A Month's Deadline

The Principal returned in the early hours of the morning.

Yu Xing felt a sudden jolt in her sleep, and almost instantly opened her eyes in bed as some powerful pressure pressed down from the void.

As time passed and Ghost Tree grew increasingly impatient, his perception in the school instance gradually became terrifying.

The benefit of being devoured was that some of his senses almost overlapped with those of the Ghost Tree. The Ghost Tree's omnipresent branches buried underground were, in a sense, also Yu Xing's eyes.

The moment he awoke, he seemed to see himself surrounded by transparent, invisible branches, those tangled and twisted branches slowly sliding, trying to lock him in place when he wasn't paying attention.

The moment he discovered it, the scene shattered like a bubble. Yu Xing silently sat up and sensed the surroundings, but found no ghosts or fluctuations of death energy.

The scene just now must have belonged entirely to the spiritual realm?

Symbol? Foreshadowing? Or perhaps his hidden Spiritual Sense?

The evening was a holiday, but the dormitory checks didn't slacken. Even though the check time had passed, the corridor wasn't quiet. Through the thin door, Yu Xing could vaguely hear the excited voices of the students in the next and opposite dormitories.

The test is about to take place, and many people know what the results mean. They are under immense pressure these past few days, perhaps even facing a life-or-death choice.

In their dormitory, Zhao Yijiu and Wen Qinghuai were both asleep. Zhao Mou was responsible for keeping watch and listening for any noise in the corridor, so that they wouldn't miss the crucial moment when the dormitory building's mission occurred.

"Why are you up?" Zhao Mou asked softly. His small cubicle was brightly lit, and a figure could be vaguely seen leaning against the headboard, holding a book and passing the time.

"I sensed something," Yu Xing replied softly. "I just saw some images; it seemed like the Principal had returned."

"What does the Principal look like?" Zhao Mou asked.

Yu Xing chuckled, "I don't have clairvoyance; I saw the existence of 'Principal,' not that I actually saw the person."

"What's certain is that the Principal and Ghost Tree have a deep connection, probably some kind of puppet?"

"The higher-ups within the puppet regime," Zhao Mou explained, using a metaphor. "This ensures the school instance remains under the control of the Ghost Tree, and many employees are directly connected by its branches."

Zhao Yijiu turned over in bed, perhaps disturbed in her sleep.

He was so tired. He had been freed from the pollution by Qu Xuanqing during the day, but the fatigue he had developed was not relieved until the evening.

Yu Xing waited two seconds to make sure she hadn't woken anyone before continuing, "That makes sense."

"You want to see the Principal?" Zhao Mou turned a page of his book, his tone calm. "The Principal's office is a hidden space. You want to go in to get something, right?"

Yu Xing hadn't fully told her teammates about this, because the Principal had previously estimated that it would be several more days before he returned. Their focus was on the five tasks issued by the white-haired girl, so they didn't need to divert their attention.

So Yu Xing was a little curious. "How did you know?"

"Heh, so why did you invite me to join the team?" Zhao Mou seemed somewhat helpless. "Of course I'm not that oblivious. I can even guess a little about what you said to A Jiu alone today."

"Ah, indeed." Yu Xing couldn't help but admire him. "Then I won't say any more. The Principal will probably see me tomorrow. My good days of bullying everyone at school are coming to an end..."

Zhao Mou: "..."So you know you're being domineering?

Yu Xing pretended not to know Zhao Mou's inner thoughts and continued to analyze, "I took advantage of a loophole to get the Psychology Teacher's 'acknowledgment' without any investment, and thereby gained preferential treatment from many teachers' factions. But Director Gene isn't smart enough, and the Principal can't be that stupid."

"Today I asked him if I would be able to see the Principal after Principal returns, and Director Gene gave me a definite answer."

As he chatted with Zhao Mou for a few moments, the unseen touch from the branches gradually faded. Yu Xing felt cold, wrapped himself back in the blanket, and closed his eyes. "The Principal has been outside the whole time, so there haven't been many distractions. From an outsider's perspective, he should have been able to easily see the problems I caused in this whole series of events."

From the very beginning, everything he did was a stopgap measure. Even without the concept of a copy, if he were truly a student, he could not possibly become a faculty member after graduation, because the Principal would never acknowledge it.

"You mean, the Principal wants to meet you tomorrow to set a trap? Or is it a test?" Zhao Mou understood immediately, following his words.

"No, he'll definitely welcome me, because..." The tree was impatient, and all the branch had to do was deliver me to the tree. Yu Xing was unusually serious, but for some reason, her words sent chills down one's spine. "Tomorrow will be a good opportunity. With the Principal personally escorting me, I definitely won't escape the Ghost Tree's attack range."

"..." Zhao Mou knew that Yu Xing's ability to calmly reveal the enemy's plan meant that he must have a countermeasure, but he was still somewhat speechless.

"He specifically woke up in the middle of the night to tell me all this," he said. "It seems he has a task for A Jiu, and also for me. So, what do you want me to do? How should I cooperate?"

"Tomorrow, try to keep a close eye on me," Yu Xing said. "Where I disappear means the Principal's office is there. Remember the location, and go in unnoticed. I'll most likely get my hands on the key item and hide it... somewhere the Principal can't find it."

In the Principal's office, how do you move XZ to a place where the Principal n't find it?

Okay, that's very insightful. I wonder who they're testing.

Zhao Mou laughed out loud, "Leave it to me."

"However, we need to make an agreement."

Yu Xing poked her head out. "What agreement?"

"You have your own things to do. I was prepared for that when I chose Dead Silent Island because of a reminder I got from a tester about a pen. Everyone has their own destiny, and you're just finally starting to get on the right track for you." Zhao Mou rambled on for a long time.

Only then did Yu Xing realize that "as expected of Tian Ji, occasionally one can still utter the same words as a charlatan."

"About a month," Zhao Mou said. "You must come back to see us in person after a month and tell us that you're still alive. After all, you still have an invitation to an auction; it would be such a pity to miss it."

Yu Xing had an urge to hand over the auction tickets to Zhao Mou, but after thinking about it, she decided against it and simply agreed, "Okay, I'll be back within a month."