Deep Within the Living

Chapter 52: Late Arrival

The annual graduation assessment had arrived. In Jupiter City, primarily populated by immigrants from Huaxia, this test was more commonly known as the College Entrance Exam (Gaokao). The city prided itself on valuing education, and the exam was a significant event.

Most parents rose earlier than their children, preparing light, stomach-friendly meals and getting ready to accompany them throughout the day. After personally escorting their children to school, they waited anxiously at the gates.

To accommodate them, temporary shelters had been set up near the school gates, offering seating and drinking water.

“Mom, I’m off.”

“Be careful on the way.”

Luo Di, as usual, headed to the exam site alone. Both his parents were regular workers who found it difficult to take leave, but more importantly, they trusted Luo Di’s abilities. They believed their presence might inadvertently add unnecessary pressure.

The bus ride was the same, the scenery along the way unchanged, and the school was familiar as ever.

However, the crowd of anxious parents gathered at the school gate shattered this sense of calm. Even someone as composed as Luo Di couldn’t help but feel a bit of their nervousness as he squeezed past their tense faces.

Suddenly, Luo Di sensed something approaching from behind. Instinctively, he turned to evade and prepared to counterattack.

A high kick narrowly grazed his cheek—it was Gao Yuxuan.“Impressive! The school’s number one really can react even to a sneak attack. This morning’s cultural exam is up first—let me pass some of my skills onto you!”

Gao Yuxuan playfully placed a hand on Luo Di’s shoulder, pretending to transfer energy like a martial arts master.

A year ago, such casual contact would have made Luo Di uncomfortable, but now it eased the tension he’d picked up from the parents. Together, they walked toward the exam venue. Find the newest release on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

The graduation assessment was set to be completed in a single day, spanning 24 hours:

Morning: Cultural Knowledge ExamAfternoon: Logical Reasoning ExamEvening: The all-important Physical TestStudents were allowed to leave school after each session, provided they returned 30 minutes before the next began.

The written exams during the day went smoothly for the group of four.

All that remained was to perform at their best during the evening physical test to conclude the years of hard work and training with a perfect finale.

After the Logical Reasoning Exam in the afternoon, most students chose to leave campus—not to meet their waiting parents but to complete intravenous injections during their break.

The injections allowed the substances to take effect more directly on their bodies while keeping the dosage within exam regulations.

This tradition of pre-test preparation outside school had been around for years.

As a result, fewer than fifty students remained on campus, heading to the cafeteria for dinner.

On their way to eat, Luo Di and the others noticed various new facilities around the school grounds.

On rooftops, athletic fields, wooded areas, and the open space behind the cafeteria stood numerous 1×1×3-meter metal containers. Each bore the logo of the National Research Bureau: [A].

Security guards surrounded the containers, strictly forbidding anyone from approaching.

With so few students dining, the cafeteria switched to made-to-order cooking.

The class leader, as usual, ate voraciously, showing no concern for the upcoming test in two hours. Still, she kept her portions in check, knowing overeating could affect her performance.

After dinner, everyone cleared their trays and laid out their items for the physical test to inspect and double-check them:

Gao Yuxuan: A standard field combat blade (serrated spine) and a box of silver needles.The silver needles, adapted for simulated practices, ranged from tiny, fine needles for flicking to larger, more lethal ones.The needle box had a specialized design, featuring a magnetic ring for easy attachment to his prosthetic arm.Wu Wen: A modernized Han sword, a simplified Investigator combat uniform, and a small vial of oral stimulant.Li Xiaoying: Dual-edged claw knives and stimulant tablets.Luo Di: A zombie blade.While most students opted for stimulants, Luo Di and Gao Yuxuan abstained—but for different reasons.

Gao Yuxuan, from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, achieved similar effects through self-administered acupuncture, avoiding the point deductions for using drugs.

Luo Di, on the other hand, never relied on substances. He could focus intensely at critical moments. In his view, like the killers in movies who never used drugs, all it took was locking onto a target to hunt it down with unwavering focus until it was completely destroyed.

With only thirty minutes left until the physical test, the class leader suddenly remembered something.

“Crap! I left my uniform in the dorm. I need to grab it. Don’t wait for me; head to the stadium first!”

“I’ll go with you,” Li Xiaoying offered, having grown accustomed to moving as a pair during their time boarding at school.

But the class leader was adamant. “No, Xiaoying. Go on ahead and get acclimated to the track. Don’t let me disrupt your rhythm.”

“Alright, then.”

“Go, all of you. I’ll be back soon.”

The class leader set off toward the dorm at her usual running pace, treating it as an early warm-up.

However, as Luo Di watched her disappear through the cafeteria’s other exit, he couldn’t shake a sense of unease. After a year of close interaction, he knew how meticulous the class leader was.

The countless banners their class had received for hygiene, discipline, and campus activities were all thanks to her meticulous management.

How could someone like her forget something as critical as her Investigator uniform on such an important day?

Gao Yuxuan, noticing Luo Di’s expression, lightly patted his back. “It’s probably fine. The pressure of the exam affects everyone differently. Even someone as composed as the class leader might feel nervous under such circumstances. Let’s go.”

“Mm.” Luo Di tried to convince himself of this reasoning.

The three of them headed to the athletic field.

To streamline the physical test, the senior class was split into two groups: one at the track for speed assessments and the other in the gymnasium for strength tests.

Class 5, including Luo Di, was part of the first group, required to assemble and count attendance as a class.

This process was usually handled by the class leader.

But as the class gathered, she was still nowhere to be seen.

Ruan Zhijun looked puzzled. In all three years of high school, the class leader had never been late for roll call.

“Does anyone know where Wu Wen is?”

“The class leader forgot something in the dorm. She should be back soon. I’ll take care of the headcount,” said Gao Yuxuan, stepping forward as vice class leader. He quickly finished the roll call, confirming that everyone except the class leader was present.

Ruan Zhijun immediately tried calling her using the phone function on his wristband, but the call wouldn’t connect.

This could be due to the special conditions for tonight’s physical test. The entire No. 4 High School had implemented a signal blockade to prevent any information related to the derivatives used in the exercises from leaking outside.

“There are only five minutes left until the test begins. For Class 5, it’s likely another 20–25 minutes before it’s our turn. Is anyone here from Wu Wen’s dorm? Go to the dormitory building and urge her to hurry.”

“I’ll go!” Li Xiaoying immediately raised her hand.

“I’m going too.”

Luo Di, already sensing something was amiss, found the class leader’s tardiness even more suspicious now.

He felt the need to verify the situation personally. If they could find the class leader and bring her back quickly, there would still be over ten minutes left for her to rest and prepare.

Gao Yuxuan wanted to go with them but had to stay at the athletic field. With the class leader absent, he had to handle the pre-test responsibilities as vice class leader.

[Dormitory]

Despite No. 4 High School’s large size, its boarding system only allowed senior students to live on campus. Consequently, the number of boarders wasn’t high. The dormitories were divided into two buildings, one for males and one for females, with all rooms accommodating two students each.

At the entrance to the girls’ dormitory:

“Luo Di, it’s not convenient for you to go inside. I’ll go in and get the class leader,” Li Xiaoying said, pressing her wristband against the card reader. The automatic door opened.

The first-floor lobby was eerily quiet, likely because most students had gone to the athletic field for the test. Even the dormitory supervisor wasn’t at her station.

Smack!

Just as Li Xiaoying was about to step inside, Luo Di grabbed her arm.

“Wait.”

Standing at the entrance, Luo Di called out loudly, “Is anyone there?”

There was no response from the dormitory supervisor, who should have been on duty. Given the circumstances, Luo Di reasoned that it should be fine for him to enter briefly during this special time.

“I’ll go with you.”