High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 402: Chapter 71: The Fat Man Wants to Make a Big News_1

Before the meeting began, Zheng Qing encountered another bothersome event.

He initially planned to enter the classroom with Elena to gain some presence among their friends. For this, he was even prepared for the raucous cheering and noise from the others.

But when he saw Xin Fat Man outside the teaching building, he had to abort his plan for the time being.

The fat man disappeared since Saturday morning, and it had been two days since then.

No news of him.

Even the mega weekend BBQ discount in the cafeteria couldn’t bring him out.

This was highly unusual.

Additionally, today happened to be the fourteenth day of the ninth lunar month, around the time of the full moon, causing a somewhat tense atmosphere in the school. Even Doctor Xiao started to worryingly speculate whether the fat man could have fallen prey to some hairy zombie that crawled out of its grave these days.

So, when Zheng Qing saw a corpulent figure wandering outside the teaching building, he had to abandon his plan to enter the classroom with Elena.

”Why are you hanging around outside the teaching building, don’t you know the meeting is about to start?” The young cost student slapped on the fatty’s broad shoulder in annoyance, and shouted, ”And where have you been these days... Holy crap!”

As Xin Fat Man turned his head, Zheng Qing was taken aback.

The once chubby young lad, after just two days, seemed like a completely different person. His face was deathly pale, his demeanor drained, his eyes full of bloodshot, surrounded by a suspicious ring of purplish-black color.

”Did you hook up with a vampire?!” The young cost student shockedly stared at the fatty in front of him and blurted out a series of questions: ”What happened to your eyes? Were you beaten up? Should we call the Knight Group?”

Perhaps it was psychological, but ever since transforming into a cat once, Zheng Qing found his curiosity increasingly insatiable.

Of course, his mental state remained normal.

”I just didn’t get any rest for the past two days. It’s nothing serious,” the fat man explained weakly.

”Are you trying to become an immortal?” Zheng Qing looked at the fatigue-lined face of the fat man and irritably asked, ”Don’t change the subject...Where have you been these days?”

”Just hanging around the school. You know, our school is pretty big.” Xin Fat Man, with his bloodshot eyes, gave a vague answer: ”Was that Elena who was standing beside you just now? Ah yes, you two had a date scheduled this afternoon...”

”You don’t need to concern yourself with it.” Zheng Qing snorted, took two Clear Heart Symbols out of a grey cloth bag and slapped them on the fat man’s chest and back, issuing a warning: ”No sign of you for two days... You better have a good reason! If you still don’t show up tonight, we plan to report to Old Yao after the meeting. Dormitory 403 just passed a new rule, that any long-term outing member must report in advance and submit a report...”

”When did that rule come into effect? How come I don’t know about it?” An astonished voice rose from behind the duo.

It was Xiao Xiao’s voice.

Zheng Qing ignored him, didn’t even turn his head, pretending not to hear it.

”Where was it you have been these past two days? We nearly wrote a letter to Old Yao!” Doctor Xiao had the same attitude towards the fat man as Zheng Qing.

A hint of weary smile finally surfaced on Xin Fat Man’s face.

”I just wanted to write a deep story.” He explained, ”So I stayed in the North District of Beta Town for two days. That’s where the Tricksters live, and I thought I might discover something from an area that ordinary wizards overlook.”

”So, did you find anything, then?” Xiao Xiao was very interested and promptly opened up his notebook, then took out a brush and licked it.

”It’s bleak.” Xin Fat Man’s enthusiasm plummeted, and his voice became more grave: ”Their lives are even harsher than we imagine. The most despairing part is that they have no hope. Absolutely none. Once a society loses hope, what difference is there from zombies?”

”For example?” Xiao Xiao, clearly not satisfied with this terse description, waved his brush and prompted, ”Are there any specific instances or facts that gave you the impression that they are... um, very desperate?”

Zheng Qing carefully eyed the brush, scared of getting splattered by ink tainted with Xiao’s saliva.

”They are confined by the identity of being a ’wizard.’ They are not free to leave the island. But there are only so many jobs suitable for them here... They toil every day for a meager income, not knowing when they will be swallowed up by the encroaching Silent Black Tide... Not seeing the day they could become a ’true wizard.’”

”More importantly, they live next to the top university, side by side with the most incredibly skilled wizards in the world. They don’t even particularly pay attention to it. What they usually see and hear are many astounding magic.”

”To see but not touch is... like the flower in a mirror and the moon in water. It’s an illusion that brings with it a sense of despair.”

Xin Fat Man waved his arms, clearly fired up, ”Do you know why I haven’t slept for two nights? Because the veteran who guided me to the North District warned me, if I fall asleep there, I might wake up with missing parts... Those desperate tricksters think they can patch up their flaws with parts of our bodies!! Is that not absurd? Who would believe such baseless rumors if they weren’t pushed to desperation!”

”Actually, those rumors aren’t completely baseless.”Shaking his head in disagreement, Xiao Xiao said, ”Many wizards—I mean wizards like those from Alpha Academy who focus on bloodlines and heritage—their bodies do indeed contain great magical energy in certain organs. Like a werewolf’s fang, a vampire’s heart, and the eyes of certain rare bloodlines. It’s just that those tricksters have exaggerated this special situation.”

”Their struggle for that slight glimmer of hope, are the protagonists of my stories,” said Xin Fat Man, his face serious.

”Don’t always try to chase after a big story.” Zheng Qing shook his head worriedly. ”Although Beta Town is still on the island, it’s in the peripheral area ... the school can’t fully guarantee your safety outside.”

”Can the school fully guarantee our safety inside?” Xin Fat Man retorted.

Zheng Qing was left speechless.

”Then why are you standing at the entrance of the teaching building?” Zheng Qing tried to change the topic to dispel the heavy atmosphere. ”If you want to write a good article, you should go to the library... or, since there’s a meeting about to start, you should be writing at your desk.”

”Today is Sunday, other classes should also be coming to the teaching building for the meeting.” Xin Fat Man’s eyes sparked with excitement again and he sounded a bit more enthusiastic, ”I thought I could try waiting here for the president of Jiuyou Academy Student Union or the head of the Jiuyou Academy Club Union ... I remember they both got charity programs that can provide support to tricksters. I wanted to do a simple interview.”

”Lei Zhe?” Xiao Xiao licked his calligraphy brush again. While writing fast in his notebook, he shook his head, ”Lei Zhe and the other leaders of the club are having their meeting in the administrative building. The arrangements for Moon Hunting have already been confirmed. This year’s hunting party will be hosted by Jiuyou Academy, so they need to negotiate a whole bunch of stuff with the big shots of the other academies.”

”I am also a club leader, why wasn’t I informed!” Zheng Qing raised his eyebrows in discontent.

”You?” Xiao Xiao gave him a glance: ”What kind of coordination does a club without any hunting team require?”

The young scholarship student was once again left speechless.

”If you keep licking that brush, your tongue’s gonna turn black,” Zheng Qing gave up on setting himself right and instead took a hit at Doctor Xiao with an air of resentment.

Xiao Xiao shrugged and gave his brush another lick.

...

...

Already aware that waiting would bring no results, Xin naturally wouldn’t stand outside in the cold like a dummy any longer.

He stomped his feet, followed behind his two classmates, grumbling all the way to the classroom.

When the three young wizards entered classroom East 601, most of the Astronomy class 08-1 had arrived.

The classroom was quiet - many people were busy writing their weekly reports to prepare for Professor Yao’s roll call later—this meaningless garbage text that everyone was required to write occupied a ten percent share in the professor’s end-of-the-term appraisal.

However, some of the girls sitting in the front row—such as Jiang Yu, Liu Fei Fei, and Li Meng—weren’t in this category.

Whether it were homework from the professors, or various extracurricular activity reports, or even the disgusting weekly life reports, they always seemed to have plenty of time for completion.

Zheng Qing had more than once heard other male students discuss in private whether these girls were using forbidden items like a ’Time Converter’.

Such malicious speculation wasn’t without reason.

Unless they used all of their spare time to finish the tasks assigned by the school, otherwise, there would not be enough time.

The notice of the three boys pushing the door and entering the room attracted a lot of attention.

Some just glanced over and then immediately lowered their heads to continue their work. However, one of the restlessly bored ones waved enthusiastically at the boys.

”Hey! Over here! You bastards, come over here!”

Li Meng, leaning over her desk, stretched out her body as much as she could, calling out in a low voice.