Silence pooled inside the Mercedes like still water in a moonlit pond. Tang Coco and the other two watched the Yanjing campus sliding by the windows, eyes skimming the scenery like scouts reading terrain.

“How is it? Our campus looks decent, right? We’ve poured heart and ink into the environment these past years,” Murong Ling said, hands steady on the wheel like a helmsman guiding a barge.

“Mhm. It feels… very comfortable,” Mo Zitong answered with a small smile, voice like a warm breeze under eaves. Compared to Tang Coco, she handled talk better; as for Ouyang Lingxue… ice never needed words.

“Our university values the students’ living space, and their safety,” Murong Ling went on, tone calm as a still lake. “So we installed the world’s most advanced Anomaly Suppression Array.”

“!!!!”

The three jolted, like sparrows startled from a branch. They hadn’t expected the principal to lay truth on the table like a blade.

“Principal Murong… you…” Mo Zitong frowned, gaze sliding to her profile like a shadow crossing glass.

“No need to hide, Zitong,” Murong Ling said with a soft laugh, a bell behind silk. “Your parents told me long ago. Otherwise they wouldn’t have insisted you study here.”

“…”

“And you two in the back,” she added, voice steady as a metronome. “It’s just us. No need to put on veils. I assigned you three to this campus for a reason. You’ve heard we have an Abnormal campus, right?”

“Yes.” Mo Zitong spoke plainly, words like pebbles dropping into a clear stream.

“Those rumors were planted by us,” Murong Ling said, eyes on the road like a hawk on a ridge. “This Abnormal campus has ten years of dust on it. We locked it down tight. No one outside the students and staff knew the North Campus existed.”

“Then why…” Mo Zitong asked, confusion rising like mist. Leak it now, and Abnormals might get thrown into the public eye.

“You want to ask why we let it out this year,” Murong Ling said. “Because the world is changing.”

“The world is changing?” Tang Coco’s voice tilted, a curious bird peering from a branch.

“That’s right. In the past two years, the number of Abnormals spiked like spring bamboo,” Murong Ling said, pausing, then continuing with the weight of rain before a storm. “Ordinary people can’t feel it. We can. Those of us who find and monitor Abnormals see the numbers swelling.”

She breathed, then spoke again. “So the state started to prioritize training Abnormals. Give it a little time. Ordinary people will know we exist.”

“…”

On that point, the three shared the same tide. Tang Coco used to slip in shadow to carry out missions, afraid of being seen by ordinary eyes. But after coming to Ninghai, just a few months felt like a flood—Abnormals everywhere she turned.

“To handle future emergencies, we sped up training. We also let the Abnormal campus rumor flow, to draw Abnormals drifting among civilians,” Murong Ling said, voice like a net spreading over water.

“So this exchange event—you picked our school on purpose,” Tang Coco said, watching her in the rearview mirror like a cat sizing up a lantern.

“Yes,” Murong Ling answered. “An SS-class Abnormal is hard to ignore. And I didn’t expect such a pretty little beauty.”

She flashed Tang Coco a smile in the mirror, a crescent blade in soft light.

“…”

Tang Coco turned to the window, face cool as frost on stone. She didn’t want to bite that bait. She still couldn’t read this mysterious principal through her lacquer.

After a while, the Mercedes rolled through a special gate, slipping into the North Campus like a boat into a hidden cove. The moment the tires crossed, Tang Coco felt it—a strange pressure draping over her like deep water, a force pressing down on their powers.

Seeing their knitted brows like furrows in earth, Murong Ling said, “Don’t worry. It’s the Suppression Array. The whole North Campus sits under it. Even those old monsters up top would feel it.”

“…”

The three glanced at one another, eyes flicking like knives catching light.

System, check I Energy.

“I Energy interfered by unknown energy. Estimated capability reduced to fifty percent.”

“…”

Tang Coco’s frown deepened like a storm line on the horizon. Having half your strength cut here—that was a dangerous reed to lean on.

Murong Ling seemed to read their worry like ink seeping through paper. “Relax. There’s no danger here. Everyone’s under the same blanket. Our students’ Anomaly Powers are a hundred flowers. Without suppression, our budget would go to fixing buildings every other week. I hope you understand.”

“…”

“Fine…” Tang Coco nodded at last, a quiet tap of a seal. Seeing her stance, Ouyang Lingxue and Mo Zitong let their objections cool like quenched steel.

System, cancel anti-jamming. Stand by.

“Understood.”

The moment her Anomaly Power got pressed, her system kicked into anti-interference on its own. Ten minutes, and she could’ve cracked the device like a teacup. But after hearing Murong Ling, Tang Coco chose to trust and watch the river flow.

Ten minutes later, the Mercedes rolled to a stop beneath a dorm tower, twenty-plus floors like a bamboo spear aimed at the sky. The three stepped out and looked up, eyes tracking the height as if measuring a cliff.

“All right. Come with me,” Murong Ling said, walking inside with the ease of a host opening a garden gate.

“Dorms are four to a room. To help you learn our rhythm, I’m placing you in three rooms with open beds,” she explained as they entered, steps light as leaves.

“Okay. But I probably won’t stay,” Mo Zitong said, voice calm as a shaded pond. She might go home this afternoon.

“No problem. What about you two?” Murong Ling looked at Ouyang Lingxue and Tang Coco.

“Not sure. I’ll go home sometimes,” Ouyang Lingxue said, face flat as winter ice.

“I… forget it. I’ll live here,” Tang Coco said, helpless as a kite tugged by wind.

“Good. Here are your keycards. Move in anytime. Your roommates are in your class. Ask them where to go tomorrow,” Murong Ling said, handing cards like handing over tokens.

“Got it. Thanks, Principal.”

“No worries. Enjoy the next half month of classes,” she said, waving with a smile like a spring fan, then walked off, leaving the three standing at the door like stones by a path.

“…”

“How do you feel?” Mo Zitong exhaled like steam in cool air.

“She’s hiding something,” Tang Coco said, her guess falling like a blade.

“Yeah. She’s not as simple as her surface,” Mo Zitong nodded, then smiled at Tang Coco. “And… I think she’s very interested in you.”

“But I’m not interested in anything here,” Tang Coco said, tone flat as a calm sea.

“Haha. Didn’t you notice the Suppression Array is weird?” Mo Zitong’s eyes glinted like sunlight on water. “What machine covers such a huge range? And runs twenty-four seven without rest? I don’t think Huaguo has that tech. Compared to the U.S. and others, Huaguo’s Anomalous Energy tech is the weakest.”

“…”

At her words, Ouyang Lingxue and Tang Coco both went quiet, thoughts sinking like stones.

“We’ll investigate ourselves. We didn’t come here to study,” Tang Coco said, lips curling like a fox’s.

“Haha, same page. Let’s pry out this school’s secret,” Mo Zitong laughed, bright as wind chimes.

“Ugh… I’m going to rest. This suppression makes me feel awful,” Tang Coco said, flicking her hand. Since stepping into the field, her head had been humming—a constant drone like cicadas at noon.

“Call us if anything happens!”

“Got it.”

Tang Coco walked to the elevator, pulled out the keycard Murong Ling gave her, and checked it like reading a talisman.

“17th floor, 1701. So high…”

She shook her head, helpless as a traveler facing stairs, and stepped into the elevator.

“01… 01… oh, here.” Her voice was a whisper in an empty hall, a lantern flicker.

“So quiet. Did everyone leave for break?” She glanced down the empty corridor, a river with no boats. Since arriving, aside from the three of them, she hadn’t seen a single student.

“Just go in then?”

She slid the keycard across the electronic lock. Beep. The door opened, and she pushed in. The room was neat as a fresh scroll. A pink carpet lay in the middle like dawn light. Against both walls stood two bunk beds, steps like little ladders to clouds. One top bunk was piled with cartoon plushies, a soft menagerie. No one in sight.

“My head won’t stop buzzing… so annoying.” Tang Coco frowned, shut the door—and a blue, semi-transparent net dropped over her like a sudden wave, wrapping her tight.

“Hahahaha! Finally, someone fell for my trap! Let me see—is it cute Yuanyuan or frosty Ying-jie today?” A triumphant girl’s voice burst from a giant teddy bear on the floor. The zipper on its back tugged down with effort, and a swathe of golden hair popped out, followed by a petite body wriggling free like a kitten escaping a bag.

“Let me see… uh…”

She froze mid-sentence, eyes round as saucers, mouth an O of shock.

Tang Coco stared back, gaze steady as a drawn bow. The girl was a head shorter than her. The net felt like water on skin—because it was. Water, held in shape. Water-user. Tang Coco wasn’t worried. She’d already moved. Beside her, two heavy energy cannons hovered like silent tigers, barrels glowing as I particles gathered. Four mechanical blades floated around the girl; the closest kissed her neck like a cold crescent. One twitch, and they’d strike.

“U-uh… l-l-look… let’s talk… okay?” the girl stammered, panic rippling across her face like wind over a pond.

“Pretty sure you threw the first punch,” Tang Coco said, brow lifting like the edge of a fan.

“O-oh! S-sorry!” The girl snapped out of it and canceled her power.

Splash—

The blue net collapsed into water and dumped straight onto Tang Coco.

“…”

“Ahhhhh!”

“S-sorry! I’m so sorry!”

If this were a cartoon, veins would be popping on Tang Coco’s head like thunder cracks.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” the girl babbled, eyes already watering, tears pooling like dew.

“…”

“Sigh…” Tang Coco looked at her and let out a breath, the edge in her shoulders easing. She recalled her Anomaly Power; the weapons blinked out like stars at dawn.

“I’ll wipe it for you!” The girl saw the scary hardware vanish and sagged with relief, then rushed at Tang Coco—no, at her clothes—with grabby hands.

“Hey, hey, hey!? We can talk! Hands off! I don’t need you to wipe it,” Tang Coco yelped, hopping back like a cat dodging water.