CHAPTER 1598: CHAPTER 342 COINCIDENCE

"At such a critical moment, why are the professors heading to the Black Prison?"

In the pavilion, a warlock muttered in a low voice.

This complaint immediately drew agreement from others: "Yeah, yeah, how could Demons sneak into the academy... If the Beta Town Post gets wind of this, the outside world will be in an uproar again!"

"I can already imagine the headlines on tomorrow’s newspaper," the warlock pinched his nose and mimicked sarcastically in a sharp voice, "’Cracked Guardianship—Was the budget embezzled or did the school neglect its duties?’ ’Unrestricted Access: Female Demon humiliates the academy guards again.’"

The pavilion immediately erupted with muffled laughter.

"Stop talking nonsense," a witch frowned, interrupting the laughter: "This isn’t the time to mock the Post! The school has critical issues to handle in the Black Prison, and we have opponents we can’t ignore inside the academy... The professors may not be present, but we are still here. Gather every force we can mobilize—can’t we deal with these Demons that sneaked into the academy?"

The pavilion fell silent.

Lei Zhe chuckled and placed a hand gently on the witch’s shoulder, signaling her to calm down.

"Of course we can." His voice carried a reassuring depth, dispelling the lingering unease in the air: "Every wizard here is our friend, partner, and classmate... This is our Jiuyou Academy; it is the First University’s domain. Before we decide to assist the academy, we need to know whether the academy truly needs our help."

As he spoke, he pointed toward the dazzling ’Sun’ hovering in mid-air.

Under this ’sunlight,’ magical fluctuations roiled across the lake’s surface, yet they were bound within an extremely narrow range by an invisible force. The First University was subtly declaring to these young wizards that it could handle these problems entirely on its own.

"Of course, this doesn’t stop us from doing what we can." As he spoke, Lei Zhe’s gaze passed over the shoulders of the red-robed individuals, landing at the end of the corridor where he slightly nodded in greeting.

The crowd turned their heads in unison.

At the edge of their vision, students from Starry Sky Academy in blue battle dresses, Atlas in yellow vestments, and Alpha in white robes were hurrying over under the leadership of their respective student councils and club leaders.

"Have their identities been confirmed?" Augustus stepped forward and was the first to ask.

"Divination Magic is limited, but based on eyewitness accounts, we can confirm that Demons listed in arrest warrants have infiltrated," Lei Zhe answered gravely, his voice steady: "The School Works Committee and most members of the Professor Joint Meeting are in the Black Prison, so our capabilities are rather limited..."

"Do as much as we can." With an air of assertiveness bordering on commandeering, Augustus waved a large hand: "Student council aides, head to the lakeside to evacuate onlookers; student councils and club leaders, search the offices for any remaining professors; organized Hunting teams, hold position; incomplete Hunting teams, dissolve and reorganize into Boundary Classes!"

The orders, clear and direct as running water, were issued one after another. Much of it repeated Lei Zhe’s previous instructions, but Lei Zhe took no offense; instead, he signaled Jiuyou Academy students to follow the commands.

After all, Augustus was also the chair of the First University’s student council, officially designated as the student leader.

One by one, figures swiftly left the pavilion, disappearing into the bustling morning commotion. Yet, Augustus’s furrowed brow remained unrelieved.

He swept his gaze around, looking at the dozen remaining senior student council members, before murmuring in a low voice, "Earlier, the student council received an alert from the Northern District Wizard Group—a new black tide in the Silent Forest is stirring and could erupt anytime... It’s possible that as we speak, those beasts have already breached Beta Town."

For many, this was the first time hearing this news; a few witches even gasped quietly.

If the Demon in the lake that infiltrated Lin Zhong Lake was a coincidence, and the departure of the Great Wizard guarding the array was a coincidence, then internal disruptions within the campus during Beta Town’s assault by the black tide could no longer be explained as mere coincidence.

Adding to that the bell resonating across the campus last night and the professors rushing to the Black Prison, even the dullest students could sense the mounting tension around them.

"I recall it’s been less than half a year since the last black tide," Lei Zhe mused, his gaze fixed on the piercing sunlight in the lake’s center: "...Could there be a connection?"

"Regardless of any connection, we will not permit Demons to rampage in the First University." Augustus raised his voice slightly: "Boundary Classes, prepare the ’Hu Yu Barrier’—seal Lin Zhong Lake!"

"Yes!"

A chorus of affirmations echoed.

...

Not far from these young wizards, on a nearby slope.

An elder wizard with long white hair and a rosy complexion stood, leaning on an elongated magic wand, smiling as he listened to the arrangements made by the young wizards in the pavilion.

On his left stood a young warlock in a green robe with a topknot, wearing frameless glasses, clutching a law book in his arms, posture straight. On his right rested a sleek black cat the size of a leopard, its eyes crimson and expression lazy.

Although they were close to the pavilion and occasionally had young wizards rushing past them, no one seemed to spare them a glance.

It was as if they were invisible.

If Zheng Qing were to emerge from the Guardian Array, he would immediately recognize that this black cat was the very shadow of his breakthrough through dimensional constraints, and the young warlock standing beside it was someone he had previously interacted with from the ’relevant department.’

"Master Bao Yangzi," the green-robed warlock adjusted his glasses, his tone calm: "Now that the intruder’s identity has been verified and the Guardian Array’s alarm confirmed as a false trigger, per protocol, we should be leaving."

Earlier, the relevant department received an alert from the school’s Guardian Array, indicating ’suspected Forbidden Curse dimensional fluctuation traces’ near Lin Zhong Lake.

But when they rushed here, they discovered it was merely a Demon crossing boundaries by mistake, only to collide headfirst into the First University Guardian Array.

Every year, there were at least fifty to one hundred false alarms. As a staff member of the ’relevant department,’ the green-robed warlock was already well-versed in these routines—register, file, and then stash the paperwork into a dim, forgotten archive box.

The only unexpected development was the participation of Master Bao Yangzi in today’s task, accompanied by the large black cat as a ’senior consultant’ of the relevant department.

"No rush, no rush." The elder wizard supported his wand, grinning as he waved his hand: "It’s not often we get out... Fifty-One, don’t you find today’s events pretty amusing? That young lad caught by the Female Demon—you all know him, what a coincidence!"

At his feet, the black cat lazily flicked its tail, nonchalantly twitching the tips of its ears.