The brilliant moonlight was no match for the high-lumen floodlights, whose beams, almost solid in their intensity, illuminated the camp as bright as day.
Annoying summer mosquitoes buzzed incessantly, circling the radiant glow.
In front of the army-green tent.
The middle-aged man gently touched his right cheek, then bent down, retrieving the sandal under the girl’s horrified gaze.
Tap-tap…
The heels of leather shoes clicked against the ground.
Watching the man pace towards her, the girl had to admit, a wave of panic washed over her at that very moment.
She swallowed hard, slowly backing away.
Huang Xiu, for all her wildest imaginings, had never once conceived that Professor Yuan wouldn’t dodge her slipper.
After all, she had merely tossed it in a fit of pique, without a second thought!
Such a slow throw—if it were her, no, even if it were Shi Lei, that lazy oaf who couldn’t be bothered to move a muscle, he could have easily dodged it.
So what was she to do now? Apologize? Should she perform the Japanese triple bow of apology, ending in a dogeza (TL Note: A deep bow from Japan, where one kneels and prostrates themselves, touching their head to the ground as a sign of extreme deference or apology.)?
At that instant, a strange image flickered before Huang Xiu’s eyes.
The girl would slide backward, execute a perfect 360-degree backflip, land heavily on the ground, and then, with a resounding thud, prostrate herself in a dogeza, shouting an apology: “Old geezer, I’m truly sorry! I didn’t mean it; I just didn’t expect you wouldn’t dodge it.”
Terrible!
If she actually said that, Professor Yuan would surely lose his composure, pulling out his “Seven Wolves” (TL Note: A metaphor for a belt, referring to a severe beating or scolding, often used humorously.) to give her a harsh lesson.
So, should she fight back?
Strike first to gain the advantage, hesitate and suffer the consequences.
Yet, the moment she recalled what she had just overheard—Professor Yuan single-handedly tearing through a Void Realm—
Huang Xiu instantly cowered.
With her paltry, amateur combat prowess, even ten more of her wouldn’t be enough to give Professor Yuan a satisfying fight.
After pondering for a long while, Huang Xiu ultimately decided to be an honest child and offer a sincere apology.
“Pro-professor, I’m sorry.”
She spoke with a look of apprehension, her right hand nervously clutching and kneading the hem of her school uniform.
“I shouldn’t have used the slipper…”
“Why are you apologizing?” A large hand gently settled on the girl’s head, cutting off her words.
“Huh?” Huang Xiu froze.
Raising her head, she met a pair of clear, wrinkled eyes filled with genuine apology.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing, Student Huang! You did nothing wrong; the fault lies with me!”
Professor Yuan gently stroked Huang Xiu’s head.
“You clearly told me about the Void Realm, but I, this old man, was so muddle-headed and blind that I failed to recognize the danger, leading you and your classmates into crisis and forcing you to use your special abilities once more.”
The mere thought made Professor Yuan yearn to slap himself; it had been so close, so terribly close, to a catastrophic disaster.
“I am truly sorry, Student Huang.”
Witnessing the middle-aged man’s face contorted with self-reproach and apology, Huang Xiu’s initial grievances melted away like spring snow after a rain, vanishing completely in a haze of revelation.
Indeed, what had Professor Yuan done wrong?
Since the incident, he had been tirelessly rushing about, fighting, and giving his utmost.
The ones in error were never them, but rather the puppet masters behind the scenes!
“It’s fine now, truly, it’s absolutely fine, I’m already alright!” the girl earnestly emphasized.
Upon hearing her words, Professor Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
As if shedding an immense burden, his spirits lifted instantly.
“Hahaha, it’s good that you’re alright! On the way here, I was worried you might harbor resentment and spent ages trying to figure out how to address it.”
Huang Xiu: “……”
Blast it, this old geezer! Give her heartfelt emotions back!
With a series of loud pats, as if checking a watermelon for ripeness, Professor Yuan clapped Huang Xiu on the shoulder.
“How does it feel, experiencing a Void Realm invasion for the first time?” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you tired? Are you scared?”
“Not exactly tired, more like filled with lingering dread,” Huang Xiu replied.
The elation of surviving death was utterly negligible; afterward, what truly lingered in his heart was fear and regret.
He feared dying before experiencing the wonders of adulthood, feared being unable to fulfill his filial duties to his parents.
He even feared dying in a female body, which would erase any trace of Huang Xiu, the second-year high school boy he truly was.
To this very moment, he regretted his rash actions.
Yet, even if he were given the chance to choose again, the outcome would likely remain precisely the same.
It wasn’t about heroism.
He simply couldn’t stand by and allow the classmates he saw every day to perish senselessly at the hands of monsters.
They deserved a brighter tomorrow!
“Fear is natural; only by understanding fear can one truly grasp life and death,” Professor Yuan praised. “You performed admirably today.”
More than admirable, it was simply perfect.
To encounter a Void Realm invasion for the first time and manage to rescue victims while ensuring one’s own safety—
Such a feat required both a strong sense of responsibility and capable skills.
Huang Xiu would undoubtedly become an exceptional special ability user; Professor Yuan was now utterly convinced of this after the day’s events.
“Leave the rest to me,” he said. “I will bring your classmates back, safe and sound.”
Huang Xiu nodded, watching Professor Yuan walk back to Liu Xin.
“I’ll enter the nexus point first to assess the situation. You should arrange for people outside to be ready to receive the students at any moment.”
“Understood,” Liu Xin affirmed with a decisive nod.
“I’ll go assist outside,” He Tianpeng interjected quickly. Although his powers were gone, he was still a special ability user, and entering the nexus point wouldn’t cause a mental breakdown due to the Void energy.
“You and the Garrison Army will wait on the road,” Liu Xin instructed, not refusing He Tianpeng’s request.
Currently, all special ability users had been dispatched to the Second Void Realm.
The Third Void Realm was short-staffed, making every special ability user an incredibly valuable asset.
“I’ll go too!” Huang Xiu suddenly declared.
“You’ve done more than enough tonight,” Professor Yuan quipped playfully. “Now, rest easy and prepare for the re-examination the day after tomorrow. Be careful not to fail it.”
Having said his piece, and without waiting for Huang Xiu to refuse, he turned and strode purposefully towards the campus.
Maintaining his peculiar gait, covering ten meters with each step, he vanished from their sight in the blink of an eye.
Having received permission, He Tianpeng could no longer stand still either; he huffed and puffed as he jogged into a tent at the edge of the camp.
In less than a minute, he emerged clad in a bulletproof vest, wielding a massive, black firearm specially designed for the Garrison Army.
Four more individuals followed behind him.
These were the Garrison Army members who had rescued Huang Xiu, though it was unclear where the fifth member had gone.
“I recall there being one more of them,” Huang Xiu began, intending to mention their names, only to realize with embarrassment that he didn’t know what they were called.
“One was severely wounded and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment,” Liu Xin replied casually.
Having faced life and death alongside them, Huang Xiu considered himself to have forged a faint bond of comradeship.
Upon hearing this news, his mood inevitably soured slightly.
He Tianpeng, seemingly having a military background, effortlessly blended into the Garrison Army’s ranks and set off at a brisk jog towards the school.
However, his beer belly, bouncing conspicuously from beneath the hem of his bulletproof vest as he ran, was particularly eye-catching.
Huang Xiu averted his gaze. “Do you know where Shi Lei is? The tall, thin one who should have evacuated before the girls?”