Tang Yu nodded and headed for the Medical Tent. He lifted the flap and saw Horikita sitting propped up on a makeshift cot, reading an English novel as usual. The only differences were her pale complexion and the cast on her right leg.
"Am I interrupting?" Tang Yu asked softly.
Horikita looked up. Her gaze had lost some of its usual sharpness, replaced by a hint of something complicated. "Come in."
Tang Yu sat down beside her. "How are you feeling?"
"The doctor said I'll recover after two weeks of rest." Horikita closed the book. "As for the test... I'm sorry I can't keep participating."
"You've already done more than enough," Tang Yu said sincerely. "Leave the rest to us."
Horikita hesitated, as if wrestling with something, then finally spoke. "About last night... I said some things..."
"You didn't say anything," Tang Yu cut in. "Just focus on getting better. We'll be waiting for you."
A flicker of gratitude passed through Horikita's eyes, and she nodded lightly. The air between them was no longer as tense as before. Instead, a subtle understanding had taken its place.
A commotion suddenly rose outside the tent. Tang Yu stepped out and saw Ayanokoji standing with several boys, their expressions grave.
"What's going on?" Tang Yu asked as he approached.
Ayanokoji handed him a damp piece of paper. "We found it by the stream this morning."
The paper showed a crude map, marking Class D's campsite and defenses, along with a few hastily scrawled words: "Once the storm passes..."
"Class C's handiwork," Tang Yu said with a cold smile. "Ryuen hasn't given up after all."
"It's not just Class C." Ayanokoji pointed to a tiny symbol in the corner of the map: an elegant "A," as if stamped onto the paper.
Tang Yu furrowed his brows. "Class A and Class C working together? Impossible. Katsuragi would never team up with someone like Ryuen."
"Unless..." Ayanokoji left the thought unfinished, but Tang Yu already understood what he meant.
Unless someone was impersonating Class A to frame them. Or worse—Class A had split apart internally.
"Step up security," Tang Yu told the students around him. "Especially tonight."
At three in the afternoon, a speedboat from the School Administration arrived at the island. Chabashira-sensei personally escorted Horikita aboard and brought news that the test had been postponed.
"Due to the storm, the special test is suspended for twenty-four hours," Chabashira announced. "It will resume at this time tomorrow. All classes may use this time to recover, but attacking or damaging another class's campsite is prohibited."
The decision stirred a wave of discussion. Tang Yu noticed Ryuen Kakeru standing at the edge of Class C's campsite, wearing a malicious grin. When he saw Tang Yu looking at him, Ryuen made a throat-slitting gesture.
[Hostility from Ryuen Kakeru +200]
After the speedboat left shore, Class D held an emergency meeting. Tang Yu proposed taking the opportunity to reinforce their defenses and scout the other classes' movements.
"Sudo and I will check on Class A to the east," Tang Yu assigned. "Hirata and Kushida will secure the campsite, and Ayanokoji..."
"I'll go to the west side," Ayanokoji said calmly. "It'll be easier alone."
After the meeting, Tang Yu and Sudo headed east. The woods were slippery and difficult to navigate after the storm, but visibility had improved considerably.
"Do you think Ryuen's really going to ambush us?" Sudo asked as they walked.
"Definitely." Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and stayed alert to their surroundings. "But he won't attack head-on. He likes to play dirty."
The two reached a rise overlooking Class A's campsite. Unlike Class D, Class A seemed to have suffered more damage. Nearly half of their tents had collapsed, and the students were busy rebuilding them.
"Doesn't look like they're planning anything," Sudo remarked.
Tang Yu nodded, then suddenly sensed an unusual emotional fluctuation. It wasn't coming from the Class A campsite, but from somewhere closer.
"Get down!" He yanked Sudo down, and the two hid behind a thicket.
A few seconds later, a familiar figure passed along the trail below: Ryuen Kakeru, alone and moving in a hurry.
"Where's he going?" Sudo whispered.
"Let's follow him," Tang Yu decided.
They quietly tailed Ryuen, keeping a safe distance. He clearly had a destination in mind and headed straight for the island's northeast corner. A rocky shoreline lay there, even more dangerous after the storm.
Ryuen stopped in front of a massive boulder and looked around. Tang Yu and Sudo held their breath in the trees twenty meters away.
To Tang Yu's shock, a figure emerged from behind the boulder. The person wore a hood, and their face was hidden, but their build made it clear they weren't a student.
Ryuen spoke with the stranger for a few moments, then took a small package from them. Just then, the stranger suddenly turned, seeming to look straight toward Tang Yu and Sudo's hiding place.
A bone-chilling cold swept over Tang Yu. Those weren't human eyes; they were the gaze of some kind of predator. Without thinking, he activated Emotional Link, trying to probe the stranger's emotions.
[Warning: Abnormal emotional fluctuations detected]
[Extreme danger signal detected]
[Immediate retreat recommended]
The system had never issued such a strong warning. Tang Yu grabbed Sudo, who was about to rush out. "We're leaving. Now!"
They quietly backed away and only turned to run once they were at a safe distance. By the time they reached Class D's campsite, both were gasping for breath.
"What was that about?" Sudo asked, baffled. "Who was that person?"
Tang Yu shook his head. "I don't know, but it definitely can't be anything good."
He told the Leadership Group what they'd seen and heard. After listening, Ayanokoji fell into thought. "An outsider interfering with the test... That violates school rules."
"The question is, what did he give Ryuen?" Tang Yu frowned. "A weapon? Information? Or..."
"Whatever it was, we need to be ready," Hirata said gravely.
The meeting ended with a decision to increase the number of night patrols and set up more alarms. Tang Yu volunteered to take the first watch.
Late at night, with everything quiet, Tang Yu sat alone on the watchtower and reviewed the day's discoveries. Horikita's unexpected injury, the stranger's appearance, Ryuen's scheme... There were too many pieces, and they still didn't form a complete picture.
He opened the System Interface and checked the ability he had just acquired:
[Emotional Link Lv.1] [Can establish a deep emotional connection with a target for 3 minutes] [Upgrading increases its duration and allows simple emotions to be conveyed]
The ability had enormous potential. It could not only help him gather information, but might also influence other people's decisions. Tang Yu planned to use it on Ayanokoji tomorrow and find out what this mysterious person was thinking.
Under the moonlight, Tang Yu looked toward Class C's campsite. Whatever Ryuen had received had to be connected to the upcoming test, and Class D had to prepare for every possibility.
"Come on, Ryuen," Tang Yu murmured. "Let's see what other tricks you've got."
[Special alert: Multiple threats detected] [Class C hostility: 70%] [Unknown faction threat level: ???]
The system's alerts flickered in the moonlight. Tang Yu knew the real test had only just begun.
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