Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Don’t You Touch Him
A furious roar shattered the pleasant atmosphere of the late-night barbecue.
Everyone looked up in shock, searching for the source of the sound.
On the other end of the viewing platform, a male student suddenly erupted, lifting the scorching charcoal brazier over his head and hurling it forward with all his might.
He threw it at the inn’s proprietress who had just delivered some items—a simple, honest-looking village woman in her forties or fifties.
The brazier tilted in mid-air, and red-hot coals scattered through the air like celestial blossoms. The middle-aged woman had no time to react.
An afterimage appeared as a male teacher, whipping up a gust of wind, blocked the way. His right leg shot up high, jabbing out continuously like a spear’s flourish, kicking away all the coals before he steadily caught the brazier with one hand.
Only then did the students around him react. "Wang Zixuan! Are you insane?!"
The younger student named Wang Zixuan had blood-red eyes. They weren’t just bloodshot in the normal way; it was as if a handful of fresh blood had been poured into them.
Sinister, bloodthirsty... insane!
"Hehehe... I’m going to kill her... kill her... and make the world a little cleaner..."
He gasped for breath, his chest heaving like a broken drum. "Anyone without Martial Cultivation... deserves to die..."
The words had barely left his mouth when two other PE teachers rushed over, surrounding Wang Zixuan.
Zhou Yao’s face was grim. She shouted sternly, "Control your emotions... Zixuan!"
The male teacher who had first intervened was more composed. "This is definitely Martial Arts Psychosis. You can’t talk him down. I’ll knock him out."
He immediately moved forward, his fingers rapidly striking different points on Wang Zixuan’s chest. The boy trembled violently as if he’d been sprayed with bullets, then fell silent and collapsed.
The three teachers had been specially chosen for this assignment; one of them specialized in "subduing" people.
Two at Late-stage Marrow Refining and one at the Innate realm, facing a high school student in the early stage of Bone Training. Capturing him was child’s play.
Zhou Yao rushed over to cradle Wang Zixuan. He had been her student for two years.
The female teacher said anxiously, "It’s actually happening! Everyone, back to your rooms—no! Spread out right where you are, keep a distance of at least ten meters! And watch everyone else’s condition!"
She had wanted to send them back to their rooms, but then realized that would be even more dangerous. It was better to keep them where the teachers could see them, to prevent anyone else from going berserk.
Another male teacher said, "Let’s call the police. They’re nearby. We can have them take Wang Zixuan to the hospital."
Zhou Yao nodded and took out her phone to make the call.
It was only then that Yang Shen and the others realized that police had been in the area all this time.
It made sense. They were here to observe the situation. While the teachers had enough martial prowess to subdue the students, they weren’t trained to conduct investigations.
Bad news always comes in waves. Just as the call to the police was being made, another male student clutched his head. "Teacher... something feels wrong... I’m a little dizzy..."
The teacher skilled in acupoint pressing was by his side in an instant. Seeing the boy’s abnormally red eyes, he struck without hesitation, knocking him unconscious in a few moves.
Yang Shen watched this unfold, thinking, ’What an amazing effect... Is this the kind of "Martial Arts" you only get to learn in university?’
The middle-aged proprietress finally snapped out of her daze and ran, panicked, down the mountain.
’I get it now! This bunch of kids are all lunatics!’
Run for your life!
But after just a few steps, she ran into a police car and promptly turned around and ran back.
’The police response time is insane. They must have been within a few hundred meters. I just wonder how many of them there are.’
"Zhou, the ambulance will be here shortly."
What followed was a wait that wasn’t long, but was agonizing. One of the female students was crying softly; she was the girl Wang Zixuan had just successfully confessed his feelings to.
About ten minutes later, the ambulance arrived. The group carried the two boys onto it. Zhou Yao instinctively moved to follow, but one of the male teachers shook his head. "You have the highest cultivation. Old Wu has his Acupoint Martial Skill. You two stay. I’ll go. I’ll contact you immediately if anything happens."
A police officer also said, "The mountain road is difficult to drive at night with no lights. I’ll lead the way in my patrol car. Liu, Li, you two stay here, maintain order, and wait for orders from above. And ma’am," he said to the proprietress, "you can ride with me. I’ll take you down the mountain."
The police car led the way, and the ambulance followed it away, leaving behind two teachers, two police officers, and a group of paranoid and suspicious students.
The two officers who remained thought Zhou Yao’s arrangement was very reasonable. Sending the students back to their rooms now would be foolish, but having them stand outside was inconvenient for containment. They suggested everyone move into the courtyard.
With four adults, each watching over one or two students, security was adequate. After all, as law enforcement officers in a violent profession, the police had a minimum Martial Cultivation of the "Marrow Refining Realm" and had mastered numerous techniques and even Martial Arts. Aside from Xu Bamboo, none of the other students would last a single round against them.
Inside the courtyard, everyone maintained their spread-out positions, watching each other with a mix of scrutiny and wariness. This vigilance wasn’t malicious; it stemmed from concern for their classmates’ condition.
No one wanted to see another person go crazy, and they certainly didn’t want it to be themselves.
Officer Liu took a phone call and then announced, "We’ve heard back from our superiors. They want us to wait a moment. A bus is coming into the mountains to take all the students to the hospital. The safest course of action tonight is for everyone to spend the night there."
They had been checked once on arrival, and nothing was found, but it was better for them to have an episode in a hospital than up in the mountains.
Zhou Yao nodded. "I’ve contacted the school as well. The training camp is officially over. The school has instructed us to cooperate with the police, but I hope the students don’t get too far from me. I will accompany them the entire time."
Officer Liu nodded, then turned to calm the students. "Everyone, don’t be nervous. The situation is under control."
He chuckled. "If anyone feels unwell, just raise your hand and report it immediately. It’s no big deal. Teacher Wu over there will just give you a little poke and you’ll pass out. You won’t hurt anyone, and you won’t hurt yourself."
Time ticked by, second by second. In the courtyard, no one spoke except for the police officer, who kept talking to ease the tension.
Yang Shen took a deep breath. The cool night air filled his lungs, dispelling some of his anxiety.
’This is a completely unexpected turn of events... Everything was fine, and in the blink of an eye, two people went insane!’
’Is it really related to the "Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique"? But why don’t I feel anything, since I’m the only one who truly succeeded in cultivating it?’
’Or is it... that my time just hasn’t come yet?’
He looked at Xu Bamboo beside him. "Zhuzi, don’t be nervous. Once we get to the hospital, everything will be sorted out."
Xu Bamboo shook his head. "I’m not nervous. I’m just afraid that if I go crazy, the teachers won’t be able to restrain me..."
"You’re pretty confident... Even though a few people left, we still have one Innate and three Marrow..."
The words died on his lips as Yang Shen suddenly froze...
’A few people left... a few people left...’
A horrifying thought struck him. "Teacher! Do you think this could be a divers—"
Before he could finish, the sound of urgent honking and screeching brakes came from outside the courtyard walls!
’That was a sound only a large vehicle could make!’
Officer Liu’s expression changed. "Don’t move! Stay where you are!" he shouted, then leaped three or four meters in a single bound to land on top of the courtyard wall.
And from the corner of his eye, he witnessed the entire scene of a bus tumbling and rolling down the side of the cliff.
The front of the bus was smashed in, as if it had been hit by something. It rolled faster and faster, scattering debris everywhere...
At the same time, a suppressed roar came from behind him:
"Teacher... Teacher, I feel awful!"
It wasn’t just one person...
It was... everyone...
Yang Shen stared wide-eyed at Xu Bamboo, whose eyes were now blood-red...
"Zhuzi... don’t scare me."
Xu Bamboo clutched his hair, as if trying to endure an immense pain:
"Shenzi... run..."
"I feel like there’s something in my head!"
’They’re crazy... they’ve all gone crazy!’
Out of the 18 students, everyone except Yang Shen was showing symptoms of "Martial Arts Psychosis."
And at that very moment, the bus outside the courtyard was still in the middle of its tumble!
’Everyone went crazy at once? Is that possible? With no one going before or after?’
’It was all too much of a coincidence, which meant it couldn’t be a coincidence at all!’
The male teacher with the Acupoint Martial Skill immediately sprang into action. His fingers moved like an illusion, striking out. A boy who had been roaring at the sky instantly collapsed.
He was incredibly fast. He spun around and, before the students could truly go berserk, took down seven or eight of them in a row. Soon, he was in front of Yang Shen.
Yang Shen waved his hands. "No, no, no, I’m not crazy! Look at my eyes, they’re not red!"
But the teacher didn’t stop. "It’s safer if everyone is unconscious. There’s no time to distinguish who’s who!"
’He actually has a point...’ Yang Shen thought. ’But I feel like the students going crazy isn’t the main issue here.’
’If I get knocked out, what if there’s a big boss battle later?’
’I might not be much of a fighter here, but I can’t just lie down and face-tank a boss fight, can I?’
As he hesitated, Yang Shen forgot to dodge the teacher’s outstretched fingers.
But then a familiar long leg suddenly lashed out from the side, kicking the teacher and sending him flying.
The immense force generated a gust of wind that stung Yang Shen’s face. The teacher flew more than ten meters, crashing heavily against the courtyard wall and cracking the gray-white surface.
Xu Bamboo panted heavily, his eyes crimson, and roared, "Don’t you touch him!"
Then he charged forward and began brawling with the male teacher...
Yang Shen was dumbfounded!
’Zhuzi! I’m touched! Really!’
’But the timing is so fucking bad!’
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