Chapter 78: There

W-What's happening?

Wasn't it that Luo Jinyou's body had another abnormality?

Why is the atmosphere in the infirmary so… eerie?

Professor Luo De'an has a young man in an assistant uniform behind him, clutching several thick works on Mutation studies.

His hair is somewhat long, apparently unkempt for a while; after seeing Teacher Li Ya's murderous expression, he flinched, lowered his eyebrows and tried to make himself less noticeable.

Professor Luo De'an scanned the infirmary, then finally fixed his gaze on Teacher Li Ya, and spoke with full of doubt.

"Teacher Li Ya? What happened here? Luo Jinyou…"

Teacher Li Ya finally recovered from the huge shock of the scanner's destruction.

She snapped her head back, stared intently at Professor Luo De'an, her eyes complex beyond description, trembling as she pointed a finger at the indifferent Ying Duo beside her, her voice quivering with a sob, as if she were about to shatter:

"Prof… professor… the Mutation Source, we've found it…"

"It's… it's him!!"

"And he also dismantled my Detection Device!!!"

The last sentence was almost shouted, sounding like a primary schooler accusing a desk‑mate of tearing his homework in front of the teacher.

Professor Luo De'an was clearly stunned: "......?"

The assistant youth behind them quietly shifted half a step back, clutching his books tighter, feeling the pressure here so low it made him want to flee— the lab would be better.

Ying Duo blinked, still looking innocent and harmless; Professor Luo De'an glanced at him, then at the trembling Teacher Li Ya, still completely baffled.

"Teacher Li Ya, please calm down first."

Professor Luo De'an's steady voice carried a soothing power; he stepped forward and gently pressed his hand on Teacher Li Ya's still‑shaking shoulder.

"Take your time—what exactly happened? The Mutation Source found? How does it relate to Ying Duo? And… what's the story with the Detection Device?"

Under his reassurance, Teacher Li Ya took several deep breaths.

She forced down the urge to dismantle Ying Duo into parts and keep the Detection Device company, and described the recent findings and Ying Duo's "atrocity" in the most concise language possible.

"…that's it, Professor! Ying Duo's hair is the Mutation Source attached to Luo Jinyou! And my Detection Device—he touched it and it turned into a pile of parts!"

Each word came as if squeezed from between her teeth, and she felt her heart hurting.

But who could be blamed? Ying Duo's mind? Or her for not reacting to a freshman's move?

Professor Luo De'an listened, furrowed his brows tightly, and his face showed unprecedented solemnity.

He looked at Ying Duo's short Ying Guang Lu hair, and a hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

"Someone… with a Mutation Source atop their head?"

Even the well‑read Professor Luo De'an felt this exceeded his comprehension.

Mutations usually occur in living tissue; hair is keratin, technically dead, so theoretically it's hard to be a stable Mutation Source, let alone such a…

high‑profile and stable form.

He immediately linked it to Ying Duo's abnormal mental state.

Could it be… that Ying Duo's mental issues aren't from an Aberrant Arts awakening mishap, but from the long‑term influence of this Mutation Source pressed to the scalp?

Regardless, what they must do is clear.

The top priority is to eliminate this Mutation Source that threatens Ying Duo and other students.

Professor Luo De'an turned to Ying Duo, his tone as gentle as possible.

"Ying Duo, for your health and your roommate's safety, your hair… must be dealt with immediately; don't worry, it's just a simple trim."

Yang Yixie, hearing that they wanted to touch the hard‑won Ying Guang Lu hair, instantly refused.

He had fought for this Ying Guang Lu hair for a long time.

"No."

His refusal was crisp; his golden eyes left no room for negotiation: "No one may touch my hair."

It's a symbol of player customization, comparable to top‑tier gear appearance! How can they just cut it?!

Professor Luo De'an patiently tried persuading several times, from personal health risks to collective safety, but Ying Duo's reply remained a firm "No".

Seeing verbal persuasion fail, Professor Luo De'an knew forced measures were needed.

Ying Duo's own mental issues made him unaware of the danger his actions posed to himself and others.

He silently gave Teacher Li Ya a look; she understood, nodded slightly, and prepared to cooperate with the professor to forcibly restrain Ying Duo and carry out the "Hair‑cut Operation".

However, as their gazes continued to exchange and muscles tensed slightly,

In Ying Duo's view, Professor Luo De'an and Teacher Li Ya's heads suddenly displayed bright red Blood Bars and level tags indicating hostile status.

【Professor Luo De'an Lv. 47】

【Teacher Li Ya Lv. 45】

Whoa! Two elite monsters?

Both over level 40 high‑elite—how do we fight them?

Yang Yixie made an instant judgment.

Almost the second the NPC's red Blood Bar appeared, he immediately sprang into action.

Whoosh!

Seizing the precious gap while the two "elite monsters" were still exchanging glances, Ying Duo spun sharply and sprinted straight toward the infirmary's open window.

"He's trying to run!"

Professor Luo De'an reacted instantly, seeing him press his hand in the air.

"Boom!"

A stone earth wall rose instantly from the ground, sealing the window shut solidly.

However, they still underestimated a player with the 【Modification】 skill and a backpack full of dangerous items's on‑the‑spot adaptability.

Faced with the sudden obstacle, Ying Duo's charging motion didn't pause in the slightest; his hand instantly produced a crude pipe bomb he had made himself, as if by magic.

He didn't even look, he threw the bomb straight at the base of the earthen wall, and using the momentum of his charge he flung himself sideways.

"Boom——!!!"

A huge roar sounded; the hastily erected earthen wall remained standing, but its bottom was blasted open by the sudden explosion into a large hole.

Ying Duo emerged unscathed, sliding through the breach.

"Stop him!"

Professor Luo De'an was both shocked and angry, never expecting that this brat Ying Duo would be carrying such a dangerous item as a bomb; he waved his hand again, and several sharp stone spikes shot toward the window.

Their target was Ying Duo's calf, trying to keep him from escaping.

Feeling the fierce wind from behind, Ying Duo flipped his body and leapt out the window.

"Swish!"

The stone spikes missed his leg, but grazed his flying Ying Guang Lu hair as he fell.

Several strands of his Ying Guang Lu hair were cut off by the spikes, then a breeze blew them right into the room through the window.

Ying Duo himself landed successfully, then without looking back he sprinted along the Academy's winding paths and vanished in an instant.

"Professor! He got away!" Li Ya teacher looked at the wrecked infirmary, feeling breathless; if she had known things would turn out like this, she wouldn't have come in early today just to clean.

Professor Luo De'an took a deep breath and turned to the youthful assistant who had been standing silently by the door.

He had practically shrunk into a shadow in the corner, wishing no one would notice him.

"Collect that hair at once and send it for composition analysis and energy tracing! Quick!"

"Yes! Professor!"

The youthful assistant promptly responded, carefully picking up the few strands of hair emitting a faint green light from the rubble and dust and placing them into a sample bag.

His movements were swift, obviously he had done this countless times before.

When he raised his head again, he saw only the backs of Professor Luo De'an and Teacher Li Ya chasing after Ying Duo as they ran out of the infirmary; he sealed the sample bag, then quickly glanced at Luo Jinyou on the hospital bed.

It was just a hurried glance; he immediately resumed his inconspicuous demeanor, clutching those several heavy volumes on Mutation studies, slipped the sample bag into his pocket, and hurried away.