A flash of green light. Liu Su felt herself surrounded by a wall made entirely of that glow.
She didn't know that outside, people were circling around her, trying to figure out the cause of her collapse. No one could. Even Liu A'dou thought it strange. This didn't seem like an illness at all. It looked more like she was just asleep.
And indeed, Liu Su was asleep. More than that—she was dreaming.
In her dream stood a long-haired, handsome man and a woman in flowing robes, their colors like rosy clouds. The green light was coming from the man's right hand, forming a shield around the pair. They looked like they were born to be together, a match of heaven and earth. The man called the woman 'Biyue.'
But the dream wasn't stable. Something from outside kept shaking it. The only safe place was within that wall of green light, by the side of the man and woman.
The woman named Biyue looked anxious. She suddenly turned her head, as if she could see Liu Su, the dreamer. Her voice was urgent. "Run! He's coming!"
"Who's coming?!" Liu Su asked.
But Biyue didn't answer. She only urged Liu Su to leave, her face full of panic, as though something terrifying was about to descend upon her.
Crash!
To the shock of the doctors, Liu Su suddenly sat bolt upright on the hospital bed, body stiff. One hand shot forward as if still trapped in her dream. "Don't go!"
Biyue was gone. Liu Su looked around in confusion, cold sweat soaking her. That dream had been too real. Her whole body now felt like it had been filled with lead, unbearably heavy. Her breathing came in harsh gasps. "Huff… huff…" She could tell something was seriously wrong with her body.
The doctor stepped forward to check. Same as before—no problem. "Just rest."
When Liu A'dou arrived, he found Liu Su still shaken, her face pale, eyes wide with fear. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Teacher Lin," Liu Su said.
"I don't think so. Did you have a nightmare?" he asked. "Tell me about it. You'll feel better."
"I'm fine. I just want to rest now."
"Alright then. Rest well. Nothing will happen to you," Liu A'dou said. He left her in the infirmary and went to meet the General.
The General was still watching the students locked inside the cafeteria. Whether they were angry or anxious, nothing changed the fact that they couldn't get out. His plan was for Jiang Yuliu to stir up discontent and use that negativity as a grindstone to sharpen Ming Wu and Ouyang. But this wasn't something that would happen overnight. As time dragged on, more students began to accept Jiang Yuliu's words.
These university elites were proud. Being treated like this left them anything but pleased.
"General, I've got a bad feeling," Liu A'dou said. The Force inside him was restless. His Force was even stronger than Princess Kailan's. Ever since Liu Su fainted, it felt like the Force was trying to send him a warning.
But Liu A'dou wasn't like Kailan. He couldn't clearly understand the Force's will. All he could sense was danger.
"What kind of danger?" The General was surprised.
"Uh… I don't know. Just that something is going to happen."
Obviously, that kind of vague answer wasn't enough to convince the General to raise an alarm.
"Maybe you should wait until you know the cause before reporting to me," the General said. He couldn't treat one uncertain warning as a crisis. Still, he knew Liu A'dou wasn't an ordinary man, so he added, "Does this have something to do with Liu Su?"
"Maybe it's connected to Ming Wen's death too." Liu A'dou thought of how Ming Wen had been killed for no reason. That definitely hadn't been an accident. Now Liu Su had fainted out of nowhere. Could it be that the one who killed Ming Wen was already close by?
But what connection was there between Liu Su and Ming Wen's death?
"You should understand, I can't act recklessly right now. But I want to entrust this investigation to you. Can you do it?" The General finally chose to trust Liu A'dou's authority.
"I hope I can figure out what's making me so uneasy," Liu A'dou said. "Then I'll start investigating now."
He called his two disciples and found a quiet place. He had to understand what the Force was trying to tell him. Since he couldn't do it himself, maybe he could rely on Kailan to interpret the Force's will.
"Now both of you relax. We'll sync our Force. Kailan, you have to tell me what it means," Liu A'dou instructed.
"Master, do I really need to join?" Ben asked. He felt Kailan alone would be enough.
"You need to learn too. Now sit properly." Liu A'dou had the three of them form a triangle facing inward. "Kailan, you lead."
"Alright." Kailan often communicated with the Force, so she knew how to guide it. "Relax. Drop your guard. Let the Force flow through your body. Don't resist it, let it guide our will. The Force won't harm us. It will lead us toward the boundless future."
Kailan was experienced.
For Liu A'dou, this was his first time letting the Force guide his will. The feeling was incredible, like there was another life inside him. Not like pregnancy, but a pure vitality born from the Force.
At this moment, the Force of the three formed a stable connection, sensing one another. Liu A'dou could feel two vivid presences: the pure princess and the lively Ben.
In turn, both Ben and Kailan saw the steady, mature spirit of Liu A'dou. Beneath his young appearance was a soul that carried the weight of an elder who patiently taught and guided.
Kailan also sensed the Force within him. And what it told her was chilling: an evil that threatened the entire universe had awakened.
An unknown enemy. Liu A'dou hated enemies like that. Hiding in the shadows, never showing their faces, only scheming. People like that deserved to be dragged out and shot. But the Force only warned them—it couldn't predict the future or reveal where the enemy was.
"I hate cowards who hide. Why can't they just come out and fight fair?" Liu A'dou muttered. "So troublesome."
"Master, could this be related to Liu Su?" Ben asked.
Oh, now that was some superhero intuition. Liu A'dou chuckled. "And why do you think that?"
"I was just guessing. But I feel like it's got to be connected to her. Otherwise why didn't the Force react earlier?" Ben said.
True enough. The Force only stirred after Liu Su collapsed. If there was no connection, even Liu A'dou wouldn't believe it. It seemed he needed to ask Liu Su directly.
But when he returned to the infirmary, Liu Su was gone.
Gone. In such a tightly guarded school, a living person had vanished without a sound? That wasn't scientific at all. Even the General, who had been waiting on Liu A'dou's results, couldn't stay calm anymore. He had a duty to protect every single student here. No accidents could be allowed.
Yet the security cameras showed nothing. Not a single trace of Liu Su. It was as if she had never existed.