"Three hundred years ago, a blazing white light flashed across the sky above the entire planet Blue Star. Since then, mystery has descended and taboos have emerged..."
In May, in a senior high school classroom at Luanning No. 1 Middle School, a teacher with a receding hairline was lecturing on the textbook knowledge that he had already taught countless times.
In the back row of the classroom, Chi Chen buried his entire head in a large book. The middle-aged teacher on the podium was already used to this and did not stop lecturing to wake up this somewhat troublesome student.
There was nothing they could do; even though Chi Chen slept through class, he was still among the top ten students in the entire Luan Ning District.
Even the head of the teaching department, who patrolled outside to ensure classroom discipline, turned a blind eye to his sleeping in class.
"Ring ring..."
As soon as the school bell rang, the entire First Middle School instantly became lively.
"Hey, Chi Chen, wake up! get out of class is over, time to go home!"
Beside Chi Chen, a student with a straight nose and a distinctly British air shook Chi Chen's shoulder.
This person's name is Lin Bai, and he is Chi Chen's childhood friend who has been playing with him since they were young, when they were playing with mud and pee.
"Okay... I understand!"
Chi Chen gave a vague reply, turned his head away from the book, but showed no intention of getting up.
Seeing this, Lin Bai pushed Chi Chen harder again and said in a low voice:
"You sleep through class every day, what are you doing at night? Chi Chen, if you go to a nice place, you can't leave me out! Aren't we still brothers?"
Chi Chen was shaken awake by Lin Bai. He looked up and revealed a somewhat fair face. Compared to Lin Bai's handsomeness, Chi Chen was not bad-looking either, but he was a bit less so.
Chi Chen rolled his eyes at Lin Bai. This kid had a handsome face, but the things in his head were a bit lewd.
"No way, you absolutely have to take me with you tonight!"
Looking at Chi Chen's somewhat weak expression, Lin Bai became even more convinced of his idea.
Chi Chen ignored him, picked up his schoolbag and walked out with the crowd. Lin Bai quickly followed.
"Chi Chen, wait for me! My mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight!"
Luan Ning District is a very unique city. Here, the east and west are completely different worlds. There is a wealthy area in the east where people spend money like water, and there is a poor area in the west where people can't even afford to repair streetlights.
The direction from Chi Chen's family and Lin Bai's family was naturally towards the slums.
On a dilapidated street, Lin Bai kept talking the whole way.
"Chi Chen, the college entrance exam is just around the corner. With your grades, you'll definitely get into the top university in Canglin District. Don't forget me then!"
"Hey, Chi Chen, do you think I might have the talent to awaken forbidden abilities? That way I could join the Security Bureau, and maybe even get to see the world beyond those city walls!"
"Do you think there might really be giant cockroaches bigger than oxen living on the city walls? Or strange creatures from mythology? The teacher talks about so much mystery every day, but what exactly is mystery?"
Faced with Lin Bai's incessant chatter, Chi Chen helplessly picked at his ears and casually hummed a few words.
Lin Bai didn't care much about this; his relationship with Chi Chen had always been the same.
"Yes, the college entrance exam is coming up soon, and I'll soon be leaving Luanning District, where I've lived for over ten years. But the place I'm going to isn't Canglin District!"
Chi Chen glanced at Lin Bai, who was fascinated by the mystery, and felt a slight bitterness in his heart. Forbidden ability? Mysterious? Outside the city walls?
If he could, Chi Chen wished that he hadn't woken up from a nightmare on that dark night five years ago, so he wouldn't have seen that intense, unforgettable flash of white light.
If someone had asked Chi Chen in the past if he believed in light, Chi Chen would definitely have jumped up and shouted, "Tiga!"
But now, all he does is jump up and slap that guy twice across the face!
...
As Lin Bai continued talking, they unknowingly arrived at a dilapidated ten-story building.
"Xiao Chen is back! Come up with Lin Bai, Auntie has already prepared dinner!"
At the window on the first floor, Lin Bai's mother greeted Chi Chen warmly when she saw the two of them return.
"Aunt Zhang, I won't eat here. I still have leftovers from yesterday at home. I can just heat them up when I get back. We can't waste them!"
Chi Chen pushed Lin Bai, who was trying to pull him inside, and thanked Lin Bai's mother before heading upstairs.
"Oh dear, this child..."
Seeing this, Lin Bai's mother felt a little helpless. She looked at Chi Chen's back as he walked up the stairs alone, and her eyes were filled with heartache.
"Mom, who is your real son?"
Lin Bai walked into the house, picked up a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.
When Lin Bai's action was seen, he immediately received a sharp rebuke from his own mother.
"You're with Chi Chen every day, how come I've never seen you learn anything good from him? Chi Chen has tutored you so many times, but your grades still don't improve. I don't know who you took after to get this stupid brain!"
Lin Bai, chewing on meat and covering his head, replied:
"Of course, I'll follow your lead!"
Then he got a few flicks on the forehead from his own mother.
Inside the stairwell, Chi Chen heard the sounds coming from downstairs, and a smile appeared on his lips, but a trace of memories and sadness seemed to flash in his eyes.
Back home, Chi Chen quickly heated up some cold dishes, ate a couple of bites of rice, and then started washing up.
Inside the shower room, Chi Chen took off his outer clothes, but beneath them, a rather hideous scar, like a dense spider web, appeared on his somewhat thin chest!
Chi Chen looked at himself in the mirror and frowned.
"It's spread a bit further down than yesterday. I wonder if it can hold out until tonight."
As night falls, under the darkness, the sky that once shimmered with stars has been devoid of any stars for three hundred years. All that remains is a strange, round moon with a slightly crimson hue that has never waxed or waned.
Chi Chen lay quietly in the room where he was all alone, as if waiting for something. However, at this moment, Chi Chen had bound himself to the bed with five strong straps, and a thick cloth was biting into his mouth.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
Suddenly, Chi Chen's eyes widened, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, and he bit down hard on the thick cloth to prevent himself from biting off his tongue. An indescribable pain instantly spread from his chest throughout his entire body.
A bead of sweat instantly appeared on Chi Chen's forehead!
On Chi Chen's chest, the hideous scar was actually glowing with a faint scarlet light.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
The intense pain made Chi Chen want to scream, but only a series of muffled sounds filled with endless agony could be heard from his mouth, which he had covered.
As the pain intensified, despite binding himself tightly, Chi Chen's body instinctively wanted to roll and struggle, and the entire wooden bed began to shake with his movements.
At this moment, Chi Chen wished he could just faint, but that was a pipe dream for him.
Because that pain was not only on Chi Chen's body, but also directly affected his mind. Under the torment of countless days and nights, and the pain that was becoming more and more intense, Chi Chen's mind would become exceptionally strong at such times!
Therefore, Chi Chen could only endure it. For the past five years, he had to endure every night like this!
About an hour later, the entire bedding was soaked with Chi Chen's sweat, and Chi Chen, who had been struggling, finally stopped.
After experiencing inhuman pain once again, Chi Chen lay on the bed like a lump of mud, looking helplessly at the eerie red moon through the window.
"It's good that I'm still alive, but it's also really bad. I'll curse your ancestors!"
Chi Chen cursed inwardly before falling into a deep sleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com