You're the Mastermind Behind Everything, Right?

Behind Hengtan Primary School. An abandoned school building. Deep in the darkness where sunlight never reached. Lin Quan was curled up in a corner, his body shivering from time to time. Horrific memories assailed him. "What did we ever do to you?" "Is tattling to the teacher the only thing you know how to do?" "How long have you had this beat-up backpack? Even my dog uses a nicer one." "Hey, Fatty, I heard you have a crush on the class president. For real? I'm gonna go ask her!" "We were just joking. You can't take a joke? What a stingy baby with a glass heart." "Ooh, did your mom fry you a chicken leg? Looks good—lend me a bite." "You dare glare at me? Fine, don't you dare leave after school." ...The memories flashed faster and faster, finally twisting into a chaotic blur. Only a rising tide of clamor was left ringing in his ears, surging wave upon wave. "N-no, don't..." His body trembled even harder. At last, the swirling memories ceased their churning and froze upon a single scene. "How pitiful." A man wearing red leather shoes stepped toward his battered, bruised self. With a tone of sorrowful inquiry—sounding just like the bewitching whisper of a demon: "Want to make a deal?" "Would you rather be a coward for a lifetime, or a hero for a single moment?" "Aaaah—" His body stopped shaking. He remembered. He was no longer "Lin Quan." The thing huddled in the corner slowly crept out from the shadow. The faint light gradually revealed it—a massive "backpack" stood in the middle of the ransacked, abandoned classroom. It was a gigantic, filthy, heavily frayed "backpack monster." A human face was faintly visible on its surface, and the two shoulder straps rested on the floor, forming its legs. The bloated backpack looked stuffed to bursting with heavy objects, as if it could explode at any moment, and a tear had split open along the rusted zipper. "How long have you had this beat-up backpack? Even my dog uses a nicer one." "Don't you dare leave after school." The taunts of bullies echoed faintly from inside. A backpack that was supposed to carry knowledge was now filled with humiliating memories. Lin Quan was already dead. He was... Accompanied by the groaning strain of overtaxed fabric, it slowly dragged its straps forward, walking out of the trashed empty classroom with its back to the light. It smelled the scent of more than one living human drawing near. Without a doubt, they were also here to bully him. "Unforgivable..." A low, muddy roar rumbled from the dark depths within the backpack's zipper. A sinister aura spread outward, staining the walls pitch-black inch by inch until they seemed to have aged a decade in the blink of an eye. Then go kill them— It was the urban legend haunting this abandoned school building. *** "Is this the place?" Section Chief Liu gravely surveyed the abandoned building before him. The collapsed iron gate was coated in moss, and a faint stench of decay hung in the air. Deep green ivy blanketed the walls, yet it bore no hint of vitality; instead, because towering ancient trees blocked the sunlight, the atmosphere felt utterly somber and eerie. "Yes. We've received reports more than once, with people swearing they saw something bizarre in here." Captain Wang walked beside Section Chief Liu, followed by a cadre of Special Control Bureau specialists taking in the surroundings. "Mm. This sort of situation falls under the category of an urban legend. If verified, a field squad usually handles it." Section Chief Liu shook his head and casually produced a cigar. "Still, since we ran right into it, there's no reason to stand by and watch." As he spoke, he shook the silver briefcase in his left hand. "That's truly much appreciated." Captain Wang hurriedly took out a lighter to light Section Chief Liu's cigar. "With you gentlemen stepping in, what couldn't be resolved!" Section Chief Liu offered a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying the flattery. "However, I need to file an application report with headquarters first. We need their authorization before we can act." "Don't worry, it shouldn't take long." As he spoke, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings out of habit. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination. He felt as though a subtle shift was taking place in the surrounding atmosphere. In a brief daze, the rays of the sun seemed to be drifting off course. The shadows were deepening. It was as if the approach of living humans had somehow awakened this abandoned school building along with them. —Section Chief Liu's brows furrowed slightly. *** In the school infirmary. Sky-blue curtains kept the sunlight at bay, leaving the cool interior quiet and serene. Section Chief Liu's most cherished daughter, Liu Huahua, slowly stirred from a deep sleep and rubbed her bleary eyes with her small hands. "Ah!" As her vision cleared, she let out a startled gasp. Her homeroom teacher was sitting quietly beside her bed, peeling an apple. "Awake?" The teacher, a young woman with a round face and glasses, held out the peeled apple. "Want some?" Sitting up in the sickbed, Liu Huahua took the apple somewhat dazedly, hesitating to speak. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, the round-faced teacher blinked gently at her. "Actually, you don't have a fever, do you?" "!" Young Liu shuddered all over as if her hair had stood on end, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "T-T-Teacher Yuan... how did you know?" "Because you've been acting a little strange lately, and you barely talk." "I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now." Teacher Yuan looked into her eyes and spoke softly, "What's really going on? Can you tell me?" "Well... alright." After hesitating for a long time, Liu Huahua finally stammered out what had been happening to her lately. She was faking being sick because she didn't want to go to class. To be precise, she was being bullied by her classmates. The other kids in class bullied her, saying she had no parents because they rarely saw them pick her up. She didn't know what her parents actually did. Sometimes she imagined they were elite secret agents from some mysterious organization, flying around on business trips every day to save the world. Why else would they be so busy? Busy enough that they had no time for her, just leaving her here at a boarding school. Yet most of the time, she didn't really want her parents to be superheroes. She just wanted them to stay by her side every day, just like the Strawberry Bear they had given her for her last birthday. There were only a few kids bullying her, but the more she was bullied, the less she wanted to talk to anyone. And the less she spoke, the more bullies joined in, growing ever more brazen. So gradually, she took a liking to faking being sick. As long as she ran to the infirmary to hide, everything went quiet. The smell of disinfectant put her at ease, and the rustling leaves outside the window sounded soothing. Once the infirmary door closed, shielded behind the sky-blue curtains, all those dreadful things happening in the school felt like they belonged to another world. However, because of this, her schoolwork was falling behind. This time she had overdone it, which ended up drawing her homeroom teacher's attention. *I'm done for, I'm totally done for...* Liu Huahua muttered nervously to herself, trembling under the blanket while cautiously watching Teacher Yuan's shifting expression. What elementary schooler wasn't afraid of their teacher? "..." Teacher Yuan's brows were tightly knit. After hearing Liu Huahua's stammering account, she felt angry, yet also bewildered. According to Liu Huahua, she was frequently bullied by several girls in the class. Overwhelmed by distress, Liu Huahua had gradually sought escape, even harboring thoughts of dropping out. This was an extremely serious matter. As a homeroom teacher, having such bullying happen in her class without noticing beforehand was a grave failure of duty! She would never allow such a vile thing to occur under her watch. However... "However," Teacher Yuan looked sternly at Liu Huahua, "there are no students by those names in our class at all." "...Eh?" Liu Huahua opened her mouth wide, thoroughly confused. "—Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there." A man's voice came from outside. A sunny-looking man in a white doctor's coat pushed the door open and stepped in. "Doctor!" Liu Huahua called out instinctively, warmth in her voice. Every time she had been bullied and faked being sick in the infirmary, this doctor had also acted as her counselor. He would listen quietly to Liu Huahua's secrets and patiently guide her through her troubles. In Liu Huahua's eyes, this doctor was an exceptionally dependable older brother figure. The doctor looked at Teacher Yuan and sighed. "It's precisely because of teachers like you who don't believe your students that Xiao Liu suffers so much and doesn't dare open up to you." "You seem like the kind of awful teacher who, when a student gets beaten up, asks, 'Why did they only hit you and not anyone else?'" "That's not it at all..." Teacher Yuan's eyes widened. Whether those students existed in her class or not—how could she, as the homeroom teacher, not know?! "Forget it. I can't be bothered reasoning with you. You're not worth it." The doctor sneered in disdain. Then his gaze softened as it landed on Liu Huahua. "Xiao Liu, come with me." "Eh? Okay..." Liu Huahua froze for a moment, and then her eyes turned glassy and dazed. She stiffly climbed down from the bed and stumbled toward the doctor. "Wait, where are you taking her?" Teacher Yuan realized something was wrong. "That's none of your business." The doctor waved his hand dismissively. "How could it not be my business!" Teacher Yuan stood up anxiously, trying to step between them. *Bzzzz—* The air vibrated like the hum of cicadas. A slap came down on Teacher Yuan's frail shoulder. Like a ragdoll, Teacher Yuan went flying and skidded across the floor. Looking coldly down at Teacher Yuan—who lay on the floor with a caved-in shoulder, groaning in agonizing pain—the doctor spoke coldly, shielding the blank-eyed Liu Huahua behind him: "Stay away from my artwork." All Teacher Yuan could see were the doctor's garishly vivid red leather shoes. Her mind was completely blank. What was that? Who was he? A monster? It hurt, it hurt so much... The events unfolding before her completely shattered everything she had known in her twenty-plus years of life. "Why must you stop your student from embracing someone better?" "You really are a selfish person." The doctor spoke softly, brushing his hands as if shaking off dust, disgust written all over his face. "I was already in a foul mood." "A bunch of disgusting pests showed up out of nowhere, forcing me to abandon the first artwork I painstakingly raised." "Are you trying to stop me from taking away my second, unfinished... semi-complete piece as well?" As he spoke, he unconsciously began tapping the heels of his red leather shoes, striking the floor with a rhythm of *clack, clack, clack*. He bit at his fingernails, his speech growing faster and faster, babbling neurotically. "—Do you have any idea how long I lay low in this tiny infirmary, how much blood and sweat I poured in, how many illusionary guidances I performed just for this artwork to take shape?" "You don't know. You don't know a damn thing!" "If teachers really set proper examples for students, how would I have ended up like this?" "If someone had noticed the anomaly earlier, neither Lin Quan nor Liu Huahua would have ever reached this point!" "You're no different from those damned Special Control Bureau cockroaches. That pathetic, wretched so-called sense of duty—just catching a whiff of it makes me sick to my stomach!" By this point, the doctor's expression had turned hideously twisted. *Thump! Thump! Thump!* Heavy footsteps echoed on the floor. He strode forward irritably, his shadow stretching across the ground and draping over Teacher Yuan's helpless, bewildered face. Intense terror seized her heart. She tried to cry out for help at the top of her lungs, but it was obviously of no use. "—How is someone like you ever going to change?" "Go to hell!" The doctor's cold, furious words landed heavily. He raised his hand— *Knock! Knock! Knock!* A cheerful knock at the door broke the tense atmosphere. —Who could it be? At a time like this? The doctor whipped his head around, his eyes feral and brimming with murderous intent. Then, the door opened. "Anyone here?" A young man wearing a gold chain poked his head out from behind the door. Two pairs of dazed, questioning eyes landed on him. Taking in the bizarre, unspeakable scene, Bai Zhou blinked and offered an awkward grin. "Sorry, wrong door." Then, with a sharp *click*, Bai Zhou shut the door without hesitation and vanished. "..." The doctor turned his head back toward the teacher, his expression turning vicious once more. Regardless, he had to handle the problem right in front of him first. One thing at a time—that was his philosophy in life. *BOOM—* This time came a sudden, deafening crash. "Oi—!" A shout rang out right next to his ear. Again?! The doctor turned around. Just in time to see that same person crashing through the window. Glass shattered, spraying outward in every direction. Glorious sunlight poured inside. The young man descended like a bolt from the blue. He was even brandishing an iron bench leg picked up from who-knew-where. "What on earth..." The doctor simply thought this kid had lost his mind. And how ridiculous. He must have watched a couple of third-rate spy movies and decided to play the hero saving the damsel in distress. —*Could you at least swap that ridiculous bench leg for a blade first?* Yet in the very next instant, he realized something was terribly wrong. The moment the iron bench leg drew near, an inexplicably scorching heat washed over his entire body. A searing warmth that felt as though it would set him ablaze, coupled with a bone-chilling sharpness, set off frantic alarm bells in his mind. —An Extraordinary!! Not good! He snapped his head up, only to see that massive iron bench leg cleaving downward in an unpredictable yet grand, majestic arc. It completely filled his vision! Three-Year Cicada! His seasoned combat experience drove the doctor to activate his secret technique without hesitation. The drone of cicadas resonated once more. The spirituality of a Rank 1 "Devotee" was mobilized to its absolute limit. Yet in the next instant, the opponent swung his left hand forward. *He has another secret technique?!* The doctor's eyes widened as he instinctively watched in high alert. A cloud of white dust billowed straight into his face. It plastered entirely across his eyes. A blistering, burning pain tore through the doctor's body in an instant. "Aaaagh—!" *Fucking lime?!* *How could it be lime?!* His vision plunged into blackness, and the activation of Three-Year Cicada was forcibly cut short. Just as he let out an agonizing screech of torment, an exceedingly faint murmur drifted into his ears: "...Slash." *BOOM!* A resplendent streak of fire carved across the air. Behind that crescent-shaped arc of light, the youth soared through the air like a great bird, his silhouette searing itself into Teacher Yuan's stunned gaze— Wind howled, clothes fluttered, and the boy swung his strike. Incomprehensible, yet unforgettable for a lifetime. Standing in front of Teacher Yuan, Bai Zhou rested the iron bench leg over his shoulder, maintaining a vigilant stance, ready to give the doctor another whack at any second. "Shoot, I should've asked before making my move." He suddenly slapped his forehead, feeling a bit annoyed with himself. "You're the terrifying mastermind behind everything, right?" ...Watching the Blood Worship Cultist rolling on the ground in tears and snot, Bai Zhou added a hesitant question. "Or, uh... a heinous Blood Worship Cultist?"