Apocalypse Forecast

"Oh, dear, why are you in such a hurry?"

Just moments before, Huai Shi, with a mischievous smile, had extended his hand and removed his own head from his neck, revealing the Raven sitting inside.

She blinked at Huai Shi with a smug look. "School life is quite nice; I'm even thinking of transferring here to take classes."

"Come on, sis, just replace me for half a day, and don't cause me any trouble," Huai Shi pleaded with a bitter smile, examining her current appearance. "What's all this about?"

"Just simple Alchemy."

The Raven whistled. "Thank goodness Uncle Fang helped me find the oldest plastic model in all of Xinhai. With a little modification, after installing a power system and an illusory shell, I just covered it with the recorded data of your appearance, and it was all set."

While saying this, she laughed cheerily. "Don't forget what my real body is now."

Event Branch.

In fact, the face she was currently wearing and all the skin revealed outside of the clothes were drawn with a feather pen that she had transformed from herself.

Thanks to the detailed records about Huai Shi in the Book of Fate, a simple overlay was all that was needed.

Although there was no Source Fluctuation, as long as it wasn't attached too closely, ordinary people couldn't spot any major issues.

"What about the performance coming up?" Huai Shi asked. "I remember you can't play the cello, right?"

"Who can't fake it a little?"

The Raven, managing the model like piloting a Gundam, lifted her clothes, revealing the hollowed belly and a tape recorder stuffed inside it.

With just a slight movement of her hands, melodious cello music flowed out of the tape recorder.

"Besides, to make up for the lack of effect, I've also prepared a little secret device, so rest assured," she said, picking up Huai Shi's cello and proudly waving it at him.

But Huai Shi felt like there was something off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Soon, they heard the resounding music coming from the direction of the Auditorium—it was the theme from the opening micro-film "Peppa Pig Hero."

"Alright, you don't have any time to waste; the performance has already started."

The Raven pointed to the backpack in the corner of the music room. "When I head out and wander backstage for a bit, you get dressed up, leave from here, travel for ten minutes, work for ten minutes, and then take another ten minutes to come back. If you're lucky and I haven't taken your place yet, you might be able to go on stage and play the cello yourself."

Huai Shi looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure there won't be a problem?"

"Don't worry, would your sister ever deceive you?"

The Raven patted her chest, chuckling happily, and Huai Shi's unease grew even stronger.

But indeed, there wasn't much time left.

He dared not waste any more and, tipping his head back, drained the Potions the Raven handed to him, one after another. He felt a mixture of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors bursting from within, while his face began to quickly soften and contort, his height increasing inch by inch.

In the end, he had grown fifteen centimeters taller, and the features of his face had almost completely vanished.

Luckily, he had changed into a loose-fitting outfit ahead of time; otherwise, he would have looked ridiculously comical.

He pulled a heavy coat that the Raven had prepared out of the backpack and draped it over himself, then pulled up the stretchable collar around his neck, fitting it over his face, and finally donned sunglasses and a hood.

Even his hands were hidden in cut-resistant gloves.

He looked incredibly professional.

"I'll be right back."

Huai Shi grabbed his backpack and climbed straight out the window. Taking advantage of the fact that nobody was looking, he bypassed the surveillance cameras and sprinted toward Wanli Plaza.

Soon, his figure vanished atop the rooftops, out of sight.

"Seems like he hasn't quite caught on yet," the Raven cheerfully watched him leave, then looked down at the head cradled in her arms and couldn't resist whistling again. "I have a feeling I could do a lot of things with this face. After all, time was short."

Ten minutes later, Huai Shi stood atop a roof, gasping for breath. He looked back but couldn't see the school anymore.

On his way, he deeply appreciated the benefits of the Yin Soul Saint Mark.

As he ran with all his might, all he could see were the scenes around him swiftly moving past, lightning-fast. By the Power of The Sorrow of Index, he dashed among the towering buildings.

The grey-white coat was almost the same color as the cement. From a distance, it didn't catch the eye at all.

Combined with the city-wide surveillance distribution map Raven had given him, no one noticed that Huai Shi had already arrived atop the building opposite Wanli Plaza, ready to execute his criminal plan.

But how could she be so familiar with the city's entire video surveillance?!

Huai Shi scratched his chin and checked his watch. He still had twenty minutes.

Ten minutes for the job, ten minutes for the retreat.

Theoretically, it should be enough.

The Raven, afraid that he wouldn't have experience for his first crime, had devised several backup plans and contingencies for every step. She was practically guiding him by hand on how to become a crime boss. How should I put it... it's quite a thrill.

The plan was flawless.

Now, only the most critical step remained.

Huai Shi lay at the edge of the high-rise, looking down at the bustling traffic below.

The vault was right in the center of Wanli Great Building.

To avoid leaving any trace in the surveillance, he couldn't approach from below. The security measures in the hotel above were also thoroughly comprehensive, so as a newbie, he didn't have the luxury of stealth.

So, there was only one option left.

To break through from the center.

The rooftop of the building directly opposite Wanli Plaza was at the perfect height, level with the floor where the vault was located. This meant Huai Shi had to figure out a way to get in from here.

Raven had several suggestions, but at the top of the list was to jump across directly, break open the bathroom window, and then execute the plan before the other side could react.

Using a rope would be too conspicuous, and there was nowhere on the opposite side to gain leverage.

The tempered glass was smooth as silk.

According to the map, the distance between the two buildings was about ten meters, whereas the record for the longest assisted long jump by a normal person was eight point nine meters.

It was time to test his jumping ability.

No matter how you look at it, this seems just like jumping off a building.

Huai Shi hesitated for half a minute but ultimately chose to trust Raven. After stuffing all the miscellaneous items from his backpack into his pockets, he tested a couple of jumps on the spot to make sure nothing fell out. Then he backed up to the edge of the building, bent down, and stared at the target window.

He took a deep breath.

He felt his violently beating heart gradually calm a little. As he willed it, the muscles in his limbs contracted and relaxed in an orderly fashion until, finally, they were completely relaxed.

In that instant, Huai Shi's eyes widened as he sprinted forward with all his might!

THUD!

Beneath his feet, the protruding concrete edge of the floor shook violently, almost cracking under his step. And Huai Shi, like a bolt of electricity, shot out, sprinting towards the cliff tens of meters high before him.

Like a cannonball, he broke through the obstructing wind.

With a suppressed roar, he finally stepped on the railing beneath his feet and leaped from the edge of the high-rise, soaring into the sky.

A moment of stillness.

Huai Shi's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, catching glimpses of the countless crowds and traffic below, as well as birds suspended in the wind and a drop of rain falling from the Sky Dome.

Passing over the heads of the flying birds, Huai Shi shattered the raindrop and flew forward!

Just like flying.

For a moment, he soared above the Sky Dome.

Gravity, the earth, and everything else were left behind. He experienced an indescribable sense of freedom and exhilaration, unable to help but let out an excited roar.

The wind rushed against his face.

In this dog-eat-dog operation, he remarkably found a kind of joy in wrongdoing.

But in that instant, a thought suddenly struck him.

Wait... Why am I double-crossing them? If they are really smuggling across the border, why should I sneak around to steal? I'm an officer of the Astronomical Society, dammit! Wouldn't it be more thrilling to call on the Special Affairs Department to forcefully break down the door and enter? Damn, I've been tricked by that woman again!

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, while the layer of blue glass in front of him rapidly enlarged. In that instant, Huai Shi roared, echoing the thunder bursting from the clouds overhead.

The Source of fire ignited in his hands.

The Axe of Anger slashed down.

BANG!

Numerous glass shards burst inward from the point of impact. Amidst the loud noise, Huai Shi swung his arm, and a rope shot out, attaching inside the room and pulling him across the final distance.

He landed with a crash.

The reason for the crash was that he seemed to have hit someone.

Huai Shi looked down in astonishment to see the figure at his feet.

The immense force that descended from the sky had rendered the urinating security guard unconscious in an instant.

Out cold on the spot.

"Sorry."

Huai Shi lifted his foot awkwardly. "Consider this your punishment for missing the urinal by so much and making such a mess."

Seizing the opportunity before the commotion spread, he dashed towards the vault.

There was no turning back once the bow was drawn.

The remaining score... I'll settle it with Raven later!

However, he did not anticipate that his criminal plan was facing a huge crisis elsewhere.

Five minutes earlier, amidst the bustle backstage, Director Gao made his rounds with hands behind his back, his eyebrows furrowed. "Where's Huai Shi? With this much chaos here, doesn't he know to lend a hand?"

"No idea, we just saw him around here."

"Ah, I saw him. He said he was going to the piano room to get something; he hasn't come back yet."

At these words, Director Gao's expression grew even more displeased. He walked away with a darkened face, heading straight for the piano room. It seems the lesson from two days ago wasn't enough, he thought. If that kid keeps fooling around like this, a stern warning will definitely be in order.

Mulling over possible punishments, he pushed open the door and spoke with icy sternness, "Huai Shi, you get out here..."

An awkward silence suddenly fell.

In the stillness, Director Gao stood dumbfounded at the scene inside the room, his mouth agape, wanting to scream, but only a choking sound emerged from his throat.

"What's up?"

On a chair in the piano room, the youngster held a cigarette in his left hand, seemingly enjoying it so much that even his head had been detached and was cradled in his arms.

Yet his eyes glanced towards the visitor, his lips moving. "Eh, why didn't you knock?"

Accompanying 'his' words, a sanguine liquid began to seep from the severed neck, gently dropping to the ground with a crisp PLOP.

"You, you... you..."

Director Gao's lips trembled, his legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale as he stammered, "You... don't be scared, I'll call an ambulance right away, I'm about to call... call..."

Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Soon after, a small head popped out from the break in the neck, its wings still holding a can of Uncle Fang's freshly squeezed strawberry juice.

Looking at Director Gao passed out on the floor, she couldn't help but sigh. "This is... troublesome."