Chapter 47: The Lone Wolf

The monitor and Xiaoying supported each other as they returned to the resting area.

"Water..."

"Oh!" The girl called Xiaoying was quite quick-witted; she immediately unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and fed it to the monitor.

"Phew~ I'm brought back to life."

"Monitor, how did you get this investigator's uniform?"

"How else could I get it? This kind of gear can only be issued by the Investigation Bureau. The reason they gave it to us is obviously because we helped out."

"You helped the Investigation Bureau? Could it be!" Xiaoying's round, dark pupils widened in astonishment. "You assisted them in capturing a genuine Doppelganger!"

"You're quite smart, Xiaoying~ No wonder your academic scores and logical analysis always rank in the top ten."

"Hehe." For some reason, whenever the monitor praised her, she felt an indescribable surge of happiness. "By the way, monitor, you mentioned 'us' just now? I didn't see anyone else wearing the same outfit as you."

"He chose a different reward."

"He? Is it Rodi?"

The monitor did not answer directly, only smiling gently as she patted Xiaoying's head.

Xiaoying seemed to enjoy the physical contact very much, muttering softly, "No wonder your relationship has gotten so close~ Last semester you only ate together, but coming into this new semester..."

"Xiaoying, you don't happen to have a crush on Rodi, do you?"

"No! Really, no." Xiaoying shook her head and hands rapidly in perfect synchronization.

"I've caught you secretly observing Rodi several times during PE class, you know. Let me whisper a secret: we aren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet. If you like him, we can compete fairly."

"Only your grades will allow you to go to the same place as Rodi after graduation. We aren't in the same league. But I'll work hard too, striving to pass the municipal district staffing examination."

"Xiaoying, would you like to eat with us from now on? I remember you always go to the cafeteria alone."

"R-really? Can I?"

"Why not? Aren't we classmates?"

"Okay..." For some reason, even though it was just an ordinary invitation to share a meal, Xiaoying felt her tear glands spinning out of control, and her vision blurred slightly.

Just then, the sound of bodies colliding echoed through the space, instantly pulling the attention of both girls back to the center.

On the arena floor, all four members including Gao Yuxuan had been eliminated, while Rodi seemed to have chosen not to cooperate with his teammates, standing alone in a remote corner.

Xiaoying hastily wiped away her tears and focused on the ongoing match. "What's happening? Rodi doesn't seem to be coordinating with the vice-monitor and the others in their attack."

The monitor whispered softly, "Yes, he has to. Can you guess the reason, Xiaoying?"

Xiaoying touched her head. "The reason... hmm~ The only difference about Rodi compared to before is that blade in his hand. Plus, monitor, you mentioned earlier that both of you received rewards from the Investigation Bureau. Since they could give you an investigator's uniform, Rodi's reward certainly wouldn't be inferior. Could that blade..."

"Xiaoying is indeed clever~ Watch closely; what comes next should be the most spectacular show of the night."

...

Inside the arena.

The head teacher stared at Rodi, who had abandoned his teammates and chosen to become a "lone wolf."

Though he considered Rodi to be his finest prospective talent, this kind of behavior was precisely what he despised the most.

"Never abandon, never give up" was a vital ethos he brought from his homeland, and he had successfully instilled it in every student through his teachings.

Now, he decided to unleash his full strength to dent Rodi's ungrounded confidence.

Just as the head teacher stepped forward, Rodi—who had been standing motionless—also began to advance.

Their paces were nearly identical, and their gazes locked onto one another.

The head teacher felt a slight surge of surprise. He could not detect any trace of arrogance in Rodi's eyes; there was only the same cold focus and composure he always showed.

Just as the two of them were about to cross into striking range, Rodi chose to seize the initiative, executing a rapid step to close the distance. He swung his blade forward in a brutal, straightforward chopping motion reminiscent of a movie slasher.

Heavy and powerful, it descended vertically.

However,

such an attack might work against ordinary people, but in the eyes of the battle-hardened head teacher, it was riddled with flaws—too obvious in its telegraphing, an excessively wide swing, and a single-minded mode of attack.

Aside from brute force and precision, it was entirely the kind of clumsy movement only a novice would make.

With a swift side-step and pivot, the head teacher easily evaded the strike, fluidly whipping out his mechanical baton directly toward Rodi's wrist.

This close-range, lightning-fast strike would not only disarm the opponent but might even fracture the wrist. The outcome was practically decided.

Xiaoying in the resting area noticed this and couldn't help whispering, "Oh no!"

Clang!

A sound resembling striking iron reverberated through the hall.

Just as the head teacher was startled by the unusual feedback from the impact, Rodi's downward-chopping blade abruptly reversed 180 degrees, sweeping upward in a counter-slash.

Danger!

His body driving his feet, the head teacher swiftly flashed backward, instantly putting a distance of over five meters between them.

A few strands of hair on his forehead had been sheared off, and he could catch a faint stench of corpses and decay lingering in the air.

The entire arena fell silent.

Everyone was struck dumb with shock. Even Gao Yuxuan, who already knew the true nature of the weapon, wore an expression of disbelief, as this was his first time witnessing [Zombification].

Beside them, Xiaoying clutched her chest, trying her best to slow her racing heartbeat.

The head teacher stared at Rodi's zombified right forearm, his previous prejudice instantly vanishing.

"So that's it. Is this why you 'abandoned' your teammates? A corner-tier artifact, possessing inherent stealth characteristics that even managed to fool me. Students who have never encountered anomalous events will indeed be directly influenced by these things, even developing cognitive corners. To think such items can now be given to minors? And judging by your proficiency, you must have possessed this for quite some time. Who gave it to you?"

"The Municipal Research Bureau."

"Can the [Zombification] granted by this item be completely reversed afterward without leaving side effects?"

"Yes."

"Very well~ Continue!"

Rodi's sword technique was crude, basically copying the movements of movie murderers combined with the basic skills learned in regular PE classes. At most, he supplemented them with his enhanced physical body to boost his striking speed and power.

Such simple moves could hardly injure the head teacher.

However,

Rodi always managed to harden his arm at the precise moment to block incoming damage, then exploited the opening created by the block to launch a highly threatening counter-attack.

For a moment, he actually fought evenly back and forth with the head teacher.

Yet... the variables remained limited to just that.

Meanwhile, the head teacher had numerous ways to change his tactics.

The mechanical baton, previously used merely for suppression and strikes, suddenly altered its trajectory, thrusting forward like a spear.

Rodi had no time to react; the speed was even greater than that of the spider woman.

Whoosh! The tip of the mechanical baton jabbed squarely between his collarbones, causing a momentary suffocation.

The next second, Rodi felt an undefended kick land squarely on his abdomen, sending his entire body flying nearly ten meters back, almost sliding out of the arena bounds.

The surrounding students quickly stepped back, fearing contamination by the aura of the zombie.

Holding his struck neck, Rodi sat up slowly with his back against the wall, then glanced at the time on his watch.

"Six minutes? Much worse than expected."

Rodi was dissatisfied with his performance, but he received a nod of approval from the head teacher's eyes.

Shortly after, the next group of students took the floor.

As the sparring for the entire class concluded, Rodi had essentially locked in the highest score in the class, though his overall grade ranking would depend on the final statistics.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the head teacher walked over to the resting area and stood before Rodi.

"You've decided to use this weapon long-term instead of the field combat straight saber I usually teach, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"With your scores, the night training might not fall under my jurisdiction. However, daytime physical education is still taught by me. Since you insist on this most direct style of chopping and slashing, I will teach you some special techniques during free time in PE class. Our homeland once had the Great刀 Team (Dao-swordsmen units) resisting the Eastern Island invaders back then; this kind of close-combat hacking technique was never lost just because the war ended."

"Thank you, instructor."