Chapter 57: Enemy

At this moment, the emergency command center on the fifth floor of the Academy’s library was in chaos.

Countless kraft envelopes marked “Confidential” lay scattered across the conference table—some opened, others tossed aside like trash.

Seven or eight men paced the room, still in lab coats, with no time to change.

This didn’t mean the Academy’s control room had fallen. On the contrary, it was likely the most alert and second-safest place in the Academy.

“Good afternoon, Professor Chen,” Chang Yi’s soft voice announced.

The command center’s door slid open, and Chen Qiyun strode in, heading straight for the elderly man tinkering at the table.

Chen was no spring chicken, but compared to the hunched, shrimp-like man in a lab coat, he could pass for middle-aged.

“Damn it! Find those useless logistics people! And security! And weapons control! Now!” the old man roared, ignoring Chen’s arrival.

“Bad timing, Lu Hong?” Chen asked.

“Cut the crap and help! Those idiots aren’t even at the Academy!” The scrawny old man, Lu Hong, snapped.

“Report, Professor Lu: Based on leave applications and approvals 1, 2, and 3 from the past 30 days, 21 logistics personnel, about 32%, requested temporary leave for ‘official duties,’” Chang Yi said.

“Additionally, the command center contacted weapons control one minute ago. Their remaining staff, along with security, are clearing residual Shadow Ghosts on campus.”

“Remaining? Shouldn’t they be on duty 24/7?” Lu Hong’s voice rasped.

“The principal went to Bombavik University last week, taking some security and logistics staff,” Chen explained.

Lu Hong, hearing this, clawed at his sparse, white hair in frustration.

“What’s the situation now?” Chen asked.

As a professor, he shouldn’t have needed to be here.

But with the holiday, ongoing exchange programs, and the principal’s absence, trouble had struck.

“It’s a mess. When’s the last time this happened? Ten years? Twenty? We need to contact the principal ASAP,” Lu Hong said, his back so hunched he seemed perpetually bowed.

Unlike the principal, Shadow Ghost genes hadn’t granted him vitality; age had worn him down.

“Yeah, it’s been years. We thought it wouldn’t happen again, that the Academy’s mission was…” Chen trailed off. “Chang Yi, are the cameras still working?”

“Received. Issuer: Chen Qiyun. Executor: Chang Yi. Command approved. Accessing campus surveillance.”

Dozens of camera feeds appeared on the command center’s main screen. Chang Yi filtered them down to nine.

Some showed lone Shadow Ghosts prowling; others, security staff in uniforms hunting them.

“Why are there still students? Didn’t Chang Yi instruct the student council to evacuate them?” Chen frowned.

“No way. They should be safe in the dorms. Leave this to us…” Lu Hong began, but stopped, noticing an anomaly on one screen.

It showed a serene campus path where two boys and a girl jogged, one trailing behind.

—

“Boss… I’m beat… Can you and Sis-in-Law drop me at the dorm first?” Chang Mu panted.

The afternoon campus was silent, sunlight spilling over the concrete path, casting a dark veil over their steps.

“Stop with the ‘Sis-in-Law’ nonsense, or I’ll feed you to a Shadow Ghost. You’re an early-admission freshman—tasty prey for them,” Xia Yin snapped.

Xueqiu clutched her gun, its barrel cooled but still warm from five minutes ago, when she’d killed a Shadow Ghost—the monster that took her family.

Would killing them bring revenge?

Satisfaction?

Relief?

She didn’t know. She only felt fear.

Not from the act, but from her instinctive movements.

Xia Yin had taught her to shoot, but only with his black pistol.

The gun in her hand now was a high-caliber one he’d smuggled from the Investigation Team.

Why had she moved so fluidly?

As if she’d practiced for decades.

If she had a mirror, she’d probably see herself crying, Xueqiu thought.

“Boss… where… are we going?” Chang Mu whispered, dragging each word, terrified Xia Yin might abandon him.

“Shut up. Still yapping? Wanna die faster?” Xia Yin’s tone was sharp and focused.

They avoided the main road, following the Shadow Ghost’s earlier path.

But it led to another main road, so Xia Yin led them jogging.

With Shadow Ghosts possibly lurking, Chang Mu ran out of steam, forcing them to hide near the sealed Teaching Building 9.

It made sense—Chang Mu had spent a night in a trash can with garbage bags.

He couldn’t have eaten the trash for energy.

Xia Yin stared at the sky. Xueqiu didn’t know why.

The Academy’s sky had no birds, rarely clouds.

The deep blue above was supposedly the principal’s Contract at work.

But mimicking Xia Yin, she saw the sky wasn’t pure blue anymore.

Cracks had formed, scarlet seams like reopened wounds, exposing raw red flesh.

“Boss, what’re you looking at? Meteors in the daytime? If so, I’d wish for all Shadow Ghosts to die,” Chang Mu said, looking up.

His first sight wasn’t the sky or cracks, but a flying blade.

Bang!

Xia Yin’s black sword flashed over Chang Mu’s head, knocking the blade away and giving his filthy hair a buzz cut.

He kicked Chang Mu into nearby bushes, signaling Xueqiu to take cover.

Another ambush?

Crouching behind grass, Xueqiu scanned the area.

The blade wasn’t from a Shadow Ghost—it was a cold weapon.

Did Shadow Ghosts use blades?

She didn’t know, but probably not.

Who was attacking?

Her answer came quickly.

Two meters from Xia Yin, a figure in a tattered cloak landed steadily on Teaching Building 9’s fourth-floor railing.