Yuan Zi lowered her voice, gossiping,
“What is it?”
Lu Shuangshuang shook her head.
“I don’t know either, but it must be something important.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent so many people to look for it.
After speaking, she added,
“But the two groups that came here aren’t after the same thing.”
“The Warriors from the Frontline are here to search for something, while the Guides from the First Guide Academy are here to support the Frontline.”
After she finished, Lu Shuangshuang’s expression was filled with seriousness.
Ever since they learned the Abnormal Species were only forty kilometers away, the atmosphere in the academy had never relaxed.
At that moment, someone sighed softly and said gloomily,
“It’s only been five years…”
Five years ago, the number of war zones was nowhere near what it is today, and the battle lines weren’t stretched so long.
Most people could still live peaceful lives.
But ever since the Commander changed, now it seems only Heavenly Island at the very center of the continent remains a true safe haven.
The conversation came to a temporary pause.
Today was Saturday, so there were no classes, and the Guides were busy with their own things.
Yuan Zi came to Ning Li’s dorm to hang out.
“What are you planning to do today?”
Ning Li replied,
“Going to the library. I have something to look up.”
Yuan Zi had no intention of studying at all.
“Alright, I plan to make desserts in the dorm all day. When you’re back, we’ll eat together.”
Ning Li sensed her Spirit Entity getting restless.
The moment desserts were mentioned, Little Black couldn’t resist at all.
“My Spirit Entity wants to stay with you.”
Yuan Zi smiled.
“Of course! Bring your little kitten over too, I’ll take care of them both.”
Ning Li hugged Yuan Zi.
“Thanks, I’ll bring you dinner when I come back.”
“Okay.”
On her way to the library, Ning Li ran into quite a few outsiders.
These people, whose aura was completely out of place on campus, were probably the Warriors Lu Shuangshuang mentioned, as well as the Guides from the First Guide Academy.
Actually, it was easy to tell the two groups apart.
The Warriors from the Frontline carried an air of having survived fire and blood, exuding a sense of lethal resolve.
The Guides from the First Guide Academy were proud, cold, and kept their gaze straight ahead.
Ning Li didn’t look at them much, hurrying past.
Once at the library, she first looked up information on the bead.
If the bead was truly important for the Frontline war, she wouldn’t keep it for herself.
She would find a safe way to hand it over that wouldn’t involve her.
But after reading the description of the bead, she was struck by a sense of absurdity.
[Amber Eye: A bead containing special substances. Its crystal-clear appearance and dreamy, beautiful patterns have made it beloved among nobles. Commander Qi Sigui’s Wife is especially fond of it.]
Especially…fond?
If those people were really looking for this bead, could it be just to present it to Qi Sigui’s Wife?
Hopefully, they weren’t looking for this bead.
If they were making such a fuss just to gift someone a bead, it would be a little ridiculous.
Ning Li closed the webpage, confirming the bead’s ownership.
This was her bead.
Her Spirit Entity had picked it up, so it was hers.
Ning Li switched to searching for information on Qi Sigui.
There wasn’t much about the current Commander online, though there were plenty of personal photos.
Qi Sigui, now thirty-two, had been appointed Commander five years ago during a crisis. His wife is a top-tier Guide, and the two married two years ago, having a son one year ago.
In the photos, Qi Sigui still looked like he was in his twenties—black hair, brown eyes, a gentle and courteous smile, very approachable when he smiled.
According to the current online standards of “handsome” and “very handsome,”
Ning Li thought Qi Sigui definitely counted as “handsome.”
As for “very handsome,” that depended on personal taste.
After all, everyone’s sense of beauty is different.
There were many solo and group photos of Qi Sigui, but Ning Li couldn’t find any pictures of the Former Commander.
The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” was vividly demonstrated here.
But it was understandable—the Former Commander had passed away five years ago.
Qi Sigui’s Spirit Entity was an Ancient Wild Beast, currently ranked first on the Spirit Entity Rankings.
To Ning Li’s surprise, Qi Sigui and the Former Commander had grown up together, but there was no more information online about their relationship.
If she remembered correctly, Qi Sigui was three years older than the Former Commander.
She clicked on a video of Qi Sigui in battle.
In the video, not far away, was a dense swarm of Abnormal Species, their forms so bizarre that Ning Li couldn’t even find words to describe them.
As the Abnormal Species launched their attack, Qi Sigui released his Spirit Entity—
The Ancient Wild Beast.
The Ancient Wild Beast was about half the size of a basketball court, floating in midair. When it spread its wings, it seemed to blot out the sky.
It let out a resonant hum, its wings vibrating rapidly.
The Abnormal Species in the front row exploded and died one after another…
The video stopped abruptly here.
Just a dozen seconds, without any background music, and the visuals alone were enough to make anyone’s blood boil.
This must have been released by Qi Sigui to rally public support.
The message was clear: “Look, the current Commander is so strong, he can protect you all.”
But for some reason, after watching the video, Ning Li felt a sense of dissonance.
If Qi Sigui was really that powerful, why did the safety line keep retreating?
Ning Li cleared her search history, shut down the computer, and left the library.
As soon as she returned to the dormitory building, she sensed something was off.
Zhao Lan, who lived next door, immediately pulled her aside and whispered,
“At six tonight, everyone must be in the dorm. Someone’s coming.”
Ning Li frowned slightly.
“Coming for what?”
“To look for something.”
Huh?
The battlefront was only forty kilometers away, and the Abnormal Species could sneak in at any moment.
At a time like this, instead of focusing on stabilizing the situation, they were going to search every Guide, just to find something?
At six o’clock sharp, three people holding devices, accompanied by the School Leader and the Dormitory Supervisor Auntie, began searching room by room.
The device could probably detect that thing.
If it found what they were looking for, it would make a sound.
Ning Li felt puzzled.
Was the Amber Eye really only for display?
Could it have some hidden function that wasn’t written down?
After all, even the information said the bead contained special substances.
But there was nothing more online about the Amber Eye.
She had no way of knowing just how special this bead was.
Still, both she and her Spirit Entity agreed—the bead the Spirit Entity picked up last night was a good thing.
Ning Li communicated with her Spirit Entity in the Spirit Sea.
“Will we be found out?”
For once, the Spirit Entity wasn’t as lively as usual, seeming a bit sluggish—probably from eating too many desserts today.
“Yes.”
Ning Li: “Is there any way to stop them from finding it?”
[No.]
“Can this bead be used?”
[I think it can!]
The Spirit Entity’s voice suddenly grew excited.
Before the searchers got to her, Ning Li took the bead out of her Spirit Sea.
Unfortunately, after studying it for a while, she still couldn’t figure out how to use it.
Either the bead really was just for show, or she hadn’t found the right method yet.
They were almost at her room.
She was quickly thinking of ways to get out of this, but couldn’t find any good solutions.
Was she just supposed to give in?
Hand over the bead obediently once they found it?
Although Ning Li’s personal code was to keep a low profile, at this point she was very clear—she didn’t want to give up the bead.
If the bead was useful for the Frontline war, she would never keep it for herself.
But her instincts told her this bead had another purpose.
Her sixth sense was warning her: these people weren’t here to stop the war or drive back the Abnormal Species.
As Ning Li’s mind raced, the three people were only three meters away from her.
The moment they entered the three-meter range, the device suddenly let out a sharp alarm.
Beep beep beep.
Beep beep beep.
The three looked at each other, their eyes flashing with excitement.
“We found it!”
The other Guides looked at each other in confusion.
So, the thing they were looking for had actually been picked up by one of their classmates?
What could it be?
For these people to make such a fuss, it must be something valuable.
Within three meters, there were only six suspects.
Including Ning Li, Yuan Zi, and Zhao Lan.
“One of you, I suggest you hand it over voluntarily. If things get unpleasant, it won’t end well.”
If no one handed it over, these people would probably start searching them directly.
Ning Li wasn’t going to give up until the very last second.
She, like the others, wore a confused expression.
Yuan Zi and the others were genuinely puzzled.
At a time like this, they were nervous and uneasy.
Someone plucked up the courage to ask,
“Can you tell us what exactly you’re looking for?”
No one answered.
Clearly, they didn’t think it was worth answering.
Ning Li pressed her lips together.
Unfortunately, they required both the Guides and their Spirit Entities to be present.
Otherwise, she would have let Little Black take the bead and run.
Ning Li had roughly figured out the device’s detection range.
Three meters.
Not too far, but not too close either.
As long as she operated carefully, she could have Little Black secretly throw the bead far away.
The key was to do it right—it would be a challenge for Little Black.
In just a short time, Ning Li and Little Black had worked out their plan.
Little Black, like Ning Li, didn’t want to hand over the bead.
[I picked it up fair and square.]
[Not giving it up.]
[Absolutely not.]
The leader of the group, who had a scar on his face, sneered when no one stepped forward to hand over the item.
Just as he was about to speak and take special measures, wisps of black mist suddenly began to seep through the dormitory building.
The moment they saw the black mist, everyone except Ning Li turned pale.
Yuan Zi grabbed Ning Li’s arm, her voice trembling,
“Abnormal Species…the Abnormal Species are here!”