Nightmare's Call - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Lost: Part 2
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After breakfast, Lin Sheng got on the public bus, still uncertain, to Hui An High School.
On the way, many of the commuters were discussing the explosion last night in whispers.
These were normal passengers, and some were simply throwing things out there, but some sounded factual and logical.
From their chatter, Lin Sheng heard something, “Fort Whitehawk”. 1
He knew what that was, it was Anduin province’s only naval base. It was also the largest in all of Xilin.
Xilin’s strongest fleet, the White Hawks, were docked there.
Some guessed that the explosion had something to do with Fort Whitehawk.
However, the general public did not believe that. It was the strongest naval base in Xilin, after all, and something like that would not happen so easily.
After he got to school, Lin Sheng quickly went to his classroom.
His classmates were also discussing the matter in hushed whispers.
Several of them had computers at home and could go online. As such, their information was more up to date, so they were discussing the various articles they had seen online.
There were many assumptions up and about, but all of the postings were quickly removed and censored. 1
Lin Sheng sat in his place as he quietly flipped through his study material. He did not know why, but there seemed to be an improvement in the speed of his study. 5
He had managed to complete all of his study materials in about two-thirds of the normal time required.
“Eh, did you hear the explosion last night?” Shen Yan who was seated in front of him turned back to ask.
Unlike the rest, she was not asking out of excitement, rather she was being serious.
Plus, she seemed different from usual.
Lin Sheng looked at her.
“I heard it.”
“What do you think of it?” Shen Yan asked after a pause. “You think it’s a fireworks warehouse explosion?”
“Whether it’s true or not, what does it have to do with us?” Lin Sheng retorted. “Studying should be your priority now.”
“But don’t you think the government is being too soft?” Shen Yan said, sounding miffed.
“I’m not interested in that,” Lin Sheng flatly replied.
It was not news that the upper echelon of Xilin was a rotten, corrupted lot. 7
That was common knowledge. It was just not spoken openly.
“But…” Shen Yan still had something to say, but when she saw Lin Sheng’s expression, she stopped.
She could tell that he was clearly disinterested instead of wary.
Soon, their foreign language teacher entered the class, and with the ringing of the bell, the class started.
Lin Sheng had already studied past the teacher’s syllabus, so he simply did module questions.
After he got bored, he sat in his place and meditated on the Ashen Seal.
The seal appeared to be stuck on a plateau, and after a twofold growth in his defensive capabilities the last time, it had stopped.
No matter what he did, the seal’s defensive capabilities did not change.
Hence, he reckoned that the Ashen Seal had probably hit its limit. 1
It was just one Ashen Seal after all, and the number of Ashen Seals that were mastered in the Sanctum was not only one.
If one Ashen Seal could exponentially increase one’s ability, the Sanctum would have already taken over Blackfeather City long ago.
The day went by uneventfully.
After class, Lin Sheng walked out of the school alone.
In the distance, near the alley on the opposite street was Shen Yan and two other girls. They were huddled together, talking about something.
From afar, it looked like a normal conversation.
Just as Lin Sheng was about to leave, he saw a black car stop before Shen Yan as well as the others, and they quickly got in.
The car then drove away into the distance. 1
Lin Sheng looked over, and it was only after a moment that he turned away to hail a taxi to head to the club.
Shen Yan was hiding something. 1
As her best friend, he could quickly deduce some clues left by her with the help of his honed mind and intelligence. 10
Sometimes, there were things that he could not be bothered with or things that he was in no position to do anything about.
…
Ironfist Club shooting range.
Russell was holding the latest black Llangwent 13 pistol with eight rounds loaded. His expression was serious as he stood before Lin Sheng.
“Master, do you really want me to shoot you with this? The Llangwent’s penetrative ability is much more powerful than the Blackshark’s. Being hit by it is no laughing matter.” 1
“What a load of nonsense. It’s just paintball. You make it sound as if it’s live rounds.” Shayeen sneered.
Lin Sheng simply smiled.
“Let’s begin. It’s just practice.”
He had just killed three of Sir Kaarman’s adopted children who were at least on Level 2. All of them were of the same caliber as Annie. 1
As he obtained their memory fragments, he had also obtained a large amount of experience and abilities to use weapons.
What Lin Sheng paid the most attention to was a memory fragment on training to avoid crossbow bolts.
All three of Sir Kaarman’s children had received comprehensive training. They not only knew how to ride or use a bow, but they also knew how to dodge long-range projectiles.
While Lin Sheng had only gotten memory fragments, that had brought along some basic capabilities in this area.
“I’ll start, then?” Russell yelled.
“Do it.” Lin Sheng nodded.
*Bang!*
Before his voice even trailed off, Russell had fired the first shot.
As if by instinct, Lin Sheng dodged. Both of them were about ten meters away, and right before Russell pulled the trigger, he had already started to move to the side.
Following that was a splatter of red on the metal wall behind him.
That was proof that the shot missed.
“He dodged it!” Shayeen could not help but clap.
A few other students who were watching by the door started clapping as well, as though they were the ones dodging.
Sarroux, the strongest among them, was rendered useless by Russell’s skill with firearms.
Now, with Lin Sheng dodging the shot, everyone got excited.
“It’s not over yet!” Russell moved his wrist slightly as he continued to fire.
*Bang bang bang bang bang!!*
Lin Sheng tried to dodge left and right, but he was unable to avoid them all. In the end, his body was painted with four splatters of paint.
The bullets themselves did not hurt much. They were only practice rounds, after all.
As soon as someone got shot, the area they were hit in would be painted in a special color; that meant they had been hit once.
Lin Sheng stopped and looked at the red marks on his body.
“Let’s do it again once I’ve cleaned up!” 2
He was serious and ready to get into the projectile-dodging training properly.
Since the Ashen Seal had already hit its limit, he needed to find other ways to counteract the firearms.
The Ironfist Club was now on track, and Wang Yue’s incident had allowed the members to better understand their abilities in influencing something.
However, such knowledge had created a somewhat unpleasant aura in the club. 1
After training for about half an hour, Lin Sheng felt that he was at his limits.
The thing that drained him the most was his focus. He had to pay total attention to Russell’s every movement.
That meant continuous full concentration. It was fine for a short while, but if it dragged on, his already lackluster stamina and strength would run out sooner than later.
After all, he was just a normal high school student who had started training not long ago. Aside from unlocking the Sacred Blood and Ashen Seal, he was not very different from the club members.
After he thanked Russell, Lin Sheng changed and got home before dinner time.
It was night time again; the time he anticipated the most.
The box that he had taken back was still with him. Whether or not the box contained the information and knowledge he sought, he would only know after he opened it.