The moon was bright, and the stars were few.As the bell signaling the end of evening self-study rang, students trickled out of their classrooms in twos and threes, chatting and laughing as they strolled into the night. After a long, grueling day, this was perhaps their most relaxed moment—no homework, no teachers, just a few close friends by their side, heading home for a warm shower before crawling into bed. Bliss.
Amid the scattered crowd, however, a group of over a dozen students emerged like a phalanx, walking in a neat and steady formation toward the school gates.In the center of this entourage was a boy with black silk wrapped around his eyes, completely surrounded like the filling of a dumpling.
Such a large procession instantly drew the attention of everyone around.
"Really… I can walk home by myself," Lin Qiye said helplessly, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "I can see. It's just that my eyes are sensitive to light…"
"No need to say more, Lin Qiye!" Jiang Qian cut him off, speaking with righteous determination. "We promised your aunt we'd take care of you, and we will keep that promise!"
"Yeah, Qiye, our homes are all in the same direction anyway. It's on the way."
"Mine too."
Lin Qiye: …
Honestly, he almost wished he were the one being ignored instead. After spending so long in darkness, he wasn't used to being surrounded by this much attention. It made him uncomfortable.Of course, his aunt and Yang Jin didn't count. They were family.
Still, he couldn't reject everyone's goodwill. With a helpless sigh, he followed along with the group.
"I'm turning right at the next corner, but I'll walk with you a bit further."
"I'm turning here. See you tomorrow."
"See you!"
"…"
As they moved farther from the school, his classmates gradually parted ways one by one. After a few minutes, only five people remained around Lin Qiye.
The previously lively atmosphere quieted down, and the space around him opened up. Lin Qiye let out a long breath of relief.
"You guys think… the Mist will really reawaken and swallow the Xia Dominion again?" Li Yifei asked curiously as he adjusted his backpack.
"Haven't you heard what the experts said? The odds of the Mist returning are tiny. It might not change at all for the next hundred years. And by then, we'll be long gone. Why worry about it?" Jiang Qian rolled her eyes.
"Come on, you know those so-called experts are full of crap. What if we finally get into a good college, just about to enjoy life, and then bam—the Mist devours everything? Wouldn't that s*ck?"
"So that's why you're always slacking off and not studying?" Jiang Qian walked up to Li Yifei and said sternly, "Let me remind you—if you finish last again on the next exam, Mr. Wang said you'll be moving your desk next to the podium."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Li Yifei replied with an awkward laugh.
"Well, I honestly don't think the Mist will return," said Wang Shao, who had been walking in front. "In the end, the Mist is probably just a natural phenomenon. Once it reaches a certain threshold, it dissipates—like the Ice Age. When the glaciers covered the earth, rising temperatures gradually melted them, giving birth to a new era."
"I've heard of that theory—it's called the Natural Disaster Hypothesis, right? It's pretty popular these days," Jiang Qian nodded.
"But what if… the Mist isn't a natural phenomenon?" Lin Qiye suddenly spoke for the first time.
Wang Shao paused, then chuckled. "Qiye, don't tell me you actually believe those theologians who say the Mist is tied to supernatural forces?"
"It's the 21st century. We have to trust in science. There's no such thing as ghosts or gods," Liu Yuan added.
Lin Qiye didn't respond. He knew better than anyone what truly lay beyond the reach of science. But there was no need to share that with others.
Li Yifei mumbled under his breath, "Honestly, I think if those things were real, the world would be a lot more interesting."
"What's the point of talking about all this? It's not our concern anyway. Instead of stressing over whether the Mist will return, why not just enjoy the three-day vacation for Survival Day and sleep in?" Jiang Qian laughed.
"Now that's something I can agree with!"
Meanwhile, in the old district of Cangnan City...
A man walked slowly and calmly along a dim, empty street, carrying a large sign over his shoulder. The aging streetlights cast a faint glow, stretching his shadow long across the pavement.
He glanced at his phone, then stopped at the mouth of a narrow alley.
"This is the place…"
He muttered to himself as he set the sign down and adjusted its position.
Under the flickering light, the bold red characters on the dark background stood out starkly:
—ROAD CLOSED AHEAD!
Leaning against the streetlight, he lit a cigarette and took a long drag before turning on his earpiece.
"Captain, the third sign is in position."
"Received. Begin the operation."
"Got it."
With the cigarette still between his lips, the man stepped up to the sign. He placed his thumb against his teeth—and bit down hard!
A drop of blood welled from the wound. Crouching down, he used his bloodied thumb to draw a long line across the red characters.
His eyes sharpened. A strange, oppressive aura burst outward from him.
He lifted his head toward the black night sky and murmured in a voice only he could hear…
"Forbidden Ruins — [Unbound Airspace]."
In the next moment, the bloodstreak on the sign rapidly faded, as though absorbed into the surface. Then the red characters "ROAD CLOSED AHEAD" flashed brightly—before returning to normal.
The man collapsed onto the ground with a long sigh, complaining softly:
"D*mn… drained again…"
If someone were watching from high above the city at that moment, they would see three glowing points flare to life near the old district of Cangnan. Connecting the three points, a dark red equilateral triangle rapidly took shape.
The moment the triangle was completed, the entire section of the old district within it began to fade from the map—vanishing as if it had never existed.
Yet from the ground, everything appeared unchanged.
At the center of the triangle, six black-and-red cloaked figures streaked across the night sky like lightning.
The one in the lead raised his head to the crimson sky, reaching behind to grasp the hilt of his blade. His eyes narrowed.
"Ghostface Elimination Operation, commence."