"Time's up. The match is over."
Instructor Yuan Gang's voice came through the base loudspeakers, ringing clearly through every corner.
The Mask Squad members sitting nearby finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That scared the hell out of me. I almost thought the captain was going to lose." Vortex patted his chest, still shaken.
Moon Ghost fell silent for a moment. "Why do I feel like... something's off?"
"I feel the same way." Rose's expression was strange. "It feels like the captain's time..."
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
Balance coughed violently a few times and shot them a look.
The Mask Squad members immediately shut their mouths. They seemed to understand something, and their expressions turned awkward.
Baili Pangpang scratched his head. "What? Didn't Qiye win?"
"No. Time ran out. He didn't manage to cut off King Mask's mask." Molly shook her head.
Baili Pangpang blinked blankly, pointed at the monocle on the bridge of his nose, and said:
"But I clearly saw Qiye strike with his blade... mmph, mmph, mmph."
Lin Qiye appeared from nowhere and clamped a hand over Baili Pangpang's mouth, dragging him expressionlessly into a corner. Baili Pangpang looked like a young maiden kidnapped by a villain—he wanted to say something, but couldn't get a word out.
"You saw it all?" In the corner, Lin Qiye looked at Baili Pangpang helplessly.
"Yeah."
"Just pretend you didn't."
Baili Pangpang froze. "But..."
"Baili Pangpang, what do you think of these recruits?"
Baili Pangpang thought for a moment. "Aside from those few, the rest are pretty lousy."
"Then do you think it would be a good thing to cancel this training camp and send them off to face those Mysteries all over the country just like this?"
"Probably not..."
"Exactly." Lin Qiye patted him on the shoulder, gazing up at the