Chapter 20

Page Nineteen

Surround and Attack

The clothes that had just been dried were still warm, radiating heat that made them feel almost scorching when worn. The temperature difference between the air-conditioned room and the outside, combined with the heat generated by running back to the classroom, left me drenched in sweat once I sat down at my seat.

Reflecting now, the words I spoke to Tán Lǐn Huā in bed seemed overly emotional. If she truly became a girl, it would quickly lead back to me.

Zhào Zhào, sitting behind me, patted my shoulder and handed me a bottle of iced mineral water. I gulped it down greedily.

“Refreshing, thanks.”

“Chairman, where did you wash your clothes? How did they dry so quickly?”

“Secret Base… I promised someone I’d keep it confidential. Don’t ask about this.”

A single sentence ended the conversation, cutting off Zhào Zhào’s curiosity. He pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

To lighten his mood, I tried to find a new topic: “So what did you do all afternoon?”

“I went to the gym to play basketball. After all, during summer vacation, we play outside to pick up girls, right?… But those guys from the school team were there too. They still want me to join, but they haven’t given up even after a year.”

“They invited you because they see value in you. Just give them face and go. Playing basketball every day keeps your skills sharp. It’s your own talent, don’t let it go to waste.”

“I won’t go. Why should I join a basketball team where even the advisor teacher and team manager are men?” Zhào Zhào shook his head and waved his hands, showing strong resistance. “Unless you help me turn them all into girls.”

“Arbitrarily using power can cause problems. Can’t you consider the consequences?”

“What consequences? You just need to write a name. Who would know it was you? Erase the name later, and no one will believe they ever turned into girls. Chairman, you’re too cautious. This attitude won’t get you anywhere.”

This guy always encourages me to use the notebook’s power, but I am very cautious, or perhaps cowardly. I don’t want to take any risks of exposure.

“Foolish! Simple-minded!” I rolled my eyes at this gorilla-like simpleton and turned back to my seat, no longer paying attention to him. I looked at the black-covered notebook in my bag, pondering the best time to write Tán Lǐn Huā’s name on it. After all, I wasn’t sure when he would be alone.

If he wasn’t lying, he lived alone outside the school. Perhaps due to his constant cross-dressing, his relationship with his parents wasn’t harmonious. His enrollment in the boys’ school might have been to correct his gender issues. No, considering the luxurious and fully-equipped secret base, Tán Lǐn Huā probably had more secrets that she hadn’t told me.

In the afternoon, it was still a self-study class. Teacher Dìzhōng, with his balding head, only came in to take attendance before rushing out again.

The classrooms in the boys’ school lacked air conditioning. In such stifling conditions, everything felt exhausting. Outside, the cicadas chirped incessantly. In this monotonous and sleep-inducing afternoon, their relentless noise sounded like a lullaby. By the time I woke up, most of the classmates had already fallen asleep. Zhao, who had been reading a novel on his phone, had also nodded off.

I put on my earphones and closed my eyes, joining the ranks of the drowsy.

…

When I opened my eyes, it was time to leave.

Today, Xiǎo Hǎi Táng didn’t wait for me and Zhào Zhào. She said she wanted to take Júzi to attend a girls’ group activity, which was essentially a group outing for the girls. In other words, I wouldn’t see the cute Júzi today, and it felt somewhat disappointing.

Mí Fēng Street was a small commercial street near the entrance of the village, which I and Zhào Zhào passed every day on our way to school.

The street was surprisingly quiet under the sunset. Few customers were seen in the shops, and the shopkeepers were mostly elderly people, enjoying their peaceful lives.

Occasionally, children in loincloths would run out of one shop, laughing as they darted into another, adding rare vitality to the old-fashioned street.

Nowadays, the人流was directed towards large commercial malls, and these traditional commercial streets were gradually disappearing. Although survival of the fittest is a natural law, some things worth cherishing should be preserved.

“Are you staying over tonight? Did you tell your mom?” I broke the somewhat melancholic silence and turned the conversation to tonight’s reconnaissance mission, aiming to find out where Old Fēng lived.

Zhào Zhào nodded and pointed to his backpack, “I brought extra clothes. When I said I’d stay over at your place, Mom didn’t even ask why.”

I was grateful for Old Lady Zhaos’ trust, but why… Where did this mysterious goodwill come from?

“We should first ask Old Fēng what time he usually closes his stall. Otherwise, you might wait in vain or arrive too late.”

“Good idea. We can solve dinner too—what are you guys planning?”

From the side alley, several thugs silently appeared, quickly surrounding us from both sides. One thug with a mohawk and a mask locked my arm with a rubber stick, pressing it against the back of my neck, forcing my head down. This position made it difficult to cry for help.

“Get away!” Unlike me, who could be subdued easily, Zhào Zhào was a muscular jock. He shouted, using his powerful leg muscles to push back the thugs trying to hold him down, even kicking one of them to the ground.

One thug, enraged, swung a large iron rod at Zhào Zhào’s leg, causing him to clutch his leg and fall to his knees in pain. The other thugs then rushed in, tying up his arms with ropes.

“Hey, let’s talk! Don’t fight… Don’t fight…” Seeing Zhào Zhào being beaten, I panicked. Even speaking with my head pressed down was difficult, and my voice trembled with fear.

Perhaps to avoid drawing attention, they dragged us into the alley.

The alley was long but narrow, with walls on both sides. Occasionally, there were old shops, mostly closed, as if abandoned.

Dark and dirty, it was exactly the kind of place where these rat-like thugs would gather.

These thugs wore identical leather jackets with steel spikes, had various strange hairstyles, and carried iron pipes and chains. Their appearance, reminiscent of Thunder Tiger’s gang, was clearly of the street punk variety.

They were here for revenge over yesterday’s incident. They kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest with Xiǎo Hǎi Táng, so they wanted to take their losses out on Zhào Zhào and me. This was typical behavior for second-rate thugs.

Honestly, I was extremely nervous. Without Xiǎo Hái Táng, I felt very insecure. Although Zhào Zhào was a muscular giant at 190 cm, compared to Xiǎo Hái Táng’s “quality over quantity,” Zhào Zhào was still within the range where numbers could make a difference.

For example, if these thugs were mass-produced Zaku units, Zhào Zhào would be a Tiger unit. His performance wasn’t enough to overwhelm them, making it hard for him to handle multiple opponents.

By the way, Xiǎo Hái Táng could unleash a five-color cannon from her Assault Freedom (Superior Type), while I was a Gimm… no, an Iron Ball type.

There was no doubt that without the help of the Assault Freedom, an Iron Ball and a Tiger couldn’t stand up to a Zaku army.

Deep in the alley, another group of thugs waited, mostly injured from the beating by Xiǎo Hái Táng yesterday. They were covered in bruises, bandages, and gauze. Not just the Mohawk fatty, but even Thunder Tiger himself was there, with an injured arm wrapped in a plaster cast.

“Yes, it’s them two!” We were forced to kneel on the ground, our backpacks thrown into a corner. The Mohawk fatty, wearing sunglasses, eagerly stepped forward to identify us. This man clearly held a grudge.

Thunder Tiger slowly walked out from among the thugs, raising his eyebrows as he glanced back and forth between me and Zhào Zhào. Finally, he focused on Zhào Zhào, since I was just a bean sprout to him.

“Do you understand why I’m here?”

“Piss off!” Zhào Zhào spat, full of anger. “Isn’t it just a bunch of social trash gathering together? Acting tough.”

“Hey, don’t provoke them!” Zhào Zhào’s words sent chills down my spine. Even though our hands were tied, this perverted muscle was still talking like that. At times like this, it’s better to appease them rather than provoke them.

“Haha, I thought you’d say something else.” Thunder Tiger didn’t seem angry at Zhào Zhào’s harsh words, nor did his subordinates react much. “We’ve heard this nonsense too many times. We don’t care, really.” He even stuck his little finger in his ear, as if trying to remove Zhào Zhào’s words.

Being called social trash didn’t bother them. These people were numb, trapped in a cycle of delinquency for comfort.

Rubbing his golden ring, Thunder Tiger continued, “My brother was hit by that wild woman. But my principle is not to hit women, so my brothers suffered—”

“That’s nice, but isn’t it just because you can’t beat her, so you’re picking on weaker targets?” Zhào Zhào interrupted, lifting his head high and glaring at Thunder Tiger.

As if to refute Zhào Zhào’s claim of being unable to fight, Thunder Tiger removed his ring from his right hand and punched the nearby wall, producing a heavy thud. A chunk of cement fell off the wall.

He brushed the dust off his hand and put the ring back on, “Whether I can beat you is up to you. Anyway, I don’t want money. You’ll endure this beating today… Go ahead.”

With Thunder Tiger’s approval, the Mohawk fatty and a few thugs wielding iron rods approached, ready to strike.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Tián Xī, stop now! What are you going to use, iron rods?” The thugs were stopped by Thunder Tiger, who kicked them.

“Using iron rods, do you want to escalate things? Use this instead, a rubber stick. It hurts but is less likely to cause serious trouble.”

Thunder Tiger picked up four black sticks from the wall and tossed them on the ground.