Monday morning.
The sunlight was like scattered gold, spilling generously over every corner of Binhai Experimental High School.
In the campus where the ancient and the modern interwove, colorful flags fluttered in the wind, giant celebration banners hung down from the rooftops of the teaching buildings, and a cheerful, stirring welcoming tune played repeatedly over the loudspeakers, everywhere filled with the grandeur and joy of the centennial celebration.
One after another, expensive cars with license plates from different regions slowly rolled through the school gates.
The school leaders, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately strode forward, beaming with smiles.
Those getting out of the cars were mostly the famous alumni whose photos hung on the school’s honor wall—business elites, academic authorities, political figures… All impeccably dressed, chatting and laughing as they made their way to the main venue, surrounded by a crowd.
Compared to the noisy pomp at the school gate, the teaching building area was filled with a different kind of tense yet simple busy atmosphere.
Class 9, Grade 11, recognized as the model regular class in their grade, saw their homeroom teacher, Old Xu, arriving early that morning and transforming himself into the commander-in-chief, his booming voice orchestrating everything.
“Wang Kaihua! Are you cleaning the windows or auditioning for a high-wire act? Get down from the windowsill this instant! If you fall, let’s see if you can still laugh!”
Old Xu stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the boy teetering on tiptoe at the edge of the window.
His gaze then shifted to the boy working hard at the blackboard, “…Zhou Yang! You’re always bragging about how much you love calligraphy and how many awards you’ve won. But when it counts, you get stage fright? Look at the way you wrote ‘Welcome’—I don’t know about the alumni, but your calligraphy is definitely not upright! It’s so crooked they’re practically kissing!”
…
“I’m not just talking about him, Gao Nian!”
Old Xu’s verbal barrage pivoted seamlessly to a sturdy boy huffing and puffing as he moved a desk, “A big fellow like you getting winded moving an empty desk? On the school forum, aren’t you that ‘Nian Gao’? Always bragging you’re a tough guy who could knock out the homeroom teacher in three punches? Stop dawdling, there’s still a pile of work waiting!”
The classroom was in chaos, yet brimming with youthful energy and the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Amidst the noisy commotion, a figure silently appeared at the back door of the classroom.
Chu You, carrying a backpack good for everything except holding books, looked at the familiar yet slightly foreign scene before her, a slight smile curving her lips.
Her gaze locked onto Old Xu, who was commanding the students with confidence, and a glint of mischief flashed in her eyes.
She tiptoed closer, then suddenly raised her voice behind Old Xu and called out brightly, “Good morning, Teacher Xu!”
“Aiyoh—!”
Old Xu, who had been intently supervising the students, jumped in fright at the sudden greeting, instinctively darting forward several steps, nearly bumping into the podium.
Still shaken, he turned around abruptly, panic lingering in his eyes as he blurted out, “Which little rascal—uh…”
But upon seeing it was Chu You, the words stuck in his throat and he forcibly swallowed them.
The anger on his face immediately turned into surprise, then quickly softened into concern.
“Oh, it’s you, Chu You? Are you… out of the hospital? How’s your health? Why didn’t you rest at home a few more days?”
Hearing the genuine concern in Old Xu’s voice, Chu You felt a subtle warmth in her heart and gave a sweet, obedient smile.
“I’m almost fully recovered, thank you for your concern, Teacher!”
“Good, good, as long as you’re better,” Old Xu said, pretending to be stern as he nodded and put his hands behind his back.
“You just got well, so don’t busy yourself with them. Find a spot to rest for now. Today’s school anniversary is hectic—once I’ve got things under control, I’ll come talk to you.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Chu You immediately put on her best model-student act, her gaze swiftly scanning across the classroom and pausing for a moment on each classmate before she turned to Old Xu to ask, “…By the way, Teacher, where’s Xia Ji? She’s not here yet?”
“Xia Ji? She’s here,” Old Xu replied, but his tone faltered for a moment.
“But I had her helping somewhere else…”
As he spoke, it was as if something occurred to him.
He subconsciously stepped a little closer to Chu You and lowered his voice, laced with caution and a hint of warning.
“Um… You know about Chen Xinyu and Lu Ran from the Oracle Class, right? They had some conflict with Xia Ji before—seems it ran deep.”
He frowned, voice dropping further to barely a whisper, “I’ve heard some rumors… those two seem to have gotten into something unsavory. Very dangerous.”
“Today, with the anniversary and all sorts of people around, I was worried they’d sneak in to make trouble, so I sent Xia Ji to help backstage at the auditorium. There are more people there, and it’s safer.”
So that’s how it was.
A look of realization flashed in Chu You’s eyes.
“I see… Then I’ll let you get back to your work, Teacher. I won’t take up your precious time.”
Old Xu smiled, nodded, and returned to directing the classroom once again.
“Wang, Chun, Hua!”
“Didn’t I say the trash can wasn’t for trash? You’re still tossing stuff in?!”
“Take your bun and eat outside!”
Chu You watched Old Xu’s retreating figure, then glanced out the window at the bustling campus.
The sunlight was still dazzling, the festive atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Yet, beneath this celebratory surface, an undercurrent—hardly perceptible—began to stir.
Outside the auditorium entrance.
Gu Qiancheng, slouching in an ill-fitting security uniform, hunched over with a rubber baton at his waist, leaned lazily against the trunk of a locust tree.
He pressed the button on his earpiece, keeping his voice very low.
“Fat Cat calling Cat’s Nest, Fat Cat calling Cat’s Nest…”
A moment later, Lin Mo’s voice came crisply and succinctly through the headset, “Cat’s Nest receiving. Go ahead.”
“I’ve got a situation here.”
Gu Qiancheng narrowed his eyes, his tone turning serious.
“Almost everyone on the list has entered the venue—no anomalies so far, but—” He drew out the last syllable.
“But what?”
“Uh, well… can someone come over and bring me a Coke? I’m parched.”
“Scram.”
“Stingy! Fine, I didn’t want it anyway!”
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the teaching building, Zhao Dongyuan was scanning the campus with binoculars, the corners of his lips curving in an almost undetectable arc.
After surveying the area, he put down the binoculars and tapped his earpiece to report—“Black Cat calling Cat’s Nest. North Residence time 8:32. Observation post B, no anomalies. Over.”
Zhao Dongyuan’s report was like a stone tossed into a still lake, instantly activating the entire communications network.
“Observation post A, no anomalies. Over!”
From another vantage point on the opposite side of the building, the response was crisp and strong.
“Observation post F, hidden, no anomalies. Over!”
Hiding beneath a luxury car in the parking lot, the Swordbearer reported in a low voice.
…
“Observation post K, mobile, no anomalies. Over!”
A patrolling security guard on a campus path replied quietly, his sharp eyes sweeping the passing crowd.
Inside the security booth at the main school gate, Lin Mo—wearing a poorly fitted security uniform, cap pulled low, and a mask—appeared to be lazily half-dozing on his chair.
After all the regular posts finished reporting in, he raised his hand and, looking relaxed, pressed the earpiece hidden beneath his collar.
His voice had the languor of someone just waking up, but it transmitted clearly across every channel…
“Cat’s Nest here… Hakimi, what’s your status over there?”
After a short silence and a faint “beep” in the earpiece, Chu You’s deliberately lowered yet still clear and sharp voice sounded in everyone’s earphones, “This is Hakimi. Target Seven is moving abnormally, deviating from the planned route. Please confirm if they are in the auditorium backstage area. Over.”
No sooner had her voice faded than Gu Qiancheng, still leaning casually by the locust tree outside the auditorium, immediately straightened up.
He pulled his baseball cap even lower, almost covering most of his face, and responded quickly and quietly into the mic, “This is Fat Cat. I’m going into the auditorium to check. Someone come cover my spot. Over!”
He finished his report in haste, and before the sentence had fully landed, he had already turned, slipping through the crowds and using the cover of the building to swiftly circle to the less-used back door usually reserved for moving supplies, where few people passed.
Yet, in that fleeting gap after Gu Qiancheng left his post and before a replacement could arrive…
wiii—eeeee.
A sudden surge of harsh, piercing electronic noise blasted through everyone’s earpieces without warning, the shrill sound almost splitting their eardrums.
Immediately after, in the midst of that incessant, maddening static interference, a faint, distorted, and intermittent cry for help struggled through—full of terror and urgency.
“Th-this is… zzzt… Cat…”
“Target… zzzt… Ran… zzzt… Xinyu has appeared…”
“Location… teachers’ offi… zzzt….”
“I’m under att… zzzt… danger! Request… supp… zzzt—!”
A busy signal cut in—the broken cries for help ended abruptly.