A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 716 - Chapter 716 Chapter 526 Midnight Shadow_1

Chapter 716: Chapter 526 Midnight Shadow_1 Chapter 716: Chapter 526 Midnight Shadow_1 No matter where it is, night-time campuses always give a sense of eeriness.

Royal Academy is no exception.

“Well, this atmosphere is indeed quite eerie,” Duanmu Huai, standing in the hallway and looking at the scene in front of him, couldn’t help but sigh. Schools, hospitals, amusement parks; these places often become the sets of horror movies and it’s not without reason. If forced to explain, one could say that the contrast of these lively places during the day and the quietness in the evening really rattles people.

Furthermore, Royal Academy, as a time-honored educational institution, has an antique and elegant decor. The cold moonlight spills through the corridor’s full-length windows, illuminating the paintings and decorations on the walls. It would almost seem a waste if nothing happened here.

By rights, at this point, Duanmu Huai should begin investigating clues, tracking leads, and then find out who the culprit is.

Regrettably…that’s too much trouble.

Furthermore, there are too few clues.

So, Duanmu Huai decides to simply take a more direct approach.

Right, who cares about investigating, searching, or thinking. He’ll simply lie in wait here at Masters College!

Judging from the two episodes, it’s very likely that the perpetrator has been making moves within Masters College, dragging those two unfortunate souls into the Dark City to kill them. If that’s the case, all Duanmu Huai needed to do was keep vigil and catch them off guard!

As for those idiotic notification letters…whoever wants to read them can, since Duanmu Huai couldn’t care less.

What he hates the most are those who resemble the Phantom Thief, who pose perplexing riddles to others while being wildly smug about it. Although he doesn’t know who this idiot is, Duanmu Huai can assure that once he finds them, he will give them a piece of his mind–he hates riddlers the most!

None of the riddlers are good eggs! They’re all scum born from cunning deceptions!

It was already deep in the night, ordinary students would have gone home by this hour, with only several labs and discussion rooms still lit. Inside, one could see several students and teachers gathered together, discussing a wide variety of research topics–of course, for Duanmu Huai, those topics were beyond his comprehension, so all he did was eavesdrop outside the various labs on each floor, primarily to see if anyone was discussing topics related to the Evil God…unfortunately, no one was.

Thus, Duanmu Huai’s only remaining interest quickly shifted to finding pretty girls among these people.

But unfortunately, he found none.

That’s not to say that Masters College is devoid of beautiful girls, there are beauties like Mary, but given Fog City’s conservative customs, decent girls wouldn’t be out and about at night. So after checking through one lab after another, all Duanmu Huai saw were balding Mediterranean professors and a bunch of male lab rats gasping for breath…Well, that’s to be expected.

The first night, Duanmu Huai came out empty-handed.

The second night, Duanmu Huai also had no luck.

So, he had no choice but to go all in.

Fishing, you definitely need bait.

“Huh? I should be in charge of luring the enemy?”

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s request through the communicator, Mary was taken aback then nodded.

“Of course, there’s no issue, but my curfew is strict. If I don’t return all night…”

“No need to go through all that, you first go home, then I’ll come find you in your room to bring you to school.”

“This…”

Facing Duanmu Huai’s suggestion, Mary hesitated. It was clearly inappropriate by social norms for a lady to invite a man into her room at night, but she ultimately nodded.

“I understand, but if someone finds out and asks, what should I say?”

“Just say you forgot your homework or textbook at school.”

“Oh? Can you actually forget those things?”

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s suggestion, Mary was shocked and in turn, Duanmu Huai was shocked by Mary’s reaction.

“What? You’ve never left your textbook or homework at school?”

“…I’m terribly sorry, I never have…”

After all, as a distinguished student in the Department of History, Mary is very diligent every day. She wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake as leaving her homework at school.

“Uh…in any case, that’s the idea, do you understand?”

“I understand, but Mr. …”

“Hmm?”

“Since I have to pretend I forgot my homework at school, do I still have to do the homework?”

“……That was just an excuse, I wasn’t actually suggesting you leave your homework at school.”

Duanmu Huai sighed exasperatedly. Sometimes, Mary was inexplicably clueless and naive.

“Okay, understood.”

“Then, I will pick you up in the evening.”

Very soon, night fell again.

After finishing her homework, Mary sat nervously in her room, waiting for Duanmu Huai’s arrival. She really didn’t know how he would show up. She thought it should be like before, with Lorena delivering the message. This way, it would be easier for her to explain to Mrs. Hudson. However, if Duanmu Huai showed up himself, how could she explain to Mrs. Hudson…

While Mary was pondering over these trivial matters, she suddenly felt a cold gust of wind from behind. Turning around, she saw that the window, previously closed, had inexplicably opened, the chilly night wind blowing in.

Did she forget to close the door?

Mary went to the window. As she reached out to pull it shut, she leaned out and then — a large hand suddenly emerged from above her head, grabbing her collar. Before she could react, she got lifted out of the room as if she were a kitten!

“Ah——–!”

Startled by the sudden event, Mary instinctively wanted to scream, but a large hand quickly covered her mouth from behind. Then, Duanmu Huai’s voice rose.

“Quiet, it’s me.”

“Mr… Mr…!”

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s voice, Mary finally relaxed. She turned around tremblingly, only to see Duanmu Huai squatting on the rooftop, holding her by the collar, looking at her.

“I was scared to death. Why did you use that method? I thought……”

“This way is more convenient. Now, close your mouth, don’t talk, be careful not to bite your tongue.”

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai pulled Mary into his arms, which made Mary’s eyes widen in surprise, and her face became flush. It was her first time being so close to a man, let alone being lifted up like a princess, which is something Mary never thought about!

“Mr… Mr… wait, we… we…”

“Okay, let’s go!”

With the fall of Duanmu Huai’s words, Mary suddenly felt darkness envelop her vision. Turning her head, she saw the buildings below quickly receding. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai was striding forward, easily traversing and leaping on the rooftops. His massive frame seemed incredibly agile, almost ghostlike.

Mary, cradled in Duanmu Huai’s arms, felt as if she were on a roller coaster. Duanmu Huai’s sturdy arm felt like a safety bar, securing her tightly, so much so that all she could do was stare wide-eyed at the whirling night scene and the ground around her. She felt as though she had been engulfed by waves, surging up and down. The entire world was spinning in Mary’s eyes…

By the time Duanmu Huai brought Mary to the Royal Academy, she could hardly stand.

“Ugh… this feeling… it’s… uncomfortable…”

Stumbling out of Duanmu Huai’s arms, Mary felt as if she had just been drunk, the ground wavering like waves, and the world in her view was heavily distorted. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before finally coming around. She turned and gave an upset look at Duanmu Huai.

“Really, Mr… you…”

However, Mary’s words stopped abruptly midway.

The reason was simple; at this moment, behind her, there was no one.

Duanmu Huai’s towering figure had vanished.

“???”

Mary was taken aback, then looked around and sighed with relief.

“Really, Mr… what’s the point of hiding behind the lamp post.”

Watching Duanmu Huai hide behind a lamppost not far from her, Mary was a little speechless. She initially didn’t notice him probably due to the darkness surrounding them, but considering Duanmu Huai’s considerable stature, it was hard for Mary to overlook him.

“……. Never mind, you go ahead, I’ll follow behind.”

“But… okay.”

After hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, Mary wanted to argue. If he follows behind her, wouldn’t others still notice him? But since Duanmu Huai insisted, she had no choice but to go along.

“So, where should I be going now?”

“Just walk around, anywhere is fine.”

“……Okay.”