Liu Yuan froze, seemingly surprised that Lin QiYe had let him go so easily.
Was it because he was afraid of him?
Had he been especially intimidating just now?
Thinking this, Liu Yuan unconsciously straightened his back and shot a glance at Lin QiYe. With a cold snort, he grabbed Han Ruoruo's hand and strutted out.
Once their figures disappeared down the hallway, a male member of the Axe Squad leaned toward Lin QiYe and quietly asked:
"QiYe, you really just let them go? He stole your girlfriend! Should we... teach him a lesson?"
The members of the Axe Squad had witnessed Lin QiYe's combat abilities firsthand and now looked at him with reverence. Seeing Liu Yuan swaggering away with Han Ruoruo made them angry.
"No need. Han Ruoruo isn't my girlfriend." Lin QiYe smiled slightly, glancing at the direction they left. "Actually… I'm kind of happy right now. Really."
"?"
The boy looked at Lin QiYe in confusion, his expression quickly turning strange.
Could it be that QiYe… had that kind of preference?
Li Yifei, holding back laughter, patted Lin QiYe on the shoulder. "Congrats on getting what you wanted."
"Mm."
Lin QiYe turned to look at the students in the hallway. "Is this everyone?"
"Yes, all the survivors from grade two are here," Li Yifei nodded, then leaned closer to Lin QiYe's ear. "Among them, is there anyone…"
"No." Lin QiYe's lips curved slightly. "The only one left has already eloped with Liu Yuan."
"Haha, that's good."
"Take them to the auditorium. Once the main body of the Nandu Serpent Demon is cleared, we can leave." Lin QiYe turned to Li Yifei and An Qingyu.
"Got it, I'll tell them now."
Li Yifei stepped forward to explain things to the students. Lin QiYe, on the other hand, walked to the edge of the railing and frowned as he gazed into the distance.
"Still haven't found the main body?"
Lin QiYe turned at the sound of An Qingyu's voice, giving a slight nod. "You've been with me the whole way. Did you find anything?"
An Qingyu was silent for a moment. "I found a few things..."
She leaned close to Lin QiYe's ear and whispered something to him. Lin QiYe's gaze sharpened, his brow furrowing deeper.
"Are you sure?"
"Not sure." An Qingyu shook her head. "I don't know enough about this kind of creature to make an accurate judgment."
"I see."
"I have a request," An Qingyu spoke again.
"What is it?"
"I want that." She pointed to Lin QiYe's pants pocket.
Lin QiYe's expression changed. "I meant the gun."
After a brief hesitation, Lin QiYe took out the handgun from his pocket and handed it to An Qingyu. "Only three bullets left. Can you use this?"
"I've learned from TV."
"That's enough. You should be better than me with it." Lin QiYe sighed.
An Qingyu silently put the gun into her pocket. "I hope I won't have to use it."
"Mm..."
A moment later, Li Yifei returned with the students from the fifth floor.
"They're all here."
"Take them to the auditorium. The monsters in the school should be mostly gone now, so it should be safe. I'm going to search for the main body of the Nandu Serpent Demon," Lin QiYe said.
"Leave it to me," Li Yifei patted his chest.
Lin QiYe nodded, and in a flash, disappeared down the hallway.
After Lin QiYe left, a crowd of students gathered around Li Yifei, bombarding him with questions.
"Li Yifei, what happened when you went down to rescue people?"
"Yeah! How did Lin QiYe suddenly show up?"
"He really killed all the monsters by himself?"
"Definitely. Didn't you smell the blood on him? It's so strong!"
"How did he do it? Who exactly is he?"
"..."
Li Yifei looked at the group of wide-eyed girls and silently rolled his eyes. "If you want to know, ask him yourself later."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Hmph, you girls. After you leave here, your memories will be wiped. You won't even remember Lin QiYe, and neither will I!
Li Yifei mumbled inwardly.
With the monsters gone, the students' anxieties eased. The discussions about Lin QiYe, the mysterious student, became even more heated.
The boys from the Axe Squad, who had fought alongside Lin QiYe, couldn't resist jumping in to excitedly describe how amazing Lin QiYe was, leaving the girls entranced.
Just then, Teacher Wang walked over to them, casually throwing out a line:
"No early relationships allowed..."
The girls: ...
Lin QiYe, carrying a short sword, was running swiftly across the campus. He reached up to open his earpiece.
"Hong Ying, how's it going?"
"We've found some traces. The Nandu Serpent Demon seems to have gone north."
"North?" Lin QiYe was taken aback. "Where exactly? The cafeteria? The Art Building? The playground? The teaching building?"
"Not sure. Xiao Nan and I are checking the cafeteria."
"Alright, I'll check the Art Building." Lin QiYe changed direction and headed straight for the Art Building.
The Art Building was one of the newest buildings on campus, built about five or six years ago. A few years ago, when the national campaign to promote student culture and the arts began, the school specifically invested in this building.
However, after it was completed, the students hardly ever had any art classes. It seemed that the teachers would mysteriously fall ill every time an art class was scheduled.
The Art Building wasn't tall, only three stories, but the rooms were quite diverse. There were dedicated spaces for sketching, sculpture, dance practice, and more.
Lin QiYe quickly ran through the first floor corridor, but didn't detect anything unusual. When he reached the second floor, his spiritual senses suddenly flashed a vivid image...
His expression instantly became interesting.
...
"Ruoruo... why are we hiding in the piano room instead of running out of the school?" Liu Yuan hugged Han Ruoruo, glancing furtively at the window as he quietly asked.
Han Ruoruo, nestled in his arms, raised her head slightly, her lips curling into a subtle smile. She spoke in a soft, seductive voice:
"Why go out? It's quieter here... and I can do some fun things."
Liu Yuan's body shuddered as if struck by an electric current. He swallowed hard. "What things?"
"What do you think..." Han Ruoruo whispered into his ear, her soft voice driving Liu Yuan wild with desire.
"With monsters still outside, isn't this… wrong?" Liu Yuan felt a surge of wicked fire rising in his chest, but his reason was still trying to hold him back.
"What's wrong with it? Don't you..." Han Ruoruo wrapped her arms around him, her tongue lightly brushing his cheek like the touch of a dragonfly's wings.
Just as Liu Yuan's last shred of rationality was about to crumble, and his hands were about to roam over Han Ruoruo's body, she spoke the final, chilling words.
"Don't you want me to devour you?"
Han Ruoruo's mouth split open, revealing a grotesque, bloody, monstrous head, its razor-sharp teeth sending a cold shiver down Liu Yuan's spine!
Liu Yuan's pupils dilated!
He opened his mouth and screamed desperately, thrashing wildly in Han Ruoruo's grip, but it was all in vain!
"Ruoruo... You... You're also..."
No! Please don't!
Please, no!! I don't want to die!!
At that moment, Liu Yuan thought back to when he arrogantly left the fifth floor. If he had stayed back then... maybe this wouldn't have been his fate.
Lin QiYe... Lin QiYe!
Save me!
As Liu Yuan screamed in madness, the sound of a door opening sharply echoed.
Both Han Ruoruo and Liu Yuan froze and turned to look.
There stood Lin QiYe, his short sword on his back, quietly observing everything.
"QiYe! Lin QiYe!
Ruoruo is a monster!
Quick! Save me!!"
Liu Yuan, seeing a glimmer of hope, his eyes lit up. With newfound strength, he struggled wildly in Han Ruoruo's arms!
Lin QiYe rubbed his nose, offering an apologetic smile.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to admire the scene… You can go on. Please, continue..."
*Bang!*
The piano room door slammed shut with a loud thud.
Then, with a click, the door was locked from the inside...