[The previous night]

Xia Ba and Liang Zhi were heading home from some late night shopping. It had been Liang Zhi's 18th birthday so the two friends had decided to spend the whole evening shopping and celebrating together. It had been a while since the two of them had gone out like this without any worries; things in Zhong Ji Yi Ban had been so hectic with Hei Long and the Martial Arts Syndicate that everyone was on edge and the air was thick with tension. But now that everything seemed to have gone back to normal, everyone could go about their daily lives. And that night was the perfect time for the two friends to relax and have some fun... or so they had thought.

Xia Ba linked her arm around her friend's with a contented and pleased smile, "Our student exchange program has almost ended, we will be back at the mainland next week. Sha Jie and her friends have already returned to Taiwan - will you miss Zhong Ji Yi Ban?"
"Of course I will," Liang Zhi responded almost instantly, "Our high school lives have become much more interesting and lively ever since we joined Zhong Ji Yi Ban. If I could stay here, I would."
"Me too," Xia Ba agreed, "And Da Dong Ge is so handsome, it's such a shame that he lost his battle points. I will surely miss him, he's very admirable."
Liang Zhi snorted, "I think Ya Se Wang has the better looks! He's got the brains and the brawns, Da Dong Ge only has the brawns!" she laughed.
"That's true," Xia Ba giggled, "But now, neither of them have the brawns."
"I think that Jin Bao San might finally achieve his dream of becoming leader," Liang Zhi continued, "But now that I think about it, Da Dong Ge would never allow that to happen!"
"I will definitely miss slapping his chin," her friend admitted with a small laugh, "he's so annoying!"
"I know right?" Liang Zhi replied, laughing.

The two continued to chat and laugh as they walked down the lit streets in the darkness. Suddenly, their happy smiles came to an abrupt stop when Liang Zhi felt a tap on her shoulder. Immediately, she turned around and her friend followed, noticing that she stopped walking. A girl of a similar age stood there, she had shoulder length black hair tied into two low pigtails. She wore an oversized black hoodie and on her face was a beaming, almost sinister, smile.

"Er, can I help you classmate?" Liang Zhi asked, staring at the girl.
"Sorry to bother you, classmates," the girl began with her smile ever so apparent on her face. "But I couldn't help but over hear that you're from Zhong Ji Yi Ban?"

The two friends stared at this girl, who was she? Her aura wasn't that of a normal person and their bodies tensed up upon realising this.
"Who's asking?" Xia Ba demanded rudely, out of slight apprehension in order to stay calm.
Noticing this, the girl smiled even harder, "I don't mean any harm. I was just surprised that students of Zhong Ji Yi Ban had such good fashion sense!" A loud laugh was forced through her lips.
Xia Ba looked at the girl's clothes: an ugly black hoodie and dusty jeans - what type of fashion judgement did this girl have because she did not look like the type to be interested in fashion.

"Liang Zhi, let's go," Xia Ba urged her friend as she whispered into her ear.
Liang Zhi smiled at this girl, "I'll take that as a compliment, classmate. I'll have you know that we, in Zhong Ji Yi Ban, are not scruffy dogs." she spoke with impudence mixed in with her words as well as slight arrogance.
"Haha, don't take offence, it wasn't meant like that," the girl laughed again.
Xia Ba tugged on her friend's arm, wanting to leave this strange and eerie girl.

As Liang Zhi turned around to leave, the girl spoke out.
"I can help you stay in Zhong Ji Yi Ban!" she said loudly, "You won't have to go back!"

The two friends stopped walking but didn't turn back.
"Come on classmates, look at me! It's rude to not look at someone who's talking to you!" she exclaimed as curved into a smirk.
Liang Zhi and Xia Ba slowly turned around to see the girl's eyes widen and almost glow with insanity. Her eyes glowed in a way that made her seem inhuman and mad. Hysterical laughter burst out of and her whole body glowed white with yi neng. The two only got a glimpse of her battle points before everything went black.

 

*~*~*

Two days later on that same street, Wang Ya Se and Wu Xiong were taking a walk after school.