Bai Zhou, I've Come to Pick You Up from School

Streaming lights rushed across the sky one after another, thousands of last words fluttered and swirled, a crimson deluge swept across heaven and earth, and whistling shooting stars tore through the vast expanse. Yet in the blink of an eye, the spectacular sight of a blood river churning down from the nine heavens vanished without a trace. Not half a phrase of a dying wish remained upon the shattered, desolate battlefield—leaving only an expanse of deathly quiet ruins. At that moment, the backpack in his hands trembled faintly. It lost its glowing wonder, drooping down plain and ordinary in Bai Zhou's hold. "This—" Bai Zhou's heart thumped. The weight of the backpack hadn't increased by half a bit. The Totoro pattern on its surface was still lazily sleeping away, though its already roly-poly belly looked a tiny bit more swollen. Yet only Bai Zhou knew what had been added inside. Peering through the opening of the Totoro backpack, he could see the deep, quiet pitch-blackness within, and floating in its depths, hundreds of bubble-like, multicolored spheres. "What are these—?" These translucent spheres held dreamlike hues, floating quietly in the backpack's dark interior space like hundreds of serene, warm dreams. Only upon close scrutiny would one realize that the last words were enveloped within these dreamy spheres, swirling inside them, their size shrunk down dramatically like ancient life preserved in amber. ["Shh—don't wake this Totoro. It's having a beautiful dream, and it's willing to take all your troubles along with it."] Recalling the message the Totoro backpack had conveyed to him, Bai Zhou fell momentarily silent. Bai Zhou had thought that the Totoro backpack's function was perhaps just storing troubles. It was truly an impractical yet heartwarming ability, sounding almost like something straight out of a children's fairy tale. But Bai Zhou could never have imagined that it could also—could also collect and store last words! In fact, Bai Zhou had reason to suspect this might very well be the backpack's most important—perhaps even its sole—true function! Even so, during the process of gathering the last words just now, according to the feedback the backpack sent him, this function seemed to have limitations: it only applied to last words that were not bound to objects or terrain. For instance, last words that bore an intense grievance tied to certain locations, such as the legacy chamber in the Sun Temple of Troy—those last words were permanently bound to the area and could not be collected. Or, for example, last words bound to a Black Box could not be taken into the backpack either. —But that was fine. In situations like that, Bai Zhou usually just hauled off the Black Box as well. Thus, this Totoro backpack was a miraculous item whose immense value applied solely to Bai Zhou. In anyone else's hands, it would likely be no different from a regular backpack. Going forward, Bai Zhou could rely on the Trojan Horse for item storage and use the Totoro backpack to hold last words he couldn't fulfill right away— "You've been a huge help! Classmate!" Bai Zhou suddenly felt that his earlier act of scattering the cinders into the sky had been far too impolite. He really should have found an elegant little box to hold them, brought them back to reality, and buried them properly—only then could he express even a fraction of his present gratitude. So... why was it that everyone who died was such a good person? Yet in reality, among the living people Bai Zhou encountered, he had hardly met a decent sort? Bai Zhou was genuinely puzzled. It couldn't be that this world simply wouldn't let good people live, while bad people thrived more and more, could it? If that were truly the case— Zzzzip! Bai Zhou slowly drew the zipper shut. Taking one last look at the dreamlike spheres inside the backpack, Bai Zhou said silently in his heart, Rest in peace. "—And then, watch me avenge you!" Slinging the backpack onto his back also meant Bai Zhou had chosen to shoulder the weight of these last words. From now on, he would no longer fight alone. Shouldering them, Bai Zhou would naturally have to seek the answer to that question on behalf of the masters of these last words. If that was truly how things were— Then "Senior Zhou" would have to speak for the dead. However— Before that, Bai Zhou had to prioritize another pressing problem— "I can't stay here any longer!" Leaning on the blood arrow as a crutch, Bai Zhou looked around. On the battered, chaotic battlefield, everyone seemed captivated by the dead demon and the fallen flesh building; their bustling figures were drifting farther and farther away, putting distance between themselves and Bai Zhou. When the demon lord was vanquished, when the demon lord's castle suspended high above crashed from the heavens, and when the evil dragon lay dead upon the earth, the "hero" who had slain the demon and slaughtered the dragon was forgotten—Bai Zhou had read far too many stories about braves with similar tropes back in Wancheng. In Wancheng, tales about braves usually didn't end well, unless a black robe appeared in the story. After all, amidst the rampage of demon lords and dragons, if all those reckless promises of gratitude and gifts made in despair were actually fulfilled, wouldn't people be driven into bankruptcy? It was enough just to listen to them. They'd hand you a trophy, and if you kept holding your hand out, that was your fault. During wartime, you were the light of faith, the greatest savior, the sole commander of the allied nations; after the war, what were you? You still had to obediently kneel before those kings to accept your knighthood. Compared to surrendering their wealth to a moral hero who posed no threat to their lives, people in the stories were clearly far more interested in divvying up the dragon's hoard, claiming the demon castle's inheritance, and carving up the geopolitical landscape anew. Therefore, well-versed in such stories, Bai Zhou felt no sense of disappointment whatsoever; if anything, he felt fortunate that these people hadn't yet thought to turn around and ruthlessly stab the "hero" in the back. Fortunately, Bai Zhou was no paragon of virtue like those braves. Lofty principles and noble restraint were out of the question for him. The only reason he hadn't been dubbed "Skinflint Zhou" since making his debut was that every opponent he'd ever fleeced was already dead and gone. The Spirit-Name Secret Treasure Thunderous Heavenly Bow, the status of secret realm gatekeeper, the twice-evolved school uniform, and the thousands of last words stored within the Totoro backpack— The greatest wealth in the "demon lord's castle" had already been thoroughly swept into Bai Zhou's pockets! —And don't utter such killjoy, depressing words as "the Thunderous Heavenly Bow belongs to Deputy Director Liu." God knew where that man had been batted away to. When Bai Zhou unlocked the bow's hidden form, the fellow hadn't jumped out to say half a word of objection. If Director Liu didn't believe it, he could ask the Thunderous Heavenly Bow which master it preferred now. Bai Zhou would cherish it properly. As for the demon's corpse lying in the deep crater— Frankly, Bai Zhou had to admit that a demon's corpse held immense research value, and on the demon's body, he might have found more useful clues regarding the Major. —Provided, of course, that it truly was an immobile corpse waiting to be dissected at will. Although the demon was indeed silent now, and Bai Zhou had dealt the blow himself, with lightning wrecking the demon's body and obliterating its life inch by inch— Even in Wancheng, everyone knew that anyone tainted by a forbidden item had to be burned clean with fire to sever the ominous influence. How could the corpse of a demon be without danger? A demon's corpse was wealth, but even more so, it was an omen of calamity! It was, in truth, an extremely hot potato; handle it slightly wrong, and the latent hazard would detonate instantly! Being able to contend with the living demon had only been possible because Bai Zhou, aided by his gatekeeper status and the Thunderous Heavenly Bow, had stepped into an unbelievable realm. And wanting to approach a dead demon—likewise demanded special means and formidable strength! At the very least, Bai Zhou, thoroughly weakened as he was, definitely could not do it. He had truly reached his limit. —Yet Bai Zhou figured the three Titled Extraordinaries wouldn't fail to understand this either. Bai Zhou had done all he could. The hot potato of the demon's corpse was better left for them to deal with. He guessed this was precisely why the three Titled Extraordinaries had set off immediately to investigate whether the demon was dead or alive and mobilized everyone to cordon off the massive crater right away. So Bai Zhou watched their departing, busy figures with a look of gratification and satisfaction. "You go ahead and keep busy... Being busy is good." Muttering in his heart, Bai Zhou leaned on his crutch and unsteadily sought an escape route. At the same time, Bai Zhou communed with the school's spirituality. The next second, a great gale whipped up from nowhere. Mist rose across the school, gradually thickening. Before long, this hazy white fog reached the point where one could scarcely see one's own outstretched fingers, and it could even disrupt an Extraordinary's perception to a certain extent. "Phoo—" A slender silhouette strode slowly through the fog, heading toward the outside of the school without looking back. In the corners, several gazes had been secretly spying on Bai Zhou all along. Watching his back vanish into the mist, they hesitated, ultimately halting in their tracks out of wariness and awe. Click, clack... The blood arrow tapped rhythmically against the ground. Leaning on his makeshift cane, Bai Zhou narrowed his eyes, muttering internally, Haven't they caught up? With the aid of the school's bird's-eye perspective, the prying and surveillance from those few individuals were as glaring to Bai Zhou as giant flying cockroaches plastered on a mirror. Among them were agents from the Disaster Response and Investigation Agency, civilian Extraordinaries recruited by the agency, and people from the Zijing Group. Yet only Bai Zhou knew just how weak he truly was, his vision darkening incessantly. If these people took potshots at him from the shadows, it might not be fatal to Bai Zhou, but it would certainly be a huge headache! Because the longer he lingered here, the more unfavorable things became for him. He was a wanted fugitive of the authorities and currently the number one enemy of the Zijing Group's Third Young Master—it was hard to say whether more official reinforcements or Zijing personnel would arrive shortly. In fact, had there been no Zijing personnel here, Bai Zhou might have taken advantage of this magnificent display of prowess—which left others unable to gauge his true depth—to try reaching out to those three Titled Extraordinaries. To clear his name in the future, Bai Zhou needed to gather evidence of the Major's crimes, but he also needed someone within official circles to speak on his behalf. Unfortunately... While the Iron Thorn squad had indeed been completely wiped out by Bai Zhou, there were still plenty of Zijing Group personnel present. Their leader hadn't made a move from start to finish, remaining quite enigmatic. Just now, Bai Zhou had even noticed several men in suits bearing the redbud emblem casting glances in his direction, causing goosebumps of disgust to ripple across his skin. —If not harboring foul intentions, why would these dogs of the Luo family from the Zijing Group spare him a second glance! Fortunately, they feared death too. That included the Zijing Group's leader, and it included the three Titled Extraordinaries—perhaps they would never in their lives forget the grand spectacle of Bai Zhou transforming into a dozen-meter-tall Thunder Knight, vanquishing the demon across the sky. Calming his mind and relying on the administrative bird's-eye view, Bai Zhou—practically a living map of Yuanmeng Middle School—slowly and stealthily vanished from the fringes of the battlefield. Once the thrill of surviving the ordeal receded, sheer exhaustion surged like a tidal wave. The ache in his muscles and bones was secondary; far worse was the overpowering weakness that nearly made Bai Zhou faint on the spot. Yet he still dragged his body, which felt ready to fall apart, moving forward like a ghost in the fog, not daring to linger for even a moment. "Fog again?" "Be careful." "I wonder how the battle inside turned out. It suddenly got so quiet, feels weird." "Stay alert, don't get careless!" A few muffled voices drifted through the quiet fog. Along the way, the Disaster Response and Investigation Agency had agents stationed across various parts of the school. They had originally been fighting the bizarre teachers and students, but once the demon emerged, the students and staff retreated, leaving these agents to set up cordons and monitoring instruments where they stood. Bypassing them in advance, Bai Zhou was shrouded in the churning mist, feeling a rare sense of security as he moved through the dense fog. "Almost there—" Though churning fog filled his sight, in Bai Zhou's bird's-eye perspective, the distance between him and the main gate was no longer great. "Eight hundred!" "—Eight hundred meters left!" For the first time, Bai Zhou felt that eight hundred meters was so interminably long. Back in Wancheng, during the eight-hundred-meter physical fitness test, he had never felt that distance drag on so much. Seven hundred meters, six hundred meters, five hundred meters... "Wait!" Thud! The evil-breaking blood arrow planted into the ground. Bai Zhou halted abruptly, holding his breath as his pupils contracted. The school sent an early warning to Bai Zhou; the bird's-eye view allowed him to see the commotion at the school gate ahead of time. The next instant. The fog grew even thicker. The silhouette of a black cat suddenly appeared, slipping into the bushes by the roadside to lie low. It was as quiet as an inanimate object, utterly motionless, its life aura blending completely with the school environment. Before long— Whoosh! The fog suddenly churned violently, and rhythmic, synchronized footsteps rang out like a marching army. Immediately after, a heavy, stifling pressure—tinged with slaughter, blood, and gunpowder—bore down overwhelmingly like something tangible, stirring the wind and clouds! Rumble, rumble... Like a steam-belching locomotive rolling past. Through the mist, heavily armed figures strode through, boldly crossing the school gates. They formed a formidable force, clad in uniform outfits, though the bizarre equipment in their hands was bewildering. The black combat uniforms on each of them bore distinct signs of damage, and their faces carried the exhaustion of a forced march, yet their eyes were extraordinarily sharp, scanning their surroundings coldly like hawks. —The official reinforcements had arrived! Yet what sent chills down one's spine the most were the three mysterious figures gliding across the sky at the same time. Their attire differed: a tall, middle-aged man wore a retro grey robe, his face slightly pale and his disheveled clothing bearing a distinct, massive claw mark. A cold-faced young woman wore form-fitting black combat attire, her posture crisp and brisk, but her right arm was wrapped in blood-seeping bandages. There was also a bald elder cradling a turbid crystal ball; his gait seemed slow, yet he covered ground swiftly, though on the back of his hand, a purple mark corroded his flesh, sizzling and periodically emitting foul-smelling fumes. Every one of these three figures traversing the sky exuded a profound, unfathomable aura that was by no means inferior to Deputy Director Liu! Yet each bore injuries of varying severity, battered and mottled with blood, looking travel-worn as if they had just returned from some unknown, horrific battlefield and had rushed here without even stopping to rest. Rumble... The mist churned. Soon, all their figures passed the bushes, fading into the depths of the fog. Only after quite a while did the black cat, its aura feeble, silently poke its head out of the grass. With lingering fear, the cat stared in the direction where the army had disappeared for a long time before finally letting out a long breath. "That was close!" "What department are they from...?" Shaking its head, it thought no further and turned to leave. The demon's emergence had stirred all quarters. Perhaps these were merely the first wave of reinforcements, and more troops would keep pouring in. This place... Bai Zhou couldn't stay here for another second! Taking plenty of gains and fleeing immediately without lingering was a core principle of Bai Zhou's conduct. Before long, finding the dog hole through which he had entered, the little black cat successfully slipped out of the school and quietly bypassed the cordon of the Disaster Response and Investigation Agency. "I'm out!" Outside the school, the Reflected Ruin Realm was thick with shadows—quiet, yet fraught with peril. No one ever knew how many grotesque anomalies lurked within the dark. Yet at this moment, these hazardous shadows and the deathly environment brought Bai Zhou an extraordinary sense of peace. Looking past the layers of tall buildings, the signboard reading "Tinghai Rejects You" caught his eye, its eerie blue flames illuminating Bai Zhou's lifted gaze. Pad, pad... With nearly silent feline steps, forcing his body forward through four or five streets, Bai Zhou finally reverted to his original form. Leaning into the corner of an old building for cover, he panted heavily in relief. "Finally..." The moment he relaxed, tidal waves of exhaustion rolled in, and everything before Bai Zhou's eyes blurred into overlapping afterimages. No... I can't sleep yet! Bai Zhou bit his tongue. The pain from the tip of his tongue brought a sliver of clarity—though not much. He rolled his eyes, struggling to glance at his watch. It was currently 34:01. That meant he still had to stay awake for another 1 hour and 59 minutes! Gritting his teeth, Bai Zhou rummaged through his belongings for a long time, finally fishing out half a small bag of Mandheling coffee beans from a corner within the Trojan Horse. Crunch! The coffee beans were crunched between his teeth, their grounds tumbling in his mouth like coal slag. The excessive bitterness and dryness nearly made Bai Zhou cough. "So bitter, so bitter, so bitter!" How could anyone like eating this stuff?! Bai Zhou couldn't comprehend it. Yet the bitter taste did indeed clear Bai Zhou's head considerably. In a daze, he seemed to smell the burnt scent on Crow and see her silhouette. To Crow, the twelve hours he spent sequestered in the Reflected Ruin Realm were merely a second's absence. But heaven knew how many monumental feats Bai Zhou had accomplished during that time! How many treasures he had reaped! To achieve wealth and glory without returning home is like walking the night in fine brocade. Bai Zhou recalled every past time Crow had looked utterly shocked upon seeing him return from the Ruin Realm. He just wondered what kind of expression Crow would make this time. In 1 hour and 59 minutes, he would find out. 1 hour and 59 minutes... Covered in wounds after saving Tinghai and repelling the demon, Bai Zhou hid alone in the corner of an old building in Reflected Tinghai, licking his wounds like an injured stray cat. A dim yellow streetlamp flickered in the distance. The green trash can beneath it sat remarkably quiet and well-behaved, facing Bai Zhou across the street as he leaned against the corner. "Phoo..." A gentle breeze drifted through his hair, slightly cooling his feverish cheeks. The youth, cloaked in shadow, emptied his mind. The ahoge on his head swayed gently in the wind like an antenna. In the quiet surroundings, Bai Zhou tilted his head back, staring blankly up at the murky gray sky— "Awaiting the dawn." He did not know how much time had passed. Huddled in the corner, Bai Zhou drifted between sleep and wakefulness, seeing hallucinations through his muddled consciousness: The flesh building clawing like a red spider, the enigmatic Inverted Demon, the Red Spider secret chamber, the Human Material assembly line, and black liquid squirming toward him, making his entire body itch... Was it a nightmare, or memories flashing before death? It turned out that when a person was pushed to extreme exhaustion, their thoughts grew extraordinarily active instead—active enough to wear out the brain, making his temples throb incessantly. Even though he didn't have an ounce of strength left in his body and his tongue remained bitterly numb, Bai Zhou felt burning hot, so hot he was shivering, with fine beads of sweat soaking his forehead and back. Until—in a haze, Bai Zhou heard the chiming of a bell echo. Then a breeze blew gently past, jolting Bai Zhou with a shiver as his consciousness gradually cleared. For this was a wind that did not belong to the Reflected Ruin Realm, bearing a distinctive scent of dust and industrial pollution. —To Bai Zhou, that was the smell of Tinghai. His eyelids struggled to lift, and the blurry double vision before him gradually stabilized. Against the backdrop of distant neon lights, Crow's silhouette came into view. —He was back! The relief of finally enduring to the end made Bai Zhou take a deep breath. The high fever coursing through his body seemed to cool all at once, and a fresh burst of strength even felt like it was welling up inside him. "You—" With her arms crossed, Crow stood quietly, her deep eyes reflecting the figure of Bai Zhou, who had made a complete mess of himself. Looking at his battered, disheveled school uniform, her brows twitched slightly. For a moment, there were far too many questions she wanted to ask. Yet in the end, though the words rose to her lips, she did not speak them. Her slender fingers opened, reaching out. Crow gently wrapped an arm around Bai Zhou's shoulders, catching the teetering youth. As she drew close, whether an illusion or not, Crow caught the bitter scent of coffee beans on Bai Zhou. It was a very familiar Mandheling—she had been snacking on it herself lately. —Yet hadn't this guy said he hated the bitterness of coffee the most? "Haha, Crow, you have no idea—" Bai Zhou saw Crow furrowing her brow, but he merely blinked twice and grinned, wanting to share his good news with her. The moment he opened his mouth, the coffee taste wafted out. Yet Crow simply shook her head. "...You've had a rough time." Her words were soft, tinged with a slight rasp. Crow's voice wasn't cold as usual, causing Bai Zhou's voice—barely louder than a mosquito's buzz—to cut off abruptly. Finally, Crow's gaze fell upon Bai Zhou's battered, blood-stained blue-and-white school uniform. After a brief thought, she looked at Bai Zhou with genuine seriousness and said softly: "It's over now, Bai Zhou." "I've come to pick you up from school."