The icy corridor was empty, and the motion-sensor lights flickered on one by one with his sluggish footsteps, only to extinguish behind him.
Lin Yu finally shuffled to the door of Dormitory 126.
The short distance felt as though it had drained his last bit of strength.
Leaning against the cold door panel, he took a brief breath before reaching into his pocket.
He let out a slight sigh of relief.
Fortunately, his personal belongings, like his phone and keys, had been required to be left at Hangar 3 before departure.
Otherwise, after such a battle, they probably would have met the same fate as his tattered combat suit.
He slowed his movements as much as possible, gently inserting the key into the lock and turning it cautiously.
The door slid open with a faint creak, revealing a dark dormitory.
Both Li Hao and Mu Chengfeng seemed to be asleep.
He didn’t want to disturb anyone’s rest, but the sticky sweat and dried blood on his body made it impossible to just lie down.
He had to take a shower.
Warm water poured from the showerhead, washing away the grime and temporarily numbing his exhausted nerves.
As the steam rose, chaotic and terrifying images flooded his mind again—the golden swarm of insects, the blossom of blood on Christina, the cold gaze of the Eagle-headed God, and the dark-gold eyes of No. 2.
In truth, he had suspected it for a long time.
From that damned interview to the demonstration of Divine Sense on the train, the reason he had remained so calm and hadn’t questioned the so-called superpowers wasn’t because he was highly adaptable.
It was because he had already witnessed things that defied common sense long ago.
And the School’s obsession with him, the so-called Grade A status—it all certainly had something to do with No. 2.
‘But what exactly is No. 2?’ he wondered.
‘Is it really as he said? Is he me—a second personality?’
Lin Yu shook his head, putting an end to the thought.
After showering and changing into clean clothes, his physical exhaustion seemed to ease slightly, but another sensation grew clearer—hunger.
His stomach was empty, letting out a faint protest.
He realized he had barely eaten a proper meal all day.
Drying his damp hair, he walked silently to his suitcase by the faint light from the window.
He remembered there should be…
He crouched down and carefully unzipped the suitcase, avoiding any harsh noise.
His fingers felt through the neatly folded clothes and soon touched a hard plastic package.
He found it—a bag of corn sausages.
At least it was something to fill his stomach.
After eating, he lay down in bed.
Exhaustion surged again, and he quickly fell asleep.
***
The next morning, near 9:00 AM, Lin Yu struggled to wake from a sleep so deep it bordered on a coma.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window, cutting sharp patterns on the floor.
His body still felt heavy with fatigue, but it was much better than the near-total collapse he had felt the previous night.
He grabbed the Student Terminal by his bed.
The screen lit up, and a string of notifications from Vigus popped up.
The timestamps showed they had been sent progressively since 7:00 AM.
He had been sleeping so soundly that he hadn’t heard a thing.
He quickly scanned through them.
His schedule for the day was packed: at 10:00 AM, he needed to head to the Execution Department’s briefing room for a mission report; at 3:00 PM, he was required at the Principal’s office; and at 7:00 PM, he was to meet with Professor Corso to discuss course selection.
Fortunately, the mission report was scheduled for 10:00 AM, giving him some time to breathe and prepare.
He looked around the dormitory.
Mu Chengfeng’s bed was already made; he had clearly left long ago.
Li Hao, however, was still lounging in bed, scrolling through something on his phone.
Hearing the movement on Lin Yu’s side, he immediately turned his head.
“When did you get back yesterday?”
Li Hao asked curiously, putting down his phone.
“It was the middle of the night, but I think I heard something.”
While taking clean casual clothes from the wardrobe, Lin Yu replied vaguely, “It was quite late.”
He stepped into the bathroom for a quick wash and changed his clothes, trying to look a bit more refreshed.
But as he walked out while adjusting his collar, he found Li Hao scrutinizing him with a frown.
“Uh…”
Li Hao hesitated, but eventually couldn’t resist whispering, “What exactly happened on that Grade A mission? I saw your clothes soaking in the bathroom… they were covered in blood.”
His voice grew softer, carrying a hint of hesitation.
“There are rumors going around the School saying you guys went to… kill a god or something? Is that for real?”
Lin Yu’s hand paused as he buttoned his shirt.
Seeing that he didn’t answer, Li Hao pressed further, “So much blood… did someone actually die?”
“Yeah,” Lin Yu said, finally fastening the last button.
His tone was as flat as if he were talking about the weather.
Thinking back to the people who looked like terrorists during the gunfight, he added casually, “They’re dead, I suppose.”
Li Hao suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes wide.
“Are—Are you going out again?”
He pointed at Lin Yu’s neat attire.
“No,” Lin Yu said, smoothing his cuffs.
“I’m just going for a report.”
“The mission was that terrifying?”
Li Hao sucked in a breath.
“I’m glad you’re okay…”
Lin Yu picked up the Student Terminal from the table and checked the time.
The morning light fell across his profile through the window, making his expression somewhat blurry in the play of light and shadow.
“I was supposed to die,” he said softly, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t.”
Li Hao’s mouth fell open, a look of confusion on his face.
“Unfortunately…? Are you being sarcastic about the School’s mission?”
Lin Yu didn’t answer.
He had already gathered his necessary belongings and headed for the door, leaving the dormitory.
Thanatos Briefing Room.
When he pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the briefing room at 9:50 AM, there were already quite a few people inside, most of whom were familiar faces from the plane.
Christina’s complexion had returned to normal, and she sat up straight.
The girl named Kobayashi Mirai met his gaze.
Lin Yu couldn’t tell what the look in her eyes meant—was it curiosity, gratitude, or something else?
He instinctively averted his eyes, avoiding her quiet stare.
Alexandre Duval sat near the front, while Director Tangris and Chief Carter were already in their seats.
The man and woman who had sat in the back row of the transport plane yesterday, along with other personnel involved in the operation, were also present.
To Lin Yu’s surprise, the team members he remembered being seriously injured now seemed to be in quite good condition.
It seemed the Vitality ability that No. 2 had left him with had been retained.
He sat down in his designated seat.
“Hello, Junior Lin Yu!”
a crisp female voice called out from beside him.
Lin Yu turned to see a girl with a bright smile waving at him—it was the injured girl from the transport plane yesterday.
“The boss said you were the one who healed me. Thank you!”
‘Boss?’
Lin Yu instinctively glanced at the man sitting next to the girl.
The man remained sitting upright with a peaceful expression.
“Maybe,” Lin Yu replied, withdrawing his gaze.
His tone was a bit uncertain.
“I’m not really sure myself…”
“You’re quite humble, Junior!”
The girl’s smile broadened as she patted his shoulder familiarly.
“Thanks to you, there were no casualties in this operation. If someone had actually died because of me, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. Truly, thank you.”
It only then fully dawned on Lin Yu—this lively girl was the search and rescue target of their mission, the Messenger who had been escorting the Eye of Ra, Tang Rou.
At that moment, Director Tangris tapped the table, signaling the start of the briefing.
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