. I shouted until I lost my voice, but it was useless.”
Mr. Ruan hinted that the abnormality at the lake was a deliberate baiting scheme by the merfolk.
As expected, the principal began to harbor doubts, but every time he doubted something, he would habitually start by denying it to ensure a comprehensive consideration.
Mr. Ruan didn’t give him that chance and deliberately brought up a provocative scenario, “Afterward, he bit into my nape, his hand roaming recklessly across my back. His fingers were quite rough, lacking the legendary smoothness of a merfolk…”
Mr. Ruan, who usually appeared mild but was actually aloof, vividly described scenes that made everyone present hold their breath.
Outside the comprehensive building, Arlon initially expected to witness a dog-eat-dog battle, but Mr. Ruan revealed his claws without actually killing anyone.
After the lights in the conference room came on, he pondered for a moment and released his psychic power, avoiding alerting anyone unnecessarily. His psychic influence only extended a few meters away from the building. At this moment, Arlon was leaning against a large tree, listening to the intermittent words coming from inside, his expression subtly changing.
What do you mean shouting won’t help?
When did I tear his clothes to pieces?
Although some words were unclear due to the distance, he could still grasp the meaning of what the other person was saying. Listening to the content, Arlon sneered. It seems he had shown mercy back then.
“Concert.”
He caught the keyword. His little brother had mentioned wanting to attend a concert, and the guy surnamed Ruan started making things up because the principal mentioned making him responsible for the event.
Arlon reached into his pocket with one hand, about to light a cigarette, but he paused mid-action. He could sense that the faint smell of tobacco occasionally made his little brother slightly furrow his brows.
Wen Shi had a shadow concerning cigarettes due to his father’s rebellious behavior during a critical period of illness.
“Anyway, there aren’t many days left, might as well indulge in strong tobacco and alcohol.” This was a phrase his father often repeated.
Wen Shi constantly had to be on guard, searching his room like he was inspecting elementary school students, to prevent any presence of cigarettes and alcohol.
Arlon didn’t know this detail, but because he observed this, he casually extinguished the cigarette butt. “Should quit.”
The feeling of quitting smoking for family was quite peculiar. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes to rest, all while listening to the audio erotica coming from the comprehensive building. Simultaneously, he pondered on how to help his little brother achieve his dream of a perfect music concert.
……
On the other side, Wen Shi was still taking on a dangerous side quest like a grudge-bearer.
The more hypocritical someone was, the scarier their outburst could be.
Wen Shi, who had nearly met a mysterious drowning incident at the comprehensive building earlier, quickened his pace, distancing himself completely from the frenzied Mr. Ruan. The path wasn’t particularly close to begin with, but as he intentionally picked less populated areas to walk through, he was forced to detour half a circle.
Twenty minutes later, Wen Shi emerged from a secluded path. The hidden wind rustled the surrounding trees, and in the pitch-black bushes, it felt like something might leap out at any moment.
The library, which practically dominated the center of the road with its slanted presence, became the sole beacon.
The third floor was well-lit, unlike the night he had studied there when the lights occasionally flickered.
Making sure no one was around, Wen Shi lowered his head and quickly entered the library, heading straight up to the third floor.
The lounge area was a relatively open space, with chairs and tables designed with a touch of artistry, each spot equipped with power outlets.
On one of the tables, a laptop was placed, several people gathered around watching dance videos. Nearby, other tables were also occupied by students, mainly focused on choreography.
A girl was the first to notice Wen Shi. Seeing that he wasn’t wearing a “badge” on his school uniform, she immediately recognized him as a special admissions student and scolded, “Who let you in?”
Wen Shi appeared oblivious to her reprimand, smiling and greeting, “Hello, senior.” He also greeted a few others who were looking at him with unfriendly glances, “Hello, seniors.”
He promptly explained his purpose, “The headmistress asked me to deliver something. She heard you’re working on some creatively inspired dance routines recently, so she specially pulled out some reference materials.”
“The headmistress?” The girl approached with skepticism.
Wen Shi nodded. “The principal said that routine performances lack novelty and entertainment value. She truly appreciates your creative passion.” He then revealed an envious expression. “I wonder if in the future, I’ll have a chance to be noticed by the principal.”
One sentence perfectly ignited the students’ sense of importance. They had been longing to make a splash at the music concert, but organizing a large-scale musical was too challenging due to a lack of creative ideas.
Placing the booklets on the table, Wen Shi stepped aside, feeling content.
After receiving the booklets, these senior students eagerly flipped through them, paying no attention to Wen Shi, who lingered.
Initially, most of them continued to chat in groups, but gradually, they unconsciously distanced themselves from their surrounding classmates.
In the booklets specially prepared for the senior students by Mr. Ruan, the textual contamination was far more intense than in any book in the library. On his way there, Wen Shi refrained from curious trouble by avoiding flipping through it. After all, the content mostly revolved around the merfolk’s tragedy and prayers to them.
He had other matters to attend to.
Where Wen Shi stood not only allowed him to discreetly observe the senior students, but it was also close to the elevator. Since the game required him to ensure that these individuals read the booklets smoothly, something was bound to happen midway.
“Special quest, better to play it safe…”
The air inside the library was damp enough to condense into droplets, and moss of indiscernible colors grew in the crevices of the ceiling. When dealing with merfolk, the first thing to prevent was getting bitten or having other contaminants drop into wounds.
Wen Shi squinted, opened his backpack, and found the【Burial Shroud】.
“Do you want to use the【Burial Shroud】?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, a constriction enveloped his body, forcing him to even control his breathing. Unlike traditional wraps, this item was designed to suit users’ movements. It was conveniently divided into sections, a piece of cloth over four meters long, winding around the body like a bandage.
Wen Shi transformed entirely into a bandaged creature.
The【Burial Shroud】had a darkening effect, causing the elevator’s metal doors to reflect a mummy-like young man, as if he had just crawled out of a pile of corpses.
Worried about startling these delicate senior students, Wen Shi quietly shifted to the side, ready to prepare for a battle with the merfolk at any moment.
As he moved discreetly, his gaze and footsteps suddenly came to a halt. Wen Shi noted the senior girl who had scolded him earlier, wearing a deep purple jade pendant around her neck.
At first glance, it appeared to be in the shape of a leaf. However, in reality, nine tails converged towards the center, curling and forming the curvature of a leaf surface.
The words “fox spirit” suddenly appeared in Wen Shi’s mind. Countless stories about worshipping fox spirits had been passed down through the ages, with only a few managing to end well. Even from a distance, even if he couldn’t clearly see the fox’s face, he could still sense the malevolence emanating from it.
The student who had finished reading the booklet first fell into silence for a long time. After a couple of minutes, he spoke, as if asking himself and others, “Do you think what’s written in this book is real?”
The male student beside him sneered, “These weird and supernatural things are just meant to fool the girls.”
The senior girl’s tone carried a heavy dose of mockery, “Oh? If you don’t believe it, what are you playing Ouijia board with everyone for?”
The male student blushed and retorted, “Isn’t that just to go along with all of you?”
“Go along with us?” The senior girl beside Wen Shi, who was also wearing a fox spirit pendant, rolled her eyes. “But when the lights flickered for a moment, some people were so scared they nearly wet their pants, and they didn’t even complete the proper ritual for summoning a spirit.”
The group of students began to criticize each other, exchanging words back and forth.
Wen Shi’s face was wrapped in several layers of bandages, but most of his facial features were still visible. His exposed eyeballs blinked innocently, tinged with a hint of frustration.
“Damn.” Right now, Wen Shi really wanted to curse a few times.
During his time on campus, many students liked to haphazardly worship things at the end of each school term. His roommate, who almost fell victim to a scam due to online chatting, was the same. They both enjoyed worshiping some superstitious stuff.
According to his roommate’s words, the so-called “Exam God” was utterly useless. If one were going to worship, one had to choose something unconventional.
Clearly, the students at Mingzhu Academy were evidently in the same boat, already in a desperate state of seeking remedies.
Wen Shi fully realized that the trouble he might encounter later probably wouldn’t be from merfolk, but from other malevolent entities. More powerful Ouijia board games could form their own instances. By using these students’ unorthodox methods, they were likely to attract a lone, wandering ghost.
As for the fox spirit…
Wen Shi’s gaze fell on the fox spirit pendant. Ouijia board was a widely circulated game, and he had heard quite a bit about it. All the rules mentioned not wearing gemstones or talismans, as they made it difficult to summon a spirit.
These students had succeeded in their summons, so that jade pendant was likely to be considered an evil object.
A cool breeze brushed against his eyelids, the rest of him tightly wrapped in the burial cloth. The chill felt even more intense in his exposed eyeballs. The windows were about ten meters away from here, all closed, so the sudden wind made no sense.
The wind grew stronger, causing the power cords of the laptops to shake vigorously. However, these students seemed oblivious, transitioning from mocking each other to discussing the content of the booklets.
It was as if they existed in two separate realms. The chilling wind seeped in, soaking Wen Shi’s clothes with sweat.
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