Lin Xia gasped, ran out, yanked Big B by the arm, and pointed at the top of his head, “What’s on my head?”
Big B had to hit the boss 66 times to get the equipment. He had just hit the 65th time and was about to hit the last swing when Lin Xia interrupted him.
“Damn it!” Big B hadn’t even heard what Lin Xia had said; he slammed his mouse down, “I have to start all over again! What the hell are you doing, Third Brother!”
Lin Xia fell silent.
He was sitting on the bed just now, and the background of the game on Big B’s computer screen was so colorful that Lin Xia couldn’t see it clearly at first.
Now he could see clearly that the string of flashing numbers above Big B’s head wasn’t just a game effect.
Big B cursed under his breath. His precious equipment needed to be upgraded, and he needed to kill this boss to get rare materials. His fingers had been numb from playing for the past few days, and his final attack was interrupted by Lin Xia.
When he saw Lin Xia’s pale face, Big B asked again, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”
Lin Xia took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. First, he searched for Jiangcheng University; the latest news was still about the university’s Dragon Boat Festival event, where faculty and students were making zongzi together.
Next, he opened the school forum, which was completely peaceful.
A search for the Astronomy Memorial Hall brought up a post ranking Jiangcheng University’s best dating spots; a search for the White Building yielded tutorials on how to take photos there, along with cosplay photos taken by the Anime Club at the White Building.
Finally, he tapped on “Campus Happy Delivery.”
Big B noticed that Lin Xia’s hands were trembling slightly, so he quickly helped him sit down. “Low blood sugar? Wait here while I make you some instant noodles. You’ve been working way too hard…”
Before he could finish speaking, the dorm door swung open, and their advisor, Old Feng, stood in the doorway.
Their building didn’t have an elevator, and Old Feng said, panting, “Lin Xia, a new student has joined your department. From now on, you won’t be the only guy in your class anymore.”
Lin Xia was majoring in early childhood education, and he was the only boy in his class—a lone speck of green amidst a sea of red. Old Feng always jokingly called him “the only seedling”.
The new student stood behind Old Feng, with pale skin, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes. His black hair was cut very short, and he was carrying four large bags of luggage in one hand.
His gaze passed over Old Feng’s head and landed on Lin Xia.
“Advisor, Lin Xia’s got a bit of low blood sugar,” Big B explained, unwrapping a packet of instant noodles while still managing to greet the new student. “Hi there, welcome to Room 502. Bed number four is empty.”
“Low blood sugar?” Old Feng suddenly pushed past Big B and pulled two chocolate candies out of his pocket. “When will those noodles be ready? Have these first!”
+5.
Lin Xia was bewildered. What was that? Had the number above Old Feng’s head just increased by 5?
“I’m telling you, take less work. Don’t wear yourself out at such a young age. If you have any difficulties, come to me.” Although he’s called Old Feng, he’s only seven or eight years older than Lin Xia and the others. Managing over two hundred college students had aged him without him even realizing it.
As he spoke, the number above his head flickered again, adding another +5.
Old Feng knew Lin Xia’s situation. He was an orphan. Thanks to national financial aid policies, local support measures, and tuition waivers from the school, he received a monthly living allowance of 2,000 yuan.
But Lin Xia had been working part-time to earn extra money all along, and the rumor was he made quite a bit each month. Even recent graduates might not have saved as much as he had.
Old Feng sighed, saying that these kinds of students deserve more care, and urged, “Hurry up and eat the candy.”
Lin Xia ate a piece of chocolate candy. He really wanted to tell Old Feng about the rape and murder that had taken place last night on the hill behind campus, but how could he bring it up? Nothing about it felt right.
He had no injuries whatsoever, and the food delivery order was gone. But what about the girl’s body? Is it still there?
If he rashly mentioned that there was a murder at the school, people might think that he was under too much pressure and had a mental breakdown.
As Lin Xia chewed on the chocolate and racked his brain, Big B had already started chatting with his new roommate, “Hey, Fourth, are you really studying early childhood education?”
Third Brother was studying early childhood education so he could return to work at the orphanage after graduation and better guide and care for the children there.
With a face like Fourth Brother, how could he possibly study early childhood education? He should be starring as a heartthrob in period dramas! He’s got the height and the muscles.
Old Feng was displeased, “What kind of talk is that? Every major is useful for the future.”
Lin Xia turned his head blankly and gazed down the hallway. Every person passing through the doorway had a string of numbers floating above their head, and each string was different.
Zhou Xu from the next dorm room walked over carrying a water bottle. The string of numbers above his head was jumping rapidly: -100, -100, -100, -100…
Old Feng patted Lin Xia on the shoulder: “Introduce yourself to your new classmate.”
Lin Xia snapped back to reality: “Hi, my name is Lin Xia.”
“Hi,” the new student nodded. “My name is Meng Yun.”
The two had introduced themselves to each other, and Old Feng had rested long enough, “I’m heading out now. Take care of yourself, and if you have time over the next couple of days, show the new student around campus.” +5
The newcomer finished making the bed.
Big B stared dumbfounded at the snow-white sheets and pillowcases. What kind of man would use such a pristine four-piece bedding set? He stammered for a moment and said, “Fourth brother, were you in the army?”
The sheets and pillows didn’t have a single crease, and the comforter was the same; although not folded into a perfect square, it was neatly stacked at the foot of the bed. No wonder he was able to transfer into the class at the end of the semester; it turned out he was a veteran returning to school.
Lin Xia came to his senses and glanced at Meng Yun’s physique. He wasn’t the exaggeratedly large guy he saw online, but he looked very strong. “You used to be in the army?”
Meng Yun thought for a moment, then nodded.
Heavenly soldiers and generals count as soldiers, too.
Big B got excited: “So what branch of the military are you in? What kind of missions have you done? Can you tell us about them?”
Military branch? Meng Yun was puzzled; his only mission was to protect him.
Seeing that Meng Yun wasn’t responding, Big B got even more excited. Was it the kind of mission he couldn’t talk about? A classified mission?
Lin Xia had a bold idea: “Brother Meng, shall I take you for a walk around the campus?” Lin Xia was a smooth talker who called everyone “brother.” Since Meng Yun was a veteran returning to school, he was definitely older than Lin Xia, so he just naturally called him that.
Meng Yun, however, paused for a moment upon hearing the title, “Sure.”
Lin Xia didn’t know why, but Meng Yun gave him a strong sense of security. Upon hearing his agreement, he jumped up instantly, “Let’s go!” Right now!
It’s broad daylight now, and there are two of them, plus Meng Yun has served in the military, so their safety level is very high. As soon as there’s even the slightest clue behind the white building, they’ll call the police immediately!
Meng Yun followed Lin Xia with practiced ease, and the two walked out of the dormitory gate.
Big B rambled on and on, but the newcomer didn’t say a word. Big B assumed the newcomer was just naturally quiet. Then why did he react when Third Brother spoke to him? Why did he leave when Third Brother took him away?
Big B clicked his tongue and turned to continue foraging for materials.
As soon as they stepped out of the dorm building, a barrage of numbers hit him in the face. At first glance, it was actually a bit dizzying.
Lin Xia rubbed his eyes. What on earth did this string of numbers represent?
It definitely wasn’t his lifespan; he was still full of life. And it certainly wasn’t the number of times he’d been in a relationship. Although his relationship count was indeed zero, Big B… Big B couldn’t possibly be a seven-digit number.
Lin Xia’s thoughts couldn’t help but turn slightly lewd, but considering Big B as a reference point, that was impossible.
Why is Old Feng +5? Why is Zhou Xu -100? And why mine is 0?!
The two of them walked past the playground and the cafeteria, past the library and the laboratory building, and then past the academic building and the school theater.
At first, Lin Xia still remembered to point out things like, “This is the lab building,” “That’s Wensi Lake,” “That’s the pavilion in the middle of the lake,” and “That’s the school theater”—all that kind of nonsense.
Later, Lin Xia focused on navigating the map, while Meng Yun silently followed along the whole way. After crossing half the campus, they finally reached the hill behind the school.
Lin Xia looked at the students casually strolling up the winding path and felt a surge of relief. It seemed there were no bodies, and that girl was still alive.
He pointed to the green glass roof of the planetarium: “Brother Meng, that’s the oldest building in our school. You can see most of the campus from up there. It’s a popular dating spot on campus…”
As he was making this introduction, two girls walked by arm in arm. One of them saw Lin Xia and Meng Yun standing side by side; her eyes lit up, and she said something to the other.
Both of them smiled, -1.
Before Lin Xia could finish speaking, his attention was drawn to -1. Suddenly, -1? Why?
When he snapped back to reality, he realized his words might have been ambiguous, so he quickly explained to Meng Yun, “We’re not on a date—we’re just going up to enjoy the view.”
Meng Yun remained silent until Lin Xia finished speaking, then nodded again: “Okay.”
Daytime in the hills felt completely different from nighttime. Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of earth, fresh grass, and gardenias.
Lin Xia made his way past the students out for a stroll toward the back of the White Building. Last night, this place had been eerie and terrifying, but now it was bathed in sunlight. Ivy crept up the walls toward the windows, its green leaves shimmering as the light passed through them.
There was not a single trace of blood among the tall grass and wild reeds.
Lin Xia stood there, lost in thought. Meng Yun stood not far behind him, his gaze sweeping across the entire hilltop to confirm once more that there were no scattered specks of light left here.
Lin Xia was the Heaven and Earth Stele, and he was the Guardian Deity of the Stele.
The divine stele had transformed into a spirit and descended to the mortal realm, taking on a physical form and hiding within this minor world. Had it not been for the golden light that burst forth at the moment of death, revealing its whereabouts, Meng Yun would still be searching for it in the previous minor world.
Mortals’ eyes could not see it, but to Meng Yun, Lin Xia looked like a lamp that had been knocked and cracked, with specks of merit light continuously spilling out from his body.
Under the clear blue sky, many floating spirits braved the blazing flames and chased the light.
With a mere thought, Meng Yun reinforced the light barrier surrounding Lin Xia. Before the floating spirits chasing the light could even touch him, they crashed into the golden bell and turned into smoke.
Once the “specks of light” within the Stele Spirit’s body had completely dissipated, his human lifespan would come to an end.
Once the physical body perished, Meng Yun would return the Stele Spirit to its rightful place.
Lin Xia, nestled among the tall grass, breathed a long sigh of relief! Thank goodness he didn’t call the police!
Otherwise, how would he explain it to them? A murderer had pulled off the perfect crime—not only were there no traces of the crime, but there wasn’t even a body!
He really needs to rest for a few days, or maybe he should make an appointment at the school clinic to have his brain checked?
Lin Xia beamed with joy. He took Meng Yun to the observation deck and began giving an enthusiastic tour: “Brother Meng, this is the East Campus, and across from us is the West Campus. Our department usually hangs out on the East Campus. Our school has amazing scenery. There’s also an ecological area in the Wensi Lake Rose Garden, and they even keep deer there…”
The sun was blazing, and Lin Xia chattered away until his throat went dry, “Brother Meng, want a drink?’
There was a vending machine right by the terrace. Lin Xia jogged over to buy two bottles of ice-cold Coke. He spotted an elderly campus maintenance worker sitting on a bench next to the machine, spraying himself with mosquito repellent.
The old school janitor wore a straw hat, a towel around his neck, and was completely wrapped up. The numbers above his head slowly increased by +1, +1, +1, +1, +1.
Lin Xia thought for a moment and bought another bottle of water, “Grandpa, why don’t you drink this? It’s hot, and there are a lot of mosquitoes on the hilltop, aren’t there?”
The old janitor refused the water at first, but when Lin Xia insisted, he finally accepted it with a smile: “Plenty! I just found this mosquito repellent—it’s still brand new. I wonder which student lost it.”
“Well, you’re really lucky then.” Lin Xia was about to walk away with his Coke when he suddenly stopped. Mosquito repellent?
“Where did you find it?”
The old school janitor sipped his water and pointed to the large garbage bag at his feet: “I don’t know who it was, but they brought take-out up the hill and didn’t eat it. The bag was chewed up by stray cats, and the mosquito repellent is in here.”
There were many small wild animals on the hills; lured by the scent of the takeout, they’d torn open the packaging and dragged it along the trail, leaving the janitor to clean up the mess for quite some time.
Lin Xia followed the janitor’s gesture and looked at the trash bag. A corner of the takeout packaging peeked out from inside: South Gate BBQ.
It wasn’t a dream; he really had been killed.
——— End of Chapter ———-
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson
