Jiangcheng University, Lecture Hall 302.
In the clamor of the classroom, a bizarre vacuum of silence stood out abruptly.
In the back corner near the door, a two-meter radius was completely devoid of human life. Three empty desks formed a perimeter around the man in the center. He sat in the shadows like an immovable tower of black iron, radiating a terrifying, low-pressure aura that screamed: Stay Away.
Lu Chen.
Two meters tall. Built like a tank. The black hoodie he wore—a cheap knock-off from a bargain app—was washed out and pilling, yet around his neck hung a pair of pristine, brand-new red noise-canceling headphones.
That splash of vivid red clashed violently with the gray, poverty-stricken air that clung to him. He guarded the headphones subconsciously, his movements gingerly delicate, as if they were his only vital organ, more precious than life itself.
His hands were clasped tightly under his chin, spine rigid, eyes cast down, staring at an Advanced Mathematics textbook on the desk.
His face was chiseled and undeniably handsome, but the atmosphere he projected was simply too oppressive. It was the absolute indifference of a creature at the top of the food chain—the arrogance of a predator.
Just then, a girl running late hurried through the back door. In her rush, her backpack strap accidentally swept across the corner of Lu Chen's desk.
Clang.
The crisp sound was piercing in the dead silence of the corner.
Lu Chen slowly raised his head. Due to the absolute suppression of his height, even sitting down, he was almost at eye level with the standing girl.
In reality, Lu Chen's internal world was crumbling.
Crap! Was I in the way? Should I apologize?
His throat tightened; no sound would come out... As someone with crippling social anxiety, Lu Chen's brain instantly crashed. To mask his internal panic, he didn't know where to look, so he forcibly locked onto her gaze. His brows knitted into a tight knot from sheer nervousness, and veins bulged along his neck.
But in the girl's eyes, the scene was starkly different: The sleeping lion had been awakened.
The man looked up with sluggish, deliberate movements. His eyes were black as ink, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, his facial muscles tense like a drawn bow waiting to snap. There was no anger in that gaze, only a chilling detachment that saw through life and death. It was as if he were looking at an ant he could crush at any moment.
The girl felt as if a hand had squeezed her heart; cold sweat soaked her back. The apology stuck in her throat turned into a tearful tremble:
"S-S-Sorry!!"
She didn't even dare to turn her back on him. She retreated stiffly, step by step, before diving into the crowd in the front row like a frightened rabbit.
Even after sitting down, she was still shivering. "Scared me to death... for a second there, I felt like he was contemplating how to dispose of my body..."
Back in the corner, Lu Chen maintained his "deep" pose, chin resting on his hands, while his inner voice screamed.
Why did she run? Am I that scary?! Should I have smiled just now?
He sighed in despair, trying to bury his head lower, using the math book to hide his damn "villain face."
Just then, a wave of intense dizziness hit him.
Lu Chen's abdomen let out a suppressed, yet thunderous sound—
Gu——Lu——
The sound carried the tremor of a beast's low growl.
Hungry.
Lu Chen's face went pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead. What the hell? I ate twenty steamed buns before leaving the house! How did I digest them so fast?!
Extreme hunger corroded his stomach lining like strong acid, twisting his senses. In Lu Chen's slightly dilated, green-glinting pupils, the students moving in front of him were no longer classmates, but walking, steaming bone-in steaks.
Every cell in his blood was screaming a single word: EAT.
A few boys nearby, who had turned to laugh at the noise, collided straight with those eyes.
Their smiles froze. The ringleader choked out a strange gurgle, swallowing his teasing words whole.
No one dared to speak. No one even dared to breathe deeply. They turned around stiffly, staring at the blackboard, communicating frantically with only their peripheral vision.
Holy shit... I just laughed, that's all. Is he going to kill me?
Was that his stomach growling?
Don't look back! Whatever you do, don't look back! I have a feeling if you turn around, you're marked!
Meanwhile, the creator of this terror, Lu Chen, was gripping the corner of his desk. His knuckles were white from the force, leaving deep finger indentations in the solid wood. He was fighting a fierce internal war.
So hungry... skip class and go to the cafeteria? No, Professor Li's math class accounts for 30% of the grade. For the scholarship, for the meal ticket, I must endure.
For Lu Chen, a scholarship was a meal ticket. It was life. To survive, he had to endure!
Lu Chen closed his eyes and swallowed desperately. For others, this class might be a lullaby; for him, it was a life-or-death test of will against hunger.
...
Ring-ring-ring——
The moment the bell rang, for Lu Chen, it was like a pardon for a death row prisoner.
Zero-point-one seconds after Professor Li said "Dismissed," he practically launched himself.
BOOM!
He moved so fast that the wind pressure flipped the pages of the student's book in front of him. Before the startled classmates could even react, Lu Chen had vanished out the back door like a bolt of black lightning, carrying an aura of absolute finality.
Someone asked, trembling, "Lu... Brother Lu was in such a hurry... is he going to ambush someone?"
"Looks like someone is about to have very bad luck..."