Not long after I removed my belt, my brother—hypnotized by Kyuubi—slowly peeled open his tightly shut eyelids.
Probably overwhelmed by the light.
Instinctively, he raised a hand to shield his eyes as they adjusted.
After rubbing them, he sat up with a dazed expression.
Utterly confused about why he’d suddenly passed out.
“Brother, you’re awake? Are you okay?”
I knew exactly who’d knocked him out, but I had to play ignorant.
I forced my voice to sound worried, my face a mask of innocent concern.
“How did I end up sleeping here?”
His eyes held pure bewilderment—he couldn’t recall losing consciousness at all.
But I wouldn’t tell him the truth.
*If you play with fire, you get burned.* Wasn’t that what Hyena always said?
Knowing human limits all too well, I gave him a helpless smile.
“No idea. You sat on the couch, started talking… then just dropped off.”
I tapped my chin, pretending to think hard before answering slowly.
“Really? I guess… maybe?”
He frowned, head bowed as he strained to remember.
Since his hazy memories matched my story, he reluctantly accepted it.
“You’ve been pulling all-nighters lately, haven’t you? Exhausted?”
Relief surged through me—I subtly made a victory sign behind my back.
*Stay calm. Don’t let him suspect anything.*
To reinforce my lie, I studied his face closely.
Dark, heavy circles shadowed his eyes. He hadn’t slept properly in days.
Given his job, blaming fatigue was the perfect cover.
“Yeah… embarrassing to crash in front of my cute little brother.”
He believed me completely, scratching his head with a sheepish grin.
“Did you eat lunch?”
I glanced at the floor clock—short hand on twelve, long hand on ten.
*12:50 PM.*
My stomach growled its demands. I turned to him hopefully.
“You haven’t?” he countered.
“Nope,” I answered instantly.
“Then I’ll cook.”
He pushed himself up, heading toward the kitchen.
“But the fridge is empty. Let’s eat out.”
My survival diet was instant noodles—ingredients were a fantasy.
Even a culinary god couldn’t work miracles with nothing.
“You never cook?” He stared at me, surprised.
*He thinks I can’t even boil water?*
“Terminal laziness, bro. Cooking’s impossible. *Lifetime* impossible~”
The very idea terrified me. My laziness was a core personality trait.
Why cook when money could summon meals to your door?
“You need to learn. What if you marry someone who can’t cook? Will you both survive on takeout?”
He sighed, flicking my forehead with affectionate exasperation.
“So… eating out?” I steered him back on track.
“What choice do we have with an empty fridge?” He shrugged, surrendering to reality.
“Let’s go to—”
“Not some expensive place. Poor students shouldn’t splurge!”
He shut down my plan before I finished. *No chance to treat myself at his expense.*
“Fine. True Kung Fu? It’s cheap.”
I recalled the new branch two blocks away on Fule Avenue.
A famous chain—I’d been itching to try it.
“Alright. Their food’s clean. Safe to eat.”
He stroked his chin, considering. After ten seconds, he nodded.
*He’s eaten there before. That’s why he trusts it.*
“Then let’s go *now*!”
I shoved on my sneakers, grinning as I urged him toward the door.
“Okay.” He smiled back, following me out.
…
After lunch, my brother chatted briefly before leaving.
I’d learned why he’d come: he’d been passing by and wanted to check on me.
*On his brother.*
We’d shared a home once.
Our parents’ divorce split us—I stayed with Dad; he went with Mom.
As for the black-haired girl’s memory? Kyuubi’s interference must’ve erased it.
Just like last time—blurred beyond recall.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice my feet had carried me away from home.
Instead, I stood on Park Front Road before the Forest Park gates.
*Noon heat, probably.*
Elderly people filled the shaded benches, escaping the winter sun.
Tree canopies blocked most of its harsh glare.
Some practiced slow, deliberate martial arts forms.
The whole street buzzed with life.
Park visitors streamed through the gates nonstop.
“What’s happening today? Why’s the park so crowded?”
I grabbed a passerby’s sleeve.
“Huh? You haven’t heard? A big-shot official’s planting trees here today!”
He looked at me like I’d landed from Mars.
“Oh. Thanks.”
I released him. He vanished into the park like a man racing against time—
eager to glimpse the VIP.
I had zero interest in such boring spectacles.
Detouring around the crowd, I headed home.
*What’s happening at school now?*
Morning’s blood-red hallway flashed in my mind—a sight that’d shatter anyone’s sanity.
If I hadn’t braced myself… if I hadn’t seen it before…
I’d have gone mad at the sight of those scattered limbs.
Let alone tracking down Lin Jincheng and Shen Shiyu.
But whose remains were they?
I didn’t know.
Worry gnawed at me. I returned to Guanghai Normal University of Technology.
The campus before me now was nothing like this morning’s crimson nightmare.
Sunlight bathed vibrant, ordinary school grounds.
The gate guard stopped me again, but relief drowned my annoyance.
After flashing my student ID, I stepped through the gates.
Walking the teaching building corridors…
*Those teachers?*
Peeking into a classroom, I saw unfamiliar faces lecturing.
Students listened calmly—as if they’d always known these strangers.
Uneasy, I checked classroom after classroom.
Then I realized:
Except for Professor Yang, *no one* looked familiar.
Every instructor was a stranger to me.
Yet students answered my questions about them instantly, naturally.
*This must be Kyuubi’s “world correction force.”*
So… those scattered limbs belonged to the teachers who fled upward?
They never realized the third floor was deadlier…
And became Bonesoul’s feast.
