Chapter 52

Chapter 52

"It blew up on its own," Lin Juan couldn't help but retort.

"Hehe, I know, I was just saying," Lu Mingxuan gave a thumbs up. "Uncle, you're really amazing. How did you know the school was the anomaly itself?"

"Actually, this school isn’t exactly the anomaly itself. That anomaly is still hidden somewhere else—the school is just one of its projections."

Their conversation caught Director Liu’s attention: "A Class A Anomaly is even harder to deal with than we imagined."

To think this massive school was merely one of its projections.

The aftermath of the school was handled by the Paranormal Special Affairs Office. Lin Juan hadn’t slept for a day and a night; he had faint dark circles under his eyes. Lu Yanzhou felt a pang of heartache.

He reached out and touched Lin Juan’s face. "Didn’t rest well?"

"Don’t even mention it," Lin Juan launched into a rant. "Life inside that school was unbearable—there wasn’t a moment of rest. Endless classes during the day, and at night, we had to search everywhere for a way to enter the daytime campus, not to mention the monsters that would pop up from time to time…"

Lin Juan had been wanting to vent for a long time. With Lu Yanzhou, he held nothing back. After his rant, Lu Yanzhou had a pretty good understanding of what had happened inside the anomaly.

Worried about the dangers at the school, the Paranormal Special Affairs Office hadn’t notified the parents. Shi Haochen and Zhou Ping, having narrowly escaped death, clung to Lin Juan like two little shadows. After being cleared by the Paranormal Special Affairs Office as physically unharmed, they stuck to Lin Juan without a moment’s pause.

They had learned from the Paranormal Special Affairs Office staff that Lin Juan wasn’t a transfer student but had specifically entered to rescue them.

Once out of the anomaly, their obscured memories returned. Shi Haochen remembered everything.

"When we first entered the school, we passed through a thick fog. Some classmates sensed something was wrong and tried to turn back, but no matter how far they walked, they couldn’t escape the dense mist."

"I passed out. When I woke up, my perception had been silently altered. I forgot I could call my parents and was trapped in an endless cycle."

"The academic schedule was extremely tight. Every two weeks, we had to take an exam. To avoid being eliminated, we had to score higher each time."

"Studying for your life" became a literal reality.

Lin Juan recalled the teacher’s warning that those who failed to meet the standards would be removed from the class. He asked, "That teacher said those who didn’t do well would be kicked out of the class. Do you know what happened to them?"

"They turned into monsters," Shi Haochen revealed, only realizing this after escaping. "During the day, they attended classes normally. At night, they became monsters, enduring hunger and fighting their own kind. The campus at night was nothing but bloodshed."

"How do you know all this?" Zhou Ping wondered, completely unaware. "Were all the monsters transformed students?"

"Not all of them. The monsters transformed from students were the weakest—only fit to be hunted. The real monsters emerged from the fog, feeding on us."

"After turning into a monster, it was the rare moment when I retained all my memories. I knew clearly that I was in an absurd world, that this school was anything but normal. But once daytime arrived and I turned back into a human, I would lose that awareness."

"You asked how I know so well. As you know, my grades were poor at first—I was at the bottom of the class. I was eliminated many times."

Shi Haochen didn’t want to recall those memories—the bloodshed, the cruelty. Even now, thinking about it made him shiver unconsciously.

He couldn’t remember how many times he had been torn apart. The lingering pain followed him like a shadow. In moments of clarity, he could feel his flesh being gnawed bit by bit, his organs ripped out…

Shi Haochen’s contamination levels began to rise, his expression growing increasingly frenzied. The shadow beneath him swelled, detached from the ground, and surged into the air like a small wave.

"What’s going on?!" The superpower holders tensed up at the sight.

"All teams, be alert! Someone is on the verge of losing control!"

"Quick, call Dr. Zhuang!"

Zhuang Yufeng had just examined Shi Haochen and Zhou Ping. Aside from minor contamination, neither had any serious issues.

No one expected Shi Haochen to suddenly lose control.

Dr. Zhuang dropped what he was doing and rushed over.

Shi Haochen felt as if he had returned to the endless night where dawn never came.

No companions, only hunters—he was the sole prey.

Kill!

Kill them!

Survive!

Kill them to survive!!!

Shi Haochen’s eyes grew redder. The shadow, moving with his mind, swooped down.

The superpower holders mobilized to resist.

Amid the chaos, Shi Haochen heard a clear voice.

It exploded in his ears like thunder, pulling his consciousness out of the chaos.

"Shi Haochen, if you don’t want to remember, then don’t. Those are just memories."

Yes.

They were just memories.

He had already escaped.

The redness faded from his eyes. The shadow shrank rapidly in mid-air, returning to the boy’s feet.

Shi Haochen closed his eyes and slowly collapsed.

Zhou Ping, terrified, instinctively caught him.

The boy was heavy, and Zhou Ping, already shaken, nearly fell with him in his arms.

A superpower holder used their ability to steady them.

Zhou Ping held him, at a loss. "What’s wrong with him? Aren’t we out already? What should I do?"

Zhuang Yufeng, who had rushed over, took the boy from Zhou Ping’s arms. "He must have just become a superpower holder and can’t control his ability yet. He’s experiencing some instability, but there’s no need to worry."

"A superpower holder…" Zhou Ping was stunned, envy flickering in his eyes.

He knew what those three words meant. He had witnessed many incredible abilities when the superpower holders cleared the scene.

Shi Haochen had fainted. Zhuang Yufeng used his superpower to purify him slightly. "He’s fine. He just awakened his superpower and isn’t used to it yet. That’s why this happened."

The superpower holders searched the ruins but found no other students.

"How is it possible they’re not here?" Director Liu frowned. "Over thirty students can’t just disappear without a trace."

"Keep searching, thoroughly and carefully," Director Liu instructed. The disappearance of the students was a major incident, requiring him to return to the Paranormal Special Affairs Office to plan the next steps.

As they left, Director Liu and Lin Juan rode in the same car, as Director Liu needed to get the full story of what had happened.

What Lin Juan had described earlier was a simplified version of the events. Now that over thirty students were missing, Director Liu had to piece together all the clues.

Lin Juan spoke, with Zhou Ping adding details from the side. After finishing, Lin Juan took the water handed to him by Lu Yanzhou, unscrewed the cap, and took several big gulps.

"According to what you said, during the last incident, when you entered the campus at night, none of you turned into monsters, including Shi Haochen. Why didn’t you transform this time?" Director Liu asked, puzzled.

"Because this time, we entered without the prerequisite of 'a class being formed.' We broke the school rules to get in. There’s a difference between the two," he explained. By now, he understood why some of his classmates who struggled academically had worn such expressions during the exam.

Their memories might have been blocked, but their subconscious minds hadn’t forgotten. It was likely they had experienced something similar to Shi Haochen—their bodies remembered, even if their minds did not.

Shi Haochen had become a superpower holder, and since the Paranormal Special Affairs Office was short-staffed, they would take good care of him. Zhou Ping was also taken to a specialized hospital for treatment.

Lin Juan returned to Lu Manor with Lu Yanzhou and Lu Mingxuan.

In the car, Lu Yanzhou pulled Lin Juan close, letting him lean against his chest. "Do you want to sleep for a while?"

Lin Juan, remembering Lu Yanzhou’s germaphobia, kept his distance. "I’m too dirty."

His voice, tinged with exhaustion, sounded softer than usual. Lu Yanzhou’s heart ached. "You’re fine. We’ll wash up when we get back."

He slipped an arm around Lin Juan, pulling him into an embrace, and gently nuzzled his face against the young man’s hair. "Sleep," he said softly.

Lin Juan was indeed exhausted. Surrounded by a familiar scent, his eyelids grew heavy. "I’ll rest for a bit, then."

Lu Mingxuan stayed silent the entire time, but his wide eyes betrayed his shock.

He knew how obsessive his uncle was about cleanliness—usually, he wasn’t even allowed to touch his uncle’s belongings. Yet now, his uncle was holding his dust-covered partner, getting himself dirty without a hint of discomfort.

Love really changes people.

The car drove all the way to Lu Manor. When they arrived, Lin Juan was still asleep. Lu Yanzhou didn’t wake him, instead carrying him out of the car.

Lu Mingxuan followed for a few steps before Lu Yanzhou turned and whispered, "Juan will probably sleep for a while. You go ahead first."

"Okay, I won’t disturb Uncle’s rest then."

Lu Yanzhou carried Lin Juan into the house.

Lin Juan, still conscious of his dirty state, struggled awake. "I need to change and take a bath."

He didn’t have a cleanliness obsession, but he couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping in a dirty bed.

He refused to lie down, so Lu Yanzhou had no choice but to set him on a nearby chair. Crouching down, he said, "I’ll run a bath for you."

By the time the bath was ready, Lin Juan was still sitting in the chair, in a drowsy haze.

"The water’s ready."

Lin Juan looked over, bleary-eyed.

Lu Yanzhou’s heart melted, his voice gentle. "Do you need help?"

Lin Juan nodded.

Lu Yanzhou helped him into the bathroom, where Lin Juan began undressing.

By the time Lu Yanzhou fetched the bath salts, Lin Juan was already down to his shorts.

Lu Yanzhou averted his gaze, but the image of the young man’s fair skin was already burned into his mind. He took a deep breath and turned away. "I’ll step out. Can you manage on your own?"

There was a splash.

Lu Yanzhou, hearing no reply but the sound of water, grew concerned and turned back.

Lin Juan was soaking in the tub, looking more alert. "You can go."

Still holding the clothes tightly, Lu Yanzhou left the room with hurried steps.

After a relaxing bath, Lin Juan slept straight through until the next day.

Shi Haochen woke up and learned from his primary doctor, Dr. Zhuang Yufeng, that he had awakened as a superpower holder. He felt a sense of bewilderment.

He knew nothing about this world.

He loved reading shonen manga and had once fantasized about having special abilities like the protagonists. But when it actually happened, all he felt was lost—uncertainty about the future and confusion about the past.

After seventeen years of smooth sailing, the world had played a harsh wake-up call on him. He was suddenly told that the world he lived in was never peaceful. He thought leaving the abnormal school would restore his normal life, only to learn that this kind of danger would become the norm.

Awakening his superpower meant he might have to deal with these things for the rest of his life.

As a seventeen-year-old, the Paranormal Special Affairs Office wouldn’t pressure him. "You have all the time you need to decide whether to join or not."

"What if I choose to live a normal life?" Shi Haochen asked, his head lowered, his expression hidden.

"We’ll respect your decision," Dr. Zhuang said, then added, "However, now that you’re a superpower holder, you're more likely to encounter those things than ordinary people."

Shi Haochen knew "those things" referred to the paranormal.

From the soft-spoken doctor, he had learned a great deal about the paranormal. While he understood their terror, he also realized just how powerful Lin Juan was.

When Lin Juan visited him in the hospital, Shi Haochen brought up the subject. "Dr. Zhuang invited me to join the Paranormal Special Affairs Office. I don’t know if I should."

"Do you have any concerns?" Lin Juan asked, taking a seat by the hospital bed.

"It's not that I'm concerned," Shi Haochen said with a bitter smile. "I’m just scared. Mr. Lin, does this make me a coward? I’ve awakened a superpower, yet I’m hesitating."

"Anyone would be afraid when dealing with the supernatural," Lin Juan stated matter-of-factly.

"How about you, Mr. Lin? Have you ever been afraid?" Shi Haochen asked, using the past tense because he knew the current Lin Juan wasn't afraid of anything.

How could he be afraid? If anything, the supernatural was scared of him.

"I was a little scared at first, but later I realized there was nothing to fear," Lin Juan paused before continuing. "Fear is normal, but no matter what we face, we should understand that fear changes nothing. Will the paranormal disappear just because you’re afraid? No, the more afraid you are, the more excited they become. We have powers ordinary people don’t have. What we should do is make them afraid instead."

"The ones who should be afraid are never us—it’s them."

Lin Juan’s words cut through his uncertainty, and his eyes lit up with resolve. "Mr. Lin, you’re right. Why should I fear something that hasn’t happened? The existence of the paranormal is something we can't change. My running away won’t help. What I should do is get stronger."

Only by getting stronger could he protect those he cared about in this world full of supernatural threats.

The next time they saw each other, Shi Haochen’s whole attitude had changed. He now wore standard issue gear and had joined the Paranormal Special Affairs Office. After his training, he would become a fully-fledged operative.

Seeing Lin Juan, Shi Haochen whispered a few words to his companion and ran over and said, "Brother Lin."

Recently, due to the missing students case, Lin Juan had been frequently visiting the Paranormal Special Affairs Office. Whenever Shi Haochen saw him, he would come over to chat, and occasionally, Lin Juan would spar with the superpower holders in their group.

As they grew more familiar, calling him "Mr. Lin" felt too distant. Coincidentally, those training with Shi Haochen were all young and full of enthusiasm, constantly referring to him as "Brother Lin."

"How's the training going?" Lin Juan asked, noticing he was soaked with sweat.

"Not bad, I can handle it."

After chatting briefly with him, Lin Juan was surrounded by a group of young superpower holders eager to discuss practical skills before he managed to break free.

Zhuang Yufeng, who had come to pick him up, teased, "Mr. Lin is really popular."

"Has Shi Haochen’s superpower level been assessed?" Lin Juan couldn’t help but pay extra attention to Shi Haochen, as he was the first superpower holder who relied on him so much.

He still remembered that on the day Shi Haochen was discharged from the hospital, he treated Lin Juan to a meal and then told him he had decided to join the Paranormal Special Affairs Office.

The weather was so good that day—blazing hot, with the scorching sun beating down fiercely, its rays burning hot against the skin.

The young man’s gaze was as bright and dazzling as the sun outside.

"I’ve made up my mind, Mr. Lin. I want to join the Paranormal Special Affairs Office. You were right—since I’ve awakened my superpower, running away won’t change anything. I’ll use every moment to grow stronger and never let you down."

In Shi Haochen’s heart, Lin Juan was different from everyone else. His presence showed him that the monsters that could tear him apart easily were not to be feared. Lin Juan had shattered his nightmares and brought him a new lease on life.

After accepting his identity as a superpower holder, the nightmare-like experiences no longer frightened him because he knew he had the power to confront the monsters in his dreams.

In the face of strength, no anomaly is fearsome.

Shi Haochen looked up to Lin Juan as a lighthouse in a vast sea, guiding him clearly along the path he had chosen.

Speaking of Shi Haochen’s superpower, Zhuang Yufeng couldn’t hide his excitement: "Mr. Lin, we really have to thank you for bringing us such a promising talent."

Lin Juan raised an eyebrow. "So, his superpower level is high?"

"Exactly," Zhuang Yufeng pulled up the data. "He’s just awakened, but his stats have already reached A-tier. Moreover, there’s room for growth. We speculate that if he fully develops, his superpower could potentially reach S-tier!"

This was undoubtedly excellent news for the Paranormal Special Affairs Office.

Shi Haochen was not even twenty yet, meaning his future path was long and his potential immeasurable.

Not just Shi Haochen, but all superpower holders joining the Paranormal Special Affairs Office would receive tailored training plans to help them grow as quickly as possible.

Especially since Zhuang Yufeng had memories of the future, he could help China avoid many detours.

Leveraging his future memories, Zhuang Yufeng had recently recruited many superpower holders for the Paranormal Special Affairs Office—some who had joined in his past life memories, and others who hadn’t due to various reasons. He found ways to bring them in early.

The Paranormal Special Affairs Office had expanded significantly since Lin Juan first interacted with them, with the number of superpower holders multiplying. Everything was moving in a positive direction.

Lin Juan’s visit this time was to join the Paranormal Special Affairs Office’s student rescue mission.

The anomaly Lin Juan had previously eliminated was merely a projection attached to the school. The Paranormal Special Affairs Office had spent considerable time and effort identifying five possible locations where the real anomaly might be hiding.

Lin Juan reviewed them one by one, his gaze settling on one address.

Qinghe Ditch—five years ago, it was a private clinic. Later, the clinic’s owner was killed by an angry patient’s family, and the clinic was abandoned.

Lin Juan tapped on the address. "Cherish Clinic. We should investigate here first."

"Back in the school infirmary, I saw some images—a young boy trapped on an operating table, cut open, his organs removed one by one. I don’t think these images appeared without reason. That boy must be connected to the anomaly."

"That’s what we thought too," Director Liu said. They had discussed it in meetings and also leaned toward this location.

"We’ve debated for a long time but can’t figure out why the anomaly kidnapped over thirty children and kept them in school to study." This was completely different from any anomaly they had encountered before.

Anomalies see humans as food, nourishment, something to be harvested at will. Just like humans raising chickens and ducks—would you care about their academic performance?

The answer is no.

But this anomaly seemed to care deeply.

After Shi Haochen joined the Paranormal Special Affairs Office, Director Liu and others specifically questioned him about the details of what happened while he was trapped in the school.

After repeatedly studying these details, they discovered something startling.

The anomaly seemed solely intent on making the students study hard and achieve good grades. Even if students performed poorly and were removed from their classes, they were only turned into monsters hunted by other monsters at night. By day, they returned to human form and continued studying until the next exam.

If they performed well, the punishment was lifted, and they continued studying so they wouldn't remember the hellish scenes.

"To say something I probably shouldn’t—if the punishment methods weren’t so cruel, I’d almost understand the anomaly’s actions. Of course, that’s only if it weren’t an anomaly but a frustrated teacher."

"But those students were already high achievers," Lin Juan also found the anomaly’s behavior baffling. "When we catch it, I’ll ask it what it’s really trying to do."

Only Lin Juan would say something like that. Director Liu and the others were used to it. If anyone else said it, they’d remind them that anomalies can’t be reasoned with, but coming from Lin Juan, it was different.

Countless precedents proved that with absolute strength, all impossibilities become trivial.

For the rescue plan, Lin Juan would team up with the superpower holders dispatched by the Paranormal Special Affairs Office.

Once again, Sheng Tianzong was leading the team.

Lin Juan and Sheng Tianzong were old partners by now. Sheng Tianzong was a tactful collaborator—he never questioned Lin Juan’s decisions nor restricted his actions, which Lin Juan appreciated.

"Captain Sheng, looking forward to working with you," Lin Juan extended his hand.

The tall, imposing man in combat gear shook it. "Mr. Lin, we’ll be relying on you again."

"I want to go too!" Shi Haochen hurried over.

Sheng Tianzong was one of his instructors. Upon learning that Sheng Tianzong was leading the rescue mission, Shi Haochen pestered him to join.

On one hand, he needed real combat experience to improve; on the other, the trapped students were his classmates, and he wanted to contribute.

Sheng Tianzong also believed that no training plan could match the growth from real combat. After consulting Lin Juan, he brought the young man along.

Considering the timing, less than ten days had passed since the school incident. Upon hearing Lin Juan was heading out again, Lu Mingxuan slumped onto the table. "I wish I could awaken a superpower too."

Especially after learning about Shi Haochen’s awakening, Lu Mingxuan was incredibly envious.

Lu Yanzhou tapped his head with a pen. "Sit properly."

Lu Mingxuan straightened his back. "Is Uncle going?"

Lu Yanzhou had a rare day off. That afternoon, he and Lin Juan were relaxing in the tea room when Lu Mingxuan slipped in and stubbornly sat down under Lu Yanzhou’s "third wheel" glare.

He didn’t mean to intrude, but with the recent unrest, Old Mr. Lu and Eldest Brother Lu had forbidden him from roaming outside, confining him to the Lu estate.

I'm so bored, I'm actually missing school days for the first time.

Lu Mingxuan had nothing to do. As long as Lin Juan was home, he would come over to try to get him to go out, because only with Lin Juan would his family feel at ease letting him leave.

“Why won’t Grandpa allow me to go out—”

Lin Juan glanced at Lu Yanzhou.

Lu Mingxuan himself didn’t know that there was a hidden reason behind his family’s refusal to let him go out alone.

As a gesture of goodwill toward Lin Juan—knowing that Lin Juan had a good relationship with the Lu family—Zhuang Yufeng brought up a "precognitive dream" as a pretext to inform him and Lu Yanzhou that during this summer vacation, Lu Mingxuan would get caught up in a major paranormal incident. In the "precognitive dream," the outcome was really bad.

They understood all too well what "really bad" implied without needing further explanation.

Lu Yanzhou told his dad and older brother about the matter. After discussing it and checking with Lin Juan, they all agreed that unless accompanied by Lin Juan, Lu Mingxuan should not go out.

Staying at the Lu estate was better than getting killed outside.

“If this were ancient times, I think I’d be like a young prince imprisoned in the ancestral temple for some unknown offense!”

Lin Juan was amused. “Stay at the Lu estate these few days. Once I’m done with my work, I’ll take you out. Sound good?”

“Like a prisoner getting some fresh air,” Lu Mingxuan muttered.

He understood his family’s concern for his safety—after all, he had witnessed the horrors of the paranormal. He just liked to complain a bit, but he wasn't really ungrateful.

“Then you've got it pretty good in this prison,” Lin Juan said with a laugh.

“Little Uncle, your hearing is too sharp!”

Lin Juan slumped against Lu Yanzhou, who reached out to steady him. Having sat for a long time, Lin Juan was tired. He adjusted his position, using Lu Yanzhou as a backrest.

Soon, the day of the planned departure arrived.

The Paranormal Special Affairs Office sent someone to the Lu estate to pick up Lin Juan for the rendezvous. Lu Yanzhou and Lu Mingxuan walked him out.

“I can’t go with you this time,” Lu Yanzhou said, his lips pressed tightly together, looking gloomy.

Being left out of Lin Juan’s world felt awful.

“Just wait for me at home,” Lin Juan said, patting his shoulder, knowing Lu Yanzhou was worried. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. The place we’re going isn’t far. I’ll be back soon.”

One of the superpower holders got out of the car to carry Lin Juan’s suitcase. Lin Juan took a few steps, then turned back and saw Lu Yanzhou still watching him. He quickly turned around and ran back and threw himself at Lu Yanzhou.

Lu Yanzhou’s pupils contracted slightly as he instinctively caught the young man.

Lin Juan hugged him briefly before letting go. “Wait for me to come back.”

Watching this scene, Lu Mingxuan couldn’t help but think of a phrase:

A golden house hides a beauty.

Only, in this case, it's his uncle who was the beauty being hidden.