Chapter 221: Closed
Chapter 221: Closed
This was the strange phenomenon produced by Fang Jing’s new skill, the Primal Rage Resonance Field.
The Primal Rage Resonance Field was an ability derived from the Primal Beast. Fang Jing concluded that this new skill was linked to his recently comprehended “Anomalous Martial Art: Extinction Wheel Fist,” or perhaps the Primal Rage Resonance Field was the very driving force behind the Extinction Wheel Fist.
His own understanding was this: the entire power system he cultivated was built through the combination of his “Fate Grade” and the framework he himself possessed. It was precisely for this reason that his Fate Grade was, to him, the most fundamental source of his power.
With a mere thought, the Primal Rage Resonance Field shifted into its active state. Though this skill was called a “Resonance Field,” it was actually closer to a kind of field-like anomalous energy fluctuation.
Fang Jing had no explanation for its principles. The only thing he was certain of was that within a roughly ten-meter radius radiated by this power, all surrounding matter would be influenced by a certain kind of force wave emitted by this resonance field.
Fang Jing personally felt the field energy, powered by his heart, operating in a vibration-like mode.
This vibrational state formed specific fluctuations that could affect the material world.
…For example, this mosquito right in front of him. Fang Jing very casually reached out and caught it between his fingers.
During that entire motion, he hadn’t increased his speed at all.
Normally, a mosquito would easily evade his finger. Yet, moving at an ordinary person’s speed, Fang Jing had the insect perfectly pinned.
It wasn’t… that he had become faster.
Rather, when the mosquito was locked within the Resonance Field and its vibrations grew increasingly violent, the fluctuations generated by the field caused all surrounding matter to slow down.
Under the frequency vibrations of this “Resonance Field,” the passage of time itself seemed to slow down, drip by drip.
(This isn’t actual time slowing down. I don’t possess the power to control or twist time. Essentially, it’s just that my ‘Resonance Field’ generates a field fluctuation that hinders the movement of nearby matter…)
The true mechanism remained inexplicable, but using it presented no problems.
Once the Primal Rage Resonance Field was activated, it enveloped most of the room. Even the dust floating in the air seemed to move and drift extremely slowly.
“…Where?”
His eyes snapped open wide, a faint crimson glimmer shining within them.
In the pitch dark of the archive room, Fang Jing saw… a butt hiding beneath a bookshelf.
A… butt!?
Hold on, something didn’t seem right.
Fang Jing started to feel puzzled. He pressed a finger against his temple near his eyebrow. The most unsettling thing was that the “butt,” seemingly small and petite, was frantically trying to squeeze further under a table that was missing half a leg—succeeding in hiding entirely beneath it.
(Weird! That strange aura I sensed earlier… it wasn’t like a human’s…)
Now that he was so close, he could clearly pick up the sound of hurried breathing. Plus, the distinct scent of a living person drifted through the air to him.
He extended his foot and gave that small, round, and pretty butt — covered by a blue-and-white striped dress that had flipped upwards — a little kick.
“Alright, get out here!”
He yelled a little roughly. The response was a startled, “Wah!”
A girl who still looked quite childish scrambled out from under the bookshelf.
Her deep black hair swayed gently as she stood before him. She wore light-green sailor-style school uniform and didn’t seem very tall.
“…”
She didn’t speak. Half-open, slightly upturned eyes glared with fierce intensity, like a tiny furious cat, her canine teeth slightly bared.
However, such an overwhelmingly cute little creature was hard to take seriously, even when trying to look threatening.
“Trying to break in illegally at night? Shouldn’t I phone the police?”
Fang Jing took out his phone without a second thought.
“Didn’t! Didn’t illegally break in! The guard grandpa I know just isn’t here today!”
The fierce little animal’s long, raven hair, which had bristled like an angry cat’s tail, immediately settled back down at the mention of “police.”
But… Guard grandpa.
Was she referring to the old man who used to guard the Literature and History Archives Hall?
Fang Jing remembered clearly that Nagareyama Yosuke had told him there was a custodian here, an old gentleman.
According to the girl, it sounded like she knew that old guard.
“You’re a kid from around here, right? What happened? Why are you coming to a place like this at this hour?”
He fired off all three questions at once.
“Nothing…”
Hearing him, the girl crossed her arms and snorted dismissively.
“Because I hate going home, and I hate meeting up with classmates outside… That’s all.”
“Running away—?”
“So annoying! Not running away! Just… visiting.”
She gave an indifferent shrug of her shoulders.
“This isn’t your first time ‘visiting’!”
Fang Jing studied her up and down. He noticed a beautiful crimson pendant hanging around her neck. The exquisitely cut ruby seemed to emit a faint reddish glow. It was subtle light emanating from the gemstone itself.
(Probably… it was this thing that generated some kind of power, making even my senses fail…)
Fang Jing relied on the sharpness of his senses and an innate intuition towards anomalies.
He didn’t possess definite Spiritual Sight, so occasionally feeling wrong wasn’t impossible.
The pendant itself wasn’t “extraordinary,” but considering the ruby, he suspected that what the girl wore might be some special item that interfered with his perception.
“What’s it to you!?”
The girl coldly snorted and turned her head away.
“I’ve never seen you around Fubian before. Just who are you?”
Suddenly suspicious, she fixed him with a distrustful stare.
“My surname is Nishizuka. I came here from the city specifically on business. Mr. Nagareyama, the manager here, approved my request.”
Fang Jing smiled slightly, jingling the keys in his hand.
“The keys to the Archives Hall. Given to me by Mr. Nagareyama Yosuke.”
“…”
Her expression clouded, but she remained silent.
“So, even if you were visiting, the place is closed at night. Right now, even the main power is cut. At this hour, shouldn’t you be going home?”
Fang Jing looked at her, finding the situation rather amusing.
“Also, I recall the main gate was locked. Exactly how did you get in…”
“Mmm—”
It was like stepping on her sore spot. The girl didn’t answer, just stared at him with a deeply displeased glare.
“What’s it to you!”
“Actually, it is my business. This place has no security right now. Although the archive doesn’t hold many valuables, if something goes missing tomorrow, it would be difficult for me to explain things to the manager, Mr. Nagareyama.”
Fang Jing lifted his phone again. “Depending on your next answer, I’ll consider whether or not to call the police.”
The girl stood frozen in place. Her stubbornly maintained tough expression wavered visibly.
“However… if you answer my questions truthfully, I might… let it slide this time…”
Stopped by his words, the girl seemed powerless. After Fang Jing threatened her again a few times, her attitude softened and she began to answer his questions willingly.
She stated her surname was “Maeda.”
“So, what’s your name then?”
“Huh? What? A cute JK like me isn’t about to tell her name to some stranger who might be a pervert so soon!”
She stubbornly clung to her “tough” stance.
“Alright then. Guess I’ll just have to trouble the police to come.”
“Whimper…”
Her previously defiant tuft of hair drooped down.
Her face fell into a look of utter dejection.
(This personality is really entertaining! It unconsciously makes people want to tease or bully her…)
–Big heads, small bodies, round, wide eyes, plump bellies, tiny legs… Adorable, charming little creatures naturally attract human attention. When people see these cute things, the limbic system in the brain, which handles impulses, gets stimulated. It also produces dopamine, making people instinctively want to protect such tiny creatures. This is a mechanism to safeguard offspring or human babies, ensuring the continuation of the species.
Conversely, the brain also develops a kind of inhibitory reaction against this very mechanism. When the feeling of affection becomes too strong, it can reverse. The direct manifestation of this reversal is the irresistible urge to tease, startle, or even bully cute little animals or juveniles. At its extreme, it might even produce a slightly cruel sense of enjoyment.
The Maeda girl practically radiated an aura pleading “Please tease me!” She might not be aware of it herself. Perhaps that false tough attitude was also a protective shield she wove when stimulated, like the spines on a hedgehog.
“Anyway… the gate was closed. You got in through another way, right?”
Fang Jing figured he’d teased her enough. Going further would be too much; he didn’t actually enjoy tormenting others.
“There’s a window broken in the storage room on the second floor at the back of the Archives Hall. It opens easily enough. You can climb a tree behind the building and then climb in through that window.”
She detailed the sneaking-in method honestly.
Right… He’d tell Nagareyama Yosuke about that tomorrow.
“Wait! You’re not planning to tell the manager about the window, are you!?”
As if seeing through his expression, the Maeda girl thought of something and looked suddenly uneasy.
“Well, that’s what any normal person would probably do!”
Fang Jing replied with calm indifference.
“But… that way… I won’t have anywhere else to go.”
Her shoulders slumped, her expression anxious and uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Fang Jing sighed.
“Fine. I won’t go out of my way to mention it later. But this place isn’t a hotel. Don’t keep hiding in here.”
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the room.
He left behind Maeda, the girl wearing a bewildered look.
Fang Jing returned to the room where he’d been staying.
The Literature and History Archives Hall closed after around seven or eight o’clock. After closing time, the main power inside the building was cut.
However, Nagareyama Yosuke had informed him that a backup power line was still available.
Fang Jing turned on the desk lamp and piled the large stack of materials he needed onto the table.
“I hope I can find the clues I need within these next couple of days…”