In the Aeromodelling Room, with a "thud," Pan Dongzi hit the ground directly and bounced, screaming in pain.
Once he recovered, he was immediately startled by Zhang Wenda’s miserable state. "Mouse... what happened to you? Are you okay? What’s going on with you?"
Teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, Zhang Wenda had a thought upon hearing this. "Why is he surprised? Could it be that even for him, this isn't something normal?"
Pan Dongzi, drenched in sweat from anxiety, looked around and suddenly thought of something. He hurriedly grabbed a bottle of Liquid Joy that Zhang Wenda had collected and poured it down his throat.
Now completely unconscious from the pain, Zhang Wenda suddenly felt his whole body become light, and the pain rapidly faded away.
Who knows how long had passed before he managed to sit up again. When he did, he saw the other classmates forming a circle, looking at him with a bit of nervousness.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Zhang Wenda asked with a smile. Perhaps because he had drunk the Liquid Joy, though his body still hurt terribly, the negative emotions inside had lessened considerably—instead, he felt somewhat happy.
How to describe this feeling—painful yet joyful, almost like self-harm.
"Mouse, you can still smile? Doesn’t it hurt?" The bespectacled kid beside him pushed his glasses up and stared in shock at Zhang Wenda’s body.
Thinking of the extent of the reinforcement, he added another line: "Absolutely prohibited."
After writing it, Zhang Wenda looked at the others and said nonchalantly, "Alright, this was nothing for me. I’ve been through way more than you little brats."
"What have you been through?" the bespectacled kid asked curiously.
Hearing this, Zhang Wenda’s pupils shrank slightly. Then he shook his head and struggled to stand up. "Forget it, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Anyone got candy in their pocket?"
But all he got in return was everyone shaking their heads. Seeing them , Zhang Wenda sighed helplessly. While the Liquid Joy was still working, he grabbed his broken arm and forcefully straightened it.
Seeing the others still frowning and hesitating, Zhang Wenda said, "What are you standing around for? Go on, get back to your stuff. I’m fine."
"You’re in that state—shouldn’t we tell Teacher Rabbit?" the bespectacled kid asked, pushing up his glasses.
"No need, no need, I’m fine. I’ll just go out and find a Lollipop and I’ll be good."
Zhang Wenda spoke quickly. He really didn’t want to deal with that Teacher Rabbit, whether it was human or ghost.
Seeing Zhang Wenda say that, the others said nothing more and left in small groups toward the other classrooms.
Zhang Wenda checked the time—it was nearly five o’clock. Not long now, and he could leave. Although the process had been a bit bumpy, it wasn’t too bad. He could finally get out.
More importantly, he had figured out another rule.
But when he glanced at the remaining bit of Liquid Joy, Zhang Wenda felt a pang of heartache. That little bit he had managed to find was now all used up.
"Mouse, thank you for saving me! Don’t worry, I’ve got two Lollipops at home. Once we get out, they’re yours!" Little Fatty beside him was overwhelmed with gratitude. If it weren’t for him, he would have really fallen in.
"It’s not about the candy! Why didn’t you tell me the Aeromodelling Room would suddenly develop a gap? Haven’t you been here several times before?" A new wound layered over an old one, and Zhang Wenda almost passed out from the pain.
Little Fatty looked completely innocent. "No, it wasn’t like that before. The gaps used to be rare and tiny—at most they’d trap one leg. I’ve never seen one that could swallow a whole person."
"I didn’t want to either. That crevice is terrifying. And once you fall in, your body hurts so, so much."
"Alright, alright, just my bad luck. Go do your thing. I need to rest a bit." Zhang Wenda closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.
"It’s okay, I’ll take care of you."
"Go do your thing. You talk like you’re some caretaker. You’ve killed seven goldfish already."
Hearing that, Pan Dongzi looked a bit embarrassed. "Then… then rest well. I’ll go collect more stuff. Don’t worry—it’s all yours." As he spoke, he pulled out two *Water Margin* cards and stuffed them into Zhang Wenda’s hand. One was Wu Song the Resourceful Star, the other was Lu Zhishen the Flowery Monk, the Lonely Star.
"Remember not to go back to the Aeromodelling Room. Lock the door. No one should go there. It’s too dangerous."
Zhang Wenda didn’t pay much attention to the two cards, just casually stuffed them in his pocket. After seeing Pan Dongzi leave, he turned his head to look at his own right forearm.
There were layers upon layers of wounds there, but at the deepest point of the wound was something that looked like a red tattoo.
A trace of confusion appeared in Zhang Wenda’s mind. "Little Fatty isn’t light either, so how did I suddenly have that much strength back then? Was it because of this?"
He brought his arm closer and carefully examined it. Through the various scars, he saw that the red mark inside had dimmed significantly.
Sucking on the stick in his mouth a few times, Zhang Wenda’s brow furrowed slightly. "What the hell is this?"
Forcing himself up, Zhang Wenda stood. He clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the wall, immediately hissing from the pain.
"No, that’s not it. What was the situation like back then?"
Zhang Wenda carefully recalled the previous scene. It seemed like a surge of anger had welled up in his heart, an irrational urge to destroy everything.
"Let me try." Zhang Wenda took a deep breath and thought back to the angriest moment of his life. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and with a low roar, he swung his right arm and smashed it fiercely into the wall.
With a "thud," the dull sound echoed through the corridor. The wall instantly dented with a small pit. "Zzz—" sounds rang out, accompanied by flickering light from the ceiling bulb, and the whole hallway dimmed and brightened erratically.
This scene scared Zhang Wenda so much he jumped. He thought he had broken the wires inside the wall. Fortunately, after a while, everything returned to normal.
At this moment, looking at his arm, Zhang Wenda’s face was filled with excitement. Watching his hand clench and release, he knew that not everything in life would be bad luck.
Although he didn’t understand why the crack left by the flashlight would cause this, with this power, his ability to protect himself had increased by an entire level.
"This thing is great. Way better than smashing stuff with a flashlight!"
Zhang Wenda kept testing it and found that the strength could vary depending on his emotional state. But even at the weakest level, he could easily lift a 50-kilogram object.
"The red in this stripe seems to deplete when used. So, how do I replenish it after it’s gone?" Zhang Wenda scratched his head while staring at his arm.
Just as he was pondering this, the light bulb overhead began to flicker again.
As Zhang Wenda nervously looked around, he saw other classmates running back in terror—some of the more timid ones were even crying.