Chapter 56: Invasion

Behind Xueqiu, a waist-high green trash can suddenly twitched, like a player in hide-and-seek, perfectly concealed until hit by a stray bullet, jumping in panic.

Of course, Xia Yin’s shout wasn’t random.

The moment he spoke, he stepped in front of Xueqiu.

His sword flashed, slicing off the trash can’s lid.

He could’ve aimed forty centimeters lower, cutting the can and its contents in half.

But he didn’t.

Not out of mercy for an intruder, but because he noticed something.

If they meant to attack, they wouldn’t be standing there, waiting to be struck.

The blade angled upward, sending the plastic lid flying, revealing a filthy figure inside.

“Damn it, Chang Mu, it’s you?!”

Hearing this, Xueqiu rushed forward, assaulted by a rotting stench—fruit pits and leftovers festering in a sealed space for weeks.

One word: nauseating.

“Mercy…! I’m just passing by…! I’ve got nothing to do with this Academy!” The boy hiding in the trash can was terrified, not even recognizing the two before him.

It took half a minute for him to peek out, his face a picture of cowardice, a banana peel stuck to his head.

It was indeed Chang Mu.

In Xueqiu’s memory, he was always pitifully unlucky.

But no matter how unlucky, he wouldn’t fall into a waist-high trash can in broad daylight and close the lid, right?

Was he unhinged?

Xueqiu recalled elderly people near her grandma’s house rummaging through bins.

But Chang Mu, young and timid, showed no signs of madness.

“Spill it. What happened? Why no calls, no replies? Is the Academy’s comms cut? Or is your phone dead? Why aren’t you in the dorm but in a trash can? Is it your new home? And what’s with the West Gate? Why’s it deserted?” Xia Yin fired questions like a machine gun, stunning even Xueqiu.

“Boss… you’re finally here…” Chang Mu peeled the banana skin off his head, reeking.

No surprise—after time in that bin, smelling fresh would mean issues beyond sanity, like a broken nose.

“Boss, you saw my messages, right? About those monsters…”

“Details. We don’t have time,” Xia Yin said sharply.

“So… last night, I came back through the West Gate. Wanted to play some ranked games with you, but…” Chang Mu began.

“Focus.”

“Something felt off soon after I entered,” Chang Mu said, his eyes flickering between fear and shock. “It was dark, cold. I wanted to get to the dorm, but the gate was locked…”

“I messaged you, Boss. You probably didn’t see…”

“My phone was dead. Continue.”

“Couldn’t reach you, so I… I thought I’d ask the logistics uncles for a key. But the paths were empty. Before I reached logistics, I saw… things. Shadow Ghosts, I think.”

“Shadow Ghosts?” Xueqiu blurted.

The Academy was in Youdu, but hadn’t Professor Chen said a thick barrier separated it from the real Youdu?

“Then?” Xia Yin scanned the surroundings warily.

“My phone died. Power bank was in my suitcase, which I left at the dorm gate…”

“Less nonsense.”

“Anyway, the student handbook says Shadow Ghosts have sharp vision, hearing, and smell. I thought the trash can would mask my scent, so…” Chang Mu trailed off.

“You hid till now,” Xueqiu said softly.

Honestly, Chang Mu’s choice wasn’t wrong.

Like her, he was an early-admission freshman, untrained.

In some ways, she was stronger.

These months, Xia Yin had taught her basic combat and firearm skills.

“Shadow Ghosts invading the Academy, and the West Gate…” Xueqiu murmured.

“Yeah, Academy, Shadow Ghosts, West Gate… ugh, feels like worse stuff’s waiting,” Xia Yin grumbled.

“So, Boss, now we…” Chang Mu started.

“Down!” Xia Yin shouted.

Chang Mu dropped instantly.

But the command was for Xueqiu.

In the same moment, Xia Yin tackled her to the ground.

A black shadow streaked overhead, a foul stench—worse than the trash can—flooding the air.

“It’s… a Shadow Ghost,” Xueqiu said, vision blurry but nose sharp.

Xia Yin pinned her down, yet she caught the rancid smell.

The same as that night.

Smell might outweigh sight or sound in impact; Xueqiu knew she’d never forget it.

“Boss! That’s… that’s it!” Chang Mu cowered, his tone tinged with bravado.

“Hiss…” Xia Yin rose, sword in hand, poised to strike but holding back.

“Chang Mu, task for you: kill it,” he said.

“Me? Boss, don’t joke… I can’t… If I could sign a Contract with a demon, trade a quarter of my life for a wish, I’d help you and Sis-in-Law!” Chang Mu whined pitifully.

“Fine, I’ll do it. Don’t blink—record it if you can. Good for evidence or reporting,” Xia Yin said, his tone suddenly light, as if facing a cockroach, not a Shadow Ghost.

“Boss, my phone’s dead,” Chang Mu said honestly.

But Xia Yin was no longer where Chang Mu looked.

In those ten seconds of standoff, Xia Yin had prepped a full kill sequence.

Leap, dodge, slash, retreat—his moves were textbook-perfect.

If a camera were here, his actions could be edited into Academy training material.

To Xueqiu, the Shadow Ghost went from menacing to shredded in under ten seconds.

“Boss! You’re unreal! How’s a pro like you held back? Must be the board’s setup…” Chang Mu crawled out, spouting flattery.

He checked if the Shadow Ghost was dead, but it was only cut into pieces.

Its core still wriggled slowly.

“Boss, it’s not dead! Finish it, or I will…” Chang Mu aimed to stomp the head-like core.

“Xueqiu, come here,” Xia Yin said, ignoring him.

She obeyed, unsure if he wanted photos or a close look at the Shadow Ghost’s anatomy.

“I said before, they’re not human, right? They’re Shadow Ghosts. No need for human rights,” Xia Yin said.

Xueqiu nodded.

“They killed your family, right?”

She froze.

She realized what he wanted her to do.

Yes, they were ghosts—things to be eradicated.

So…

Kill them.

At some point, she’d loaded the gun, her body shifting into a perfect shooting stance.

Her muzzle locked onto the wriggling core.

“But killing it won’t make you feel better. There are thousands more in Youdu, unless one day we…” Xia Yin said, half-lecturing, half-muttering.

His voice was cut off by two crisp trigger pulls from Xueqiu.

Click, click.

Reward