Undercurrent Intelligence War

At six o'clock in the morning, only a few scattered figures were on the sports field. When Hanyu Xiuyi arrived on time, Horikita Suzune was already there, wearing a tracksuit and doing warm-up stretches.

"You're really early," Hanyu Xiuyi said.

"Punctuality is basic," Horikita Suzune replied without looking up. "I checked past data, and the probability of physical fitness events appearing in special exams exceeds 60%. So physical training must be incorporated into the regular plan."

"Agreed." Hanyu Xiuyi began his warm-up. "Where do we start?"

"First, measure baseline data." Horikita Suzune pulled out a small notebook. "One-kilometer run, pull-ups, standing long jump. I need to record everyone's initial level."

As they were talking, someone else arrived—Ayanokoji Kiyonaga.

"Ayanokoji?" Hanyu Xiuyi was a bit surprised. "You're joining the training too?"

"Yeah." Ayanokoji's voice was flat. "Heard there was training, so I came to check it out."

His expression was as featureless as ever, but Hanyu Xiuyi noticed his breathing was very steady, with no sign of having just run over.

"Then let's do it together." Horikita Suzune didn't ask further. "First, the one-kilometer run."

The three stood at the starting line. Horikita Suzune's expression was serious, as if she were in an official competition. Ayanokoji, on the other hand, had a "whatever" look.

"Start."

Horikita Suzune shot forward, very fast. Ayanokoji followed behind her, his pace terrifyingly steady. Hanyu Xiuyi stayed in the middle position, observing as he ran.

At the end of the first lap, Horikita Suzune was in the lead, with Ayanokoji two body lengths behind her. Hanyu Xiuyi was third.

On the second lap, Horikita Suzune started accelerating. Ayanokoji maintained his original speed. Hanyu Xiuyi also picked up the pace slightly.

On the third lap, Horikita Suzune's stamina clearly dropped, and she slowed down. But Ayanokoji began accelerating at this point, his stride unchanged, as if he had just been warming up.

In the final two hundred meters, Ayanokoji easily overtook Horikita Suzune and crossed the finish line first. Hanyu Xiuyi followed closely behind.

"Three minutes fifteen seconds, three minutes seventeen seconds, three minutes twenty seconds." Horikita Suzune recorded the results while catching her breath, then stared at Ayanokoji. "Your stamina... is excellent."

"Not really," Ayanokoji said, his breathing not even disturbed.

"Were you in the track and field club in middle school?" Hanyu Xiuyi asked.

"No." Ayanokoji shook his head. "Just regular school."

That "regular" was anything but. Hanyu Xiuyi silently noted this anomaly.

In the subsequent pull-up and standing long jump tests, Ayanokoji's performance was above average but not outstanding—except for that eerie stamina management ability.

"It looks like we need to adjust the training plan." After the tests, Horikita Suzune looked at her notebook. "Ayanokoji, your endurance is good, but your explosive power is average. Hanyu, you're balanced across the board. I need to strengthen explosive power training."

"Okay," Ayanokoji said.

"Also," Horikita Suzune turned to Hanyu Xiuyi, "I suggest bringing Sudo in too. His athletic ability is useful for the class."

"But he might not want to wake up early."

"Use points as motivation." Horikita Suzune was blunt. "Don't you have a lot of points? You can set up a reward."

Hanyu Xiuyi smiled. "Good idea. One thousand points for attending a training session, five thousand points for improving results. What do you think?"

"Feasible." Horikita Suzune nodded. "I'll handle the statistics."

During the morning classes, Hanyu Xiuyi could clearly feel a shift in the classroom atmosphere.

In math class, Chabashira Sae announced some news: "Next week's quiz will count toward this month's class ranking, and the results will affect next month's point distribution."

The classroom immediately grew tense.

"Also," Chabashira Sae continued, "the date for the first special exam has been set—two weeks from now. The specific format will be announced the day before the exam."

"Teacher, can you give us a hint?" Hirata Yousuke raised his hand.

Chabashira Sae gave him a look. "All I can say is that this exam requires full class participation and... it will test multiple aspects of ability."

Full class participation. Hanyu Xiuyi and Horikita Suzune exchanged a glance.

After class ended, Hirata Yousuke immediately started organizing: "Everyone, this quiz is important. We can hold a study session to help each other out."

"I'm in!" Kushida Kikyo was the first to respond. "I'm not great at math, so I hope someone can teach me."

"I can help too." Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses. "I'm good at science subjects."

"Then I'll handle the humanities portion," Horikita Suzune said. "We'll start today after school."

"Great!" Hirata Yousuke smiled. "The location will be the study area in the library. Hanyu, will you join?"

"Of course." Hanyu Xiuyi said. "I can also provide some study materials and snacks."

"Snacks?" Karuizawa Kei's eyes lit up. "What kind of snacks?"

"The library allows simple food. I'll prepare some sandwiches and drinks."

This proposal quickly gained a lot of support. Sometimes, food really is the best motivator.

During the lunch break, Hanyu Xiuyi ran into an unexpected person at the vending machine—Ichinose Honami, the Class B leader.

"Hello, Hanyu." Ichinose's smile was warm. "I'm Ichinose Honami from Class B. I heard your Class D is organizing a study session?"

"Yes." Hanyu Xiuyi nodded. "Is there something you need, Ichinose?"

"Actually..." Ichinose lowered her voice slightly. "Our Class B is also preparing for the special exam. I thought, if possible, there could be some positive exchange between classes. After all, the special exam doesn't have to be a zero-sum game."

This idea was bold. Proposing cooperation in a competitive environment required courage and foresight.

"You mean sharing information?" Hanyu Xiuyi asked.

"Like study materials, or some basic strategy discussions." Ichinose said. "Of course, core tactics would have to stay confidential. But cooperation at a foundational level benefits both sides."

Hanyu Xiuyi thought for a few seconds. Ichinose's proposal was reasonable, and Class B had the best reputation among the four classes—trustworthy.

"Okay." He said. "We're having a study session this weekend. If you're interested, you can send a representative to observe. We can also send someone to join your activities."

"That's great!" Ichinose said happily. "I'll discuss it with my class. By the way..." She hesitated. "Be careful of Ryuen from Class C. He seems to be planning something lately."

"Do you know what it is?"

Ichinose shook her head. "Not sure. But someone from our class saw him meeting with a few senior students. Those upperclassmen... have a bad reputation."

"Thanks for the warning."

After exchanging contact information, they parted ways. Hanyu Xiuyi watched Ichinose's retreating back and felt that this Class B leader was indeed no ordinary person.

She had a spirit of cooperation, vigilance, and strong initiative. It was no coincidence that Class B held second place.

The after-school study session in the library turned out to be surprisingly successful.

Besides Horikita Suzune, Yukimura Teruhiko, and a few other high-achieving students tutoring others, the snacks and drinks Hanyu Xiuyi had prepared played a big role. Even Sudo Ken, who usually kept to himself, joined after Hirata Yousuke persuaded him.

"For this problem, you should use this formula..." Horikita Suzune was explaining a math problem to Karuizawa Kei. Her tone was cold, but her explanation was thorough.

"I see! Horikita, you're amazing!" Karuizawa Kei said sincerely.

"It's just the basics." Horikita Suzune said, but Hanyu Xiuyi noticed the corners of her mouth lift slightly.

On the other side, Yukimura Teruhiko and a few boys were heatedly discussing a physics problem.

"I think we should use the Conservation of Energy Law..."

"No, there's friction loss here..."

Hanyu Xiuyi walked over with drinks. "Need help?"

"Perfect timing, Hanyu!" Yukimura said. "We've been arguing over this problem for ages..."

Hanyu Xiuyi glanced at the problem—a classic inclined plane slider question. He picked up a pen, drew a diagram on the paper, and began explaining.

Three minutes later, the boys all had looks of sudden realization.

"So that's it! Hanyu, you're incredible!"

"It's nothing. Just practice more." Hanyu Xiuyi said. "Oh, I have some mock exams from last year here. You can make copies."

He pulled out the materials he'd prepared and handed them out. These were collected through club channels—not official test papers, but highly valuable for reference.

"Hanyu, thank you." Kushida Kikyo said sweetly. "You've really helped a lot."

"Class matters are my matters." Hanyu Xiuyi said.

He noticed in the corner that Ayanokoji Kiyonaga was quietly reading a book, occasionally lifting his head to look around. When Hanyu Xiuyi glanced his way, he nodded once, then lowered his head to continue reading.

What an enigmatic person.

Halfway through the study session, the library door opened. Two girls walked in—Ichinose Honami from Class B and another girl.

"Sorry to interrupt." Ichinose said politely. "We heard you were studying and wanted to take a look... is that okay?"

"Of course." Hirata Yousuke stood up. "Welcome, welcome."

Ichinose and her companion joined the study session. They brought some materials compiled by Class B as an exchange, and Hanyu Xiuyi shared some of his materials in return.

"Our class had a debate on this problem too." Ichinose pointed to a chemistry question. "Our teacher's solution went like this..."

The two classes began discussing, and the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. Watching this, Hanyu Xiuyi felt that Ichinose's proposal was indeed a good one—positive exchange benefited both sides.

But just then, the library door opened again.

This time, three people entered—Ryuen Sho from Class C, along with two lackeys.

"Yo, pretty lively." Ryuen scanned the room with a mocking grin. "Class D and Class B having a mixer? How touching."

The library's atmosphere instantly chilled.

"Ryuen, is there something you need?" Ichinose asked calmly.

"Nothing much, just looking around." Ryuen walked up to Hanyu Xiuyi. "Heard you're preparing for the special exam? Not bad, you've got it all set up."

"If you have something to say, say it." Hanyu Xiuyi said flatly.

"I'm just here to deliver a message." Ryuen leaned in, lowering his voice. "Watch your back, Class D's monster. The special exam... might get pretty interesting."

With that, he laughed loudly and left. His two lackeys followed.

The library fell into silence.

"What does he mean?" Sudo Ken frowned.

"I don't know," Hanyu Xiuyi said. "But it's definitely nothing good."

Ichinose's expression grew serious. "Ryuen must know something. We need to be more careful."

After the study session ended, Hanyu Xiuyi and Horikita Suzune stayed behind alone.

"What do you think?" Hanyu Xiuyi asked.

"Ryuen definitely has an information source," Horikita Suzune said. "And he came to provoke us deliberately, which means he's confident."

"We need to speed up our information gathering," Hanyu Xiuyi decided. "I'll look into which senior students Ryuen has been contacting."

"I'll check the records of past special exams," Horikita Suzune said. "The old archives in the library might have clues."

The two split up.

Through Ishida from the Shogi Club, Hanyu Xiuyi learned that the senior students Ryuen had been in contact with were a group from Class 3-C, notorious for their dirty tactics and frequently using various methods to extort points from underclassmen.

"They were just warned last month," Ishida said. "But since there was no solid evidence, the school only gave a verbal warning. Be careful—those people will do anything."

"Thanks for the heads-up."

Back in his dorm, Hanyu Xiuyi received an email from Horikita Suzune:

"Found some clues. In a special exam three years ago, there was one called 'Uninhabited Island Survival.' Students were split into groups and lived on the island for a week, scored based on performance. This might be a reference. —Horikita"

Uninhabited Island Survival? Hanyu Xiuyi thought it over. If this upcoming exam was similar, it would indeed require all-around abilities—physical fitness, knowledge, cooperation, wilderness survival skills...

He replied: "Got it. Starting Basic Wilderness Survival Training tomorrow. Also, we need to prepare some basic supplies."

"Agreed. I'll draw up a detailed plan."

Hanyu Xiuyi turned off his phone and looked out the window. The night scenery was deep, but scattered lights still shone on campus.

Ryuen's warning, the suspicious movements of the senior students, the upcoming special exam... Everything pointed to the next two weeks being anything but calm.

And his Five Million Points needed to be used on the most critical edge.

He opened his notebook and wrote down a new plan:

1. Strengthen physical training (add Wilderness Survival Project) 2. Prepare basic supplies (compass, rope, basic tools, etc.) 3. Gather more intel on the Uninhabited Island Exam 4. Closely monitor Ryuen and the senior students' trends 5. Strengthen in-class cooperation training

After writing this, he leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.