A Different Path

The morning special training had not yet ended when a shrill, ear-piercing alarm tore through the silence of the underground training room.

It was not an ordinary assembly bell, but the highest-level alarm, signaling an emergency that required the Operations Department to deploy immediately!

Hua Yin sheathed his blade without the slightest delay.

He did not panic. The instant the alarm sounded, his gaze calmed, replaced by an icy focus.

Instead of returning to the dormitory, he rushed straight to the equipment room—under emergency conditions, full combat gear would be issued there directly.

Two minutes later, he was fully equipped.

Over his fitted black combat uniform, he wore a tactical vest inscribed with basic protective runes. A standard-issue pistol and ammunition pouch hung at his waist, while a dagger was secured to his thigh strap.

Finally, he accepted a standard-issue Tang saber from the quartermaster.

The blade was long and straight with a slight curve. It was not a spiritual-energy weapon, but it had been forged from special alloy—sharp and resilient enough to deal with the carapaces of most E-rank demonic beasts.

He gripped the hilt, feeling its coldness. His fingers tightened as he tested its weight and balance.

Then he slung it across his back and sprinted toward the assembly point.

In the small square before the main building, engines rumbled as several black SUVs stood ready.

Every member of the Operations Department's Third Squad had arrived, with Captain Wang standing beside the vehicles, his expression grim.

Several other squads were also gathering quickly.

When they saw Hua Yin approach in full gear, saber in hand, quite a few team members lingered on him for an extra moment.

Half a month of special training, along with the rumor of that "meat paste" incident, had made the codename White Butterfly more than just a newcomer in their eyes.

"Get in! Briefing on the way!"

Captain Wang did not waste words. The moment Hua Yin jumped into his assigned vehicle, he gave the order to depart.

The convoy roared out of the Special Affairs Bureau, sirens blaring as it sped through the early-morning streets.

Inside the vehicle, Captain Wang swiftly relayed the situation through the encrypted communications channel:

"Everyone, listen up! We just received multiple emergency reports. A large-scale, highly active demonic beast invasion has occurred at Youcheng No. 3 Middle School!"

"The demonic beasts have tentatively been identified as mutated Ring-Patterned Water Vipers, temporarily designated Nether-Ring Snakes. They are highly aggressive, live in groups, and their venom is still being assessed. Their numbers are unknown, and they have been discovered in several locations across the school!"

"Teachers and students are already trapped or frightened. No deaths have been reported yet, but the situation is critical!"

"Our first task is to cooperate with the patrol units and Clearance Team that arrived earlier. Establish and maintain a spiritual-energy containment field around the campus perimeter to prevent the snakes from spreading into nearby residential areas!"

"Second, enter the campus and completely eliminate all invading demonic beasts. Ensure the safety of all teachers and students, and search for any possible snake nest or source! Third, rescue trapped personnel!"

"I repeat: this is a group demonic beast invasion and extremely dangerous. Maintain team coordination at all times. Be wary of the snakes surrounding you and any possible commanding individual! Report any abnormality immediately!"

No. 3 Middle School?

Hua Yin's fingers tightened slightly around the hilt.

That had once been his school.

Though he had only left a little over half a month ago, it felt as if a century had passed.

He had never expected to return this way.

The convoy soon arrived outside No. 3 Middle School.

The once-peaceful streets had already been sealed off, red and blue police lights flashing without pause.

Farther out stood a dense crowd—anxious parents, nearby residents, and reporters who had rushed over after hearing the news. All were held back by the cordon, their discussions, shouts, and crying blending into a chaotic din.

The Clearance Team's large vehicles were already in position. Several strange-looking devices had been set up around the school walls, and a pale blue, translucent force field slowly rose like an inverted bowl, enveloping the entire campus.

This was a temporary containment barrier generated through spiritual-energy technology. It could effectively block the energy leakage and physical escape of most low-rank demonic beasts, while also weakening the activity of the beasts inside to a certain extent.

Captain Wang was the first to jump out of the vehicle, confirming the field's status through his communicator.

The team members quickly arranged their equipment and checked their weapons. The atmosphere was heavy.

Hua Yin pushed open the door and stepped out as well, his Tang saber slanted across his back.

His gaze swept across the noisy crowd beyond the cordon—the anxious faces, the mothers crying out, the fathers trying to force their way forward...

Suddenly, his eyes paused slightly on one spot.

Near the front of the crowd stood Lin Qingqiu.

Her face was somewhat pale. Both hands tightly clutched her backpack straps as she stared past the cordon and the busy Special Affairs Bureau personnel toward the school grounds.

As if sensing something, her gaze shifted and met Hua Yin's just as he stepped out of the vehicle in his black combat uniform, fully armed.

She froze visibly, her pupils widening slightly as her lips parted unconsciously.

She saw the Special Affairs Bureau insignia on Hua Yin, the saber on his back, and the cold severity on his face that was completely unlike the students around her—a warrior's expression.

He stood among those sharp, capable team members without the slightest sense of being out of place.

Hua Yin saw her too. His gaze remained calm and unruffled, lingering for less than half a second before shifting away toward the campus entrance enclosed by the force field.

As though he had merely seen an irrelevant stranger.

That glance felt like something had lightly pierced Lin Qingqiu's heart, followed by a spreading chill.

She clearly realized that Hua Yin, the quiet and reserved classmate who had once sat in the back row of the classroom, was truly gone.

In his place stood an Operations Department agent of the Special Affairs Bureau, with a codename she had never known—White Butterfly.

He had stepped into that extraordinary world of danger and power, while she remained trapped on the ordinary shore.

If they met again in the future...

Would she have to look up at him even to say hello, perhaps respectfully address him as Agent Hua?

The vague feelings in the girl's heart, feelings she herself had never fully understood, seemed so pale and powerless before this cold reality.

Perhaps, from that night in the alley—from the moment he covered her eyes and quietly asked her to keep it secret—that invisible chasm had already been destined to remain uncrossable.

Only now did she see so clearly just how wide that chasm was.

She gently bit her lower lip, lowered her head in silence, and forced her turbulent emotions back into her heart.

At the same time, the Special Affairs Bureau's emergency traffic control and the gathering crowds had severely blocked the road leading to another nearby private school.

A luxurious sedan was also trapped in the traffic.

In the back seat, Li Xiulin irritably checked her watch.

Her younger son, Chen Xu, had an important extracurricular activity today. He absolutely could not be late.

She rolled down the window and looked toward the noisy crowd and flashing police lights outside, her brows tightly furrowed. "What's going on? The police blocked the road? What happened?"

The driver leaned out to take a look. "Madam, it seems something happened at No. 3 Middle School ahead. A lot of special vehicles came, along with that strange light barrier..."

"No. 3 Middle School?"

Li Xiulin's heart suddenly skipped a beat for no reason.

Hua Yin... seemed to attend No. 3 Middle School?

But she immediately dismissed the thought. Even if something had happened, it could not possibly have anything to do with him.

Just as she was about to close the window and shut out the sight, her eyes casually swept over the group of black-clad personnel gathering at the school entrance, preparing to enter the force field.

Among them, the side profile of a youth with his back to her as he checked his equipment made her gaze suddenly sharpen.

That figure...

That slightly thin yet straight back...

Why did it look so much like Hua Yin?

But the next second, she shook her head with a self-mocking smile.

Impossible.

How could Hua Yin possibly appear in a place like this?

Wearing that professional-looking uniform and standing with people who clearly were not ordinary police officers?

He should be curled up in that shabby little house, either sleeping or preparing to go to work, shouldn't he?

He still had not explained why he had stood her up that day!

Thinking of the wasted wait that night and his silent "protest" afterward—she believed Hua Yin's refusal to contact her was a protest against her leaving early—another surge of anger rose in Li Xiulin's chest.

This child was becoming more and more outrageous!

He had no sense of manners at all!

She was his elder. She was his mother!

If he had done something wrong, should he not take the initiative to call and explain, to apologize?

Was she, his mother, supposed to lower her head first?

In a fit of pique, she took out her phone, opened her contacts, found Hua Yin's name, and held her finger over the call button.

But after hesitating for several seconds, she angrily tossed the phone back into her bag.

Fine, then don't contact her!

She would see who could hold out longer!

She wanted to see just how stubborn this son of hers could be!

Once he came to his senses, he would naturally come back obediently to admit his mistake.

When that happened, she would definitely give him a proper lecture!

She stopped looking toward the school entrance, rolled up the window, and shut out all the noise outside along with that back that might have been Hua Yin's. Then she impatiently told the driver, "Find another route! Chen Xu cannot be late!"

The sedan made a difficult U-turn and drove away from the chaotic area.

Li Xiulin did not know that she had been only one step away from the truth, and had once again missed an opportunity to understand her son's entirely different life.

Meanwhile, Hua Yin had already followed Captain Wang and stepped into the pale blue spiritual-energy force field.

The familiar campus came into view, yet everything had changed. A faint stench filled the air, along with a cold sense of danger.

His sharp gaze swept across the unnaturally silent teaching buildings, sports field, and gardens. In his ears, he seemed to hear faint, unsettling hissing.

The mission had begun.

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