Tang Yu nodded and walked toward the Medical Tent. He lifted the flap and saw Horikita sitting against the temporary bed, reading an English novel as usual. The only differences were her pale complexion and the cast on her right leg.
"Am I disturbing you?" Tang Yu asked softly.
Horikita looked up. Her eyes were less sharp than usual, and a little more complicated. "Come in."
Tang Yu sat down beside her. "How are you feeling?"
"The doctor said I'd recover after two weeks of rest." Horikita closed her book. "The exam... I'm sorry I can't continue participating."
"You've already done enough," Tang Yu said sincerely. "Leave the rest to us."
Horikita hesitated, seeming to struggle with something. At last, she 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 to come back."
A flicker of gratitude crossed Horikita's eyes, and she nodded slightly. The atmosphere between them was no longer as tense as before; instead, there was a subtle understanding between them.
A commotion suddenly broke out outside the tent. Tang Yu stepped out and saw Ayanokoji and several boys gathered together, their expressions serious.
"What happened?" Tang Yu asked as he approached.
Ayanokoji handed him a soggy piece of paper. "We found it by the stream this morning."
It was a crude map, marked with the location of Class D's camp and its defenses, along with a few hastily scrawled words: "Once the storm passes..."
"A masterpiece from Class C." Tang Yu sneered. "Ryuen hasn't given up, just as I expected."
"It's not just Class C." Ayanokoji pointed to a tiny symbol in the corner of the map-a neat letter "A," as if stamped on.
Tang Yu frowned. "Class A and Class C are working together? Impossible. Katsuragi wouldn't team up with someone like Ryuen."
"Unless..." Ayanokoji didn't finish, but Tang Yu already understood what he meant.
Unless someone was impersonating Class A, trying to frame them. Or worse-Class A had split internally.
"Step up the guard," 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 onto the boat and brought word that the exam had been postponed.
"Due to the storm, the Special Exam is suspended for 24 hours," Chabashira announced. "It will resume at this time tomorrow. The classes may use this time to rest, but attacking or damaging another class's camp is prohibited."
The decision sparked a round of discussion. Tang Yu noticed Ryuen Kakeru standing at the edge of Class C's camp, 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 this opportunity to reinforce their defenses and scout the other classes' movements.
"Sudo and I will check out Class A's situation in the east," Tang Yu assigned. "Hirata and Kushida will handle camp security. Ayanokoji..."
"I'll go west," Ayanokoji said calmly. "It'll be easier alone."
After the meeting, Tang Yu and Sudo headed east. The forest was slippery and difficult to traverse after the storm, but visibility had improved considerably.
"Do you think Ryuen will really come and raid us?" Sudo asked as they walked.
"He definitely will." Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and kept a wary eye on their surroundings. "But he won't attack head-on. He likes to play dirty."
The two reached a rise that overlooked Class A's camp. Unlike Class D, Class A seemed to have suffered even worse losses. Nearly half their tents had collapsed, and the students were busy rebuilding them.
"Doesn't look like they're up to anything," Sudo remarked.
Tang Yu nodded, then suddenly sensed an unusual emotional fluctuation-not from Class A's camp, but from somewhere closer.
"Get down!" He yanked Sudo down, and they hid behind a thicket.
A few seconds later, a familiar figure walked along the path below-Ryuen Kakeru, alone and hurrying.
"Where's he going?" Sudo asked in a low voice.
"Let's follow him," Tang Yu decided.
The two quietly followed Ryuen at a safe distance. He clearly had a destination in mind and headed straight for the island's northeastern corner. There was a stretch of rocky shore there, even more dangerous after the storm.
Ryuen stopped in front of a massive boulder and glanced around. Tang Yu and Sudo held their breath, hiding in the trees twenty meters away.
To Tang Yu's shock, a figure emerged from behind the boulder-a hooded person whose face was impossible to make out, but whose build clearly showed 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 around, seeming to look straight toward Tang Yu and Sudo's hiding place.
Tang Yu felt a bone-chilling cold. That wasn't a human gaze, but the stare of some kind of predator. Instinctively, he activated "Emotional Link," hoping to probe the other person's emotions.
[Warning: Target's emotional fluctuations are abnormal]
[Extreme danger signal detected]
[Immediate evacuation advised]
The system had never issued such a strong warning before. Tang Yu grabbed Sudo, who was about to charge out. "We're leaving. Now!"
The two quietly retreated, then turned and sprinted once they were at a safe distance. By the time they returned to Class D's camp, both were panting.
"What happened?" Sudo asked, confused. "Who was that person?"
Tang Yu shook his head. "I don't know, but it definitely wasn't anything good."
He told the Leadership Group everything he had seen and heard. After listening, Ayanokoji pondered. "An outsider getting involved in the exam... That violates the school rules."
"The question is what he gave Ryuen," Tang Yu said with a frown. "A weapon? Information? Or..."
"Whatever it was, we need to be prepared," Hirata said gravely.
The meeting decided to increase the number of night patrols and set up more alarms. Tang Yu volunteered to take the first watch.
Late at night, Tang Yu sat alone on the lookout platform, reviewing what he had discovered that day. Horikita's unexpected injury, the stranger's appearance, Ryuen's scheme... There were too many pieces, and he still couldn't fit them into a complete picture.
He opened the System Interface and checked his newly acquired ability:
[Emotional Link Lv.1] [Can establish a deep emotional connection with a target for 3 minutes] [Upgrading can extend the duration and allow simple emotions to be transmitted]
This ability had enormous potential. It could not only gather information, but might also influence other people's decisions. Tang Yu planned to use it on Ayanokoji tomorrow and see what this mysterious person was thinking.
Under the moonlight, Tang Yu looked toward Class C's camp. Whatever Ryuen had obtained was sure to be related to the upcoming exam, and Class D had to be ready for anything.
"Come on, Ryuen," Tang Yu murmured to himself. "Let's see what other tricks you've got."
[Special Notice: Multiple threats detected] [Class C hostility: 70%] [Unknown faction threat level: ???]
The system prompts flickered in the moonlight. Tang Yu knew that the real test had only just begun.