〈A cold-blooded dragon boy〉
Chapter 0:
As night fell, a black cat leaped over the wrought-iron fence and landed gracefully on the wall. It had just rained. The stench of decay rose from the trash bins, making it far from a pleasant place. The black cat tiptoed quickly across the puddles on the wall, heading north along the path.
Suddenly, the quiet of the night was shattered by hurried footsteps. The black cat paused, its pointed ears pricking up, and its amber-colored eyes fixated warily in one direction.
Streetlights stood in rows on either side of the road, but only two remained faithfully illuminating the depths of the alley.
A disheveled young boy darted out of the darkness, glancing anxiously behind him. The footsteps chasing after him grew closer, and shouts followed in quick succession, “Where is he?”
“You little brat, keep running! There’s a dead end ahead. With that limp of yours, let’s see how you climb over the wall!”
The boy pressed himself against the damp wall, his face pale. The shirt he wore was so filthy that it was impossible to tell if it had once been clean white or dirty gray. He stood on one leg, with the other awkwardly bent. The foot, covered by his torn pants, was different from the other—a hoof had replaced what should have been a human foot.
“Damn it. Weren’t you so good at running? Why did you stop now?”
“Hey, stop wasting time with him! Just make him hand over the money he stole!”
The two who had chased after him were panting and cursing. Where their human noses should have been, pink mouse-like snouts had taken their place. Their long whiskers twitched slightly as they spoke, making them look strange and grotesque with their sharp voices.
“I didn’t steal the money; it was mine to begin with!” Despite being cornered, the boy showed no sign of surrender, his black eyes gleaming brightly in the dim alley.
“Yours?” A mocking laugh came as if the boy had just told a joke. “When did you earn it? Where did you earn it? Did anyone see it? If not, you stole it! If you don’t want a beating, hand over the money now!”
“Why waste so much time talking? The money’s on him, just grab it!”
Without waiting for his companion’s response, the impatient one stepped forward. In his eyes, the frail boy was not a threat at all. He didn’t even bother to prepare for a defense, reaching out directly to snatch the money from the boy.
The wind picked up, rustling the leaves. Suddenly, a dark figure surged out, moving so fast that there was no time to react.
Before they could comprehend what happened, the two people in front of the boy were already sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground with two loud thuds.
The black cat perched on the wall paused mid-lick, surprised. Its back instinctively straightened as it stared with wide, beastly eyes at the tall figure of the person who had suddenly appeared in front of the boy.
However, because the figure was facing away, the cat could only see the tall, lean back. Curious, the black cat tiptoed forward a few steps.
“Brother Shen, what are you doing here?” the boy exclaimed, his voice filled with unmistakable joy.
“I went to your house and uncle said you hadn’t returned yet,” the other replied in a deep, pleasant voice that echoed through the quiet, dark alley with an ethereal, distant quality.
The boy’s eyes dimmed slightly at these words, but he quickly forced a casual tone, “I’m fine, just got held up by something…”
“These two were the ones holding you up, weren’t they?” The statement, made in a calm, emotionless tone, nevertheless sent a shiver down one’s spine.
The two who had been struggling to get up from the ground froze upon hearing this. Their curses and threats abruptly ceased as they scrambled to their feet, shouting with false bravado, “Just you wait!”
Supporting each other, they fled into the darkness in a pathetic hurry.
Watching them leave, the boy sighed in relief, then looked up at the figure before him. “Thanks again, Brother Shen. I’m always causing you trouble.”
“Don’t go to that place again. Your stepfather isn’t in good health, don’t make him worry.” With these words, a card was handed to the boy.
“No, you’ve already helped us so much. I can’t take your money again.” The boy immediately waved his hands in refusal upon seeing the card.
“Uncle will recover after a few more courses of medicine. In the meantime, don’t let him worry.” Without giving the boy a chance to refuse, the card was pushed into his hands. “It’s late, hurry home.”
Holding the card, the boy felt a heavy weight in his heart. The words of refusal stuck in his throat. As he sensed the other turning to leave, he hurriedly called out, “I’ll pay you back!”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.” With this simple response, the figure vanished into the darkness of the alley.
The black cat, crouched on the wall, stood up, its beastly eyes glancing briefly at the boy before it started walking, following the figure that had piqued its curiosity.
Ten minutes later, the black cat stopped. From a place far from the previous alley, painful groans and a deep, menacing warning could be heard.
The attackers, who had earlier disappeared while supporting each other in the alley, now sat paralyzed on the ground, their eyes filled with terror as they stared at the boy standing before them, silhouetted against the light.
The boy’s face bore a black dragon scale that stretched from the right side of his forehead, across his prominent nose, and down to his sharp left jaw. In the moonlight, the scale absorbed the lunar glow and emitted a faint, eerie light. Coupled with his cold, imposing presence and a barely perceptible scent of blood, he looked as if he had emerged from the depths of hell, like a messenger sent by the Beast God, a grim reaper from the underworld.
“Ah! Help!”
“No, no, we were wrong! We won’t do it again, we won’t bother him anymore, please spare us…”
“Get lost!”
That single word, though simple, sounded like divine music to the terrified duo. Not daring to linger, they vanished within seconds.
The boy, still standing in place, tilted his head slightly and glanced at the black cat perched on the nearby wall. “Have you seen enough?”
The black cat’s tail, which had been swaying behind it, abruptly stopped. Its beastly eyes met his gaze, and after a moment, it tilted its head slightly and let out a soft, delicate: “Meow?”
Shen Huaixiu chuckled softly, the coldness in his eyes fading. He didn’t look at the black cat again, but turned and walked toward the bustling city center.
Watching his departing figure, the black cat’s tail flicked lightly. In the next moment, it leaped onto the opposite rooftop. A few minutes later, the figure appeared in front of a stall selling takoyaki. After a brief hesitation, he walked straight towards it.
Chapter 1:
⌈Is it true that the North and South campuses are merging?⌋
⌈No way! If those lunatics from the North campus come over, what will become of us?⌋
⌈Most of the others are fine. But if ‘that’ one comes over, won’t they just take control of our South Campus right away?⌋
⌈Ugh, if I’d known, I would’ve applied to the No. 2 Middle School back then. Who wants to go to school with those maniacs?⌋
⌈Why are you surprised? Didn’t last year’s expansion here pretty much signal this day would come?⌋
⌈Am I the only one wondering if that person from the North Campus will take over our South Campus once they arrive? It feels like we don’t have a single Alpha who can stand up to them!⌋
⌈Our campus may not have a strong Alpha, but we do have the campus heartthrob!⌋
⌈What good is a heartthrob? They’re not even in the same league as the one from the North Campus!⌋
⌈But at least our heartthrob is really good-looking!⌋
On the first day of the new semester, the alumni group chat of the Federal No. 1 Middle School South Campus was buzzing with activity.
Not long ago, the year-long expansion of the South Campus had finally been completed. The news of the upcoming merger with the North Campus had spread. Originally, it was thought that the merger plan would take a bit more time to implement. But unexpectedly, it was executed right after the winter break.
Federal No. 1 Middle School, with a history of over 200 years, had always been divided into North and South campuses. Although both were part of Federal No. 1 Middle School, the North Campus was located in the Lower District. The initial purpose of building the school there was to improve the overall quality of the residents in the Lower District and subtly change its bad reputation. However, after more than two centuries, not only had the original goal not been achieved, but just a year ago, a gang from the Lower District almost ransacked the school. The situation became so dire that the Federation had to deploy police forces to suppress it.
This incident finally made the management of Federal No. 1 Middle School realize the reality of the situation, leading to the aggressive expansion of the South Campus over the past two years and the rapid approval of the North-South campus merger plan.
Thus, the North Campus, which had stood in the Lower District for over 200 years, was officially moved to the Upper District, ending the two-century-long history of a divided campus.
“Now, I’m really curious—when those guys from the North Campus come over, will they form their own class, or will they be split up and integrated with us?”
“Hopefully, they’ll be independent and not come to cause trouble for us. Hey! You over there, hurry up and let me copy your math test paper!”
“Why do my eyelids keep twitching? Do you think something big is going to happen in our class today?”
“What’s going to happen…”
“Damn, I just saw the latest class roster on our desk. Guess what I saw?” Tang Long burst in with a rush of energy, his loud voice immediately silencing the previous chatter and drawing everyone’s attention.
“What did you see? Don’t tell me we’re getting new students in our class?”
“Could it be someone from the North Campus?”
“Stop teasing and just say it!”
“Everyone, brace yourselves. Shen Huaixiu might be joining our class!”
“Who?”
“Shen Huaixiu? That name sounds so familiar.”
“Seriously?”
“Isn’t Shen Huaixiu…”
A year ago, during the chaos in the North Campus, there was a male Alpha who single-handedly took down half of a gang organization. What’s more, when the police found him, he was caught in the act of smashing the gang leader against the wall.
It was originally something that should have been commendable. But the gang leader, when interrogated, claimed that the whole incident was orchestrated by someone else. He was too afraid to name the mastermind, as he was already beaten so badly, fearing for his life if he spoke out. The implication was clear—the mastermind was the same person who had been caught in the act of violence, though the exact reasons for the sudden betrayal remained unknown.
The entire incident was investigated for a month. Later, because the gang leader couldn’t provide evidence, an additional charge of false accusation was added. It’s likely he won’t be released for at least twenty or thirty years.
When the news eventually came out, the name of the big shot was revealed to be—Shen Huaixiu.
If there’s no other person with the same name, it’s highly likely that it’s the same individual.
The once lively classes of the second and third years suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
“Hey, why is it so quiet all of a sudden!” A clear, bright voice cut through the silence.
Everyone turned to look at the boy who had appeared at the door. He was leaning casually against the doorframe, his posture relaxed, and a pair of cat ears atop his head made him stand out even more.
For the residents of the Federation, whether it’s the beastmen, the avian race, the insectoids, or the aquatic species, their genes carry inherent flaws.
These flaws mean that even in their human forms, some parts of their bodies still exhibit beastly characteristics, though the location varies from person to person.
Some individuals have their beastly traits in discreet areas, easily hidden by clothing and indistinguishable from others. Those less fortunate have them in more conspicuous places and must simply accept it, as current medical and technological advancements can’t address genetic defects.
Only the two-time reigning most popular male Alpha of Federal No. 1 Middle School South Campus, Rong Shu, has managed to turn this genetic flaw into an advantage.
Who wouldn’t want a pair of cute, fluffy cat ears like these?
“Xu Shu, you still don’t know? Shen Huaixiu is joining our class!” Tang Long quickly summarized what he had said earlier upon seeing him.
Rong Shu raised an eyebrow and, while heading to his seat, asked curiously, “Who is that?”
Before Tang Long could respond, a figure rushed in from behind, diving toward Rong Shu’s backpack and shouting, “Hurry, Xu Shu! Saving someone’s life is better than building a seven-story pagoda! Let me copy your homework!”
Unfortunately, despite the swift movement, it was no match for Rong Shu’s reflexes. The backpack wasn’t grabbed, but the forehead received a light poke.
“Not lending it. If there’s a problem with a question, I can explain it to you,” Rong Shu said, shoving the backpack into his desk and coldly rejecting his friend’s plea.
“Heartless!” Chen Jing angrily slammed the desk and turned to seek help from others.
Rong Shu pulled out his English book and placed it on the desk. He looked up at Chen Jing, who was furiously scribbling after borrowing homework, and asked, “Is the new student coming to our class really that impressive?”
Chen Jing, taking a break, replied, “Not just impressive, but incredibly impressive, like impressive plus!”
“Any stories?”
Chen Jing hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to recount the legendary feats of the North Campus tyrant. After finishing, he saw Rong Shu resting his chin on his hand with a smirk, “Oh, so it’s that exciting?”
The boy lowered his gaze to the open English book in front of him. The sunlight streaming in through the window cast beautiful shadows, illuminating the page with a soft glow. His jet-black eyelashes, thick and curling upwards, created a pleasing arc beneath his eyelids.
Chen Jing, taken aback by Rong Shu’s comment, wanted to ask what was so exciting. But as he looked at the scene—a handsome figure bathed in sunlight, with a serene, timeless quality—he found himself at a loss for words. Deflated, he turned away and picked up his pen. “Only you would find it exciting!”
Rong Shu rested his chin on his hand, his lips curling into a gentle smile as if they were naturally etched with laughter lines. His tone carried a hint of curiosity. “I wonder if he’s good-looking?”
Chen Jing, who was furiously scribbling away, accidentally tore his workbook in frustration.
What’s the point of wondering about how someone looks? What does it even matter!
“Quiet, everyone. Mr. Zhang and his guest are here!”
“The big shot is coming too?”
“Shh!”
The previously noisy classroom fell silent instantly, with dozens of eyes fixed on the doorway.
Zhang Zhicheng, a male Beta, entered the room, followed by a tall, aloof Alpha. The Alpha stood silently at the door, his expression unreadable. His presence was as clean and pristine as freshly fallen snow in the depth of winter, beautiful yet imbued with an air of coldness and danger.
The anticipation in the students’ eyes quickly turned to astonishment.
Zhang Zhicheng ascended the podium, scanning the room before clearing his throat to regain the attention of the crowd. “It rained this morning, so the flag-raising ceremony has been canceled. This student is coming from the North Campus and will be joining our class from now on. Please get along peacefully.”
As he finished speaking, Zhang Zhicheng turned to look at the boy standing at the door.
The boy, feeling the gaze, looked up. His dark eyes were emotionless, merely giving Zhang Zhicheng a quiet, steady glance that oddly instilled a sense of pressure in him. He swallowed his words about introductions. “Ahem, no need for introductions. Shen Huaixiu, you can just take a seat over there…”
“Teacher, there’s an empty spot right next to me.”
