Morning!
Lin Feng got up early.
Because of Nightmare's interruptions, he barely managed to fall asleep around three last night.
Too much blood loss and lack of sleep left him in a terrible mental state.
"Shit!"
In the bathroom, when he saw himself in the mirror, Lin Feng got a fright.
That face was so pale it looked completely bloodless, faint dark circles under the eyes, and a drained demeanor—like he'd been up to something all night.
If someone didn't know better, they'd think he'd suffered a major blow.
Sure enough, when Lin Feng walked out of the bathroom, Lin Fang, coming in from the kitchen, got startled and nearly knocked over her bowl of rice.
"I'm fine, just had a bit of insomnia last night."
Lin Feng explained awkwardly, but it was clear nobody believed him; all their gazes were full of worry.
Seeing Lin Feng's face so ghastly pale, Lin Fang, who had already prepared breakfast, hurried back into the kitchen and cooked up some braised Tusked Pig.
"Eat more, you look awful."
At the table, seeing Lin Feng's decent appetite, Lin Fang hesitated to speak, her expression shifting, and finally just sighed.
With his family watching him with concern, Lin Feng finished breakfast quickly, then took his little sister and headed downstairs.
"Brother Feng, morning."
Just downstairs, as usual, Gao Hai was already waiting.
Seeing how Lin Feng looked, he was also startled, but he seemed to understand and didn't ask much.
"Morning."
Lin Feng nodded; though breakfast got his Qi and Blood back up a bit, he felt even more drained. Right now, his whole body was limp, his mind foggy—his condition was terrible.
"Brother Dahai."
Lele greeted Gao Hai. As they passed a building, both Gao Hai and Lele subconsciously glanced that way.
That was the direction of Ya Ge's home.
In the past, the five of them always went to school together. Now with Ya Ge and his brother gone, Lin Feng didn't care, but Dahai and Lele missed it. Still, both of them sensibly avoided the topic and the names.
...
"Stop shoving!"
"Quit shoving, I'll knock you out if you keep it up."
As always, the train was packed to bursting. Lin Feng and the other two barely managed to squeeze into a corner, huddling together.
Nowadays, although tech has made leaps, convenient ways to travel like planes are gone. The main reason? Demon Beasts.
There are too many unpredictable risks up in the sky. For safety, the city's main transportation is now the suspended trains and metro.
"Whew..."
Gao Hai let out a breath, wanting to straighten his clothes, but with so many people packed in, he could barely lift his arms. His shirt was already drenched in sweat even though it hadn't been long.
"Lele, move a bit closer."
Lin Feng pulled his sister in front of him, using his own body as a shield.
In a crush like this, it's risky for girls. Even if they get groped, it's hard to pursue, since with so many people, bumps are normal.
"Brother Feng, when can we move to the Inner City? Cramming into this train every day is pure torture."
"Soon, it won't be long." Lin Feng smiled at Gao Hai's complaints.
This is the trouble with living in the Outer City—unlike the folks in the Inner City, they have to get up before sunrise. Even with suspended trains, getting to school takes over an hour extra.
"What are you looking at?"
There was a little window right by the three; noticing Lele staring outside, Lin Feng got curious and asked.
"Just looking at the scenery," Lele said with a grin.
Lin Feng followed Lele's gaze and locked onto a red car.
It was a luxurious Advanced sedan; Lin Feng didn't know much about cars, but he'd heard enough about the Feiyue—it was said even the cheapest version cost over five million New Coins.
The driver was a middle-aged man. In the back seat, a little girl in a maroon school uniform was eating breakfast and swiping her phone, looking insanely comfortable.
Lin Feng could see the envy in his little sister's eyes—the girl was about Lele's age, but their lives were worlds apart.
And above the ground, some people were piloting sky cars—that's proper rich.
Aside from the tail wings, sky cars didn't look much different than regular cars, only they used special energy as fuel. Not only are they pricey, but you also need a special permit to drive one.
"That's Yun Tianqi!"
"So cool, I wish I could be his girlfriend!"
"Next Wednesday's Glory ranked match is Thunder vs. War Wolves—brutal clash! Yun Tianqi might play; I'd skip class just to watch the stream."
"If Ye Qiu joins Thunder Team, he'll be in line to take that spot in a few years."
Excited shouts rang through the train; loads of students peered out the windows, faces alight with anticipation.
Following their gaze, Lin Feng looked over. On a high-rise not far away, the light curtain was showing a young man in a black combat cloak with long hair, wielding two blades as he darted through thick jungle. Demon Beasts lunged at him, but his blades flashed and cut them in half. Blood ran down his twin blades, pooling into four big red words: "Celestial Soldier Manufacturing."
Obviously, it was a short commercial.
Lin Feng knew this guy well—Thunder Team's captain, Double Blade Yun Tianqi.
Plenty of people in the Glory Alliance use dual blades, but nobody's faster than Yun Tianqi. With his speed, he's made a huge name for himself in the league.
Everyone knows Yun Tianqi was born in Jiujiang District, which is all the way west in Jiang City, a government-funded housing block—same as Shore District. It's one of the four big slums of Jiang City.