chapter 4 Survive Day

One week later, Canglan City No. 6 Middle School.
"Hey, look, is that person from our school? Why is there a cloth covering his eyes?"
"Wearing our school uniform, he must be from our school."
"He's also holding a white cane, looks like he's blind."
"It’s weird, why haven't we seen him before?"
"He's probably from the new Grade 10 class, right?"
"I have to say, with those black cloths wrapped around his eyes, he looks quite handsome."
"But how does a blind person attend classes? Our school doesn't have special classes, does it?"
"I don't know."
...
As expected, as soon as Ben Lin entered the school gate, he attracted a wave of attention.
However, Ben Lin had experienced this kind of scenario too many times. He walked through the school's maple leaf avenue as if he were alone, heading towards the direction of the teaching building.
Speaking of which, before Ben Lin came, he was mentally prepared to face those troublesome individuals. After all, in many mindless novels, there would definitely be a few so-called "school bullies" who would mock him and set the stage for him to show off in the future...
However, those troublemakers didn't appear. Instead, many students approached him voluntarily, asking if he needed help.
This left Ben Lin feeling inexplicably disappointed.
Thinking about it, these were modern students who had gone through nine years of compulsory education. There weren't likely to be so many troublemakers who didn't know any better. Moreover, even if there were such small groups, they now emphasized a sense of "brotherhood." They helped their brothers deal with things in their daily lives and expressed their feelings. If they were to bully a disabled person, they'd be drowned in spit the next day, completely ruining their reputation.
Ben Lin went up the stairs and quickly found his classroom, Class 2 of Grade 10. He had already spent a year in Grade 10, in a special school, so now that he had transferred, he was considered a new student.
From most movies and TV shows, as well as novels, transfer students were generally depicted as being isolated, lonely, and miserable. After all, in the first year of high school, various small groups had already formed, and it was difficult to truly integrate into the class without taking the initiative.
Ben Lin was well aware that he wasn't the proactive type.
Even if he had been with them since the first year, with his aloof demeanour, he might still be all alone.
But being alone wasn't a bad thing. At least, Ben Lin enjoyed this feeling. No one bothered him, and he could focus on his studies...
If he were forced to deliberately build relationships with others, he probably wouldn't be able to do it.
Standing at the door of the classroom, Ben Lin took a deep breath, steadied himself, and stepped inside.
The moment Ben Lin entered the classroom, the originally noisy room fell silent, and the air suddenly became still...
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Just as Ben Lin was about to say something, the classroom suddenly erupted with noises!
"You're Ben Lin, right? Your seat is ready, over there."
"Ben Lin, can you not see? Let me take you there."
"Classmate, mind your steps slowly, there are quite a few things on the aisle... Hey, you, put your bag away!"
...
Before Ben Lin could react, several classmates had already come forward and carefully guided him to his seat. There was even a tall boy who directly took Ben Lin's backpack and slung it over his shoulder.
Under the escort of many people, Ben Lin safely reached his seat.
Ben Lin: ...?
How is this different from the script?
"Ben Lin, I'm Sherry Jiang, the class monitor. If you need anything, you can find me." A girl with a ponytail patted her chest and said.
"I'm Jack Li. If you want to eat, just call me, I'll take you." The guy who helped carry his bag smiled.
"And me, I'm Tom Wang..."
...
Many people surrounded him, warmly greeting him.
For a moment, Ben Lin felt a bit dazed.
To be honest, this was quite different from what he had imagined.
"Do you all... know me?" Ben Lin's expression was somewhat peculiar.
"Our homeroom teacher told us about you," class monitor Sherry Jiang replied. "But what left the deepest impression on us was your aunt. That day, she stood here holding a basket of eggs and gave them to us one by one, asking us to take care of you..."
In Ben Lin's mind, it was as if a thunderclap had suddenly sounded. He stood there, stunned.
The classmates continued to talk, but he couldn't focus on what they were saying. He could only stare blankly at the classroom, and in his mind, an image involuntarily surfaced—the middle-aged woman with a stooped back, holding a basket of freshly boiled eggs, earnestly asking her classmates for their help.
"Classmates, please help out. My nephew here has poor eyesight, and he's a bit reserved. Please take good care of him..."
"You, little girl, you're really pretty. My nephew is also quite handsome. You'll definitely like him..."
"Ben, this child, is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. As long as you get to know him, you'll definitely get along well..."
...
At some point, the black ribbon on his eyes had become slightly damp.
"Aunt..." he murmured to himself.
As everyone chatted away, a female teacher carrying books walked in. Seeing Ben Lin sitting in the front row, she first came over to offer her condolences, then gave a brief introduction, and began the class.
"Turn to page ninety in your textbooks. Today, we'll talk about the history and challenges of modern Nation Xia..."
It seemed that because Ben Lin had joined the class, the teacher skipped the usual process of reading the textbook aloud and went straight to explaining the content.
"A hundred years ago, there were still over two hundred countries on Earth, scattered across seven continents and four oceans. Each had its own customs and cultures. Even in that era when technology wasn't very advanced, we could still travel to different countries by boat and experience the collision of cultures..."
"However, on March ninth of that day, a mysterious fog suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Antarctica, and then spread at an astonishing speed. In just twenty-four hours, it swallowed up nearly 98% of the Earth's surface."
"The towering skyscrapers built by humans, the ancient primeval forests that had existed since ancient times, the immeasurable oceans... everything was covered by the fog, and countless countries succumbed to it, leaving no trace."
"But, when this inexplicable fog was about to invade Nation Xia's territory... it stopped."
"No one knows the reason, but it just stopped in this strange way."
"For a hundred years, countless theories and speculations have been put forward. Some say that this fog is actually a type of organism, and after devouring 98% of the Earth, it happened to be full, so it stopped near Nation Xia. Some say it's because Nation Xia's location has a special magnetic field that hinders the spread of the fog. There are even those who say that the accumulation of Nation Xia's five thousand years of heritage is now coming into play, sheltering this piece of land..."
"The composition of this fog completely surpasses human cognition. Whether it's light, sound, radio waves, or other detection methods, none can penetrate this fog. No one knows if behind this fog, the other countries that were swallowed a hundred years ago still exist..."
"According to experts' estimates, the chances of survival for those in the fog are extremely low, because whether inhaled into the lungs or in contact with the skin... it's fatal!"
"In the past hundred years, our country has sent out countless well-equipped exploration teams into the fog, but not a single person has returned."
"Fifty years ago, our country successfully launched its first satellite. Judging from the images transmitted from space, the entire Earth has turned gray and white, with only Nation Xia as a pure land."
"The present Nation Xia is like an island on this planet, and we... may be the last survivors on this planet."
"Therefore, the day the fog appeared, which is March 9th every year, is called the 'Survival Day'."

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