In the second semester of seventh grade, a new student transferred in. He was good-looking and got top grades. Most of the girls in class liked him. He just barely ever spoke, and looked cold and indifferent to everyone.
The vice class president couldn't stand him. He felt like Cha Mu had stolen his thunder. At first it was just some "jokes" and "pranks." Then it got worse—he got people to beat Cha Mu up, squeezed money out of him, and later, outright slandered him.
Cha Mu didn't seem to care. Even when he was hit and bullied, he gave no reaction at all. The vice class president just got more and more out of control.
Over time, most of the students in class, even the teachers, turned a blind eye to all of it. Bullying became the norm. The only exception was Wei Yiming.
At the end of the semester, the class had done well on their exams, and the teacher threw a celebration party.
The classroom was chaos, laughter and noise everywhere. Only two corners stayed quiet—Cha Mu, and Wei Yiming. The two of them sat in their own seats, reading quietly.
Wei Yiming turned the pages gently. She found these people utterly repulsive. Almost the entire class had bullied Cha Mu. She was not among them.
Over on Cha Mu's side, he was fiddling with something in his desk drawer.
The vice class president led his crew over to him and yelled at the top of his lungs: "Well, well, well, if it isn't Cha Mu the loser! Wanna play a game today or what?"
His lackeys behind him all burst out laughing.
Cha Mu was silent. He didn't even glance at him.
The vice class president, Luo Ren, got pissed. He grabbed Cha Mu by the collar and lifted him into the air, cursing viciously: "What the hell are you acting all high and mighty for? Who do you think you are?"
"Get him."
A few of them swarmed in, fists and feet flying. Cha Mu fell to the ground, glasses knocked off, his face mostly blank.
"Hahaha, know your place now!"
Cha Mu slowly picked himself up, limped back to his seat, and reached his hand into the drawer, as if he were about to take something out.
Luo Ren, seeing that Cha Mu still didn't give a damn about him, charged over again, shoved him aside, and roared: "Acting so fucking cold, who do you think you're fooling!"
Cha Mu slammed into the wall and slid to the floor. An iron box flew out along with the tug on the drawer and landed right by his hand.
He tucked the iron box into his pocket and stood up, expression hard.
"What? You got a problem? Too bad. You're gonna have to suck it up." Luo Ren swung at him.
Cha Mu raised his hand and caught the punch dead.
"Yo, you actually dare fight back—"
Cha Mu pulled the iron box out of his pocket, opened it fast, and took out a scalpel. Without a shred of hesitation, he slashed open Luo Ren's wrist.
"Ahh—! What are you doing! You psycho!"
Luo Ren's screams drew everyone's attention. Someone saw the blood running down his arm and shrieked: "He's killing someone!"
Wei Yiming looked up too.
Cha Mu walked toward Luo Ren, plunged the knife straight into his head, and lifted it up with force.
"You know why I never fought back? Because it's way more satisfying to endure it to the very end and then kill you all!"
"Heh heh heh… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter was unhinged.
Luo Ren had already taken a fatal wound. Blood kept pouring out, but his mind was frighteningly clear—feeling every ounce of pain with perfect lucidity.
"Don't be scared. You won't die just yet. I put an immortality buff on you. Killing you now would be letting you off way too easy."
Luo Ren's face was twisted in terror.
"He killed someone!"
Someone tried to run out of the classroom. Cha Mu flicked his hand casually, and the door slammed shut on its own.
Everyone was stunned. Wei Yiming felt her heart lurch—could he be an Ability User? What level? Wind class, Water class? Or maybe…
Her father was the director of the Weather Bureau, the organization responsible for containing and managing Ability Users. Her father had told her before: when facing an Ability User, always assume the worst-case scenario, because you never know how strong they really are. The power of Ability Users was often terrifying.
Judging from what she'd just seen, Wei Yiming made her judgment—telekinesis.
"Smash the windows and run! He's a Ghost-class Ability User!"
Someone grabbed a stool and hurled it at the glass. The windows didn't even budge.
"It's useless. You can't get out." Cha Mu turned his head toward them, smiling, the look on his face one of total assured victory.
There's always someone who doesn't know when to quit.
One guy charged at him.
Before he got anywhere close, he was frozen in midair.
"Shi Ren, brave of you. I do remember, though—you've hit me quite a bit, haven't you?"
Cha Mu's smile was eerie. He clenched his hand, and Shi Ren's entire body burst into a mist of blood.
"Now then. Your turn."
He snapped his fingers. The people around him, one after another, exploded into bloody mist. In the span of a breath, there was no one left in the classroom except Wei Yiming.
She sat there, hands resting on her desk, frozen in place, staring straight ahead with blank eyes.
Cha Mu walked over to her. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a breath.
"Ah, what a pain."
"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I remember you, Wei Yiming. All you ever do is sit by yourself and read. Out of this entire class, you're the only one who never did anything to me."
Wei Yiming kept staring forward, eyes unfocused, no response.
Cha Mu shifted his approach. "Don't worry. I just want to be friends."
"Don't worry. I won't kill you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the corner of his lips lifted, almost involuntarily.
"At least, not for now."
"Oh, right. We're not really that familiar yet. Allow me to reintroduce myself."
He extended his hand to Wei Yiming, a gesture of friendliness.
"My name is Cha Mu. Please take care of me."
He smiled.