"They didn't hit me. They didn't throw stones at me," Sphinx spoke up at that moment in its low, muffled voice.

  Shari was startled to hear this. She turned quickly to Sphinx and said: "Sphinx, you don't need to be afraid of them. If they really did bully you, I will absolutely get justice for you and see that they're punished."

  "I know, and I'm grateful — but there's really no need. I'm just a freak, not a human. You don't have to go to all this trouble for me." Sphinx looked at Shari, its expression timid and resigned.

  "Discipline committee member — did you hear that? He said it himself. So what are you going to punish us for now?" Wang Daxiong said, looking at Shari with great satisfaction.

  "Hmph — you lot. You dare do something but won't dare own it. What a bunch of shameless thugs." Shari stamped her foot in anger. Though furious, she felt completely powerless.

  "Discipline committee member…… no, Miss Shari, please don't be angry." Wang Daxiong looked Shari up and down with a lecherous eye, then said in a softened tone: "How about this — tonight, let me take Miss Shari out for a meal. Any restaurant you like, no matter the cost. Consider it my way of making it up to you."

  "No thank you. I'm not interested." Shari curled her lip and turned to Sphinx: "Come on, Sphinx. Let's not stay around these people."

  With that, Shari began walking toward the edge of the woods. Sphinx rose to its feet as well, moving its four powerful legs to follow. Just then, Wang Daxiong stepped quickly in front of Shari and spread both arms wide, blocking her path.

  "What do you think you're doing?" Shari instinctively stepped back, watching Wang Daxiong with a guarded expression.

  Wang Daxiong let out a dry, smirking ugh and said: "Come on, Miss Shari, give me a chance. Surely you haven't forgotten — our fathers get along pretty well. Just recently they attended a banquet together, had a meal together. We were both there too, and my dad even complimented you — said Miss Shari was beautiful and had a great figure, said he really liked you. You don't remember?"

  "So what?" Shari said, her expression contemptuous.

  Wang Daxiong cleared his throat and raised his chin with great arrogance: "You surely know, Miss Shari, that my father is the wealthiest man in Blue Sea City. He knows many high-ranking officials and senior members of the Sanctuary. When I graduate from this school, I'll be able to go straight into a position within the Sanctuary. Your family is on par with mine — we're perfectly matched in every way. We were practically made for each other. Don't you think so?!"

  "Is that all you have to say? I have things to do and I don't have time for your nonsense." Shari's expression remained disdainful. She moved to walk past Wang Daxiong — but at that moment, he reached out and grabbed her hand, refusing to let her go.

  "Let go of me — what do you think you're doing?!" Arm fshed across Shari's face. She swung her arm with all her strength, trying to shake herself free, but Wang Daxiong held on with an iron grip, and Shari simply didn't have the strength to break loose.

  Wang Daxiong fixed his leering gaze on Shari's pretty face and said: "Shari, why are you being so dense? Once I join the Sanctuary, my wife will be able to join along with me. And with the combined wealth and status of our two families, who knows — we might even get to go and live in the Sanctuary's home territory someday, and gain the power of immortality. When that day comes, Shari, you'll wake up from your dreams smiling — hehehe……"

  Shari was momentarily taken aback by these words, then an expression of scorn spread across her face. "Don't ftter yourself — that's never going to happen, because there is no possible world in which I would ever be with you. Now let go of me!"

  Though rejected, Wang Daxiong was entirely unbothered. He continued with shameless persistence: "Shari, stop fooling yourself. I know you have feelings for me. I get it — you must just be shy. Come on, don't be so shy. We're not children anymore, hahaha……" As he spoke, he continued reaching out and running his hand along Shari's smooth arm, taking every advantage he could.

  "That's the way — a man should go for what he wants. Go for it, Laowang, I'm rooting for you!" Liu Jiu cpped from the side, grinning from ear to ear.

  "Oh! Oh! Get together, get together!" The others joined in, jeering and ughing uproariously.

  "You…… you're all absolute bastards!" Shari's face flushed crimson as she shouted furiously. Despite her anger, she felt utterly helpless — tears were welling in her eyes, and she was on the verge of crying from sheer desperation.

  "So many people ganging up to bully one girl. What a pack of animals." Suddenly, a young man's voice rang out from above the crowd. Everyone was startled; they looked up sharply and saw, standing on the trunk of a nearby tree, a lean figure dressed in bck with a white smiling mask covering his face.

  "What the hell — where'd this wild monkey come from? Get lost, or I'll break your legs!" Wang Daxiong assumed this person was a student from the school and immediately shouted abuse at the masked figure.

  "The ones who should get lost are you. Leave now, or you'll be in for a very bad time." The masked figure said coldly.

  "Well, well — you're quite the bold one, aren't you? Come on then, come down here and try me." Wang Daxiong released Shari and walked toward the tree where the masked figure stood, radiating menace.

  "Trash like you isn't worth the effort. Get out of here — don't make me act, or I'll make you regret being born." The masked figure said in a low, threatening voice.

  "Reckless fool — let's see which of us ends up regretting it." Wang Daxiong was furious now. He turned and roared at Liu Jiu: "Little Liu — teach this idiot a lesson. Kill him if you have to. I'll cover for you whatever happens."

  "My pleasure — now things are getting fun." Liu Jiu said with gleeful excitement. He pulled three dark round balls from his person and hurled them hard toward the masked figure in the tree. With a bang, the three balls burst into fierce fmes, transforming into three orange-red fireballs the size of footballs that flew toward the masked man.

  "You think that cheap trick works on me." The masked figure let out a cold snort. He stood on the branch without moving, making no attempt to dodge. A howling gale rose around him, and a fierce bst of wind surged toward the three orange-red fireballs.

  Caught in the gust, all three fireballs instantly reversed course, flying back the way they had come — directly at Wang Daxiong. Wang Daxiong saw what was happening and immediately spun around, trying to dodge and flee. But two heavy thuds rang out, and two fireballs struck him squarely on the back and backside, setting his body alight in an instant.

  "Help! It burns — I'm going to be burned alive!" Wang Daxiong's face contorted in terror. He threw himself to the ground and rolled frantically, trying to smother the fmes on his body.

  But the ground nearby was strewn with dry twigs and fallen leaves — the most fmmable of tinders. Rolling across them, Wang Daxiong set the ground abze as well. Rather than dying down, the fire consuming him grew rger and rger. Wang Daxiong looked like a man turned into a human torch, rolling on the ground, letting out agonized screams like a pig being sughtered.