Everyone, hands on your heads and crouch down

Knock, knock, knock!

The sharp knocking interrupted the teacher mid-lecture. He adjusted his glasses, looked toward the door, and said, "Come in!"

The classroom door swung open. Lin Qiye stood in the doorway with the black case in hand and bowed slightly. "Good morning, sir!"

Every student turned to look at Lin Qiye. He hadn't come to school in over ten days, and everyone had assumed he'd dropped out.

"Where have you been all this time?" The teacher was just as surprised.

"My eye condition flared up. I spent two weeks in the hospital!" Lin Qiye calmly stated a completely fabricated story.

"Oh, I see!"

"Go back to your seat!"

The teacher was quite considerate toward Lin Qiye, a student with a disability, and said nothing more.

"All right, eyes on the board. Let's continue..."

As he walked toward his desk, Lin Qiye swept his mental power over the entire class. After sitting down, his brows knitted tightly.

While no one was watching, he discreetly brushed his earpiece, and Chen Muye's voice came through:

"Does your divine ruins work?"

"What's the situation?"

Lin Qiye lowered his voice, his tone grave. "Not good!"

"There are two infected students in our class. Besides Liu Xiaoyan, there's another girl."

"I scanned the corridor on my way through. There should be six infected people."

The other end went silent for a moment. Six infected people on one floor-how many were there in the entire school?

This wasn't merely bad. It was a complete disaster.

If word got out that so many people had died at once, the school would be finished.

"Can... can they still be saved?"

"No. Their internal organs are gone, and there's bizarre flesh living inside them!"

Lin Qiye heard a heavy sigh, followed by Chen Muye's voice. "Then stay safe and help Wang Quan eliminate the threat."

"Xiangnan has found the information. He'll share it with everyone!"

As soon as he finished, Wu Xiangnan's calm, rational voice sounded in everyone's earpieces:

"The Nanda Serpent Demon!"

"It possesses exceptional camouflage abilities and intelligence equal to a human's. After swallowing a living creature, it can plant a serpent seed inside its body, turning the creature's shell into one of its offspring under its control."

"The good news is that before reaching adulthood, the Serpent Demon isn't very powerful!"

"Of course, with Wang Quan here, it poses no threat at all!"

"Eliminate the Serpent Demon and its offspring. Good luck!"

When Wu Xiangnan finished, only static remained in their ears.

Meanwhile, in a deserted corner outside No. 2 Middle School, Zhao Kongcheng planted the last advertising board.

He bit his index finger and used his blood to write the numeral one on the board.

In an instant, a pale red regular pyramid enveloped the entire school. A flash of red light swept past before vanishing from sight.

"[Boundless Domain] deployed!"

"Copy!" Hongying's voice rang out. She and Si Xiaonan had slipped into the office building and, following the location Lin Qiye had provided, sneaked into the dean's office.

The office was empty. Si Xiaonan touched the teacup on the desk; it was still warm. "He only just left. He probably went to a meeting, or he wouldn't have locked the door!"

"Hongying, the dean won't be back for a while. Look for clues!"

"I'll keep watch!"

"Okay!" Hongying nodded and immediately began searching.

Si Xiaonan took out a small mirror and hid sideways behind the door, using its reflection to watch the corridor.

Drawers, cabinets, folders...

Any more searching and she'd have to dig up the floor, but there was nothing.

Suddenly, Hongying's ear twitched. She heard a tile shifting, crouched down, and took a closer look. The adhesive was missing from several tiles beneath the desk.

She drew the dagger at her waist and pried one up. A thick stench immediately hit her. Beneath the tile lay a yellowish-brown membrane.

"Eww..."

"It reeks! It smells fishy, and there's blood, too!"

Frowning, Hongying lifted the membrane with the tip of her blade. As it unfolded, a sheet of human skin covered in scales came into view.

"So it really is a snake. It even sheds its skin!" Si Xiaonan quipped.

After Hongying concealed all traces of their search, an all-too-familiar tune sounded outside the window. Her mouth twitched. "Does every flag-raising ceremony in the country use the same entrance music?"

"Looks like it!"

The two walked to the window. Crowds swarmed below, and quite a few students had already left the classroom building.

Lin Qiye was among them, with Li Yifei cautiously trailing so close behind him that he was practically pressed against his back.

"What the hell!"

"Are you some kind of creep? Back off!"

Lin Qiye gave Li Yifei a disgusted glare and snapped at him.

"Qiye, I'm scared!"

"Scared of what? There's one right behind you!"

"Holy shit!" Li Yifei's eyes widened. A chill ran down his spine, and his legs went weak.

"Uh!"

"I was just kidding!"

Seeing how terrified Li Yifei was, Lin Qiye had no choice but to tell a little lie to keep him from alerting the enemy.

Following the plan, Lin Qiye stood in his class's line and waited for good news.

He quietly glanced around, then switched on his earpiece and whispered, "The flag-raising ceremony is about to begin. Almost everyone is here!"

"My forbidden ruins can't cover the whole square, but there are already more than twenty Serpent Demons around me!"

"I'm checking the girls' dormitory!" Hongying's voice came through. "I haven't found anyone yet!"

"The cafeteria seems empty, too!" Si Xiaonan reported.

At that moment, beside the classroom building, Wang Quan poked his head out furtively. He pulled back the charging handle and said with a grin, "Bandit in position. Wait for my signal!"

"Copy!"

"Okay!"

"Good luck!"

The students stood in neat lines in the fairly small square. On the raised platform, the principal held a microphone and first cleared his throat. "Ahem, ahem... hmm..."

"Good morning, students!"

"The sun shines brightly today, just like all of you. You are all rising suns..."

Something that could have been settled with a simple "The flag-raising ceremony will now begin" had somehow turned into ten minutes of rambling, and the principal still seemed reluctant to stop.

Even Wang Quan was sick of listening.

"Fucking idiot. His bullshit goes on longer than his lifespan. Damn!"

Wang Quan raised the AK toward the sky and squeezed the trigger hard.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

Flames spat from the muzzle, and loud gunshots echoed throughout the campus.

In an instant, everyone's attention swung toward him.

Under everyone's gaze, Wang Quan swaggered toward the square, wearing a bandit's balaclava.

The principal looked displeased and barked, "You there! What class are you in?"

"Who gave you permission to bring a replica gun?"

"Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"The flag-raising ceremony is about to begin, and you dare pull a prank!"

"This is outrageous!"

"Bring your parents here tomorrow!"

"Now get over here this instant! You're not getting out of this punishment!"

"You..."

The principal rattled on like a chatterbox, completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

The next second, a bullet shattered the microphone stand beside him.

The principal froze.

R-real... real... it's real?

"You're committing a crime, do you under..."

Before the principal could finish, the cold muzzle pressed against his forehead. In front of the entire school's students and teachers, he wet himself in terror.

"Shut up!"

Wang Quan glared at the principal and took the microphone. He first fired a burst into the air, then his brazen voice rang out:

"Hello, everyone!"

"I'm a terrorist!"

"Everyone, hands on your heads and crouch down!"

"Thank you!"

Standing among the crowd, Lin Qiye was dumbstruck. He muttered, "This doesn't fucking look like an act!"