At one in the afternoon, the campus lay in a tranquil expanse of white.
Only tiny patches of withered green showed through the shrubs, their branches bent beneath the snow, barely clinging to life.
The sun hung high overhead as dark clouds churned backward.
After stepping outside from indoors, even the air drawn into their lungs seemed to carry a piercing, icy chill.
At times, pain could be powerfully cathartic, allowing people to recover themselves from excessive tension.
A trip to the cafeteria that had never been part of the plan.
Two of the eleven had died: Geng Haohao had died when a Sin Object on the second floor turned into a ghost, while Jiang Xi had died at the hands of the black-clothed person.
The number of casualties was not particularly glaring, but it was enough to weigh heavily on the hearts of those who remained.
Starting with Lu Chen, now it was Jiang Xi's turn.
Branch No. 9 was exceptionally powerful overall, and the five employees who had entered this mission were among its finest.
Although Song Yitong, Lu Chen, and Jiang Xi had yet to demonstrate their abilities, everyone knew that any one of them, taken alone, could stand on equal footing with a Vice Branch Manager.
What a pity.
Song Yitong had been dragged into the library before the mission had even begun;
Lu Chen had died abruptly in the first wave of attacks just after entering the mission;
Now Jiang Xi had died as well. Her death had been caused by forces from every side; she had not even used a single Sin Object, making her death the most unjust of all.
As for Geng Haohao from the Fourth Branch, that boy who had been about the same age as Jiang Xi, his death had