Chapter 76: Madness
A Teacher’s Lament
“Alas… as a teacher, I still hope my students would wish me well.”
Wang Si ignored Yu Li’s words, letting out a sigh and shaking his head.
“Then, as your student, I’d prefer if you didn’t keep me chained.”
Yu Li shifted her arms, signaling the chains still binding her. The room filled with the grating sound of metal links scraping as she moved.
Observing her actions, Wang Si shook his head with a helpless expression.
“No can do. Even chained, your tongue is sharp, Yu Li. If I set you free, I might truly end up dead.”
“…”
“What exactly are you after?” Yu Li’s smile faded, her gaze turning icy as she fixed her eyes on Wang Si.
A Fractured Purpose
“What… am I after?”
A laugh escaped Wang Si, his face flickering with confusion. “Hahaha… what do I… what do I even want?”
He seemed lost, as if the reason for his actions eluded him.
“Ha…?”
Suddenly, his eyes sparked with clarity, as though a memory resurfaced.
“I want to reshape this unfair world… to give ordinary people without resources a chance at more… Yes, that’s it… that must be it!”
His voice carried conviction, yet he repeated himself endlessly, as if desperate to affirm his own words.
At this moment, Wang Si’s demeanor was utterly deranged, his actions disjointed.
“Yu Li, will you join us? Your unique abilities could help us achieve that goal!”
Kneeling halfway before her, his face radiated sincerity, a genuine plea for her to join their cause.
The Cult Revealed
“Us?” Yu Li sidestepped his invitation, zeroing in on the flaw in his words.
“Ah… well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Caught in his slip, Wang Si scratched the back of his head in frustration before adopting a relieved look.
“You’ve likely pieced it together, haven’t you? Yes… we are the Calamity Cult!”
Without hesitation, he admitted it to Yu Li, showing no concern for the revelation.
“So, Yu Li, will you join us?”
“Inviting me? You know I’m from a prominent family, don’t you?”
Raising her head slightly, Yu Li’s chained state didn’t diminish the scrutiny in her gaze.
“Oh… right, that’s true?” Confusion briefly clouded Wang Si’s eyes, but it quickly faded. “Your uniqueness makes it fine, even so.”
“How casual of you,” Yu Li remarked with a soft sneer, then adopted a thoughtful expression. “I’ll need to think it over.”
Stalling for Time
Despite Wang Si’s vague explanation, Yu Li didn’t rush to refuse. Instead, she lowered her head, deep in thought.
Days earlier, during a medical checkup, she had found a note left by the school doctor. Though unsure why he didn’t tell her directly, the note held critical information.
It revealed the presence of a Calamity Cult insider in the school and odd details about the disaster beast studies teacher, all courtesy of the doctor.
Following his advice, Yu Li had been cautious around the disaster beast studies teachers. Yet, she never suspected Wang Si, an ordinary teacher who had been at the school for years, would be the one to attack her.
More shocking still… Wang Si had been teaching long before those disaster beast studies teachers arrived.
Sorting through her thoughts, Yu Li realized her only option was to stall for time.
But Wang Si grew impatient. “Yu Li, have you decided?”
She raised her head, remaining silent.
“Are you… stalling for time?”
Though he saw through her tactic, Yu Li stayed quiet, unfazed.
“My goal is already achieved. Even if you’re special, Yu Li, I won’t waste time here with you.”
A Deadly Ultimatum
As Wang Si spoke, a strange glint flashed in his eyes. Heavy footsteps echoed from both sides.
Two puppets appeared, identical to the ones that had attacked Yu Li before.
“I’m not fond of violence, Yu Li,” Wang Si said coldly. “You have two choices: join us and embrace the Calamity, or… become their food.”
In that moment, he bared his true nature. Defiance meant death.
“Pfft.”
Seeing the cold killing intent on Wang Si’s face, Yu Li let out a sudden laugh.
“Teacher, hearing that from you is… honestly hilarious.”
Boom!
A loud crash sounded from outside, like a heavy object hitting the ground, mingled with faint beastly wails.
Wang Si’s brows furrowed instantly. He sensed… one of his puppets had been destroyed.
“Teacher, how much longer do you think you’ll last?”
Yu Li chuckled softly, brushing off Wang Si’s threat.
“They found you this quickly? I underestimated you, Yu Li.”
Someone had tracked them down so fast. Even unconscious, Yu Li had secured a backup plan.
A fleeting smile of relief crossed Wang Si’s face, but it vanished, replaced by madness.
“But don’t you think you’re underestimating your teacher?”
The Puppet Horde
“The one who came seems to be a student too… How many of those monsters can a high school student handle?”
Yu Li’s brows furrowed at his words.
“Hahahahaha… Thirty! Besides these two guarding you, there are thirty more outside. Whoever came is doomed!”
His maniacal laughter echoed as he clutched his face. Blood seeped from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Controlling thirty puppets came at a steep cost.
“Of course… even if that guy outside somehow survives, they’ll only find your corpse.”
As Wang Si’s words landed, the two puppets roared, poised to tear Yu Li apart.
But at the mention of “thirty,” Yu Li’s face darkened. Even she could no longer feign composure.
So many monsters… whoever came to save her would struggle to survive.
She had to help…
First, though, she needed to deal with these two.
As the puppets charged with a roar, their heavy steps shook the room.
Yet Yu Li remained calm. She opened her mouth and spoke two words:
“Glazed Flame!”
Unleashed Power
Dark flames instantly engulfed her.
The puppets, heedless of the change, lunged forward, their massive fists swinging down.
But they struck nothing. Somehow, Yu Li had broken free of her chains. With a nimble leap, she landed atop one puppet’s head. It reached to grab her, but she leaped again, landing to the side.
The flames around Yu Li faded. Her eyes opened, revealing one gold and one silver heterochromatic pupil, far more captivating than usual.
Soft fox ears sprouted atop her head, and three tails swayed leisurely behind her.