Chapter 2 – F177 District (2)
◎Still engage in sneak attacks? How shaless!◎
Song Ke had a dream.
In the dream, she lay in the shade of grapevines. Aming was still his arrogant and pompous self, dancing around her energetically. Occasionally, he lightly tapped her head with his sharp beak. When she woke up, it felt as if the touch sensation from that ti was still lingering on her head.
A whole week had passed since the night Aming underwent a strange transformation and died.
During these days, she had continuously tried to knock on her neighbor’s door, but she never received any response. The tightly closed iron door seed like a self-imposed barrier, cutting off all ill-intentioned prying from the outside world.
Did they go on a trip?
Was that why they didn’t have ti to feed Aming? But if they went on a trip, why didn’t they take Aming with them?
No, sothing wasn’t right. Song Ke’s action of knocking on the door gradually ca to a halt.
Aming didn’t starve to death, absolutely not.
The dark mories rushed in like a nightmare. Every ti she rembered Aming’s stiff and deford body and the two rows of sharp teeth protruding from its mouth, her back would shiver with bone-chilling coldness.
Song Ke rested her head against the tightly shut door, exuding a sense of loneliness.
She had lost her only friend.
She had buried Aming on the slope behind the house, with a small mound of dirt and bamboo grasshoppers and grapes on top. Those were its favorites during its lifeti. She also wrote down the news of Aming’s death on paper and posted it on the neighbor’s door.
Hopefully, the family would see it when they returned.
With her thoughts filled with Aming, Song Ke left the house sowhat dispirited.
Regardless, she couldn’t neglect her training at the martial arts school. If her master caught her skipping class, she would inevitably be beaten up.
*
The sky hadn’t fully brightened yet. The entire District 177 was enveloped in a hazy mist. Occasionally, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks could be heard. The neon signal lights high in the sky continued to twinkle tirelessly, dividing the indigo surface of the sea into scattered fragnts.
When Song Ke passed by the dock, she noticed that there were fewer people working today.
Although the dock work was arduous, since no identification was needed and the paynt was given daily, it had always been popular among the local young adults. It was quite rare to see such a scarce situation as today.
She cast a puzzled glance around and heard voices coming from a corner.
“…They all took sick leave. There have been fewer and fewer people recently.”
“Did Xiao Liu not co today either?”
“Don’t you know? Xiao Liu died!”
“What? He was perfectly fine a few days ago. How could this suddenly…”
“Xiao Liu was poisoned! His entire right hand rotted away! Even the police from District C were alard by this. They ca specially to handle his body.”
“No way… people from District C, how could they be willing to clean up District F’s ss?”
“That’s because you don’t know how terrifying his death was! I saw it with my own eyes! His eyeballs turned gray, and both eye sockets were bulging. His whole body was as cold as ice.” The man lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of fear. “I heard the police won’t allow cremation. They want the forensic examiner to conduct a pathological analysis, and the body has to be sent for autopsy and research. Xiao Lius’s parents fainted on the spot and went crazy when they woke up.”
Song Ke’s footsteps abruptly halted.
Xiao Liu… Xiao Liu! She had just felt that the na was familiar, and it was only here that she realized.
She rembered now, the “Xiao Liu” they were referring to was the young man bitten by a mullet fish that day. And the hand… the bloodied hand… she rembered seeing it back then… his injured hand was his right hand!
In a flash, Song Ke’s heart raced, and she almost instantly connected it to Aming.
Aming was the sa way, his body turning cold and rigid, his eyeballs turning gray, exhibiting the exact sa symptoms as Xiao Liu!
The more she thought about it, the more her scalp tingled with unease. She dared not stay in place any longer and rushed toward the martial arts school as if fleeing.
She had walked down this small road to Yue Mountain countless tis. She could navigate it even with her eyes closed. But today, perhaps due to her imagination, everything seed deathly quiet. Even the usual cacophony of insects and birds was absent, leaving a silence that was eerie.
The scorching sun still hung overhead, and the scalding sweat continually dripped from her forehead, splattering onto the ground and silently dissipating.
In the cramped environnt, there seed to be an infinite danger lurking. Song Ke quickened her pace, racing to the mountaintop.
…
Inside the martial arts school, everything was as lively as usual, with occasional laughter from the students.
Song Ke leaned against the door fra, panting heavily. Her turbulent emotions gradually cald down. She exhaled heavily and stepped over the threshold. However, after just a few steps, a strong sense of impending danger struck her like a lightning bolt – danger!
A glaring red light suddenly erupted from the corner, like a burning teor, carrying a murderous intent as it rushed towards her.
Song Ke’s pupils slightly constricted. Her upper body leaned back significantly, her supple waist almost folding in half. She executed a graceful backflip and landed lightly. The lethal red light narrowly grazed her forehead.
The attacker fired an empty shot and no longer pursued, sneering in a sinister tone, “Little Stu-stutterer, you react pretty fast.”
Song Ke lifted her eyelids to glance at him, then imdiately lowered them, remaining silent.
The other person’s tone turned unpleasant, “How co you can’t even call out soone’s na? I rember you have a stutter, but you’re not mute, right?”
Song Ke pursed her lips and reluctantly spoke, “Tu-Tun, Tun Qin.”
“Tu-Tun, Tun Qin!” Tun Qin mimicked her speech with a twisted grin, his deep brown face exuding ill intentions. “Indeed, you’re just a little trash from District F. Who gave you the right to call
by my na? Am I not worthy of being your senior brother?”
Song Ke didn’t want to pay attention to his provocation. She turned a corner and headed towards the backyard without any hesitation.
Tun Qin followed with a step, angrily blocking her path, “I’m talking to you, where are you going?”
“I’m going to find, find my master.”
Tun Qin didn’t seem to like Song Ke’s words, and his expression turned cold instantly, “In a hurry to tattle, huh? Heh, you really deserve to be Zhang Ci’s child bride. When he’s not around, you’re in a rush to play the filial role for him. Quite devoted, aren’t you?”
Thick malice rushed towards her like a serpent’s hiss protruding from the shadows.
Song Ke lowered her head, clenching her fists with an audible sound. If it weren’t for the rules in the martial arts school that prohibited random fighting among students, she would have already jumped up and kicked that annoying face, turning the troublemaker Tun Qin into a pighead.
As the two were at a standoff, a clear female voice sounded from behind, “Tun Qin, why are you bullying Junior Sister again?”
The newcor was stunning with captivating features, dressed in a sleek combat suit. Her high ponytail exuded a hint of fierceness. It was their senior sister Rita. “Good, taking advantage of Senior Brother Zhang Ci’s absence to break the rules, huh? Who allowed you to use a particle gun in the martial arts school?”
The Tun family was a local powerhouse in the Mudan (C55 District), controlling multiple arms factories in the area. They possessed a variety of illegal and prohibited weapons in their hands.
Tun Qin seed nonchalantly playing with his gun, allowing the faint deep red light to shimr and fade, “They’re just defective prototypes. I had Little Stutterer here test their power for . Is there a problem with that?”
As he spoke, he suddenly aid the gun at Song Ke’s head again, “Furthermore, didn’t she dodge it?”
Dangerous particle streams gathered in front of her, yet Song Ke stood her ground.
Rita reached out beside her and pressed the gun down, irritation in her expression, “Put it away. Do you want to be seen by Master? Do you really want to get kicked out of here?”
Tun Qin’s gaze flickered slightly. He withdrew the particle gun with a sarcastic mutter, “The Zhang family’s child bride is indeed precious.”
Rita didn’t back down, challenging him, “Shut up already. All you do is complain and provoke trouble all day. Is it because you couldn’t participate in this year’s Azure Phoenix Assessnt? It was your own choice to withdraw. What does that have to do with Senior Brother Zhang and Junior Sister? And you still engage in a sneak attack? How shaless!”
The Azure Phoenix Elite Battalion, officially known as the Special Duties Force of the New Asia Alliance, was the most mysterious and highly talked-about military unit in recent years. It quickly gained popularity across all regions, sparking a surge of interest in joining the military.
Its recruitnt criteria were surprisingly simple.
[No restrictions on nationality, background, or gender. Citizens over 20 years old are eligible to join.]
However, behind these seemingly simple conditions lay unparalleled temptation.
[Those selected by the Azure Phoenix can directly obtain citizenship status in a B-grade city.]
Countless people were drawn to this offer, viewing Azure Phoenix as a ladder to change their destiny. The stronger the allure, the fiercer the competition. The assessnt process for Azure Phoenix remains undisclosed to the public, and the admission rate is extrely low. Most people are eliminated without understanding the process.
However, since it was an elite military unit, the physical requirents were undoubtedly stringent. Therefore, after the establishnt of Azure Phoenix, the martial arts atmosphere within the Alliance quietly flourished.
Tun Qin and Rita were both from the C District. They ca here to train with the goal of joining Azure Phoenix. The team from Yue Mountain Martial Arts School that signed up for this year’s assessnt had already departed, led by Zhang Ci.
“You!” Tun Qin’s sore spot was poked, his expression contorting. However, due to Rita’s background, he refrained from acting recklessly.
Rita showed no fear, deliberately raising her voice, “Thank goodness you withdrew early. Otherwise, you would have gone and not been selected. Wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing?”
After saying this, she grabbed Song Ke’s arm and pulled her away, ignoring Tun Qin.
Tun Qin, with a dark expression, watched the two figures walking away. After a mont, he disdainfully muttered, “Idiot.”
“There are no awakened people, no matter how many people go, what’s the use.”
*
Yue Mountain Martial Arts School’s architecture was a rare antique design within the Alliance. Its complex structure required passing through lengthy corridors from the front yard to the back hall.
Along the way, Rita stamred as she spoke, “Junior Sister, you’re not… you know, Senior Brother Zhang’s… that?”
What ‘that’? She vaguely left it unexplained.
Zhang Ci was their eldest senior brother, having arrived before many others. He was among the first to train under Zhang Ting. Rumors circulated that he was Zhang Ting’s biological son, but the two’s relationship was distant and respectful. Zhang Ting was hot-tempered, while Zhang Ci was reserved. No one dared to ask openly, so they could only gossip in private.
Song Ke turned to look at Rita, and found that there was a unease on her face, and even the roots of her ears were red.
Curious about why Rita was blushing, Song Ke, struggling with her words, eventually replied in a slow manner, “No.”
Rita, seemingly relieved by her response, brightened up and affectionately wrapped her arm around her shoulder.
As they passed the cafeteria, they coincidentally t Aunt Pang, who was in charge of logistics, coming out with a tray.
Several steaming bowls of ginger soup were placed on the tray. Aunt Pang warmly greeted the two, “Ah, Girl Ke, you’re here. Haven’t had breakfast, have you? I’ve boiled two tea eggs for you. Take them.”
Song Ke’s eyes lit up, and she vigorously nodded.
Rita pinched her nose in disdain, “Aunt Pang, it slls awful. Why are you cooking this?”
Aunt Pang sighed helplessly, “It’s strange, really. On such a hot day, many students are getting colds and fevers. I’m making them so herbal dicine.”
Rita expressed skepticism, “Could it be a way to slack off and pretend to be sick?”
There were no weaklings in the martial arts school, so it was indeed strange that so many fell sick for no apparent reason.
Aunt Pang clicked her tongue, “It seems like it. You know what that kid, Song En, told ? He said a wild chicken pecked him yesterday, and today his whole body hurts so much he can’t even get out of bed. These brats are so lazy in coming up with excuses. I think he’s just itching for a beating!”
“Hahaha, he’s quite creative!” Rita lacked sympathy, laughing uncontrollably, “What about that chicken that pecks people?”
“I slaughtered it. It wasn’t laying eggs anyway. Might as well use it to nourish these sick people,” Aunt Pang chuckled.
“I’ll take it over for you.” Rita took the tray from Aunt Pang’s hands, then turned to Song Ke and suggested, “Master is still in the ditation room. Why don’t you go check on Song En?”
While they were conversing, Song Ke had already sneaked two tea eggs from the kitchen and stuffed them into her pockets. Upon hearing Rita’s suggestion, she obediently nodded.
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