Eye of Evolution - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Zhou Yi

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

A series of memories churned.

The perpetrator was Bai Xiaowen’s classmate, Zhou Yi. During the combat class, Zhou Yi looked for Bai Xiaowen to practice. Nobody knew if it was intentional or not, but Zhou Yi hit Bai Xiaowen’s head hard, causing the latter to faint on the spot and bleed profusely. Following that, Bai Xiaowen was sent to the school hospital for emergency treatment.

Bai Xiaowen seemed to have survived a calamity, but in fact, the original host had already been killed by Zhou Yi! Otherwise, the web novelist—Bai Xiaowen—would not get a chance to be reborn.

The sound of footsteps interrupted Bai Xiaowen’s thoughts. Then, with a creak, the door to the ward was pushed open.

The first person to enter was the adorable girl in her school uniform. When Bai Xiaowen saw her, he felt a sense of closeness to her.

A string of memories appeared.

This little beauty was his younger sister, Bai Xiaojun. She was a 14-year-old girl and was in her third year of junior high at the Crimson Fire No.1 Middle School. The siblings relied on each other and had a deep relationship. This time, Bai Xiaowen had an accident, so Bai Xiaojun immediately rushed to the school hospital to take care of him. She did not get a chance to apply for leave from school yet. Looking at her slightly red and swollen eyes, Bai Xiaowen deduced that she must have cried countless times.

Behind Bai Xiaojun was a man in a white coat. It was Mr. Qiao, the school doctor she had found.

“Elder Brother, why are you up?” Bai Xiaojun was taken aback and quickly helped Bai Xiaowen up. “Quick, lie back on the bed. Your injuries are very serious. You have to rest well. I thought I would never see you again…” At this point, she started to sob again.

Bai Xiaowen was unable to persuade her otherwise and could only lie down on the bed. Mr. Qiao walked over to check on his condition and said, “You’re in good physical condition, so you can be discharged after another day or two of observation. Bai Xiaowen, I know that being in Year Three combat class, you have immense pressure, but the training in the actual combat class is very dangerous. You still have to be careful.”

Bai Xiaowen thanked him, but he was still thinking about Zhou Yi.

After Mr. Qiao left, Xiaojun closed the door and sat on Bai Xiaowen’s bed. “Elder Brother, you were unconscious for three days! You scared me to death.”

Bai Xiaowen looked at Xiaojun’s haggard face. He could only imagine how frightened Bai Xiaojun had been for the past three days. According to his memories, the siblings had already lost their parents, and his elder sister had been missing for two years. They relied heavily on one another. If Bai Xiaowen really died, how could Xiaojun, a 14-year-old girl, survive?

“Elder Brother, the combat class is too dangerous. Why don’t you transfer to the ordinary class?” Xiaojun persuaded.

High schools in the Spiritual Energy Era were divided into the Normal Class and the Combat Class.

The students in the normal class were similar to those in another time and space. Every day, they would attend classes in the classroom and learn about the Spiritual Energy Era. They would not be tested on their combat ability during the college entrance examination.

The combat class was different. Among the five subjects of the college entrance examination, four were related to combat, machinery, meditation, and actual combat. There was only one subject, called “general knowledge”, that tested book knowledge.

The students in the combat class were very hardworking. Every day, they had to spend a lot of time training their physical fitness, improving their basic specialties, and nurturing their actual combat ability. According to the country’s regulations, the high school combat class had a certain rate of disability and mortality every year! One could imagine how dangerous it was.

If Bai Xiaowen died in the hospital, it would not cause much of a stir. It was just an accident during an actual combat class. He would only add to that mortality rate in his school, Crimson Fire No.1 Middle School. As long as there was no evidence, no one would pursue the matter. As the perpetrator, Zhou Yi would at most receive disciplinary action.

Although it was tough for combat students, they could apply to the Combat Faculty when applying for a university. Once they passed the examination, they could enjoy a large amount of resources. They were one step closer to becoming an Awakened! This was something that normal students could not compare to.

Students from normal classes could only apply for regular faculties. Without a strong financial background and generous resources, they would had no luck with entering the world of Awakened. But then again, for students who had a strong financial background, how was it possible that they would not enter the combat classes?

The status, reputation, and income of Awakened far exceeded that of ordinary people, almost forming a privileged class by themselves! This was also caused by the huge threat of monsters in the wilderness during the Spiritual Energy Era.

After Bai Xiaowen fused his memories with the original host, he had already figured out these differences. Of course, he would not want a transfer to the normal class. With his Insight talent and super brain, Bai Xiaowen was confident that he could have great achievements as an Awakened.

Seeing how insistent Bai Xiaowen was, Xiaojun did not try to persuade him again. She sighed gently and said, “Elder Brother, I know you want to enter the combat faculty at Jinghai University and become an Awakened. Then, you can go to the Spiritual Realm to find Elder Sister’s whereabouts. However, don’t give yourself too much pressure. Our family is poor, so we can’t afford enhancement potions, nor can we afford enhancement recipes. We can’t compete with other rich candidates.”

The Spiritual Realm was the birthplace of spiritual particles, and there were countless universes there. Killing powerful monsters could drop precious equipment, props, and so on. It could be said to be a huge treasure trove. After the spiritual particles penetrated Earth, not only could the Spiritual Realm monsters descend on Earth, but the humans on Earth could also enter the Spiritual Realm through some special methods!

However, opportunities and danger coexisted in the Spiritual Realm. Without powerful strength, it was almost impossible for them to move about in the Spiritual Realm. Bai Xiaowen’s father—Bai Yuantang—and his elder sister—Bai Xiaohua—had gone missing after they arrived at the Spiritual Realm. The original host, Bai Xiaowen, had been training hard in the combat class so that he could become an Awakened and enter the Spiritual Realm to search for their whereabouts.

As the siblings were talking, the door slammed open.

The two of them looked over at the same time. A burly boy, brimming with muscles, had shoulder-charged the door and stumbled in. When he saw Bai Xiaowen lying on the hospital bed, the boy grinned and said, “Bai Xiaowen, I didn’t expect you to be so resilient. You’re still alive even after getting hit on the head.”

“Zhou Yi?”

Bai Xiaowen’s expression darkened. He recognized this boy as the culprit, Zhou Yi, who had wounded him.

Zhou Yi waved his hand. “Come on, don’t have such an ugly expression on your face! I didn’t do it on purpose. That’s why I’m here now, to visit you and to apologize.”

Bai Xiaowen’s slender eyes narrowed.

After a short daze, Xiaojun suddenly jumped and charged toward Zhou Yi, pushing him hard. As she pushed, she screamed, “Get out, get out!”

However, Xiaojun’s push was too weak compared to Zhou Yi’s strong muscles.

Zhou Yi did not move an inch at all. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. He looked at Bai Xiaowen and smacked his lips. “Your sister is not bad-looking. In a few years, her looks might even be comparable to Li Shuyi, but she can’t compare with Li Shuyi in other aspects. For instance, Li Shuyi can be my first wife, while your sister can only be my maid-concubine…”

Li Shuyi, the campus belle of Crimson Fire No.1 Middle School, was also Zhou Yi and Bai Xiaowen’s classmate.

Bai Xiaowen remembered this name, and his heart lit up. It seemed that there was a reason why Zhou Yi was targeting him…

Slap!

A crisp sound interrupted Bai Xiaowen’s thoughts. Xiaojun had raised her hand and slapped Zhou Yi.

This slap was nothing to Zhou Yi, but he felt humiliated by her. Zhou Yi’s eyes seemed to blaze with sudden rage. His arms, which were wrapped around his chest originally, pushed Xiaojun away easily. Xiaojun was unsteady on her feet, and she staggered back a few steps.

Zhou Yi had been too arrogant and felt that Xiaojun was no threat at all. His arms were folded high across his chest as he mocked Bai Xiaowen, which was why Xiaojun managed to slap him. Otherwise, with his physical fitness, Xiaojun would not have had a chance.

Bai Xiaowen was shocked and furious. He immediately stood up to support Xiaojun and shouted angrily, “Zhou Yi! What do you want?”

Following behind Zhou Yi, a girl with long hair whispered, “Zhou Yi, don’t go overboard. This is the hospital.”

“Mind your own business,” Zhou Yi said without turning his head. From the side of her face, one could see that the long-haired girl’s face was pale, and she looked a little embarrassed.

“Xiaoyan?” Only then did Xiaojun notice the girl’s side profile. Her eyes widened. “Why are you with this b*stard?”

Bai Xiaowen also recognized this girl.

Wu Xiaoyan grew up in the same neighborhood as Bai Xiaowen. They could be considered childhood sweethearts. Before junior high, Wu Xiaoyan had always considered herself Bai Xiaowen’s girlfriend and even became close to Xiaojun.

However, after entering high school, Bai Xiaowen’s sister—Bai Xiaohua—went missing. The Bai family lost their source of income and was on the decline. As she grew older, Wu Xiaoyan became a pragmatic person and distanced herself from them.

If it was the original Bai Xiaowen who saw Wu Xiaoyan throwing herself at Zhou Yi, he might feel upset about it. However, the current Bai Xiaowen was a fusion of two souls, so he did not have any feelings for Wu Xiaoyan. After all, he did not have any deep feelings for her in his original memories. He merely threw a glance at Wu Xiaoyan and turned his gaze back to Zhou Yi’s face. Many thoughts raced through his brain as he said.

“Zhou Yi, do you dare to make a move here?”

Zhou Yi looked a little surprised and narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

Bai Xiaowen was very clearheaded.

He said calmly, “In actual combat class, you dared to deal a death blow to me because you knew that there is a mortality rate. As long as you say that you accidentally lost control of yourself, you will at most be punished. Before the college entrance examination, you can use your connections to get rid of this taint in your record. However, this is a hospital. If you have the guts to try to kill me, go ahead and do it! Before tomorrow, the entire school will know that Zhou Yi failed to kill his classmate and specially rushed to the hospital to attack him again…”

The surprise on Zhou Yi’s face deepened as if he was reacquainting himself with Bai Xiaowen. He sized him up. Was this still the introverted Bai Xiaowen who had an inferiority complex?

However, Bai Xiaowen was telling the truth. Zhou Yi would not dare try anything in the hospital.

On the one hand, a guy who deliberately killed his classmates would definitely be ostracized by his classmates.

In another time and space, even if the Double Hammer Assassin—Ma Fenghou—was not shot to death, he would definitely be isolated by others should he continue to stay in school. The same could be said for the Master’s Degree holder, Wu Muhao, who poisoned someone to death.

Zhou Yi could say that the accident in the actual combat class was a mistake, but if he had beaten up Bai Xiaowen in the hospital, he would not have been able to explain himself. The school would overturn their conclusion and launch a reinvestigation.

On the other hand, the mortality rate was for everyday training. The school would never tolerate a private fight that resulted in disability or even death. Even if Zhou Yi’s family was rich, it was inevitable that he would be expelled. If Zhou Yi was transferred to the Public Security Bureau, there would be a stain on his record for the rest of his life.

There were only a few months left until the college entrance examination. No matter how foolish Zhou Yi was, he would not get into a fight in private. Although his family was rich, they were not an Awakened family. They still had some influence in the Crimson Fire District, but their influence outside the territory was limited.

“I didn’t expect this, Bai Xiaowen!” Zhou Yi sneered. “You’ve become much bolder, but that makes me hate you even more. I’ll repeat myself, what happened in the actual combat class was merely an accident. Hmph! I won’t ruin my future for trash like you!”

Suppressing the anger coursing through his system, Bai Xiaowen calmly looked at Zhou Yi. He inwardly vowed that one day, he would take revenge tenfold or a hundredfold.

Suddenly, a girl’s voice came from the corridor not far away.

“Zhou Yi? What are you doing here!”