Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Insertion Three

Hearing the conversation in the square, Ming Yue was so scared that she didn't even dare to bend forward and quickly ran back to the hotel.

Just in time, she ran into the student council members from the Spirit-Sealing Academy and several class monitors in the public rest area. A group of people were gathered around three computers, discussing matters with emotionless expressions. The early morning light was faint, which made everyone's faces even more solemn.

“Ming Yue, over here.”

Yan Jun greeted her.

Ming Yue, sweating from running, had an urgent matter to attend to. With a bunch of senior members in front of her, she wasn’t intimidated and quickly raised her hand, saying:

“Senior brothers and sisters! I have important news to report!”

Chen Xiu raised his head from the computer, his dark circles under his eyes, and said, "Go ahead."

Ming Yue took two deep breaths to adjust herself: "Just now, in the central square, I overheard a few students from other schools discussing the topics for the exam the day after tomorrow."

"Why does everyone know that it might be related to the earth fissure?"

"I haven’t leaked any information here."

Chen Xiu: "..."

The student council members looked at each other. A male student with glasses smiled and said: "Your Spirit-Sealing Academy is something else. Even a freshman like this is so concerned about the exam. You have a strong sense of collective honor."

Ming Yue: "???"

Aren’t these Spirit-Sealing Academy students?

Why are there students from other schools in the meeting??

Yan Jun kindly explained, “Don’t worry, Ming Yue, the student council is discussing this matter right now.”

“A while ago, the head of the Spirit-Sealing Academy already came to inform Senior Chen Xiu about this.”

After saying this, the class monitor pulled Ming Yue over to join the group.

Ming Yue was even more surprised:

"A while ago? It’s only 6:30 AM now. How early was it? Didn’t they stay up all night?"

“And, why is the head so kind?”The seniors nearby began discussing again. Yan Jun, seeing that Chen Xiu didn't say anything, thought it was a hint that Ming Yue could stay, so he whispered:

"Didn't the third-year students go on an external assignment to Chang'an before?"

"The cooperation with the headmaster went quite smoothly. This time, the headmaster came personally to ensure at least the equal sharing of information among all schools."

"Seems like they made a good deal. This way, at the exam site, it will be easier for us from the Spirit-Sealing Academy and the headmaster's students to form an alliance."

An alliance?

Ming Yue lowered her voice and teased the class monitor: "Jun Ge, have you been watching too many variety shows?"

"Alliance? You make it sound like we're up to something shady."

Yan Jun paused slightly.

Ming Yue's attitude toward him now was relaxed and comfortable, much less tense than before.

What does this represent?

In a flash, as soon as Yan Jun realized the implication, he continued speaking to Ming Yue:

"That's exactly what it means."

"The exam will last for more than ten hours, and in the later stages, it’ll either be a one-on-one or a group fight."

"The top ten schools will unite, and the good stuff stays within."

The expressions of the seniors discussing nearby didn't look too good. Ming Yue replayed the information she overheard in the square in her mind and retorted:

"Then why not form an alliance with the Imperial University?"

"If the two of us join forces, then other schools won’t have any chance."

"According to Imperial University’s terms, we’re like magnets, unbeatable."

Yan Jun: "…"

Yan Jun scolded: "You still think no other schools will have a chance?"

Ming Yue stuck out her tongue and smiled.Jin Dingding felt both unlucky and exhausted.

In front of him, the senior students from the Spirit-Sealing Academy all had increasingly dark circles under their eyes. Standing among them, he felt too embarrassed to say anything, only able to mutter complaints in his mind.

Why would they abandon a good project in their own department and go out of their way to collaborate with an external department? Fine, the project does offer more extra credits.

But!

At the time, the project description didn’t mention any involvement with supernatural or ghostly affairs!

Weren’t they just supposed to ensure the stable communication signals during Spirit-Sealing Academy’s operations?

For such a task, any normal person would think it was in a remote mountain area with weak signals that needed strengthening. Who would expect that they would end up fighting for the earthly realm's signal against the underworld's dark energy!

Is this even something you can "steal"?! Ah!

Jin Dingding, a top communications student from the Electrical Engineering Department: Marmot scream.jpg!!!

Electrical Engineering Department: If it were this easy, why would the project give so many extra points? Silly kid, so cute.

Spirit-Sealing Academy: Hee hee hee.

As the person in charge of the Electrical Engineering and Spirit-Sealing Academy collaboration project, Jin Dingding led a few juniors and rushed to the Ghost City of Fengdu in Yuzhou overnight. Early in the morning, before he had even gotten a proper sleep, he was dragged out by the Spirit-Sealing Academy’s student council to discuss matters. Jin Dingding felt miserable inside.

No, wait, I didn’t sleep in a bed last night. Can I get a refund on the hotel reservation?

Jin Dingding fantasized in his mind.

Chen Xiu, the strange and eccentric senior, was energetic when discussing matters, speaking incisively and making it hard to ignore. Jin Dingding, his drowsiness starting to take over, couldn’t tune out and had to just listen.

"...We have to thank the Headmaster for his favor. When we mobilize for the exam, I’ll discuss the alliance between the two schools with everyone..."

"The Headmaster’s feedback was correct. It seems that the Imperial University isn’t being very civilized. It wasn’t just my Spirit-Sealing Academy that was being monitored in the car, so it’s fair…"

"...Later, the Imperial University will do whatever nonsense they want, maintaining ‘information equality’ between the schools. Damn them, their psychological tactics are endless..."

"...The so-called ‘equality’ is just what they claim it to be. Who knows how much they overheard from the surveillance, and how much they’ve released?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Dingding stopped yawning. He agreed with Chen Xiu's words in his heart.

The Spirit-Sealing Academy really knew how to handle checks and balances.With their actions, the proactive position of the Spirit-Sealing Academy was immediately reversed, shifting from offense to defense.

The discussion continued, and Jin Dingding yawned while taking notes.

He didn’t get too involved in the decision-making of the Spirit-Sealing Academy's student council, only following along and recording, looking for any points related to his project, such as the exam location, the area range, the communication device that needed to be coordinated with the host’s department, what model to use for signal enhancement, and so on.

As he listened further, Jin Dingding realized the significance of the collaboration between the Electrical Engineering and Spirit-Sealing Academies.

The communication during the Ghost Slayer’s exams had always been terrible, year after year.

Constant power outages, network failures.

All information was gathered manually or passed by word of mouth.

The exam area wasn’t small, and the communication devices were outdated instruments provided by the organizers—what could you expect from them?

According to Chen Xiu, in past exams, there had been multiple communication breakdowns, and for candidates suddenly trapped in such situations, it was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

If a person was about to be bitten to death by a vengeful ghost, but the emergency message couldn’t go out...

How could they not be frustrated?

There had been many protests.

All in vain.

Living in the medieval-style underworld, they never bothered with such matters.

To them, the living and the dead were no different; they only cared about souls, not bodies.

At this point, they could only hope for physical means from the earthly realm.

The junior who had joined the discussion later was actually very serious, pulling out her phone and taking notes. Jin Dingding glanced over and saw the screen packed with notes.

Good student.

He thought to himself, but before he could praise her, he saw the girl raise her hand and speak out independently:

“Senior, maybe we don’t need to be so pessimistic.”

Everyone paused and turned to look at Ming Yue."Imperial University can engage in psychological warfare, it doesn’t matter."

"Anyway, other schools have got the wrong focus."

Ming Yue put down her laptop, her expression serious:

"I just carefully reviewed the conversation I heard in the square and found a logical error."

Jin Dingding thought to himself, just now I said this junior was obedient, and now she’s speaking up like this—won’t she get scolded?

Unexpectedly, Chen Xiu actually stopped, "Ming Yue, go ahead."

Around them were a group of big shots, most of whom Ming Yue didn’t know. She steadied her mind, her thoughts clear, and spoke:

"The news I heard this morning was indeed unexpected."

"Initially, I thought only we at Spirit-Sealing Academy knew some of the exam questions in advance and could gain an advantage. However, things didn’t go as planned. But it’s okay. We’ll make ourselves stronger."

"Senior, do you remember? The key point they discussed was—earthquake, not zombies or anything else." Ming Yue deliberately ignored the part about the geology department of Yuda University.

"......"

Chen Xiu didn’t speak, just raised his chin, signaling Ming Yue to continue.

The student council members were looking at me as if I were some sort of spectacle.

Ming Yue licked her lips, feeling a little nervous:

"The reason for the earthquake, as I heard from Senior Ghost Slayer yesterday, is that the conflict between Yin and Yang has been intense lately, and there have been many changes in the natural environment—nothing was mentioned about it definitely being an earthquake."

Chen Xiu: "However, the news around Fengdu has confirmed that the six anomalies so far were all earthquakes below level 4."

"I understand."

"But I still think the focus should be on the various changes that might arise from the intense Yin-Yang conflict, rather than fixating solely on the earthquake issue—" Ming Yue was blunt, "—honestly, just focusing on the earthquake is foolish. At least considering zombies would be better than obsessing over just one point."

One of the student council members countered:

"Earthquake isn’t an isolated topic; there’s a lot behind it that needs to be dealt with. It’s enough to support an entire exam."

Ming Yue’s argument stood firm, "Senior, I’m not saying the earthquake won’t happen, but—there might be more than just the earthquake. We should trace back to the source.""Or, we could define the limiting terms, like sudden changes in the natural environment, which would be more appropriate."

Yan Jun stepped forward to support Ming Yue:

"If we follow Ming Yue’s reasoning, we’ve been misled by a single leaf blocking the view."

"Other schools aren’t in a better position. Based on the information we’ve collected, the exam information Ming Yue overheard yesterday is more complete and accurate compared to other schools’ data."

"Our information isn’t about the earthquake; Imperial University’s isn’t necessarily better."

"If we follow Ming Yue’s deductions, our Spirit-Sealing Academy will again have the advantage in terms of information parity, and our initiative will be strengthened."

Everyone pondered, and the senior who had countered earlier thought better of it and said nothing more.

Chen Xiu nodded, "Makes sense."

"If the earthquake isn’t the only focus, then the possibility of zombies also gives us more room to maneuver."

"In that case, Xiangda’s advantage in this exam will decrease, which is a good thing."

It was almost 7:30 AM. Students were passing by outside the hotel, and Ming Yue thought to herself:

"Maybe, Yuda’s advantage will increase."

"A seasoned powerhouse, Fengdu campus."

Jin Dingding: "???"

Before Jin Dingding could ask how Yuda got involved again, he heard the Spirit-Sealing students nearby roll their eyes and snicker:

"Seasoned powerhouse, huh."

The whole day, the Spirit-Sealing Academy kept the information under wraps. Unlike "Boshun" Imperial University, which focused on the false idea of information parity, Spirit-Sealing Academy kept the focus on the natural disturbances securely in their hands.

The senior students were divided into two teams. One team swept the area within a 20-kilometer radius of the Ghost City scenic area to monitor real-time Yin-Yang conditions and assess whether any disturbances would occur in the center of the Ghost City in the coming days.

The other team stayed in the hotel to organize data, speculate on the types of natural disturbances in Yuzhou, and the potential Yin beings that might accompany them.

Ming Yue was with the team handling the mobile operations. They went out for a drive and didn’t return until late at night.Two thoughts:

One: Yuzhou's local customs and traditions are quite nice, the residents are warm, and the terrain is rugged.

Two: There are absolutely no major Yin-Yang environmental anomalies.

The day before the exam, at 7 PM.

The sky was dim, with no soft red glow, only blue and gray clouds, shrouded in a strange, misty pattern.

"I’m serious, Senior Chen Xiu, there’s really no 'imminent' Yin-Yang energy fluctuation," Ming Yue said as she stood at the door, talking to Chen Xiu, just before the pre-exam briefing began.

"It’s been two nights now—I happened to sleep near the balcony, facing the Ghost City scenic area—I used a clothes rack to hang the manifestation talisman and measured the Yin energy density in the air above the Ghost City for two days in a row, and each time it was two or three points," Ming Yue pointed to the dark circles under her eyes, saying with frustration.

"It’s not really that serious," Chen Xiu frowned, unable to think of a solution, "Alright, I understand, thanks for your concern, Junior."

"Let’s sit down for now. In the end, we shouldn’t be worrying about questions that have no answers."

"Tomorrow, we’ll see if the Ghost Slayer Association will make things easier for us."

"I’ve uploaded the data to the group over the past two days, remember to download it before midnight. It’ll be troublesome if the network is disconnected early."

Ming Yue felt a bit frustrated but reluctantly nodded.

Everyone took their seats, and the briefing began.

Chen Xiu’s speech was powerful and full of charisma, quite different from his usual cold demeanor.

"Who are we?"

"Golden University’s Spirit-Sealing, the number one Ghost-Slaying Academy in all of China!"

"For a century! Our Spirit-Sealing Academy has produced a quarter of all the Ghost Slayers in the country!"

"Among the top ten universities, we’ve helped establish five. During the last century’s underworld changes, we played a part in stabilizing things!"

"The new century has come, and this century-old honor rests on the shoulders of this generation!"

"Carrying this heavy burden is difficult, but that’s no reason to resist or complain!"

"We are Spirit-Sealing! We set the highest standard for capability in the industry! Our honor cannot be lost!"The only sound in the conference room was Chen Xiu's voice.

He hadn't even used a microphone.

Ming Yue: "…"

Ming Yue noticed that many of the lower-year students were staring at the chairperson, their eyes full of hearts.

Yan Jun asked her from the side: "Is he handsome?"

Ming Yue honestly nodded: "Handsome."

Yan Jun: "…"

Ming Yue added: "But I've seen Senior Chen Xiu from Baoshan Hospital in his cold demeanor, and it's really hard to have a crush on him."

Yan Jun immediately felt relieved.

To be honest, Chen Xiu’s charm at this moment was overwhelming.

Not only the lower-year students, but even the senior students were stirred up, their blood boiling.

Yan Jun felt a bit uneasy.

Before he could finish speaking, the lights in the conference room suddenly began to flicker.

Crackling, the light alternated between black and white on people's faces.

The crowd just raised their heads, looking around, and Ming Yue stood up from the front row, preparing to go press the light switch on the other side. But as soon as she stood up, a strong gust of wind rushed in, carrying a chilling cold. The doors and windows of the conference room were blown open, and Ming Yue was almost knocked aside by the sudden swing of the door.

"Damn." Ming Yue rubbed her arm, noticing the red mark from being slammed. It would surely bruise later.

Through the open doors and windows, the conference room could see the black clouds rolling in the sky outside. The sky, which had been gray just moments ago, was suddenly on the verge of a storm. The ground was covered in swirling black wind, and the cheap statues in the hotel garden, which were set up as decorations, were blown away like trash, tumbling to the wall.

It looked like a doomsday special effect.

Chen Xiu maintained order: "Everyone, don’t panic!"

Ming Yue didn't bother with the open door anymore. The wind was so strong that it couldn’t be closed. She touched her left eye and realized her vision was beginning to overlap between her left and right eyes, merging into one "complete world."

There was Yin energy.There’s heavy Yin energy!

"I just said there was no anomaly, no anomaly, and now it’s slapping me in the face," Miss Ming muttered softly.

A tremor spread, as if a giant dragon was rolling under the floor, causing a mighty vibration. The ceiling light flickered dangerously, and with the eerie howling sound suddenly coming from outside the window, the students began to panic. Chen Xiu shouted loudly, urging everyone to quickly get to the open space to take cover—

An earthquake!

The seventh earthquake on the 49th day of the Ghost Festival countdown!

What a perfect timing!

The sound of the land cracking!

The sound of mountains colliding!

The thick Yin energy, like a tsunami, erupted from the cracks in the Ghost City earthquake point! It covered the sky and the sun, and everything was pitch black.

The students all crouched in the hotel’s front plaza, staring in shock at the nearby Fengdu Ghost City Scenic Area.

There, the sky was filled with black clouds, with lightning and thunder, black and yellow swirling within the clouds, and golden Yang energy burning in the sky.

Ming Yue didn’t even care about the injury on her arm anymore. She stared at the strange phenomenon in the Ghost City, clicking her tongue:

"Plans can’t keep up with changes."

"…"

The students were all stunned by the scene.

Chen Xiu was able to keep the situation under control. He stood up, pointed towards the Ghost City direction, and his face showed no fear:

"Did you all see that?"

"After midnight tonight, it’s exam day!"

"Sharpen your blades, open your eyes wide. That ghostly, demonic city is the battlefield."

"Get ready, and bear the honor of this generation of Feng Ling!"