Chapter 20

Yue Yin slipped the metal box into her backpack and walked out of the classroom, heading downstairs. Normally, there would still be a few students around at this time, but now the school was eerily deserted, the emptiness making it all the more unsettling.

She took a few steps and then suddenly looked up at the sky.

At some point, the rain had eased, replaced by an unusually thick gray fog. The fog was everywhere, and dark clouds loomed, obscuring any trace of the moon above First High School.

Something wasn’t right.

As the “Thousand-Faced Moon,” Yue Yin’s presence was always accompanied by moonlight, even on cloudy nights. Yet, at this moment, not only was there no moonlight, but even the stars had dimmed. This could only mean that something was blocking out this part of space. According to Captain Li and his team, this area had become someone else’s domain.

It seemed her daytime suspicions were correct. The girl’s death, the panic spreading among the students… these had somehow given birth to something from the rain.

But it still didn’t quite add up.

The death of a regular human, even if it caused widespread panic, shouldn’t have been enough to spawn a powerful entity capable of controlling a domain so soon after its birth.

Yue Yin speculated that someone might have set this up long ago. As for whether the girl’s death was an accident or if she was deliberately sacrificed as the first offering, Yue Yin had no idea.

Nor did she care.

The entity in the fog was watching her, hidden, observing her reactions, waiting for her next move. Would she show anger and resistance, fear and retreat, or would she draw her blade and engage in a fight?

Twisted limbs moved through the dense fog, countless eyes fixed on Yue Yin, awaiting her response.

Yue Yin’s answer was simple, she was going home to sleep.

People eat animals, monsters eat people. None of it was her business.

She wasn’t a hero, nor a savior, and she wasn’t even human.

As long as this thing didn’t kill her followers, it was of no concern to her. Yue Yin’s duty was only to protect those who worshipped her; everything else was at her discretion.

If she tried to manage every universe and every species, when would she ever have time to read novels or play games?

More importantly, she pulled out her phone to check the time—it was 10:30.

Her favorite show was airing a new episode tonight, and she had to get home to watch it!

With her mind set on the TV drama, Yue Yin turned and walked out of the school, eyes forward, pretending not to see the massive creature hidden in the fog.

When the entity sensed that Yue Yin had no intention of starting a fight, it tactfully moved aside.

The fog cleared in front of her, and the surroundings became clearer, as if a path had been specially opened up for her.

The road led straight out of the school, making it clear how much the creature in the fog wanted her to leave.

Yue Yin had barely taken a few steps when she heard a surprised voice not far off: “Yue Yin?”

She turned to see Shen Baozhu, Zhou Huai’an, and three others who looked like they had abilities.

Shen Baozhu was stunned when she saw Yue Yin and hurried over. “Yue Yin, what are you doing here?”

Before meeting Yue Yin, Zhou Huai’an and the others had been tense, aware of the malevolent presence in the fog. When he saw Shen Baozhu running off, concerned for her safety, he quickly followed.

Seeing Yue Yin, his expression turned sour, and he also asked, “Yue Yin, what are you doing here?”

Yue Yin didn’t feel like responding, but their shock was too obvious, as if it was incomprehensible for her to be there.

So, after a moment’s thought, she pointed out, “Maybe because I go to school here?”

She was a student at this school—why was it so strange for her to be here?

Yue Yin thought she was being witty and graceful, it must have been all the stand-up comedy she had been watching lately!

In her mind, she had already successfully integrated into human society, but Shen Baozhu failed to appreciate her humor.

Shen Baozhu frowned, disapproving. “Yue Yin, you’re being careless. It’s so late after school, and you’re not home yet. Don’t you know it’s dangerous here?”

Yue Yin blinked in confusion. “Dangerous?”

She didn’t think so.

Seeing how unconcerned she was, Shen Baozhu was exasperated. “You just don’t get it. If we hadn’t run into you, you could’ve been in serious trouble.”

Huai’an had said the fog was so dense, and with a student dying today, it was clear that the malevolent spirits hidden in the school wasn’t weak. If someone like Yue Yin, a regular person, encountered it, they might not even leave a body behind.

While Shen Baozhu was visibly anxious, Zhou Huai’an remained indifferent, throwing out a sarcastic remark, “Baozhu, don’t bother. You care about her, but she doesn’t even appreciate it.”

As they spoke, there was a murmur from not far away. “Who’s that? Baozhu’s classmate?”

“Oh, that’s Baozhu’s stepsister.”

“I heard her stepsister isn’t pretty, not someone you’d notice. But she looks quite nice to me.”

“Shh! Huai’an is right there!”

Yue Yin sighed and asked, “If you know it’s dangerous, why are you here?”

Shen Baozhu had a pure constitution that naturally attracted spirits even on a normal day. Coming to a place with malevolent spirits was like asking for trouble.

Shen Baozhu averted her gaze, vaguely saying, “We’re looking for Li Jiao-jiao. She hasn’t come home yet. I’m worried something’s wrong.”

“And since Huai’an was in City C, I asked him to come check it out with me.”

Besides that, they were investigating the case of a sophomore girl’s suicide. Both she and Zhou Huai’an suspected it was related to the malevolent presence, so they snuck into the school at night when no one was around to investigate.

Yue Yin searched her memory and remembered—Li Jiaojiao was Shen Baozhu’s close friend, from the class next door.

As she silently pondered, Shen Baozhu mentioned some good news. “Oh, by the way, Yue Yin, Auntie Zhang is doing well now.”

She was happy for a moment, then her tone turned disappointed. “But unfortunately, the malevolent spirit on her ran away. Even Huai’an’s grandfather couldn’t exorcise it in time.”

She didn’t sound sure if she was more regretful or excited as she said this.

Yue Yin felt the night getting colder, so she wrapped her clothes tighter and casually replied, “Oh.”

She had set a month-long limit for Auntie Zhang, and now that the time was up, the ghostly shadow she had commanded to leave had naturally vanished, making Auntie Zhang better.

Did this fool Shen Baozhu really think Huai’an’s grandfather had scared the shadow away?

If that were the case, Huai’an’s grandfather was pretty lucky.

Otherwise, he might have ended up as another victim. At his age, a fall down the stairs wouldn’t be as easy to recover from as it was for Huai’an.

When she thought about it, Zhou Huai’an was just like a little kid—couldn’t win a fight, so he called his family.

Yet, even a childish weakling like him had more followers than she did, with so many devoted believers.

…He even sold a single talisman for ten thousand, and people scrambled to buy it.

Yue Yin gritted her teeth, fists clenched, tempted to destroy this foolish world on the spot.

Shen Baozhu, noticing Yue Yin’s expression, was puzzled. “Yue Yin, what’s wrong?” Yue Yin stomped her foot and said, “Nothing.”

As if she would admit she was jealous, she was an evil god, after all, and that would be beneath her.

She’d have to get Jiang Suliu to figure out a way tonight—get his company to buy out the platform and ban Zhou Huai’an’s account!

The thought of all his followers disappearing soon brought a pure smile to Yue Yin’s face.

Seeing her smile, Shen Baozhu felt a shiver run down her spine.

Could Yue Yin have encountered a malevolent spirit and been possessed? Why else would she switch from scowling to smiling, like a madwoman?

Recalling Huai’an’s earlier mention of the fog’s strangeness, Shen Baozhu timidly moved closer to Zhou Huai’an.

Zhou Huai’an wasn’t paying attention to Yue Yin’s expression at all, not even sparing her a glance.

In his eyes, Yue Yin was inferior to Baozhu in every way, yet she was oblivious, her attempts clumsy, appearing useless and laughable to everyone.

Noticing Shen Baozhu’s unease, he finally turned to Yue Yin, frowning with irritation. “I suggest you go home. This isn’t something you should get involved in.”

“Oh, I was just about to,” Yue Yin replied indifferently.

These two were strange. If they hadn’t stopped her to say all this, she might already have been home by now.

Hearing her response, Zhou Huai’an and the others felt awkward.

Yue Yin had no interest in engaging with them further. She turned and continued walking.

She took two steps forward, then suddenly turned back. “But I’ll say this to you too, this isn’t something you can handle.”

Shen Baozhu and Zhou Huai’an didn’t take it seriously, thinking she was just saying it out of spite.

Shen Baozhu looked at her with a complex, almost pitying gaze. “Yue Yin, you just don’t understand.”

This was the world of those with special abilities, and Yue Yin, an ordinary person, knew nothing about it.

They hadn’t told her the details, thinking it was for her own good.

Yue Yin remained indifferent. “Alright.”

After all, she had already warned them.

Shen Baozhu had a pure constitution, which naturally attracted malevolent spirits. And whatever was lurking in this space was not something easy to deal with.

The thing hadn’t made a move yet because she was still there, and it was afraid she might intervene.

To be fair, it was quite clever. It knew she didn’t like rain, so it had stopped.

Newborns are the hungriest, and they have no self-control when it comes to their appetite.

Once Yue Yin left, that thing would surely need to feed, and these people were like appetizers being served up to it.

Yue Yin felt nothing, thinking it was completely normal for people to die. None of these people were her followers, so she didn’t care who lived or died.

She casually glanced over the group, her gaze landing once more on Shen Baozhu, and a sudden image of Shen Xiaodi fighting her over a bag of chips flashed in her mind.

If Shen Baozhu died, that chubby kid would probably be a bit sad.

Thinking of the boy at home, Yue Yin, with a last ounce of goodwill, asked, “Shen Baozhu, do you want to come back with me?”

Yue Yin blinked. “You said it’s dangerous here, so come home with me.”

Shen Baozhu was stunned for a moment when she heard this. “What?”

After a brief moment of surprise, she exchanged glances with Zhou Huai’an, and they both smiled helplessly.

As expected, Yue Yin, an ordinary person, had no understanding of what existed in this world and didn’t grasp that they were different from her.

Thinking of this, Shen Baozhu’s gaze toward Yue Yin naturally carried a sense of pity. She said, “Yue Yin, just go home. I need to find Jiaojiao.” Yue Yin was just an ordinary person, and staying in a place where evil thoughts lingered was dangerous, but she was different.

Shen Baozhu looked at Zhou Huai’an, her eyes filled with admiration. “Besides, Zhou Huai’an will protect me. He’s very powerful.”

Yue Yin crossed her arms, expressionless. “Idiot.”

She finally understood why so many people believed in Zhou Huai’an—because they were all just like Shen Baozhu, total idiots.

Yue Yin sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. “You really are all a bunch of super idiotic morons.”

Shen Baozhu and Zhou Huai’an: …

Not far off, three bystanders who had been eavesdropping burst out laughing, unable to hold it back. They quickly coughed and straightened their expressions when they caught Zhou Huai’an’s glare.

With just one remark, Yue Yin managed to turn Shen Baozhu and Zhou Huai’an’s faces red with anger.

Shen Baozhu’s face flushed red, and for a moment, she even regretted reminding Yue Yin, wishing she’d let her suffer a bit in this place full of evil thoughts.

Yue Yin was speaking the truth, but it seemed these two were either too arrogant or too dismissive of her as a mere ordinary person, and they simply didn’t believe her.

Yue Yin’s eyes were filled with contempt as she coldly repeated a line she had read in a novel recently. “You bunch of super idiotic morons, sooner or later, you’ll pay for your stupidity.”

To be honest, at this moment, Yue Yin really seemed like a middle schooler with a cringe-worthy attitude.

Zhou Huai’an and Shen Baozhu were left speechless, while the other three disciples from the metaphysical society were laughing so hard they were almost in tears.

They hadn’t realized Shen Baozhu’s stepsister could be so funny! If you didn’t know better, you’d think she was playing some kind of magical schoolgirl character.

Hearing their laughter, Yue Yin felt utterly disappointed.

Ah, yet another day where no one believed her.

Zhou Huai’an couldn’t even deal with the ghostly presence haunting Madam Zhang, how could he possibly stand up against whatever was hiding in the fog?

Yue Yin sighed, too tired to waste any more words on these foolish humans, and left.

She still had to get home to watch her TV dramas!

In the thick fog, she walked as if on solid ground, the mist parting wherever she passed. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she calmly made her way out.

The group stared at her retreating figure. After Yue Yin was out of sight, Zhou Huai’an scoffed. “Crazy.”

“Alright, Huai’an, don’t bother with an ordinary person. Let’s keep investigating.”

“Oh, by the way, Huai’an, did you manage to contact that A-level ability user as your grandfather instructed? Did they agree to meet?”

Zhou Huai’an’s face darkened at the thought of the unanswered invitations. “Not yet.”

An older man looked at him. “Well, you’d better hurry. Even if she doesn’t join the metaphysical society, it would still be beneficial to make a connection before other organizations do… The chairman mentioned this recently.”

Zhou Huai’an shone his flashlight into the fog, his voice low. “I’ve had people keeping an eye on Jiang Suliu, but the Jiang family has hired high-level ability users, so it’s not convenient to use forbidden items.”

The older man advised, “It’s best not to use forbidden items. Even though the Jiang family doesn’t have ability users, they still hold a lot of power. We don’t want to create tension with the authorities.”

“Understood.”

“We’ve been walking for so long, and still no sign of that evil presence at the school. Could it have gone into hiding?”

As they talked, they continued walking another few dozen meters into the fog.

Shen Baozhu, catching bits and pieces of the conversation, grew nervous, her eyes darting around. She whispered, “Brother Huai’an, the fog seems to be getting thicker.”

Zhou Huai’an’s voice was gentle. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

The mist around them grew denser, visibility dropping to less than half a meter. Strange noises surrounded them, as if something was moving nearby, and faintly, they could hear deep, guttural sounds.

Shen Baozhu began to regret her decision. Her voice lowered, “Huai’an, I’m a little scared.”

“Brother Huai’an?”

There was no reply.

Shen Baozhu suddenly realized something was wrong. Her eyes widened, and her fingers trembled with fear.

In the dense fog, a muffled grunt broke the silence, followed by the sound of flesh being chewed.

Tears welled up in Shen Baozhu’s eyes as she whispered, “H-Huai’an? Huai’an, are you there? Maybe we should head back and come back during the day…” Her voice choked as she finished.

After a long pause, ‘Zhou Huai’an’ spoke softly. “I’m here.”And then, along with a gulping sound, ‘he’ swallowed a chunk of flesh.