Song Shi felt a bump on her shoulder, and a cool object was thrust into her hand. "They're outside the school gate. Don't leave tomorrow."
She peered into the throng of students, spotting a slender figure blending into the crowd as it descended to the next floor.
Stuffing the object into her pants pocket, Song Shi made her way down the stairs toward Liu Shuilin, helping him up by his arm.
"How did you fall?"
Liu Shuilin was still rubbing the back of his head, frowning in pain as he replied, "I'm not sure."
Song Shi had acted quickly with her foot at that moment, taking advantage as he began to rise.
"Perhaps you missed a step," Song Shi casually fabricated.
"Probably," Liu Shuilin accepted this notion, licking his dry lower lip. He then asked, "Sister Song, will you go with me tomorrow?"
"Of course, I'm counting on you to save me from peril," she replied, smiling but with little warmth in her eyes.
After escorting Liu Shuilin to the entrance of the male dormitory, Song Shi headed toward the female dormitory.
Upon entering her room and locking the door behind her, she retrieved the object from her pocket.
It was a small knife, lightweight, no longer than an adult's index finger, with a handle perfectly designed for a single grip—nothing extraneous.
Weapons were contraband in this place, and knives were included among them. Every week, the dormitory underwent thorough inspections, with detectors scouring every nook and cranny; such prohibited items were nearly impossible to evade detection.
Song Shi slipped the knife beneath her bed and went into the bathroom for a shower. The cold water cascaded over her, gradually clearing her mind.
After changing her clothes, she emerged and dragged a suitcase from under the bed, extracting all the bandages and piling them onto the table.
Taking advantage of the dwindling number of people, she made her way to Yang Miao's lackey's dormitory.
The door was unlocked, and she pushed it open to find the lackey sitting vacantly in a chair.
"You're here?" The moment she entered, the lackey sprang to her feet. "What's wrong with my sister? Why did you say she was in danger?"
Song Shi first locked the door before responding, "Calm down. Sit and listen to me."
The lackey, in a state of distress, clutched at Song Shi's clothing, "I can't calm down! I've lived with my sister since childhood; without her care, I wouldn't survive. What if something happens to her?"
Song Shi was taken aback. Had she revealed too much too soon?
"What exactly has happened to her? Why are people watching us? Tell me!" The lackey's emotions were rising.
Song Shi had prepared her rationale during her evening study session. "The Security Corps is clearing the campus of all students associated with the West Suburbs."
"What?" The lackey relinquished her grasp on Song Shi's clothing, taking two steps back in disbelief until her back hit the edge of the table. "We hadn't heard any rumors!"
"This is all being conducted in secrecy. Have you noticed a significant number of students linked to the West Suburbs have disappeared over the past week?" Song Shi posed the question.
The lackey blinked in realization. "Lin Wanbao, Shang Wei, Wang Guozheng, and Dai Ming are all missing!"
Song Shi only knew that Dai Ming had vanished; she hadn't heard about the others.
Wang Danyu had managed to take so many people, far exceeding her expectations.
The lackey now completely believed Song Shi.
"What should we do? What about my sister?" She began to pace in circles around the room before stopping in front of Song Shi. "She's taught you for so long; please help me think of a solution."
Song Shi feigned difficulty. "I can only do my best, but you must cooperate with me."
"I will! Just tell me what to do."
"What kind of person is Yang Miao?"
Although this question seemed unrelated to the task at hand, the lackey, desperate to rescue her sister, eagerly responded, "She's a good person. I'm the one burdening her; she didn't need to come here for her degree. She came because I was often bullied here."
"And later, when my sister's Dragon Mountain Society was in dire need of funds, she turned to me for that hundred thousand Federal dollars, causing trouble for you. But… you've learned a lot from my sister as well."
Song Shi absently nodded.
The lackey continued her tales of their shared experiences, and Song Shi offered minimal responses, having gleaned enough to understand Yang Miao was a person of loyalty and that the lackey held significant importance to her.
Eventually, the lackey fell silent, seemingly exhausted from speaking.
"I'm worried they might also take you. Let's head to my dormitory."
"What about my sister?"
"I'll take you to see her tomorrow," Song Shi said, gazing into her reddened eyes. "You need to get some sleep."
"I can't sleep if I can't see my sister," the lackey said, her voice trembling.
"I assure you, you will see her tomorrow."
Leading her back to her room, Song Shi arranged for the lackey to sleep on the bed and handed her a glass of water laced with a sleeping aid, watching as she drank it before tucking her in.
Then, Song Shi positioned herself by the bed, her gaze fixed on the pile of bandages on the table.
It was only until the deep hours of the night that she finally succumbed to sleep against the bedpost.
At six in the morning, she took the bandages and wound them around the sleeping figure repeatedly, dragging her into the bathroom and gagging her.
Having completed this, the alarm blared. After freshening up, Song Shi retrieved the knife from beneath the mattress, slipping it into her pocket before heading toward the classroom building.
Before leaving the school, she needed to check out from her class.
Under Liu Shuilin's watchful gaze, Song Shi signed her name, followed closely by Liu Shuilin, who also signed.
The two exited together.
Liu Shuilin initiated a casual conversation, "Sister Song, aren't you bringing any luggage?"
Song Shi shook her head. "No."
"What about your light brain? Didn't everyone get theirs issued?"
Glancing at her empty wrist, she remembered that her light brain had been in Li Bingwen's possession, and now he was also missing, the office door tightly locked.
Song Shi had no intention of explaining. "Have you contacted your mother yet?"
"I've connected with her; she's waiting at the school gate." A glimmer of something unusual flickered in Liu Shuilin's eyes, though he remained oblivious to it.
"Oh, by the way, Sister Song, have you seen this person today?" Liu Shuilin revealed a photo on his light brain.
Song Shi leaned in closer to inspect; on the screen was a side profile of the lackey, captured from afar, seemingly candid.
Raising an eyebrow, Song Shi replied, "I saw her this morning. Why?"
"I met her yesterday; she's quite attractive. With this light brain handy today, I thought to add her and chat," Liu Shuilin said, scratching his head in embarrassment. He then looked up, "Sister Song, where did you see her this morning? I looked for her in Class Six but couldn't find her."
It was likely Yang Miao also understood that her lackey was somewhat foolish, fearing unforeseen complications, prompting her to have Liu Shuilin inquire beforehand.
Unfortunately, Liu Shuilin did not exhibit much cunning and had ended up close to her.
Song Shi maintained a calm facade. "I saw her at the dormitory entrance this morning. She was heading toward the cafeteria. Perhaps you looked for her too early; she was probably eating there."
Liu Shuilin scrutinized Song Shi with a keen eye; her tone and expression did not belay falsehood, so he nodded in agreement. "Then that must be it; I'll just have to wait until next semester to contact her."
During their conversation, his light brain vibrated five or six times in quick succession.
Liu Shuilin hurriedly turned the vibrations to silent.
He then stole a furtive glance at Song Shi, who remained preoccupied, allowing him to exhale with relief.
They passed the restroom just then.
Song Shi clutched her stomach, "I'm feeling a bit unwell; I'll step into the restroom."
Liu Shuilin, suppressing his excitement, replied thoughtfully, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
As Song Shi pushed open the restroom door and made her way toward the stalls, Liu Shuilin glanced around; seeing no one in the hallway, he stealthily advanced to peer through the door crack, waiting until he confirmed she was inside a stall before retreating and activating his light brain.
Song Shi, however, merely intended to check if anyone else was in the restroom. Once assured there were no others, she returned quietly to stand behind the door.
Liu Shuilin was conversing with someone.
His voice brimming with barely contained excitement, he said, "She's in the restroom! We'll be able to leave soon. Is your car ready?"
Song Shi could not quite hear what the person on the other end was saying.
Liu Shuilin continued, "Mao Rong is eating well in the cafeteria; nothing seems amiss… she definitely hasn't noticed."
It seemed the person on the other end inquired if Liu Shuilin had witnessed it himself.
He responded vaguely, "Yes… Song Shi told me."
"Did you ask Song Shi?" The voice on the other end suddenly escalated in volume, loud enough for Song Shi to hear through the door.
It was a male voice, not Yang Miao's—more akin to Dai Ming's.
"Anyway, she doesn't know, I just asked—my excuse is that I'm merely fond of her…"
"Idiot!"
The voice shouted angrily before the line went dead with an abrupt "beep."
Song Shi realized it was time for her to exit.
She turned on the faucet to wash her hands, and after drying them, she opened the door.
Washing her hands was a signal for Liu Shuilin that she was coming out.
Upon her exit, Liu Shuilin had already donned the expression he had before she left.
Standing at the doorway, Song Shi pointed back toward the restroom. "Is she the one you were looking for?"
Liu Shuilin quickly approached. Having just been reprimanded, he was eager to prove himself as he leaned in to peek through the door.
Song Shi yanked him by the collar and pulled him inside.
Liu Shuilin, terrified, opened his mouth to scream, but Song Shi swiftly pulled out the dagger from her pocket, pressing it against his throat, threatening, "Don't scream!"
The blade felt cold against him, and Liu Shuilin trembled uncontrollably.
"I was wrong! I'm sorry; I was forced to do this! I—"
"Silence!"
Song Shi had no desire to hear his irrelevant excuses.
"Unless you wish to die, do as I say and unlock your light brain."
Flustered, Liu Shuilin quickly held up his wrist, positioning the light brain toward his face to unlock it.
"Disable privacy."
He complied immediately.
Song Shi recited a series of numbers.
Liu Shuilin's fingers trembled as he input the numbers and pressed dial.
(End of Chapter)