Chapter 70: Everyone Flees for Themselves

Tian Sheng had never imagined that he, a law-abiding civilian enthusiast of magical formulas who never sought out danger, would one day fall victim to a terrorist attack by a gray magic organization.

As an ordinary caregiver at Fang Ting City's First Fuli Academy, he was now using a formula to conceal his aura, hiding alone in a storage room in the convalescence building.

He chose to work here because the environment was stable and the pay was good; secondly, it allowed him to study magical formulas during his free time.

He had worked here for five years and had barely reached the threshold of magical formula mastery; recently, he had been considering whether to switch jobs and try to pass the entrance exam for the local Special Affairs Bureau.

But as luck would have it, the very next day after he conceived this idea, the academy suffered a terrorist attack.

The attackers were well-trained, skillfully bypassing and disabling alarms, subduing the vast majority of civilians, and killing those who resisted, using bloody methods to plunge the entire convalescence building into silence.

Sensing something was wrong, Tian Sheng immediately thought of preserving himself and slipping away—but discovered the entire neighborhood had been sealed off by a massive magical barrier. To escape, he had neither the time to analyze the barrier's structure nor the pathetic strength of his magic to break through.

This further proved that the attackers were not ordinary criminals, but very likely a gray magic organization that even civilian magicians feared.

Gray magic organization is a general term for collectives of magicians engaged in illegal activities. These groups are mostly dens of vice, gathering all sorts of villains who conduct illegal research and criminal acts—more plainly put, they are criminal gangs wielding magical formula power.

Such organizations are not rare; each member is a full-fledged villain to ordinary citizens, and even someone like Tian Sheng, who also studies formulas, refuses to have anything to do with them.

After all, the city has the Special Affairs Bureau maintaining order, dismantling several dens each year and arresting countless magician criminals. These people will eventually be caught—so long as he stays far away, he'll be fine.

He had always believed this, and the facts had indeed supported it.

But he never imagined that now, a group so brazen would collectively attack a public service institution operated by the city government in broad daylight.

The enemy struck suddenly and clearly outmatched him, so he could only hide alone.

In terms of formula usage, though he had entered the field, he was far from skilled and could not even be called a "magician." His knowledge and strength of formulas were pitifully minimal; confronting an entire team alone, he would die without even knowing how.

Fortunately, his remaining magic was still sufficient; continuing to conceal his breath and magical fluctuations posed no problem, and he need not fear discovery in the short term.

He had already decided to stay put, waiting silently until the Special Affairs Bureau arrived to rescue him, playing the part of a coward the whole time.

But after hiding in the storage room for a while, sounds from the corridor caught his attention.

Someone seemed to have passed by here, he judged. Ultimately, he could not hold onto the resolve he had just made; he quietly pushed the door open a crack and peered out.

Immediately, he saw a somewhat familiar figure.

……

……

Bai Jingxuan had not returned to her room as usual.

Because as she quickened her pace, trying to return to her room, she saw several black-robed figures wearing masks.

Though she did not know what these people were here for, from the eerie silence of the academy and their hostile demeanor, Bai Jingxuan sensed: she must not expose herself to their sight.

So she hid.

Continuing to walk down the corridor was undoubtedly dangerous; returning to her room offered no guarantee they wouldn't come looking. So Bai Jingxuan turned back and ran toward the direction she had come from.

In her mind, she had not encountered these intruders on her way here, so the courtyard should still be safe.

But this hope was destined to be dashed.

Because before she could exit the convalescence building's porch, she heard voices ahead:

"Still haven't found her?"

"We've turned over every possible hiding spot in this area—nothing."

"Damn it, where could a little girl possibly hide? Could the location be wrong?"

"Impossible. The informant's data has always been accurate. After the Xizhao Minxin Hospital incident, all eyewitnesses' whereabouts were recorded—this child was undoubtedly sent here."

"No one adopted her?"

"Previous records show no adoption. We're verifying with staff here."

"Then where could she be? Could someone have hidden her?"

"That possibility can't be ruled out. For now, send the results here to Bingchu Three—he'll decide whether to conduct room-by-room searches."

After this exchange, the two fell silent. Soon, noisy footsteps arose and gradually drew closer to Bai Jingxuan's position.

Bai Jingxuan understood little of their conversation, but from fragments like "Xizhao Minxin Hospital" and "little girl," she deduced they were talking about her.

Because three years ago, the site where she and her parents perished was precisely Xizhao Minxin Hospital; afterward, she was the only orphan sent to this academy.

Realizing she might be their target, Bai Jingxuan's mind filled with speculation—but she quickly shook her head, knowing now was not the time for idle thoughts; she needed another escape route.

These people meant no good by coming for her—hiding was still the best option.

Bai Jingxuan was a child of strong initiative; she acted immediately, slowly retreating along the wall, lightening her steps as she turned away. She would escape before they entered the corridor and before she was exposed to their sight.

At both ends of the corridor were staircases to the left and right, leading up to the second floor. Though she didn't know how many of them were on the second floor, it seemed her only escape route.

Bai Jingxuan crept up the stairs, but before she had climbed several steps, the sound of footsteps at the corridor entrance changed pitch—clearly, someone had stepped from the outdoor concrete floor onto the tiled interior.

They had arrived.

Hearing the footsteps grow closer behind her, feeling her heartbeat accelerate, Bai Jingxuan clenched her lips and unconsciously held her breath, ascending the stairs at the fastest speed possible.

Because the stair treads were wide, to fully avoid their line of sight, she had to reach the second floor before they reached the staircase entrance.

The two groups in the corridor advanced with utterly different mindsets; as the target drew nearer and the second-floor corner loomed just ahead, Bai Jingxuan already imagined herself escaping successfully.

But at that moment, she suddenly felt her calf go numb, then lost all control over it.

Her legs could no longer exert force or clear the steps, like malfunctioning mechanical parts, devoid of vitality. Unable to halt her forward momentum, Bai Jingxuan pitched forward and fell onto the stairs.

Kāla.

The sound of clothing, body, and stairs colliding abruptly echoed through the corridor.