The Dust Settles

"Yes, a Tier-8 mutant."

Yin Chen crossed his arms, standing next to the giant wolf. Emboldened by the beast, he looked much more arrogant.

"It is a lifesaver given to me by my father. Normally, I keep it disguised like this by my side. First, it does not attract attention, and second, it makes daily life easier. You know, if a Tier-8 demonic beast wandered around the campus in its true form every day, the security department would probably come to talk to me daily."

"Of course, I know this is against the rules. I will write a self-criticism report later, Instructor."

Black Crow remained silent for a long time.

"A Tier-8 Frostbone Wolf can freeze the fluctuations of spatial laws for a short period of time."

An Changqing spoke up at the right moment, completing the final link in the chain of logic: "At that time, the Void Beast was already dying, and the spatial barrier was very fragile. Yin Chen had the Frostbone Wolf fully suppress its remaining domain, which gave us the chance to get close and pick up the demon core it dropped after death."

"Strictly speaking, we did not kill it."

Su Yuehe added softly, "It was already dying when we arrived. The Frostbone Wolf just helped us block the turbulent laws and finished it off. We only took the demon core after it breathed its last."

Hong Yuan nodded vigorously in the back, keeping her mouth shut, afraid she would say the wrong thing if she spoke.

Black Crow's gaze shifted back and forth between the giant wolf and Yin Chen several times.

Finally, he turned around, facing the direction of the black bulletproof cars.

"Record this."

The young instructor frantically picked up his clipboard.

"During their exploration mission, Su Yuehe's team mistakenly entered an alternate spatial rift created by a high-tier spatial demonic beast and lost contact for seventy-two hours. During this period, with the assistance of a high-tier beast carried by the team, they successfully escaped the alternate space."

He paused.

"Additionally, they recovered a Tier-10 Void Beast demon core."

After saying this, Black Crow turned his head and shot a sidelong glance at Yin Chen.

"Student Yin Chen, go back and fill out a new registration form regarding the tier information of the pet you are carrying. Submit it to the security department before tonight. We will skip the self-criticism."

"No problem," Yin Chen agreed with a smile.

He knew they had managed to bluff their way through this time.

Black Crow took another look at the giant wolf standing quietly in the snow and raised a hand to pull at his collar.

"Put it away. Do not freeze and crack my helipad, it is very expensive to repair."

Yin Chen gently patted the giant wolf's front leg. The silvery-white fur began to shrink back, the ice horns melted away, and its bones retracted.

In just a few breaths, the Tier-8 Frostbone Wolf transformed back into the white Husky with its head tilted and tongue hanging out.

It wagged its tail and squatted obediently at Yin Chen's feet.

The ice crystals spreading across the surface of the helipad had not yet completely melted, and a deeply piercing chill lingered in the air.

Black Crow turned his back and walked toward the foremost car. After taking a few steps, he paused.

"Get in the car. We are going to the administration building to make a statement."

He did not look back.

"After the statements are done, you will all return to your respective dorms. The academy will handle the rest."

The black bulletproof cars drove smoothly along the roads inside the academy, their wheels crunching softly over the thin layer of ice covering the pavement.

Chen Guan sat in the back row by the window, his eyes half-closed, his body swaying slightly with the gentle bumps of the vehicle.

As the main protagonist of the incident, he perfectly faded into the background.

Sure enough, choice was more important than effort. These people who looked innocent on the outside but were cunning on the inside were quite good at fooling people.

Yin Chen stroked the Husky's head and glanced out the window, where groups of two or three people were giving them their undivided attention.

"Looks like we made quite a stir coming back this time."

"When you had this Wolf Bro transform on the helipad just now, half the academy could feel the fluctuation of its aura." Su Yuehe gave him a helpless look. "It is too late to keep a low profile now."

Hearing "Wolf Bro" come out of Su Yuehe's mouth felt as bizarre as a delicate lady uprooting a weeping willow tree.

But Su Yuehe could not think of any other way to address it.

"What can we do? We were already high-profile to begin with, so that kind of thing does not matter," Yin Chen shrugged.

Geniuses always attract attention wherever they go.

He enjoyed this kind of attention.

Long Ao leaned against the car door with his eyes closed, unable to muster any interest in these topics.

By the time the convoy stopped at the entrance of the administration building, the snow had lightened significantly.

The administration building was a four-story gray stone structure with withered vines crawling all over its outer walls. Two duty officers in black uniforms stood on either side of the main entrance.

Black Crow was the first to get out of the car, waiting at the bottom of the steps.

An Changqing pushed open the car door and stepped out, looking back to call out to the others.

"Everyone, get out."

Hong Yuan jumped out of the car. As her feet hit the snow, she shivered and muttered, "Why does it feel even colder than before we left?"

Yin Chen got out from the other side holding the Husky, the white mist from his breath dissipating in the cold air.

Su Yuehe wrapped her coat tightly around herself and walked quickly to An Changqing's side.

Chen Guan was the last to get out.

His gaze swept over the top of the administration building's main entrance, where the stone plaque engraved with the school motto looked particularly striking in the wind and snow.

Since Black Crow had brought them here, it meant they had probably managed to slip through undetected.

Sure enough, Black Crow led them into the administration building, across the first-floor lobby, and up to the second floor.

Everything that followed was very simple; they just needed to cooperate and answer a few questions.

Only Yin Chen had a harder time, having to fill out a large pile of forms and letters of guarantee.

The demon core provided by Long Ao was not confiscated either; it was returned directly to him after being appraised.

However, Long Ao could not really be called ecstatic. How to deal with this demon core was also a difficult problem for him.

Although this thing was valuable and rare, it was of no use to him, and the person who gave it to him was no ordinary figure.

I had better find a chance to return it, Long Ao thought to himself.

After the statements were concluded, the group walked out of the administration building's main doors. The cold wind blowing against their faces carried the unique dryness of the Northern Territory.

The sky had already darkened. The academy's streetlights cast a dim yellow glow through the wind and snow, illuminating the snow-covered lawns and bare branches on both sides.

"It is finally over."

Hong Yuan stretched exaggeratedly, raising both arms high above her head as her joints made soft popping sounds. "I almost fell asleep in there just now. That recorder asked me the same question three times. I almost could not keep making things up."

"That is because your answers the first two times contradicted each other," Yin Chen said, walking beside her with the Husky in his arms, his tone full of disdain.

"The first time you said you were on alert, the second time you said you were observing, and the third time you said you did not see anything clearly. Think about it yourself. If you were the recorder, would you believe it?"

"Are they not all pretty much the same?" Hong Yuan said guiltily. "Anyway, it just means I did not do anything and relied entirely on you guys."

"You really did not do anything," Yin Chen added.

Hong Yuan kicked a lump of snow by the roadside. He habitually dodged, and it flew right past, brushing against Yin Chen's trouser leg.

"Yin Chen, I dare you to say one more word."