The mentors’ admission was greeted by a gloomy silence, and they all looked at the generous pile of resources lying before them. They wished they were not there.
Delivered just two hours ago…
Which meant that they would have to wait seven days for the next opportunity?
So many things could happen in seven days!
What if the Heavenly Disaster Class Other came? How would they defend themselves?
Despondent curses were muttered, and the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty was thick in the air.
“We should have come faster,” Qiu Bai said, frustrated.
“We came as quickly as we could already,” Tian Tian said impatiently. “We didn’t stop to rest at all. And who could’ve guessed that it was going to be a two-hour margin?”
“Shame…” Xin Fu sighed.
Jiang Qing’e recovered quickly. “First, we should get the news back to the school. Hopefully, they can think of something.” The other mentors nodded.
One of them pulled out a bright, green leaf and offered it to Jiang Qing’e. She clasped it flat between her palms.
Closing her eyes, a thin wafer of light was soon imbued into the leaf, along with a message that would be transmitted back.
This done, she walked to the ancient tree root in the middle of the stone tower and pasted the leaf firmly against it.
Gradually, the leaf faded into the root and disappeared.
The news had been sent, but it would take a while for it to arrive back outside.
“I just hope the thing is out there eating its fill and doesn’t come here,” Qiu Bai prayed fervently.
“Best not pin our hopes on our enemy’s failures,” Li Luo said. “Mentors, can we send out a warning to call back all of the squads still out there?”
They hesitated. “Well, the warning call has a limited radius, and only those nearby will hear it. Also…
“Only you six know about the Heavenly Disaster Class Other. The other students might not believe it. And if we call them back before things are confirmed, and nothing happens to persuade them, I’m afraid…”
His voice trailed off in a silent plea for them to understand. They did. If nothing happened, the students would be outraged, thinking that Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e were playing some sort of prank to obstruct them from getting points.
That was an understandable opinion to hold. After all, each squad only left once they had made plans down to the very last detail. No one would appreciate such meticulous plans being dashed.
“I will do what must be done,” Jiang Qing’e said quietly. “Sound the alarm. I will bear what responsibility I can.”
She did not care whether they believed her or not. The more stragglers there were out there, the more easy prey there would be for the enemy. They would be turned into puppets under its control, and turned against the humans.
The mentors were persuaded, and they activated the tower. A high-pitched keening sounded, then energy waves began to fly out far into the distance.
The energy waves were invisible to their eye, but they felt it on their greenwood comforters, which turned warm in response.
Any student that the energy could reach would feel the same warmth.
It should send all of them running back to see what had happened.
The more squads gathered here, the better their chances of success if the Heavenly Disaster Class attacked. Safety and strength in numbers.
As Jiang Qing’e’s group walked out of the stone tower, they saw that the students within the purified spot had all gathered. They were looking at her curiously, wondering why the alarm had been sounded.
Yi Lisha, Si Qiuying, and Qian Ye were among them, but they knew what had happened. Still, they were surprised that Jiang Qing’e and Li Luo had managed to convince the mentors to sound the alarm.
It meant things were serious.
The squads were crowding around, trying to demand an explanation from the mentors at the stone tower, but they refused to answer, saying that they would explain once everyone was gathered.
The squads stood there, hungry for answers and unhappy about it.
Half a day passed.
The crowd was swelling now, more and more squads returning. At the same time, the unhappy muttering was growing louder.
They questioned each other in belligerent tones, loud enough for the mentors to hear. Why were they back?
Jiang Qing’e judged the time to be right. She signaled to Li Luo, and the two of them stepped out.
Her reputation was enough to silence them, and they gave their full, rapt attention to the undisputed goddess of the Three Star Hall.
She looked at each of them deliberately, her honey-golden eyes setting hearts racing. The tilt of her chin was a cool, unspoken challenge to each of them, and none of them dared to think themselves worthy of this proud girl.
They looked away before she did, bashfully, before they lost control of themselves.
Li Luo was quite a looker himself, but beside Jiang Qing’e, he was overshadowed by a considerable margin. Where he was usually dazzling, he was now barely a spark of interest shining in some of the girls’ eyes. Everyone else was looking at his fiancee.
“We met a roaming Other in the outer regions. It is likely a Heavenly Disaster Class, so we sounded the alarm. We suspect that it will eventually move towards this location. All those outside are in grave danger.”
Jiang Qing’e spoke in an even tone, laying out the facts simply. Here, the facts were all that were needed. They were shocking enough without any dressing up.
“Heavenly Disaster Class?!”
“Why would something like that appear here?!” A loud clamor began, disbelief thick within the voices.
If not for Jiang Qing’e’s incredible reputation in school, she would have been jeered away already for causing a needless panic.
Even as it was, there were many not ready to believe her.
“I hope that all of you can remain here at the purified spot and not go out for missions. Wait for the school’s support,” Jiang Qing’e said.
They looked at each other. Staying at the purified spot was worth zero points. That was going to be a hard loss to bear.
A Three Star Hall student finally spoke up. “Jiang Qing’e, are you saying that you saw that Heavenly Disaster Class with your own two eyes?”
“We did not,” she said, shaking her head. “We came across a corrupting illusion realm that it left behind, and judged from its strength that the creator must be of that class.”
“But there are Disaster Class Others who are good at corrupting illusion realms. They might have misled you. And an ordinary Disaster Class is not enough to warrant this extent of precaution,” the Three Star Hall student countered reasonably.
Others nodded in agreement. No one wanted to waste their time growing old here.
“Senior Jiang, you wouldn’t have failed to clear the level three purification tower and then cooked this up to hold the rest of us back, would you?” a voice shouted in accusation.
Song Qiuyu.
“What are you on about? Would someone of Jiang Qing’e’s strength and character do that?” The Three Star Hall students turned on Song Qiuyu in an instant, defending their queen.
“Am I unreasonable to doubt? Staying here is a waste of time. We haven’t even seen any sign of that Heavenly Disaster Class Other. How do we know it’s real?” Song Qiuyu defended herself furiously.
There were a few slow nods in her favor, and angry voices started to argue urgently.
“Peace,” Jiang Qing’e called, and there was silence. “Firstly, I am not stopping you from leaving if you wish.
“Secondly, I don’t think we are the only ones who have encountered its traces already.” Her cool, golden eyes roved through the crowd, and a fearful silence greeted her.
“Perhaps some of you have met it already.
“Perhaps some of you… are already corrupted.”