Chapter 715: The Mark and the Countdown
by xennovel“Teacher Xiao Lu…”
Lu Xin felt a deep sense of absurdity when he saw the file at the very bottom.
How could this be?
If the current Midnight Tribunal were indeed the same one he encountered before, and if all its enforcers, like Number Eight, were simply meting out punishment to those who deserved it, then why had they marked Teacher Xiao Lu?
Of all people, she was the least likely candidate to be marked.
“That mark must have appeared long ago.”
Professor Bai seemed to understand what Lu Xin was thinking as he whispered, “But she never called the police, nor did she mention anything to the guards we assigned. We didn’t notice until her mark grew stronger and clearer—until Doll discovered it and informed us, which led our Investigation Team to find that it was her who was marked.”
“We still don’t understand what the mark growing clearer signifies…”
“But…”
“…”
“It has to be Number Eight. It must have been his doing the last time he visited.”
Listening to Professor Bai, Lu Xin’s mind raced with questions and revelations.
If the mark had existed for so long, it was definitely placed before his return.
When he got back, Number Eight had already been at Red Moon Elementary School for two days—had he marked Teacher Xiao Lu back then?
Why would he mark her?
……
It was clear that Professor Bai intended to discuss further.
But Lu Xin’s mind was in chaos as he turned to Professor Bai and said, “I’ll head back first.”
Professor Bai retracted his further comments, nodding lightly as he said, “Don’t worry. While we keep an eye on the watchful eyes in the sky, Qinggang will assign some intelligence officers to gather information on the Midnight Tribunal. We will keep you updated with every detail.”
“After the preliminary investigation, feel free to contact me directly—I’ll help analyze everything.”
“…”
“Alright.”
Lu Xin nodded in agreement, casting a grateful glance at Professor Bai.
He knew how crucial the old man was to Qinggang; his personal involvement in the analysis spoke volumes.
Without further ado, Lu Xin grabbed his bag and headed straight to the High-Speed Train Station.
Coincidentally, a train was about to depart, so he boarded without needing special arrangements.
Yet even on the train, Lu Xin’s thoughts were fixed on the matter; he couldn’t let his guard down for a moment.
He couldn’t understand… nothing about this made sense.
……
……
After disembarking, a car was already waiting at the High-Speed Train Platform; the driver was the bald man he’d seen before.
Once aboard, Lu Xin immediately gave the address of Red Moon Elementary School and hurried off.
His anxiety and tension reached their peak upon arrival at the school, yet as he entered, his pace subconsciously slowed and he habitually lifted his hand to gently squeeze the muscular lines of his face.
He caught sight of Teacher Xiao Lu.
She was seated in a wheelchair, conducting a physical education class with a group of children.
Compared to the grim news Lu Xin had just heard, the sunny scene before him seemed like two completely different worlds.
He slowly walked to the large iron gate outside and reached out to steady himself on the bars.
At that moment, a sharp-eyed child in the courtyard spotted him and excitedly rushed to report to Teacher Xiao Lu.
Teacher Xiao Lu turned her wheelchair and looked at Lu Xin, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
With a cheerful wave, she signaled for him to wait.
Lu Xin nodded and waved back; instead of hurrying in, he stood by the gate watching her.
Everything seemed normal…
There she was in her wheelchair, teaching the children how to play soccer.
Her hands pushed the wheels with determination, her face beaming with a bright smile.
As for the mark…
After a moment of silence, Lu Xin closed his eyes slightly to focus, his gaze fixed on Teacher Xiao Lu.
It was a habitual action.
Normally, he could detect the presence of a Mental Monster if it was there; if not, he wouldn’t see one. But when he concentrated, he sometimes picked up a vague, intuitive sense of the surrounding mental energy…
Yet he seemed to notice nothing unusual.
The results of his observation, however, sent a slight frown across his face.
He could sense that Teacher Xiao Lu’s mental energy was a bit chaotic, though no Mental Monster was present.
……
……
It took a full forty minutes of PE class before Lu Xin finally walked into the school at the sound of the dismissal bell.
Teacher Xiao Lu had already dismissed the children. She washed her face by the water pipes, and when she turned to look at Lu Xin, droplets of water clung to her skin while strands of damp hair fell over her forehead. Though unadorned by makeup, her skin remained soft and smooth.
Yet, the moment Lu Xin stepped closer, something caught his attention—her eyes.
In an instant, he felt as if a jolt of electricity had unexpectedly surged through his body.
Teacher Xiao Lu’s eyes were threaded with heavy blood streaks.
These blood threads not only made her appear languid and exhausted but also gave her a strange, unsettling look. In her right eye, two blood-red numbers, “36,” flickered. In her left, the sequence “17:48” joined to form “36:17:48.” Odd and abrupt, the final “48” was slowly ticking down.
At first glance, Lu Xin was struck by astonishment.
Then, on a second look, he suddenly realized what the numbers meant.
A countdown!
In Teacher Xiao Lu’s eyes, a countdown composed of blood-thread numbers was relentlessly ticking away!
……
……
“Why are you here?”
While Lu Xin scrutinized her, Teacher Xiao Lu mustered a smile and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be on duty now?”
Lu Xin nodded slightly, remaining silent in response to her attempt at lightening the mood.
After a long, lingering look into the blood-streaked depths of her eyes, he murmured, “What has been happening to you lately?”
“Me?”
Teacher Xiao Lu looked momentarily surprised before asking, “What do you mean…?”
Frowning, Lu Xin softly replied, “Anything out of the ordinary—hallucinations, visions, nightmares…”
“Ah…”
Lu Xin’s earnest demeanor made Teacher Xiao Lu visibly tense.
After a moment of thought, she casually flicked the water off her hand and whispered, “It seems… nothing’s wrong.”
“Nothing?”
Her answer caught Lu Xin off guard.
He carefully observed her—her blood-streaked eyes and pale complexion revealed that her condition was far from good. Coupled with the ticking countdown in her eyes, it was an unmistakable sign…
Yet she remained utterly oblivious?
Lu Xin furrowed his brow and stared into her eyes in silence.
Teacher Xiao Lu lowered her gaze and avoided meeting his eyes.
It suddenly struck Lu Xin that she wasn’t unaware at all—she was deliberately hiding it.
……
……
“You can tell me.”
After a while, Lu Xin spoke in a low, steady tone, gently placing his hand on Teacher Xiao Lu’s shoulder.
He murmured, “If there’s a problem, I’ll help you fix it.”
“I’ve been through this many times. I’m quite experienced…”
“…”
He tried hard to keep his tone calm so as not to alarm her.
But just as his palm was about to rest on her shoulder, Teacher Xiao Lu gently turned her wheelchair and took a step back.
“I…”
With her head bowed, after a brief pause she said, “Really, nothing’s wrong.”
“This…”
Lu Xin fell silent again, unsure of what to say.
Teacher Xiao Lu sat quietly in her wheelchair, neither looking at him nor deliberately avoiding him.
She remained silent, glancing sideways as her cheeks, which had flushed from exercise, gradually returned to their natural pale tone—underscoring not only her wan complexion but also the unmistakable sign of youthful exhaustion.
Lu Xin sensed an odd calm in her, a placid serenity that belied the turmoil beneath.
So why had she ended up like this?
She had clearly been tainted by mental pollution, yet she refused to seek help or even cooperate.
Did she know all this and simply accept it?
“Lu Xin…”
As Lu Xin grew silent, Teacher Xiao Lu eventually forced a smile.
After a brief hesitation, she slowly reached out and grasped Lu Xin’s hand.
“Don’t worry about me, really.”
In a soft tone, she added, “Even if something were to happen someday, it’s meant to be.”
“Phew…”
Feeling the softness of her hand, Lu Xin shuddered slightly and exhaled deeply, trying to steady his emotions.
“I still hope you won’t get hurt.”
He spoke with earnest eyes, his gaze full of hope as he looked at Teacher Xiao Lu’s face.
Slowly, a genuine smile spread across her face as she met Lu Xin’s eyes and whispered, “I do too.”
At that moment, their eyes locked, revealing a mutual understanding.
Lu Xin felt a vague sense of bewilderment.
In Teacher Xiao Lu’s eyes, he saw calm determination and a steadfast countdown that even numbers couldn’t conceal.
A profound, indescribable realization overwhelmed him—a hollow feeling that, for the first time, made him want to demand answers. Why was she hiding something from him, even if she didn’t need his help?
But just as his emotions surged and he was about to ask, Teacher Xiao Lu’s voice trembled slightly.
“Don’t blame me…”
Her voice wavered with weariness. And then, something caught Lu Xin’s eyes.
Her countdown numbers in her eyes suddenly began to drop rapidly.