Chapter 69: Incident

Afternoon, watching Mo Ke depart over the wall, Bai Jingxuan rose from the shade and stretched lightly. She patted her jeans a few times, then picked up the book in her hand and turned to leave the courtyard.

It was strange, somehow, since noon today she hadn't seen a single person in Fuli Academy.

Although the courtyard where she met Mo Ke was secluded, Fuli Academy was crowded with people—someone was bound to pass by eventually. On normal days, when she wanted to chat with Mo Ke, she had to whisper and constantly watch the corridor for movement, falling silent the moment anyone appeared.

Because Mo Ke said ordinary people couldn't see spirits; here, talking to Mo Ke would make others think she was talking to herself.

Bai Jingxuan didn't want to be misunderstood this way. Though she didn't resent life in Fuli Academy, she still harbored a faint hope of being adopted. If she were labeled mentally unstable for "talking to air," that last hope would vanish.

But today, she had watched the corridor closely—and not a single person had passed.

This situation was unusual, but not terribly strange, so Bai Jingxuan didn't dwell on it.

Was today some special day? Or was there an event?

She merely thought this, hugging her book, walking slowly down the corridor.

Bai Jingxuan's usual resting room was some distance from this courtyard, requiring passage through an entire rehabilitation building; the only advantage was that, due to her condition, her room was on the first floor—no stairs to climb.

Walking alone through the quiet corridor, her gaze passed through the glass window beside her, fixed on the office building across the courtyard.

Faintly, she thought she saw several dark silhouettes flash past there.

"That floor… I remember it was…"

Staring in that direction, she finally sensed something wrong, and quickened her pace.

…

…

Liu Wenqin had been director of Fang Ting City's First Fuli Academy for ten years.

She didn't claim to know every detail of this academy, but regarding its equipment and staff distribution, she had it memorized.

She couldn't remember the names of all 400+ employees, but for every department head, she knew each one intimately.

So when she wanted to shut down the entire academy and ensure no one resisted, all she needed were a few phone calls.

"Yes, Lan Jie, that's right—don't resist them. Yes, just tell your room's boys to stay calm; they won't use force yet."

After finishing her last call, she set down her phone and exhaled deeply.

Then she looked at the man standing before her, by the filing cabinet, forcing down her inner panic and fear, speaking as calmly as she could: "I've done as you asked. When will you and your people leave?"

The man before her slowly turned toward her, revealing his full form:

He was tall and thin, with pale skin and a scar above his eyebrow.

He looked about twenty-something, still young, with a pair of small mustaches, giving him a sinister air; his hair was long, tied into a small braid at the back, and for some reason, strands of purplish-red glimmered faintly within the black strands.

He wore a long black robe, adorned with golden, strange glyphs in characters Liu Wenqin couldn't decipher—though she couldn't identify their meaning, they radiated unease from afar.

—"A wise decision. I'd like to applaud you, Ms. Liu."

He smiled with an unreadable expression, speaking in a strange voice: "Your calls will save thousands of lives. You are truly a worthy director. I respect you."

"Then can you please act accordingly, and stop forcing your people to torment this group of orphans, the disabled, and the elderly?"

Liu Wenqin's hands trembled, yet she pressed on: "They can't possibly resist you. No one here has the strength to resist you. Take whatever you want—but why kill?"

She said this because, right at the door of her office, a burly man in security uniform leaned against the frame, head bowed, a baton lying beside him, blood dripping down his uniform—his chest a hollow cavity.

He was the academy's head of security. Upon sensing the disturbance, he rushed to the director's office at once, attempting to resist the black-robed man.

He was fearless, strong, and in his daily duties, no troublemaker had ever stood against him. Though he sensed something unnatural about the man, he never hesitated—charged straight at him. But his bravery was useless before the black-robed man; in an instant, some unknown force killed him, and he collapsed at the door.

Afterward, the group of black-robed men who followed him scattered through the academy, killing anyone who dared resist with bloody cruelty. They then forced Liu Wenqin to send "comply or die" messages to every department, swiftly seizing control of the entire academy.

"For efficiency, madam."

In response to Liu Wenqin's accusation, the man spoke politely, yet without mercy: "We must eliminate potential threats as quickly as possible—like that call you're about to make to the Strange Affairs Bureau. If you don't hang up immediately, not a single living soul will remain in this academy. Believe me, we move faster than the Strange Affairs Bureau can arrive."

Hearing this, Liu Wenqin's heart tightened; her hand behind the desk froze. She glanced at the man, uncertain and alarmed, then looked dejectedly at her phone screen, and with reluctance, ended the call.

"You're nothing but a pack of devils!"

After giving up on contacting the Strange Affairs Bureau, she accused him angrily: "You know exactly what kind of people these elderly and children are. If you still had even a shred of human conscience, how could you hurt them?"

"What kind of people? I know perfectly well. Simply put—they're all pitiful, aren't they?"

The black-robed man smiled bitterly and spread his hands: "Children who lost their families, elderly with no one to care for them—many among them are disabled, some can't even care for themselves. Truly tragic."

"But pitiful people... hehe, pitiful people."

His tone shifted, as if in sacred chant: "Who in this world isn't pitiful? Those without glory are born useless; when they die, they become nourishment, thanking the Lord for His grace. Even in death, they ought to thank me—for at this moment, they stand united with the Lord's mercy."

As he spoke, his expression was utterly devout and faithful—as if these were his true beliefs, however insane they seemed to ordinary minds.

"You want them to thank you? Unthinkable. You're truly insane…"

Liu Wenqin stared wide-eyed, throat trembling. She looked at the man before her as if he were a monster: "What do you want here? Why have you come?"

This question made the man pause his chant.

He lowered his hands, gazing listlessly at Liu Wenqin behind the desk, speaking in his strange voice:

"To be honest, killing everyone here would only cost us time. But you fulfilled my request—you didn't let the Strange Affairs Bureau interrupt our meeting—so I'm willing to show a sliver of kindness, as petty as it may seem to ordinary minds."

"My people have already begun searching this academy. Even if you continue to hide it, it won't matter. But know this: when we find the target ourselves, the answer you hold will lose all value."

"So, I'll ask you again the question I posed when we first met. I hope you'll give me a proper answer this time."

He walked slowly toward Liu Wenqin's desk, ignoring her attempts to retreat, lowered his head, placed his hand over his left eye, and dramatically pulled open his eyelid:

"This is the final question, Ms. Liu: Do you have a girl here who has lost her left eye?"