Chapter 44: The Perilous Descent and a Glimmer of Premonition

“Brother, your agility saved you from Qiao Xia’s punch. I, however, wasn’t quick enough to dodge and took a direct hit to the chest.”

“What? Qiao Xia hit you?”

A wave of genuine shock washed over Ye Dafeng as his younger brother recounted the source of his injury.

Even though they had passed Qiao Xia’s test, in Ye Dafeng’s estimation, it was hardly an achievement to boast about.

Qiao Xia was merely an ordinary student, who had, by sheer luck, managed to save Li Lin Guan.

Despite Qiao Xia’s seemingly decent skills, Ye Dafeng, as Li Lin Guan’s staunch follower, genuinely believed Qiao Xia was nothing more than a weakling. In fact, he considered everyone present a weakling, save for Li Lin Guan himself.

“Exactly! Don’t let Qiao Xia’s slender frame fool you; his punch carried a terrifying force. One hit nearly made me cry for my daddy, and I surrendered immediately. Another punch, and you’d be joining me in the afterlife.”

Contrary to his quiet demeanor, Ye Daluan’s mouth proved quite the chatterbox once he started speaking.

He, too, had previously shared his elder brother’s belief that Qiao Xia was merely leveraging Li Lin Guan’s influence, possessing no genuine abilities of his own.

However, one punch from Qiao Xia was all it took for Ye Daluan to swiftly revise his opinion.

If Qiao Xia wasn’t formidable, then Ye Daluan couldn’t fathom who else could be. Even now, a touch to his chest brought a fresh pang of pain, leaving him wondering how he had managed to stifle his cries earlier.

Most crucially, Qiao Xia hadn’t even appeared to be serious at the time.

A casual punch alone possessed such immense power. If he were to truly exert himself, a single blow would undoubtedly be fatal.

What on earth did Qiao Xia eat to grow up so strong? His power was simply baffling!

It’s just ridiculous!

“Alright, put your clothes back on, quickly. It was just a single punch, no need to dwell on it so much!”

True to his unwavering belief that Li Lin Guan was the most formidable, Ye Dafeng dismissed his brother’s complaints. After a brief instruction, he turned and headed for the iron gate, poised for immediate departure.

Damao, who had been observing silently from the side, noted the mark on Ye Daluan’s chest. A faint, pleased curve touched his lips; he had just collected another piece of evidence.

Once the evidence accumulated, Qiao Xia would find himself unable to refute anything, no matter how hard he tried!

Admit it: he was no ordinary student!

“Alright, I’m about to open the iron gate. Anyone who wishes to survive had better be disciplined and avoid attracting the red-eyed patients!”

Once Qiao Xia and the other three were prepared, Li Lin Guan distributed the remaining water from the bottle to the Ye brothers. Then, he addressed the other survivors on the rooftop with a final instruction.

It was at this precise moment that Li Lin Guan glanced at Qiao Xia.

Upon receiving Qiao Xia’s nod, Li Lin Guan immediately unwound the iron chain from the doorknob and slowly began to open the door, which had remained shut for a full day and night.

The handful of subordinates standing beside him, gripping discarded wooden sticks salvaged from the rooftop, watched the widening gap in the door with palpable tension.

They feared that the moment the iron gate swung open, the red-eyed madmen would charge in, unleashing a brutal massacre.

The mere thought of the gruesome scenes unfolding downstairs sent shivers through the stick-wielding subordinates, their legs trembling almost imperceptibly as they silently prayed for their safety this time.

As everyone held their breath in trepidation, the iron gate creaked open, revealing a gap wide enough for only one person to pass. To their immense relief, no red-eyed patients came charging through.

Thankfully, all was well.

Perhaps the ceaseless screams echoing from within the teaching building had drawn away all the red-eyed patients who once loitered outside the iron gate. Now, with the gate open, the exterior was eerily vacant, devoid of any presence.

Only the ghastly sight of dragged bloodstains and fragmented flesh littered the ground, sending a bone-chilling sensation through anyone who beheld it.

Witnessing these scenes up close, a far more visceral experience than viewing them from the rooftop, proved too much for some students. They immediately retched, tears streaming down their faces as they grappled with the incomprehensible reality of their situation.

Just yesterday, during their routine school day, everything had been perfectly normal.

Without a single harbinger, danger had erupted with horrifying suddenness.

Qiao Xia paid no mind to the emotionally shattered students. Gripping the short wooden stick tightly, he took the lead, stepping out through the narrow gap in the door.

Unlike the others, Qiao Xia possessed a unique precognitive ability. If danger loomed within the next ten minutes, he would witness a premonition.

To utilize this, Qiao Xia had specifically borrowed five hundred yuan from Li Lin Guan, a sum sufficient to fund five instances of his precognitive visions.

Naturally, Li Lin Guan didn’t carry such a large amount of cash. He had, therefore, reverted to his old ways, collecting protection money to amass the required five hundred yuan.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

In any case, at this juncture, money held little value for anyone other than Qiao Xia.

Given that no premonition had appeared, Qiao Xia’s steps remained remarkably steady. This greatly astonished Li Lin Guan and his two companions, who trailed behind, bewildered by Qiao Xia’s immense courage.

The red-eyed patients’ ferocity was a well-known terror. Navigating the descending stairwells of the teaching building now felt akin to dancing repeatedly on a razor’s edge; a single misstep could result in being cleaved in two.

Even these delinquent students moved with trepidation, yet Qiao Xia, typically so quiet, now strode with an almost vigorous confidence, displaying not a hint of fear towards the red-eyed patients.

At this point, ‘badass’ was the only word that came to mind.

Perhaps Qiao Xia’s confident demeanor was infectious, stripping away more than half of the trio’s fear. Their steps grew lighter, no longer burdened by the initial meticulous caution, no longer fearing that a single misstep would plunge them into an abyss.

Naturally, as they neared the third floor, Qiao Xia’s cautiousness returned.

The teaching building comprised five floors, with the second-year high school classes located on the third. This meant traversing two flights of stairs to reach the third-floor corridor.

Li Lin Guan had suggested searching for food on the fifth and fourth floors, reasoning that the third-year high school students would have more provisions stashed away.

However, Qiao Xia swiftly dismissed the suggestion.

For now, prudence was paramount. They were intimately familiar with their own classrooms and knew precisely where food might be hidden, which would expedite their search.

Conversely, unfamiliar environments presented a higher probability of unforeseen dangers.

[I see our classroom. Let’s go find something to eat first.]

Upon reaching the third-floor corridor, the Ye brothers pointed towards a classroom ahead. After a quick gesture, they bravely pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Qiao Xia and Li Lin Guan continued their advance, intending to search for food within their own classrooms.

It was unclear where all the red-eyed patients had vanished to. After merely a day, neither the stairwells nor the corridors of the teaching building showed any sign of them.

Even the sight of bloodstains and severed limbs strewn across the corridor did little to dampen Qiao Xia’s relief.

As long as the savage red-eyed patients were absent, what were a few severed limbs?

[Danger detected. Future Vision activated.]