Upon hearing these words, Lin Qiye froze in place.
Indeed, as he had sensed earlier while traversing the floors, he had also noticed that most of those infected by the creatures were female. With Li Yifei's remark, he became aware that something was amiss.
"Could it be that the mythical creature emerged from the girls' dormitory?" Lin Qiye murmured to himself.
He activated his earpiece and spoke in a lowered tone:
"Red Tassel, where are you guys?"
"Just came out of the office building, what's up?"
Lin Qiye shared his conjecture, and Red Tassel on the other end immediately nodded, "Alright, while you're all heading for the flag-raising, we'll head to the girls' dormitory."
"Mm."
As the march played, Lin Qiye's class also emerged from the corridors, slowly moving towards the flag-raising platform.
The location for the flag-raising ceremony was a space in front of the teaching building, not particularly large. Students from all three grades of the high school crowded together, leaving barely any space between them.
"Keep up at the back! Hurry!"
"Don't push me."
"Oh, can't you walk any faster? The people in front of me are all stuck there, what can I do?"
"Hmm? Where are the people in front of me?"
"Who's in front of you?"
"Lin Qiye, where did he go?"
"Don't know, he was here just now."
"Huh? Li Yifei's gone too!"
Just as several classmates were puzzled, Lin Qiye and Li Yifei had already slipped out of the queue, swiftly navigating through the chaotic crowd.
Lin Qiye's psychic perception radius was only twenty meters. To cover over two thousand students comprehensively, constant movement was required.
"Lin Qiye, Lin Qiye! Have you finished scanning? The music has stopped, the flag-raising is about to start!" Li Yifei struggled to push through the surrounding classmates, speaking to Lin Qiye ahead.
"Not yet, still have half left."
"What do we do then? If we're still moving after everyone's in place, we'll be noticed!"
At this moment, the march that had been playing on loop was fading. The two students weaving through the crowd became increasingly conspicuous, with many people pointing and whispering about them.
Furrowing his brows, Lin Qiye realized Li Yifei was right. If they continued moving after everyone was in position, it would undoubtedly attract attention. Furthermore, if they forcibly continued their search, they might be intercepted by teachers.
But if they gave up now, they would have to wait until school ended to fully investigate all three grades of students and faculty.
Time was too long, and there were too many variables. They couldn't afford to wait.
Lin Qiye's mind raced. Suddenly, he caught sight of the flag bearer team in the distance, and his eyes lit up.
Changing direction, he swiftly maneuvered through the crowd and arrived in front of the flag bearer team.
"Hello, fellow student," Lin Qiye politely addressed the student at the head of the team.
The flag bearer was taken aback, "Hello..."
"You're relieved of duty."
The student looked at him in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"The school administration just issued an urgent notice. Outstanding student representatives are required for the flag-raising, followed by a speech afterward. Therefore, the flag bearers need to be replaced temporarily." Lin Qiye stated solemnly, reaching out and taking hold of the flagpole in the student's hand.
"But, this..."
"I am Li Yifei, an outstanding representative from the sophomore class. Please hand over the flag to me. If you have any questions, you can approach the administration after the flag-raising."
Lin Qiye expressionlessly seized the flagpole from him and took his position, his demeanor solemn.
Li Yifei: ...
The student scratched his head in bewilderment. After hesitating for a while, he chose to return to his own class's queue.
"Lin Qiye, what are you doing?" Li Yifei couldn't help but ask, "By doing this, you'll be disciplined... No, I'll be disciplined too!"
"I'm the one who used your name without authorization and deceived the flag bearer. It has nothing to do with you," Lin Qiye said calmly, "Besides, I am no longer a student. I do not need to abide by the school's rules...
I am the Sentinel."
The solemn music began to play. Students, teachers, leaders... Everyone in the entire venue quieted down, their gazes fixed on the flag in the hands of the flag bearer, awaiting its ascent.
With the rhythm of the music, Lin Qiye raised the flag, stepping out in the standard march toward the front.
"Huh? Look at that flag bearer, isn't he somewhat familiar?"
"Yeah, quite handsome, looks a bit like Lin Qiye."
"...Are you sure it's just a bit? I feel like it's him."
"It really seems to be him!"
"..."
The vast majority of people didn't recognize Lin Qiye, but his classmates quickly identified him, whispering among themselves.
The leaders on the stage didn't pay any attention to the change of the flag bearer. They smiled, their attention fixed on the handsome youth. After all, such trivial matters didn't require their intervention. With so many students in the school, how would they know who was supposed to raise the flag today?
However, the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony noticed Lin Qiye, and his expression suddenly changed.
For some reason, he had a premonition of impending doom...
Amidst the gaze of everyone, Lin Qiye walked proudly along the path of raising the flag, but just as he was about to step onto the flag-raising platform...
He made a sharp right turn!
Heading towards the other side of the student formation, he marched resolutely!
The leaders who were smiling in anticipation of the flag were left dumbfounded.
Their smiles froze on their faces as they stared blankly at Lin Qiye, who seemed oblivious to them. It took them several seconds to react.
In unison, they turned to look at the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony, their eyes filled with questions!
The teacher in charge broke out in a cold sweat on the spot.
At the same time, the students also noticed this, staring in astonishment as Lin Qiye passed by them, and the whispers among them grew louder.
"What's going on? Why isn't he going up on stage?"
"I don't know, is it his first time raising the flag? He looks unfamiliar."
"This is interesting, it's a total flop!"
"Look at the expressions of the leaders on the stage... Haha, it's hilarious!"
"What's Lin Qiye up to?"
"..."
Just then, the voice of the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony rang out loudly:
"Quiet! Everyone quiet! The student with the flag, you're going the wrong way!"
Lin Qiye seemed oblivious, showing no intention of turning back, and even quickened his pace!
His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over all the faces of the students before him.
In their eyes, there was surprise, confusion, mockery, and schadenfreude...
But in Lin Qiye's eyes, they were like a flock of sheep about to be thrown into the jaws of a wolf, perilously unaware. Among the over two thousand teachers and students present, only Lin Qiye and Li Yifei were awake.
While others are intoxicated, I remain sober, perhaps it's meant to be this way.
"Come back! Come back quickly! Which class are you from?!" the teacher in charge on the stage roared!
Finally, Lin Qiye, who had finished scanning all the students, pretended to be startled, hastily turned around, and walked back. He walked to the flagpole on the flag-raising platform and quickly tied the flag to the pole.
The teacher in charge stared at Lin Qiye, trembling with anger. He seemed to want to interrogate him, but now was not the right time.
Lin Qiye simply ignored his presence altogether. At this moment, he had no mind to spare for the teacher's feelings.
As the music changed and the national anthem began to play, the flag slowly rose...
But under the flagpole, a drop of cold sweat rolled down Lin Qiye's cheek.
He stared blankly at the leaders around him, then lowered his head to look at the sea of students below, feeling as if his heart had plummeted into the abyss.
"Captain...
You better brace yourself..."
He murmured to himself.
Upon hearing these words, Lin Qiye froze in place.
Indeed, as he had sensed earlier while traversing the floors, he had also noticed that most of those infected by the creatures were female. With Li Yifei's remark, he became aware that something was amiss.
"Could it be that the mythical creature emerged from the girls' dormitory?" Lin Qiye murmured to himself.
He activated his earpiece and spoke in a lowered tone:
"Red Tassel, where are you guys?"
"Just came out of the office building, what's up?"
Lin Qiye shared his conjecture, and Red Tassel on the other end immediately nodded, "Alright, while you're all heading for the flag-raising, we'll head to the girls' dormitory."
"Mm."
As the march played, Lin Qiye's class also emerged from the corridors, slowly moving towards the flag-raising platform.
The location for the flag-raising ceremony was a space in front of the teaching building, not particularly large. Students from all three grades of the high school crowded together, leaving barely any space between them.
"Keep up at the back! Hurry!"
"Don't push me."
"Oh, can't you walk any faster? The people in front of me are all stuck there, what can I do?"
"Hmm? Where are the people in front of me?"
"Who's in front of you?"
"Lin Qiye, where did he go?"
"Don't know, he was here just now."
"Huh? Li Yifei's gone too!"
Just as several classmates were puzzled, Lin Qiye and Li Yifei had already slipped out of the queue, swiftly navigating through the chaotic crowd.
Lin Qiye's psychic perception radius was only twenty meters. To cover over two thousand students comprehensively, constant movement was required.
"Lin Qiye, Lin Qiye! Have you finished scanning? The music has stopped, the flag-raising is about to start!" Li Yifei struggled to push through the surrounding classmates, speaking to Lin Qiye ahead.
"Not yet, still have half left."
"What do we do then? If we're still moving after everyone's in place, we'll be noticed!"
At this moment, the march that had been playing on loop was fading. The two students weaving through the crowd became increasingly conspicuous, with many people pointing and whispering about them.
Furrowing his brows, Lin Qiye realized Li Yifei was right. If they continued moving after everyone was in position, it would undoubtedly attract attention. Furthermore, if they forcibly continued their search, they might be intercepted by teachers.
But if they gave up now, they would have to wait until school ended to fully investigate all three grades of students and faculty.
Time was too long, and there were too many variables. They couldn't afford to wait.
Lin Qiye's mind raced. Suddenly, he caught sight of the flag bearer team in the distance, and his eyes lit up.
Changing direction, he swiftly maneuvered through the crowd and arrived in front of the flag bearer team.
"Hello, fellow student," Lin Qiye politely addressed the student at the head of the team.
The flag bearer was taken aback, "Hello..."
"You're relieved of duty."
The student looked at him in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"The school administration just issued an urgent notice. Outstanding student representatives are required for the flag-raising, followed by a speech afterward. Therefore, the flag bearers need to be replaced temporarily." Lin Qiye stated solemnly, reaching out and taking hold of the flagpole in the student's hand.
"But, this..."
"I am Li Yifei, an outstanding representative from the sophomore class. Please hand over the flag to me. If you have any questions, you can approach the administration after the flag-raising."
Lin Qiye expressionlessly seized the flagpole from him and took his position, his demeanor solemn.
Li Yifei: ...
The student scratched his head in bewilderment. After hesitating for a while, he chose to return to his own class's queue.
"Lin Qiye, what are you doing?" Li Yifei couldn't help but ask, "By doing this, you'll be disciplined... No, I'll be disciplined too!"
"I'm the one who used your name without authorization and deceived the flag bearer. It has nothing to do with you," Lin Qiye said calmly, "Besides, I am no longer a student. I do not need to abide by the school's rules...
I am the Sentinel."
The solemn music began to play. Students, teachers, leaders... Everyone in the entire venue quieted down, their gazes fixed on the flag in the hands of the flag bearer, awaiting its ascent.
With the rhythm of the music, Lin Qiye raised the flag, stepping out in the standard march toward the front.
"Huh? Look at that flag bearer, isn't he somewhat familiar?"
"Yeah, quite handsome, looks a bit like Lin Qiye."
"...Are you sure it's just a bit? I feel like it's him."
"It really seems to be him!"
"..."
The vast majority of people didn't recognize Lin Qiye, but his classmates quickly identified him, whispering among themselves.
The leaders on the stage didn't pay any attention to the change of the flag bearer. They smiled, their attention fixed on the handsome youth. After all, such trivial matters didn't require their intervention. With so many students in the school, how would they know who was supposed to raise the flag today?
However, the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony noticed Lin Qiye, and his expression suddenly changed.
For some reason, he had a premonition of impending doom...
Amidst the gaze of everyone, Lin Qiye walked proudly along the path of raising the flag, but just as he was about to step onto the flag-raising platform...
He made a sharp right turn!
Heading towards the other side of the student formation, he marched resolutely!
The leaders who were smiling in anticipation of the flag were left dumbfounded.
Their smiles froze on their faces as they stared blankly at Lin Qiye, who seemed oblivious to them. It took them several seconds to react.
In unison, they turned to look at the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony, their eyes filled with questions!
The teacher in charge broke out in a cold sweat on the spot.
At the same time, the students also noticed this, staring in astonishment as Lin Qiye passed by them, and the whispers among them grew louder.
"What's going on? Why isn't he going up on stage?"
"I don't know, is it his first time raising the flag? He looks unfamiliar."
"This is interesting, it's a total flop!"
"Look at the expressions of the leaders on the stage... Haha, it's hilarious!"
"What's Lin Qiye up to?"
"..."
Just then, the voice of the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony rang out loudly:
"Quiet! Everyone quiet! The student with the flag, you're going the wrong way!"
Lin Qiye seemed oblivious, showing no intention of turning back, and even quickened his pace!
His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over all the faces of the students before him.
In their eyes, there was surprise, confusion, mockery, and schadenfreude...
But in Lin Qiye's eyes, they were like a flock of sheep about to be thrown into the jaws of a wolf, perilously unaware. Among the over two thousand teachers and students present, only Lin Qiye and Li Yifei were awake.
While others are intoxicated, I remain sober, perhaps it's meant to be this way.
"Come back! Come back quickly! Which class are you from?!" the teacher in charge on the stage roared!
Finally, Lin Qiye, who had finished scanning all the students, pretended to be startled, hastily turned around, and walked back. He walked to the flagpole on the flag-raising platform and quickly tied the flag to the pole.
The teacher in charge stared at Lin Qiye, trembling with anger. He seemed to want to interrogate him, but now was not the right time.
Lin Qiye simply ignored his presence altogether. At this moment, he had no mind to spare for the teacher's feelings.
As the music changed and the national anthem began to play, the flag slowly rose...
But under the flagpole, a drop of cold sweat rolled down Lin Qiye's cheek.
He stared blankly at the leaders around him, then lowered his head to look at the sea of students below, feeling as if his heart had plummeted into the abyss.
"Captain...
You better brace yourself..."
He murmured to himself.
