Chapter 242: Laboratory Learns Eleven

While Qiao Yisi was explaining to Jonathan and Nancy, Mike and Dustin had already set out on the journey to find the source of the cholera magnetic field.

But before they could follow the compass to the destination, they were blocked by two uninvited guests.

"Hey, fart Dustin, what are you doing here!" Two tall, burly eighth‑grade students saw Mike and Dustin and stopped them.

Mike's mood sank at the sight of them; the two were notorious bullies in Hawkins Middle School's junior division, who often tormented him.

Seeing Mike ignore them, the two bullies hurled insults, prompting Dustin beside him to lose control and shove one of them.

That was it—like poking a wasp's nest. The bullies, raging, drew daggers and seized Dustin.

"You're looking for death!" one bully roared.

They actually didn't dare to kill, only to scare them, but Mike and Dustin didn't know that.

Sweating cold, Mike said, "Don't get worked up, don't hurt Dustin."

Dustin, now remorseful, sneered, "Sorry, sorry, spare me, will you?"

The bully sneered, addressing Mike, "Spare him? Easy—just jump off here."

He pointed to a gap beside the road; it was the outermost part of Spell Circle Mountain Road, below which lay an endless quarry lake.

At a height of dozens of meters, even water would hit like cement, shattering you.

But the kids didn't realize that.

The bully wanted Mike to suffer, and Mike didn't know how dangerous it was.

He was only desperate to save his friend, with no other choice, so he gritted his teeth and reached the edge.

"Jump!" the bully shouted loudly.

Dustin, looking pained, pleaded, "Don't jump! Mike, no!"

"Shut up!" the bully punched Dustin in the stomach.

Mike clenched his teeth, inhaled deeply, thinking his swimming was decent, so he decided to jump.

He then leapt down in one breath.

"No!" Dustin's eyes widened.

The two bullies were stunned; they had only intended to scare Mike into kneeling and begging, then humiliating him.

They didn't expect the stubborn fool to actually jump; now the bullies feared things would get out of hand and hurriedly released Dustin.

The two turned to run when they suddenly heard Dustin's loud shout.

Looking back, they saw Mike, who should have fallen off the cliff, now slowly rising into the air!

With no rope, no ladder, no one pulling him, Mike floated back to the ground unaided.

"What the heck is happening?" the bullies trembled in fear.

After a brief stun, Mike and Dustin seemed to understand something and shouted excitedly, "Shi Yi! Was it you who saved me!"

Sure enough, the next moment a girl in a dress with a buzzed haircut stepped out.

She smiled at Mike and said, "Friends help each other."

Mike's eyes welled with tears, surprised that after he had spoken harshly to Shi Yi, she was still willing to save him.

"Friends help each other."

That was his first words to Shi Yi, and she remembered it to this day… Mike was moved, while the two bullies, terrified, tried to flee, but Shi Yi gave them no chance.

She raised a finger at them, a strand of nosebleed dripping from her nostril.

Invisible telekinesis instantly projected from her mind, snapping one bully's left hand with a "crack!"—the very hand that had just threatened Dustin with a knife.

The other bully was even worse, falling flat on his backside and involuntarily wetting his pants.

Though the bullies were cruel‑hearted, they were still children who cried in terror at the scene.

"Get out! No bullying friends!" Shi Yi said sternly.

The two scrambled away, urine streaming down their legs.

Shi Yi stepped in front of Mike, extended a hand, and helped him up. Mike, nervous, dared not meet her gaze.

"Sorry, Shi Yi, we were jerks before, we misunderstood you," Mike whispered.

Shi Yi shook her head, pointed to herself, then to him, "Friend, it doesn't matter."

Seeing Shi Yi forgive him, Mike joyfully jumped in place and began babbling with her about his and Dustin's discovery.

!

Dustin, standing nearby, said, "Shi Yi's clothes look dirty; let's take her back and wash them first."

Mike froze, noticing Shi Yi's clothes were indeed dusty, feeling guilty. He blamed himself for having driven her away, not knowing how she'd survived these days.

In fact, the supermarket manager in Hawkins Town would probably scold him outright if he learned Mike's thoughts. After all, these past days Shi Yi had used her powers to snatch countless foods from the store, never going hungry.

The three then descended the mountain, preparing to go home. Meanwhile, Lucas, who had been searching alone for Wei Er, accidentally stumbled near the Hawkins National Laboratory.

He lifted a telescope on a nearby hill, gazing toward the laboratory, and saw many black‑clad men in suits boarding cars and driving away.

His portable radio picked up an unknown transmission: "Locate. Ten. number, go to the house, kill the living target."

Lucas's face turned pale; he didn't catch it clearly, but he thought he heard the name Shi Yi, and he hadn't forgotten that Shi Yi had warned them that those searching for her were all bad people.

The eighth‑grader's imagination ran wild, and Lucas immediately began conjuring plots about Experiment Subjects with superpowers.

"No, I have to go back and tell them!"

Lucas clenched his teeth; although he hadn't liked Shi Yi before, he couldn't watch her be captured by bad guys, and since Shi Yi wasn't at Mike's house, if they went there and harmed his friend, what would he do?

Lucas then hopped onto a vehicle and raced toward Mike's house.

——

Hawkins Town, police station.

At this point Qiao Yisi brought Jonathan and Nancy to the police station; earlier she had explained everything that had happened to them. Though it sounded bizarre, the monsters were now right before their eyes, and the two had no choice but to believe.

Seeing their belief waver, and needing to share the monster information with Jim, Qiao Yisi led the two to the police station.

Jim was in the office right now; outside, two parents with two kids were causing a disturbance in the police station. But he has been swamped lately, with a headache, and doesn't want to handle it.

After hearing Joyce's monster information, he first confirmed to Jonathan and Nancy that what Joyce had told them was true, then immediately planned to take them out to look for traces of the monster.

"The monsters come from that place; if we can find their lair, maybe we can find the rift that Mr. mentioned!"

With this idea in mind, the four prepared to set out together to search.

But before they even left the door, they heard the assistant say someone was coming to see Sheriff Jim.

"Don't see them, I'm busy today!" Jim waved his hand, impatiently said, he hadn't even dealt with the two troublemaking parents in the lobby, let alone others.

The assistant looked at his appearance, shook his head, turned and muttered: "I just said, how could a silver-haired hippie possibly be related to the Sheriff."

Jim hearing his words was stunned, immediately realized who the visitor was, and hurriedly said: "Wait, let him in! No, we'll go pick him up."

(End of chapter)