CHAPTER 381: CHAPTER 231: THE SIXTH CHILD, THE TRAGEDY OF THE PLAYGROUND

The elevator door opened, reaching the upper floor. The Mentor smiled slightly and gently nudged Ji Minghuan on the shoulder.

They both stepped into the newly-built children’s playground.

On the swing, a girl named "Shang Xiaoqi" lifted her dark eyes and stared expressionlessly at the two of them.

Ji Minghuan raised his eyes, curiously observing her, thinking if what the Mentor said was true, is this another Mythical Level kid? How am I supposed to win against the Salvation Society?

"Mentor, is there a possibility?" he asked.

"What?"

The Mentor turned to look at him.

"You’re always obsessed with maintaining balance, eliminating the world’s unstable factors," Ji Minghuan said in a low voice, "but in the end, you yourselves have become the most disruptive factor to balance."

"It’s possible," the Mentor replied calmly, "but even so, someone has to stand up."

Ji Minghuan couldn’t be bothered to speak anymore.

"Sun Changkong and the others will be here later," the Mentor said. "I’ll go first, you stay and chat with Xiaoqi for a bit. She’s quite withdrawn, be careful not to scare her."

After saying that, the Mentor returned to the elevator, smiling as he waved at him.

Ji Minghuan rolled his eyes at him and then turned back.

Shang Xiaoqi still stared at him warily, like a little beast. The small tear mole at the corner of her eye made her seem even more distant.

"Don’t come over," she said.

"This is your place, so I can’t come over?" Ji Minghuan frowned, "Fine... this is your place." After saying that, he relaxed his eyebrows and raised his hands in surrender.

He sat down cross-legged on the spot, letting his head droop.

After a moment, he asked an age-old question, "My name is Ji Minghuan, how did you end up here?"

Seeing that Shang Xiaoqi remained silent with her head down, he continued, "Go on, ate your dad or mom? Or maybe, accidentally blew your classmate’s head off and took out the entire village?"

Ji Minghuan absentmindedly picked at the scab on his finger as he spoke, "Don’t be surprised... all of the above are real experiences of the kids here. Welcome to the Salvation Squad, where you’ll find weirdos aplenty."

Shang Xiaoqi frowned but didn’t say anything.

She quietly got off the swing, took a few steps back, and hid in the maze behind her to sit down.

"Alright, a bunch of kids will be coming over later," Ji Minghuan said nonchalantly. "If you don’t want to be friends with me, you could be friends with them."

Shang Xiaoqi articulated, "I don’t need friends."

"Then do you only talk to the Mentor?" Ji Minghuan curiously asked.

"I hate him and don’t talk to him," Shang Xiaoqi said coldly. "I don’t like it here."

Ji Minghuan was taken aback, seeming surprised that there were still kids in the Salvation Society who hadn’t been brainwashed by the Mentor.

Is it because her Spirit Defense Power is strong, and the Mentor can’t do anything to her?

He said, "I hate him too, and I don’t like it here."

"I don’t believe you," Shang Xiaoqi said, "You must be sent by him..."

Her words were abruptly interrupted—

Because the next moment, Ji Minghuan suddenly started speaking like a machine gun:

"The Mentor is the biggest idiot ever, either making empty promises or tricking kids! If I were a Stand user, I’d first use ’The World’ to suspend time, then use the Star Platinum’s ’Ora Ora Ora’ to beat him to a pulp before being shocked unconscious!"

Shang Xiaoqi listened in amazement.

"See, don’t I hate him?" Ji Minghuan turned to look at her.

A moment later, the Mentor’s gentle voice suddenly came over the broadcast system:

"Don’t do it again."

Ji Minghuan indifferently said, "Don’t do it again? You’d be happier to electrocute me right now."

A moment later, Shang Xiaoqi slowly walked out of the maze. She still clasped her hands behind her back, her fingers gently intertwining. After thinking for a while with her head down, she looked up at him.

"What’s your name?" she asked.

"Ji Minghuan."

"Are you the one he said... the one who will destroy the world?" Shang Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow.

"I haven’t destroyed the world yet, nor have I become a big villain." Ji Minghuan said, "But soon... the Mentor is sent by the heavens to urge me to destroy the world. I’ve already uncovered the Salvation Society’s conspiracy; they’re actually the Destruction Society."

Shang Xiaoqi sat down beside him, hugging her knees, and softly asked, "Can you really destroy the world?"

"Probably."

"If you’re so powerful, why are you stuck here?"

"Bad luck, I was set up by that conniving Mentor."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Say it."

"Can you kill me?" Shang Xiaoqi hugged her knees, "They’re afraid of you, so they won’t kill you, and they won’t punish you. Only you can kill me."

Ji Minghuan was stunned.

"Classmate, we need to maintain a distance. Until you wear a red scarf, I refuse to have any interaction with you," he said earnestly.

"But I don’t have a red scarf." Shang Xiaoqi frowned.

"Then don’t speak to me. I’m a dark elementary school student, not a melancholic one. Depression is contagious, and I don’t want to suddenly be all gloomy one day."

Saying that, Ji Minghuan silently hugged his knees, scooted over, and put some distance between them.

Neither of them spoke again.

After a moment, Ji Minghuan asked, "Why do you want to die?"

"Dying won’t hurt, it’s better than being trapped here."

The girl with the tear mole lowered her head and mumbled softly.

"I see..." Ji Minghuan sighed in relief, "You’re actually a blackened student. I thought you were serious just now."

"What’s a blackened student?"

Ji Minghuan drew circles on the ground with his finger and said, "They are those kids who are always babbling about how boring humans and the world are. They act all superior like they’ve seen through human nature and post wrist-cutting photos on their QQ space every day."

"Then I might be a blackened student." Shang Xiaoqi was not entirely sure.

Ji Minghuan reached his hand out to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Shake hands. I’m also a blackened student. I found a kindred spirit."

Shang Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment, then took his hand. Ji Minghuan shook it vigorously, and she shook it back just as vigorously.

"I’ll take you with me when I escape, so don’t die on me." Ji Minghuan whispered.

"Can we really escape?"

"Of course, we can escape." Ji Minghuan said calmly, "You’re the only kid here who wants to escape. That’s why I said I found a kindred spirit."

"Then let’s leave now."

"Now, uh... not yet."

"I knew it, you’re lying..." Shang Xiaoqi said hoarsely, "I just knew no one here would tell the truth..."

She hugged her knees and buried her head, staring motionlessly at the ground as her eyes suddenly turned red.

Ji Minghuan was startled.

"Can’t handle it, these kids are so unpredictable." He sighed, "Such a bother, let’s just escape then. At worst, we’ll get shocked."

With that, he stomped off angrily, pulling her with him, heading towards the elevator and reaching out to press the button.

However, before his right hand touched the button, the elevator doors slowly opened to the sides.

Ji Minghuan raised his eyebrows and looked up.

"Kong Youling... you stepped on my tail again." Filio said.

"I told you, little Ling steps on you to reward you." Sun Changkong said.

"You’re so loud, can’t you let people enjoy their games in peace?" Mario said.

"I didn’t mean to." Kong Youling wrote in her notebook.

In the next second, the four kids in the elevator suddenly looked up, silently gazing at the two holding hands.

Under their gaze, Ji Minghuan slowly released her hand and lowered his head.

A few seconds later, he said seriously, "Let me introduce, this is our new blackened student alliance member, Shang Xiaoqi."

After saying this, he turned his head and saluted Shang Xiaoqi, then shook her hand: "Comrade, let’s work together to advance the great cause of blackened students and improve their public image."

In the silence, the elevator doors slowly closed.

In the gap of the elevator doors, the dazed faces of the four kids disappeared from Ji Minghuan’s view.

A few seconds later, along with a "ding," the elevator doors opened again.

The four kids in the elevator were still dumbfounded.

The elevator doors closed again.

The next time the elevator doors opened, the kids inside finally reacted, all wearing expressions of disdain.

"I get it, I’ve played some dating games before." Mario was the first to come out, patting Ji Minghuan on the shoulder, "Holding hands on the first meeting... well, it’s not impossible."

"I shouldn’t have gotten involved, now I’ll never get married."

After saying this, Ji Minghuan stepped back a few steps in confusion and sat on the swing as if he’d lost his soul.

Shang Xiaoqi glanced at them, then turned to look at Ji Minghuan’s departing figure.

"So this is what betrayal feels like?"

Shang Xiaoqi whispered to herself, her eyes red.

Sun Changkong looked at her despondent appearance and pushed Filio out of the elevator, ordering:

"Go, Filio, cheer her up for me!"

"Me?"

Filio pointed at himself in a daze.

"Who else? Stop dawdling!" Sun Changkong urged.

Filio reluctantly accepted the task and moved over, sincerely saying, "Don’t be sad, look at my ears! I’m Toto with big ears."

With that, he perked up his wolf ears, which suddenly perked up and then drooped, perked up and then drooped again.

Shang Xiaoqi paused briefly, then was amused.

Filio secretly opened one eye to peek at her, then held his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It’s all Ji Minghuan’s fault, Ji Minghuan is so bad." Sun Changkong grumbled, "That damn blackened student, he becomes blackened himself and wants to blacken others too."

With that, she glared at Ji Minghuan, who was playing a handheld console on the sidelines.

Kong Youling nodded lightly and wrote in her little notebook: "Exactly, exactly."

Filio turned his head to Shang Xiaoqi and curiously asked, "So why were you crying earlier?"

"You wouldn’t understand..." Shang Xiaoqi said softly, "Those who haven’t experienced the betrayal of friendship are not fit to understand me."

Kong Youling leaned her chin on her hand holding the pencil, tilted her head, and thought seriously for a while.

Finally, she lowered her head, noted the new member’s name in her notebook, then drew a frame and added a few words:

——Shang Xiaoqi (blackened).