Chapter 356: Exit

She's looking at another sub‑screen—the surveillance view of the school classroom.

On the screen, the gray‑haired girl appears to be listening to the lesson, but the peripheral glint of her golden eyes is constantly fixed on several key figures in the classroom.

"A Xing…" Heimu muses.

An individual Star Core inherently possesses great resistance.

More importantly, in the system status bar, after A Xing's name hangs a tiny, joy‑infused marker—【Aha's Subtle Gaze】.

It is this marker that explains why A Xing initially did not, like others, plunge directly into the Illusion Realm.

When Huan Long's power erupted and pink spores swept the city, that tiny "small blessing" from the joyful Star God kept her conscious.

Afterward, A Xing herself voluntarily slipped into the Illusion Realm to protect San Yue Qi up close.

Since she could get in… in theory she can also get out when needed.

"System, evaluate the feasibility and risk of letting A Xing temporarily leave the current Illusion Realm to carry out an external Node purification Task."

【System】：Evaluating…

Forced‑exit success rate: 87.3%.

Risk: may trigger the Illusion Realm to adjust the vacant identity, causing her to be unable to seamlessly re‑enter with the same identity.

Heimu weighs the pros and cons.

Being unable to return easily is a loss, but solving the Node and weakening Huan Long's cocoon is a higher‑priority goal right now.

Moreover, having the two Chaldea members temporarily watch San Yue Qi doesn't seem… impossible?

With Tengwan Lixiang's experience and Mashu's sense of responsibility, they probably won't let that Fen Mao girl get into trouble… right?

"Done."

Heimu decides, "Send A Xing a command explaining the situation, letting her choose to stay or temporarily leave to carry out the external Task."

【System】：Command generated and sent.

Classroom

The math teacher is deriving a complex geometric proof on the blackboard, the rhythmic squeak of chalk against the board is hypnotic.

Most students are either listening attentively or drifting toward sleep.

A Xing sits upright, her golden eyes stare at the board, but her focus isn't on the figures or formulas.

(External Task: assist in clearing the Illusion Realm's supporting Node.)

(Risk: after exiting, difficult to return via the original path.)

(Command suggestion: decide for yourself.)

A Xing hesitates hardly at all.

Protecting San Yue Qi is an important mission, but eliminating the Illusion Realm's source is a higher‑priority command.

She needs to create a plausible "exit" method.

The moment is now.

Just as the teacher turns around, at the instant he writes the crucial auxiliary line on the board—

A Xing "swish"—stands up in an instant.

The wooden chair scrapes the floor, producing a clear sound that stands out in the quiet classroom.

The whole class, including the teacher at the podium, directs their gazes toward her in unison.

"Student Xing?"

The math teacher pushes up his glasses, a bit startled, "Do you have a problem?"

San Yue Qi also startles, whispering, "Xing! What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

She sees A Xing's profile; that expression… calm to an extreme, even bearing a resolute indifference.

A Xing ignores the teacher's and classmates' questions.

Her gaze sweeps across half the classroom, landing precisely on Tengwan Lixiang.

Tengwan Lixiang also looks at her.

Their eyes meet again in the air.

No spark, no hostility, only a gaze of entrustment.

The wind outside the window stirs the curtains, and sunlight casts wavering shadows between them.

Time seems stretched; all the classroom's clamor fades, leaving only this silent exchange.

San Yue Qi watches this familiar scene (how many times now?!), her mouth twitches, and she can't help whispering, "Hey! You two! Stop staring forever! It's class time! Xing, what on earth are you doing?!?"

A Xing still pays no heed to San Yue Qi's chatter.

She looks at Tengwan Lixiang, her lips move slightly, silent, but she clearly forms the words:

"Help me, take good care of her."

Tengwan Lixiang's pupils constrict slightly.

She understands.

This "her" undoubtedly refers to San Yue Qi.

What does that mean? Is she leaving?

Before the question is clarified, A Xing has already begun to act.

Under the shocked gazes of the whole class, she walks steadily to the window on one side of the room—it's on the third floor.

"Student Xing! What are you doing?! Come back quickly!" the teacher, realizing something's wrong, shouts urgently.

Other students also gasp.

A Xing reaches out, cleanly and decisively unlocks the lock, then pushes with both hands!

"Wha—"

The window swung open, and a breeze instantly surged into the classroom.

Then, under everyone's incredulous stare, A Xing braced the windowsill with one hand, leapt up with extraordinary lightness, and steadily stood on the windowsill that was only wide enough for a single foot!

She faced the classroom, her back to the void beyond the third‑floor window, the hem of her school uniform jacket fluttering rustily in the wind.

"Star—!!!"

San Yue Qi's face turned deathly pale, she sprang to her feet, and her voice changed tone.

Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu also sprang up instantly, reacting extremely quickly, each on the left and right, ready to rush forward.

But A Xing moved even faster.

She stood on the sill and took one last deep look at the classroom—her gaze swept over the death‑pale San Yue Qi, over the bewildered faces of Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu, and over the shocked, stunned teachers and classmates.

That look was Calm and still, yet seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.

Then, she made a move that stopped everyone's hearts—

No hesitation, no shout, not even a glance downward.

She tilted her body back slightly, her arms spreading naturally.

A clean, decisive, backward‑facing free‑fall motion.

"No—!!!"

Amid San Yue Qi's gut‑wrenching scream and the whole class's cries, A Xing's figure vanished from the sill in an instant, plummeting downward!

"Senior!"

Mashu shouted in alarm; Tengwan Lixiang, already at the window, rushed with her, and they both lunged to the opening, anxiously looking down—

The cement floor beneath the Teaching Building was completely empty.

There was no shattered, gruesome scene as expected, no blood, not even the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

A Xing... disappeared.

Like a drop of water merging into the sea, a pixel erased from the picture.

There was no trace indicating that anyone had just jumped from the third floor.

"Dis—disappeared?" a classmate who had run to the window stammered.

"How could..."

"Call the police! Quickly get the teacher!"

The classroom descended into chaos.

The teacher, panicked, ran out to find other staff. The students crowded at the window, chatting wildly, their faces full of fear and disbelief.

Only Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu, after the initial shock, quickly exchanged a glance.

(It wasn't suicide, it was an escape.)

Tengwan Lixiang's expression grew solemn.

(She used some method we don't know, forcibly leaving this Illusion Realm. That final sentence... was a commission.)

Mashu nodded, her violet eyes turning toward the not‑faraway San Yue Qi, surrounded by a few girls offering comfort, yet still pale‑faced and staring blankly out the window.

(She asked us to look after classmate San Yue Qi... Senior, we... )

(Since we received the commission, we must do our best.)

Tengwan Lixiang inhaled deeply, suppressing the shock and myriad questions in her heart.

This star classmate's way of acting truly... earth‑shattering.

(First, soothe San Yue Qi and the other classmates, then... we must accelerate our investigation of this Illusion Realm. Her sudden departure suggests something larger may be happening outside.)