Before dawn, the forest was shrouded in thick fog. Tang Yu stood atop the watchtower, his breath forming white clouds in the air. He had kept watch all night, but the mysterious person had not appeared again.
"Your shift's over." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's voice came from below, breaking the morning silence.
Tang Yu climbed down from the watchtower and rolled his stiff shoulders. "Everything's quiet."
"What about Ryuen?" Ayanokoji asked, his voice as calm as ever.
"Nothing yet." Tang Yu lowered his voice. "But I'm sure he got something yesterday."
Ayanokoji's gray eyes seemed especially deep in the morning light. "The Special Exam starts up again today. He'll make a move."
Back at the tent, Tang Yu splashed cold water on his face, forcing himself to stay alert. The System Interface displayed:
[Emotion Points: 18250/20000]
[Stamina Recovery: 78%]
[Special Alert: Class C hostility has risen to 75%]
Tang Yu was only 1,750 Emotion Points away from unlocking the next level of ability, and he had a feeling he could reach it today. He quickly made a plan-take the initiative, lure Ryuen into action, and collect enough Emotion Points during the confrontation.
After breakfast, Class D's Leadership Group held an emergency meeting. To everyone's surprise, Horikita Suzune joined the video call. She was sitting in the school infirmary with her right leg in a cast, but she looked to be in good spirits.
"The doctor said I can take part in the decision-making by video." Horikita's voice came from the tablet. "I can't be there in person, but I can offer advice."
Tang Yu noticed Ayanokoji frown almost imperceptibly. Horikita's return had disrupted some of his plans.
"Welcome back, Horikita." Hirata Yosuke spoke sincerely. "Your advice is important to us."
The meeting focused on how to respond to a possible attack from Class C. Tang Yu proposed splitting into two groups: one would stay and guard the camp, while the other would head out to look for mission points.
"That's too risky." Ayanokoji objected. "Splitting up will weaken our defenses."
"On the contrary." Tang Yu pointed at the map. "Ryuen expects us to hunker down and defend. If we take the initiative, we'll throw off his plans instead."
"I agree with Tang Yu." Horikita's sudden statement surprised everyone. "The best defense is a good offense."
Ayanokoji's gaze shifted between Horikita and Tang Yu, as if reassessing how their relationship had changed. Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and caught a flicker of wariness in Ayanokoji's Emotion Cloud. Horikita's change in attitude had put him on guard.
[Wariness from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +150]
In the end, Hirata accepted Tang Yu's suggestion: Tang Yu, Ken Sudō, and three other students would form the Reconnaissance Team and head to the northern part of the island to look for new mission points. Ayanokoji, Hirata, and the others would stay at camp.
Before setting out, Tang Yu quietly found Kushida Kikyo. "Do me a favor. Keep an eye on what Ayanokoji's up to."
Kushida gave him a sweet smile. "Of course, but... why?"
"I'm just curious what he's planning on his own." Tang Yu answered lightly as he activated Emotion Perception. On the surface, Kushida's Emotion Cloud was a friendly pink, but at its core lay dark gray scheming.
[False cooperation from Kushida Kikyo +50]
"No problem!" Kushida readily agreed. "If I find anything out, I'll tell you."
Tang Yu nodded his thanks, but remained wary. This two-faced girl couldn't be trusted, but for now, she was a necessary source of information.
The Reconnaissance Team followed the stream north. The forest was especially quiet after the storm; only their footsteps and the occasional birdcall broke the silence.
"I heard Ryuen met someone from outside the school yesterday?" Sudō asked in a low voice.
Tang Yu nodded. "I'm not sure who it was, but it definitely wasn't anything good."
"If you ask me, we should just beat him up. Then he'll behave." Sudō shook his fist.
"Violence won't solve anything." Tang Yu said that aloud, but inwardly he was calculating how to make use of Sudō's fighting ability. If they really had to face Ryuen head-on, Sudō would be an indispensable fighter.
Two hours later, the team reached a cliff face in the northern part of the island. An arrow was carved into the rock, pointing toward a concealed cave.
"A mission point?" one boy asked excitedly.
Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and picked up faint emotional fluctuations inside the cave. "Someone got here first."
"Class C?" Sudō immediately tensed for a fight.
"Not sure." Tang Yu signaled for everyone to hide. "I'll go in and scout. You wait outside and back me up."
Before Sudō could object, Tang Yu had already slipped silently toward the cave entrance. The opening was narrow, but inside was a whole other world: a natural stone chamber about fifty square meters in size. A metal Mission Box sat in the middle, and standing beside it was...
"Ichinose?" Tang Yu stepped into view in surprise.
The leader of Class B turned around, just as surprised. "Tang Yu?"
They looked at each other for a second, then both smiled. Ichinose's Emotion Cloud was a warm yellow, filled with genuine delight.
"Looks like we had the same idea." Ichinose pointed to the Mission Box. "I just found it. I haven't opened it yet."
Tang Yu examined the Mission Box. "It needs the fingerprints of two class leaders to verify at the same time."
"What a coincidence that we're both here." Ichinose smiled. "Want to work together?"
Tang Yu nodded, and they pressed their thumbs to the scanners at the same time. The box clicked open, revealing several waterproof maps and a key.
"What's this...?" Ichinose picked up the key.
Tang Yu quickly scanned the maps. "There's a hidden warehouse in the island's southeast corner. This must be the key. The maps mark the weak points of all four classes' camps."
"Strategic intelligence." Ichinose's eyes lit up. "Shall we share it?"
"Of course." Tang Yu agreed readily. "But..."
He suddenly stopped, as Emotion Perception picked up intense hostility outside the cave. Ichinose noticed something was wrong too. "Someone's coming."
They quickly hid behind a stone pillar. A few seconds later, three Class C students entered the cave, led by Ryuen Kakeru. Unlike usual, Ryuen's eyes were bloodshot today.
His muscles had visibly swollen, and he radiated a dangerous aura.
"Search!" Ryuen barked. "The Class B girl has to be nearby."
The two Class C students began searching the cave. Tang Yu and Ichinose held their breath, pressed into the shadows beside the pillar.
"Strange, the map says the mission point is right here..." one of the Class C students muttered.
Ryuen angrily kicked the Mission Box. "Someone beat us to it! It had to be Class D or Class B!"
Tang Yu noticed Ryuen was in an extremely abnormal state: his breathing was ragged, his pupils dilated, and his muscles twitched unnaturally. This didn't look like simple anger. It was more like... a reaction to drugs?
Just then, Ichinose accidentally knocked down a small pebble. Its faint click rang especially clearly through the silent cave.
"Who's there?" Ryuen whipped around, a beastlike glint flashing in his eyes.
Tang Yu acted at once, rushing out of the shadows and shouting, "Ichinose, run!"
Ichinose reacted quickly and dashed for the cave entrance. Ryuen roared and lunged at Tang Yu. The two collided in the center of the cave, and Tang Yu felt tremendous force slam into him. This was no normal high school student's strength! He crashed hard into the stone wall, his back aching with pain.
[Impact sustained: Stamina decreased by 30%]
[Abnormal target state detected: Drug Enhancement]
The system's warning confirmed Tang Yu's guess. Ryuen had taken some kind of mysterious drug that enhanced physical ability. No wonder he dared to act so brazenly.
"Finally caught you, Chinese Kid." Ryuen approached with a vicious grin. "I'm taking you out today."
Tang Yu quickly assessed the situation: deep inside the cave, cut off from help, facing a frenzied opponent enhanced by drugs. He had only one advantage-Ryuen's emotions were extremely unstable, making this a perfect opportunity to collect Emotion Points.
"Need drugs to feel brave?" Tang Yu deliberately provoked him. "Looks like even you know you're no match for me."
[Anger from Ryuen Kakeru +300]