Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 12 - Insidious

Chapter 12 - Insidious

Three kerosene lamps were placed in the corner of the small, enclosed room, their dim yellow light flickering.

"Li Wei, be honest: who started it?" A horse-faced male instructor stared intently at Li Wei.

"It was them."

"Alright, tell me what happened." The male instructor glanced at Instructor Lisa beside him before turning back to Li Wei.

"Okay." Li Wei nodded. "I was in my dorm talking to my roommates, and went to the washroom to shower. When I passed by dormitory room 7, a group of people suddenly rushed out and dragged me in. Finn was the ringleader and he ordered the other boys to gang up on me and shut me up.

"I struggled and fought back as hard as I could..." Li Wei recounted the 'facts' with genuine emotion. He even appeared slightly nervous.

Speaking too smoothly wouldn’t align with the scenario he was painting. He even made sure to pitifully show off his wounds and bruises.

In another room with a similar layout, Instructor Marn, Instructor Danton, and another bald male instructor were questioning a boy from dormitory room 7. The three-on-one dynamic was overwhelming, and the boy looked visibly anxious.

"So what you’re saying is, Li Wei suddenly burst into your room like a crazy person, climbed on top of Finn, and began ruthlessly hitting him up," the bald instructor stated.

"Yes." The boy nodded.

"Then why did he rush in to beat Finn?"

"Well..." The boy was momentarily stumped. His first thought was, Li Wei must have heard Finn's yelling from outside. But it wasn't like he could risk revealing Finn’s evil plan.

Should he say that Li Wei had a grudge against Finn? But Li Wei had beaten Finn up before, and Finn had also been punished at that time. Besides, Li Wei was doing well with his seven days of double training, and the punishment was almost over. Why would he cause trouble now?

After thinking it over, the few reasons the boy could come up with all seemed far-fetched and unrealistic. Moreover, he had to consider his and Finn's current positions.

After a moment of silence, the boy could only say, "I don't know."

"Alright, you can leave," the bald instructor dismissed him.

One by one, the instructors questioned each of the five boys from dormitory room 7. All of their responses varied. Some said they didn't know, some said Li Wei went crazy, and some blamed Finn's foul mouth.

The three instructors then questioned the boys who were first on the scene. Their answers were quite consistent. All of them testified that Li Wei, face bloodied, had been attacked. He had also shouted loudly for help.

Instructor Marn's expression grew darker.

Half an hour later, the instructors exchanged their findings.

Instructor Marn's expression was stormy. Based on the current evidence, the facts seemed to be as Li Wei said. Finn had acted recklessly and done something extremely foolish.

Although the instructors had not yet questioned Finn who was still recovering in the hospital, they had already come to a verdict by eleven at night. After all, the Wind Elephant youth training camp was not a police detective agency.

The punishment for dormitory room 7 was soon announced. First, they had to work in the cafeteria for a week, followed by ten days of double training. Finn, who was still bedridden, received the same punishment.

Amongst the other boys, Finn's two lackeys got the short end of the stick; their new punishment would double their already existing one. The two had already spent a week working in the cafeteria, and now they had to be there for another week. After that, they had twenty consecutive days of double training.

The boys from dormitory room 7 were reluctant, but there was no point in resisting. Arguing any further would result in immediate expulsion. Moreover, they were also prohibited from acting against Li Wei. If they did, they would be sent home immediately.

It went without saying that, as the other party in the fight, Li Wei was also punished, and received seven days of double training. Instructor Lisa pulled him aside and said she could speak to the camp director on his behalf. She’d just owe the director a favor for bending the rules for Li Wei.

However, Cassius refused. He had already gotten used to the double training routine and extending it for another seven days would be good for habit-building. More importantly, Cassius didn't want Instructor Lisa to owe the director favor because of him. If those were the camp rules, then those were the camp rules.

With that, a noisy night passed, and the sky gradually lightened.

On the third floor of the youth training camp’s hospital, a boy was awake in the leftmost ward.

Finn lay in the familiar hospital bed, staring at the familiar ceiling, with a familiar white bandage wrapped around his face. He sat up gingerly and picked up a teacup to drink some water. His swollen lips throbbed painfully, causing his hand to tremble so badly he spilled some water on the bed.

Just then, the wooden door creaked open. Instructor Marn, dressed in a beige training attire, walked in with a stern face.

Finn's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "Uncle, how did it go? Has that bastard been expelled?"

"Who are you talking about?" Marn walked slowly to the bedside.

"Who else? That bastard Li Wei!"

"..." Marn shook his head silently. "The one who almost got expelled wasn't him, it was you! If it weren't for my somewhat good relationship with the camp director, you’d have already been kicked out the door last night!"

"No, that's not... What’s happening?" Finn was bewildered but with his face wrapped up in white bandages, it was hard to see what kind of expression he was making.

"You dare ask me that? What are you putting up a front for! I'm your uncle; you think I don’t know the kind of person you are?"

Marn picked up the cup of water beside him and took a sip. "Tell me everything that happened last night. Down to the last detail. Don't try to leave anything out. The truth will come out sooner or later."

Five minutes later, Finn recounted everything.

"What do you want me to say?" Marn looked down at Finn. Finn avoided his eyes, his black eyelids twitching.

"Even if what you're saying is true, it's useless. We have eyewitness testimonies and evidence from last night. The outcome of our investigation has already been set in stone. You can either keep your head down and train for twenty days or pack your bags and go home."

Seeing that his nephew was still somewhat unconvinced, Marn continued, "I advise you not to mess with Li Wei again. If Li Wei's telling the truth, then it would be in your best interest to swallow your pride and not cause any more trouble. If you get caught going after him again, you'll be expelled immediately.

"Even if Li Wei was lying, that’s all the more reason to not mess with him! He's much smarter and much craftier than you. Don't embarrass yourself by playing into his hands like a fool."

He paused, then quietly said, "Don't make a fool of the two of us."

Marn turned around and left the ward, leaving a dazed Finn in bed.