Chapter 4: The White Skulls and a Sudden Collapse

Lin Qing did not ponder the strange ability for long. Combining it with his recent experiences, he swiftly grasped its function.

A white skull represented one’s potential for evil.

Every individual possessed a finite amount of potential.

This held true for all aspects of a person, including their capacity for malevolence.

However, due to differing innate conditions, each person’s potential varied significantly.

After all, the human race encompassed both geniuses and those with intellectual disabilities.

These represented the two extreme ends of the potential spectrum.

The majority consisted of ordinary people with moderate potential.

Since Lin Qing’s ability had manifested, he had observed that most ordinary individuals he encountered displayed only a single, standard white skull.

Those with violent tendencies, however, possessed two white skulls.

Generally, individuals with more than two white skulls carried a 60% probability of becoming criminals.

This applied regardless of whether the crime was violent or involved financial fraud; they were inescapably linked to such acts.

As for why it wasn’t a hundred percent certainty…

It was simply because the number of white skulls merely indicated a person’s *potential* for evil.

Only when a white skull transformed into a black one did it signify that irreversible evil deeds had already been committed.

The greater the potential, the higher the likelihood of committing a crime.

This was the reason Lin Qing hadn’t fled on his first day of transfer, despite discovering Su Yao’s immense ‘potential.’

It was merely because the skull above Su Yao’s head remained white, showing no signs of blackening. This indicated that her wickedness was still in its nascent stage.

Nevertheless, Lin Qing knew he couldn’t approach this woman; he had to keep his distance!

Had it not been for this school waiving all fees, he wouldn’t have gritted his teeth and endured staying here.

To receive the small monthly stipend, he had to maintain his student status…

With the cruel reality before him, Lin Qing understood that fear was futile.

However, if he continued to react so intensely, Su Yao would eventually notice something amiss.

Although Su Yao hadn’t committed any evil deeds yet, possessing such high potential meant she would undeniably become a formidable individual in the future.

Perhaps ten white skulls represented the absolute ceiling of potential.

Reaching the pinnacle, in another sense, meant Su Yao was a genius among geniuses.

Over the month since his transfer, the information gleaned from his deskmate, Wang Fanran, revealed that Su Yao not only hailed from a powerful family background and excelled academically, but also consistently placed first in various sports competitions.

Not to mention her prowess in musical performances, skiing, Go, and more—she was, essentially, an all-rounder.

Now that Lin Qing had returned to a normal life, he simply wished for stability.

No more changes.

‘Let him live in peace!’

****

“You damn fat pig, what were you just yapping about? When I get back, I’ll beat you to death!”

Despite Lin Qing’s racing thoughts, his body remained uncontrollably trembling. This sight, after Zhou Lin had thrown Lin Qing to the ground, filled him with a surge of panic.

Anyone with eyes could clearly see that Lin Qing was suffering from some other ailment.

‘What if… what if someone died?’

To avoid being blamed later, Zhou Lin gritted his teeth, squatted down, and hoisted the still-trembling Lin Qing onto his back. He then hurried towards the infirmary.

‘Lin Qing, please don’t let anything happen to you!’

‘If my family finds out I did something like this at school, a beating half to death would be the least of it. They might even make me drop out.’

Although Zhou Lin didn’t have a strong attachment to studying, the leisurely life of a student was far better than slaving away at a job.

‘I absolutely refuse to go work!’

****

“Teacher, please come quickly! A classmate suddenly had an epileptic seizure!”

Driven by his anxiety, Zhou Lin’s pace was swift.

Upon reaching the infirmary, he found only the health teacher present, with no other students receiving treatment. Zhou Lin’s urgent shouts immediately drew the teacher’s attention.

Seeing Lin Qing still trembling uncontrollably on the bed, the health teacher disregarded the rule against loud noises and quickly stepped forward to lift Lin Qing’s eyelids.

After prying open Lin Qing’s eyelids, they observed his eyes darting wildly, unable to stop.

“How did he become like this?”

As the health teacher asked, they didn’t forget to roll up a book from the desk and quickly stuff it into Lin Qing’s mouth, preventing him from biting his tongue.

“I don’t know either. It just seemed to happen suddenly. Oh, right! Someone said he started acting like this after a girl from our class came in.”

Seeing the health teacher’s serious and prepared demeanor dispelled Zhou Lin’s last shred of doubt. He now realized that Lin Qing, this sickly fellow, was genuinely ill.

‘He wasn’t faking it!’

“There’s no specific cause? We’ll have to send him to the hospital for a thorough examination. Student, don’t worry, you can go back for now. I’ll accompany this student to the hospital.”

The health teacher then looked at Zhou Lin’s panicked expression, understanding that the student was terrified by the situation. It would be better for him to leave now.

With an adult like her taking charge, there was no need to worry about anything else.

‘This semi-conscious student doesn’t seem to have epilepsy. It’s more likely a post-traumatic stress reaction… still, it’s best to get him to a hospital to be sure!’

“Okay, Teacher. He absolutely cannot be in trouble!”

After hearing the health teacher’s words, no matter how panicked Zhou Lin felt, he knew his presence here wouldn’t offer any further help.

‘I should just go back and wait for news!’

‘Wait, it’s all that damn fat pig’s fault! If it weren’t for him, none of this would be happening!’

As Zhou Lin suddenly recalled the culprit, his footsteps quickened immediately, eventually turning into a full sprint.

“Fat pig, you…”

****

However, by the time Zhou Lin, panting, returned to the classroom, Wang Fanran had already been severely beaten.

Both his eyes were bruised black, making him resemble a panda.

Blood streamed from his nose, mixed with snot and tears, creating a truly disgusting mess.

He looked both pathetic and repulsive.

Zhou Lin glanced at his good friend, Wang Jian, who grinned and flashed a V-sign, indicating he was responsible for the deed.

“How’s that kid doing?”

“He’s been sent to the hospital.”

As Wang Jian inquired about the situation, Zhou Lin, while speaking, didn’t forget to lift his foot and viciously kick Wang Fanran, sending his corpulent body sprawling to the ground. Wang Fanran dared not get up.

He could only whimper and cry incessantly, utterly pathetic.

His usual aggression towards Lin Qing was entirely absent, yet his resentment towards Lin Qing swelled rapidly.

‘It’s all that damned Lin Qing’s fault for getting him into this mess.’

‘It hurts so much!’

‘Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!’

“That serious?”

Upon hearing Zhou Lin’s words, Wang Jian was also stunned, not expecting it to be so severe.

‘I thought he was faking it!’

“The health teacher even asked about the cause. How would I know? I just said he started having an episode after seeing a girl from our class… All the other girls in our class chatter away without an issue, so why does he get like this just from seeing Su Yao?”

As Zhou Lin grumbled to Wang Jian, he didn’t lower his voice, so Su Yao, sitting directly in front, heard everything distinctly.

Her eyes, which had previously lost their interest, now gleamed once more.