Chapter 39: The Lost Little Brown Bear Backpack

Did she oversleep?

Su Yi sat at his desk, gazing at the empty chair in front of him. A seed of doubt sprouted in his mind. Seeing that everyone else had arrived, he didn't hesitate or feel awkward; he placed the egg pancake and black rice porridge he had bought on the desk in full view of his classmates.

It was rare for Mu Xiaowei to be late twice in a row, but in Su Yi’s mind, she was still a potential powerhouse. Perhaps she had gone off to handle some important business.

Even as allies, they each had their own secrets and plans. Meddling would only be an annoyance.

However, this sentiment did not last long.

Fifteen minutes into the morning study session, the clamor of students reciting their lessons did not suppress Su Yi’s growing anxiety. From his window, he had a clear view of the school gate.

The graceful figure with the high ponytail had still not appeared.

For some reason, a vague, ominous premonition began to gnaw at him. It was a form of intuition and unease born from years of life-and-death struggle—a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time since returning to Blue Star.

Were there too many uncertain variables? Surely, not killing that stalker yesterday wouldn't have caused such a mess, would it?

Su Yi had acted on the principle of leaving a way out for others; he had only taught the hooded man a lesson to avoid drawing a large-scale retaliation.

Yet, now Mu Xiaowei had gone missing. Although Su Yi couldn't find a direct link between the two, she was, after all, an unstable variable, and it was genuinely worrying.

After a moment of contemplation, he pulled his phone from under the desk and opened Mu Xiaowei’s contact info.

"Why are you late today?"

Seven simple characters. A simple greeting that sounded like the concern of a common ally, or perhaps, concern for his nominal stepsister. It shouldn't be perceived as an intrusion or cause any misunderstandings.

His fingers tapped the screen, and the message was sent.

There was no response.

The rhythmic *tap-tap-tap* of Teacher Meng Xi’s high heels echoed in his ears once more.

He shoved his phone into his shoulder bag and picked up the tracking practice problems he had been given the day before, flipping through them. But this time was different; as soon as the sound of the heels entered the classroom, there was an immediate, sharp clap of hands to silence the reading.

Meng Xi stood at the podium, scanned the room, and shouted in her distinctive soprano:

"Students, put down your pens and paper for a moment. The school is conducting a mandatory physical examination for all students this morning. Please head to the central plaza and line up."

"The first and second years have already gone; it will be our turn soon."

What? A physical?

Everyone was confused. It was too early for college entrance exam physicals, and with final exams and winter break approaching, what was the point of this?

"Hey, Guoguo, do you think this has anything to do with that student who hurt people before? The one who went berserk is still missing..."

"They aren't trying to catch us, are they?"

He Cheng leaned over and muttered in a low voice.

Lu Guoguo shook her head, looking worried. "That shouldn't be the case. Your dad is in the police department; he hasn't heard anything."

"He hasn't heard a damn thing! It’s precisely because there's no news that I feel something is wrong."

His father, usually so well-informed, had suddenly gone silent and knew nothing about the school's affairs. This was what terrified He Cheng the most—it meant the police department couldn't intervene in whatever was happening within the high school. If it weren't for the upcoming exams, nothing would have dragged him here.

"Oh, just go to the plaza and see. How could things be as scary as you say?"

...

"Wait! I’m fine, I’m fine! Let go!"

In the queue on the sports field, a boy who had shown an abnormality during his chest X-ray screamed and tried to run away like a madman. Before he could get far, several teachers pinned him to the ground.

The boy struggled desperately, but a second later, he was hit with a sedative in the buttocks. His eyes rolled back, he went limp, and he was dragged and shoved into a black car.

"Students, there’s been a small accident. Someone fainted, and we’re taking him to the hospital."

Cheng Sanli, the pudgy teacher who had taught Su Yi’s language class, walked over while patting his belly, acting as if they were all fools.

Seventeen or eighteen-year-old students had never seen such a scene. Those who hadn't been examined yet trembled, staring at each other in panic.

With the college entrance exams right around the corner, what was this all about? Where would they be taken if caught? Would they ever return to school? It was all an unknown.

"Are they not even pretending anymore?"

Standing at the very end of the line, Su Yi watched this from afar, slightly startled. He hadn't expected them to resort to force so openly after only a few days.

Blood tests usually required fasting, yet no such notice had been given. This suggested that, in all likelihood, they were screening for supernatural abilities. This rudimentary form of examination would probably only detect physical enhancement abilities.

This was exactly what hit Su Yi’s weak spot. While he didn't possess such an ability, his body had been modified, which was also a problem.

But that wasn't what gave him the biggest headache. Blood tests were one thing—there was always a chance to tamper with the results. But there was also an X-ray van parked in the distance.

What was he supposed to do?

Given his current physical condition, an X-ray would surely show a complete mess.

He scanned the surroundings. There were many people on the field; all 3,000 students were likely out here.

"With so many people, one less shouldn't be missed. I'll make an excuse to go to the bathroom and slip away," Su Yi thought. He was just about to raise his hand to ask for permission.

However, He Cheng, standing in front of him, beat him to it. He said to Cheng Sanli, who was maintaining order: "Teacher, I need to use the restroom."

"The restroom? Is it urgent?" Cheng Sanli craned his neck and walked over.

"Very urgent! I can't hold it anymore! My stomach hurts," He Cheng pleaded, hunched over as if he might burst at any moment.

"That's a difficult situation."

"Teacher, please! I really can't hold it!"

Hearing this, Cheng Sanli shook his head helplessly. "Oh, well, since I’m a good teacher who always thinks of his students, I’ll make an exception today."

"Thank you, teacher..." Before He Cheng could finish, Cheng Sanli let out a sly laugh.

"Then we'll check you first. It won't take but a few minutes. Someone, take him over for blood work and an X-ray."

A group of teachers in suits walked over, hoisted He Cheng up, and dragged him toward the van. "Wait, teacher! Teacher! I really can't hold it anymore!"

He Cheng tried to appeal to Cheng Sanli’s conscience, but unfortunately, Cheng Sanli had none. Instead, acting as if he were watching a show, he pulled out a plastic bag and waved it in front of him, shouting, "Young man, if you can't hold it, just use a bag! I won't let you suffer; I’m even giving you a biodegradable eco-friendly bag!"

The voice was loud enough for almost everyone on the field to hear. He Cheng, suffering from social death, nearly fainted on the spot.

"It seems pretending to go to the bathroom isn't such a great idea..."

Su Yi pulled back his raised hand.

However, fortunately, Su Yi had a "Plan B"—faking a faint. He had taken a solid punch from an ability user the day before and was still weak; it would be perfectly reasonable for him to faint and be sent back to rest.

Give him a little time, and he could find a way to simulate his body to look like a normal human’s.

But then, a scene that made Su Yi’s scalp tingle occurred: a pale girl nearby, whether from hunger or some other reason, collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The teachers didn't care whether she was unconscious or not. They hoisted her up and went straight for her veins—drawing blood and taking X-rays without the slightest hesitation.

It seemed they found an issue; they didn't even call an ambulance, just tossed her into a black commercial vehicle.

That plan wouldn't work either...

Su Yi hesitated. Although Lolihi was nearby, she was still learning the Blue Star language and wasn't proficient with Blue Star machinery; having her tamper with it would be difficult.

Now, Su Yi had only one choice.

The line was long, and it would take another fifteen minutes to reach him. He had to use that time to adjust his body structure using the energy stored within.

The massive radiation burst had restored much of his strength. At the very least, his power core, the "Heart Flame," had reignited, and he had recovered about one percent of his strength from the Wasteland. Many things he couldn't do when he first returned to Blue Star were now entirely possible.

The time was tight, but it wasn't impossible. It was just that forcing a physical adjustment would inevitably cause internal injuries, and Su Yi really didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary.

But on second thought, if these fake teachers couldn't find anything, he would be certified as a normal person, and the probability of being suspected in the future would be greatly reduced.

All in all, the benefits outweighed the risks.

Su Yi made up his mind. He channeled his energy and breathed steadily, visualizing his own internal structure. Just as he prepared to adjust it to match normal human proportions, two teachers passed by, chatting as they walked.

"The girl with the ability we caught last night must be the strongest one found so far, right?"

"Hmm... hard to find another like her. That’s what Mr. Xidai said himself."

"Sigh, I wanted to bet on who the strongest would be, but now we can only bet on how many of these 3,000 we catch."

The discussion was quiet, but with Su Yi’s keen hearing, it was crystal clear.

"Which poor ability user was caught last night... such bad luck."

He instinctively glanced at the two teachers, but that glance made his expression turn incredibly grim.

One of them was carrying a fuzzy little brown bear backpack with a silver tag on his shoulder.

Su Yi’s pupils trembled slightly, his brain racing frantically at that moment. He cross-referenced it with the one familiar to his memory.

Floppy ears, silver tag, cartoon stickers on the strap, the length and color of the plush...

It was a perfect match.

More importantly, no one else in the school would carry such a childish backpack.

It belonged exclusively to Mu Xiaowei, who hadn't shown up today.