Chapter 106: Catastrophe
"Oh my God!" He Jian exclaimed, "The world is about to end!"
Returning to the long-missed dormitory, everyone seemed unfazed by the arrival of Yinghuo and the prophecy of doomsday. Jin was still flipping through his book, while Zhang Xiting continued playing Dota, and Jiang Hong collapsed exhaustedly onto his bed.
"Isn't there always a warning every year?" Zhang Xiting said, "Floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, heatwaves, extreme cold, wildfires... Disasters are increasing, accompanied by secondary calamities. Every year during the freshman orientation, Chen Zhen repeats it, it’s an old story now."
He Jian lamented, "I'm only nineteen, I don't want to die."
"What did your sister say?" Jin asked, "Isn't she claimed to be the most talented predictor in your family?"
"She said, 'Let it end quickly, I'm tired'," He Jian commented, "Ever since she aggressively pursued Liu Heng and got rejected, and later discovered his betrayal, she's been wishing for the world to end."
"If the world doesn't end and Liu Heng's rebellion succeeds," Jin said, "she would be like a queen, on the same level as our Jiang Hong."
Jiang Hong silently packed his luggage, the news of An Jie's death had not reached here yet, at least the students were unaware.
"How's your brother doing?" Jiang Hong asked, remembering He Rong, "You actually defeated your elder brother, that's impressive."
He Jian said, "All thanks to my good brothers."
Jiang Hong only then learned that in the confrontation where He Jian and He Rong were enemies, it was Jin and Zhang Xiting who resolved their respective challenges and came to assist, eventually three against one, barely subduing He Rong.
Zhang Xiting's Endless Dream Realm was indeed very powerful. Such a method of mental control could easily slow down the enemy's movements and distract them, exposing their weaknesses.
"Do you want me to plead for him?" Jiang Hong asked, "I can ask Lu Xiu to treat him a bit more kindly."
"Thanks," He Jian said, "Jiang Hong, you're really like a good father to me. He's not in much trouble now, working to atone for his crimes. I guess Lu Xiu showed leniency because of our relationship, right?"
"That's good," Jiang Hong smiled.
Lu Xiu's character has always been like this: apart from certain specific matters, he generally shows indifference to others. Probably too lazy to make any personnel changes in the Monster Association, the only action he took was to promote Panda Damaru.
"How is Lu Xiu doing now?" Zhang Xiting asked.
"Still busy, I guess," Jiang Hong replied, "After all, the Sanctuary has to cooperate with the Exorcism Committee to prepare for the arrival of Yinghuo."
Jin said, "If Yinghuo really is a confusing star, as they say, then traveling from the Oort Cloud into the solar system would take a light-year, maybe nearly a hundred years. After all, centuries of changes on Earth are but a moment in cosmic time."
"That's true," Jiang Hong said, regaining some confidence, "If the journey is really that long, maybe it won’t even reach us until after I die of old age."
"But we cranes can live for a thousand years!" He Jian said despondently, "No matter what, we'll encounter it eventually!"
Zhang Xiting said, "Look on the bright side, humans only live for eighty or ninety years, you'll live much longer than us."
Jin put down his book and stood up to look through a telescope on the balcony. Ever since the school announced the arrival of Yinghuo, telescopes had sold out, with nearly every balcony having one.
Initially, everyone would look at the sky every night, both hoping and dreading to see some strange celestial phenomenon. At first, the students were indeed panicked, but as time passed, they slowly forgot about it.
The key issue was that no one knew when the end of the world would come. It could be tomorrow or in hundreds or even thousands of years, making everything quite eerie.
Even if the world was going to end tomorrow, classes still had to go on.
So their regular courses continued, but a week later, the school announced a new subject for all students from freshman to senior year. The course was "Survival Studies," with no textbooks. The school introduced a new teacher for the course, Fang Yifeng.
The lower grades were taught by Fang Yifeng, while the higher grades were taught by Keda.
Only Jiang Hong wasn't surprised to see Fang Yifeng, but all the other students were shocked, and Fang Yifeng seemed to be very popular.
"There won't be exams or a final thesis for this course," Fang Yifeng said, "How well you learn, whether you skip classes or not, will determine your survival in the event of the end of the world. As you know, exorcists have a broader and deeper survival ability than ordinary people. In the upcoming classes, we will simulate disaster scenarios to teach you how to protect yourself and save others during intense world-changing events..."
Jiang Hong took notes seriously as Fang Yifeng gave detailed instructions on how to survive and rescue others in disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, acid rain, and tsunamis, ending with a discussion on nuclear radiation.
Although Jiang Hong didn't understand why nuclear radiation would occur, he still pondered over it. Most skills were inapplicable to him, as he only had three moves. The first was using the Book of All Things to see an opponent's health bar, which was useless in disasters. The second was invisibility with an aluminum pot, which wouldn't save him from a tsunami. The last was summoning Lu Xiu.
Summoning Lu Xiu was the only useful skill, but Lu Xiu surely had his own matters to attend to, and Jiang Hong now hesitated to summon him casually, despite missing him deeply—
—He still loved Lu Xiu, even after being rejected, but he knew Lu Xiu had greater responsibilities on his shoulders. When Yinghuo arrived, Lu Xiu would join Cao Bin in the final battle against the Great Demon King... Initially, Jiang Hong was extremely worried, but Lu Xiu's composure infected him, making the upcoming battle seem trivial... and so, Jiang Hong felt somewhat better.
Especially after An Jie's assassination, Jiang Hong had no right to stop Lu Xiu, but the thought of him facing such a daunting battle still saddened him. Remembering their time together, how Lu Xiu treated him just as they initially agreed, like family, like the best friend...
...Except for never having said "I love you," Lu Xiu had always been silently protecting him with all his might...
Jiang Hong was jolted back to reality by a flick of spiritual power.
Fang Yifeng, standing at the podium, had silently flicked a rubber piece the size of a fingertip, hitting the daydreaming Jiang Hong, eliciting laughter from the class and lightening the tense atmosphere.
"...Meteorite falls follow a pattern," Fang Yifeng continued, "Don't fantasize about shattering meteorites. The best course of action is to avoid them. You can roughly estimate the explosion range of a meteorite of a certain size..."
After class, Jiang Hong with his notebook, Fang Yifeng whistled at him.
"Can you even see the road?" Jiang Hong joked.
"I'm not actually blind," Fang Yifeng said, "These sunglasses are specially made. Where are you headed?"
"To the Comprehensive Exorcism class," Jiang Hong replied, "I'm off to Class S, otherwise I would have invited you for a coffee."
"Let's go together," Fang Yifeng said, "I also want to see what Cao Bin is teaching you in Class S."
"This semester it's Ambush Tactics," Jiang Hong answered.
"Ah, ambushes," Fang Yifeng said, "Cao Bin's forte. I always find this subject nerve-wracking, always keeps you on edge."
Jiang Hong then took Fang Yifeng to the administrative building, returning to Class S's quarters, where Cao Bin was teaching Xiao Pi how to make coffee, and Si Gui was engrossed in a video game on the sofa.
Fang Yifeng sat down, grabbed a game controller, and pressed P2 to start playing the game with Si Gui.
Cao Bin just glanced at Fang Yifeng and, ignoring him as if he didn't exist, asked, "Did you do last week's assignment?"
"Done," Jiang Hong replied, handing over the "Analysis and Prediction" project assigned last week, along with some of his own thoughts.
Xiao Pi asked, "Aren't you going home to be with your parents?"
"I think being a good exorcist is more important for me," Jiang Hong said. "What about you, Xiao Pi?"
Xiao Pi said, "My dad is here at the school. He says the same thing."
"Hmm..." Jiang Hong said, "But Principal, I have a request."
Cao Bin raised his eyebrows, signaling Jiang Hong to speak.
Jiang Hong asked, "I remember the Exorcism Committee once erased some memories of my parents when I first applied to drop out of school..."
Fang Yifeng turned to look at Jiang Hong, a smile on his face.
Cao Bin said, "First time applying to drop out? Was there a second time? I only remember once."
"Uh, a slip of the tongue," Jiang Hong said with an embarrassed smile, "Anyway, exorcists have special methods..."
Xiao Pi said, "Yes, memory modification can be done with music."
"So, could you possibly..." Jiang Hong hesitantly began.
"No," Cao Bin interrupted without even hearing Jiang Hong's request, saying, "You mustn't do that, Jiang Hong."
"Huh?" Jiang Hong was somewhat surprised, as this was the first time he heard Cao Bin so categorically deny him. Cao Bin's teaching method had never negated anyone or any suggestion but had always allowed Jiang Hong to keep trying.
"Oh, okay," Jiang Hong said with a smile, "It was just an immature thought of mine, anyway."
After making coffee, Cao Bin gestured Xiao Pi to bring two cups to Si Gui and Fang Yifeng, then turned to Jiang Hong, "You want to modify your parents' memories so they won't grieve if you die in the war against Yinghuo, right?"
"Yes," Jiang Hong nodded, "I don't want them to suffer the pain of losing a loved one."
"Have you considered if that's what they would want?" Cao Bin asked.
Jiang Hong fell silent.
Cao Bin continued, "Moreover, I must remind you, Jiang Hong, we often think that fighting alone without any attachments will allow us to give our all, the legendary 'betting everything' in battle. But such lonely bravery is meaningless."
Jiang Hong nodded, but in reality, he didn't fully understand what Cao Bin meant.
"You, me, Chen Zhen," Cao Bin said, "Us, you, them, we're all entwined in this complex world. The bonds between people, our emotions, and what we cherish, form a powerful force, the foundation of the flow of the universe."
"I understand now," Jiang Hong realized, "Only when these connections still exist can we... can we..."
"Yes," Cao Bin nodded, explaining, "Only then can we draw strength from the earth to defeat more powerful enemies."
Suddenly, Si Gui said, "Don't worry, Jiang Hong. The world won't end, it will be reborn. My existence is the proof of the universe's rebirth from ashes."
"Huh?" Jiang Hong suddenly remembered, the phoenix is called "the world's safety valve," often mentioned by many. So, does that mean Si Gui is a crucial factor in ensuring the world can be reborn after a disaster?
He glanced at Cao Bin again, feeling strength in his gaze. The so-called Plan B, where Cao Bin and Lu Xiu confront Yinghuo together, maybe he already had a plan?
"Alright, let's start the class," Cao Bin said, "The coursework ahead will be very heavy. I hope you can grasp the basics of Ambush Tactics by the end of this semester."
In the following days, the pace of school classes seemed to accelerate, with all subjects speeding up. Survival Studies went from twice a week to the first class every morning.
By November, the year's first snowfall arrived as scheduled.
Jiang Hong still received greetings from Lu Xiu on his phone every morning and evening. The only difference was that in the past month, Lu Xiu's messages on WeChat became more frequent, asking Jiang Hong about his classes and sharing his experiences.
Jiang Hong had also gotten used to not asking what he was doing, presuming he was tracking the assassin's whereabouts. While eating lunch in the cafeteria, Jiang Hong replied to Lu Xiu's morning message. Suddenly, Lian Jiang sneaked over, squeezing next to Zhang Xiting, and said, "Jiang Hong, do you have class this afternoon?"
"It's Exorcism Practice in the afternoon," Jiang Hong replied, "Don't you have to attend?"
Jiang Hong's schedule was packed every day. Lian Jiang then said, "Shh, Keda's Survival Studies and the practice class overlapped today, so it's changed to self-practice. Can you accompany me to deliver something?"
"What is it?" Jiang Hong rarely had Lian Jiang seeking his company, so he guessed immediately, "Are you giving something to Xiao Pi?"
"No, no," Lian Jiang said, "It's for his dad, Teacher Xuan Hezhi."
Jiang Hong: "You... Lian Jiang, are you into mature men?"
Jin looked at Lian Jiang with a shocked expression.
"You're crazy!" Lian Jiang exclaimed, "I just want to give a gift to Teacher Xuan Hezhi!"
"Oh, right," Jiang Hong remembered and quickly said, "Okay, then I'll come with you."
After lunch, Lian Jiang and Jiang Hong tried their best to act nonchalant as they headed to the administrative building.
"Where's the thing?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lian Jiang: "Am I stupid to carry something so heavy? Of course, I put it in my spatial storage. You go knock on the door, Teacher Xuan Hezhi isn't wary of you."
Jiang Hong thought: Why am I leading the way if you're trying to win over Xiao Pi's dad?! But for the sake of his friendship with Lian Jiang, he reluctantly knocked on the door.
Xuan Hezhi from inside asked, "Who is it?"
Jiang Hong said, "Teacher Xuan, it's me."
"Jiang Hong?" Xuan Hezhi said, "Come in."
Jiang Hong pushed the door open and entered, with a nervous Lian Jiang following behind. Xuan Hezhi was smiling at a lottery ticket, saying, "I won five yuan..." But his face fell when he saw Lian Jiang.
Jiang Hong: "......"
Xuan Hezhi coughed and adopted a business-like demeanor, asking, "What brings you here?"
Jiang Hong quickly nudged Lian Jiang, who was now extremely nervous, and he said, "Teacher Xuan, well... actually, it's nothing much, we just came to see you..."
Xuan Hezhi: "???"
Lian Jiang, usually quite bold and careless, was uncharacteristically restrained, perhaps because the other person was Xiao Pi's father, exerting an invisible double pressure on Lian Jiang.
"Oh, right!" Lian Jiang suddenly said, "I saw something interesting while shopping the other day, and thought it was intriguing, so I bought it as a gift for you, can also be used as a decoration."
Xuan Hezhi said, "What do you mean? Take it back! The school doesn’t allow teachers to accept gifts from students! Are you trying to get me into trouble? What are your intentions?"
Lian Jiang: "Just have a look first! It's not something expensive or anything..."
Xuan Hezhi: "Don’t take it out! Don’t make me call your advisor..."
Jiang Hong thought it wasn't good just to stand there silently and wondered if he should intervene. So, he said, "Just have a look, Lian Jiang bought it with good intentions, and it's not expensive... Lian Jiang, what did you buy?"
Lian Jiang: "You'll know when you see it..."
Xuan Hezhi: "Take it back, take it back, ta..."
Suddenly, all three fell silent. A flash of golden light appeared in the office, followed by an eerie silence—
—Lian Jiang magically produced a life-size gold statue of a Pixiu, standing at a height of 1.8 meters!
Three seconds later, Jiang Hong was the first to explode in a tirade, "How is this not considered valuable?! What's wrong with your definition of valuable, Lian Jiang! And are you sure this thing can be bought outside?! It's obviously self-cast! Had I known you were giving this, I would have never come! Aren’t you getting me into trouble?! Teacher Xuan! I didn’t know before coming… Teacher Xuan?"
Xuan Hezhi: "……………………"
Lian Jiang modestly smiled, signaling to Jiang Hong: See, it worked.
From the moment the life-size gold statue appeared, Xuan Hezhi's eyes were fixated on it.
Lian Jiang said, "Well, Teacher Xuan, I really didn't have any other intentions, just thought it... um, seemed suitable to give to you."
"Is this pure gold?" Xuan Hezhi asked as he walked up from behind his desk.
Jiang Hong: "......"
"Yes, yes!" Lian Jiang quickly replied, "Thousand pure gold."
Xuan Hezhi: "Is it solid?"
Lian Jiang: "Ah? Um! No... it can't be solid, right? That would be too heavy and could collapse the floor, but it's almost solid."
Xuan Hezhi's expression was utterly astounded, he didn't even realize that it was Xiao Pi. Jiang Hong thought: It's like some bizarre sculpture, really eerie.
Lian Jiang said, "Look, shall I put it here for you? Next to the potted plant?" As he was about to move the statue, Xuan Hezhi suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Why a Pixiu?" Xuan Hezhi’s voice suddenly turned stern, "Are you implying something?"
"No, no!" Lian Jiang said, "Just thought it was meaningful... um, isn't Xiao Pi a Pixiu?"
Xuan Hezhi, struggling to turn away, his back to the golden statue, said angrily, "What kind of person do you think I am?!"
This left Jiang Hong in shock!
Teacher Xuan Hezhi refused the life-size gold statue of a Pixiu!
Jiang Hong suddenly thought, Xiao Pi must be extremely, extremely moved.
"Get out!" Xuan Hezhi almost roared, "Take your thing and leave! I know what you're implying! You've been coveting my son for a long time! You two are impossible! Impossible! Don't think you can insult me with money! You don't look like a decent person at all! I won't sell my son to you!"
Jiang Hong: "......"
Lian Jiang was hit hard, struggling to articulate his words.
"I really... didn't mean that," Lian Jiang said, "You misunderstood, but... alright, I'll leave."
Xuan Hezhi watched the golden statue in the dressing mirror, trying his hardest not to turn around. Lian Jiang had no choice but to pack up the gift, saying, "I'm sorry, teacher."
Xuan Hezhi opened his mouth but said nothing in the end, his back turned towards them. Jiang Hong tugged at Lian Jiang's sleeve, signaling him to leave quickly! Don’t make more trouble!
In the cafeteria, Lian Jiang was listless and dejected.
"A Pixiu!" Jiang Hong whispered, "How much does this gold Pixiu cost?"
Lian Jiang said, "About seventy or eighty million... You can have it."
Jiang Hong was utterly frightened, not daring to accept it, and hurriedly said, "You're too direct, you can't give gifts like this."
Lian Jiang, obviously a carefree young man protected by his family, was clueless about the ways of the world and completely unfamiliar with the art of gifting to please others.
"Let Xiao Pi explain to his dad," Jiang Hong suggested.
Lian Jiang: "He hasn’t spoken to me for a long time. His dad made him cut ties with me. He’s just too obedient… Let’s talk about it later."
Lian Jiang tried to cheer up, but suddenly, a commotion arose among the students in the cafeteria. It started quietly but soon grew into a loud buzz, drowning out their conversation.
Jiang Hong looked around, confused, wondering what was happening.
A student with a remote control switched through channels, and all six televisions in the cafeteria were turned to the news channel.
"…According to expert analysis, the scale of this Mount Fuji eruption is unprecedented in Japanese history, accompanied by a strong earthquake and a submarine rift stretching over a thousand kilometers…"
On the news channel, the live broadcast from a helicopter showed the ocean in constant turmoil, and in the distant east, a massive plume of smoke and ash from Mount Fuji's eruption.
All the students let out a gasp of surprise, then the cafeteria fell into dead silence.
"…In the long-term, the volcanic ash from Mount Fuji has reached nearly 20,000 meters high, with the impact equivalent to the explosion of 15,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs, affecting Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Yamanashi Prefecture…"
"Fifteen thousand shrapnels!" someone exclaimed in awe.
"Damn," Lian Jiang, who had forgotten his own worries, muttered, "This is really something unprecedented."
Jiang Hong stared blankly at the scene of Mount Fuji's eruption, soon the camera switched back to the sea.
"In the short term, the tsunami will affect the entire Tsushima Strait and our country's East China Sea, reaching the coasts of Zhejiang and Jiangsu in China in three hours…"
The buzz of discussion grew louder, followed by the news channel switching to a few experts for analysis.
"Is it because Yinghuo is approaching?" Jiang Hong asked, weighed down with thoughts.
Lian Jiang couldn't say for sure. After a brief chat, as they were about to say goodbye, the surroundings quieted down briefly again, and people at the tables turned to look at Jiang Hong and Lian Jiang with strange glances.
Jiang Hong: "？"
"Huh?!" Lian Jiang was the first to notice that Xuan Hezhi had unexpectedly appeared behind them, silently. He immediately jumped up, saying, "Teacher Xuan!"
Xuan Hezhi's expression was strange, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"I..." Xuan Hezhi began.
"Please sit," Jiang Hong hurriedly offered, "Want something to eat? I'll go buy it!"
He guessed that Xuan Hezhi might be trying to ease the tension from being too harsh earlier.
Xuan Hezhi said, "Then... just a single serving of hot pot, no no! I have to leave immediately, I won’t eat, I need to go, really."
Lian Jiang: "Where are you going?"
Xuan Hezhi answered, "I need to go to Lianyungang to prepare for the tsunami caused by the earthquake in Japan... My colleagues at Yuntai Mountain have sent a distress signal. Um... Principal Cao asked me to handle it, that's all."
Then, Xuan Hezhi looked at Lian Jiang with a complex gaze and finally said, "Please take care of Xiao Pi while I’m not at the school."
"Okay... okay!" Lian Jiang was suddenly overwhelmed, unable to fathom why Xuan Hezhi’s attitude had taken such a drastic turn! What had happened? Was he possessed by a ghost?
"I don't want your gift," Xuan Hezhi added, "That's it, I'm leaving now."
After saying this, Xuan Hezhi turned and left, disappearing into the busy entrance of the cafeteria, leaving Jiang Hong feeling a touch of loneliness in his departing figure.
Back in the dormitory, after a brief discussion with his roommates, Jin suddenly asked, "Is the current continental plate related to the ancient landforms?"
"Yes," Jiang Hong replied, "I think it might also be related to the convergence points of the earth's veins. If we had a map of the Pangu Continent, we could analyze it based on the direction of the earth's veins. What are you doing, Xiting?"
Zhang Xiting was browsing posts on the internet, but he closed it and said, "I'll help you find it? It shouldn’t be hard to find a map."
Jiang Hong, majoring in Feng Shui, was familiar with earth's veins, while his three roommates knew only the basics, as there were so many subjects in their world, along with various interdisciplinary fields.
Zhang Xiting printed out a large map of the Pangu Continent alongside a world map, marking parts according to the theory of plate tectonics. Jiang Hong then drew the earth's vein routes on it, comparing the two and marking the area around Mount Fuji and the earth's vein points below it.
"Are you trying to predict the next disaster site?" Jin asked.
"Can't predict it now," Jiang Hong said, "We need to wait for the next site to appear to have some clues, but I still hope nothing happens."
Jiang Hong sighed.
But three days later, not just the students of Cangqiong University, but all the inhabitants of this planet experienced something unprecedented again.
That day, while Jiang Hong was in Exorcism Comprehensive class with Xiao Pi, Cao Bin's phone suddenly rang. After taking the call, he paused the class and turned on the TV.
The Yellowstone volcano had erupted.
"…Yellowstone is a supervolcano, and its last eruption was 640,000 years ago," an expert was explaining on the program, "The recent frequent disturbances of the Earth's plates, related to the active period of the Earth's crust, make the consecutive eruptions of two supervolcanos within three days an extremely rare event…"
Cao Bin said nothing, just watched the scenes on TV with his two close disciples.
"With the approach of Yinghuo," Cao Bin said, "the earth's veins will be affected, and natural disasters will become more frequent. This winter, if nothing unexpected happens, will be a long and harsh one."
It was already very cold, with temperatures in the Qinling area dropping below zero. With the eruption of two supervolcanos, the ash covering the sky, this winter was bound to be tough.
"The drop in temperature will reduce global crop yields," Cao Bin said, "leading to widespread famine. Alright, let's continue with the class."
Xiao Pi couldn't help but ask, "How is the situation along the coast?"
Cao Bin answered, "Your father is assisting the Jiangsu Exorcism Committee with the tsunami. There were three waves, all of which were neutralized."
Jiang Hong asked, "Teacher Xuan Hezhi won't be in danger, right?"
Xiao Pi: "I tried video calling him yesterday, but he didn’t answer."
Cao Bin replied, "He'll be fine, don't worry. He's one of the toughest among the special class exorcists."
"Okay," Xiao Pi wasn't sure if that was a compliment or a tease, but since Cao Bin said so, he accepted it.
That evening, Jiang Hong marked the Yellowstone supervolcano on both the Pangu Continent and the current world map. His roommates gathered around to examine it, but there was still too little information.
"All the exorcists have been temporarily summoned," He Jian said, "Everyone has started 24-hour shifts, preparing for emergencies."
Everyone was on edge, and key sites in both the East and the West, like Vesuvius, Kilimanjaro, Krakatoa, and Changbai Mountain, had gathered a large number of local exorcists.
"Does a tornado count?" Jin added, "There was a tornado in an uninhabited area 160 kilometers from Kashgar just yesterday afternoon."
The tornado disaster occurred in an uninhabited area, causing no casualties. Jiang Hong wasn't sure if it was a variation of the earth's veins but marked it nonetheless.
"Let's guess the next location," Zhang Xiting said, "We've got nothing else to do. I'm guessing it's Changbai Mountain. My dad's already gone to help evacuate residents nearby."
"I think it's Indonesia or the Java Islands," He Jian said.
Jin couldn't guess and said, "Are you guys so sure it's still a volcano?"
Chapter 106: Catastrophe
"Oh my God!" He Jian exclaimed, "The world is about to end!"
Returning to the long-missed dormitory, everyone seemed unfazed by the arrival of Yinghuo and the prophecy of doomsday. Jin was still flipping through his book, while Zhang Xiting continued playing Dota, and Jiang Hong collapsed exhaustedly onto his bed.
"Isn't there always a warning every year?" Zhang Xiting said, "Floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, heatwaves, extreme cold, wildfires... Disasters are increasing, accompanied by secondary calamities. Every year during the freshman orientation, Chen Zhen repeats it, it’s an old story now."
He Jian lamented, "I'm only nineteen, I don't want to die."
"What did your sister say?" Jin asked, "Isn't she claimed to be the most talented predictor in your family?"
"She said, 'Let it end quickly, I'm tired'," He Jian commented, "Ever since she aggressively pursued Liu Heng and got rejected, and later discovered his betrayal, she's been wishing for the world to end."
"If the world doesn't end and Liu Heng's rebellion succeeds," Jin said, "she would be like a queen, on the same level as our Jiang Hong."
Jiang Hong silently packed his luggage, the news of An Jie's death had not reached here yet, at least the students were unaware.
"How's your brother doing?" Jiang Hong asked, remembering He Rong, "You actually defeated your elder brother, that's impressive."
He Jian said, "All thanks to my good brothers."
Jiang Hong only then learned that in the confrontation where He Jian and He Rong were enemies, it was Jin and Zhang Xiting who resolved their respective challenges and came to assist, eventually three against one, barely subduing He Rong.
Zhang Xiting's Endless Dream Realm was indeed very powerful. Such a method of mental control could easily slow down the enemy's movements and distract them, exposing their weaknesses.
"Do you want me to plead for him?" Jiang Hong asked, "I can ask Lu Xiu to treat him a bit more kindly."
"Thanks," He Jian said, "Jiang Hong, you're really like a good father to me. He's not in much trouble now, working to atone for his crimes. I guess Lu Xiu showed leniency because of our relationship, right?"
"That's good," Jiang Hong smiled.
Lu Xiu's character has always been like this: apart from certain specific matters, he generally shows indifference to others. Probably too lazy to make any personnel changes in the Monster Association, the only action he took was to promote Panda Damaru.
"How is Lu Xiu doing now?" Zhang Xiting asked.
"Still busy, I guess," Jiang Hong replied, "After all, the Sanctuary has to cooperate with the Exorcism Committee to prepare for the arrival of Yinghuo."
Jin said, "If Yinghuo really is a confusing star, as they say, then traveling from the Oort Cloud into the solar system would take a light-year, maybe nearly a hundred years. After all, centuries of changes on Earth are but a moment in cosmic time."
"That's true," Jiang Hong said, regaining some confidence, "If the journey is really that long, maybe it won’t even reach us until after I die of old age."
"But we cranes can live for a thousand years!" He Jian said despondently, "No matter what, we'll encounter it eventually!"
Zhang Xiting said, "Look on the bright side, humans only live for eighty or ninety years, you'll live much longer than us."
Jin put down his book and stood up to look through a telescope on the balcony. Ever since the school announced the arrival of Yinghuo, telescopes had sold out, with nearly every balcony having one.
Initially, everyone would look at the sky every night, both hoping and dreading to see some strange celestial phenomenon. At first, the students were indeed panicked, but as time passed, they slowly forgot about it.
The key issue was that no one knew when the end of the world would come. It could be tomorrow or in hundreds or even thousands of years, making everything quite eerie.
Even if the world was going to end tomorrow, classes still had to go on.
So their regular courses continued, but a week later, the school announced a new subject for all students from freshman to senior year. The course was "Survival Studies," with no textbooks. The school introduced a new teacher for the course, Fang Yifeng.
The lower grades were taught by Fang Yifeng, while the higher grades were taught by Keda.
Only Jiang Hong wasn't surprised to see Fang Yifeng, but all the other students were shocked, and Fang Yifeng seemed to be very popular.
"There won't be exams or a final thesis for this course," Fang Yifeng said, "How well you learn, whether you skip classes or not, will determine your survival in the event of the end of the world. As you know, exorcists have a broader and deeper survival ability than ordinary people. In the upcoming classes, we will simulate disaster scenarios to teach you how to protect yourself and save others during intense world-changing events..."
Jiang Hong took notes seriously as Fang Yifeng gave detailed instructions on how to survive and rescue others in disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, acid rain, and tsunamis, ending with a discussion on nuclear radiation.
Although Jiang Hong didn't understand why nuclear radiation would occur, he still pondered over it. Most skills were inapplicable to him, as he only had three moves. The first was using the Book of All Things to see an opponent's health bar, which was useless in disasters. The second was invisibility with an aluminum pot, which wouldn't save him from a tsunami. The last was summoning Lu Xiu.
Summoning Lu Xiu was the only useful skill, but Lu Xiu surely had his own matters to attend to, and Jiang Hong now hesitated to summon him casually, despite missing him deeply—
—He still loved Lu Xiu, even after being rejected, but he knew Lu Xiu had greater responsibilities on his shoulders. When Yinghuo arrived, Lu Xiu would join Cao Bin in the final battle against the Great Demon King... Initially, Jiang Hong was extremely worried, but Lu Xiu's composure infected him, making the upcoming battle seem trivial... and so, Jiang Hong felt somewhat better.
Especially after An Jie's assassination, Jiang Hong had no right to stop Lu Xiu, but the thought of him facing such a daunting battle still saddened him. Remembering their time together, how Lu Xiu treated him just as they initially agreed, like family, like the best friend...
...Except for never having said "I love you," Lu Xiu had always been silently protecting him with all his might...
Jiang Hong was jolted back to reality by a flick of spiritual power.
Fang Yifeng, standing at the podium, had silently flicked a rubber piece the size of a fingertip, hitting the daydreaming Jiang Hong, eliciting laughter from the class and lightening the tense atmosphere.
"...Meteorite falls follow a pattern," Fang Yifeng continued, "Don't fantasize about shattering meteorites. The best course of action is to avoid them. You can roughly estimate the explosion range of a meteorite of a certain size..."
After class, Jiang Hong with his notebook, Fang Yifeng whistled at him.
"Can you even see the road?" Jiang Hong joked.
"I'm not actually blind," Fang Yifeng said, "These sunglasses are specially made. Where are you headed?"
"To the Comprehensive Exorcism class," Jiang Hong replied, "I'm off to Class S, otherwise I would have invited you for a coffee."
"Let's go together," Fang Yifeng said, "I also want to see what Cao Bin is teaching you in Class S."
"This semester it's Ambush Tactics," Jiang Hong answered.
"Ah, ambushes," Fang Yifeng said, "Cao Bin's forte. I always find this subject nerve-wracking, always keeps you on edge."
Jiang Hong then took Fang Yifeng to the administrative building, returning to Class S's quarters, where Cao Bin was teaching Xiao Pi how to make coffee, and Si Gui was engrossed in a video game on the sofa.
Fang Yifeng sat down, grabbed a game controller, and pressed P2 to start playing the game with Si Gui.
Cao Bin just glanced at Fang Yifeng and, ignoring him as if he didn't exist, asked, "Did you do last week's assignment?"
"Done," Jiang Hong replied, handing over the "Analysis and Prediction" project assigned last week, along with some of his own thoughts.
Xiao Pi asked, "Aren't you going home to be with your parents?"
"I think being a good exorcist is more important for me," Jiang Hong said. "What about you, Xiao Pi?"
Xiao Pi said, "My dad is here at the school. He says the same thing."
"Hmm..." Jiang Hong said, "But Principal, I have a request."
Cao Bin raised his eyebrows, signaling Jiang Hong to speak.
Jiang Hong asked, "I remember the Exorcism Committee once erased some memories of my parents when I first applied to drop out of school..."
Fang Yifeng turned to look at Jiang Hong, a smile on his face.
Cao Bin said, "First time applying to drop out? Was there a second time? I only remember once."
"Uh, a slip of the tongue," Jiang Hong said with an embarrassed smile, "Anyway, exorcists have special methods..."
Xiao Pi said, "Yes, memory modification can be done with music."
"So, could you possibly..." Jiang Hong hesitantly began.
"No," Cao Bin interrupted without even hearing Jiang Hong's request, saying, "You mustn't do that, Jiang Hong."
"Huh?" Jiang Hong was somewhat surprised, as this was the first time he heard Cao Bin so categorically deny him. Cao Bin's teaching method had never negated anyone or any suggestion but had always allowed Jiang Hong to keep trying.
"Oh, okay," Jiang Hong said with a smile, "It was just an immature thought of mine, anyway."
After making coffee, Cao Bin gestured Xiao Pi to bring two cups to Si Gui and Fang Yifeng, then turned to Jiang Hong, "You want to modify your parents' memories so they won't grieve if you die in the war against Yinghuo, right?"
"Yes," Jiang Hong nodded, "I don't want them to suffer the pain of losing a loved one."
"Have you considered if that's what they would want?" Cao Bin asked.
Jiang Hong fell silent.
Cao Bin continued, "Moreover, I must remind you, Jiang Hong, we often think that fighting alone without any attachments will allow us to give our all, the legendary 'betting everything' in battle. But such lonely bravery is meaningless."
Jiang Hong nodded, but in reality, he didn't fully understand what Cao Bin meant.
"You, me, Chen Zhen," Cao Bin said, "Us, you, them, we're all entwined in this complex world. The bonds between people, our emotions, and what we cherish, form a powerful force, the foundation of the flow of the universe."
"I understand now," Jiang Hong realized, "Only when these connections still exist can we... can we..."
"Yes," Cao Bin nodded, explaining, "Only then can we draw strength from the earth to defeat more powerful enemies."
Suddenly, Si Gui said, "Don't worry, Jiang Hong. The world won't end, it will be reborn. My existence is the proof of the universe's rebirth from ashes."
"Huh?" Jiang Hong suddenly remembered, the phoenix is called "the world's safety valve," often mentioned by many. So, does that mean Si Gui is a crucial factor in ensuring the world can be reborn after a disaster?
He glanced at Cao Bin again, feeling strength in his gaze. The so-called Plan B, where Cao Bin and Lu Xiu confront Yinghuo together, maybe he already had a plan?
"Alright, let's start the class," Cao Bin said, "The coursework ahead will be very heavy. I hope you can grasp the basics of Ambush Tactics by the end of this semester."
In the following days, the pace of school classes seemed to accelerate, with all subjects speeding up. Survival Studies went from twice a week to the first class every morning.
By November, the year's first snowfall arrived as scheduled.
Jiang Hong still received greetings from Lu Xiu on his phone every morning and evening. The only difference was that in the past month, Lu Xiu's messages on WeChat became more frequent, asking Jiang Hong about his classes and sharing his experiences.
Jiang Hong had also gotten used to not asking what he was doing, presuming he was tracking the assassin's whereabouts. While eating lunch in the cafeteria, Jiang Hong replied to Lu Xiu's morning message. Suddenly, Lian Jiang sneaked over, squeezing next to Zhang Xiting, and said, "Jiang Hong, do you have class this afternoon?"
"It's Exorcism Practice in the afternoon," Jiang Hong replied, "Don't you have to attend?"
Jiang Hong's schedule was packed every day. Lian Jiang then said, "Shh, Keda's Survival Studies and the practice class overlapped today, so it's changed to self-practice. Can you accompany me to deliver something?"
"What is it?" Jiang Hong rarely had Lian Jiang seeking his company, so he guessed immediately, "Are you giving something to Xiao Pi?"
"No, no," Lian Jiang said, "It's for his dad, Teacher Xuan Hezhi."
Jiang Hong: "You... Lian Jiang, are you into mature men?"
Jin looked at Lian Jiang with a shocked expression.
"You're crazy!" Lian Jiang exclaimed, "I just want to give a gift to Teacher Xuan Hezhi!"
"Oh, right," Jiang Hong remembered and quickly said, "Okay, then I'll come with you."
After lunch, Lian Jiang and Jiang Hong tried their best to act nonchalant as they headed to the administrative building.
"Where's the thing?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lian Jiang: "Am I stupid to carry something so heavy? Of course, I put it in my spatial storage. You go knock on the door, Teacher Xuan Hezhi isn't wary of you."
Jiang Hong thought: Why am I leading the way if you're trying to win over Xiao Pi's dad?! But for the sake of his friendship with Lian Jiang, he reluctantly knocked on the door.
Xuan Hezhi from inside asked, "Who is it?"
Jiang Hong said, "Teacher Xuan, it's me."
"Jiang Hong?" Xuan Hezhi said, "Come in."
Jiang Hong pushed the door open and entered, with a nervous Lian Jiang following behind. Xuan Hezhi was smiling at a lottery ticket, saying, "I won five yuan..." But his face fell when he saw Lian Jiang.
Jiang Hong: "......"
Xuan Hezhi coughed and adopted a business-like demeanor, asking, "What brings you here?"
Jiang Hong quickly nudged Lian Jiang, who was now extremely nervous, and he said, "Teacher Xuan, well... actually, it's nothing much, we just came to see you..."
Xuan Hezhi: "???"
Lian Jiang, usually quite bold and careless, was uncharacteristically restrained, perhaps because the other person was Xiao Pi's father, exerting an invisible double pressure on Lian Jiang.
"Oh, right!" Lian Jiang suddenly said, "I saw something interesting while shopping the other day, and thought it was intriguing, so I bought it as a gift for you, can also be used as a decoration."
Xuan Hezhi said, "What do you mean? Take it back! The school doesn’t allow teachers to accept gifts from students! Are you trying to get me into trouble? What are your intentions?"
Lian Jiang: "Just have a look first! It's not something expensive or anything..."
Xuan Hezhi: "Don’t take it out! Don’t make me call your advisor..."
Jiang Hong thought it wasn't good just to stand there silently and wondered if he should intervene. So, he said, "Just have a look, Lian Jiang bought it with good intentions, and it's not expensive... Lian Jiang, what did you buy?"
Lian Jiang: "You'll know when you see it..."
Xuan Hezhi: "Take it back, take it back, ta..."
Suddenly, all three fell silent. A flash of golden light appeared in the office, followed by an eerie silence—
—Lian Jiang magically produced a life-size gold statue of a Pixiu, standing at a height of 1.8 meters!
Three seconds later, Jiang Hong was the first to explode in a tirade, "How is this not considered valuable?! What's wrong with your definition of valuable, Lian Jiang! And are you sure this thing can be bought outside?! It's obviously self-cast! Had I known you were giving this, I would have never come! Aren’t you getting me into trouble?! Teacher Xuan! I didn’t know before coming… Teacher Xuan?"
Xuan Hezhi: "……………………"
Lian Jiang modestly smiled, signaling to Jiang Hong: See, it worked.
From the moment the life-size gold statue appeared, Xuan Hezhi's eyes were fixated on it.
Lian Jiang said, "Well, Teacher Xuan, I really didn't have any other intentions, just thought it... um, seemed suitable to give to you."
"Is this pure gold?" Xuan Hezhi asked as he walked up from behind his desk.
Jiang Hong: "......"
"Yes, yes!" Lian Jiang quickly replied, "Thousand pure gold."
Xuan Hezhi: "Is it solid?"
Lian Jiang: "Ah? Um! No... it can't be solid, right? That would be too heavy and could collapse the floor, but it's almost solid."
Xuan Hezhi's expression was utterly astounded, he didn't even realize that it was Xiao Pi. Jiang Hong thought: It's like some bizarre sculpture, really eerie.
Lian Jiang said, "Look, shall I put it here for you? Next to the potted plant?" As he was about to move the statue, Xuan Hezhi suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Why a Pixiu?" Xuan Hezhi’s voice suddenly turned stern, "Are you implying something?"
"No, no!" Lian Jiang said, "Just thought it was meaningful... um, isn't Xiao Pi a Pixiu?"
Xuan Hezhi, struggling to turn away, his back to the golden statue, said angrily, "What kind of person do you think I am?!"
This left Jiang Hong in shock!
Teacher Xuan Hezhi refused the life-size gold statue of a Pixiu!
Jiang Hong suddenly thought, Xiao Pi must be extremely, extremely moved.
"Get out!" Xuan Hezhi almost roared, "Take your thing and leave! I know what you're implying! You've been coveting my son for a long time! You two are impossible! Impossible! Don't think you can insult me with money! You don't look like a decent person at all! I won't sell my son to you!"
Jiang Hong: "......"
Lian Jiang was hit hard, struggling to articulate his words.
"I really... didn't mean that," Lian Jiang said, "You misunderstood, but... alright, I'll leave."
Xuan Hezhi watched the golden statue in the dressing mirror, trying his hardest not to turn around. Lian Jiang had no choice but to pack up the gift, saying, "I'm sorry, teacher."
Xuan Hezhi opened his mouth but said nothing in the end, his back turned towards them. Jiang Hong tugged at Lian Jiang's sleeve, signaling him to leave quickly! Don’t make more trouble!
In the cafeteria, Lian Jiang was listless and dejected.
"A Pixiu!" Jiang Hong whispered, "How much does this gold Pixiu cost?"
Lian Jiang said, "About seventy or eighty million... You can have it."
Jiang Hong was utterly frightened, not daring to accept it, and hurriedly said, "You're too direct, you can't give gifts like this."
Lian Jiang, obviously a carefree young man protected by his family, was clueless about the ways of the world and completely unfamiliar with the art of gifting to please others.
"Let Xiao Pi explain to his dad," Jiang Hong suggested.
Lian Jiang: "He hasn’t spoken to me for a long time. His dad made him cut ties with me. He’s just too obedient… Let’s talk about it later."
Lian Jiang tried to cheer up, but suddenly, a commotion arose among the students in the cafeteria. It started quietly but soon grew into a loud buzz, drowning out their conversation.
Jiang Hong looked around, confused, wondering what was happening.
A student with a remote control switched through channels, and all six televisions in the cafeteria were turned to the news channel.
"…According to expert analysis, the scale of this Mount Fuji eruption is unprecedented in Japanese history, accompanied by a strong earthquake and a submarine rift stretching over a thousand kilometers…"
On the news channel, the live broadcast from a helicopter showed the ocean in constant turmoil, and in the distant east, a massive plume of smoke and ash from Mount Fuji's eruption.
All the students let out a gasp of surprise, then the cafeteria fell into dead silence.
"…In the long-term, the volcanic ash from Mount Fuji has reached nearly 20,000 meters high, with the impact equivalent to the explosion of 15,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs, affecting Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Yamanashi Prefecture…"
"Fifteen thousand shrapnels!" someone exclaimed in awe.
"Damn," Lian Jiang, who had forgotten his own worries, muttered, "This is really something unprecedented."
Jiang Hong stared blankly at the scene of Mount Fuji's eruption, soon the camera switched back to the sea.
"In the short term, the tsunami will affect the entire Tsushima Strait and our country's East China Sea, reaching the coasts of Zhejiang and Jiangsu in China in three hours…"
The buzz of discussion grew louder, followed by the news channel switching to a few experts for analysis.
"Is it because Yinghuo is approaching?" Jiang Hong asked, weighed down with thoughts.
Lian Jiang couldn't say for sure. After a brief chat, as they were about to say goodbye, the surroundings quieted down briefly again, and people at the tables turned to look at Jiang Hong and Lian Jiang with strange glances.
Jiang Hong: "？"
"Huh?!" Lian Jiang was the first to notice that Xuan Hezhi had unexpectedly appeared behind them, silently. He immediately jumped up, saying, "Teacher Xuan!"
Xuan Hezhi's expression was strange, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"I..." Xuan Hezhi began.
"Please sit," Jiang Hong hurriedly offered, "Want something to eat? I'll go buy it!"
He guessed that Xuan Hezhi might be trying to ease the tension from being too harsh earlier.
Xuan Hezhi said, "Then... just a single serving of hot pot, no no! I have to leave immediately, I won’t eat, I need to go, really."
Lian Jiang: "Where are you going?"
Xuan Hezhi answered, "I need to go to Lianyungang to prepare for the tsunami caused by the earthquake in Japan... My colleagues at Yuntai Mountain have sent a distress signal. Um... Principal Cao asked me to handle it, that's all."
Then, Xuan Hezhi looked at Lian Jiang with a complex gaze and finally said, "Please take care of Xiao Pi while I’m not at the school."
"Okay... okay!" Lian Jiang was suddenly overwhelmed, unable to fathom why Xuan Hezhi’s attitude had taken such a drastic turn! What had happened? Was he possessed by a ghost?
"I don't want your gift," Xuan Hezhi added, "That's it, I'm leaving now."
After saying this, Xuan Hezhi turned and left, disappearing into the busy entrance of the cafeteria, leaving Jiang Hong feeling a touch of loneliness in his departing figure.
Back in the dormitory, after a brief discussion with his roommates, Jin suddenly asked, "Is the current continental plate related to the ancient landforms?"
"Yes," Jiang Hong replied, "I think it might also be related to the convergence points of the earth's veins. If we had a map of the Pangu Continent, we could analyze it based on the direction of the earth's veins. What are you doing, Xiting?"
Zhang Xiting was browsing posts on the internet, but he closed it and said, "I'll help you find it? It shouldn’t be hard to find a map."
Jiang Hong, majoring in Feng Shui, was familiar with earth's veins, while his three roommates knew only the basics, as there were so many subjects in their world, along with various interdisciplinary fields.
Zhang Xiting printed out a large map of the Pangu Continent alongside a world map, marking parts according to the theory of plate tectonics. Jiang Hong then drew the earth's vein routes on it, comparing the two and marking the area around Mount Fuji and the earth's vein points below it.
"Are you trying to predict the next disaster site?" Jin asked.
"Can't predict it now," Jiang Hong said, "We need to wait for the next site to appear to have some clues, but I still hope nothing happens."
Jiang Hong sighed.
But three days later, not just the students of Cangqiong University, but all the inhabitants of this planet experienced something unprecedented again.
That day, while Jiang Hong was in Exorcism Comprehensive class with Xiao Pi, Cao Bin's phone suddenly rang. After taking the call, he paused the class and turned on the TV.
The Yellowstone volcano had erupted.
"…Yellowstone is a supervolcano, and its last eruption was 640,000 years ago," an expert was explaining on the program, "The recent frequent disturbances of the Earth's plates, related to the active period of the Earth's crust, make the consecutive eruptions of two supervolcanos within three days an extremely rare event…"
Cao Bin said nothing, just watched the scenes on TV with his two close disciples.
"With the approach of Yinghuo," Cao Bin said, "the earth's veins will be affected, and natural disasters will become more frequent. This winter, if nothing unexpected happens, will be a long and harsh one."
It was already very cold, with temperatures in the Qinling area dropping below zero. With the eruption of two supervolcanos, the ash covering the sky, this winter was bound to be tough.
"The drop in temperature will reduce global crop yields," Cao Bin said, "leading to widespread famine. Alright, let's continue with the class."
Xiao Pi couldn't help but ask, "How is the situation along the coast?"
Cao Bin answered, "Your father is assisting the Jiangsu Exorcism Committee with the tsunami. There were three waves, all of which were neutralized."
Jiang Hong asked, "Teacher Xuan Hezhi won't be in danger, right?"
Xiao Pi: "I tried video calling him yesterday, but he didn’t answer."
Cao Bin replied, "He'll be fine, don't worry. He's one of the toughest among the special class exorcists."
"Okay," Xiao Pi wasn't sure if that was a compliment or a tease, but since Cao Bin said so, he accepted it.
That evening, Jiang Hong marked the Yellowstone supervolcano on both the Pangu Continent and the current world map. His roommates gathered around to examine it, but there was still too little information.
"All the exorcists have been temporarily summoned," He Jian said, "Everyone has started 24-hour shifts, preparing for emergencies."
Everyone was on edge, and key sites in both the East and the West, like Vesuvius, Kilimanjaro, Krakatoa, and Changbai Mountain, had gathered a large number of local exorcists.
"Does a tornado count?" Jin added, "There was a tornado in an uninhabited area 160 kilometers from Kashgar just yesterday afternoon."
The tornado disaster occurred in an uninhabited area, causing no casualties. Jiang Hong wasn't sure if it was a variation of the earth's veins but marked it nonetheless.
"Let's guess the next location," Zhang Xiting said, "We've got nothing else to do. I'm guessing it's Changbai Mountain. My dad's already gone to help evacuate residents nearby."
"I think it's Indonesia or the Java Islands," He Jian said.
Jin couldn't guess and said, "Are you guys so sure it's still a volcano?"
