Defense

The sentence Ryuen spoke to the camera hit everyone like a bucket of ice water.

"He... discovered us?" Yosuke Hirata's voice sounded somewhat parched.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stared at the screen. Ryuen had already turned and walked away, but that gaze remained in the frame—mocking, dangerous, like a cat toying with a mouse.

"Not necessarily." Suzune Horikita analyzed calmly, "He might just suspect there is surveillance, but he cannot be certain who is watching. That sentence was more of a psychological tactic."

"But what if he really knows?" Kei Karuizawa asked.

"Then we must be even more careful." Ayanokoji closed the surveillance feed, "From now on, unless it is absolutely necessary, we will no longer use this access."

He checked the time: 11:30 AM. There were eight and a half hours left until the guard mission ended.

Eight and a half hours—it was neither long nor short. But in this state of high tension, every minute felt stretched thin.

"What do we do now?" Ken Sudo asked, "Just keep watch like this?"

"Adjust the defense." Ayanokoji spread out the newly acquired map, "With this map, we can see things more clearly. There are three main approach paths to Lookout Hill, and we must focus our defense on them."

He pointed at the map: "The gentle slope on the west side, Sudo, you are still responsible for that. The forest on the north side, Horikita. The south side..." He paused, "I will guard it myself."

"Then what about me?" Hirata asked.

"You are in charge of coordination and taking care of the wounded." Ayanokoji said, "Shiina's foot is better, but she cannot participate in combat. The others also need to rest and replenish their strength."

With the division of labor clear, everyone began to move.

The supplies from the supply crate were distributed. High-energy food was quickly consumed, medicine was applied to the wounded, and binoculars and night-vision goggles were assigned to each defensive post.

The walkie-talkies were tuned to an encrypted channel to ensure communication security.

Everything was ready.

The waiting began.

12:00 PM, Class C Camp.

"Ryuen, how on earth did you know there were cameras?" Daichi Ishizaki couldn't help but ask.

"I guessed." Ryuen didn't even look up, "The school wouldn't just leave things alone; there must be surveillance. I just didn't know where it was."

"Then why did you talk to the lens..."

"To apply pressure to whoever is watching." Ryuen smiled, "No matter who is watching, seeing that expression of mine will make them nervous. Once people get nervous, they are prone to making mistakes."

He stood up and looked toward Lookout Hill: "Class D won't last long. Their supplies were burned by us, and even if they grabbed a supply crate, it's just a drop in the bucket."

"Then when do we attack?"

"Wait a little longer." Ryuen said, "Let Class A go and test the waters first."

"Will Class A listen to us?"

"They have no choice but to listen." Ryuen's smile turned cold, "Because I have something they want in my hands."

1:00 PM, Class A Camp.

Kohei Katsuragi looked at the map before him, his brows locked in a frown.

A Class A student walked over quickly: "Katsuragi, Ryuen from Class C sent someone over, saying he wants to talk to you."

"Talk about what?"

"He said... it's about the secret of Class D."

Katsuragi thought for a few seconds: "Let him in."

The person who arrived was Mio Ibuki from Class C. She handed a note to Katsuragi with an expressionless face.

Katsuragi opened the note; it contained only one sentence: "Class D has surveillance access and can see what we are doing."

Surveillance access? Katsuragi's hand paused slightly.

"Where is the proof?" He looked at Ibuki.

"There is no proof." Ibuki said, "But Ryuen said if you don't believe it, you can test it."

"How do we test it?"

"At 2:00 PM, we will send a small squad to feign an attack from the west. If Class D's defensive focus shifts to the west in advance, it means they know our plan."

It was a simple test, but effective.

Katsuragi was silent for a moment: "What does Ryuen want?"

"Cooperation." Ibuki said, "Temporary cooperation to first resolve the alliance between Class D and Class B. After that, our two classes can compete fairly."

Fair competition? Katsuragi sneered inwardly. For someone like Ryuen, the word "fair" didn't exist in his dictionary.

But the proposal itself was attractive. After Class D and Class B allied, they indeed posed a threat to Class A. If they could break this alliance first...

"Fine." Katsuragi made his decision, "At 2:00 sharp, we will coordinate an attack from the south. But it is only coordination, not an alliance."

"Understood." Ibuki nodded, turned, and left.

After she left, a student beside Katsuragi couldn't help but ask: "Katsuragi, are we really going to cooperate with Class C?"

"Temporarily." Katsuragi said, "And, this is also an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"To see what secrets Class D is truly hiding." Katsuragi looked toward the direction of Lookout Hill. "If they really have surveillance access... then we must re-evaluate this opponent."

One-thirty in the afternoon, Class D Highlands.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat at the southern defensive point, eyes closed in rest. But he was not asleep; Insight (Basic) was running at full capacity, monitoring everything in the vicinity.

The sound of the wind, the chirping of birds, the distant waves... and, faintly, the sound of human voices.

He opened his eyes and picked up the binoculars to look down the mountain.

There were figures moving in the direction of the Class A Camp, about six or seven people, currently gathering. There was movement from the side of Class C as well.