Scientific Combat Style

Binhai University.

"Xuanzi, how is it? Have you detected any traces of Spiritual Energy?"

Chewing gum, the young man with a Bluetooth Tattoo on his left wrist swiftly swept his gaze across the Teaching Building before him and asked without turning around.

"Yes, but it's very faint. I can't determine where that Bizarre Entity is yet, but the five missing people should still be alive."

Though the young man called Xuanzi looked somewhat frail, his eyes were sharp and lively. He tucked the device resembling a handheld console into his pocket, and Wang Xuan asked the young man in front of him with barely concealed excitement.

"Captain, what should we do next? Split up and search for clues?"

"A rookie is a rookie. This isn't some fun little game."

With a cold snort, the third member of the team stood leaning against the car with folded arms, his face full of disdain.

"No matter what kind of anomaly you face, splitting up is absolutely the stupidest thing you can do. If you want to die, don't drag me down with you."

"That's enough, Qiangzi. Everyone started out as a rookie. There's no need to sneer at your own Teammate."

Frowning slightly, the captain turned and reprimanded him.

"Tch..."

Having made himself look foolish, Xu Qiang simply turned away and began studying the flowers and grass by the roadside.

The three of them were clearly a team, but their relationship was not nearly as harmonious as it appeared on the surface.

"Be careful from here on out. Don't let yourselves get caught off guard. Even against the weakest anomaly, you must never let down your guard. Haven't you read the materials I sent you earlier?"

The captain spat his gum into a nearby Trash Can and spoke seriously.

"Even a small trial mission can get you killed horribly if you let your guard down. I'll assign our tasks now. Xuanzi, continue—"

"Captain, that anomaly is upstairs!!"

Before he could finish, Wang Xuan's deliberately lowered voice reached his ears.

Wu Hua abruptly turned his head and happened to see a little boy with a Backpack running toward the Rooftop through the Stairwell Entrance. In the little boy's hand, more than a dozen Puppet Dolls tugged along by strings bounced through the Stairwell behind him.

Only then did Wu Hua notice that the dozen or so students who had been lying in the corridor had vanished without a sound at some point.

"Xuanzi, stay here and provide support. Have the police seal this place off. Qiangzi, come up with me!!"

With a grim expression, Wu Hua left that command behind and rushed toward the Stairwell Entrance without another thought. Xu Qiang followed close behind.

"Uh..."

Wang Xuan opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but seeing the two already rush into the Teaching Building, he could only lower his hand in frustration.

It was around nine or ten in the morning, and the sun was climbing ever higher.

The Rooftop atop the Teaching Building was an open Top Floor structure. The surrounding walls were not even Calf-high, and for safety reasons, the door leading to the Rooftop was usually kept tightly locked.

However, when Wu Hua and Xu Qiang arrived, they found the door to the Rooftop wide open, its lock broken and tossed carelessly to one side.

After signaling Xu Qiang to be careful, Wu Hua pulled a Ring from somewhere and put it on, then walked toward the doorway.

Before he could take a step, however, a Doll with terror written all over its face suddenly fell from above and landed before him. Luckily, he reacted quickly; otherwise, if that punch had gone out, the Doll would have been smashed to pieces.

"One Lv3 and one Lv2. Looks like we've really hit the jackpot this time~"

As the voice sounded, the little boy with the Backpack lightly leaped down from above and landed on the ground about ten meters away from them at the entrance.

"That's right. It was him who caused these five disappearances."

Wu Hua glanced toward the upper left and let out a breath.

"Qiangzi, same as usual. I'll take the lead, and you provide Support. End this as quickly as possible. Be careful not to hurt those Dolls—they should still be recoverable."

Xu Qiang nodded without replying, but his body was already poised for battle.

"Oh? You two seem rather confident."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, the little boy backed away a few steps until he reached the edge of the Rooftop.

"But today, you—"

"Attack!!!"

Before the little boy could finish, Wu Hua let out a low roar and pounced toward him at the edge of the Rooftop like a Tiger descending a mountain.

Wu Hua was incredibly fast. Almost the instant his words fell, he had already reached the little boy. His right hand, wearing the Ring, smashed viciously toward the little boy's head.

Behind him, Xu Qiang followed like a Specter. Unlike Wu Hua, who handled the frontal assault, Xu Qiang's Combat Style was closer to that of an Assassin who sought a single killing blow.

"My, my—once ordinary people become Players, their Physical Quality can be greatly enhanced depending on the circumstances~"

Even with the attack already within arm's reach, the little boy's smile only grew brighter.

"Low-Level Players really are easy to bully. You two have both fallen for it, you know?"

"My body..."

Looking at his fist, which was only a centimeter away from hitting the other party, Wu Hua's expression darkened as his body inexplicably froze in midair.

"Your shadows, your shadows! I've caught your shadows! You have nowhere left to run!!"

A savage grin appeared on the little boy's face as he pointed downstairs, then at the foot he had stepped out into the air.

Under the Sunlight, Wu Hua and Xu Qiang's shadows stretched long across the Rooftop, casting striking dark shapes on the ground. The little boy's foot, hanging in midair, happened to be stepping on their shadows.

"It's just a simple mathematical calculation. On Flat Ground, your shadows could still break free from my foot, but under these circumstances, even you Players can do nothing against such an enormous burden, right?"

The little boy looked exceedingly proud of himself.

"Do you know what Leverage Mechanics are? Do you know what physics is? You idiots!! Don't worry. After I absorb the two of you and the one downstairs, everyone in this school will become my food. When that time comes—"

"Bang!"

Before the little boy could finish, a chair leg struck him squarely on the head.