Deep Within the Living-Chapter 25: Campus

Class Leader Wu Wen’s hospital room was under strict lockdown, prohibiting any visitors. According to the doctors, she would need to stay in the hospital for another two weeks.
Fortunately, the surgery was a success, and there would be no lasting side effects.
Luo Di was discharged the following afternoon, receiving a brand-new wristband with all his personal data securely stored in the cloud.
[No. 13 Resettlement Neighborhood]
With six days left until the Founding Festival, Luo Di spent his time alone at home—cleaning, cooking, watching DVDs, and exercising.
He also took some time to search online for knowledge about "Hell" and "symbols." Before bed, he would read exorcism novels that Gao Yuxuan had gifted him.
At one point, Anna called to invite him out, but he declined, citing household chores. He didn’t want to let his newly regained "normal life" be disrupted by meaningless distractions.
The fifteen-day Founding Festival flew by. Luo Di, without needing an alarm clock, stuck to his habit of waking up at six, regardless of the day. After getting out of bed, he completed four sets of push-ups in his room, fifty per set.
After a shower to rinse off his sweat, he changed into his summer school uniform. On the dining table was a freshly prepared bowl of noodles topped with vegetables, a fried egg, and minced meat—a breakfast his mother had specially made for him.
While eating, Luo Di didn’t forget to take a vitamin tablet that the class leader had given him. Before heading out, he also fed the [Corner Parrot] perched on the balcony.
With everything ready, Luo Di slung his backpack over his shoulder. As he passed the kitchen door, he saw his mother’s back as she prepared other ingredients.
“Mom, I’m heading out.”
“Be careful on your way.”
[Jupiter City No. 4 High School], also known as [Europa High],
was ranked fourth in the city in terms of overall strength. Although it was far behind Anna’s school, First High School, for ordinary students, it was considered a good choice.
The school boasted a comprehensive sports hall and track field that met the standards for higher-level high schools, earning it the nickname “Sports Center.”
Other facilities, like the teaching building, laboratory, school infirmary, administrative offices, and cafeteria, were arranged around this central hub.
For students, the most critical subject was [Physical Education].
In the college entrance exams, called “Gaokao” in Huaxia, PE scores accounted for a staggering 50%.
The remaining 50% was split between logical thinking (30%) and cultural subjects (20%). However, these ratios weren’t fixed, as they could vary depending on a student’s academic goals and the ever-changing yearly requirements.
Early in the morning, students gathered by class on the track field for a half-hour morning run, with strict lap requirements.
“Luo Di!”
As the run ended, Gao Yuxuan approached him for a chat, and they walked back to the classroom together.
“The class leader isn’t back yet, so I’m temporarily in charge. It’s your turn to be on duty today, so head to the security office after the run instead of returning to the classroom.”
“Got it.”
After a brief exchange, Luo Di broke away from the stream of students heading to the teaching building.
[On-Duty Students] had a unique role at the school. They weren’t tasked with routine chores like cleaning blackboards or tidying corners. Instead, after the morning run, they ed to the security office, where they joined fully armed security staff to patrol the campus, eliminating potential [Corner Risks].
The main tasks included:
Inspecting the condition of all lighting fixtures,
Feeding every [Corner Parrot] stationed in places prone to forming corners, like corridor ends or bends,
If applicable, assisting in psychological screenings for students at the school infirmary.
On-duty students spent their entire day patrolling instead of attending classes.
Since its establishment, Europa High had never faced any incidents.
The program’s main purpose was to cultivate corner safety awareness among students, preparing them to detect and handle such risks when they entered society after graduation.
Luo Di’s “habit” hadn’t faded with time; he unconsciously clicked his tongue during patrols. Before he knew it, a week of school life had passed.
10:30
After PE class, most students slumped over their desks, exhausted but relishing the rare break. Faces lit up as they looked forward to the upcoming cultural class, a much-needed reprieve from physical exertion.
But Luo Di didn’t rest. Taking advantage of the open space at the back of the classroom, he began his routine set of push-ups, as he did every day.
Such "overachieving behavior" often drew resentment, which was one reason many classmates avoided him.
Vice Class Leader Gao Yuxuan had once been among those annoyed by Luo Di’s relentless drive. He tried to focus on his textbook, but it was hard to ignore Luo Di’s antics.
Now, though, things were different.
Gao Yuxuan set aside his book and walked to the back of the classroom. He got down and joined Luo Di in doing push-ups.
They moved at nearly the same pace, but maintaining Luo Di’s perfect form proved challenging. By the time they reached forty reps, Gao Yuxuan began to struggle.
As they neared the hundredth push-up, a pair of pristine white sneakers stopped in front of them.
The figure crouched down, knees bent.
“Hey! Can you two stop working so hard? Watching you makes this recently discharged patient feel so much pressure! I can’t take it!”
The familiar, gentle voice slipped into their ears, triggering a jolt in their minds. Even Luo Di paused for a moment.
With a final push-up, he raised his gaze to meet the eyes of the girl crouching before him.
“Class Leader!” Gao Yuxuan exclaimed.
Luo Di remained silent, quickly shifting his gaze to her shoulder. The school uniform made it impossible to see her condition.
Soon, the rest of the class gathered around, eager to check on the class leader. They only knew she’d been absent due to an injury and were unaware of the real reason.
As the crowd closed in, Luo Di instinctively retreated to his desk.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Everyone returned to their seats.
Before sitting down, the class leader deliberately turned to look at Luo Di, whose desk was by the window.
But Luo Di only focused on the blackboard, ready to jot down key points from the lesson.
The school day ended quickly. Luo Di, as usual, packed his bag at a deliberately slower pace, perfectly timing his departure.
The dark shadow once again spread over his desk, reminiscent of the scene before the Founding Festival. This time, however, it wasn’t just the class leader standing in front of him—Gao Yuxuan was there too, backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Luo Di, you don’t have any plans tonight, right? Skipping dinner at home shouldn’t be a problem?”
“What’s this about?”
“What’s this about? Come on! Don’t tell me you forgot—didn’t we agree to have a celebratory dinner for the success of the practice? Plus, the City Research Bureau contacted me, urging us to meet and discuss the 'compensation' arrangements. I was thinking we could stop by the research institute first and then head to dinner together. How does that sound?”
“Alright. Let me send a message to my family. Let’s go.”
Seated in a rideshare car, Luo Di stared out the window, taking in the unfamiliar scenery that differed from his usual route home. For once, he didn’t feel irritated by the disruption to his routine. Instead, a rare and faint emotion surfaced within him.
Though subtle, this feeling made him relax entirely.
His tongue began unconsciously clicking inside his mouth, startling both the class leader and Gao Yuxuan, who were sitting beside him. They broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly stopped him.