Chapter 14 – Rainy Night in Hua City (6)

◎Truly exasperated with this Old Sixth◎

Three minutes behind, Zhang Qi and the others hurried back to Hua City No.1 Middle School, racing against the last shreds of time. The non-stop running and the toll of their severe injuries had drained too much of their energy. They sat down against the wall, utterly exhausted. A surviving male student covered his face, tears never stopping.

Time ticked away second by second, but the wall remained still, without any signs of movement.

“Why isn’t the door opening? Did we arrive late? Have they already opened the door?” The male student repeated these two sentences incessantly, his anxiety growing as he spun in circles, his tone becoming more and more neurotic. “Why isn’t the door opening? Why won’t they open the door?!”

“Calm down for a moment and wait a bit more,” Zhang Hao said, placing a hand on the student’s shoulder to prevent him from attracting nearby zombies with his restless movement. Even though he spoke words of reassurance, he was gradually becoming uneasy himself.

About twenty more minutes passed, and the wall finally softened and collapsed, gradually revealing the shape of a door.

“I knew you guys would come back. They told me to wait a bit more…” As the door was pulled open, Liu Zixuan’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. However, as he saw the figures before him clearly, the curve of his mouth instantly drooped. Four, he counted again in disbelief, just four. “What happened? Where are the others?”

Xu Liren came over from behind him, his expression unusually solemn.

“Professor Xu!” The moment the student saw him, his psychological defenses crumbled completely. He couldn’t hold back anymore and collapsed before Xu Liren, sobbing uncontrollably.

Zhang Qi’s face was gloomy, supporting his limp left hand. Zhang Hao had a lame leg, and Song Ke, although all limbs intact, was covered in blood, making it difficult to see her facial features. The grim condition of the four quickly drew the attention of everyone around.

“It’s all gone… Everything exploded… The starships… the rescue team…”

“What exploded?”

“What happened to the rescue team? Hurry up and tell us, you’re driving us crazy!”

“What exactly happened?”

The student’s emotions were too agitated, and his words were incoherent, making it impossible for him to explain clearly. Xu Liren had someone help him move the student aside to rest and then calmed and dispersed the crowd that had gathered, leaving only a few core members. Only then did he start to carefully understand the situation.

Among the four, Zhang Hao, the only one with coherent speech, took the initiative to explain: “Let me explain. This afternoon, around three o’clock, the entire Hua City lost power and network connectivity. When we found out, we rushed to the starport, hoping to meet the rescue team there. However, what arrived were numerous starships that had lost power and were falling from the sky. The others… couldn’t escape the explosions, they all… died.”

As the words left his mouth, the entire room was shocked. For these high school students, the notion of starships falling was something out of a fairy tale.

Xu Liren pondered for a moment, “It seems it’s not just the school; the entire infrastructure of Hua City has shut down.” He paused and then asked, “We didn’t hear any explosions. Where did those starships that you mentioned head towards? And roughly how many were there?”

“They headed southeast, and there were probably around twenty of them.”

“No wonder. The school is to the west of Hua City.”

As they conversed, Song Ke walked towards a corner on her own. The others were still immersed in the shocking news brought by Zhang Hao, and few paid attention to her. Only Jiang Rui cast a concerned glance at her back.

The commotion at the entrance sparked whispered conversations among the people. Zhou Anqi emerged from the restroom, her face filled with impatience. “What’s wrong with Zhang Qi? He’s supposed to handle Song Ke. Why is he making such a mess of himself?”

Cao Yiyi gripped the railing tightly, her brows furrowing slowly. “Something doesn’t seem right…”

Zhou Anqi followed her gaze and quickly spotted another figure in the corner. She was infuriated on the spot. “No, why is Song Ke still alive and kicking? It’s driving me crazy! He didn’t fulfill what he promised me. I’m going to hold him accountable!”

“Anqi, just wait a moment!” Cao Yiyi was truly exasperated with this Old Sixth. Would she be foolish enough to confront Zhang Qi in front of everyone? Wouldn’t that expose all their secret calculations? Cao Yiyi reached out to grab her, but Zhou Anqi walked briskly, evading her grip. In the process, Zhou Anqi stumbled, and Cao Yiyi had no choice but to follow behind, feeling helpless.

The two of them arrived next to Xu Liren, just in time to hear Zhang Hao speak, “Professor Xu, there’s one more thing – Song Ke is an ability user.”

Jiang Rui, Lin Xia, and others beside them were taken aback. Zhou Anqi, upon hearing this terrible news, felt her vision darken. The world seemed to spin around her, and she thought that the darkness of the world had never been this profound.

Xu Liren pushed up his glasses, a sharp glint passing through his eyes. His tone remained gentle, though. “Oh? What kind of ability user is she?”

“Same type as me, a power-type,” Zhang Qi, who had been silent until now, suddenly interjected. “And her level is roughly similar to mine.”

Zhang Hao gave him a sidelong glance. He remembered how Song Ke had suppressed Zhang Qi in front of the store entrance, unable to move. He found Zhang Qi’s inflated bravado somewhat ridiculous. However, Zhang Qi’s intact hand was tightly clenched into a fist, emitting faint creaking sounds. It was evident he had exerted a lot of force. Zhang Hao held his tongue, planning to explain to Xu Liren and Jiang Rui later.

“No wonder she could lift Tian Yi with just one hand last time,” Lin Xia murmured, “So, she’s a power-type ability user.”

For a moment, various emotions – envy, jealousy, resentment – began to brew covertly.

The news that Song Ke was an ability user was the only consolation in their dire situation. After losing contact with the rescue team, their situation had become perilous. Were they going to remain in the safe zone indefinitely? Who knew what other challenges lay ahead?

Amidst the anxious crowd, the only one able to maintain composure was Xu Liren. He stood on the elevated platform of the playground, overseeing the people below. “Everyone, don’t panic. Calm down. It’s not time to give up yet. I’ll work with you to find solutions. What we need to do now is to honestly share the situation with everyone.”

Xu Liren gathered everyone and conveyed the news they had brought back from outside.

No water, no electricity, no network, starship crashes, coupled with the disconnection from the rescue team – one heavy piece of news after another weighed down on them, shrouding them in darkness. Despite Xu Liren’s efforts to console, quite a few individuals succumbed to pressure, collapsing on the ground in sobbing fits.

A few bold souls who couldn’t bear the oppressive atmosphere approached Liu Zixuan, raising a commotion without restraint. “Staying here is a death sentence. Let me out! I want to go home!”

Liu Zixuan initially tried to reason with them politely, but as they continued to agitate him, he grew annoyed and retorted with irritation, “You want to leave? Go ahead! But I’ve exhausted my supernatural abilities. I won’t be able to recover until tomorrow morning at the earliest. So, just wait here!”

On the other side, Tian Yi cautiously approached, “Song Ke, are you okay?”

“Do, do you have water?” Song Ke’s eyes were so crusted with blood that she couldn’t open them. However, what was even more uncomfortable was the sensation from within her body – the burning pain that came after her supernatural ability was drained, causing her body to feel inflamed.

“There’s a restroom over there,” Tian Yi pointed in a direction, “Luckily, we had stored water before. You can use it.”

Song Ke entered the restroom and filled a basin with water from a container. She began splashing water onto her face at an increasing speed. The cold water droplets soaked her skin, washing away the congealed bloodstains. The persistent burning sensation seemed to slightly subside.

But immediately after, she felt hunger – a deep emptiness and hunger from the depths of her stomach. Song Ke sat down on the floor, opened her backpack, and started stuffing food into her mouth: beef jerky, crackers, ham sausages, sandwiches. She consumed about half of the stored food, and only then did the burning feeling gradually fade. Her supernatural ability seemed to rejuvenate like a dry spring, replenishing itself at an astonishing pace.

A good half-hour passed, and the tumultuous sensation within her body settled down again. The abundant energy resumed its steady circulation. Song Ke now felt much more comfortable. She stood up, examined her injuries, finding abrasions below her earlobes, along the edges of her cheeks, and several fresh wounds on her left arm.

She applied a piece of gauze to her face and changed into clean clothes. Opening the restroom door, Jiang Rui was waiting outside for her.

“I heard from Zhang Hao that you were injured. I came to check on you.”

“Mm, I’m, I’m fine.”

“It’s still better to tend to your wounds. Should I ask Cao Yiyi or Lin Xia to help you?”

Two girls stood side by side behind Jiang Rui, with Lin Xia giving her a friendly wave. Song Ke glanced at them and coldly refused, “No need.”

Ignoring their reactions, she carried her deflated backpack and found a corner to sit cross-legged.

Jiang Rui’s gaze remained fixed on her face. Suddenly, he extended a finger and pointed, “You have something on your face.”

Song Ke casually wiped her face, finding nothing.

“A little lower.”

Song Ke wiped down a bit lower.

“It’s not there.” Jiang Rui watched her clumsy movement and unexpectedly burst into laughter. The smile of the young man was transparent, without any trace of gloom. He then knelt down on one knee, getting very close to Song Ke. His eyes were like a lake sparkling with countless stars. Swiftly, he raised his hand and brushed away the cookie crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

Jiang Rui’s movement was so natural, and Song Ke was unprepared. She was caught off guard.

But she quickly stepped back, then another step, until her back was against the wall. She stared at him with a head full of question marks. If there’s something on her face, so what? It’s not like it’s on his face. Why would he be so concerned? Was it necessary for him to remove it with his own hand?

“Hey! Yiyi, look!” Lin Xia excitedly tugged at Cao Yiyi’s sleeve and let out a soft scream. She was engrossed in the excitement of the moment, completely unaware of the emotion of her companion.

Cao Yiyi was fixedly observing the ambiguous interaction between the two, her expression darkening.

Despite Song Ke’s repeated refusals, Jiang Rui still left a first aid kit for her.

Song Ke didn’t like being in close proximity to people. She always found a corner in the safe zone to rest where nobody else was.

When Jiang Rui left, he looked back several times with a worried expression.

“I noticed that Song Ke’s bandaging was quite rough. I’ve learned basic first aid before. When I have time, I’ll come back to check on her,” Cao Yiyi followed him, speaking gently, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Anqi.”

Speaking of Zhou Anqi, Jiang Rui’s brows slightly furrowed. “Yeah, you’ve been helpful. It seems that you and her are the only ones in your class who can talk to each other.”

“Yeah, Song Ke… she’s not always the easiest to get along with,” Cao Yiyi smiled.

…

Late that night, heavy rain poured down on Hua City. The sound of raindrops pelting the skylight of the playground echoed. The rain grew louder, intensifying, preventing many from falling asleep. They climbed to the windowsills, peering outside. They were greeted by a curtain of rain that seemed to touch the sky.

The rain continued until the next day, forcing them to cancel their plans to go outside.

That night, even in her dreams, Song Ke heard the sound of the rain pouring.

When she woke up, she learned even worse news.

Zhou Anqi had a fever.

Old Sixth – (Camper) is a reference to the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In the CSGO game, there are only five players on each side in the competitive mode, a camper is considered unhelpful to the team as a whole and equivalent to the “sixth member” of the opposing side. A Camper is a player that stays in one spot in a first-person shooter game, someone who seems to be unable to see the life and death of his teammates, and who sticks up to protect his gun.