Chapter 29: Feeling Drained

Taking advantage of the brief moment of freedom, White Li retreated several steps to put some distance between them.

She took a deep breath and began a high-speed incantation.

Ancient syllables poured from her lips as a long-dormant presence stirred awake.

The ground beneath her feet began to tremble. Cracks spread across the classroom floor, and something was about to burst out from below.

Boom!

An ice giant shattered through the earth, ripping open the ceiling and letting out a roar.

White Li stood atop the giant’s shoulder, looking down at the figure in the school uniform below.

“Sorry, but my best buddy would never act like this. So please, disappear.”

She swung her arm, and the ice giant’s fist followed suit.

With a howling wind and crushing weight, it slammed straight down toward the spot where Lin Du stood in the dream.

CRASH—!

The ground shattered. Ice crystals flew everywhere.

Desks splintered into pieces. Chairs twisted and bent. The blackboard exploded into powder.

All the creations of human civilization vanished in an instant.

Dust and ice chips mixed together, raising a blinding white mist.

Let alone an ordinary human—

An attack like this was more than enough to completely crush him.

“That’s right.”

White Li stood on the giant’s shoulder, her tail held high, the corners of her mouth unable to suppress a grin.

“I win.”

Just as she was about to happily wake from the dream, she found the scene around her had restored in the blink of an eye.

“White Li…” That voice sounded again from behind her.

Light and airy, right next to her ear.

White Li’s smile froze on her face. She spun around sharply—that face was inches away.

“Are you cheating?!” White Li took a big step backward. “Why are you always circling behind me?!”

Beneath her feet was the giant’s shoulder; behind her was a drop of dozens of meters into the air.

The dream Lin Du looked at her, his gaze tender, and then reached out his hand…

“Waaah—!”

White Li jolted awake, sitting up straight, gasping for air.

Her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat. Her back was drenched in cold sweat, and her pajamas clung sticky to her skin.

The familiar ceiling. The dim yellow lightbulb.

And the pile of clothes she hadn’t folded yet in the corner.

She blinked, then pinched her cheek in disbelief.

“Sss—ow ow ow.”

It was real. Not a dream anymore.

White Li let out a long breath and flopped back down like she’d been emptied out.

She stared at the ceiling for a good while, listening to her heartbeat slowly calm down, her breathing returning to normal.

“Phew—phew—”

That was close. So close.

She almost fell for that thing.

She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow, her tail drooping weakly over the edge of the bed.

After a few seconds, she frowned again.

Something was off. Why was the bed so chilly?

White Li froze for a moment, then reached out and touched the mattress.

It was like a puddle—cold and damp.

She slowly looked down at her pajamas, and her face turned bright red.

“Dammit—!!!”

…

“How come you have the leisure to wash your quilt today?”

Lin Du waited at their usual spot, watching White Li walk out of the stairwell clutching a huge bundle of fabric.

The quilt and sheets were folded together, almost covering half her face, leaving only a mess of messy hair visible.

“The… the weather’s nice today,” White Li’s voice came from behind the fabric. “I’m washing it to air it out. Got a problem?”

Lin Du glanced at the sky—overcast, clouds thick enough to wring out water.

“Sure…?” He raised an eyebrow.

White Li had dark circles under her eyes, her steps were unsteady, and she looked like her soul had been drained.

“Let me help you.”

Seeing her like this, Lin Du reached out and took the bundle from her arms.

“Don’t—touch me!”

White Li recoiled as if her tail had been stepped on. She jerked back too hard, and the fabric in her arms scattered with a rustle, nearly falling all over the floor.

She scrambled to catch it, her face bright red.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so jumpy?”

Lin Du already had the quilt in his arms, looking at her strangely.

“Nothing… it’s nothing.”

White Li snapped out of it and tightened her grip on the fabric.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“Yeah… I had a… nightmare.”

“Nightmare?” Lin Du chuckled, his tone light. “Dream about what?”

White Li was silent for a moment before answering. “Dreamed about… you…”

“Me? Am I that scary?” Lin Du was a little curious. “Can you tell me about it?”

“I’d rather not…”

White Li’s voice grew softer and her steps faster.

“Then what about this quilt?” Lin Du sniffed it.

The quilt in his arms gave off a faint, pleasant scent. It wasn’t like laundry detergent—more like the fragrance of some flower.

“It’s just sweat!” White Li’s voice shot up an octave. “It’s too hot, so I just…”

Lin Du glanced at the overcast sky above, then at her flushed face.

“Alright.”

…

After hanging the quilt to dry, the two headed to school.

But the moment she entered the classroom, White Li sensed something off about the atmosphere.

“I’m so tired… Am I going to die?”

A boy was slumped in his seat, his face haggard, dark circles under his eyes, his lips pale and bloodless. He lay sprawled across the desk like a pile of mud melted by the sun.

“Dude, this guy seriously looks like he’s dying.” Another boy poked his face, then pulled back his hand. “And feel him—his face is ice cold.”

“I heard several classmates called in sick today,” the person in front turned around and lowered his voice. “Some of them couldn’t even stand up—their legs were too sore to walk. My mom said it might be the flu and told me to drink more hot water.”

“Is drinking hot water even useful?”

“How would I know?”

Lin Du stood at the classroom door, listening to these conversations, his brow gradually furrowing.

White Li noticed that the seat next to hers was empty. Xiaoyu’s chair was still pushed under the desk, her textbooks stacked neatly, her water cup still there, but she hadn’t shown up.

She turned around and asked the girl behind her.

“Did Xiaoyu call in sick? Why isn’t she here?”

The girl nodded. “Xiaoyu called this morning saying her whole body felt weak, and her voice sounded really frail. I’ve never heard her talk like that…”

White Li began to think. Sore legs, unable to walk, complete lack of energy.

Same symptoms as that boy, and several people had them all at once.

“No way…”

She remembered the pink-haired woman in last night’s dream.

“I’m just out foraging.”

“Have a nice dream~”

Foraging. Have a nice dream.

White Li’s pupils contracted slightly.

That dream demon’s “foraging” wasn’t just a casual meal.

She was draining these people’s energy—even their life force.

The price of those “nice dreams” was a body that was limp and unresponsive the next day.

And because she herself was a monster, she only ended up with a poor night’s sleep.

That bitch!

White Li bit her lip.

Lin Du walked over to her and patted her shoulder.

“I’m going to the bathroom. When they call roll, answer for me, okay?”

“Okay.”

White Li nodded, watching him rush out of the classroom in a hurry.

At the end of the hallway, Lin Du leaned against the window and dialed a number.

“Hello, Chief?”

An old man’s vigorous voice came through the receiver, with the rustling sound of documents being shuffled in the background.

“What’s up, kid? Calling this early?”

Lin Du lowered his voice. “I think there’s signs of monster activity here.”

“Oh?”

The old man paused for a moment.

“Talk.”