Chapter 21: Waking Up to Find Half the Academy’s Fate Has Rotted

Chapter 21: Waking Up to Find Half the Academy's Fate Has Rotted

"If you wake up to find half the academy's fate has rotted, how would you respond?

—Yi Fengchu"

……

After the conclusion of the Whalebone Aquarium arc, Yi Fengchu borrowed "Pandora's Heart" from Luo Shengle and enjoyed a period of peaceful, quiet days.

By day, he attended classes and studied; by night, he connected with the Gods' Amusement Park, occasionally checking in on the mental state of "Pandora's Heart," watching as the dark gray glass sphere trembled and shrank into itself before his eyes. Time slipped away unnoticed.

During this time, Yi Fengchu gradually grew accustomed to the chaotic, tangled threads of fate that filled his vision.

At first, he would often space out, his gaze drifting unconsciously to the wrists or other parts of people where their threads of fate were tied.

Later, Yi Fengchu became so used to it that he learned to ignore these threads naturally, remaining unfazed even as he moved through webs as dense as spider silk.

Until one day, when Yi Fengchu walked into the classroom yawning—only to freeze mid-step.

At a glance, he saw that the threads of fate of all his classmates were covered in splotchy black stains—as if fate itself had grown mold, rotting in some damp, shadowy environment… giving off an ominous vibe.

"Xiao Yi?"

The lecturer for this class was familiar with Yi Fengchu. Seeing him pause at the doorway as if lost in thought, she couldn’t help but ask, "Is something wrong?"

Yi Fengchu quickly glanced at the teacher. Her threads of fate were the most heavily corroded—originally silver strands, they were now almost entirely black, reminding him of the hairy black legs of a spider stretching out beneath its body.

"Good morning, Teacher Ju," Yi Fengchu greeted politely. "Just a bit tired."

Teacher Ju studied him for a moment, the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes deepening. "You do look a little out of it. Go take a seat and rest—no zoning out during class later."

—Of course he was out of sorts. Clearly, his peaceful days were about to end…

Yi Fengchu sighed inwardly.

He was enrolled in University A’s newly established School of Religion and Philosophy, a niche field so obscure that the entire faculty—from top to bottom—numbered only thirty or forty people. Right now, most of them were gathered in this classroom, ready for the lecture, their numbers easy to count at a glance.

—Just what kind of situation could have led to nearly half the academy being compromised like this?

As he walked toward the front of the classroom, setting down his backpack, Yi Fengchu discreetly observed these unusual threads of fate.

He had previously made a special trip to the hospital, so he knew for certain: in cases of natural or accidental death, a person’s threads of fate would gradually break apart, turning into thin, fragmented strands before disappearing entirely.

They definitely wouldn’t look like this… as if tainted and festering from some unknown bacteria.

With this question in mind, Yi Fengchu absentmindedly sat through two classes. When the break bell rang, a sign-up form was passed to him from the front row.

"What’s this?"

Yi Fengchu hadn’t absorbed much of the lecture—the teacher’s words had gone in one ear and out the other—so now, faced with this sheet already signed by several classmates, he couldn’t help but look puzzled.

The student in front of him, holding the sheet, teased, "You obviously weren’t paying attention. Teacher Ju just explained…"

"Since the short break is coming up, a professor she knows—a very knowledgeable one—is currently conducting field research in Fengyi Village, Linhe County, in the southwest. The place has unique folk customs, hospitable locals, and beautiful scenery, so the professor invited Teacher Ju to bring us along for a two-day trip."

"First, we’d get to observe a professional’s work process firsthand. Second, Teacher Ju said she’d cover all expenses—basically a free vacation!"

As he spoke, the student’s eyes sparkled, his tone light and cheerful, clearly looking forward to the upcoming field research and travel.

"Teacher said anyone who wants to join and has their family’s consent can sign the sheet. You in?"

Several pairs of eyes around him turned to Yi Fengchu curiously.

"……" Well, case closed.

Yi Fengchu figured he could guess the source of the taint in their threads of fate—it had to be tied to Fengyi Village.

As he reached for the sheet, hesitating over how to handle this, Teacher Ju approached him and asked kindly, "Xiao Yi, don’t you want to go?"

Just as he was about to come up with a polite excuse, Yi Fengchu suddenly felt something shift. He looked up, scanning the classroom.

In his vision, the black spots on all the threads of fate began spreading rapidly, as if the infection was accelerating.

And the nearly ink-black strands on Teacher Ju’s body even started sprouting layers of wiry black hairs, thickening the originally slender threads until they resembled stubby spider legs, crisscrossing behind her.

Amidst this cluster of "spider legs," Teacher Ju’s usually gentle smile took on a sinister edge, casting a dark silhouette over Yi Fengchu.

What did this mean?

Outwardly calm, Yi Fengchu’s thoughts whirled as he analyzed the implications of the threads of fate’s mutation.

The moment he considered refusing the trip, the taint in his classmates’ threads of fate worsened…

Did this imply that his presence could help mitigate—or even resolve—this strange "infection"?

"Hold on," Yi Fengchu said after a pause, explaining to Teacher Ju, "I need to call home and ask my family first."

As soon as he spoke, the corruption in the classroom’s threads of fate halted. Teacher Ju’s back no longer sprouted more fuzzy black growths, and the atmosphere seemed to ease abruptly.

Teacher Ju nodded understandingly. "Of course. I’ll ask the others first."

Yi Fengchu grabbed his phone and hurried out the door. The chilly autumn air hit his face, filling his lungs and clearing his head.

Finding a quiet, secluded spot, he shook his phone vigorously and asked sharply, "What was that just now?"

The screen lit up, as if annoyed by the shaking, and a harsh light glared into Yi Fengchu’s eyes, forcing him to squint.

"You already guessed, didn’t you? Fengyi Village—that place is bad news."

"When I entered the classroom, their threads of fate were already wrong," Yi Fengchu mused. "Does that mean they’re all destined to go there?"

"Can I change that? Like convincing them not to sign up, not to leave University A…"

[Under normal circumstances, yes. If their threads of fate were simply breaking, say, from a mass accident like a car crash on the way, changing their plans wouldn’t be hard… since it’s your will.]

[But this corruption is different—I prefer to call it "pollution." It means a Higher Being beyond human comprehension has already "reserved" them, like reserved meals at a restaurant. That’s not easily changed.]

"So you’ll notice that even before anything happens, their threads of fate show warning signs—this pollution works backward from the future. The closer they get to a certain point in time, the worse it becomes."

"They’ve been marked. There’s no escaping it."

"Even if I broke their legs, they’d still end up there at the right time?"

As he voiced this theory, Yi Fengchu’s expression was dead serious, as if he’d act on it the moment he confirmed it was feasible.

[…Calm down.] Even the phone was impressed by his readiness to take extreme action, trying to dissuade him. [Even if you broke their legs and locked them up, they’d still find a way—or an "accident"—to get there.]

"For example, dragging themselves to the roadside with their hands and catching a ride toward Fengyi Village. Or your violence lands you in jail, and after they’re released, they make a beeline there…"

"Even if they break their own bodies and stuff themselves into sewer pipes, they would still struggle their way toward Bee-Ant Village."

【Of course, they might coincidentally die on the way, but such 'salvation' would defeat the original purpose.】

"Sigh..."

Yi Fengchu sighed, his gaze weary and helpless as he looked into the distance. "If there are too few people left in the institute—say, only me—then the institute will be dissolved."

"No, we’re all classmates after all. I have to find a way to save them... I still want to graduate properly."

After imagining his graduation certificate for a moment, Yi Fengchu pulled himself together and returned to the classroom.

Without needing further prompting from Teacher Ju, he walked straight to a classmate who was signing their name.

Waiting for them to finish, Yi Fengchu casually asked, "Sorry, can I borrow your pen?"

Startled by his sudden presence, the classmate dazedly handed over the pen.

Yi Fengchu swiftly wrote his information in smooth strokes at the end of the registration form, including his name, student ID, and contact information.

"Xiao Yi, your family elders agreed too?" Teacher Ju, wreathed in a mass of furry black threads, smiled as she leaned closer.

"Yeah, they did."

Answering distractedly, Yi Fengchu glanced around and noticed that the moment he signed, the black spots on everyone’s threads of fate had faded significantly, revealing more silvery gleam.

Meanwhile, the dark fur on Teacher Ju’s back had thinned, no longer looking like the horrifying, spider-like bristles that had been so unsettling.

It seemed his choice truly had a major positive impact on their fates.

With this thought, Yi Fengchu even began to feel genuine curiosity about the so-called Bee-Ant Village. Handing in the form, he gave Teacher Ju a sincere smile. "I’m genuinely excited for the journey ahead."