Ouyang Tao wasn’t fond of staying up late. Yesterday’s events had drained him completely. After reading for a while, he dozed off at his desk.

He woke the next morning to find the Crystal Coffin beside him empty. A blanket covered him—clearly placed there by Zhao Yuehan. If she could move, she must have fully recovered.

Ouyang Tao folded the blanket neatly, stretched his arms high with a yawn, and looked up. Zhao Yuehan stood right before his desk.

"Whoa—!" Ouyang Tao yelped, nearly tumbling off his chair. She still appeared and vanished like a ghost.

"Good morning."

"A-ah… Good morning, senior."

Zhao Yuehan’s complexion looked much healthier—almost back to normal. Ouyang Tao finally felt at ease. Though her expression remained blank and her tone flat, he sensed something different. The ghostly chill around her seemed to fade, replaced by a trace of youthful softness.

All in all, it felt… nice.

Zhao Yuehan held a tray with a large steaming bowl. The rich aroma of sesame oil filled the air. *Breakfast?* Ouyang Tao wondered.

"Breakfast," she said, placing the bowl on the desk. "Please eat."

It really was! Ouyang Tao peeked inside. Plump pork wontons floated in clear broth alongside fish cakes, plump shrimp, and seaweed. His mouth watered instantly.

"Mmm, delicious!"

One bite confirmed it. Starving, he devoured the entire bowl—wontons and broth—without pause. Only then did he notice Zhao Yuehan had been silently watching him the whole time.

"Another bowl?"

"No, I’m full. These were amazing. Thank you, senior." He hadn’t expected her cooking skills. "Aren’t you eating?"

Zhao Yuehan shook her head gently. "I already ate."

Restored by sleep, Ouyang Tao felt his energy return. With Zhao Yuehan safe, it was time to settle things. "Senior, I—"

"I know." She understood his intent and wouldn’t stop him. Calmly, she asked, "But how will you do it?"

"I…" Ouyang Tao hesitated. How *would* he proceed?

"This place is safe," Zhao Yuehan implied. She didn’t want him leaving the Arcane Library’s protection—not when the killer might strike again.

"But I can’t hide here forever." He knew the danger, but running wasn’t an option. Not for a man. He clenched his jaw. "Senior—if I fight him, do I stand a chance?"

Zhao Yuehan fell silent. Her gaze weighed his abilities for nearly five minutes before she answered: "Possibly. But the odds are low."

"That’s enough." Ouyang Tao’s resolve hardened. "Senior, this time I won’t run. If he comes for me again, I’ll end this."

"Hmm…" Her tone shifted slightly, betraying worry. Yet she knew she couldn’t hold him back.

Sensing her unease, Ouyang Tao grinned. "Don’t worry. I promised to read with you here every day. I always keep my word."

His conviction was so fierce, even Zhao Yuehan felt stirred. She gave a small nod. "I believe you."

She watched his back disappear down the hall. Then, like mist, her form dissolved. Moments later, she reappeared at the librarian’s counter where they’d first met. Book in hand, she settled in to wait.

---

Ouyang Tao rushed back to his dorm, grabbed his life savings, and headed straight to the warehouse. He claimed his entire monthly material quota, then spent every coin on extra supplies.

He hauled a cart piled with generic alloys and raw Magic Stones to the weapon testing ground. There, he built three prototypes of each modified Rapid Electricity weapon—testing, adjusting, and refining them all day based on live data.

By dusk, three perfected models stood ready:

- **Rapid Electricity Noisemaker**: Weakened firepower, optimized for Mana disruption and EMP bursts.

- **Rapid Electricity Longbow**: Single-shot design sacrificing rate of fire for enhanced power, stability, and range.

- **Rapid Electricity Thunder**: Reinforced structure that vented overload energy through barrel deformation, unleashing a charged shot while preserving core functionality.

He manufactured batches of each weapon, inspected them meticulously, and packed them into crates. Leftover materials and Magic Stones became hexagonal defense units like those used against Deya. Those went into crates too.

Finally, he loaded all boxes onto a powered cart and exited the testing ground.

Each Mechanical Department workshop was soundproofed—personal tech secrets stayed locked away. Ouyang Tao never expected to bump into someone else pushing a cart out at the same moment.

"Deya. Fancy meeting you here." He kept his tone polite despite their rivalry.

"Wha—?!" Deya paled, stumbling backward. Her weapons levitated from her crate, aimed at him.

Ouyang Tao flinched, deploying his own defense units. "Hey! Weapons are banned outside arenas, labs, or life-threatening situations!"

"Are you human or ghost?!"

"Obviously human!"

Deya stayed tense, weapons humming. "You’re really that commoner, Ouyang Tao?"

"Who else? Stand down. I spent my last coin on these. I can’t afford to waste them on you." He’d gambled everything for the coming fight.

That stubborn, dismissive tone—so like the "commoner" she remembered (or thought she did). Deya exhaled sharply, retracting her weapons. "So… you didn’t die?"

"Of course I didn’t." Ouyang Tao stowed his units. The tension bled away.

But something nagged at him. He frowned. "Wait… who said I was dead?"