Free Web NovelChapter 393: Chapter 341: Damaged Black Banner (2)
BANG!
Perhaps from the force of the blow, the alarm clock tumbled off the desk and clattered onto the floor.
But the ringing was persistent.
A few seconds later.
A disheveled boy of about fifteen or sixteen poked his head out from under the covers, then sat up in bed.
The boy slipped on his slippers, walked over, and bent down to pick up the clock. He shut it off and set it aside.
He strolled to the window and pulled open the curtains.
In an instant, a faint light filled the once-dim room.
Lifting his gaze, he looked into the distance. The inky black canopy of the night sky was gradually receding.
The eastern horizon was turning the color of a fish’s belly.
Soon, a massive, crimson sun slowly peeked over the horizon.
Like a newborn babe, its rays pierced the morning mist between the high-rises, casting a warm glow upon the boy’s face.
"Praise be to the great Sun God, for you grant us warmth and light!"
Li Feng lowered his gaze, his hands forming the sign of a sun wheel before his chest as he offered a devout prayer.
Then,
he changed his clothes and walked out of his room.
The living room was empty.
Li Feng walked over to the dining table. A small note lay on its surface, held down by a fruit bowl.
A line of elegant handwriting was written on it.
[Xiaofeng, breakfast is in the rice cooker. Make sure to eat up. —Love, Mom]
Seeing this, Li Feng smiled.
He was clearly used to this.
He was originally an orphan.
He was adopted by his current parents when he was seven, and they treated him very well.
They left early and returned late every day, all to provide a better life for him.
By this time of day, his parents had already left for work.
He went into the kitchen. As expected,
he found breakfast waiting for him in the rice cooker.
However, the congee felt a bit cool and looked rather dark. ’Maybe it’s black rice congee,’ he thought.
Li Feng didn’t think much of it.
After a quick breakfast, Li Feng washed his bowl and left the house.
His middle school was only a few hundred meters away,
so he could just walk instead of taking a bus.
Just as Li Feng entered the classroom,
he noticed his classmates huddled together, whispering about something.
When they saw him walk in, their gazes turned toward him, filled with an indescribable meaning.
Seeing this, Li Feng turned to his deskmate and best buddy, asking quizzically,
"Old Zhang, what’s going on?"
His deskmate was a sturdy boy named Zhang Lin.
Hearing this, Zhang Lin glanced at him.
A flash of surprise crossed his face.
He then explained in a low voice,
"You haven’t seen the news, have you? A Nightmare event happened over at Le Fang Mall in the East Lake District! Thirty-one people have gone missing so far."
"A Nightmare event? Thirty-one people missing?"
Li Feng’s expression changed slightly.
Nightmare events were terrifying phenomena. If an ordinary person got caught in one, their chances of survival were practically zero.
"Missing" was just what they called it when no bodies were found. In situations like this, it was almost certain they were all dead.
He had even been to Le Fang Mall in the East Lake District before. It was only about three or four kilometers away, just across a river.
"Don’t worry, the Punishment Department has already been dispatched.
I heard a Tier Three Priest of the Scorching Sun is leading the team. Resolving this Nightmare event should be a piece of cake for them."
Sensing Li Feng’s anxiety, Zhang Lin offered a word of reassurance.
Hearing that,
Li Feng relaxed a little.
According to the records,
Nightmare events had existed since ancient times.
Back then, they occurred with terrifying frequency.
But eighty years ago, the Sun God manifested in the world and purged these ghastly things.
However, Nightmares originated from the darkness in the depths of the human heart.
As long as intelligent beings—humans—existed, they could never be completely eradicated.
Fortunately, with the existence of the Sun God Sect, every Nightmare event was resolved swiftly,
preventing massive casualties.
The Punishment Department he mentioned was a special organization jointly formed by the Sun God Sect and the Yu Country.
Its members were, at a minimum, Radiant Sun Apostles who could wield Divine Techniques and had been acknowledged by the Sun God. freёwebnovel.com
Just as he was about to say something more,
the sound of someone spitting echoed from the doorway.
Then, their pot-bellied, balding homeroom teacher walked in.
At the sight of him, the two of them immediately stopped talking and sat up straight.
The day passed quickly.
Soon, it was time for school to let out.
Li Feng and Zhang Lin walked home together.
They lived in the same residential complex, just in different buildings.
"Hey, come over to my place for dinner today,"
Zhang Lin said with a smile, patting Li Feng on the shoulder.
"Nah, my parents are waiting for me at home."
Li Feng shook his head and declined.
However,
when Zhang Lin heard Li Feng’s words,
a strange expression flickered across his face.
He then let out a sigh.
"Fengzi, you need to move on. If your parents were still alive, they wouldn’t want to see you wallowing in the past like this..."
"Fuck! What the hell? Don’t make me punch you. We’re best friends, but you don’t joke about stuff like that."
Hearing this,
Li Feng’s face turned ugly.
Zhang Lin opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He just shook his head and walked away.
Li Feng, his expression still dark, returned home.
He and Zhang Lin were good friends, but he couldn’t tolerate someone directly cursing his parents like that.
He couldn’t understand why his friend would suddenly say something so horrible out of the blue.
Just then, as if hearing his arrival,
a voice called out from the kitchen.
"Xiaofeng, is that you? Are you home?"
At this,
Li Feng’s mind was still on what had just happened.
He answered absentmindedly.
"Go rest for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon."
The voice continued from the kitchen, mingled with the faint sound of running water.
"Where’s Dad?"
Li Feng glanced around, but not seeing any sign of his father, he couldn’t help but ask.
"Your dad went out to buy something. He should be back soon!"
his mother’s voice replied.
Li Feng didn’t give it much thought.
But for some reason, he still glanced toward the kitchen. He saw a familiar figure standing with her back to him by the sink.
Seeing this, Li Feng shook his head.
He cursed himself inwardly. ’Am I an idiot?’
He turned, went back to his room, and put down his backpack.
Then he took a cell phone out of his drawer.
As a middle school student, he did own a phone.
But since the school rules were strict, he never brought it with him.
He usually only used it to pass the time when he was bored.
However, just as he turned on his phone,
a message notification chimed.
It was from none other than Zhang Lin.
"I’m sorry, Fengzi. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have picked at your scabs."
Hearing this, the anger Li Feng had just managed to suppress flared up again with a WHOOSH.
’What does he mean, "pick at my scabs"?’
’This guy’s apologizing on the surface, but between the lines, he’s still cursing my family!’
Without another word, Li Feng dialed his number. The call connected quickly.
"Hello!"
Zhang Lin’s voice came through the receiver.
Li Feng couldn’t hold it in any longer. He started yelling into the phone, telling Zhang Lin that his parents were alive and well, that his mom was in the kitchen making dinner for him right now.
However, after Li Feng finished his tirade, the angry retort he expected from Zhang Lin never came.
After a few seconds of silence,
Zhang Lin’s slightly hoarse voice came through from the other end.
"Fengzi... are you really losing it? Your parents were cremated just two days ago. How could they possibly still be alive?"
