Chapter 47: The Flag Bearer

Lin QiYe froze in place when he heard those words.

Indeed, when he had sensed the different floors earlier, he had noticed that most of the infected students were girls. Now, with Li Yifei's words, he realized something was wrong.

"Could that mythical creature have appeared from the girls' dormitory?" Lin QiYe muttered to himself.

He opened his earpiece and lowered his voice.

"Hong Yingjie, where are you?"

"We just came out of the office building, what's up?"

Lin QiYe shared his suspicions. On the other end, Hong Yingjie immediately agreed. "Alright, while everyone's heading to the flag-raising ceremony, we'll go to the girls' dormitory."

"Got it."

As the march music began playing, Lin QiYe's class started moving out of the corridor and slowly made their way to the flag-raising platform.

The flag-raising ceremony was held on a small patch of open ground in front of the teaching building. The space wasn't large, and students from all three grades were packed together, with little room to spare.

"Students at the back, hurry up! Come on!"

"Don't push!"

"Hey, hurry up!"

"How fast can I go? The people in front of me are blocked; what am I supposed to do?"

"Huh? Where are the people in front of me?"

"Who's in front of you?"

"Lin QiYe, where did he go?"

"I don't know, he was just here."

"Huh? Li Yifei's gone too!"

As some students wondered aloud, Lin QiYe and Li Yifei had already slipped out of the group and were swiftly weaving through the other classes, going against the flow of students.

Lin QiYe's mental sensing range was only 20 meters, so in order to cover all 2,000-plus students, he had to constantly move.

"Lin QiYe! Lin QiYe! Have you finished scanning? The music's ending, and they're about to start the flag-raising!" Li Yifei struggled to push through the crowd and called out to Lin QiYe.

"Not yet, still half to go."

"What are we going to do? Once everyone lines up and the music stops, we'll be spotted!"

At that moment, the march music was fading, and the two students weaving through the crowd were becoming increasingly conspicuous. Many people were starting to point at them.

Lin QiYe frowned. Li Yifei was right. If they kept moving after everyone lined up, they'd surely attract attention. And if they kept searching, the teachers might stop them.

But if they stopped now, the only option would be to wait until after school and block the exits to catch all the students and faculty.

The wait would be too long, and the variables too many. They couldn't afford to wait.

Lin QiYe's brain raced. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the flag bearer group in the distance, and his eyes lit up.

He changed direction and quickly pushed through the crowd, making his way to the front of the flag bearer group.

"Excuse me," Lin QiYe approached the lead student with a polite smile.

The flag bearer paused. "Hello?"

"You're off duty."

"...?" The student looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The school leadership has just sent an urgent notice. They need an outstanding student representative for the flag-raising ceremony, and after the flag is raised, there will be a speech. So, we need to replace the flag bearer." Lin QiYe said seriously, reaching out and taking the flagpole from the student's hands.

"But, this..."

"I am Li Yifei, the outstanding student representative from the second year. Please hand over the flag. If you have any questions, you can ask the school leaders after the ceremony." Lin QiYe said without emotion, taking the flagpole and stepping into the flag bearer position.

Li Yifei: ...

The student scratched his head in confusion. After a moment of hesitation, he chose to return to his class's formation.

"Lin QiYe, what are you doing?" Li Yifei couldn't help but ask. "You know this could get us into trouble, right? Wait... I'm going to be in trouble too!"

"I borrowed your name and took the flag from the flag bearer. It's not your fault," Lin QiYe said indifferently. "Besides, I'm not a student anymore. I don't need to follow the school rules."

"I am the Nightwatcher."

The solemn music played, and the entire field went quiet. Students, teachers, and leaders all turned their attention to the flag in the flag bearer's hands, waiting for it to rise.

With the rhythm of the music, Lin QiYe raised the flag, marching in perfect form towards the flagpole.

"Huh? Does that flag bearer look familiar?"

"Yeah, he's quite handsome. Kinda looks like Lin QiYe."

"...You think so? I think it's him."

"Wait, it really is!"

"..."

Most people didn't recognize Lin QiYe, but his classmates quickly spotted him and whispered among themselves.

The leaders on stage didn't notice the change in the flag bearer. They smiled, watching the handsome young man, since such trivial matters didn't require their attention. With so many students in the school, who would have known who was raising the flag today?

However, the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony suddenly changed expression when he saw Lin QiYe.For some reason, an ominous premonition stirred in his heart...

Under the gaze of the crowd, Lin QiYe proudly completed the march, just as he was about to step onto the flag-raising platform...

He suddenly made a sharp turn!

Without hesitation, he walked toward the other corner of the student formation!

The leader, ready to receive the flag, was left completely stunned.

Their smiles froze, and they stared dumbfounded at Lin QiYe, who ignored them completely. It took them several seconds to react.

They all turned to look at the teacher in charge of the ceremony, their eyes full of questioning!

The teacher, responsible for the flag-raising, broke out in cold sweat.

At the same time, the students noticed this too, their murmurs growing louder.

"What the hell? Why isn't he going up to the platform?"

"I don't know, is it his first time raising the flag? He looks unfamiliar."

"Interesting, this one's falling apart!"

"Look at the leaders on the platform... haha, their expressions!"

"What's Lin QiYe doing?"

"..."

Just then, the teacher in charge of the flag-raising ceremony shouted loudly:

"Quiet! Everyone quiet down! The student with the flag, you're going the wrong way!"

Lin QiYe pretended not to hear, continuing his march with no intention of turning back, even picking up his pace!

His gaze was like a blade, cutting through the faces of the students around him.

In their eyes, there was surprise, confusion, ridicule, and schadenfreude...

But Lin QiYe's eyes remained as deep as an unfathomable pool.

In his eyes, they were a flock of sheep about to be sent to the slaughter, unaware of the danger they were in. Among the more than 2,000 students and faculty, only Lin QiYe and Li Yifei... were awake.

"Return! You, return! Which class are you from?!" The teacher on the platform roared!

Finally, having finished scanning all the students, Lin QiYe pretended to be surprised, turning quickly to walk back. He made his way to the flagpole and quickly tied the flag to it.

The teacher glared at him, trembling with anger. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but this wasn't the right moment.

Lin QiYe simply ignored him. He no longer had any interest in the teacher's feelings.

As the music changed and the national anthem began, the flag slowly rose...

But beneath the flagpole, a cold sweat dripped down Lin QiYe's cheek.

He stared blankly at the leaders around him, then looked down at the flag in his hands.

"Captain..."

"You better be prepared for what's coming..."

He whispered to himself.