A group of students exited the secret realm one after another. Ye Bai frowned and glanced at his watch.
It was now fifteen minutes to five in the afternoon.
According to the intel from the system, Li Weiyang was about to be attacked—shot, specifically. But where was the assassin?
From what the system indicated, Li Weiyang would be seriously injured. That meant the attack would be swift and sudden, catching her protectors off guard or arriving before they could react.
During the awakening, the school's electromagnetic shielding had already been activated. Zhang Lingxue had then led the students directly into the secret realm without delay, and Li Weiyang's Light Goddess Butterfly had been on alert for any strange fluctuations.
Li Weiyang, with her newly awakened A-level talent, should have been well-protected. By all logic, she should have been safe.
But it now seemed like there was a group specifically targeting individuals with rare talents.
There must be foreign spies embedded among the top officials of the Yanguo Alliance. Otherwise, how else could such confidential information have been leaked?
Everyone on Blue Star awakens different talents, but the Eye of Insight stands out as one of the most powerful.
While the Yanguo Alliance classifies talents simply into levels like S, A, B, C, and D, the League of Beautiful Nations designates the Eye of Insight as a strategic talent—one that can influence a nation's fate.
Li Weiyang's talent had already been reported by her homeroom teacher. With her awakening, she had effectively secured her spot in a top university.
Once she exited the secret realm, she was supposed to be under tight protection—guards stationed inside and out.
No one had anticipated that the assassin would strike during that small window when she emerged from the secret realm.
If someone wanted her blood, this was their only opportunity.
As for the wager Ye Bai made earlier, Li Weiyang likely didn't care. After all, people from top universities would soon take her away.
To everyone else, Ye Bai probably just seemed foolish—offering an empty promise in exchange for He Qingyuan's very real resources.
Li Weiyang and Ye Bai walked out of the secret realm, one after the other. Their homeroom teacher lagged slightly behind, verifying the number of pet beasts to be claimed.
It was just one minute before five.
Ye Bai looked around vigilantly.
He didn't detect anything unusual—for now. But his palms were sweating, and he exhaled slowly to calm himself.
On the rooftop of a high-rise building one kilometer from the secret realm, a blue-haired woman stepped out of the elevator and climbed over the barbed wire fencing.
After scanning the area, she found a perfect sniping position.
Only thirty seconds remained until five o'clock.
"Perfect, just in time," she murmured.
"Come out, Bullet Ant."
A slender, fiery-red ant appeared before her. It was tall and thin like a bamboo pole, its sharp eyes gleaming like blades. It had eight long legs used for stability and a swollen abdomen resembling a pregnant belly—housing an entire ant nest inside. Its wings were thin as gossamer.
At 1.5 meters long, it looked like a living sniper rifle.
The Bullet Ant was a rare battle pet capable of spitting Drill Ants and Demolition Ants, both the size of a thumb. Drill Ants could pierce through prey like bullets, while Demolition Ants exploded on impact.
However, Drill Ants were easier to produce than Demolition Ants.
The woman pulled out an eight-times zoom telescope and scoped out the exit of the secret realm.
Li Weiyang was walking out, with a handsome boy following close behind—likely a classmate.
"They're close. Good," she muttered.
"Bullet Ant, begin the attack."
"These newly awakened brats aren't worth a Demolition Ant. Use Drill Ants. Don't waste the good stuff."
A blue glint flashed in her eyes—she was sharing the Bullet Ant's vision via a contract.
The Bullet Ant opened its mouth and fired a Drill Ant. The projectile zipped through the air, glowing red-hot.
Cracks spread across the ground from where the Bullet Ant stood, and a wisp of white smoke curled from its jaws.
The woman sighed as she looked at Li Weiyang through the scope.
"What a shame. Such a beautiful girl with such poise... and she's about to die."
"Don't blame me—blame your rare talent."
"And blame yourself for being born in the Yanguo Alliance."
"We must eliminate every key element that could increase the Alliance's power."
"That's the mission of us assassins. I'm sorry."
Just seconds remained before five o'clock.
Suddenly, Ye Bai noticed the fiery red flash streaking through the air. With his enhanced senses from his awakened talent, he instantly realized something was wrong.
Li Weiyang continued walking casually, unaware of the danger.
But Ye Bai, with his photographic memory and advanced mental calculations, quickly predicted the projectile's trajectory—judging it based on wind speed and the bullet's velocity.
The Drill Ant was heading straight for her head.
"Watch out!" Ye Bai shouted.
He lunged forward, pushing Li Weiyang aside. The Drill Ant struck her shoulder blade instead, nicking Ye Bai's arm in the process.
Blood spurted like a fountain from her wound, splashing onto Ye Bai.
Unnoticed, the ancient jade pendant on Ye Bai's chest began to react. Once touched by blood, it absorbed it greedily before transforming into a beam of light and merging with Ye Bai's chest.
He felt a slight sting, but the pain in his arm overshadowed it.
"The enemy is attacking! Everyone scatter!" someone shouted.
The students scattered like startled birds. Only Ye Bai and Li Weiyang remained at the secret realm's entrance.
Even her sycophants, including He Qingyuan, fled without a second thought—He Qingyuan didn't even notice he'd lost a shoe.
Their guilty expressions quickly gave way to relief.
Hmph. Bootlickers and backups are useless, Li Weiyang thought bitterly. When it really matters, the person you least expect—Ye Bai—is the one who saves you.
From that moment on, she resolved to rely only on herself.
"Are you alright?" Ye Bai asked, pulling out a white towel to press against her bleeding shoulder.
She winced in pain. Meanwhile, Ye Bai's eyes gleamed with satisfaction—he had obtained her blood.
Later, he would find a safe place to freeze and store it.
As long as he could find the Seven Apertures Exquisite Jade, Ye Bai would be able to replicate the rare Eye of Insight talent.
"We need to leave—now," Li Weiyang said weakly.
The secret realm's guards had begun responding, rushing toward her to provide protection.
She was a key asset to the Yanguo League and could not be allowed to die.
But they were still a step too late.
On the rooftop, Assassin Z was livid.
Her original plan had been to shoot Li Weiyang straight through the head—but Ye Bai had ruined it.
Her perfectionist nature made her furious.
She bit her lip and ordered the Bullet Ant to fire again.
The ant launched another Drill Ant.
Ye Bai's body tensed. A chill ran down his spine—something was wrong.
Without hesitation, he summoned his Thousand Transformations Silkworm to block the shot.
Sorry, buddy. Better you than me. I'll mourn you next year and light incense at your grave, Ye Bai thought. I'll even close my eyes so I don't see you die.
Because the contract was new, the silkworm's death wouldn't hurt Ye Bai much.
There are three ways to break a pet contract: the pet dies, the pet master dies, or both agree to end it.
Boom!
The bullet hit the Thousand Transformations Silkworm. To Ye Bai's shock, the silkworm opened its blood-red eyes.
It had been asleep, but the pain to its rear jolted it awake. Letting out a piercing screech, it shot upward before crashing to the ground.
Ye Bai noticed a thumb-sized red ant with a twisted body and drill-like mouth on its backside.
Surprisingly, the silkworm's skin hadn't even broken—it was just slightly swollen.
"Incredible defense," Ye Bai muttered.
Assassin Z gritted her teeth and fired a third shot.
Just then, Zhang Lingxue emerged from the secret realm. Upon seeing her bloodied students, fury welled up inside her.
Someone had dared to attack them on her watch—inside their own territory.
She had been too careless.
(End