"What an eerie, cold fog."
Inside the Institute of Abnormal Abilities, there was no rain—only a dense fog limiting visibility to less than ten meters. Despite it being September, the temperature here had dropped below 20°C. Fortunately, Yu Jing was bundled up tightly in a hooded sweatshirt, hands stuffed deep in his pockets to ward off the chill.
"What was that?"
As Yu Jing walked along the path indicated by the signposts, hugging the right side of the road, he felt countless eyes watching him from within the thick white mist surrounding his body. The sensation was deeply unsettling.
The longer he walked, the stronger this feeling became.
"Since stepping into this Institute, death seems to hover all around. Don't pay it any mind—just keep moving toward your destination."
Just then, a voice came from beside him. Yu Xiao, who was about half a head shorter than Yu Jing, passed by. She sounded as if she was reminding him during a test not to step onto a broken shard of mirror on the ground, then continued walking on alone.
"Thanks," Yu Jing replied.
Yu Xiao was probably the only person in this Institute that Yu Jing was familiar with besides Commissioner Liang. But since she didn't want to engage with him, Yu Jing would not press the matter, even though Commissioner Liang had mentioned this beforehand.
Ignoring the 'observers' lurking within the mist around him, Yu Jing strode straight toward the newcomers' registration area.
Soon, an abandoned building of moderate size—roughly two thousand square meters—came into view. Yu Jing pushed open the somewhat dilapidated door with both hands, and inside, the scene resembled the start of a new semester.
From his sweeping glance, about three hundred people were gathered inside the rundown building. Yet, no registration booths for the various departments were in sight—only a cylindrical metal device stood in the center.
Most newcomers were leaning against the walls or finding random spots to rest. These students seemed to be preparing for the physical training starting at midnight. Others wandered around, trying to talk to fellow newcomers, apparently attempting to form teams or arrange other matters.
Also, not all the newcomers here were like Yu Jing—a nineteen-year-old graduate from the Advanced Potential Academy. The ages ranged mostly between fifteen and thirty, with a small number over thirty.
"Excuse me, where is the newcomer registration?" Yu Jing asked a burly young man in his twenties who was walking nearby.
The newcomer sized up Yu Jing's slight frame and height of about 1.7 meters, then, upon noticing the research institute ID hanging from Yu Jing's neck, showed some interest.
"You're staff from the research institute, right? You must have some bio-enhancements. Interested in joining my team during physical training? Your chances of survival would be a bit higher. I'm Jiang Pengyu, a newcomer from the Physical Fitness Academy."
Yu Jing had no intention to form alliances just yet. With ten hours remaining before training began, he planned to assess the situation fully before deciding. Besides, from observing this man's facial expressions, he seemed to have ulterior motives.
"Sorry, I'm not looking to join a team right now."
"That's fine. You can contact me anytime before midnight. As for registration, just insert your points card into the device in the center to activate it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Jiang Pengyu was smooth and personable, doing Yu Jing a small favor.
"Thanks."
Yu Jing pulled his hood down a bit to look inconspicuous, then stepped toward the center. Following Jiang's instructions, he inserted his points card into the slot at the top of the device. In less than a second, the card was ejected back.
As Yu Jing took the card, a message was transmitted directly into his mind through the card:
"Class 2139, Gene Academy, Phase One Disciple—Yu Jing, registration successful. Welcome to the Di Hua Institute of Abnormal Abilities. Points card internal storage space activated, currently capable of holding three cubic meters of items. Capacity can be upgraded with points. 532 newcomers remain unregistered. System will close registration at 23:00."
When the system voice ended, Yu Jing noticed a series of numerical codes printed on the back of his points card: 2139-3220-0213.
"Storage space?"
Yu Jing didn't yet understand what this feature meant or how to operate it, so he set it aside for now.
"It seems the details of the physical training will be explained after 23:00, once all newcomers have registered or after midnight. During this time, I should try to gather some intelligence. If I get nothing, then I'll rest and prepare for the rigorous training that Commissioner Liang has repeatedly emphasized."
After stowing away his student ID card, Yu Jing glanced around. His eyes soon caught sight of Yu Xiao, who was leaning motionless alone in a corner. Strangely, no other disciples were within five meters of her.
"Yu Xiao's background must make others wary. Should I try to contact her? If the physical training takes place at night, the plant life within my arm won't be able to photosynthesize, which is when the danger is greatest."
—During physical training, try to stay close to the youngest Yu girl; your chances of survival will be much higher.—
Commissioner Liang's warning echoed in Yu Jing's mind. After some thought, he decided to approach Yu Xiao's position. However, as he moved closer, his peripheral vision caught the unusual gazes cast from several people nearby.
Yu Xiao, who had been resting with her eyes closed against the corner, slid a sharp blade out from between the fingers of her hand concealed behind her back as someone neared.
But when she opened her eyes and saw it was Yu Jing, the blade immediately retracted into her sleeve. She murmured quietly, "Still can't judge precisely by the aura…"
"May I stay here?" Yu Jing, never much of a talker, felt a bit shy in front of Yu Xiao's delicate, cute features.
Yu Xiao merely nodded slightly. Yu Jing promptly leaned his suitcase to the side, keeping about thirty centimeters of distance between them.
"My mom told me not to get close to you, but you're different from the others. You're a good person," Yu Xiao whispered suddenly, so softly that only Yu Jing could hear.
"That's okay, hehe."
Yu Jing didn't quite know how to respond to this unexpected compliment—being labeled a "good person" was somewhat baffling.
"…Um, do you have any food? Mom won't let me eat, but I'm really hungry," Yu Xiao lowered her voice, sounding a little embarrassed as she asked.
"Uh…" Yu Jing was momentarily stunned, then noticed a pattern—both their previous interactions had somehow involved food. "I've got some spare instant noodles with me. Would you like some?"
Just in case, Yu Jing had packed a few cups of instant noodles in his suitcase.
"Instant noodles? What's that?" Yu Xiao looked genuinely curious, as if hearing the word for the first time, her expression adorably innocent.