Human Genius? Sorry, I’m a Deviant-Chapter 26: Guess Away

"I've never been this humiliated in my life."
Liu Ziming curled his lip in disdain. "Getting saved by an Aberrant wearing a child's toy mask? How am I supposed to show my face in our circles after this?"
"Cut the crap, Young Master Liu. If it weren't for Ultraman stepping in, you'd be digesting inside a Snake-Tailed Beast's stomach right now."
Xu Hao burst out laughing, making exaggerated gestures. "That Aberrant slaughtered Snake-Tailed Beasts like chopping vegetables, then waved at me like I was some beggar!"
Liu Ziming suddenly lowered his voice. "So... if he lives around here, who do you think he could be?"
Su Zhan perked up his ears to listen carefully.
"How should I know?"
Xu Hao shrugged. "Definitely not someone from our Vermilion Bird Academy, that's for sure."
"No shit."
Liu Ziming continued, "I originally thought places like Vermilion Bird City wouldn't have Aberrants roaming around. Seems I was wrong."
"That's true."
Su Zhan chimed in, "Vermilion Bird City surrounds Vermilion Bird Academy, which is one of Daxia's top five Awakened academies. This place has airtight surveillance and is guarded by Daxia's most elite Awakened. How could there be Aberrants moving freely here?"
"It's not a resident."
Feng Jue said coldly.
The three immediately turned to him.
"Aberrants in Vermilion Bird City," Feng Jue's tone remained flat, "get caught the same night if they kill during the day, or by next morning if they kill at night. If it lived here, it would have to be a freshly mutated ordinary person."
Liu Ziming frowned. "But that level of power..."
"Contradiction."
Feng Jue interrupted. "A newborn Aberrant that hasn't hunted couldn't possibly be strong enough to instantly kill Snake-Tailed Beasts."
Xu Hao suddenly snapped his fingers. "So he's an outsider! Someone who recently infiltrated Vermilion Bird City!"
"And..." Su Zhan mused, "he's clearly avoiding conflict with humans, specifically targeting Mist creatures."
Guess away, keep guessing.
After all, no one would suspect an SSS-ranked Life Soul genius of being an Aberrant.
What? What if someone does suspect?
Heh. They'll only dare think it.
Anyone who says it out loud—just look at Doberman.
"One more strange thing."
Feng Jue's eyes narrowed. "There were fifteen Snake-Tailed Beasts. The place where we fought should have eight corpses, but now there's only one left."
Everyone looked around.
"He's right."
Xu Hao nodded in agreement.
"Really weird."
Liu Ziming added, "Now if we get out, who's going to believe we fought fifteen Snake-Tailed Beasts?"
"Survivors can testify."
Su Zhan's words immediately reassured everyone.
Why only one Snake-Tailed Beast corpse?
Because the others turned to ash, scattered by the wind.
......
Later.
The four found a building to take shelter in.
No more Mist creatures appeared on the streets.
As if those dozen Snake-Tailed Beasts had been everything.
Time passed slowly.
Liu Ziming irritably kicked some rubble at his feet, looking out the window at the still-churning Mist.
His voice dripped with impatience:
"Goddammit, why hasn't this Mist cleared yet? Where the hell are our people from Vermilion Bird Academy?"
"Who knows? Maybe outside is just as chaotic."
Xu Hao sat cross-legged on the floor, shrugging. "The Mist suddenly appearing inside Vermilion Bird City isn't normal to begin with."
Su Zhan leaned against the wall, silently scanning outside through the window.
He was certain now.
This wasn't a drill.
The streets full of corpses couldn't be faked.
Even if they could be faked,
his breakthrough as an Aberrant couldn't.
This was a real disaster.
"Three possibilities."
Feng Jue stood with arms crossed, his sword against his chest, speaking coldly. "First, outside is worse than here.
Second, someone doesn't want rescue coming in."
"What do you mean?"
Liu Ziming jumped to his feet. "You're saying this Mist is man-made?"
Xu Hao's eyes widened. "No way? Who could possibly have the power to pull this off in Vermilion Bird City?"
After a moment's silence, Su Zhan said, "If it really is man-made, then their target... probably isn't just ordinary people."
Feng Jue's gaze swept over the three, his voice icy: "Vermilion Bird Academy."
The air froze instantly.
If the Mist's origin wasn't natural, but someone deliberately sealing off the entire Vermilion Bird City, then their goal... was likely targeting the academy!
Liu Ziming's face darkened. "Fuck! We're trapped here while outside might be a warzone!"
Xu Hao scratched his head, trying to lighten the mood. "Look on the bright side—maybe the academy already handled it, and the Mist just hasn't fully dispersed."
"But this is all speculation."
Su Zhan slowly shook his head. "None of us know what's really happening outside.
Whatever it is, we have to rely on ourselves now. If rescue doesn't come, we'll have to find our own way out."
"How exactly?"
Liu Ziming retorted. "If even Vermilion Bird Academy people can't get in, what can we Awakened who haven't even reached the Dew Realm do?"
Su Zhan didn't respond.
Liu Ziming wasn't wrong.
The Mist consumed life.
Though Daxia had mastered brief travel through the Mist,
they hadn't.
"What else can we do but try?"
Xu Hao patted his chest. "Better to go down fighting than wait here to die."
"Fuck!"
Liu Ziming thought it over and couldn't come up with a better plan. "Fine, fine, whatever you say."
Twenty-four hours had passed since the Mist descended.
Footsteps echoed through the Mist.
All four snapped their heads toward the sound.
Thick fog parted under several intense beams of light, revealing shadowy figures.
Then, a familiar voice pierced through:
"This is Vermilion Bird Academy! All survivors, move toward us immediately!"
"That's Instructor Kong Wu's voice!"
Xu Hao was the first to jump up, face lighting up with joy.
Liu Ziming slumped to the ground with a long exhale. "Finally, goddammit..."
Even Feng Jue's usually expressionless eyes showed a flicker of emotion.
Su Zhan remained still, quietly watching the figures gradually emerging from the Mist.
Whatever happened outside, at least they were saved now.
They stepped out of hiding.
The full horror of the commercial street unfolded before them.
Corpses frozen in twisted poses of their final moments.
Ground littered with mutilated remains beyond recognition.
The pavement stained deep purplish-black with blood.
The four were somewhat desensitized by now.
At least no one would vomit.
Survivors crawled out from every corner, shuffling like zombies toward the light.
Wang Mingyuan approached quickly, his gaze behind gold-rimmed glasses scanning the four. "Everyone alright?"
Kong Wu strode forward, booming: "Tough little bastards, aren't you!"
Xu Hao, eyes reddening, started to speak when commotion interrupted.
Several survivors suddenly lunged at the rescuers, wailing and clawing at their uniforms.
"Why did you take so long!"
"My daughter died! Right in front of me!"
"Aren't you supposed to protect us?!"
The Vermilion Bird Academy team silently endured the blows.
Until Kong Wu's roar silenced the crowd: "Enough! Everyone follow instructions now! Medical attention, priority to serious injuries!"
Then, to the four: "How long have you been here?"
Wasn't that obvious?
Su Zhan instinctively checked his watch. "24 hours and 3 minutes."
Kong Wu and Wang Mingyuan exchanged a grave look.
Wang Mingyuan said solemnly, "Do you know why it took us 24 hours after the Mist appeared to reach you?"
"Did you encounter obstacles outside?"
Su Zhan frowned.
Wang Mingyuan slowly shook his head. "We arrived here just 4 minutes after the Mist formed."
The air froze.
Liu Ziming's mouth opened and closed. "W-wait! You mean..."
"Time flows differently here."
Wang Mingyuan's words shattered their worldview. "From our perspective, only 4 minutes passed between receiving the alert and finding you."
Xu Hao gaped. "S-so..."
"Your 24 hours was just 4 minutes outside."
Kong Wu gruffly added. "Damn time dilation's giving me a headache just thinking about it."
So this was why Vermilion Bird Academy was "late"?
How bizarre.
Su Zhan's calm facade cracked.
"Instructor Kong, none of us understand this time stuff. What matters is—can we get out now?"
Liu Ziming said with the relief of someone who'd narrowly escaped death.