Chapter 17: I Decide to Undertake the Undercover Mission

“What’s happening? Are you all right? Gao Mi, Lancelot, respond if you can!”

A hoarse voice crackled through the earpiece. It was Professor Schneider, unusually anxious. He knew something must have gone wrong, but being on the other side of the ocean, there was nothing he could do except speak in a strained tone.

Gao Mi and the others were in a sorry state, but fortunately, no one was hurt. They looked at the collapsed train station before them, a profound sense of having survived a disaster washing over them.

“Professor Schneider, we’re fine,” Lancelot pressed the earpiece, speaking softly. “There was an accident—a sudden earthquake before we could even exit the station, but no casualties.”

Surprisingly, the youngest member of the group, a first-year student, was the first to regain his composure. Glancing around at the scene, he quickly reported, “The tremors have ceased for now, but aftershocks may still occur.”

He paused briefly, then lowered his voice further. “But we almost didn’t make it out. We were saved by a boy.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end, even from Schneider and those nearby.

They all understood the weight of the words “golden eyes.” It was a symbol of bloodline—a mark of nobility and immense power.

“What do you make of his bloodline?” Schneider asked.

Lancelot recalled the moment. Among the ten of them, his bloodline was the strongest, despite being a first-year and a hybrid. For hybrids, bloodline was paramount.

Even in such a life-or-death moment, he remained calm and noticed the boy’s unusual traits.

“I saw a pair of golden eyes,” Lancelot said.

The revelation plunged the line into an eerie silence. The mention of golden eyes was a harbinger of something extraordinary.

“What level do you think his bloodline is?” Schneider pressed.

Without hesitation, Lancelot replied, “Far beyond mine. I couldn’t meet his gaze.”

Lancelot’s bloodline was classified as A-level. To surpass that—well, those who understood the hierarchy gasped quietly.

After a long pause, Schneider absorbed the news and immediately ordered, “Your original mission is canceled. Focus on locating this boy. Norma will cooperate fully.”

“I need all information on him immediately, but if you find him, don’t act rashly. Keep your distance; if his bloodline is strong enough, he’ll sense it.”

“Everyone else, stand by. I must inform the principal.”

“Understood.”

...

Chu Zihang slowed the car to a stop, surrounded by unfamiliar scenery. He had no idea where he had escaped to.

Wiping the blood from his face, he drew out Gungnir and whispered, “Tang Xi.”

A lazy voice responded, and Chu Zihang finally exhaled heavily, the tension in his body easing.

“Was that you just now?” he asked quietly.

He clearly remembered being trapped by invisible bonds, until a phantom figure suddenly appeared, blocking the relentless Xia Mi and breaking the restraints, allowing his escape.

Despite hearing Tang Xi’s voice, he still found it hard to believe—in recent years, he had accepted Tang Xi as the embodiment of Gungnir, not a person.

“That was me,” Tang Xi replied casually, avoiding details and swiftly changing the subject. “Congratulations on escaping surveillance. This collaboration was perfect—we won.”

Chu Zihang nodded. “What’s next?”

“Don’t go to school for a while. Stay home. Soon, the entire area around your house will be swarming with Cassell Academy people. She won’t dare make a move now. Go find Tang Wei and arrange things after our departure.”

Tang Xi spoke with great confidence.

Among the Dragon Kings, Jormungandr was renowned for her wisdom. Her intelligence was formidable. Three years ago, Tang Xi had deceived her purely by bluffing, knowing her ignorance and boasting heavily.

Intelligence often meant caution, so this trick worked on Jormungandr.

But after three years of close interaction, Jormungandr had clearly seen through Tang Xi’s facade—she was all show, no substance, and no threat at all. That was when the Dragon King shed her friendly mask.

Yet, precisely because she knew Tang Xi so well, her pride made her careless. She never considered Tang Xi a genuine threat, which led to the second successful deception.

Back then, when Xia Mi harassed them, Tang Xi was already plotting to use Cassell Academy to force her retreat.

After all, in the short term, Tang Xi lacked the power to defeat a Dragon King, so she needed to find a strong ally. As long as Jormungandr wanted to survive in the human world, she wouldn’t lightly engage with Cassell Academy.

Her fear wasn’t of the hybrids, but of other Dragon Kings lurking in the shadows. One misstep and she could become a target.

Previously, both Chu Zihang and Tang Xi were too weak to even consider approaching Cassell Academy, hence the delay.

...

So, when unable to confront Cassell, Tang Xi relied on Jormungandr to counter their investigations. Once strong enough, they would use Cassell to push Jormungandr back. Everything was perfectly timed—a flawless plan.

Unfortunately, few in this world were clever. Tang Wei failed to grasp the brilliance of this strategy and found it baffling.

“You’re going to Cassell Academy? Why? Aren’t we hiding from them? Isn’t that like walking into a trap?”

The dawn had fully broken. In an inconspicuous roadside breakfast shop, Chu Zihang and Tang Wei sat in a corner. Tang Wei’s face was the picture of exasperation, while Chu Zihang calmly drank a bowl of soy milk opposite him.

“There’s a difference,” Chu Zihang said flatly. “They don’t know about our connection, so it’s not walking into a trap.”

“Is that the point?” Tang Wei nearly lost his temper. “Shouldn’t we be hiding? You’re deliberately going over there. If they come after us again, who will stand in the way?”

“If it gets that bad, we might as well disband the group and stop living in constant fear.”

“It’s fine; I’m going undercover,” Chu Zihang recited Tang Xi’s words without expression. “We’ll know everything about Cassell’s movements. No need to worry.”

“Besides, being chased like rats by Cassell is humiliating. Don’t you want to fight back?”

Tang Wei was overwhelmed. “How can we fight back? What do we have? They could wipe us out with a single agent. Honestly, if you ask me, we should just disband…”

“No, we can fight back.”

Chu Zihang paused, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Although he repeated the words, it felt as if he questioned them himself.

Tang Wei was dumbfounded, almost thinking he’d misheard.

Then came the declaration:

“Why don’t we just take over Cassell Academy ourselves? Starting with the undercover mission, I want to become… the principal.”