“Is this the place?”
Huang Xiu asked the person beside him. Receiving an affirmative reply, he anxiously hurried to the door, craning his neck to peer through the square observation window.
Inside the room, four beds were arranged in two opposing rows, separated by blue privacy curtains.
Figures lay on each bed, all of them male patients clad in restraint garments.
It was a room resembling a hospital ward.
Yet, unlike a typical ward, there was no medical equipment; instead, a massive cylindrical device stood prominently in the center.
This cylindrical apparatus stretched from ceiling to floor, its surface adorned with numerous grooves and protrusions.
Four thick, elongated helical pipes extended from the base of the cylinder, connecting to the beds on either side.
A low hum resonated.
As a faint tremor emanated from beneath their feet, the grooves on the cylindrical device’s surface suddenly glowed with a white light.
“This is a Void Energy instrument designed to treat mental collapse,” Professor Yuan explained, approaching from behind them. “It’s inscribed with a Void Art called ‘Mental Soothing,’ which helps patients suffering from mental collapse quickly regain their sanity.”
“Before its invention, mental collapse was always considered an incurable affliction that could only heal naturally.”
Having finished his explanation, he turned and patted the shoulder of the Authority staff member standing beside Huang Xiu.
“Thank you for your trouble. You may attend to your duties; I’ll watch over things here.”
“Understood.” The staff member in the white coat nodded, then turned and departed.
As the sound of retreating footsteps faded, Huang Xiu silently gazed at the young man lying on the second bed to the right inside the room.
He seemed to be caught in a nightmare, his brows deeply furrowed, his face etched with fear and dread, even his lips trembling.
It was hard to imagine such an expression gracing Shi Lei’s face.
“So, he will recover, won’t he? Without any lingering after-effects?” Huang Xiu asked, turning to face Professor Yuan.
After being woken this morning, he had indeed found that, just as Professor Yuan had stated, everything was over.
The Void Realm had been shattered, and the powerful, inexplicable sense of oppression in the air had vanished without a trace.
The stationed camps had withdrawn, and the roads were once again open for passage.
In a mere two hours, before dawn, all traces within the campus had been meticulously erased.
Not even a single speck of blood could be found on the concrete ground, and the memories of most students had been completely altered.
Were it not for the memories etched in his mind and Shi Lei, lying before him, mentally collapsed on the bed…
…he might even believe that nothing had ever happened at all.
“As for after-effects, there shouldn’t be any.”
Professor Yuan took a sip of his coffee and suggested, “Would you like to go in and see him?”
‘Go in and see him, huh…?’
Huang Xiu did not reply immediately; he simply stared at the observation window on the door.
Reflected on the rectangular transparent glass was a delicate yet vibrant face.
Although he had already cut his long hair with scissors, it was still clearly a very feminine face.
He silently raised a hand; his forearm was slender and fair, his fingers long and delicate, white as scallion roots.
These, too, were feminine hands.
Currently, despite being male, his appearance was almost indistinguishable from a woman’s.
‘Perhaps it’s better not to… why should a man dwell on goodbyes? It’s enough to have met, to have shared laughter.’
‘Besides, I’ve already said my farewells.’
Just as this thought crossed his mind, and Huang Xiu prepared to decline, the thick, seemingly ponderous door before him suddenly swung open.
The next second, an irresistible force pushed him from behind.
He stumbled forward, unable to resist, yet with a hint of exhilaration, as he was propelled into the room.
A murmur then reached him from behind.
“You’re both men, why all the dawdling? He’s been given a shot; he won’t wake up.”
Huang Xiu turned around to see Professor Yuan outside the room, arms crossed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“Otherwise, you might regret it for the rest of your life!” he said lightly, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes.
Bang!
The door closed, sealing off the inside from the outside.
Professor Yuan couldn’t hear the sounds from within, nor did he care; he simply sipped his coffee intermittently.
He watched the young man stand by the bedside, whispering something.
A smile graced his face, tinged with a hint of reluctance.
When speaking of joyful things, he would gesture animatedly; when sadness arose, his brows would subtly furrow.
Shi Lei, lost in his dreams on the bed, could not respond.
Yet, whether it was the effect of the Void Energy instrument or something else, Shi Lei’s tightly furrowed brows slowly began to relax.
After a long while, the coffee in the cup was nearly finished, and Huang Xiu emerged from the ward.
“What did you say?” Professor Yuan asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Nothing much, just some campus trivialities. Let’s go.”
Huang Xiu waved a hand, offering no further answer, and walked outside with his hands clasped behind his head.
He had indeed said nothing profound, merely a final goodbye, but that alone felt sufficient.
They exited the Authority building and reached the street outside.
“Where are you heading next?”
Professor Yuan reminded him, “The re-examination is tomorrow, don’t forget!”
The re-examination was to be held in Yanghai City, the provincial capital of Yunshang Province, and regulations required candidates to report one day in advance.
Failure to do so would result in disqualification.
Although Huang Xiu felt that, given Professor Yuan’s regard for him…
…even if he were truly late, Professor Yuan might directly arrange for his admission to Tiandu University.
Yet, he was unwilling to trouble others excessively or to claim too many privileges.
“I’ll go straight to the examination venue,” Huang Xiu said.
He had already inquired with Professor Yuan that morning.
As long as he passed the re-examination and became a student at Tiandu University, his parents would gain clearance to know about the existence of the Void Realm.
This would also make it easier for him to explain his own transformation.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Professor Yuan pulled out his car keys, pressed them twice, and the Mercedes-Benz parked by the roadside flashed its lights.
Click, click.
After taking two steps, he looked back to find Huang Xiu still standing motionless, and immediately asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you moving?”
“…” Huang Xiu scratched his cheek. “Professor Yuan, perhaps I should just take a taxi by myself first.”
Three Void Realms had just been shattered, and the Authority was currently busy clearing up the aftermath everywhere. Manpower was critically short; even Yue Zhengyang had been roped in as a laborer.
During such a busy period, he truly felt too embarrassed to… waste Professor Yuan’s time.
This thought made him feel even more reluctant.
“You’re taking a taxi alone?” Professor Yuan raised his index finger and gently wagged it at Huang Xiu. “No, I refuse.”
“Eh? Why?” Huang Xiu was taken aback.
“If you go alone and leave me here, won’t I lose my excuse to slack off?!”
Professor Yuan declared righteously.
“…”
What a powerful reason; Huang Xiu was speechless.
“Professor Yuan, you’re a great hero, and a professor at Tiandu University. If you don’t want to work, surely they can’t do anything about it!”
“No, you don’t understand at all!”
Professor Yuan tilted his head back and sighed deeply. “This Liu Xin from the Ying City Authority, he’s not a good ‘silver’ at all!”
He was so agitated that he reverted to his local dialect.
“Though he doesn’t nag me verbally, he just follows me around, pretending to be very busy and tired while working, constantly piling on the pressure.”
With a disgruntled expression, he asked, “Do you know what that’s called?”