**Chapter 30: Blood Loss**

The newcomer was slender, dressed in the loose uniform commonly worn here. Against the light, his delicate features were partially obscured.

He glanced around briefly before slowly sitting down on the step below Song Shi.

Reaching out, he placed the items he had been holding into Song Shi's arms, then quickly withdrew his hand, looking aimlessly at the sky and the ground, feigning indifference.

Song Shi had originally been propped up on the step above her, her legs spread in a "V" shape, maximizing her exposure to the sunlight. 

Now, with two items placed on her stomach, she made no immediate movement, merely releasing her right hand from the ground to inspect the objects closely.

The crinkled tin foil packaging bore the words "Nutrition Bar."

"Thanks."

Song Shi adjusted her position, sitting upright, and unwrapped one to eat.

"Yesterday... thank... thank you."

As Song Shi savored the snack, she stole a glance at his back—thin, shoulders hunched, his flimsy uniform revealing the contours of his scapula.

She quickly turned her gaze away.

The Peacock-type abilities, when possessed by the wealthy in the Inner City, were a luxury; yet for ordinary people, they were nothing short of a curse.

And even more so for those sent to regulated schools, who could barely be considered ordinary.

They had beauty, but no ability to protect themselves.

Song Shi sighed inwardly at how tragic the situation was.

She opened the second nutrition bar.

"You need to be careful of Tong... Tong Jun and Dai Ming."

Chen Suqin struggled to utter the names of these two individuals, but when he received no response, he turned his head, only to find Song Shi chewing with a puffed cheek.

Her eyelids were so swollen that they nearly covered half her eyes. From his angle, he could only see a narrow slit, while the other eye remained half-open, unfocused as she gazed ahead. At first glance, it appeared she was lost in thought, but a closer look revealed the vigilance and indifference hidden beneath.

Though she wasn't looking directly at him, he was sure she was listening, so he turned away.

"They often have dealings with the forces in the Western Suburbs black market."

The Western Suburbs?

Song Shi's ears perked up.

The over thirty thousand Federation credits Zhao Jing had given her had vanished without a trace in the Western Suburbs.

Even the city's security team had failed to track it.

"In school, they are cautious not to cause fatalities, but once the holidays come and everyone leaves campus, they'll collude with some ruthless individuals from the Western Suburbs. Those who have offended them are mercilessly dealt with. Sometimes, even if you haven't wronged them, if they target you, they'll... they'll abduct you to the Western Suburbs and torture you..."

Song Shi's chewing faltered, and she glanced toward Chen Suqin's back. His voice trembled.

"Does the city's security team just turn a blind eye?"

Chen Suqin slowly shook his head, his entire being shrouded in gloom, unable to be lifted even by the bright sunlight.

"They dare not enter the Western Suburbs. Any investigation that leads there is immediately halted."

Song Shi fell silent. The Western Suburbs were truly a lawless area.

"So be careful. If you anger them, they'll do anything."

Song Shi let out a light laugh. She feared she had already angered those people.

Wang Danyu had no intention of killing her these past three months, but had instead incited others to do so.

Perhaps, this was the true purpose of Wang Danyu sending her here—to a school full of cutthroats, confident that she wouldn't die.

"I heard... you're only staying here for three months?" Chen Suqin asked quietly, turning his head, only to meet Song Shi's half-lidded gaze.

She seemed to be calculating something, a trace of coldness in her eyes.

Chen Suqin instinctively recoiled, nervously avoiding her gaze.

Even though Song Shi wasn't actually looking at him.

Song Shi didn't notice, merely muttering a quiet "Mm," before returning to her thoughts.

However, from the corner of her eye, she noticed two figures emerging from the bustling crowd on the field.

They were the two people who had come to her dorm on her first night at the school, confirming whether she was Song Shi.

"Stay away from me," Song Shi said tersely, returning to her previous posture and picking up the remaining nutrition bar.

Chen Suqin had long wanted to leave, but upon hearing Song Shi's dismissal, he paused for a moment, following her gaze, but saw nothing.

His keen sense was nothing compared to Song Shi's.

He withdrew his gaze and stood up to leave.

Song Shi finished the last bite of the nutrition bar, and as the two figures walked up to her, a strong scent of tobacco followed them.

The curly-haired girl's lackey scrutinized her face, letting out a regretful sigh.

Song Shi knew exactly what she was lamenting—the one hundred thousand Federation credits were indeed an attractive offer. If she were in their shoes, she wouldn't be able to resist either.

"Remember to come early tomorrow," Song Shi said nonchalantly. "That hundred thousand belongs to someone else now."

The curly-haired girl flicked the ash from her cigarette. "You really don't care."

"You're blocking my sunlight," Song Shi lifted her hand to wave at her, signaling for her to move.

The lackey, growing impatient, pointed at her nose and cursed, "You still dare to be arrogant with death looming over you!"

The curly-haired girl shot her a warning look, and the lackey reluctantly stopped cursing.

But the curly-haired girl still refused to move aside.

No longer able to bask in the sun, Song Shi withdrew her legs, stood up on the step, and said, "This is pointless. Do as you please."

Song Shi took a few steps before turning back. "Oh, by the way, remember to consider the consequences before you make a move."

She was preparing to fight back.

She had no confidence in surviving the combined forces of those in the Western Suburbs, so she would have to awaken as quickly as possible before the holiday break.

She would no longer passively endure the blows.

Unfortunately, the two didn't seem to understand her warning, or perhaps they simply didn't take her seriously.

That night, Song Shi returned to her dorm, applied medicine to the wounds on her face, drank a carton of milk, and went to bed.

The following morning, the sound of the whistle roused Song Shi from her sleep. She washed her face and looked into the mirror. Her wounds had healed about seventy to eighty percent; the swelling in her eyes had completely disappeared, leaving only faint red marks. The cut on her lip still had a hint of purple, but it was hardly noticeable.

She used makeup to exaggerate the injuries and pushed open the door.

*Bang!!*

A thick iron rod, as wide as an arm, struck her on the head.

Just before losing consciousness, instead of looking at her assailant, Song Shi summoned the light screen in her mind:

**[Abuse Progress: +3%]**

Only 3%!

She fell, unwilling and resentful.

When she regained consciousness, she was still in the same position as when she fainted, her upper body leaning against the doorframe, while her lower body twisted awkwardly in the hallway.

Her head throbbed painfully.

Using her arms to push against the ground, Song Shi slowly stood up, locked the door behind her, grabbed the bandage supplies she had left on the desk yesterday, and painfully made her way to the bathroom.

After just a few steps, she was winded, clutching the sink for support. Her legs felt weak, and dizziness clouded her vision.

As she worried whether this might be some sort of aftereffect, her reflection in the mirror caught her attention.

She looked as though she had been pulled from a pool of blood.

A large amount of blood flowed from her hair, spreading across her face. The once white uniform sleeves were almost completely soaked, shifting from white and blue to red and purple.

She would have passed out herself, if not for her stubbornness.

The volume of blood loss was staggering, and Song Shi couldn't even begin to imagine that only 3% of the progress had been added.

Thinking of the progress, the light screen automatically popped up in her mind.

**[Anti-abuse Progress: 32%]**

**[Abuse Progress: 43%]**

Song Shi stared at the 43% mark, sensing something was off. She clearly remembered every fluctuation in the numbers.

Yesterday, the abuse progress was at 38%. If it had only increased by 3%, the current value should have been 41%.

But now, there was an extra 2%.

Song Shi studied her bloodstained uniform in the mirror.

Had the 2% increase come from the lack of medical treatment, allowing her wounds to bleed uncontrollably and accumulate secondary damage?

Her thoughts couldn't be confirmed, as the rudimentary system lacked a readback function, making it impossible to know when the 2% increase had occurred.

After a moment of reflection, Song Shi sat back down at the desk and drank two cartons of milk to regain some strength. Her dizziness and weakness eased slightly before she returned to the bathroom, removed her shirt to avoid further injury, and began rinsing the blood from her face and body.

As she watched the blood flow down the drain, mingling with the water, her suspicions grew stronger.

Once the blood was mostly washed off, she carefully returned to the mirror, parted her hair to reveal the wound, applied the medication, and wrapped it in bandages.

Her technique had improved significantly after yesterday's practice with her face.

After finishing the bandaging, Song Shi sat back down, drank two more cartons of milk, and finally felt somewhat restored.

She now had enough energy to consider who might have attacked her.

At the time, she had only seen a flash of white light before her vision went black, and then everything had gone blank. She hadn't caught a glimpse of the perpetrator.

But given that this was the female dormitory, and considering the words of the two who had blocked her sunlight yesterday, Song Shi hardly had to think much before settling on a suspect.

Turning her head slightly to glance outside, the sky was bright, and her watch displayed the time: 1:30 PM.

It was 1:30 in the afternoon. Everyone else was in class.

Song Shi stood up, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over herself.

Opportunities to pass out in the dormitory were rare.

From her observations over the past few days, she knew her recovery ability while sleeping far outpaced that when she was awake.

So, she decided to rest and regain her strength.

*(End of Chapter)*