Chapter 59: A Familiar Voice and a New Target

“Perhaps not.”

The door was not quite closed, her hand already resting on the doorknob. A gentle push would grant her entry. Given the restroom’s modest size, she would easily spot the silver-haired loli once inside.

Yet, barging in felt somewhat inappropriate. She wouldn’t know how to initiate the conversation, and an ill-phrased question might provoke an adverse reaction, rendering her efforts entirely fruitless.

With that thought, she decided against it.

Just as she prepared to turn and depart, the phone in her pocket abruptly vibrated.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Young Miss, a suspected target has appeared.”

Hearing the voice from the other end, Mo Yuyan’s brow furrowed in a tight frown. Of all times, it had to be now.

She hastily ended the call, tucked her phone away, and rushed out of the teaching building. The emergence of a suspected target meant that her diligent efforts over these many days had not been in vain.

****

‘Huh? Was someone just outside the restroom?’

‘I could swear I heard a phone call. Moreover, that voice outside sounded somewhat familiar. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.’

‘Oh no, there’s no time left!’

Disregarding the identity of the familiar voice, I flung open the restroom door without checking if it closed behind me, then sprinted desperately towards the examination hall.

‘Please, please let me make it!’

Thankfully, I burst into the exam room a mere minute before it began, breathless but triumphant. My dramatic entrance once again drew the stares of everyone in the room except Huang Beifeng, causing a flush of embarrassment.

But making it on time overshadowed everything else, even if it meant I was half-dead from exhaustion.

Settling into my seat, I picked up the exam paper. A flicker of surprise crossed my face as I read the name of the question setter.

‘Lan Baiyuan? She set the questions? Then…’

As expected, at the very end, in the bonus question section, a peculiar prompt appeared.

[How does one view a forgotten moment in the long river of human history through a historical lens?]

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk. Though the bonus question isn’t worth many points, it’s free marks, so why not take them?’ I thought.

‘Still, I can’t help but wonder what her true intentions are for setting such a question.’

Without delving too deeply into thought, I simply recalled fragments of my conversation with her from that day. I synthesized her remarks, extracted the pertinent information, blended it with my own insights, and penned down my answer.

‘Whatever score I get, I get. I’ll just rely on the other questions to make up the difference.’

History questions were typically straightforward and didn’t demand much time. However, perhaps due to my earlier breathless dash, my concentration wavered, and my pace was significantly slower than usual.

Even after Huang Beifeng had finished her paper, I still hadn’t put down my pen.

A sigh escaped my lips as I finally set down my pen, realizing how little time remained. I would await the exam’s conclusion, the collection of papers, and then the next session.

A short break was always provided between exams, allowing students to recuperate and ensure they were in optimal condition for the subsequent tests. This downtime was, therefore, indispensable.

Yet, as I observed groups of students huddled together, comparing answers… ‘Whether your mental state remains unaffected after comparing answers, or if you can maintain a good mindset, that,’ I mused, ‘is beyond me.’

The three morning exams finally concluded, and it was time for school to dismiss.

Even after everyone else had departed, Huang Beifeng remained slumped dejectedly on her desk. In the past, when we weren’t in the same exam room, I would have had to trek to her classroom to find her.

Now, it was quite convenient; no extra trips were needed. Still, I had to drag her home.

Continuing to grasp her arm, I pulled Huang Beifeng out of the school gates and to the bus stop. Strangely, we always used to meet Senior Sister Mo Yuyan here while waiting for the bus. Why wasn’t she here today?

Not seeing her felt oddly unsettling; perhaps she had something urgent to attend to.

****

“Where is the suspected target?”

Mo Yuyan approached Lan Baiyuan, who stood by the rooftop railing, and inquired with a calm, even tone.

“Only suspected, not confirmed,” Lan Baiyuan replied, handing her binoculars to Mo Yuyan.

Peering through the binoculars in the direction Lan Baiyuan indicated, Mo Yuyan observed a casually dressed young man.

“He seems easy to approach. Why keep such a distance?” she questioned.

“Appearances can be deceiving, you know,” Lan Baiyuan countered. “Don’t let his honest demeanor fool you; the moment I try to approach him with *that thing*, he immediately puts distance between us.”

Pondering her words for a moment, Mo Yuyan asked, “Are you implying he can sense the presence of *that thing*?”

“That’s essentially it,” Lan Baiyuan confirmed. “Since we can’t properly identify him, we can only label him a suspect. That’s why I called you, Young Miss.”

If discreet observation and identification of the target were impossible, then only one method remained: forcibly apprehending him. Knowing her own limitations in close combat, it was indeed better to have Mo Yuyan handle it. To put it plainly, Mo Yuyan was there to do the heavy lifting.

“Shall I act directly, then?” Mo Yuyan asked.

She continued to observe the target. The man aimlessly wandering the streets remained utterly oblivious to the fact that he was being closely watched.

“Hold on,” Lan Baiyuan interjected. “I’ll devise a trap. It’s best not to engage him lightly without knowing his full strength.”

However, at that very moment, Mo Yuyan, who had been holding the binoculars, abruptly lowered them.

“No need,” she stated. “The leader has already taken care of it.”