Blackheart Academy

In the south of Imperial Capital Academy, inside an especially elegant bamboo pavilion, Dean Songhe, who loved drinking chrysanthemum tea, sat cross-legged on a rush cushion, savoring the fragrance in the teapot with an expression of pure enjoyment.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door was shoved open with great force. The bamboo door rattled wildly, looking as though it was about to be smashed apart.

"Who is it? So rude."

Hearing this, Dean Songhe frowned and asked in an irritated tone.

"It's me, old man Songhe."

"Zu Xingyi?"

Songhe lifted his eyelids and looked with some surprise at the middle-aged man before him, dressed in military uniform and looking high-spirited.

"Didn't you go off to work after watching the exchange match? Did some student catch your eye?"

"Heh, I really am interested in that Naturally Dual-System kid. It would be great if I could take him under me."

A few days ago, Zu Xingyi had watched the match between Imperial Capital Academy and Mingzhu University, and he had thought very highly of that Naturally Dual-System kid named Mo Fan.

If one did not count that tiny bit of help from a branch of the Mu Clan, it could be said that he had been born entirely from grassroots. That was very important.

Such a good seedling had to be recommended to his teacher and pulled into his own camp!

"All right, that's not what I came to talk about."

Zu Xingyi put away his smile. His palm slapped onto the tabletop, splashing out all the tea on it, and he asked sternly, "Old man Songhe, tell me the truth. Did Lu Nian come to Imperial Capital Academy?"

Hearing this, Songhe's aged eyes sharpened, then he nodded.

"Then tell me again. You didn't tell him that group of students' information, did you?"

Under Zu Xingyi's piercing gaze, Songhe's motion of drinking tea paused. He sighed and shook his head.

Seeing this, Zu Xingyi knew Songhe had leaked the information, and he was almost speechless. He hurriedly roared, "Old man, I really think your brain has rusted with age! They're all lunatics who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Why didn't you consider that Lu Nian might very well go all in? Now several officers under Lu Nian have resigned. That means even if they commit some major crime, they won't be able to implicate the military!"

Hearing these words, Songhe lowered his head slightly, yet an unknown glimmer flashed in his eyes. His expression hesitant, he said, "It shouldn't come to that, right?"

"Sigh, I really think you've gone muddle-headed with age. If anything happens to those little fellows, it'll be hard to deal with the forces behind them when they come asking questions."

Zu Xingyi scratched his head with a headache. This experiment had already been banned, and the cleanup work had been handed to him. A few days ago, he had gone to deal with a crazed test subject.

After asking about the training team's destination, he left in a hurry.

Songhe gently took a sip of the tea in his cup, but his face was very calm, as if the conversation just now would not make him panic.

Even if that is the case, what evidence can prove that I leaked the information?

Xingyi, you are still too young. This world needs an injection of energy. Everything I do is for the hope of all humanity...

Outside Safe Zone, the group was following the map toward Jinlin City. At that moment, they were struggling over how to proceed.

"Senior Cheng, what do you think?"

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaoyu saw everyone look toward him. He shrugged and said indifferently, "Don't ask for my opinion. I'm only responsible for safety at critical moments. If someone dies under my judgment, then I'll report it back truthfully."

With his astonishing perception, he knew clearly that there were quite a few Demon Beasts inside the tunnel. Barring any surprises, it was a nest. However, he figured that if everyone worked together, it should not be a big problem.

Everyone discussed it for a while, and in the end, they decided to go straight through the tunnel. As expected, they ran into Cave Demon Slaves.

Although they encountered a few mishaps, everyone was an outstanding mage. In the end, only one person had their leg broken, and everyone made it out.

While the others were slaughtering the Cave Demon Slaves, Cheng Xiaoyu secretly collected the souls of the dead Cave Demon Slaves, just in time to feed his own Shadow Legion. This feeling of lying back and doing nothing was really nice.

The only one who felt something was strange was Mo Fan. He discovered that the souls he absorbed were especially few... Could he have run into a ghost?

By nightfall, the men sat on the ground around the bonfire, the firelight reflecting on each of their strange faces.

As the sweet, delicate voices of the girls grew farther and farther away, the thick Hormones seemed to turn into a strange aura for a time, instantly enveloping everyone. Some swallowed, while others licked their dry lips.

The night was very quiet. No one spoke. Only the crackling of sparks in the bonfire rang through the silent surroundings.

One by one, they looked at me, I looked at you, and all of them gave awkward smiles. Some lowered their heads to look at the bonfire, while others raised their heads to look at the night sky. The atmosphere was very strange.

Under these circumstances, there were naturally people with evil thoughts. There were also Shadow Element Mages in the team, but no one present dared make a sound. After all, Cheng Xiaoyu was right beside them.

His girlfriend Mu Ningxue was bathing over there, and besides, he was the Shadow Chief. Who would dare act out of line...

Nothing happened all night. After arranging the order for the night watch, everyone went back to their tents to sleep.

Deep in the night, the firelight went out, and the camp was hidden in darkness. The chirping of insects and birds in the forest had also vanished. Everything seemed so silent.

"Zzz—"

At this moment, the zipper of one tent was pulled open, and a head poked out from inside, carefully looking around as if afraid someone would notice.

Seeing that the person on night watch had gone to patrol, a figure walked out from within, hunched over and tiptoeing to a large tree in the distance.

He looked around once more, then crouched down and began digging a hole. A moment later, he slowly took a pen-like object emitting specks of light from his sleeve.

After the sneaky man went back, Cheng Xiaoyu stepped out of the shadows and took out the thing buried in the hole.

It was actually a Signal Device. What exactly was this guy trying to do?

A trace of suspicion flashed through his eyes. He tossed the Signal Device in his hand, the corner of his mouth curving into a playful smile.

When soldiers come, send a general; when water comes, dam it with earth. I'd like to see what you're really trying to do...

After walking for nearly ten days, everyone finally arrived at the long-abandoned Jinlin City according to the map, and they all marveled at how much a once-prosperous city had changed.

As they explored deeper into the city, most of them thought they should first find a base, so they set their sights on the most conspicuous building in the city center: City Hall.

Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes narrowed as he stared at the dense vines clinging to the old walls. He could sense that there was a Great General demon beast inside City Hall, most likely a plant-type demon beast.

After comparing the strength of both sides, then imagining these people being attacked while completely unprepared, he chose to speak up in order to avoid unnecessary danger.

"Holy shit, these vines are actually demon beasts?!"

Zhao Manyan cried out in terror. The others' expressions were much the same. Just thinking about walking into a demon beast's trap left them more than a little shaken.

"Phew, good thing Brother Xiaoyu is with us, otherwise..."

Bai Tingting patted her full chest, let out a breath, and looked at Cheng Xiaoyu with bright, watery eyes.

Suddenly, a demonic wind swept up out of nowhere. Cheng Xiaoyu loudly warned everyone.

"Everyone, find cover now! Something big is coming!"

Hearing this, no one doubted him. They all hid themselves one after another.

Beneath a patch of dark clouds, enormous fleshy wings slowly grew larger as the distance closed, casting the reflection of a massive black shadow!

Under those fleshy wings was a body resembling a giant lizard. Thick, bumpy skin covered it from head to the tip of its tail. Its long tail hung half-lowered, the very end completely sharp, flashing with a heart-stopping cold light under the sunlight!

"Com... Commander Level..."

Someone said it in a trembling voice. An emotion called fear spread through everyone's hearts, and no one dared make the slightest sound.

A Giant Lizard Pseudo-Dragon. Sure enough, this Jinlin City was not that simple. Danger was hidden everywhere.

Cheng Xiaoyu watched the enormous Giant Lizard Pseudo-Dragon move away, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion. He could not help muttering inwardly.

Since Jinlin City is so full of danger, why aren't any teachers following us? Do they really trust the students that much?

He had walked for over ten days and had not discovered any teachers secretly following them at all. The students were entirely on their own.

Something's wrong. Isn't this way too fake...?