chapter 5 No-ban Airspace

"The moon is bright, the stars are sparse. The bell for evening self-study rings, and students trickle out of the classroom, chatting and laughing as they walk in the night. After a day of trials, perhaps this is their most relaxing time.
No homework, no teachers. Surrounded by a few close friends, they can go home, take a shower, and comfortably climb into bed for rest. Isn't that wonderful?
Among this scattered crowd, a large group of more than ten people emerges, marching purposefully towards the outside of the school. In their midst, a young man with a black blindfold is wrapped up tightly like the filling in a dumpling.
This massive group immediately draws the attention of all the surrounding students.
"Actually... I can walk back by myself, really," Ben Lin's mouth twitches slightly, opening with some helplessness, "I can see, it's just that my eyes don't handle light well..."
"Don't say that, Ben Lin!" Sherry Jiang interrupts Ben Lin, speaking sternly, "We promised your Aunt we would take care of you, and we will!"
"Yeah, Ben, our homes are in the same direction, so it's on the way for us too."
"I'm on the way too."
Ben Lin: ...
Honestly, now he wishes he was the isolated one. Having spent so long in darkness, he's not used to being cared about by so many people. It makes him feel awkward.
Of course, his Aunt and Carl Yang don't count because they're family.
But they are well-intentioned after all, and he can't say much about it. He can only follow the crowd helplessly.
"I'm turning right at the intersection ahead, but I can walk with you for a while."
"I have to turn here, so I'll go ahead. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
"..."
As the school gets further and further away, the classmates surrounding Ben Lin gradually bid their farewells and leave. A few minutes later, only five people remain by Ben Lin's side.
The originally bustling atmosphere gradually quiets down, and the space suddenly becomes more open. Ben Lin takes a long breath of relief.
"Do you guys think... the mist will really return and engulf Nation Xia?" Jack Li, carrying his bag, turns to ask curiously.
"Haven't you heard what those experts said? The chances of the mist returning are very low. Maybe there won't be any changes in the next hundred years. And as for what happens after a hundred years... well, we won't be around to worry about it anyway," Sherry Jiang rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, you know, those experts are the least reliable. What if we finally get into university and haven't had a chance to enjoy life, and then the mist swallows up the entire Nation Xia? That would be a huge loss, right?"
"So, that's why you're loafing around and not focusing on your studies?" Sherry Jiang walks up to Jack Li, speaking seriously, "I have to remind you, Teacher Wang has already said that if you get the last place in the exam again, you'll have to move your desk to the front of the podium."
"I know, I know," Jack Li smiles awkwardly.
"But, I really don't think the mist will return," Tom Wang, who is leading the way, suddenly speaks up. "When it comes down to it, the mist is just a natural phenomenon. After reaching a certain critical point, it will gradually dissipate, just like the ice age. When the glaciers cover the earth, with the rise in temperature, they will slowly recede, and a new era will follow."
"I know what you're talking about. It's called the natural disaster theory, right? It's quite widely accepted now," Sherry Jiang nods.
"But what if... this mist is not a natural phenomenon?" Just then, Ben Lin, who had been silent all along, suddenly speaks up.
Tom Wang is taken aback, then laughs, "Ben, you don't really believe those so-called theologians, thinking that this mist is related to supernatural forces, do you?"
"It's the 21st century. We should believe in science. There's no need for all these superstitions," a classmate named Liu Yuan interjects.
Ben Lin doesn't respond. He knows best whether there are things beyond science in this world. It's just that there's no need to tell outsiders about these things.
Jack Li mutters quietly, "I actually think that if those things really exist, the world would be more interesting."
"Don't waste time talking about these useless things. It's not something we should be concerned about. Instead of dwelling on whether the mist will return, it's more practical to sleep in a bit longer during the three-day holiday," Sherry Jiang laughs.
"Yes, the holiday is what really matters!"
...
At this moment, in the old district of Canglan City.
A man is carrying a sign and walking calmly on the lonely and dimly lit street. The old street lamp casts a faint light, stretching his figure continuously...
He glances at his phone and reaches a narrow street intersection, stopping in his tracks.
"This is it..."
He mutters to himself, placing the sign he's carrying on the ground and adjusting it.
Under the flickering street lamp, the shadow of the sign intermittently appears and disappears. On the dark background, a few bright red characters are striking!
— No entry ahead!
The man leans against the street lamp, lights a cigarette for himself, takes a deep drag, and then puts on his earpiece.
"Captain, the third sign is in position."
"Received, begin."
"Mm."
Holding the cigarette in his mouth, the man strides up to the sign and presses his thumb against his teeth, biting down hard!
A drop of blood oozes from the wound. The man crouches down, using his thumb stained with fresh blood to draw a long horizontal line across the four large characters that read "No entry ahead"!
His eyes narrow, and an inexplicable momentum emanates from him!
He looks up at the dark red sky, murmuring in a voice only he can hear...
"Forbidden Ruin, [Realm of No Restraint]."
The next moment, the fresh bloodstains on the sign in front of him rapidly fade, as if being absorbed, and then, the four large characters "No entry ahead" flash with a red light!
Afterward, they gradually return to their original state.
The man sits on the ground, letting out a long sigh, complaining a bit.
"Damn it, emptied out again..."
At this moment, if someone were to look down from the sky over Canglan City, they would see three points of light flickering near the old district. Then, connecting these three points, a dark red equilateral triangle would rapidly take shape!
In the instant the triangle forms, half of the old district covered by it seems to be wiped off the map, gradually fading away...
However, from the ground, the old district is still the same old district.
At the same time, at the center of this triangle, six figures in black and red cloaks streak across the sky like lightning!
The man at the forefront looks up at the dark red sky, reaching for the hilt of the blade behind him, and squints slightly.
"The Ghost-Face Operation, commence."
..