Chapter 217 Epilogue - The New World Arc (XIV)

I thought that as long as I could avoid my roommates, however...

Unexpectedly, I ran into that guy from the next dorm room again in the washroom.

It can only be described as a tragic fate.

Yu Qingzhou was startled when her shoulder was pressed down from behind.

His body trembled involuntarily, causing all his muscles to tense up instantly.

That's similar to the instinctive reaction of creatures in nature when they are being targeted by predators, like a frog encountering a snake...

Hahahaha—

A somewhat familiar muffled laugh came from behind me.

Accompanied by an uncomfortable warm sensation.

Yu Qingzhou suddenly turned around, simultaneously breaking free from the hand that attacked from behind.

Because of the hasty movement, I didn't notice that my lower back hit the hard edge of the pool, and a sharp pain shot through my scalp in an instant.

The boy's forehead twitched slightly, and he instinctively clenched his teeth to keep from crying out.

However, the involuntary curling of his limbs still betrayed his truest feelings at that moment.

"Is there something you need?"

Yu Qingzhou coldly stared at the guy who had been laughing so hard just moments before because of the accident, trying to use a wary tone to ease the weakness brought on by the pain.

Upon hearing this, the other person seemed to have just finished laughing, slowly straightened up, and raised their hand to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of their eyes.

Sorry, sorry, I accidentally startled you.

The other person spoke without a trace of apology, sounding more like schadenfreude: "Well, I didn't expect this young man's reaction to be so strong, so... easily frightened."

Towards the end, the man's tone softened, as if he were implying something.

Yu Qingzhou was clearly displeased by this, and said coldly, "I just hate it when people suddenly touch me from behind."

Yes, yes, yes—

Seeing the boy's indifferent and unwilling-to-say-more demeanor, the man remained unperturbed.

Perhaps pleased by the latter's slightly bluffing attitude, she saw through the boy's fragile nature hidden beneath his hedgehog-like shell, making him easier to approach than the last time they met.

The world is full of delightful little things.

For some, direct violence is far less interesting than patiently and skillfully prying open a seemingly hard clam, watching it be forced to reveal its contrasting soft interior, and savoring its tender juices.

The E027 in front of us definitely belongs to this category.

This is probably why, after being rejected last time, E027 did not take any retaliatory measures, and there was not even the slightest sign of kicking someone when they were down.

Although violence is strictly prohibited in this prison area, it does not prevent residents from openly or covertly making things difficult for those they don't like.

Otherwise, Yu Qingzhou wouldn't have experienced those repeated "accidents".

After all, those who are sent to the custodial facility, regardless of their intelligence, must have committed sufficiently heinous and serious crimes, or, like the teenager, have narrowly escaped the death penalty.

Yu Qingzhou has always lacked attention to her surroundings.

It was only on the first night of moving in that I was told about the so-called "heinous" crimes that my roommates had committed in the past, when they grabbed me by the collar and gave me a "necessary" newcomer's lecture.

Needless to say, they are mostly violent crimes.

[You rascal, now that you've been assigned to this place, you should be more discreet and behave yourself. Otherwise, you'll be in big trouble.]

The leader said smugly.

Especially when he mentioned why he came in, his shameless arrogance made it seem as if it wasn't a sin worth reflecting on, but rather a medal that should be framed on the wall and flaunted.

— Foolish and ridiculous.

Yu Qingzhou interpreted it this way in his heart.

Well... although he still disliked people, this overt display of "evil" actually made the boy secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

[By the way, why did you come in here? Did you get caught being a gigolo and accidentally stab the wife to death?]

When the eldest member of the dormitory questioned the boy, he naturally used an extremely contemptuous attitude.

In the eyes of the dorm leader, even if such a weak and cowardly person had committed a serious crime, it would surely be a morally reprehensible issue that was not worthy of being discussed in public.

There was a similar situation in their dormitory.

Before Yu Qingzhou arrived, that guy was the roommate who always got bullied.

As the head of the dorm, he needs to assess the newcomer's behavior to determine his future status within the dorm.

On the one hand, he looked down on this guy from the bottom of his heart, thinking that the other party could not possibly have committed any serious crime.

On the other hand, this kind of tentative inquiry actually carries a hint of expectation.

He actually hoped that the other person was really as he said—if the new guy was indeed a formidable character hiding his true strength, then his position as the top student in the dormitory might very well be in jeopardy.

However, the boy's subsequent answer pleased the other party.

It wasn't because of that kind of thing; it was just a disagreement with my family, and I accidentally—

A boring story that I lost interest in hearing the beginning of.

The dorm leader outwardly feigned disdain, but his eyes betrayed an undisguised smugness. With a wave of his hand, Yu Qingzhou replaced the dorm's former punching bag, becoming the bottom of the food chain.

At first, the mushroom-headed guy who was originally the punching bag, who caused the death of a female classmate by molesting her at school, was actually quite happy for a while, thinking that with this new guy, he could finally escape his misery.

He even bullied Yu Qingzhou for a period of time, taking advantage of her power.

However, after the initial novelty wore off...

Some of the original residents, including the dormitory leader, found that bullying newcomers did not bring the expected sense of accomplishment.

Because this guy never utters a sound no matter how much he gets beaten or bullied.

It's so boring, like a block of wood. It would be more interesting to scare that perverted fat pig.

So, the focus shifted back to the mushroom head.

Of course, this doesn't mean we'll let Yu Qingzhou off the hook. As our dorm leader would say, each vegetable has its own flavor, which doesn't matter. Eating them together can even provide a balanced diet.

In comparison, E027's attitude was almost unmistakably friendly.

—If it weren't for this place.

Instinct told Yu Qingzhou that E027 was definitely not a good guy.

Although the latter did not appear particularly strong or fierce, and even had a gentle aura similar to that of a teenager.

Faced with Yu Qingzhou's deliberately cold attitude.

He just laughed and agreed repeatedly, seemingly to show his agreement, but it gave people an annoying feeling of perfunctory attitude.

As they were talking, E027 suddenly leaned over and glanced at the basin in the sink, then gave a knowing smile: [What did I tell you? One should always be honest... right?]