Chapter 64: Spring Outing

Another painful morning had dawned.

Yan Yu genuinely felt a dull ache in his nether regions as he rose from bed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. In his distraction, he tugged at himself the wrong way, and the pain made him grimace and bare his teeth.

Coincidentally, Su Han witnessed this scene and couldn't help but stifle a laugh behind her hand.

After tidying himself up, Yan Yu chose not to bring his compass or peachwood sword, but instead tucked a few talismans close to his body.

Today, after all, he wasn’t heading to school. He was going to the Internet Addiction Rehabilitation Center.

“My dear, you must be extremely careful when you get there. Don’t let anything bad happen to you…” Zhao Qingqing said, reluctant to let him go.

“Don’t worry, your man here has a qilin’s arm!” Yan Yu pointed to his left arm. Su Han glanced at it and noticed that his left arm was indeed noticeably thicker than his right.

Usually, a person’s dominant hand would be more muscular, and Yan Yu was clearly right-handed. Why then was his left arm more robust?

With this question lingering in her mind, Su Han left the house with Yan Yu. They met up with Fatty Hao Zhuang at the entrance of the same internet café near their school as before.

“Boss, Miss Su—hey, where are the other classmates?” Fatty asked. He thought they were going on an outing, dressed in a windbreaker and carrying a hiking backpack—though it was stuffed full of snacks.

“We’re on a special mission,” Yan Yu said with a grin. “Fatty, Hao Zhuang, there’s a place full of young people who love gaming. Want to come with me and have some fun?”

“Are there girls?” Hao Zhuang asked, raising his eyebrows.

Yan Yu nodded. “Of course there are!”

“Count me in!”

“I’m coming too!”

Watching their excitement, Su Han couldn’t help but silently pray for them, hoping that once inside the center, they wouldn’t end up getting shocked.

Yan Yu cheerfully tricked the two onto a taxi. The whole ride, Fatty and Hao Zhuang discussed how they would show off their gaming skills to impress the girls.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of the Internet Addiction Rehabilitation Center. Only then did Fatty and Hao Zhuang sense that something was wrong.

“Boss, are we at the wrong place? Isn’t this supposed to be a field trip? Or some kind of counseling session?” Fatty asked, bewildered.

Yan Yu just chuckled and pushed open the car door. Su Han had already contacted the center beforehand, so as soon as the door opened, a group of parents surrounded the three of them.

All these parents had been brainwashed by Yang Yongsheng, and were now utterly obedient to the center’s orders. None of them had been present the night Yan Yu caused trouble at the center, so they didn’t recognize him.

Fatty and Hao Zhuang struggled and shouted at the top of their lungs, “What are you doing?! We’re not addicted to games! We want to see our parents!”

“Take it easy, boys,” one parent said with a smile. “We’re just going inside for a little check-up and counseling. You’ll be out in no time.”

Hao Zhuang had a friend who once stayed in this very center. There was no way he was buying that story. Strong as an ox, he kicked the parent square in the chest, sending him flying more than two meters.

Seeing this, the other parents rushed forward and pinned Hao Zhuang to the ground.

“Boss, what’s going on here?” Fatty asked in a panic.

Yan Yu put on a show, replying, “The school arranged for us to come here for a check-up. We’ll be out soon, don’t worry.”

Though Fatty and Hao Zhuang remained anxious, they stopped resisting.

Led by the parents, the group passed through the gates and entered the center. Inside, two buildings came into view, with a concrete athletic field between them.

One building was marked “Rehabilitation,” the other “Inpatient.” Every window was fitted with thick security bars, and there were adults—presumably parents—standing guard at the entrances to the inpatient building.

On the athletic field, more than a hundred “patients” in camouflage uniforms were being drilled on their posture. A drill instructor with a wooden stick patrolled the lines, striking anyone who so much as twitched a finger.

The sight made Fatty and Hao Zhuang even more nervous.

“Boss, do you think this is because we snuck out to the internet café the other day and got caught by Miss Su? That’s too much! She actually sent us here…” Fatty wailed.

Su Han shot them a glare, and Fatty immediately fell silent.

They were led into the rehabilitation building and brought straight to the director’s office on the first floor, where they were made to sit on cold wooden benches.

As soon as they sat down, Yan Yu and Su Han instinctively surveyed the office, their eyes first seeking out the windows.

As expected, a talisman to ward off evil spirits was affixed to the glass.

Yan Yu mused, If I can find a chance to tear down that talisman, maybe Feng Liang could sneak into the center… But that sort of talisman isn’t something just anyone can draw. Is there a real master of the occult at Yang Yongsheng’s side?

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a white coat, surrounded by seven students, entered the office.

It was Yang Yongsheng himself.

Compared to Feng Liang’s memories, Yang Yongsheng looked almost unchanged. His face wore a “kind” smile, betraying not a hint of the fact that only a week earlier, he had tortured a fourteen-year-old boy to death.

The moment Yang Yongsheng entered, Su Han’s pupils contracted sharply, as if she had seen something unbelievable. But she quickly masked the change in her expression.

At the same time, Yan Yu felt a chill, a coldness that seemed to seep from the air itself.

Yang Yongsheng exuded a heavy aura of yin energy, yet he was clearly still alive.

“So, tell me—what’s the story with these children?” Yang Yongsheng took a seat behind his desk and got straight to the point.

“Professor Yang, these three children suffer from severe internet addiction. I am their homeroom teacher. With their parents’ consent, the school has decided to send them here for a week of rehabilitation training,” Su Han replied.

“I see. Have all the procedures been completed?” Yang Yongsheng asked, smiling.

“All done,” Su Han confirmed.

“In that case, you can rest assured and return to your duties. These three will receive my special treatment. I’ll make sure they understand the true meaning of life. In a week, they’ll have no desire to touch the internet again.” Yang Yongsheng’s smile was all surface—a mask, just as Yan Yu had seen in Feng Liang’s memories.

Su Han nodded to Yan Yu, then turned and left. Fatty and Hao Zhuang were left despondent.

“This can’t be… my parents actually agreed to send me to this hellhole…” Fatty muttered.

“Little Fatty, what did you just call this place?” Yang Yongsheng abruptly asked.

Fatty shivered. “Uh… Uncle Yang, I meant… this is a paradise where even ghosts would want to stay…”

“You have a way with words,” Yang Yongsheng sneered. “The three of you, go find Instructor Yan. Hand over all your personal belongings. Instructor Yan will issue you uniforms and assign your dormitories.”