"Uh..."
Should she follow him? She was suddenly caught in a tough dilemma...
Wait—she’d pluck petals from a flower to decide...
Flowers? There weren’t any around... Ugh, so annoying.
"Hm?"
Lixin couldn’t hesitate any longer. While she’d been scanning the ground for a red flower, the bald Black man—who’d never been far from her—had already spotted her. Before she could lift her head again, he blurred into motion and vanished from his spot.
"?"
The moment he slipped away, Lixin sensed movement and looked up. The man was gone.
"Gone? Huh... Guess I must’ve imagined it."
Probably... nothing to worry about...
*Ding.*
Her watch chimed softly. A notification popped up—an email with a photo attached.
"Attention: 50% of the damaged records have been restored. Be on alert for these two individuals in the photo. Apprehend them immediately on sight!"
So they’d identified the culprits. Lixin pulled up the photo...
Great. That 50% figure wasn’t a lie. Was this even a photo? It looked more like a QR code!
Lixin squinted until her eyes ached, barely making out a man and a woman. The woman’s features were utterly blurred, but the man’s face was just barely recognizable.
If she got the chance, she’d have to thank that bald uncle properly.
Wait... *bald*?
Lixin’s eye twitched as she stared toward where the bald man had disappeared. If she thought about it carefully, the only place worth causing trouble along that path was the Central Tower—the site of the central control room powering the entire academy...
No hiding it now. Qin Fan had probably already realized she’d encountered that man. And if he knew, Cleyna would too...
"Guess I’ll chase after him..."
Lixin scratched her head with a sigh and sprinted in the direction the bald man had gone. Though guards patrolled the tower, the guy had dared to go alone—he must’ve had some confidence... right?
---
Outside the temporary rest tent of Elwin’s student patrol squad, the same girl who’d spoken with Lixin earlier appeared.
Meanwhile, Qin Fan was still patrolling around the auditorium. He’d also received the blurry photo and was pushing Elwin for updates.
"Elwin, what’s the progress?"
"Almost there. Give me ten more minutes." Elwin sounded just as urgent.
"Hurry up. Lixin probably spotted the bald guy already—we can ignore him for now. But that woman’s face is unreadable. I can’t make a move without details."
"Your wording is terrible... Fine, fine, I know—!!"
The transmission cut off mid-sentence.
"*What?!*" Qin Fan’s heart lurched. He tried calling again. "Hey! Elwin! Can you hear me?"
Silence.
"Damn it!"
A golden light flared beneath Qin Fan’s feet as he bolted toward the rest tent.
"Cleyna! Get to the rest tent—Elwin’s in trouble!"
---
"Hmph."
Inside the tent, every monitor lay shattered before the girl. She raised her hand, ready to finish off Elwin slumped unconscious over the desk.
"?"
But she paused, glancing outside. "*Tch.*" She lowered her arm and dashed out.
A minute later, Cleyna arrived. She rushed inside, taking in the wrecked room. Relief washed over her as she checked Elwin—he was only unconscious, unharmed.
This place was useless now. She hoisted Elwin onto her back, heading for the infirmary. Just outside, she nearly collided with Qin Fan, golden light still fading around him.
"You’re too slow! He got away!" she snapped. As the operation’s commander, she’d been stuck worrying about this slacker patrol team, forced to intervene personally—and still failed to catch the culprit.
"Sorry. I came as fast as I could. How’s Elwin?"
This wasn’t the time for blame. Cleyna’s tone softened slightly. "He’ll live. Just knocked out. I’m taking him to the infirmary. Where’s Lixin?"
"He spotted the man. I didn’t contact him—I didn’t want to risk tipping them off." Qin Fan stepped into the ruined tent, frowning at the computer wreckage. "We’re screwed. These are all dead. No way to track him now."
"Leave him for now. I’ll pull surveillance footage from the Central Tower control room later." Cleyna adjusted Elwin on her back. "You focus on finding the woman. And get back to the auditorium fast—if it were me, I’d use the chaos as cover."
"Got it."
---
"I’ve taken out the patrol squad’s base. Wrap up your side quick—*who’s screaming?*"
"Oh, just defending myself. Might’ve hurt them a bit."
"*Now’s* the time to play around, you bald bastard? You’re exposed, you know that?"
"Yep. That kid’s as clueless as a Psyduck. Makes me feel real safe."
"...Just hurry up."
---
"This..." Lixin stared at the bodies littering the Central Tower’s entrance. She’d really messed up this time.
If the Principal found out her slacking off caused this... she’d be dead.
Better catch that bald guy fast—maybe she could plead for leniency later.
What were these idiots thinking? Bored? Full of energy? Why cause trouble *here*? If they wanted a fight, they should pick on the otherworlders! Now she had to deal with this mess...
Grumbling, Lixin stalked down the corridor. Her mood darkened further when she saw the elevator—blown apart by that shameless bald man.
"*Cough... cough...*"
Just as she turned toward the stairs, a weak cough echoed behind her.
Oh. Someone was still breathing.
"Hey. You alive?" Lixin crouched beside the figure.
"..."
The injured guard squinted up at her for a long moment. "You’re... that dead-last student...?" Lixin was a frequent sight around campus.
*So tempted to finish him off.*
Before she could reply, he rasped, "Just... go back. Tell Cleyna... intruders at the Tower..."
"Hey. I’m a person, you know." Lixin stood up, suppressing the urge to punch him, and headed for the stairs.
"Only one bald guy, right?" she called back.
"How did you—? Don’t be an idiot! We couldn’t stop him—just call Cle—"
"That’s exactly why I ignore you Student Council types. Too chatty."
She had to present the bald man’s head as an apology—if someone else caught him first, she’d be doomed. With a yawn, she left the helpless guard behind and trudged upstairs alone.
