Chapter 724: Shadows Under the Red Moon

Under the Red Moon, at the Red Moon Elementary School Principal’s Office.

After finishing her speech, Teacher Xiao Lu seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Her head drooped weakly, and even though her wrist—sliced open by a paper cutter—was now wrapped in thick gauze, it continued to bleed, the deep crimson seeping through and staining the fabric. In the dim office, the flickering lights cast an even more melancholy, eerie glow.

A faint, mischievous laugh echoed softly in the office.

In the pitch-black shadows where light dared not reach, one mysterious, bizarre figure followed another. They wore faces all too familiar to the three present, sprinting through the darkness as if in sunlight. Laughing and playing, they edged ever closer to Teacher Xiao Lu, while tiny hands emerged from behind the sofa to grab at her hair.

This indistinguishable scene evoked a profound, unsettling guilt.

It was sheer despair…

Lu Xin stood alone in the office, his head bowed as though he hadn’t witnessed the unfolding events.

“Don’t…”

At that moment, Number Eight suddenly whispered.

His resonant voice bounced around the office, mingling with the hazy, unreal aura surrounding Teacher Xiao Lu, even causing her to recoil slightly.

Clenching his teeth, Number Eight rushed to her side, scattering the disordered, unreal mental forces encircling her, and shouted, “Wake up! Don’t let this guilt drown you—it isn’t something you should bear…”

Teacher Xiao Lu’s face was etched with desolation.

The countdown in her eyes had hit zero, turning them a terrifying blood red.

In them, rapid, flickering images played.

They showed a cheerful little girl with a ponytail and a defiant stance, radiating sunshine and a wild, untamed energy. Brimming with vitality and a strong sense of justice, she carried a hint of that offhand, stubborn cleverness—always ready to make decisions for others.

Teacher Xiao Lu glared bitterly at the girl.

She longed to kill her past self, to prevent things from ending up this way…

“It shouldn’t be like this…”

Number Eight, seeing the overwhelming guilt and hatred in her eyes and feeling her mental strength crumble, shouted in near despair, “It’s not your fault! It’s him—the teachers, the Old Director back then—who’s to blame…”

“I originally intended to judge him first, then the Old Director…”

“But why has it fallen on you?”

“If you end up carrying this burden, then what becomes of all I’ve fought for?”

“…”

In desperation, he cried out, even glancing pleadingly at Lu Xin, who stood silently by.

But neither Lu Xin nor Teacher Xiao Lu responded.

Everything was hurtling toward an irreversible abyss, inching closer to despair.

“Crack…”

Then, suddenly, someone kicked open the office door. A silent figure from the hallway stepped in—it was the Old Security Guard. Clutching a double-barreled shotgun, his weathered face twisted with fury and pain, his blood-red eyes betraying hints of recent tears.

“Weren’t you always like this?”

The Old Security Guard surveyed the room, his gaze lingering on the dejected Teacher Xiao Lu slumped on the sofa.

He didn’t aim his gun at Lu Xin but suddenly pointed it at Number Eight.

In a low, angry tone he bellowed, “You were like this as a kid.”

“You loved tattling on everyone—is it out of some misplaced kindness?”

“No, it’s simply because you love to snitch.”

“It gave you a sense of superiority, making you the teachers’ favorite for being the most obedient…”

“And as for now…”

With a sudden clatter, he pulled back the gun’s slide, chambered a round, and pressed the barrel against Number Eight’s head, seething, “Even now…”

“These two kids have struggled so much to survive, and you—thinking your wings have grown strong—dare to meddle again?”

“How dare you, acting like you’re the boss?”

“…”

The Old Security Guard’s appearance plunged Number Eight into a moment of profound confusion.

He felt as if a familiar shadow was merging with the guard’s features.

Yet he could no longer tell who the Old Security Guard really was.

It was as if his words had ripped away the final veil of shame, forcing him to confront his childhood self…

His lips moved as if to speak,

but when the words nearly escaped, he felt so weak he could only close his eyes.

Outside the elementary school, vague figures began to appear.

Soon, numerous figures emerged in the courtyard.

Dressed in black suits and carrying silver cases, they moved slowly toward the school’s iron gate.

Even though the iron gate was tightly locked, electrified, and surrounded by strange electronic devices, they slipped in silently, entering the small campus to observe.

More and more people entered, eventually crowding the courtyard.

They all stood still below the school building, their eyes fixed on the third floor.

“Hurry, kick them out…”

The Old Security Guard slammed his finger on the trigger, pressing it hard against Number Eight’s forehead, and roared.

“I…”

Number Eight managed in a weak voice, “I can’t do it…”

“You…”

Listening to him, the Old Security Guard’s forehead bulged with blue veins, and he was about to fire.

But at that moment, Lu Xin reached out, grabbed the gun, and slowly lifted it.

……

……

At that moment, Lu Xin was rendered speechless, unsure of what to do next…

Teacher Xiao Lu’s confession hit him like a sudden, shattering collapse…

In truth, what she said didn’t alter the events—it was merely her self-reproach, forcing her to take all the blame.

Even Number Eight disapproved of her actions.

Yet her self-blame unveiled a truth.

A truth that, while insignificant to the events themselves, affected Lu Xin deeply.

Some minor matters might be meaningless to the world, but they could decisively shape an individual.

How could it be this way?

She was the only one who had ever truly believed in him—his closest friend since childhood.

Because of her belief, he found his initial drive and slowly transformed into the person he wanted to be—even if he later realized he had mistakenly misunderstood her, he still believed.

Even that misunderstanding pushed him to ‘heal’ himself.

Only then did he realize the mistake was his all along.

Drifting aimlessly, all his suffering and efforts had ultimately proven futile.

Everything, everything, was built on lies…

……

……

How could he describe his feelings at that moment?

Was it anger?

Or the burning desire to destroy everything?

In truth, all Lu Xin felt was an overwhelming exhaustion.

So deep was his fatigue that even the idea of ending the world slipped away.

Why bother destroying it? Just leave it be—it wasn’t his concern anyway.

A long-dormant, immense panic and pressure surged back.

This time, it loomed even larger and more terrifying, descending like an inescapable night.

Lu Xin could only stand silently, letting the all-encompassing darkness swallow him whole.

He couldn’t even summon the strength to resist.

Perhaps, not fighting back was the only way to feel a moment’s peace.

With his mind steeped in despair, Lu Xin lost interest in everything—

including the guilt-ridden Teacher Xiao Lu and the furious Old Security Guard.

Until a gentle voice whispered in his ear, “Do you really want to give up on everything you’ve been searching for all this time?”

Lu Xin lifted his head slightly to see Mom.

It seemed he was no longer in the elementary school office but had returned to the old apartment building.

He saw his graceful, caring Mom standing before him, gently reaching out and taking his hand. Next to her stood timid Sister, half-hidden behind Mom, her eyes full not of fear but of worry.

In the distance, Father stood as if wanting to speak but too hesitant to do so.

The appearance of his family made Lu Xin’s heart flutter, as unspoken words welled up inside.

But in the end, he could only murmur, “I’m so sad.”

“I know.”

Mom nodded softly, her voice gentle as if not to startle Lu Xin.

Timid Sister nodded vigorously.

“Everyone gets tired sometimes.”

Mom smiled and said, “When you feel like doing nothing and caring about nothing, it’s okay. Let’s just go home, have a good meal, a warm shower, and a proper sleep. Everything else isn’t our problem. We don’t need to carry these burdens forever. Isn’t it time we eased up a little?”

“The world doesn’t need a heartbroken savior…”

“……”

“……”

Mom’s words stirred Lu Xin so much that he almost cried.

They struck at the core of his innermost desires.

He felt utterly drained, with no energy to do or care for anything. Yet as Mom spoke so tenderly, his empty heart seemed to fill with an undefinable warmth.

Maybe just letting go, going home, having a warm shower, and a good sleep was exactly what he needed.

But…

He stood silently, unmoving, while the images of near-ruin—the self-blaming Teacher Xiao Lu, the enraged security guard, the exhausted Number Eight, the enforcers swarming into the school, and the ominous eyes in the sky that burdened Qinggang—faded into a distant memory.

He could even sense the mental force of the Doll clashing with those eyes above.

He felt the chaos and tension emanating from several cities in Qinggang…

The desire to simply go home and get some sleep sharply contrasted with the current state of turmoil in every city.

Thus, amidst this tangle of conflicting emotions, he remained silent for a long time.

In a low voice he confided to Mom, “I still feel a bit unwilling…”

……

……

When he uttered those words, both Sister and Father in the background tensed, their eyes brightening.

Mom’s expression softened further as she gently asked, “What are you unwilling about?”

“So many things…”

Lu Xin thought carefully.

He wondered what it was he still resisted.

In Teacher Xiao Lu’s version of the “truth,” his very existence had been rendered unnecessary from the start.

He had already been denied.

Now, ignoring everything and simply going home for a sleep was all he truly desired.

Yet deep within, a tiny spark of defiance remained—a child’s last grasp at dignity.

Mom’s compassionate gaze gave him the courage to say softly, “Because things shouldn’t be like this…”

Mom looked at Lu Xin with satisfaction and, after a long pause, gently embraced him, whispering, “Good…”

“You’ve begun to feel your inner strength…”

“……”

As she spoke, she gracefully stepped forward and took the Old Security Guard’s shotgun from his grasp.

“If it’s wrong, then let’s set things back on track…”

“We have the power to do it.”

“……”

“……”

When the Old Security Guard’s double-barreled shotgun was taken, everyone in the room turned to look at Lu Xin simultaneously.

In the dim office, Lu Xin kept his head bowed, exuding an eerie sense of displacement—as if he stood alone while invisible ripples of tension wracked the air around him…

In that stunned silence, even whispered breaths seemed to hang suspended until a faint, wavering voice emerged from Lu Xin’s lips.

The voice shifted in tone—sometimes confused, sometimes tender, sometimes as if clenching like that of a little girl.

It repeatedly murmured, “Alright, let’s not worry about anything—just go home and get some sleep, right?”

“But I can’t help feeling a bit unwilling…”

“Why not?”

“Come on, Brother, fight on!”

“Kill them all! Get rid of those clueless fools…”

“There are so many things I’m unwilling to accept. I don’t want to give up such a good life, or to be alone. I used to not care about those people at all, but when I was left by myself, I felt…”

“…so sad!”