Ryuen's face twisted. "Shut up!" He swung a fist at Tang Yu, moving at astonishing speed.
Tang Yu barely dodged, the wind from the punch grazing his cheek. He activated "Emotional Link," trying to disrupt Ryuen's consciousness. In an instant, a chaotic, violent torrent of emotions surged into his mind-anger, inferiority, a desire for control,
fear of being seen through... and a strange, icy sense of command that didn't seem to belong to Ryuen himself...
The link lasted only a few seconds before Ryuen's violent emotions forcibly severed it, but Tang Yu had already obtained crucial information-someone really was pulling the strings behind Ryuen!
"Who are you working for?" Tang Yu asked, panting. "Who gave you the drug?"
A flicker of surprise passed through Ryuen's eyes, then his anger grew even stronger. "Drop dead!"
Another heavy punch came at him. This time, Tang Yu couldn't dodge it completely. The fist grazed his ribs, and the sharp pain made his vision go black.
[Hit hard: cracked rib, stamina dropped to 45%] [Emotion Points reached 19500/20000]
At the critical moment, Sudo's furious roar rang out from the cave entrance. "Let go of Tang Yu!"
Sudo charged in with the Reconnaissance Team, and Ichinose arrived with reinforcements from Class B. Seeing things turn against him, Ryuen roared, "Fall back!" He led the students from Class C out through the cave's other exit.
"Are you all right?" Sudo helped Tang Yu up.
"I'm okay..." Tang Yu stood, trying to endure the pain. "Is the mission item safe?"
Ichinose nodded. "I already sent a classmate to take it back to camp." She looked at Tang Yu with concern. "Your injury..."
"It's not serious." Tang Yu managed a smile. "We need to get back to camp quickly. Ryuen's not acting right. He might launch a full-scale attack."
The two groups quickly left the cave. On the way, Tang Yu's Emotion Points finally broke through the threshold:
[Emotion Points exceeded 20000!] [Unlocked "Emotion Manipulation" ability (beginner)] [Can briefly affect a target's emotional state, lasting 30 seconds]
This ability was far more powerful than "Emotion Influence." It could directly implant a certain emotion in a target's mind, rather than merely amplifying an emotion that was already there.
Tang Yu immediately thought of several ways to use it, but the most important thing now was dealing with the threat from Ryuen.
Back at the Class D camp, Tang Yu reported the situation to the Leadership Group. Horikita joined the discussion by video call.
"Drug Enhancement?" Hirata asked in disbelief. "That's a serious violation of school rules!"
"Ryuen has always been ruthless." Ayanokoji analyzed the situation calmly. "The question is, who supplied the drug?"
Tang Yu noticed that Ayanokoji had said "who" rather than "where," which suggested he also suspected someone at the school was involved.
"We need evidence." Horikita's voice came through the tablet. "Otherwise, the accusation is meaningless."
"We should focus on defense first." Tang Yu pointed at the map. "Ryuen's in an irrational state now. He might attack the camp directly."
The meeting decided to strengthen their defenses and have someone stay in contact with Class B. Just as they were finishing their preparations, a sudden commotion broke out outside the camp.
"Someone from the Student Council is here!" A classmate rushed into the tent to report.
Everyone froze. Tang Yu followed the others out of the tent and saw a tall boy wearing glasses standing in the middle of the camp, with two Student Council members behind him. He wore a neatly pressed school uniform, with the Student Council Vice President's badge pinned to his chest.
"Kiriyama Ikiteru..." Horikita's voice came through the tablet, unmistakably wary.
"Routine inspection." Kiriyama pushed up his glasses. "During a Special Exam, the Student Council has the right to supervise each class's conduct." His gaze swept over the students from Class D, then stopped on Tang Yu. "I hear your class has been performing rather... unusually."
Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and found that Kiriyama's Emotion Cloud showed a bizarre calmness-it was too perfect, so unnatural it seemed like the result of specialized training in emotional control.
"We've followed all the rules." Hirata stepped forward and spoke politely but firmly.
Kiriyama smiled. "Of course. It's just routine business." He turned to Tang Yu. "The Student Council is particularly interested in the Transfer Student's performance."
The probing intent behind those words was obvious. Tang Yu stayed calm. "I'm just doing my best to contribute to my class."
"Is that so?" Kiriyama said meaningfully. "From a Perfect Score in All Subjects to leading everyone on the Deserted Island, your 'contributions' really have been impressive."
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Ayanokoji quietly stepped to Tang Yu's side, offering subtle support.
"Inspection's over." Kiriyama abruptly ended the conversation. "Good luck with the exam." He turned to leave, but as he passed Tang Yu, he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Be careful not to get burned playing with fire."
[Warning from Kiriyama Ikiteru +200] [Student Council Attention: 40%]
Tang Yu watched the Student Council members leave, alarm bells ringing in his mind. Kiriyama's appearance was no coincidence. He was clearly here for someone-possibly Tang Yu, or perhaps Ayanokoji.
"Strange Student Council," Ayanokoji remarked, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather.
By evening, the camp was on high alert. Tang Yu and Ayanokoji were assigned the first night watch. They sat side by side on the watchtower, silently observing their surroundings.
"What did you discover in the cave today?" Ayanokoji suddenly asked.
Tang Yu hesitated, then decided to be partly honest. "Ryuen took some kind of enhancement drug. His strength and speed are both beyond normal."
"The drug..." Ayanokoji said thoughtfully. "Where did it come from?"
"I'm not sure, but I sensed... someone was pulling the strings behind him."
Ayanokoji turned to look at Tang Yu. "Your 'perception' ability is very unusual."
This was the first time Ayanokoji had directly mentioned Tang Yu's special ability. Their eyes met, and invisible sparks seemed to fly through the air between them.
"Everyone has secrets," Tang Yu said softly. "For example, your powers of observation aren't like those of an ordinary high school student, either."
Ayanokoji didn't deny it. Instead, he asked a question Tang Yu hadn't expected. "What do you think this school is really testing?"
"On the surface, it's ability; in reality, it's human nature," Tang Yu answered. "Under extreme pressure, people show their truest selves."
"An interesting perspective." Ayanokoji looked toward the Class C camp in the distance. "Then what is Ryuen showing?"
"Fear, concealed by violence." Tang Yu recalled the emotions he'd felt through Emotional Link. "He's afraid of losing control, afraid of having his true nature seen."
Ayanokoji was silent for a long while. "You see things more clearly than I expected."
[Wariness from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +200] [Current Emotion Points: 20350/30000] [Next-stage goal: Unlock "Group Emotion Influence" ability]
Night deepened, and Tang Yu knew that the most dangerous moments were still ahead. Under the drug's influence, Ryuen might take desperate measures; Kiriyama's appearance suggested the Student Council might get involved; and Ayanokoji's attitude was becoming increasingly difficult to read.
The final day of the Deserted Island Test was bound to be a bloody storm. Tang Yu gripped the Mission Key in his pocket, ready to face whatever challenges came.