novelraw Chapter 1 The Disappointed
Chapter 1 The Disappointed
In the morning, Holly City is like a newly unfolded oil painting, with every stroke dipped in the brightest colors.
A bus was driving smoothly on the road. Near the back seat where passengers were getting off, a young man, who looked to be around twenty years old, was leaning against the seat.
Right now,
His gaze was intentionally or unintentionally fixed on the beautiful girl beside him.
Or,
He was staring at the scallion pancake in the pretty girl's hand.
cuckoo-
My stomach protested loudly on the bus.
The sound was not loud.
But it seems that the nearby passengers all heard it.
Especially the lovely girl in front of him, who had the world in her heart, turned her head slowly when she heard the noise and looked in Bai Yuze's direction.
"..."
Bai Yuzhe silently turned his head away; it would be impolite to stare like that any longer.
A few minutes later,
As he turned his head, the hunger and thirst in his stomach seemed to lessen considerably. He didn't know if it was because he had long been used to being hungry, or because he turned his head away and didn't look at the cute girl.
Not long after the burning sensation in my stomach subsided, an announcement began playing on the bus day after day:
Ding dong.
Attention all passengers.
The following is a routine reminder from the Municipal Public Safety Coordination Office.
Citizens are advised to be mindful of the following during their daily travels:
Maintain necessary vigilance and pay attention to any unusual behavior from those around you.
If you notice an individual exhibiting repetitive, meaningless movements, severely illogical speech, or facial inconsistencies, please remain calm, avoid prolonged staring or disturbing the individual, and immediately call the abnormality reporting hotline: 350-234.
Please be informed.
According to authoritative sources, this patient is an INS patient suffering from microscopic neurological syndrome, commonly known as microscopic patients. Most of these patients experience physical abnormalities due to the influence of unknown miasma in the environment.
In the early stages, patients may experience problems such as emotional apathy, loss of interest, poor sleep, and difficulty concentrating. Treatment is possible at this stage.
However, in the later stages, individuals may experience significant mood swings, become detached from family and friends, and exhibit extreme aggression. Therefore, the public is encouraged to promptly report and provide feedback if they notice any sudden changes in the emotions of those around them.
This is both for your own safety and protection.
This also aims to give them the opportunity to receive isolation and treatment as soon as possible.
After a few seconds of pause,
The broadcast pace quickened slightly:
Now, a briefing on the front lines regarding the Parrot Zone.
Residents of the Parrot District, please take special note.
The city’s adjudication bureau has issued a yellow warning, confirming that a highly threatening “Abyssal Beast” has been active in the area of Leopard Street in Parrot District.
This monstrous beast possesses extremely strong mental pollution properties.
If you suddenly experience severe headache, tinnitus, or hallucinations anywhere, this is not a physical illness, but a mental signal that a calamity is approaching.
Please be sure to follow these principles:
Do not be curious, do not try to find the source, immediately and silently move away from your current location as quickly as possible, and call the anomaly reporting hotline 350-234.
Your safety,
It is our shared responsibility.
Thank you for listening.
……
The passengers on the bus seemed to be used to the announcements, and their faces showed little fear. Instead, they were impatient, as if the announcements were as annoying as a sales pitch in a shopping mall.
Even if the Abyssal Beasts appeared in the lowly slums, they wouldn't be too afraid, even if they appeared in their own Maple Leaf District.
Perhaps a few years ago,
They are actually still very afraid of these things.
However, since Academician Haide of the Xia Academy of Sciences developed the microscopic patient nucleic acid detection and the abyssal miasma sensing wristband, they have become less afraid of these things.
Through microscopic patient nucleic acid monitoring,
Most microscopic patients in the population have been successfully detected, contained, and treated, and the number of microscopic patients in Maple Leaf Zone is now very small.
As for the abyssal beasts
Although they were somewhat fearful and uneasy, the problem wasn't too serious.
prior to,
Facing the abyssal beasts,
They were facing a terrifying, invisible, intangible, and elusive Grim Reaper.
They basically don't dare to go out.
But it ’s different now,
With the sensing bracelets, as soon as an Abyssal Beast appears nearby, their bracelets will immediately detect and mark it.
As long as the Abyssal Beasts appear, they should stay away on their own.
not to mention,
Now, with the increasing number and formalization of members of the Judgment Bureau, which consists of magical girls, the magical girls often arrive before the Judgment Bureau has even left the Abyssal Beasts.
It didn't take long at all for these sources of contamination from the abyssal beasts to be quickly eliminated.
So now,
In most people's opinion,
Microscopic patients,
They're just people suffering from mental illness.
Just stay away from it.
As for the abyssal beasts
These normal humans can't see each other, and if the other party appears nearby, the bracelet will alert them. What's there to be afraid of?
Live life as you normally would.
Ding-dong-
"We have arrived at Holly University. Passengers, please take your belongings and disembark in an orderly manner."
special reminder:
Holly University is located in a key monitoring area.
Please ensure your wristbands are fully charged during your journey to and from the location. In case of an alarm, please remain calm and follow the instructions of on-site personnel to proceed to the safe area.
Bai Yuze glanced at the watch on his wrist, then looked at the sunlight streaming down from the sky.
Forehead--
I'm so hungry!
Entering the classroom,
Bai Yuze lay listlessly on the newly renovated table, twirling his ballpoint pen as he pondered how to solve the problem of lunch.
For reasons unknown
His phone balance was no longer enough to cover his living expenses for the next few days.
Just as he was thinking about where to find part-time work to earn money,
A gentle voice sounded softly in his ear, "Bai, did you come to school without breakfast again today?"
Bai Yuze raised his head.
Look at the other person.
The person who came was the lovely, magnanimous girl I met on the bus that morning.
Looking at it up close now,
She has long, smooth brown hair that frames a small, round face that always wears a sweet smile, and her almond-shaped eyes sparkle with just the right amount of concern. She exudes a friendly and non-threatening aura.
Right now,
The girl was holding several meat buns and a carton of milk.
When she saw Bai Yuzhe raise his head, she immediately smiled and handed him the breakfast in her hand, saying in a slightly affectionate but reproachful tone:
"Bai, this is what I bought at the cafeteria. You can't skip breakfast, it really makes you prone to stomach problems!"
Bai Yuze hadn't even reached out to take it yet.
A thin boy wearing glasses, standing not far from him, suddenly looked up and teased:
"Hey~ It seems our parrot district's top talent has gotten to eat at Miss White Tea's breakfast again. Come on, Old Bai, you haven't been taken care of by Miss White Tea, have you? I've noticed you two enter the campus at almost the same time every morning."
"Don't talk nonsense, we...we didn't!"
Bai Cha Qianxia's cheeks instantly turned bright red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She glanced at Bai Yuze in a panic and practically fled the scene.
The seats I wanted to sit in nearby were also empty.
Bai Yuze glanced at the warm bun in his hand, ignoring the teasing, skinny boy behind him, and said to Bai Cha Qianxia who was quickly leaving:
"Chika-kun, I'll make up for the money I spent on breakfast this morning and before in a few days."
however,
Bai Cha Qianxia heard Bai Yuze's words,
They walked even faster.
Until this point,
Bai Yuze slowly took a bite of the steamed bun and looked at Liu Hao behind him.
"Xiao Haozi, if I remember correctly, you and I have always seemed to be at odds since the beginning of freshman year. Now we're almost graduating, and you're still always picking fights for no reason. I'm really curious, what did I do to offend you, this big shot?"
Liu Hao pushed up his glasses and gave a soft hum.
"I'm not some big shot, just a frog in a well from that slum in Parrot District, just like you. It's just that I can't stand some people."
Having barely crawled out of the Parrot District a few days ago, he's already forgotten his own name. He knows absolutely nothing about the Abyss, only memorizing a few technical terms from books, yet he dared to represent the school in the competition. In the end, not only did he waste his spot, but he also lost so badly, truly disgracing Holly University!
finished,
Liu Hao then fell silent.
Instead, he took out his own book, as if saying another word to Bai Yuze would be considered bad luck.
In the dim light,
You can also see that slightly gloomy face still carries a hint of resentment.
"An Abyss Knowledge Competition?"
Bai Yuze paused slightly in the hand holding the steamed bun. Could it be... a theoretical knowledge competition about abyssal creatures?
emmm,
I vaguely remember it was during the first semester of my freshman year.
The school did hold a selection process, saying that the winner would receive a scholarship. He was bored at the time, so he just signed up casually, but it seems he only made it to the preliminary round...
He had long forgotten the specific details.
The main reason was that his father was new to Holly City and was very unaccustomed to it, experiencing some stress.
After the preliminary round of exams
He devoted almost all of his free time to taking care of Okasan.
As for the knowledge competition,
There was simply no time to care.
Naturally, they didn't achieve any significant rankings.
afterwards,
He didn't take it to heart at all, and didn't remember what it had to do with Liu Hao.
Oh ~
I remember now.
It seems that Liu Hao also participated in the school selection competition of Dongqing University, but because he was a few points behind me, he lost the qualification to participate in the provincial competition of Dongying Autonomous Region, let alone go to Xia Federation to participate in the national competition.
Looking at Liu Hao's angry expression, Bai Yuze suddenly found the delicious steamed bun in his mouth tasteless.
Ok,
He thought he might know why the other person was so angry.
The money for this scholarship,
For those living in Maple Leaf District, it might not seem like much, but for those living in Parrot District, where people starve to death every day, it's a different story.
But there's not much that can be done.
He couldn't possibly go to the Xia Federation's Shanghai to participate in a competition just for some money and ignore his own parents, could he?
Ugh!
Bai Yuze sighed softly.
He glanced at the thin girl who was studying diligently beside him, and handed her the steamed bun and soy milk.
"Little Fish, you probably haven't had breakfast either."
The girl named Xiaoyu raised her head. She had an oval face, long, straight black hair, and the ends were a little frizzy because she couldn't afford a trim. She usually tied her hair into a low ponytail, with a few wisps of hair hanging down beside her ears, which made her retain a touch of girlish softness even when she was tired.
She looked at the food in front of her, a hint of longing flashing in her eyes, but quickly shook her head.
"I'm not hungry!"
Bai Yuze didn't care about any of that.
They forcibly shoved the breakfast onto the other person's table.
"The first rule of the employee handbook is that you must obey the boss. Do you even want your salary?"
"Waaah—"
A hint of hesitation flashed in the girl's eyes, but she quickly began to eat.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the other person has a small mouth.
But when it comes to eating,
One bite at a time,
In no time at all, she had finished all the breakfast that Chika had handed her.
Seeing how much the other person was enjoying their food,
Bai Yuze rubbed his stomach, feeling the other side constantly protesting and demanding things from him, but what could he do? The warm buns and soy milk simply couldn't satisfy his picky stomach.
Ugh,
She can barely support herself, yet she's still thinking about taking in a burden.
I'm really hopeless.
Little fish,
Her name is Chiba Yumeyu, and like him, she is a student from the Parrot District.
Bai Yuze first noticed Chiba Mengyu in a corner of the Dongqing University library.
That day he delivered some documents for his senior, Aiwass.
When passing by the study area,
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl asleep, slumped over a table. In front of her lay a thick book, "Introduction to Abyssal Biology," its pages covered with dense notes, the handwriting so neat it was almost rigid.
Besides, she didn't seem to be sleeping soundly; her brows were furrowed, her fingers were still in the posture of holding a pen, and there were traces of cheap ballpoint pen ink that hadn't been washed off her fingertips.
Bai Yuzhe had already walked past, but he took a step back and looked at it one more time.
Because her school uniform was a bit strange, with fine stitches on the cuffs, but the stitches were crooked, as if she had sewed them herself in front of a mirror.
He was all too familiar with this school uniform.
In his past life, his own school uniform was also patched up like this, and it looked terrible.
Involuntarily,
He glanced at the girl a couple more times.
She was thin, very thin, with slightly protruding cheekbones and a jawline as sharp as if carved by a knife. But even when she was lying down, her back was taut and straight, and the shape of her shoulder blades was clearly visible through the thin fabric of her clothes.
He looked away.
gone.
The second time I noticed her,
It's a convenience store in Hanjiang District.
Bai Yuze went to buy water and happened to see a girl wearing a convenience store apron confronting a middle-aged man at the cashier.
The man drank too much.
The words implied harassment.
"Hey girl, I've been watching you for a while now. You must be short on money, but how much can you make as a sales clerk here? You might as well come with me and live a life of luxury every day, wouldn't that be better..."
"Sir, you're drunk. Let me call you a taxi home."
Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were large, with slightly upturned corners. Beneath the weariness that she couldn't suppress, there was something hard. She was using the last of her strength to maintain her dignity.
Bai Yuze walked over, said nothing, and simply stood next to the man. His height of 1.78 meters wasn't anything special, but the look in his eyes made the man pause, muttering curses as he walked away. The girl didn't thank him, only nodded to him, then turned back to continue tidying the shelves.
Her movements were a little slow, and Bai Yuze noticed that her hands were trembling slightly.
It doesn't seem like fear.
It's more likely due to hunger.
He took two of the cheapest sandwiches and a bottle of water from the shelf and put them on the checkout counter.
"Check out."
The girl glanced at him, said nothing, scanned the code, and took the money.
Bai Yuze pushed a sandwich towards him: "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
The girl paused for a moment.
"No, thank you." Her voice was flat.
"This isn't charity," Bai Yuze said. "You do me a favor, and this is your reward."
The girl looked up, her almond-shaped eyes filled with wariness, confusion, and a barely perceptible longing.
She needs it very much.
But she was even more terrified and frightened.
Bai Yuze didn't explain much, but pointed out the window: "See that streetlight over there? Every night at 11:30, a man dressed in black stands there, smokes a couple of cigarettes, and then leaves. I need to know when his shift ends. Just take a look when you pass by on your way home from work."
The girl was stunned for a moment: "That's it?"
"That's it."
There was a few seconds of silence.
She picked up the sandwich and took a small bite.
Bai Yuze paid the money and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he heard a very soft voice behind him:
"……Thanks."
He didn't turn around.
that's it,
Chiba Mengyu became Bai Yuze's "employee".