Purge

Lu Yuan did not respond.

What could he say?

The principal is at least a powerful Transcendence expert.

He could also be considered one of the core figures of Bronze City, and the highest authority in the Tower of Erudition.

But they were powerless in the face of the imperial Headquarters' decree.

That is power.

The two continued walking down the corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty space.

Laurina was in low spirits, and her steps were somewhat heavy.

Lu Yuan glanced at her sideways but didn't say anything more.

Some things can't be solved with just a few words of comfort.

After returning to his dormitory in the outer area, Lu Yuan handed the silver medal given to him by the principal to Laurina.

You take this.

Laurina accepted the medal, gripping it tightly with a slight pressure from her fingertips.

"For the next two days, you will stay in your room and not go anywhere."

Lu Yuan's tone was calm, but carried an undeniable air of authority.

Don't open the door unless it's me.

Laurina raised her head, her light brown eyes looking at Lu Yuan, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, he simply nodded slightly.

"Good."

Her voice was soft, tinged with weariness and resignation.

Lu Yuan watched as she sat down on the edge of the bed, curled up against the corner of the wall, looking dazed.

He didn't say anything more, turned around and walked out of the room.

The door closed gently behind me.

The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the corridor windows, casting long shadows on the floor.

The atmosphere at the Tower of Erudition was even more oppressive than yesterday.

Occasionally, you can see a few students hurrying by, their steps quick, as if they are running away from something.

The frequency of the Night Watcher's patrols has increased significantly; they are in groups of three or five, with solemn expressions.

Lu Yuan leaned against the window, silently observing everything, waiting for Hogger to arrive.

Until footsteps came from behind.

Lu Yuan.

He turned his head and saw Hogger walking towards him.

The Night Watcher captain wasn't wearing his signature black trench coat today; instead, he was wearing a more practical dark gray outfit.

What hung at his waist was not an alchemical spear, but a simple, ancient-looking short sword.

"Come with me."

Hogger didn't exchange any more pleasantries and turned to leave.

Lu Yuan followed.

The two walked through several corridors and arrived at a secluded storage room.

Hogger pushed open the door, gesturing for Lu Yuan to come in.

The storage room was small and filled with clutter, with a musty, musty smell permeating the air.

Hogger closed the door, leaned against it, and crossed his arms.

He scrutinized Lu Yuan for a few seconds, his eyes filled with scrutiny, but more so with a sense of relief after confirmation.

"Your identity is not a problem."

Hogger got straight to the point, his tone flat.

"The files retrieved from Headquarters have been verified; you are indeed an advisor to the Night Watcher."

Lu Yuan remained silent, waiting for what was to come.

"But your file..."

Hogger paused, then shook his head.

"It's still very chaotic, and there's no way to deal with it for the time being."

I understand.

Lu Yuan nodded.

He hadn't expected the file issue to be resolved so quickly.

"But there's no doubt that you're Night Watcher."

Hogger's tone became more forceful.

"Two days."

He held up two fingers.

"Two days later, the order will be lifted, and the Night Watcher will let you leave."

The word "you" was deliberately emphasized.

Lu Yuan understood the implied meaning.

"Laurina can walk too?"

"Um."

Hogger nodded.

"Remember, when you leave, go straight back to Headquarters. Ignore anyone you encounter on the way or anyone who asks you to stop."

His tone became serious.

"Imperial regulations stipulate that those conscripted are not allowed to be conscripted again within a short period of time. As long as you don't stop on the road, no one can stop you."

Lu Yuan silently memorized this information.

The Night Watcher was willing to take Laurina with them shows that she was of considerable value.

Or perhaps the Night Watcher didn't want her to fall into the hands of certain people.

Is there anything else?

Lu Yuan asked.

Hogger remained silent for a moment.

His gaze fell on Lu Yuan, as if he were making some kind of assessment.

"We have a mission tonight."

Hogger lowered his voice slightly.

"You stay with me."

What mission?

"Clean up."

Hogger uttered two words, his tone as flat as if he were asking what to eat for dinner.

"It's also a clearing operation."

He took a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Lu Yuan.

Two names were written on it, along with some simple information.

They were all students of the Tower of Erudition.

"The goal is to wound them, then pursue and kill them."

Hogger said.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly as he looked at the list of famous names.

"Why not just deal with it directly?"

He looked up, his eyes filled with doubt.

Why let them escape, and chase them all the way to their dorm?

Hogger remained silent for a few seconds.

"We Night Watcher cannot overstep that rule; at least within the Tower of Erudition, the Masters have more authority than we do."

His voice was calm, but carried a hint of suppressed anger.

"Not now, at least not."

"But we can express our dissatisfaction in other ways."

Lu Yuan seemed to be deep in thought.

"As for why..."

Hogger glanced at him.

"That's not something you can know."

He paused, then continued.

"We only bought ourselves three days; the rest is up to fate."

"So tonight's operation will be bigger."

Lu Yuan did not ask any further questions.

Knowing too much about some things is not a good thing.

Hogger then pulled out a palm-sized glass bottle from his pocket and handed it to Lu Yuan.

The bottle contained some kind of silvery-white powder, which emitted a faint glow in the dim light.

[Detection Target: Refined Silver Powder (Exorcising Type)]

[An alchemical preparation specifically designed to combat low-level Aberrant; it produces a violent burning reaction upon contact with Mutation tissue.]

You're in charge of cleaning up the mess tonight.

Hogger said.

"I'll do it."

Lu Yuan squeezed the glass bottle in his hand, feeling its slightly cool touch.

"I see."

Night fell.

The corridors of the Tower of Erudition were illuminated by eerie blue magic lamps, the light dim, as if part of it had been swallowed up by something.

Lu Yuan followed behind Hogger, walking through the empty corridor.

The footsteps were suppressed by some kind of Silencing Spell, and almost no sound could be heard.

Their destination was a Library in the east building.

Hogger stopped at the door and listened for a few seconds.

The sound of pages turning could be heard from inside.

He glanced at Lu Yuan, then kicked the door open.

Inside the room, two students were studying with their books in their arms.

They were listless, with sunken eyes and pale faces, yet they stared at their books with an almost obsessive intensity, their lips moving incessantly as if they were reciting something.

However, the two of them suddenly stopped the moment Hogger and Lu Yuan appeared.

They slowly raised their heads, their gaze fixed on the doorway.

No, it's not directed towards Hogger.

Instead, he turned his attention to Lu Yuan, who was behind Hogger.

Those eyes were empty and lifeless, like two bottomless dry wells.

[Detection Target: Students of the Tower of Erudition (Hive)]

[Characteristic: A corpse gnawed clean by insects originating from knowledge; it seems to have come into contact with something it shouldn't have.]

[Weakness: Killing the Host]

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Another Hive.

Before he could think further, the two students had already moved.

They dropped their books and pounced on them with incredible speed, in a manner completely unlike that of a human.

Hogger was prepared.

He drew his sword and slashed horizontally; the sword flashed and pierced the shoulder of the student charging in front.

Black blood gushed out.

At the same time, he kicked another student away, then turned his sword and stabbed several more holes in that student's body.

The two students' bodies trembled violently, and a large number of white worms gushed from their wounds.

The insects, swarming and wriggling, crawled out of the wound, fell to the ground, and struggled to climb back up, but quickly lost their strength, curled up into a ball, and died.

The instinct for survival overcame everything.

The two students stopped attacking and turned to run away.

They smashed open the window and stumbled as they fled deeper into the corridor.

"Keep up."

Hogger shouted and rushed out first.

Lu Yuan followed closely behind.

The corridor echoed with the sounds of hurried footsteps and the hoarse breathing of the two students.

Many people witnessed this scene along the way.

There were patrolling Night Watcher and students secretly watching from their rooms.

The two students ran wildly, eventually crashing through a door in the dormitory area and falling into a room.

Hogger chased after him to the door and kicked it open.

Inside the room, two students huddled in a corner, trembling all over.

Their eyes were filled with confusion and fear; their lips moved as if they wanted to say something, but they could only utter muffled sobs.

For a moment, they looked like two ordinary, terrified teenagers.

But Hogger did not hesitate at all.

A flash of sword light, and two heads rolled to the ground.

Black blood gushed out, and the white worms surged out of the severed neck, struggled in the air for a few seconds, and then died one after another.

"The rest is up to you."

Hogger sheathed his sword, his voice calm, and turned to leave.

Lu Yuan stepped forward and touched the corpse lying on the ground.

[New knowledge detected... Aberrant Alchemy...]

[Forbidden Studies - Seeker: +0.1...48.5/50]

[New knowledge detected... Aberrant Alchemy...]

But this time, Forbidden Studies didn't pulsate.

Lu Yuan already understood.

Unscrew the glass bottle cap and sprinkle the silvery-white powder onto the corpse.

A violent burning reaction erupted instantly.

Large amounts of white smoke rose from the surface of the corpse, and the flesh rotted and melted at a visible speed, eventually turning into a pile of black ash.

The white insects that were still struggling emitted faint hissing sounds as they burned, eventually turning to ash.

The entire process lasted only a dozen seconds.

When the smoke cleared, only two black stains remained on the ground.

Hogger was standing outside, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"They're gone."

He turned and left.

"Tonight's mission is over."

Lu Yuan glanced at the black marks on the ground, then followed.

It was already past midnight when I got back to my room.

Laurina is still awake.

She curled up in the corner of the bed, hugging her knees, holding a book she'd somehow gotten her hands on.

He only looked up when he heard the door open.

Upon seeing that it was Lu Yuan, a look of relief flashed in her eyes.

"You're back."

Lu Yuan closed the door and sat down in the chair.

He paused for a moment, then spoke.

We can leave in two days.

Laurina was slightly taken aback.

"... I'll go with you?"

"Um."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"The Night Watcher will take you away, directly back to Headquarters."

Laurina visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did you do tonight?"

Lu Yuan remained silent for a while.

"Clean up."

He didn't explain in detail, but Laurina seemed to understand.

Her face turned pale.

"Don't leave this room for the next two days."

Lu Yuan stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the Main Tower of the Tower of Erudition is still lit up.

The eerie blue light looked particularly strange in the night.

"We'll leave once the transfer order is lifted."