Chapter 361: School

Chapter 361: School

"This is an illusion, this place is an illusion!!"

In the dark bridge arch, Li Huowang knelt on the ground with his head bleeding profusely, trembling as he repeated over and over again, as if trying to anchor his belief.

This scene terrified Huanhuan so much that she burst into tears. Her little steamed bun rolled to the ground at her feet, and she turned and ran crying out of the bridge arch.

Li Huowang remained kneeling there, thinking for a long time. The environment around him flickered between darkness and brightness.

After shifting back and forth between the bridge arch and the forest three times, he walked to the riverside, washed off the dried blood from his face, then turned and walked toward the exit of the bridge arch. A cold gleam emerged from between Li Huowang's fingers.

On the spot where he had been, only Sun Xiaoqin's name remained; the other name had been completely smothered by blood.

Li Huowang remembered where Yang Na's school was. She had once happily described to him what delicious snacks were available on the nearby street, and at that time, they had made a promise to go explore it together when things got better.

Li Huowang always remembered such matters about Yang Na very clearly—even if she had mentioned them only once.

The sharp blade scraped along Li Huowang’s head, shaving off the clumped hair, revealing a scalp that no longer bled.

He took off his filthy old clothes and put on some clean ones that someone had left outside to dry.

In this state, Li Huowang looked so ordinary. Walking through the crowd, no one pointed or whispered at him anymore.

Taking advantage of the night, he sneaked into the train station and disguised himself as a relative of a passenger carrying luggage, successfully boarding the train.

When Li Huowang came to his senses again, he found himself in the city where Yang Na lived.

Looking at the bus stop sign, Li Huowang walked slowly toward the university district with heavy steps.

He moved very slowly, as though this endless road would never end. Yet even moving slowly, there would come a day when he reached his destination.

Li Huowang sat on a plastic chair in a barbecue shop, staring blankly at the distant gates of the campus. His strange behavior drew curious glances.

"What are you waiting for! This is an illusion, Yang Na is fake! Stand up and fight! I won't give up reality because of an illusion! Do you really want Miao Miao to become like that creature, half human, half ghost?!"

"I've transcended, I’ve already transcended!! Yang Na will be fine, she'll live well in that world! No madman will chase after her or block her happiness!"

"What are you waiting for! Come on! Come on! You made Miao Miao turn into this ghostly form, don’t you want to save her?!"

Li Huowang struggled painfully within himself. At that moment, he desperately wished something could help him break free from this hesitation and let him stand up decisively.

Just then, the plump-faced owner approached, "Cough cough, young man, are you okay? Your complexion looks terrible."

Li Huowang remained unmoved, completely lost in his own world.

The owner wiped the table in front of Li Huowang with a cloth and turned to attend to her business.

Suddenly, a scream came from inside the campus, instantly drawing the owner’s attention. Not long after, she saw men and women rushing out of the campus in panic. “Huh? What happened?”

While others passed by the stalls, the owner grabbed a regular student who often ate at her place. “Hey, Xiao Pang, Xiao Pang, what’s going on at school?”

"Boss Liu, call the police quickly! The bank robbers have switched to us! They’ve already broken into the girls' dormitory! One of them has a gun!"

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang slowly turned around to look at the boy who spoke. He suddenly smiled.

"Can it get any more fake? Such a low-probability nonsense event happens to me—this place must truly be an illusion." With all concerns laid aside, Li Huowang finally stood up and charged toward the campus gate.

Walking down the main avenue of the university, Li Huowang kept scanning the fleeing girls around him, hoping to spot a familiar face.

The deeper he went, the more violently his body trembled.

To ease this unrelenting shaking, Li Huowang muttered to the magnolia tree blooming with flowers beside him: "Miao Miao, wait for me until I overcome my inner pain. If I'm too hurt to move, please help me reach the ultimate physical agony."

"Do you remember how that person tore out someone’s throat on Reed Island? Just do the same."

Then, feeling uneasy, he said to the bicycle lying beside him: "Li Sui, if Miao Miao does that, don’t interfere, understand? She isn’t hurting me—it's about whether we can escape this damn place."

"Whatever happens later, just follow me closely. I’ll try to save those people from the Celestial Court, but if not, so be it."

The whole campus was vast. After searching for a while, Li Huowang still couldn’t find Yang Na. When he arrived at the girls’ dormitory, sirens could already be heard outside the campus.

Looking up at the tall buildings ahead, Li Huowang noticed angry voices coming from the middle floors. Hundreds of girls on the upper levels seemed trapped.

"All of this is an illusion, all of this is an illusion!" Li Huowang murmured to himself and stepped over the iron gate into the campus.

The first and second floors were empty—they had all run out. As Li Huowang continued climbing the stairs, he met two men dragging a girl down the stairs face-to-face.

Li Huowang nodded at them, making way for them to pass, then continued upstairs.

"Stop!! I told you to stop! Don’t come any closer!! Don’t think I don’t know what you're up to! You’re a cop in disguise—I’ve seen right through you!"

A bald man held a knife against the neck of a girl in his arms. He looked extremely nervous, his breathing erratic.

"We want three SUVs! Full tanks! And five million! No, ten million! Then evacuate everyone! Give you one hour to prepare! Hurry! Every thirty minutes we exceed, we kill another person!"

Li Huowang ignored him and asked the girl in his arms, "Classmate, do you know Yang Na? Which room does she live in?"

Clearly terrified by the situation, the girl could only cry and make no response.

Li Huowang didn’t care and continued climbing the stairs.

"You fucking stay there!!" A rusty pistol emerged from around the corner of the staircase above, pointing at Li Huowang.

With footsteps echoing, a tall, gloomy man descended the stairs holding a gun.

"Do you see what I’m holding? It’s a gun!"

(End of Chapter)