The day before, Zheng Qing had still been discussing with his companions the possibility of the Linzhong Lake unrest escalating.
The following Saturday night, he witnessed that "possibility" firsthand.
According to their previous plan, on Saturday night, the You Zui Hunting Team, along with Jiang Yu, Li Meng, Liu Feifei, and Nicholas, would carry out a "Major Academy Search Operation." On one hand, they would continue searching for the possibly existing Faceless Monster; on the other, they would help Liu Feifei look for her missing pet snake.
They had agreed to meet at Pavilion No. 11 on the Linzhong Lakefront.
The pavilion stood northeast of Linzhong Lake. Beyond its railing lay a gently sloping lawn. Since Spring Thunder had only sounded not long ago and the green shoots had yet to emerge, the grass remained a withered yellow.
At the end of the lawn was the northeastern shore of Linzhong Lake.
Several hundred meters north along the shore stood the small plaza before Book Mountain Hall. On one side of the plaza was the artificial hill where the Little White Cat had died, and on the other was the small grove where Zheng Qing's Cat Group often gathered. The merman smuggling case uncovered by the Patrol Team a few days ago had taken place in that grove.
Several hundred meters south along the shore was the "mud pond" directly east of Linzhong Lake, home to an entire family of long-lived turtles. During winter, those turtles hid deep in the mud pond and might not move even once for weeks. With Spring Thunder rumbling these past days, Xiao Xiao had heard that some long-lived turtles had begun poking their heads out, so everyone's search would focus on them tonight.
That was because the first turtles to emerge from the mud pond