Lu Yuan didn't respond.
What could he say?
The principal was at least a powerful transcendent.
He was one of the core figures of the Bronze City and the highest authority of the Polymath Tower.
Yet, he was still powerless before a written order from the Imperial headquarters.
This was power.
The two continued along the corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
Laurina's mood was low, her steps heavy.
Lu Yuan glanced at her but said nothing.
Some things could not be resolved with a few words of comfort.
After returning to the dormitory in the outskirts, Lu Yuan placed the silver medal from the principal into Laurina's hand.
"Keep this with you."
Laurina took the medal, her fingertips pressing into it with a tight grip.
"For the next two days, stay in the room and don't go anywhere."
Lu Yuan's tone was calm but carried an indisputable authority.
"Don't open the door for anyone unless it's me."
Laurina looked up, her light brown eyes fixed on Lu Yuan, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she only gave a slight nod.
"Okay."
Her voice was soft, filled with exhaustion and resignation.
Lu Yuan watched as she sat on the edge of the bed, curling her body into the corner of the wall with a vacant expression.
He said nothing more and turned to leave the room.
The door closed gently behind him.
The afternoon sun slanted in through the corridor windows, casting long shadows on the floor.
The atmosphere of the Polymath Tower was even more oppressive than yesterday.
Occasionally, a few students could be seen hurrying past, their steps quick as if they were escaping something.
The frequency of Nightwatchers patrols had noticeably increased, moving in groups of three to five with grim expressions.
Lu Yuan leaned against the window, silently observing it all while waiting for Hoguer to arrive.
Eventually, the sound of footsteps approached from behind.
"Lu Yuan."
He turned and saw Hoguer walking toward him.
The Nightwatchers captain was not wearing his signature black trench coat today; he had changed into a set of deep grey athletic gear more suited for action.
Hanging at his waist was not an alchemical gun, but an ancient-looking short sword.
"Follow me."
Hoguer offered no idle pleasantries and turned to walk away.
Lu Yuan followed.
The two passed through several corridors and arrived at a secluded storage room.
Hoguer pushed open the door and signaled for Lu Yuan to enter.
The storage room was small and filled with clutter, the air thick with the smell of old mold.
Hoguer closed the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms.
He studied Lu Yuan for a few seconds with a look of scrutiny that soon gave way to a sense of relief upon confirmation.
"Your identity is clear."
Hoguer spoke bluntly, his tone flat.
"The archives retrieved from headquarters have been verified; you are indeed a consultant for the Nightwatchers."
Lu Yuan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"But your file..."
Hoguer paused and shook his head.
"It's still a mess and can't be processed for the time being."
"I understand."
Lu Yuan nodded.
He hadn't expected the archive issue to be resolved so quickly anyway.
"But there is no doubt that you are one of the Nightwatchers."
Hoguer's tone became more emphatic.
"Two days."
He held up two fingers.
"In two days, the conscription will be lifted, and the Nightwatchers will let you leave."
The word "you" was emphasized, implying plurality.
Lu Yuan caught the hidden meaning.
"Laurina can leave too?"
"Yes."
Hoguer nodded.
"Remember, return directly to headquarters once you leave. No matter who you meet or who tells you to stop on the way, ignore them."
His tone became serious.
"Imperial regulations state that a conscripted target is not allowed to be conscripted again within a short period. As long as you don't stop on the road, no one can intercept you."
Lu Yuan silently noted this information.
The Nightwatchers' willingness to take Laurina away suggested she held significant value.
Or perhaps, the Nightwatchers didn't want her falling into certain hands.
"Is there anything else?"
Lu Yuan asked.
Hoguer fell silent for a moment.
His gaze rested on Lu Yuan as if making some kind of assessment.
"There's a mission tonight."
Hoguer's voice dropped.
"You're with me."
"What mission?"
"The Purge."
Hoguer spoke those two words with a tone as flat as if he were discussing dinner plans.
"It's also about clearing the area."
He pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat, unfolded it, and handed it to Lu Yuan.
Two names were written on it, along with some brief information.
Both were students of the Polymath Tower.
"The goal is to wound them, then pursue them."
Hoguer said.
Lu Yuan looked at the list, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Why not just deal with them directly?"
He looked up, his gaze filled with confusion.
"Why allow them to flee and chase them all the way to the dorms?"
Hoguer remained silent for a few seconds.
"We Nightwatchers cannot bypass that regulation. At least within the Polymath Tower, the authority of the mentors exceeds ours."
His voice was calm, but it carried a hint of suppressed anger.
"At least for now."
"But we can express our dissatisfaction in other ways."
Lu Yuan was thoughtful.
"As for why..."
Hoguer glanced at him.
"That isn't something you need to know."
He paused before continuing.
"We've only managed to secure three days. The rest will depend on fate."
"So, make tonight's movements a bit... louder."
Lu Yuan didn't ask further.
Knowing too much was rarely a good thing.
Hoguer pulled a palm-sized glass bottle from his coat and handed it to Lu Yuan.
The bottle was filled with a silvery-white powder that emitted a faint luminescence in the dim light.
【Target Detected: refined silver powder (exorcism type)】
【An alchemical preparation specifically designed to deal with low-level mutants; it causes a violent burning reaction upon contact with mutated tissue.】
"You are responsible for the cleanup tonight."
Hoguer said.
"I'll be the one to act."
Lu Yuan squeezed the glass bottle, feeling its cool touch.
"I understand."
Night fell.
The corridors of the Polymath Tower were lit with deep blue magic lamps, the light dim as if swallowed by something.
Lu Yuan followed behind Hoguer as they moved through the empty hallways.
Their footsteps were suppressed by some kind of silencing spell, making almost no sound.
Their destination was a library in the east tower.
Hoguer stopped at the door, tilting his head to listen for a few seconds.
The rustling sound of pages turning came from within.
He glanced at Lu Yuan and then kicked the door open.
Inside the room, two students were huddled over books, studying.
They appeared listless, with sunken eyes and pale faces, yet they stared at the books with a state of near-madness, their lips moving constantly as if chanting something.
However, the moment Hoguer and Lu Yuan appeared, the two froze.
They slowly looked up and directed their gazes toward the door.
No, they weren't looking at Hoguer.
They were looking at Lu Yuan, who was standing behind him.
Their gazes were hollow and dead, like two bottomless dry wells.
【Target Detected: Polymath Tower student (hive)】
【Trait: A corpse hollowed out by insects derived from knowledge; he seems to have come into contact with something he shouldn't have.】
【Weakness: Kill the host】
Lu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly.
A hive again.
Before he could think further, the two students moved.
They threw down their books and lunged forward with a posture that was entirely inhuman, their speed incredibly fast.
Hoguer was prepared.
He drew his sword and slashed horizontally, the blade flashing as it pierced the shoulder of the student in front.
Black blood sprayed out.
Simultaneously, he kicked the other one back, then turned his blade to stab several more holes into the first student's body.
The two students' bodies shook violently, and a large number of white insects surged from their wounds.
The insects were densely packed, squirming out of the wounds. They fell to the floor and struggled to crawl upward, but they quickly lost their strength, curled into balls, and died.
The instinct for survival overrode everything.
The two students stopped their attack and turned to flee.
They crashed through the window and stumbled toward the depths of the corridor.
"Keep up."
Hoguer shouted and was the first to charge out.
Lu Yuan followed closely behind.
The hallway echoed with frantic footsteps and the raspy gasps of the two students.
Many people witnessed the scene along the way.
There were patrolling Nightwatchers and students hiding in their rooms, peeking out.
The two students ran wildly, eventually crashing through a door in the dormitory area and collapsing into a room.
Hoguer reached the door and kicked it open.
Inside the room, the two students were curled in the corner, trembling.
Their eyes were filled with confusion and terror, their lips moving as if they wanted to say something, but only muffled whimpers came out.
In that moment, they looked like two ordinary, terrified teenagers.
But Hoguer did not hesitate for a second.
A flash of sword light passed, and two heads rolled onto the floor.
Black blood sprayed, and white insects poured frantically from the severed necks, struggling in the air for a few seconds before dying off.
"The rest is up to you."
Hoguer sheathed his sword, his voice calm, and turned to leave.
Lu Yuan stepped forward and touched the corpses lying on the floor.
【New knowledge detected... Mutation Alchemy...】
【Forbidden Lore: Seeker: +0.1... 48.5/50】
【New knowledge detected... Mutation Alchemy...】
But this time, the Forbidden Lore did not increase.
Lu Yuan understood.
He unscrewed the glass bottle cap and scattered the silvery-white powder over the corpses.
A violent burning reaction erupted instantly.
Large amounts of white smoke billowed from the bodies as flesh and bone rotted and melted before his eyes, finally turning into a pile of black ash.
Those white insects still struggling were also caught in the burning, emitting faint hisses as they curled into ash.
The entire process lasted only a dozen seconds.
Once the smoke cleared, only two black marks remained on the floor.
Hoguer was standing outside now, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"Let's go."
He turned to leave.
"The mission for tonight is over."
Lu Yuan glanced at the black marks on the floor and followed.
By the time he returned to the room, it was already the early hours of the morning.
Laurina was still awake.
She was curled on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees, holding a book she had obtained from somewhere.
She only looked up when she heard the door.
Upon seeing it was Lu Yuan, a look of relief flashed in her eyes.
"You're back."
Lu Yuan closed the door and sat in the chair.
He was silent for a moment before speaking.
"We'll be able to leave in two days."
Laurina was slightly stunned.
"...With you?"
"Yes."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"The Nightwatchers will take you away and return directly to headquarters."
Laurina visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tonight... what did you do?"
Lu Yuan remained silent for a while.
"The Purge."
He didn't explain in detail, but Laurina seemed to understand.
Her face turned pale.
"Don't leave this room for the next two days."
Lu Yuan stood up and walked to the window.
Outside, the Main Tower of the Polymath Tower was still lit.
Its deep blue glow appeared exceptionally eerie in the night.
"We'll leave as soon as the conscription is lifted."
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