Major: "Found You, Bai Zhou!"

Once again, last words. These characters were twisted and blurred, as though carved by someone dying who had expended their final ounce of strength, writhing faintly upon the floor. The sound of weeping gradually faded with the appearance of the writing, until it vanished entirely. Lost in thought, Bai Zhou cautiously and slowly approached. The innermost stall was unlocked. As the door was slowly drawn open— —There were no monstrous fiends baring fangs and brandishing claws as he had imagined, nor was there any shocking scene greeting his eyes. Behind the door, it was completely empty. By now, even the weeping had disappeared without a trace. Had the bloody words on the floor not remained so vivid, Bai Zhou would almost have thought he had hallucinated earlier. A sudden chill rose along his back. Bai Zhou looked around the empty corridor of the public restroom, where only the wind whistled through, flapping the heavy door curtain with a loud clack. "..." In silence, Bai Zhou looked down at the last words beneath his feet. Someone had once died here. Yet the person who had left these last words was likely no one extraordinary. Because this dying message was quite faint and exerted no pressure whatsoever on Bai Zhou. They wriggled under Bai Zhou's feet like ordinary, mundane characters. [Help... save... me...] [No, don't save me—] [I don't deserve to live!] ...What did these last words mean? What had the person who left them experienced before dying to utter the words "I don't deserve to live"? Bai Zhou frowned, then slowly stepped back. He possessed a ritual... named [Umbral Mirror]. It could allow one to see an imprint of an unnaturally deceased person at the site of their death. Perhaps it could answer a few of Bai Zhou's questions—at the very least revealing the identity of the dead. However, this ritual touched upon life and death and had rather stringent requirements: it had to be conducted at midnight by burning sage. —Even then, Bai Zhou could only see a shadow. He could neither converse with the deceased nor see a true wandering soul. Because outside of the Reflected Ruin Realm, any ritual involving life and death was a taboo among taboos. An out-and-out "Black Ritual"! Something an absolute novice in rituals like Bai Zhou should never tamper with. Crow's warning still rang in Bai Zhou's ears. When she had brought it up, her expression was more solemn than ever before: "Throughout history, Extraordinaries seeking to cross the boundary between life and death and falling into demonic paths have been countless, yet in the end, they all reaped what they sowed." "In the Western Federation during Elizabethan England, there was a man named John Dee. Under the instigation and temptation of the alchemist Edward Kelley, he grew obsessed with necromancy—summoning the dead from graves." "In the end, the two of them actually succeeded in summoning the dead, but under the instructions of the deceased spirit, they began an extraordinarily licentious life that defied ethics." "—At the time, Dee was a renowned authority." "In the surface world, he held multiple titles as a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and philosopher, spearheading the revival of mathematics in England and redefining the concept of cosmography." "While in the occult world, he conducted mediumistic experiments using an Aztec obsidian 'spirit mirror' and researched the language of angels." "He even incorporated symbols from shamanic traditions to attempt mad angel summonings, privately hoarding many unbelievable occult artifacts suspected of having mythic ties..." "—He was an absolute legendary Extraordinary standing at the pinnacle of his era!" "Even when he took up alchemy in his later years, he was still hailed as one of the 'last serious alchemists.'" "...Yet even a figure like that was led astray by dabbling in Black Rituals, ultimately forced into temporary exile from England—a truly lamentable fate." "More often than not, 'Black Rituals' and 'sexual depravity' go hand in hand like twins, so never, ever touch them!" Crow's warning gave much food for thought. The boundary between life and death was what ordinary mortals yearned for most, yet it was also the most taboo subject among Extraordinaries. —Then what did the "last words" Bai Zhou could see signify? Could he be considered to have been walking among taboos all along? The dying wishes of the deceased—he alone listened to them. The regrets of the deceased—he alone could satisfy them. Possessing such an ability, what kind of existence would he become? ...Nevertheless, the cautious Bai Zhou still did not intend to casually tamper with those "Black Rituals." As for [Umbral Mirror]? Since Crow dared to teach it to him, it meant it wasn't a "Black Ritual." It was a form of perception: gathering and sensing fragments of intense emotions left behind by the dead before passing, not true "necromancy." It was often used by Extraordinaries who had lost loved ones to free themselves from grief, granting them one last look at their family to seek some psychological solace. As long as the various conditions were met, even a novice who had just stepped through the door of rituals could set it up. —Bai Zhou had always felt that whichever Extraordinary invented this ritual must have been a very gentle person. "If you, too, harbored an intense unwillingness toward death..." Taking one last deep look at the last words on the floor, Bai Zhou murmured silently in his heart as a black cat, "Then leave that emotion here, and let me bear witness to it." He would just have to pick another time to come back here and perform the ritual. Hopefully, the deceased had left behind powerful emotions... Because the more intense the emotions, the clearer the lingering shadow would be, and the more Bai Zhou could learn. ... Leaving the public restroom, Bai Zhou continued investigating the school. He searched every hidden corner. Sure enough, he made an unusual discovery. —Ritual symbols! Several ritual symbols were dug out by Bai Zhou from secluded, dilapidated corners! Only Bai Zhou could have done it. After all, he had experience scouring concealed corners to plant explosive rituals that blew up a base. Otherwise, with rituals placed in such obscure locations, an ordinary Extraordinary really wouldn't have noticed them! Isn't that why people say... it takes a villain to know a villain? That's the beauty of empathetic perspective. "What... are these?" Examining the symbols and patterns in each corner one by one, Bai Zhou scrutinized and pondered. These ritual symbols were all different, their meanings entirely obscure. Who knew how long ago they had been drawn; by now, they were faded and incomplete. By Bai Zhou's initial assessment, they probably no longer held much potency. Yet at some point in the past, they had certainly served a specific purpose. Committing these patterns firmly to memory, Bai Zhou's spirits lifted. "This school—" "really does have problems!" The mysterious girl in the graduation photo. The bloody last words in the restroom. And the faded ritual symbols scattered across hidden corners. —There was no reason for a school to harbor multiple supernatural occurrences simultaneously. If they appeared... Then they were definitely not isolated incidents, but interconnected! Unless this wasn't a normal school for compulsory education. —Rather, a magical school specifically dedicated to teaching magic, brewing potions, and riding broomsticks. Therefore, these clues all pointed toward the center of a vortex. Beyond that vortex, one would most likely see what the Major had painstakingly hidden! —Though even now, Bai Zhou still couldn't understand. How could the Major's "industry chain," those people tattooed with red spiders, have anything to do with an ordinary middle school and two of its students? "..." His slit cat pupils narrowed slightly, a glint flickering in his eyes. As the fog thickened before him, Bai Zhou had clearly realized... He had very likely stepped into a forbidden zone that the Major could never allow outsiders to discover. "Riiing—" While Bai Zhou was still pondering, the bell signaling the end of class rang out. The familiar sound actually stirred a hint of nostalgia in Bai Zhou. As students in school uniforms emerged in twos and threes, their chatter drifted over from afar. Given his previous experience being chased all over campus by students, Bai Zhou darted up into a tree with a swift whoosh. Crouching on a branch, he eavesdropped: "Why does something like a back-to-school exam even exist!" These were second-year middle school students who had just started the term. Groans and wails echoed in unison. "Don't ask me how to set up the equation. For that chicken-and-rabbit problem, I just counted the heads and legs on the picture." "You might not believe it, but for the last problem, I filled an entire sheet of scratch paper and spent half an hour..." "Only to disprove the given conditions." The moment that person spoke, his classmates instantly looked at him with profound respect. "How do you solve that problem about Xiao Ming?" "That slacker bought popsicles again and didn't know how much to pay." Xiao Ming? Bai Zhou knew this one too. The curriculum in Wancheng also featured Xiao Ming. It seemed that whether on Blue Star or in Wancheng, Xiao Ming was an undisputed superstar accompanying every youth through their upbringing. Unfortunately, this mysterious man—who never knew how much to pay when shopping, spilled ink on his test papers countless times, always got his math wrong, and never even knew his own mother's age... could only accompany someone for nine years, vanishing after middle school. —Probably because that dunce couldn't pass the high school entrance exams. "Stop worrying about Xiao Ming. We still have the English exam later. Just thinking about Li Hua gives me a headache." "Don't say things harmful to unity... I love the Eastern Federation; I don't understand that Western Federation gibberish." Someone spoke with righteous indignation. Yet others sighed despondently: "Just thinking that summer vacation is completely over and we have exams like this every week makes me so depressed..." "You're right, but this is Yuanmeng Middle School—Tinghai's top school with a one-hundred-percent key high school admission rate." "I remember our school has a guidance counselor, right? Where's the office? I feel like I need one." "Too bad. I heard the counselor took an extended leave to go back to their hometown." The energetic youngsters wailed loudly as they gradually drifted away. Not far off, the younger students in military training had just been dismissed, drenched in sweat, looking like fish gasping for air on dry land. ...Everyone had their own youthful troubles. Yet long after, those troubles would turn into fond memories of youth. Bai Zhou deeply agreed. When people grew up, they always looked back on those troubles with nostalgic amusement... For instance, watching younger students undergo grueling training with great relish; Or eating skewers while walking past the school gate on exam days, waxing poetic about life. Bai Zhou had done all of that back in the Youth Training Corps. The hardships he had once suffered, he loved seeing others suffer through all over again. The green canopy cast cool shade, and the campus bustled with vibrant life. Even an "old wanted criminal" with a deadpan mindset like Bai Zhou felt in a daze as if he had returned to the carefree age of thirteen or fourteen. And yet... In such a harmonious, youthfully poetic campus... Which damn bastard had planted a bizarre, unfathomable vortex right in its midst? ... The day slipped by in the blink of an eye. Bai Zhou overheard plenty more news, but hardly anything useful. It was mostly adolescent grievances or chatter about studying and classes. Though he discovered a few more hidden ritual symbols, he found nothing new beyond that. As dusk fell, Bai Zhou quietly slipped out of the school. That was enough investigation for today. It was now 5:24 PM, a little over five hours before 11:00 PM tonight. Time was pressing; Bai Zhou needed to find a spot and prepare to welcome the Major's pursuers. He absolutely could not let the Major know that he had discovered anomalies here and was investigating this school. He needed time to find a suitable location, set up a few preparations, and then leave. ...It would be quite a surprise. Yet before Bai Zhou could make his move— With a soft hum of vibration, the ribbon atop his head unraveled on its own in midair. The fluttering of a trench coat swept overhead like a bird spreading its wings. Stretching languidly as the evening breeze caught her coat, Miss Crow appeared in midair. "How did it go?" Her toe tapped against the empty air, rippling waves through the sky. A cool voice, carrying a hint of raspiness, reached his ear. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, her ruby-like gaze casually fell upon Bai Zhou. "What have you been up to all day?" ... A short while later. On the rooftop of a roadside office building. Two figures stood facing each other. Having reverted to human form, Bai Zhou recounted his discoveries of the day in detail to Crow. "...Very unfamiliar ritual symbols." Examining the broken symbols Bai Zhou had sketched on the ground with a pebble, Crow frowned. "There are traces of Eastern Federation witchcraft, yet also hints of Western Federation shamanism." "My personal guess is that it might be some kind of curse-like ritual, but deciphering and testing it will take time." Saying this, Crow looked up at Bai Zhou, lost in thought: "I didn't expect you to actually stumble blindly into an abnormal school." "Without question, laying hands on a school in the surface world crosses the bottom line of all official authorities and every Extraordinary with a conscience." "Whoever dared to do this must be extraordinarily audacious—and backed by immense confidence!" A figure who fit those criteria... Both of them had an answer in their hearts. Crow's eyes turned frosty, all traces of drowsiness vanishing as she calmly analyzed things for Bai Zhou: "But now, purely infiltrating won't yield much more." "You must make contact with people inside the school to better identify targets." "—Have you thought about how to do that?" "I have," Bai Zhou sighed. "But that's precisely the difficulty." "Schools are insular. An unfamiliar face like mine would stand out too much." "And in black cat form... it's even more impossible to communicate with people." He'd just get chased out by the security guards with pitchforks. In truth, Bai Zhou's initial investigation of Yuanmeng Middle School had yielded quite a bit. However, moving forward, the investigation had clearly hit a bottleneck. This afternoon, he had baked in the sun around campus for hours, coming up virtually empty-handed. Yet Crow waved her hand, seemingly confident: "That's why you need an identity." "An identity?" "Actually, Hunters are very good at disguise—or helping others disguise themselves." Crow's tone was leisurely, but her words left Bai Zhou looking increasingly bewildered. "Didn't you mention earlier that a guidance counselor at Yuanmeng Middle School took extended leave?" "So, my suggestion is..." Crow pointed at Bai Zhou and nodded: "You will go and replace that counselor." Bai Zhou: "?" He looked left, then right. After confirming there was no one else nearby, Bai Zhou froze for a second, then pointed at himself. "...Me?" —Eighteen years old? Acting as a teacher for other kids? Miss Crow, are you out of your mind?! ... Night, 10:30 PM. The moon hung high in the sky. The North District was Tinghai City's famous commercial office district. Close to the beach, with beautiful scenery. Towering office buildings and commercial plazas stood tall here. However, due to Tinghai's sluggish economy in recent years, even a place like this saw several "ghost towers" abandoned due to commercial disputes, left with nobody to claim them. One such building was the "Starlight Mansion." Viewed from the outside, the building's shape somewhat resembled a... furnace, or rather an alchemy cauldron. Its exterior glass curtain wall was quite complete, looking reasonably upscale. Inside, however, there was no interior finishing whatsoever—bare concrete everywhere, some floors lacking even staircases—a textbook unfinished construction project. At this moment, a stealthy figure appeared on the top floor, the twentieth floor, pushing open a window. A gust rushed in, fluttering the hem of Bai Zhou's black trench coat. Moonlight spilled inside, illuminating the gloom behind Bai Zhou. What should have been an empty, bare-concrete room... was now densely inscribed with various symbols, along with all sorts of handcrafted contraptions and mechanisms. A dazzling, complete array of traps. Things like these... Bai Zhou hadn't just prepared one room. He had rigged half the building! At this moment, having just finished his frantic preparations and panting for breath, Bai Zhou looked up at the bright moon outside the window. The night wind was chilly; moonlight bathed his face. Below, traffic flowed and pedestrians hurried past. "Such bright moonlight." At this sight, Bai Zhou couldn't help but sigh: "—What a dark night!" ... Nightfall. Branch 36. The office doors and windows were locked tight, lights switched off, all illumination shut out. Twelve candles burned silently, their flickering flames illuminating the Major's face through the heavy shadows. At the center of the twelve candles, an ancient bronze compass rested upon the desk. At the center of the compass was not a needle, but the ID photo Bai Zhou had taken previously. Around the photo, on the surface of the compass, layered ciphers seemed ready to swallow the photograph whole. The Major reached out, lifted a candle, and held it directly above the photograph. With a soft splat— Melted red wax dripped down like crimson blood, covering Bai Zhou's face. The instant the red wax fell, the Major softly chanted an incantation: "Wax as blood, offer thy spiritual light." "Spirits of the ten directions, traverse the veil." "Track shadow and trace, manifest in this domain!" "Hum..." The compass trembled, and the ciphers engraved upon it seemed to squirm. As if in response, the flames of the remaining eleven candles on the desk surged violently. Their wax was drawn as if by an invisible hand, dripping continuously onto the polished desktop. Every droplet of blood-red wax solidified and morphed the moment it touched the surface, transforming into scorched, twisted, cursive characters one after another. Finally, these characters formed Bai Zhou's current location— A clear set of geographic coordinates! [North District, Qiancheng Street, Unfinished Starlight Mansion] "Found you..." Behind the eerie candlelight. The Major's face, half-hidden in the quiet shadows, curled into a sinister grin. Like a predator once again catching the bloody scent of lost prey. Quite good at running, aren't you? After going into hiding, no matter how we searched, we couldn't find you. But it's useless. This entire farce ends tonight. "Painter" and the Black Warriors will give an unprepared Bai Zhou a massive surprise! —Surprise, isn't that right? The little guy is going to love it... Thinking this, the Major looked down. Yet when the Major saw the address clearly, the corners of his mouth stiffened slightly, and he couldn't help blinking. North District, unfinished Starlight Mansion... A certain word, both familiar and foreign, made the Major frown, dredging up some rather unpleasant memories. "Why..." "is it another unfinished building?!"