Wang Shen knew he would need to prepare well. Part of his plan would involve understanding how much time he had before the virus hit. 

What is today’s date? Wang Shen thought to himself. I need my phone!

He knew that at this stage in the apocalypse, people still had phones. Technology hadn’t gone offline yet if people were still sitting calm and collected in classrooms. He could be months away, or even years away from the equivalent date. It would just depend on which year of university it was. 

Wang Shen put on his clothes in a flash and went out the door. On the way to the classroom, he passed by Wen Yuliang, his childhood friend. 

“Yo, Shen-ge . . . Have you heard about the coming penumbral eclipse yet?” Wen Yuliang called out, waving his arm. “It’s supposed to be at 10 pm tonight. Got any wishes?” 

This made Wang Shen stop in his tracks. He only had a few hours before the apocalypse hit? There was no time to waste.

“Yuliang! Come with me,” Wang Shen ordered demandingly. He needed to get his friend on board as soon as possible if they were going to survive the first few days unscathed. There would be a terrible thing happening later that day. 

February 4th, 2021, otherwise known as Day One, would be a massacre. 

Wang Shen saw Wen Yuliang look surprised. He knew that his sudden change of character had shocked him. Without hesitation, he took his friend's arm and dragged him towards the classroom.

“I’ll explain later, just come with me for now,” Wang Shen quietly said. The mood grew somber as his friend realized the severity of the situation. He saw his friend nod quietly as they walked back to class.

Wang Shen told Wen Yuliang to stay put as he opened the door. He went in and walked to his desk, then started collecting his things. His mind was spinning with ideas about what to do next. 

I should head to the market first and pick up some herbs, Wang Shen thought. No wait, I need to first meditate on the Mind Earth Body technique. Do I have enough time to reach stage 1? I still need to test my aptitude . . .

While he was lost in thought, he felt a light tap on his arm. Wang Shen looked to see who it was and found Xue Yinglei, the classroom leader, handing him a note. 

“Zhong Yating wanted me to give this to you,” she whispered, giving him a half-smile. 

“Thanks,” Wang Shen whispered, taking the note. He shoved it in his pocket, as he already knew what it was. 

Those three bullies had come to collect their taxes once again this week. Memories came back to him as he remembered how Day One of the apocalypse went for him. The three of them, led by Zhong Yating, had beaten him up after school that day for refusing to pay. 

Wang Shen smiled faintly. This time they would be in for a treat. It would also be a good test for his friend, Wen Yuliang.

Though, he still wasn’t sure if he had the time for them. It would be nice to reverse the situation in this timeline, but Wang Shen knew it wasn’t a priority. He kept packing his textbooks and papers into his backpack. Then, while he was organizing, he realized he didn’t have his phone. 

“Hey, Jinyi. Did you see where my phone dropped?” Wang Shen whispered. It was vital that he had his phone for Day One. There was a lot he needed to accomplish. He looked over to his left at his classmate. 

“Zhong Yating said he would take it for you,” Deng Jinyi whispered back. “They’re holding it for you upstairs. If you want, I can ask Zhi-ge to come up there with you after class.” 

“No need to ask him, thank you,” Wang Shen replied. He knew what they were up to now. And he wouldn’t need Gao Zhi to help him with this one. His friend had helped him a lot already in his past life. 

“Teacher!” Wang Shen put on his backpack and stood up, getting everyone’s attention. “I have a family emergency. I need to be excused!” 

Ling Xuexia looked up from her notes. She looked annoyed for a second, making the moment last for a few seconds too long. Wang Shen was banking on the fact that there were ways for her to check up on him later to make sure it was an emergency. 

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“Alright,” his teacher relented. 

And with that, he grabbed his things and bounded out the door. He saw Wen Yuliang waiting for him and grabbed his shoulder to let him know he was done.

“Let’s go up to the roof, pal,” Wang Shen casually said. There were three people who he needed to teach a lesson to. Besides, his phone was up there.

Wang Shen quickly made his way up to the roof access with Wen Yuliang trailing behind him. He stopped right before opening the door, turning around to address his friend.

“Listen, Yuliang, whatever you do, just stay behind me. They want me, not you,” said Wang Shen.

His friend’s eyes widened with fear as he realized why they were both at the roof access.

“No, you can’t Shen-ge! They’ll beat you black and blue! You’re no match for them,” pleaded Wen Yuliang. Wen Yuliang grabbed at his sleeve, but Wang Shen easily shrugged him off. Then he opened the rooftop door and stepped through, meeting a familiar scene.

Zhong Yating and his two goons, the twin brothers Xu Dong and Xu Nan, stood directly before him with sneers on their faces. It didn’t take a genius to know that they were up to no good.

“How nice of you to deliver yourself to us, Wang Shen. We were just about to go looking for you,” smirked Zhong Yating.

There was no point in exchanging pleasantries. Wang Shen already knew what was going to happen. Except for this time, he wouldn’t be the one lying on the ground.

He cut to chase. 

“Hand over the phone, Zhong Yating. I don’t have time to waste and I won’t repeat it.”

There was a moment of silence as the three bullies’ expression turned from contempt to bafflement. Then howls of uncontrollable laughter sounded as they pointed and mocked him.

“You must have hit your head coming up the stairs. Get down on your knees and call me father ten times. Then I might forgive you for what you just said,” said Zhong Yating in between fits of laughter.

Wang Shen sighed. He already knew it was going to come to this. 

“Watch closely Wen Yuliang,” instructed Wang Shen as he walked towards the bullies. He didn’t need any cultivation techniques to deal with these kids.

Zhong Yating narrowed his eyes at the approaching Wang Shen. 

“You must have a death wish, Wang Shen. This noble brother here was trying to be generous, but now you’ve gone and spat on my hospitality. Go and beat some sense into him, boys,” commanded Zhong Yating, leaning back against the roof railings in a show of disinterest. “And take everything in his pockets afterward, too.”

Xu Dong and Xu Nan snickered as they walked towards Wang Shen. They weren’t the brightest duo in school, but when it came to violence, they were definitely number one. Until now.

Wang Shen exploded from his position, catching everyone by surprise as he swiftly stepped into Xu Dong’s guard. He twisted his entire body, generating a significant amount of force before sending a palm uppercut into the exposed chin of the bully. Xu Dong was picked off the ground, flying backward for a good half-second before bouncing on the concrete like a rubber ball. 

It was a one-shot KO.

Even without his cultivation techniques, Wang Shen was more than capable of dealing with these idiots with his martial skill. The power gap was simply too high.

“Holy shit! What was that!” exclaimed Wen Yuliang. 

“What the hell?!” exclaimed Zhong Yating.

Xu Nan roared in anger as he swung a meaty fist at Wang Shen. But the hit never connected, for Wang Shen had already moved from his spot the instant he eliminated Xu Dong. 

“I’m over here, you stupid oaf,” said Wang Shen before he savagely kicked the back of Xu Dong’s thighs. The bully folded like paper, crying out in surprise as his nerves went dead in his legs. Unable to get up, Xu Dong’s body became a perfect target for a punching bag that Wang Shen gladly used to vent his frustrations.

Xu Dong brought up his hands in an attempt to ward off Wang Shen’s ferocious blows, but his feeble attempts bore no fruit. Wang Shen’s attacks were too swift and brutal. Unable to hold on, Xu Dong curled into a ball, assuming a fetal position as he cried out in pain.

“You’re going to kill him, fucker!” Zhong Yating rushed at Wang Shen screaming, a knife suddenly in his hands.

“Watch out, Wang Shen! He’s got a weapon!” shouted Wen Yuliang from behind him. 

Wang Shen stepped away from Xu Dong. He eyed his approaching attacker with disinterest, similar to that of a human and a bug.

“Bringing a weapon to a fistfight is pure cowardice,” said Wang Shen disdainfully as he quickly sidestepped the wild thrust. Then he stepped forward and put Zhong Yating’s extended arm in a lock. An elbow blow to the trapped arm forced the bully to scream in pain and drop the knife. 

Wang Shen proceeded to slap his attacker’s face multiple times until the cheeks were swollen and bright red. Tears streamed down Zhong Yating’s face as he blubbered with each slap.

“Forgive me, Wang Shen-dage. I’m sorry I’ll never do this again. This trash was wrong!” sobbed Zhong Yating as he desperately tried to free himself from Wang Shen’s vice grip. “I’ll give you anything. Money, girls, fame. It’s all yours! Just let me go!”

“The only forgiveness you’ll be getting is the bliss of sleep,” Wang Shen retorted as he drove his knee into Zhong Yating’s solar plexus. Then he let go, allowing the unconscious bully to fall to the ground.

“Where did you learn to fight like that, Shen! Holy shit, you were so awesome! Your punches were so fast I couldn’t even see them!” Wen Yuliang had stepped forward from his place by the rooftop entrance. He started mimicking Wang Shen’s moves. “And then your fists were like this, and then your kicks went like that. It was crazy!”

Wang Shen grinned as he watched his friend enthusiastically dance around the rooftop. He knelt down, rummaging through Zhong Yating’s pockets. 

Finding his phone, he stood back up and headed towards the exit.

“Let’s go, Wen Yuliang. We’ve got things to do.”