Chapter 11 - Striking First

Chapter 11 - Striking First

Cassius walked briskly down a cobblestone path, the sound of rain echoing in his ear. He pushed open the dormitory door.

"Brother Li Wei, you're back."

"We saved some food for you."

"Sit here."

The five boys in the dormitory greeted him enthusiastically. Ever since Li Wei had regaled them with a thrilling tale about a beauty and a vampire the night before, the friendship between the six of them had developed rapidly.

Cassius’s roommates used to go straight to bed as soon as they returned to the dormitory since there was nothing else to do, but now all five of them would wait up for Li Wei so he could tell a scary story before they went to sleep. They were even willing to eat less to scrimp together a portion of dinner for Li Wei. It was their way of paying Li Wei for telling them two stories each day.

"Come eat! Brother Li Wei, why don't you change your clothes first? Aaron and I will help you take them to be washed." A boy with a slightly large head came over, holding a metal box.

"Sure, thanks." Without thinking too much of it, Li Wei changed his clothes in front of everyone. After all, they were all boys so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. His shower could wait until after the story.

The large-headed boy opened the metal box, revealing some bread, vegetables, and meat. It was unclear where the box had come from.

"Brother Li Wei, you should eat. Aaron and I will be back soon." Arms full with the clothes, he and a skinny boy had barely taken a few steps forward before suddenly turning back to warn the others, "You guys better not get Brother Li Wei to tell the story first while we’re gone!"

"Don't worry, I'll eat slowly," Li Wei assured them. They nodded and rushed off.

Entertainment in this era was scarce, and the youth training camp was also under strict management. Day after day, if they weren't training, they were sleeping. And so, in the minds of the five boys, Cassius's scary stories were like rare and addictive treats.

Cassius had no idea that the story he casually cooked up would bring him a steady dinner every day.

Cassius lifted the metal lid to attend to his growling stomach. After fifteen minutes, under everyone’s eager gazes, he picked up his story of the hunter Van Helsing from the night before.

An hour later, the room was filled with snores. Cassius glanced at the dreary sky outside; it was still drizzling. Eyes narrowed, he crossed his arms over his chest, lost in thought. Then he got out of bed, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the room.

The door, left slightly ajar, slammed all the way open from outside. Someone burst in.

"Fuck! Li Wei?!" Finn whipped around, eyes bulging. He tried to prop himself up with his hands but Li Wei shot straight toward him like an arrow and mercilessly sat on him, firmly pinning him to the bed. A barrage of punches rained down.

"Trying to mess with me?!"

"Ah!"

"Haven’t had enough yet, huh?!"

"Ah!"

"Still want to mess with my sister?!"

"Ah!"

With each punch, Finn let out a wail.

"Christ’s sake, help me!!!" Finn struggled to prop himself up several times, but his sore and weak arms wouldn't allow him.

The other boys finally shook themselves out of their temporary shock and began punching and kicking Li Wei, who wasn’t the least bit deterred as he relentlessly pounded on Finn. They managed to yank him off several seconds later.

By then, Finn was already beaten senseless. He couldn’t speak; all he could do was blink. Meanwhile, two or three boys surrounded Li Wei, a flurry of punches and kicks raining down on him.

Cuts and bruises quickly appeared on Li Wei’s body. He glared viciously at the surrounding boys and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Then, in his loudest voice, he hollered, "They're hitting me!! Help, they're hitting me! Instructors! Someone is fighting in dormitory room 7!"

His voice was both loud and shrill. The commotion woke up many of the trainees who sprinted over to see what was happening.

What they saw was a group of boys surrounding and attacking a bloodied Li Wei, who was retreating backward on unsteady legs.

Some trainees with a strong sense of justice rushed in to help. Soon, a chaotic fight broke out. It wasn't until the instructor on night duty arrived a few minutes later that it stopped.