Cao Yuan

"Where do we go next?" Baili Pangpang asked, snapping out of his daze.

Lin Qiye picked up a twig and sketched on the ground. Soon, a rough map of the Training Camp took shape. He cleared his throat and said:

"By now, all the idiots among the recruits have probably been eliminated. Excluding the ones who cracked and went into hiding, there should be ninety-something left... wait... no, we also have to subtract the people who tried to rob Wang Quan. Uh! There might only be seventy-something."

At that, Lin Qiye let out a long sigh. Their side had pitifully little fighting power.

He continued his analysis. "Whether we ambush them or attack head-on, I think we'll need at least ten people to successfully tie down one member of the Mask Squad. Assuming the remaining recruits band together, there should be four to seven groups."

As he spoke, he circled several locations on the sketch.

"If it were me, I'd quickly crush each small group. That means attacking their strongholds, and fighting wave after wave would put the Mask Squad at a disadvantage. So here's the question: where do you think the most people have gathered?"

Lin Qiye looked at the three of them as he asked.

"The cafeteria!" Baili Pangpang answered without thinking.

"Oh, get lost. All you think about is food!" Lin Qiye rolled his eyes at Baili Pangpang.

"What about the classrooms? There are lots of rooms, which makes ambushes easier!" Molly rubbed her chin and offered her suggestion slowly.

"But it's hard to hide there. Too many people, and they'd give themselves away!" Lin Qiye shook his head.

"Then where? Just spit it out, damn it!" Shen Qingzhu couldn't be bothered to guess and grumbled impatiently.

Lin Qiye: "..."

"The dorms! The dorms will definitely be the Mask Squad's first stop. That's where we're going!" Lin Qiye planted the twig in the dormitory section of the map and declared with absolute certainty, "The dorms are the biggest, with plenty of hiding spots. They give us the best chance of a successful ambush!"

Like a commander standing over a battlefield model, Lin Qiye methodically predicted the enemy's movements.

Baili Pangpang and Molly wore remarkably identical expressions, staring wide-eyed at Lin Qiye with nothing but astonishment in their eyes.

"Holy crap! How does your brain even work?!" Baili Pangpang exclaimed, voicing Molly's thoughts as well.

"Hmm?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Remember, after we graduate, we won't just be matching wits with Mysteries. We'll be fighting other humans too. Predicting an opponent's actions is something we should be doing."

At those words, all three spoke almost in unison:

"Freak!"

With Lin Qiye's analysis to guide them, they raced toward the dorms without delay, passing through the training grounds along the way.

From a distance, that conspicuous white hair fluttered in the wind. Wang Quan sat leisurely with one leg crossed over the other.

He spotted the four in the distance and waved enthusiastically. "Come sit for a bit!"

"Want to try snatching [White-Cleaver]?"

"I can go easy on you!"

"Hey!"

"You bastards, get back here! Why the hell are you running even faster?!"

Lin Qiye and the others didn't look back, practically running faster than they ever had in their lives. Wang Quan was the biggest wildcard in this battle.

They had assumed Wang Quan had already left the training grounds. They hadn't expected him to still be waiting for challengers.

Damn it, we can't even touch him. What idiot would try to rob him?

About twenty minutes after Lin Qiye's group left, the five members of the Mask Squad came rushing over.

"Guys, come play!"

"Do you want [White-Cleaver]?"

"I can widen the boundaries."

Wang Quan looked exactly like someone soliciting customers. If he waved his hands any faster, they would turn into helicopter rotors.

"Seriously, man!" Wang Mian stopped in his tracks, struggling to keep his composure. "You're still sitting here?"

"What, are you about to lose?" Wang Quan gloated. He was waiting for Wang Mian to wash his stinky socks.

Seeing that obnoxious look on his face, Wang Mian's mouth twitched. He raised his middle finger and silently mouthed:

"Idiot!"

The five members of the Mask Squad hurried away, taking exactly the same route as Lin Qiye's group.

Wang Quan propped his chin in both hands and gazed into the distance, bored out of his mind. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he vanished from the spot.

The dorms.

Lin Qiye sat on a dormitory bed, resting with his eyes closed. Within ten minutes of arriving, he had used his status as a God's Agent to rally everyone he could.

Next came the battle that would truly decide the outcome, with the dorms as their stronghold.

Just then, Molly's voice came from outside the door. "Everything's set up on our side!"

As soon as she finished, Shen Qingzhu's cocky voice drifted over. "All done!"

"But there's one slacker who won't cooperate no matter what we say. I really want to beat the crap out of him!"

"I'll take a look!" Lin Qiye slowly opened his eyes and pulled open the dormitory door.

"Deng Wei, take him there!"

"Sure, Brother Shen!" An honest-looking boy stepped out from behind Shen Qingzhu.

Deng Wei led Lin Qiye to a dorm room, spread his hands helplessly, and complained, "Brother Qiye, we've tried everything, asking nicely and talking tough. Cao Yuan just has no fighting spirit."

"If we can't get through to him, let's just leave him alone!"

"Uh, don't call me Brother Qiye. It makes me sound like a gangster!"

"Sure, Brother Qiye!"

Lin Qiye: "..."

"Go get back to work. I'll see what's going on!"

With that, Lin Qiye pushed open the dormitory door.

A boy with a buzz cut lounged against the side of a bed, a saber cradled in his arms. Whether it was his imagination or not, Lin Qiye could sense a faint killing aura.

That killing aura wasn't directed at anyone. It was the kind honed by killing many people.

Lin Qiye had felt it from Wang Quan, and from the instructors too. They had all been on battlefields and faced life and death countless times.

Could this guy have been on a battlefield too?

"Hello!"

"My name is Lin Qiye. I'm..."

Before Lin Qiye could finish, the buzz-cut boy sprang up with a bang and instantly closed the distance. His eyes burned with intensity, tinged with a little hope.

"What did you say your name was?!" the buzz-cut boy asked excitedly, his body visibly trembling.

"Lin... Lin Qiye!"

"Is there a problem?"

"Two trees stand as one, eight gods less one, ten years into night, deliver us all..."

"Hahahaha!"

"So you were here!" the buzz-cut boy murmured, laughing nonstop before suddenly freezing again.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"No!" The buzz-cut boy shook his head. "You're my benefactor. My name is Cao Yuan. Cao as in Cao Cao!"

"And leave the most dangerous position to me!"

Cao Yuan's attitude had completely changed. His eyes blazed as he stared at Lin Qiye.

"Then... come out with me in a bit and act as bait!"

"No problem!" Cao Yuan nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

The two walked out of the dorm room together, leaving Deng Wei dumbfounded. Everyone else had tried persuading him over and over without success, yet Brother Qiye had sorted it out so quickly. Awesome!

On their way to the first floor, the two ran into Baili Pangpang. Seeing how close they seemed, he immediately felt threatened and muttered:

"Holy shit!"

"This monk's trying to steal my best buddy!"

"Hey!"

"Monk, stay away from Qiye! I'm his best friend!"

Like a dog guarding its food, Baili Pangpang bared his teeth at Cao Yuan.

"Huh?" Cao Yuan paused, then snapped, "What's wrong with you?!"

"Qiye is my benefactor!"