Chapter 321: Victim of Fate

One second, two seconds.

Lu Mu suddenly caught on.

"....... Do you want me to take you two up again?!"

Lu Mu's voice instantly rose, and the coin slipped from his fingers, clinking as it rolled into the corner.

"Gliding down from above and carrying people up aren't even the same level; that's the Floating City!"

"You can do it," Bai Mu Yun said, his tone even carrying sincere encouragement.

"I can't!!"

Lu Mu was about to continue protesting when Bai Mu Yun slightly turned, casting a glance behind Lu Mu.

Lu Mu froze.

He mechanically turned his head, frame by frame.

Fang Zhiyan was standing not far behind, having taken off his iconic white coat; he now wore only a simple dark shirt.

At this moment, he was lightly waving at Lu Mu.

His dark‑red eyes held a faint smile, his tone as gentle as if inviting a subordinate to have afternoon tea with him.

"Don't worry," Fang Zhiyan said, "I know your weight and strength."

He paused, and the smile seemed to deepen slightly.

"Go up; you won't need to join the subsequent plan, and we'll remember to bring you when we evacuate."

Lu Mu: "........"

Lu Mu opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He looked at Bai Mu Yun, then at Fang Zhiyan.

Bai Mu Yun's expression was "I've already done my best."

Fang Zhiyan's expression was "You can of course refuse, but I don't know whether you'd like the consequence."

Lu Mu was silent for three seconds.

Then he bent down, retrieved the coin from the corner, and slipped it into his pocket.

"....... When do we depart?" he asked, his voice sounding as if squeezed out of his teeth.

Fang Zhiyan smiled.

"Now."

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Shen Zexi pushed open the half‑old wooden door; inside were piles of bundled uniforms and assorted junk, and a logistics teacher wearing reading glasses was buried in a notebook, looking up only when he heard a sound.

"Classmate, collecting the school uniform?"

"Yes, Shen Zexi, Ying Duo......." he began reciting names skillfully.

The teacher lowered his head to search the records, his finger running down the list line by line; a few seconds later he let out an "oh" before looking up.

"Mercenary Corps 'Version Answer', right? A few sets of your corps' uniforms have already been taken."

Shen Zexi was startled by the words.

"Taken by someone?"

"Hmm, the registration shows a student named Luo Jinyou collected them together," the teacher adjusted his glasses.

"Didn't you both register for the same Mercenary Corps? Anyone can collect on behalf, so there was no obstacle."

Shen Zexi felt surprised, yet it seemed expected.

Luo Jinyou is always meticulous, and he was the only one who stayed inside the Academy......

"...... Alright, thank you, teacher."

Shen Zexi turned to leave, but the teacher called him again.

"Hey? Classmate, wait a moment."

Shen Zexi halted his steps.

The teacher laboriously dragged out a slightly crushed cardboard box from under the counter, its corners still sealed with a "Checked" sticker; the box was small, its edges a bit worn.

"The Supervision Bureau just sent this; they've inspected it and found no issues. See if it's for members of your corps?"

Shen Zexi lowered his head, looking at the box.

The box wasn't sealed; its edge was slightly lifted, revealing a corner of familiar fabric. Shen Zexi glanced at the list on it, which indeed listed every member of their corps.

But why was something that should have been taken by Luo Jinyou appearing here?

Shen Zexi's finger lingered on the box rim for a moment, "Teacher, did something happen to Luo Jinyou...?"

The logistics teacher's movement paused.

He took off his reading glasses, slowly wiping the lenses with his shirt cuff, silent for a few seconds.

"....... Are you the Regiment Leader of your Mercenary Corps?"

"I am the Deputy Regiment Leader."

"In principle, we shouldn't disclose this to students," he said while wiping the lenses, his voice gradually lowering, "but I've at least watched the Luo kid grow up, and you are one of his rare friends."

He paused at that point.

"That kid may not survive."

Shen Zexi said nothing.

He just stood there, his fingers gripping the box turning slightly pale.

"When I arrived on site, he had already lost self‑awareness," the teacher spoke slowly, each word carefully considered.

"His body was covered with strange markings, spreading from his neck to his face; horns grew on his head, a tail swayed behind, scraping the floor tiles."

He shook his head.

The Supervision Bureau agents arrived quickly and on the spot classified him as a "high‑risk Mutation individual"; Professor Luo De'an blocked them from killing him on the spot, saying that Luo Jinyou might still be saved....

"But that appearance," the teacher's voice lowered further, "how does it still look like a student?"

Shen Zexi still did not speak; his gaze fell on the badge on the school uniform inside the cardboard box, unmoving.

"How could he suddenly undergo a Mutation?"

His voice was unusually steady; he remembered that Luo Jinyou's tolerance to Mutation should be gradually increasing.

The teacher sighed and rubbed the bridge of his forehead.

"Who knows? This morning there was another Mutation alert and the Supervision Bureau, claiming they had captured suspicious intruders from outside the Academy, but the dead stayed dead, the living couldn't speak for now, and the Academy is still investigating."

He glanced at Shen Zexi, probably thinking the student was a bit too calm.

"Don't overthink it; this kind of thing........ no one could have foreseen it. Go back and hand out the uniforms to your teammates, attend class if you must, our lives still have to go on."

Shen Zexi nodded, thanked the logistics teacher who had shared the information, and left the office cradling the cardboard box.

The corridor was empty; afternoon sunlight slanted in through the windows, casting orderly square patterns on the floor tiles.

Shen Zexi's steps were steady, as if nothing had happened.

He walked step by step toward the laboratory.

He recalled the first time he saw Luo Jinyou.

Luo Jinyou didn't speak much, but acted with great discretion; at critical moments he never faltered, always managing to shield the most damage at the front.

Shen Zexi knew there were secrets about Luo Jinyou, such as Professor Luo De'an's over‑protection of him and his extremely low tolerance to Mutation.

But Shen Zexi had never pressed for those.

He didn't like probing others' secrets.

And those patterns, those horns, that tail—was it really Luo Jinyou's fault?

He just happened to be there.

And happened to encounter something he shouldn't have.

Just by chance........ he was chosen by "Fate" and became a sacrifice.

Suddenly, Shen Zexi stopped, lowered his head, and looked at the cardboard box in his arms that clearly had endured some setbacks.

Ying Duo's face suddenly flashed in his mind.

How should he tell Ying Duo?

"Your roommate, the Luo Jinyou who always plays games with you, is turning into a monster and might not survive tonight."

His voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible, like a sigh scattered by the wind.

"....... Again, like this."