"It's medicine, but it tastes surprisingly pleasant," Su said, watching Mu Qingyun chew enthusiastically. He could not help but smile faintly.
She was, admittedly, quite adorable.
Mu Qingyun glanced down at the water she had just boiled. "It's ready. Go ahead and prepare your portion."
"Alright." Su nodded and began working with the water. After a moment, as if something had come to mind, he spoke in a hushed voice, "I heard that after the first trial, the First Commander seeks out individuals he finds impressive, to cultivate them as successors."
"His successor?" Mu Qingyun raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "But he's still quite young. Does he really need to find a successor so soon?"
"I'm not sure," Su admitted, lowering his gaze as he sipped his water. "It's just a rumor I bought from someone in the military academy. Either way, I'm not getting my hopes up. But you, Mu-ge... I think you have a real shot."
"Me?" She shook her head with a soft chuckle. "There are many powerful students in this trial. Just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they aren't here."
Su remained silent for a beat, then lowered his eyes again and said, "If, after the first trial, Su Qiluo comes to you and says he wants to train you... would you accept?"
That question caused Mu Qingyun to fall uncharacteristically quiet.
Would she accept?
Truthfully, she did not know.
There were many factors to consider, and her mindset could shift at any moment. Just because she was willing now didn't mean she would be later.
"I'm not sure," she murmured with a sigh. "Even if I'm willing now, I might not be later. But... if Su Qiluo really does come find me, I would be quite curious to see for myself what this First Commander, praised so highly, is truly capable of."
"Then I suppose you'll only know once you meet him." Su smiled faintly, a flicker of anticipation passing through his gaze. He was curious too—curious about how Mu Qingyun would react when she finally encountered Su Qiluo.
"I'm quite looking forward to it," she added, tilting her head.
Hearing that, Su raised his brows. "You're looking forward to him?"
"Of course. Who wouldn't look forward to meeting a strong individual?" she replied with conviction. "The weak fear the strong—uncertain if they'll be protected or bullied. But the strong anticipate others even stronger than themselves. They want to understand what gives those people the right to be even stronger."
Su chuckled softly at her words. His eyes gleamed with subtle emotion—he too was looking forward to the day he could meet her using his true identity.
Suddenly, a sharp scream echoed from outside the building.
It sounded like Bai Feifei.
The moment the sound hit their ears, Mu Qingyun and Su exchanged glances and immediately dashed outside.
Bang!
As the door swung open, Bai Feifei spotted Mu Qingyun. She abandoned all sense of propriety and rushed into her arms, clinging to her tightly.
Her small face was buried in Mu Qingyun's shoulder, and her entire body trembled. She was clearly terrified, low whimpers escaping her lips. Mu Qingyun could feel a patch of moisture soaking through her shoulder.
Looking past Bai Feifei, even Mu Qingyun—a woman who had seen much—could not help but break out in goosebumps at the scene before her.
A dense, seemingly endless horde of rats had gathered just beyond them. These were not ordinary rats—they were mutated, each one slightly oversized and grotesquely twisted, clustered into a pulsing, black mass.
It would have been manageable if they were merely a dark tide. After all, it was similar to the Zerg. But the glowing green light in their eyes shimmered eerily in the night, chilling to the bone.
Their sharp teeth were bared, mouths curled into unnatural grins—expressions that sent shivers down the spine.
"These don't look like virtual creatures," Su said with a furrowed brow, studying the approaching mass. Despite the horror, he remained calm—he had seen worse.
But for the others, especially those newly experiencing the academy's trials, this might have been their first real taste of fear.
"Help... help..." Bai Feifei weakly pleaded, clinging to Mu Qingyun's waist. Her voice was faint and trembling. Then, perhaps overwhelmed by the horror, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
Had she been scared unconscious?
Mu Qingyun instinctively caught her and laid her gently on the ground, eyes fixed on the advancing rats.
[What the hell is that? That's disgusting! Help!]
[God, midnight horror strikes again! Why are there such things here?!]
[Those who just started watching this year, take note. Last year, this happened too. Mutated rat swarms tend to move at night. If you're unlucky enough to run into one, well... good luck.]
[Yeah, and because they move so fast, even pressing the emergency button might not buy enough time for the rescue team to arrive.]
[Wait—so Mu-ge and the others are screwed?]
[When a rat swarm moves, it's usually out for blood. As much as I love Mu-ge, this time… she might not make it out.]
"Go wake the others," Su said, eyes locked on the swarm. There was no fear in his expression—only calculation. He was already thinking of ways to help without revealing too much.
"Got it."
Mu Qingyun frowned as she glanced at the commentary streaming from Bai Feifei's live feed.
Unfortunately, she was still in her recovery phase. Given the size of the rat swarm, she could not afford to get too close, let alone fight.
Now what?
"Xiong Ruoyou! Fan Xuanye! Kazel! Get up, now!" she yelled, rushing inside and banging furiously on the walls to rouse her teammates.
Xiong Ruoyou and Fan Xuanye had only just fallen asleep. They groaned in protest as they stirred, but the moment they reached the door and saw what lay beyond, their drowsiness vanished.
"What the hell is that?!"
"A rat swarm?" Kazel narrowed his eyes, stunned. He had not expected to encounter these things.
"Do any of you have anything with a strong smell—incense, perfume, anything pungent?" Mu Qingyun asked after a brief moment of thought.
She wasn't sure if mutated rats still feared strong scents, but at this point, any possibility was worth trying.
Strangely enough, the rats seemed hesitant. Though terrifying, they had not advanced further. If they could drive them off without fighting, that would be ideal.
[I just searched—rats do hate strong smells. Perfumes and incense might work.]
[But these are mutated creatures. Do the same rules still apply?]
[Who knows. Either way, they have no other options. Mu-ge is still weakened, Su is not strong, and the rest are beastfolk. They're outnumbered and outmatched.]
[And who the hell brings perfume to a trial?!]
"Nope."
As expected, everyone shook their heads.
They were here for combat, not a holiday. Who would bring something like that?