Deserted Island Game (12)

Ryuen's face twisted: "Shut up!" He threw a punch, his speed astonishing.

Tang Yu barely dodged, the wind of the fist grazing his cheek. He activated Emotional Link, attempting to interfere with Ryuen's consciousness. In an instant, a chaotic and violent torrent of emotions flooded his brain—anger, inferiority, a craving for control, the fear of being seen through... and a trace of a strange, cold sense of command that did not belong to Ryuen himself...

The link lasted only a few seconds before being forcibly severed by Ryuen's raging emotions, but Tang Yu had already obtained key information—there was indeed someone pulling the strings behind Ryuen!

"Who are you working for?" Tang Yu asked, gasping for breath. "Who is the person that gave you the drugs?"

A flash of surprise crossed Ryuen's eyes, followed by even greater fury: "Go to hell!"

Another heavy punch struck out, and this time, Tang Yu could not dodge completely. The fist grazed his ribs, and the sharp pain made his vision go black.

[Received heavy blow: Rib fracture, stamina dropped to 45%]
[Emotion Points reached 19500/20000]

At the critical moment, Sudo Ken's roar came from the cave entrance: "Let go of Tang Yu!"

Sudo rushed in with the Reconnaissance Team, and Ichinose also arrived with reinforcements from Class B. Seeing the situation turn against him, Ryuen roared: "Retreat!" He escaped through the other exit of the cave with the people from Class C.

"Are you okay?" Sudo helped Tang Yu up.

"I'm fine..." Tang Yu stood up, enduring the pain. "Is the task item safe?"

Ichinose nodded: "It has already been handed to our companions to take back to the camp." She looked at Tang Yu with concern. "Your injuries..."

"They aren't serious." Tang Yu forced a smile. "We need to get back to the camp immediately. Ryuen's state is not right; he might launch an all-out attack."

Both teams quickly evacuated the cave. On the way, Tang Yu's Emotion Points finally broke through the critical threshold:

[Emotion Points exceeded 20000!]
[Unlocked "Emotion Manipulation" ability (Basic)]
[Can briefly influence the target's emotional state, duration 30 seconds]

This ability was far more powerful than the previous Emotion Influence; it could directly implant a certain emotion into the target's heart, rather than just amplifying existing ones.

Tang Yu immediately thought of several ways to apply it, but the most important thing right now was dealing with Ryuen's threat.

Back at the Class D camp, Tang Yu reported the situation to the Leadership Group. Horikita participated in the discussion via video link.

"Drug enhancement?" Hirata was incredulous. "This is a serious violation of school rules!"

"Ryuen has always been unscrupulous." Ayanokoji analyzed calmly. "The question is, who provided the drugs?"

Tang Yu noticed that Ayanokoji said "who" rather than "where," seemingly also suspecting that school personnel were involved.

"We need evidence." Horikita's voice came from the tablet. "Otherwise, the accusation is meaningless."

"Let's consider defense first." Tang Yu pointed to the map. "Ryuen is currently in an irrational state and might attack the camp directly."

The meeting decided to strengthen defenses while sending people to maintain contact with Class B. Just as the deployment was about to end, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the camp.

"The Student Council is here!" A student rushed into the tent to report.

Everyone was stunned. Tang Yu followed the others out of the tent and saw a tall boy wearing glasses standing in the center of the camp, followed by two Student Council members. He wore a crisp school uniform with the Student Council Vice President badge pinned to his chest.

"Kiriyama Ikiteru..." Horikita's voice came from the tablet, carrying obvious vigilance.

"Routine inspection." Kiriyama pushed up his glasses. "During special exams, the Student Council has the right to supervise the behavior of each class." His gaze swept over the members of Class D, finally stopping on Tang Yu: "I heard your class has been performing... quite specially."

Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and found that Kiriyama's Emotion Cloud presented an eerie calmness—it was too perfect, unnaturally perfect, like the result of specially trained emotional control.

"We are following all the rules." Hirata stepped forward, speaking politely but firmly.

Kiriyama smiled: "Of course, it's just a routine matter." He turned to Tang Yu: "The Student Council is particularly interested in the performance of the... transfer student."

The probing intent in this sentence was obvious. Tang Yu remained calm: "I am just doing my best to contribute to the class."

"Is that so?" Kiriyama said meaningfully. "From perfect scores in all subjects to leading on the Deserted Island, your 'contributions' are indeed impressive."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Ayanokoji stood silently by Tang Yu's side, forming a subtle stance of support.

"Inspection complete." Kiriyama suddenly ended the topic. "I wish you success in your exam." He turned to leave, but as he passed Tang Yu, he said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Be careful not to play with fire and get burned."

[Warning from Kiriyama Ikiteru +200]
[Student Council attention: 40%]

Tang Yu watched the Student Council group leave, alarm bells ringing in his heart. Kiriyama's appearance was by no means a coincidence; he was clearly targeting someone—possibly himself, or perhaps Ayanokoji.

"A strange Student Council," Ayanokoji commented, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather.

By evening, the camp entered a state of high alert. Tang Yu and Ayanokoji were responsible for the first shift of night watch, and the two sat side-by-side on the lookout tower, silently observing their surroundings.

"What did you find in the cave today?" Ayanokoji asked suddenly.

Tang Yu hesitated for a moment, deciding to be partially honest: "Ryuen took some kind of enhancement drug; his strength and speed were beyond that of an ordinary person."

"Drugs..." Ayanokoji was thoughtful. "The source?"

"I'm not sure, but I sensed... that someone was pulling his strings."

Ayanokoji turned to look at Tang Yu: "Your 'perception' ability is quite special."

This was the first time Ayanokoji had directly mentioned Tang Yu's special ability. Their gazes met, and it was as if invisible sparks were flying in the air.

"Everyone has secrets," Tang Yu said softly, "like your observational skills, which aren't those of an ordinary high school student."

Ayanokoji did not deny it, instead asking an unexpected question: "What do you think this school is truly testing?"

"On the surface, it's ability; in essence, it's human nature," Tang Yu replied. "Under extreme pressure, people reveal their truest selves."

"An interesting insight," Ayanokoji said, looking toward the direction of the Class C camp. "Then, what is Ryuen revealing?"

"Fear masked by violence," Tang Yu said, recalling the emotions he felt through the Emotional Link. "He is afraid of losing control, afraid of his true nature being seen through."

Ayanokoji was silent for a long time: "You see things more clearly than I imagined."

[Vigilance from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +200]

[Current Emotion Points: 20350/30000]

[Next Stage Goal: Unlock "Group Emotion Influence" ability]

As the night deepened, Tang Yu knew the most dangerous moment had yet to pass. Under the influence of the drugs, Ryuen might take a desperate risk, the appearance of Kiriyama signaled that the Student Council might intervene, and Ayanokoji's attitude was becoming increasingly difficult to fathom.

The final day of the Deserted Island Test was destined to be a bloodbath. Tang Yu gripped the Mission Key in his pocket, ready to face every challenge ahead.