You're Too Weak, That's All

Dead silence hung over the square at No. 2 Middle School. Every student and teacher stood dumbfounded.

A terrorist attack?

One person?

What kind of joke was this?

"I said, hands on your heads and squat!"

An authoritative voice echoed through the air. The azure Six Eyes suddenly lit up, as though a god had descended.

Mental power surged like ocean waves, sending out ring after ring of invisible ripples. Wherever they passed, no one could remain standing.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd in red and blue was forced to squat. Only Lin Qiye remained standing upright.

"Little Ye, move!"

Lin Qiye marveled at the sight. So this was Wang Quan's solution. No need for caution, no need to sneak around. All it took was a single command.

"Got it!"

He pressed the black case, and a Straight Saber sprang out. Taking a deep breath, he slowly approached his companion, Liu Xiaoyan.

"You... what are you doing?!" Liu Xiaoyan shrieked, her face full of terror.

To an outsider, a pitiful girl was pleading with a knife-wielding madman.

But through Lin Qiye's eyes, a grotesque ball of flesh was wailing. He said disdainfully, "Drop the act!"

A pale blue blade flashed. A head covered in black scales rolled into the crowd, and "Liu Xiaoyan" fell to the ground, blood flowing beneath the students' feet.

"Aaah!"

"He's killing people!"

"Don't kill me!"

"Blood, so much blood... urgh!"

"There's a monster! Liu Xiaoyan's a monster!"

The Serpent Demon's head was like a stone plunging into water, instantly stirring up a thousand waves. Terrified cries piled over one another, filling the cramped square.

The crowd could scream all they wanted, but they could not move.

Were the ordinary people the ones who were truly afraid?

Of course not. It was the Serpent Demons who felt a chill, because Liu Xiaoyan was dead. This was no coincidence. That human could see through their disguises.

On the platform, Wang Quan casually pulled over a chair and crossed his legs, keeping his eyes fixed on the crowd. His gaze held a lazy confidence.

Below the platform, Lin Qiye flicked the blood off his Straight Saber and approached his classmate Han Ruoruo. She was a Serpent Demon too.

"Lin Qiye, you murderer!"

"You lunatic! Why are you helping that terrorist kill people?!"

Han Ruoruo roared like a madwoman, but she could not move. All she could do was rage helplessly.

Lin Qiye stared at her expressionlessly, as though looking at a corpse. "Are you really human?!"

"I forgot to tell you. I can see through your disguise."

"You... you... you..." Han Ruoruo froze, repeating like someone out of her mind, "Impossible, impossible, impossible..."

"Whether it's possible doesn't matter!"

"Go tell the King of Hell!"

Lin Qiye raised his saber and brought it down. Another Serpent Demon collapsed in a pool of blood.

The others belatedly realized that Lin Qiye seemed to be attacking only monsters.

"Who's next?"

"So hard to guess!"

Wang Quan chimed in with perfectly timed commentary, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After killing the two Serpent Demons, Lin Qiye ran onto the platform. He decided to deal with the Serpent Demons hiding among the school administrators first.

This time, before he could act, two Serpent Demons revealed themselves. They roared at Lin Qiye, their voices full of resentment. "I only wanted to stay alive!"

"What did I do wrong?!"

"Are humans the only ones in this world who have the right to live?!"

"Doesn't a Serpent Demon's life count as a life too?!"

The Serpent Demon had thought those soul-searching questions would shake Lin Qiye. Unfortunately, all that awaited the demon was a cold blade.

"Did the people you ate violate some heavenly law?" Lin Qiye retorted. "If you live, other people don't."

"Besides, I'm human!"

Just as Lin Qiye was about to kill the other Serpent Demon, Wang Quan stopped him.

"White-hair, what are you doing?!"

"These things don't deserve sympathy!"

"Of course!" Wang Quan did not deny it. He advanced step by step until he was right beside the Serpent Demon.

"You just said 'I,' didn't you?"

"Are you really the only one who wants to survive?"

"Where are you?"

The Serpent Demon: "???"

"Of course, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the Nanda Serpent Demon!"

At that moment, Wang Quan suddenly turned his head, his intimidating gaze sweeping across the square. He was searching for the original.

"Oh!"

"You can really keep your cool, huh!"

Wang Quan sat back down, continuing to suppress everyone present.

"Little Ye, keep going!"

"You don't need to tell me!" Lin Qiye killed the Serpent Demon on the platform, then turned and walked into the crowd.

"Let me answer your questions!"

Wang Quan took out a lollipop and unhurriedly peeled off the wrapper.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to survive!"

"Humans aren't the only ones in this world with the right to live!"

"A Serpent Demon's life is a life too!"

The weightless wrapper slipped between Wang Quan's fingers. He removed his mask, his azure eyes gleaming, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Domineering!

Arrogant!

Confident!

He was like the king of this world. His lips parted slightly. "You're too weak!"

"That's all!"

There was no mockery in his words. He was simply stating a fact.

Half an hour later, blood flowed like a river through the front square. Apart from the original, every Serpent Demon offspring was dead.

The noisy crowd had quieted down as well. Even a fool could tell that Lin Qiye and the stranger were dealing with some kind of unknown monster.

Hongying and Si Xiaonan had searched every other nook and cranny of the school, leaving none of them a chance to slip through.

The four gathered in the square, staring helplessly at the crowd.

"I can't detect the mother. She might have a stronger talent for disguise than her offspring, or her level might be too high," Lin Qiye analyzed.

"Then what do we do?"

"If the mother doesn't die, this will never end!" Hongying sighed.

Just then, Chen Muye's voice rang out. "Everyone, Liu Xiaoyan's entire family had turned into Serpent Demons. It was the same at the dean's home."

"Xiangnan and I have finished clearing them out!"

"How are things on your end?"

Chen Muye did not hold out much hope. After all, the school was enormous and packed with people. Finding every Serpent Demon would probably take a day, if not longer.

"Captain, apart from the mother, all the offspring are dead!"

"Huh?!" Chen Muye exclaimed in disbelief. "That was way too fast!"

"It's only been forty-three minutes and thirty-six seconds since they entered No. 2 Middle School!" Wu Xiangnan added. "Very efficient. Perfect!"

"By comparison, the two of us were dragging our feet!"

"Ahem!"

"Good work. Find the original as soon as you can, and we'll have something extra for dinner tonight!"

"Captain, I want pig's trotters!" Hongying said with a grin.

"I want grilled chicken wings, Captain!"

"I want a big pork knuckle!"

"Beef stew with carrots and potatoes, Captain Chen!"

Chen Muye: "Uh!"

"Stop ordering food and hurry up and deal with the mother!"

"Xiangnan and I are heading back to the Office!"

"Have Uncle Zhao and the others get ready to erase the bystanders' memories!" Wang Quan said. He had already thought of a solution.

"Get ready to fight!" he warned the other three.

"How are you going to find her?" Lin Qiye looked puzzled.

"It's simple!"

"The Nanda Serpent Demon's mental power has to be much stronger than an ordinary person's, which means she'll wake up the fastest!"

"Whoever runs toward the school gates first will be the mother!"

"Then all we have to do is cut her down!"

Wang Quan turned and walked toward the square, leaving the other three looking bewildered.