Bait

Inside Experimental Building No. 1, a group of girls were heading toward the “occupation point.”

“Daixi, are you sure there are no other classes here?”

The bespectacled girl walking beside the leader asked in a hushed voice.

The leader, Daixi, gave a confident smile.

“Based on the campus territory map, most of the classes are currently concentrated in the east and north zones.”

“Since the point value for this experimental building is much lower than those for the classroom and dorm areas, very few classes would bother coming here.”

“Our Class C is already stronger than most of the others.”

“With Class B eliminated, as long as we don’t run into Class A, we should be able to take this entire region.”

There were eight members in this team, and Daixi was undoubtedly the strongest among them.

“What if Class A is here?”

One girl asked timidly.

Daixi looked over at her and answered directly.

“There’s a high chance they might be.”

“But even if they’re not here, they could be elsewhere.”

“Do you really think we can avoid them completely?”

“This is a probability issue.”

“Which is why I’ve made preparations.”

Daixi suddenly grinned mysteriously and pulled something out of her pocket.

“Ta-da!”

“The Luck Up Doll! The angel pendant that’s been trending around campus lately!”

“Wearing it increases your luck!”

“That’s completely unreliable!”

Someone protested.

“Relax, relax! The campus is huge!”

“Our luck can’t be that bad!”

Daixi’s casual joking actually helped ease the team’s tension.

The experimental building had ten floors.

They had already searched seven.

Daixi was rummaging through an office when her eyes lit up.

Her fingers had just touched the capture point marker.

Excited, she rushed out and shouted.

“I found the mark! Everyone—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a girl ahead of her collapsed to the floor.

Her glasses fell off beside her with a clatter.

“…Eh?”

Daixi froze mid-stride.

Before her was the scene of all her teammates lying unconscious on the floor.

Standing, crouching, or leaning against the wall—were several unfamiliar girls.

All of them were staring directly at her.

A girl crouching beside one of the “corpses” lazily raised her head.

When she saw Daixi, she lifted a brow.

“Looks like we missed one.”

Pain exploded at the back of Daixi’s head.

Before she lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was a brown-haired girl emerging from behind her.

Rosa retracted the hand she’d used to knock Daixi out.

She turned to the others and asked, “Are we sure we didn’t miss anyone else?”

“Confirmed.”

A short-haired girl stepped out from the nearby hallway.

“We’ve already cleared the other floors.”

“Only this one team from Class C made it in.”

Glass An stood up from where she had been crouching.

She stretched with a lazy yawn.

Her shirt lifted slightly, revealing a lean, toned waist.

Her misty blue hair fluttered gently.

“Let’s go report back to our adorable squad leader.”

---

3:00 p.m. sharp.

Supply crates began to refresh.

Wang Ning located the nearest supply drop.

She collected some basic items—two bottles of water, a small knife, a can of food, and a few boxes of medicine.

She sat cross-legged in a hidden patch of grass.

While tearing open an instant meal packet with her teeth, her eyes never left the campus territory map.

She stared at the constantly shifting map.

Experimental Building No. 1 still remained blank.

She refreshed the leaderboard again.

Class C’s point total remained unchanged.

Perfect.

Step one of the plan was a success.

Wang Ning tapped her earpiece.

A voice came through on the other end.

“Hey, Wang Ning—squad… captain?”

Don’t think I didn’t hear what you were really trying to call me.

With her eyes dead and expression flat, Wang Ning replied.

“Your task should be done by now.”

“So go secure these locations next.”

She listed the place names.

Then added, “Those are the most likely routes someone might take to get into the experimental building sector.”

“Don’t let anyone through.”

After ending the call, one girl in the squad couldn’t help but ask.

“Why don’t we just take the area ourselves instead of guarding the routes?”

Others shared the same question.

But they still trusted Wang Ning’s judgment.

“Wang Ning must have her reasons.”

“No need to worry.”

Only Glass An looked completely uninterested, as if she were about to fall asleep.

She muttered casually, “Because it’s bait.”

Once all surrounding areas were claimed and closed off, that one blank zone would become the perfect “bait.”

Wang Ning mentally reviewed the plan again.

She checked it carefully to ensure there were no holes.

Suddenly, she heard a faint noise.

She dropped flat to the ground.

Peering through the bushes, her heart skipped a beat.

It was a large group.

And they were heading straight toward the experimental building.