Xin Linhua rubs his forehead, annoyance bubbling inside him. He lifts his gaze, surprise flickering through his eyes.
A slow whistle escapes his lips, he doesn’t mean anything by it. He has come to understand that the only thing working for Xin Linhua is his face and two powerful Sentinel brothers who don’t joke with him.
Standing before him is a youth who looks so frail and pale like he might collapse at any moment. He’s slim, the same height as Xin Linhua who’s over six feet. A flawless face. Despite his eyes being covered by a piece of plain white silk, he looks...beautiful? Undeniably better looking than Xin Linhua himself.
"Not bad." He tilts his head "You look–"
The atmosphere changes. Literally. Strong wind blows through the field all of a sudden, a chill runs down Xin Linhua’s spine. He shudders.
"It’s the other defect." A small voice echoes in the quiet stadium.
"Are you crazy?" Another one covers it up "Don’t call him that if you value your life."
Xin Linhua is speechless. The youth in front of him...is a defect?
A defect? A defect!? Are these people crazy? They call such a man a defect!? Are they blind? They don’t know true beauty if it comes and hit them in the face!
Xin Linhua cuss out half the institute in his head. He opens his mouth to speak, but the youth is already walking away.
The blindfolded man walk to the farthest corner of the stands, where people shuffle away and avoid it like it’s infected. Xin Linhua can’t make sense of the situation.
He glances around the stadium, it’s full. The institution has thousands of Sentinels and Guides so it’s impossible not to have every seat occupied. Right now, he really wants to leave and find somewhere to sleep, but with the Director glaring a hole through his skull from the podium, he moves to find a seat.
"Don’t tell me he’s going to sit with us."
"Will you willingly give up your seat to him then?"
"Of course not! He should sit with his own kind."
Quiet voices whisper amongst themselves, but Xin Linhua still catches every word. Of course he did. If he didn’t, then all those training he did in his past life has amounted to absolutely nothing.
But one thing is clear, the youth with the blindfold is a defect like him. F-Class, no abilities, abandoned as well.
Without thinking much, he just swore to himself not less than an hour ago not to do that in this new life, he walks to the deserted area and takes a seat. He lounges back, yawning a bit as he shuts his eyes.
The selection trails have nothing to do with him, but defect or not, it’s mandatory for him to attend.
He tilts his head to the side. Rong Feng. Glaring at him like he wants Xin Linhua to drop dead on the spot.
Xin Linhua shudders. He just got here an hour ago and he’s already making enemies? Classic him.
"Let’s begin!" The director’s voice cuts through the noise.
The place goes quiet in an instant, every individual have a serious look on their faces and a tense posture.
Two men walk to the podium with a large machine, big enough to fit a person with enough room in it.
A glass door, with readings on the body and buttons as well. It’s like a futuristic pod– according to Xin Linhua.
"What the hell is going on...?" Xin Linhua frowns.
According to his memory, the news of him being a defect leaked a long time ago. People dare not insult him or laugh in his face, they’ll be getting a personal visit from his brothers.
Ever since he was young, he had received everything and anything he asked for. Both his brothers and his father dote on him too much, leaving him enough room to go haywire.
So when he dropped the bomb about entering the institute, they dead flat refused him.
He wasn’t used to rejection. Especially from them. He cried, threw a tantrum, yelled about how Rong Yufei will be taken by some other guide and all that bullshit. His family finally agreed. He enrolled. He followed after her like a dog. He fought and got killed.
Xin Linhua, oh Xin Linhua, what a fool. Of all the people to reincarnate into, heaven above decided to give him a deadass, lovestruck, stupid fool. Just perfect!
"Xin Linhua!"
Xin Linhua jolts up without thinking.
"Present!" He answers.
The dead silence. Someone snickers, then another. Silence returns.
Director Chen raises his head, a deadpan expression on his face.
"It’s your turn. Get down here."
"Oh, right."
Xin Linhua descends the stairs three at time. He walks towards the podium, practically leaping on it.
Every move seems to give the people around him a heart attack.
They may not like him and think of him as dead weight, but he’s still the youngest son of the Xin family. If something happens, the institution will have to answer to his family! Yet the party involve is moving like he has nine lives!
" Director, I’m here." He flashes a smile.
"Get inside." Director Chen nods at the machine.
Xin Linhua hesitates. For all he knows...he actually knows nothing. Absolutely nothing about this machine, he enrolled not too long ago and this is his first official testing.
"Need me to help you with walking?"
"No, no." Xin Linhua scrambles inside.
The doors closed before him. A soft white light glows inside the plain looking pod. A small whirring sound. Xin Linhua exhales through his lips.
"Let’s get this over with."
No sooner has he said that, the white light suddenly brightens. He shuts his eyes tight, frowning slightly. The whirring sound gets louder and louder and everything seems to be spinning. The motion suddenly stops.
"Is it over?" Xin Linhua cracks an eye open "Holy hell–"
He’s no longer in the pod. He’s standing on a sea shore, an expanse of white sand and blue water. The sun is high in the sky, bathing him in its warm hue.
His black combat outfit is gone, replace by a soft cotton shirt and loose pants.
"Where the hell am I?" He tugs at the clothes "Don’t tell me I died–"
"SUBJECT TESTING.
THE EXAM WILL NOW COMMENCE.
PLEASE, COOPERATE WITH THE PROCESS.
GOOD LUCK."
Xin Linhua spins around multiple times, but he can’t find the source of the voice.
"Ah...I could have gone to heaven or hell, no, I got thrusted into this bullshit instead."
He sighs, turning around to go sit somewhere or drown himself or something. He suddenly freeze in his steps.
Across him, a large distance away, a slim figure stands in a black combat suit. Tall, striking features, pale and sickly. That signature blindfold.
"Uhn? You again?" Xin Linhua walks towards him "What are you doing here? How did you get here? No, better question, how do we get the fuck out of here!?"
He asks in one go, rushing towards the youth with a bit of excitement and relief.
The youth moves subtly, his head slowly following Xin Linhua’s movement. Everything stops.
Black tentacles like objects slowly rise from beneath the youth, curling around him like a snake. It’s like a wisp of smoke, one that has consciousness.
"Shit!" Xin Linhua runs faster "Don’t just stand there! Can’t you see the–"
The tentacles move. They shoot out, not towards the host but towards Xin Linhua!
"Wait...what the fuck!"