The sky above Ghost-Free Academy was not black, merely dim.
The howling gale carried the stench of rot and decay, even stronger than at Haunted Academy.
As dark clouds rolled overhead, Ji Li pressed onward through the wind and snow. His expression showed little change, yet he slipped and fell twice in the snow.
Duan Yanyan vanished after returning here. In the empty academy, he seemed to be the only staggering figure left.
He strode resolutely toward the three encircling office buildings, staring anxiously at the curtains of a room on the Seventeenth Floor.
They were still flickering.
The curtains in the Archive Room of Room 1715 in E-1 Building alternated unpredictably between white and blue, signaling drastic changes.
A brief beat of war drums struck at the heart. The plan Ji Li had long prepared would succeed or fail in this single move.
Until...
When the wind-tossed curtains of the Archive Room in Room 1715 of E-1 Building turned white one last time, everything truly seemed to stop.
Ji Li stopped beneath E-1 Building and stared blankly at the curtains. For the first time, a trace of panic appeared on his face.
It was the fear and anticipation of waiting to reveal the final card after placing every bet.
He was not someone who wore his emotions on his face, but at that moment, he was truly affected by those utterly conflicting feelings.
Amid the whimpering wind, his communicator flashed blue as someone connected to the Public Channel.
Ji Li said nothing. He merely listened, like a gambler awaiting the reveal.
"You lost..."
All wind and falling snow stopped in an instant. Everything ceased to exist, leaving only those three words from Zhu Xiaoning.
Those three words drained all strength from Ji Li. When the wind surged, he nearly