Elsewhere in the facility, the corridor outside the testing wing was already in disarray. Cracked tiles spread outward from where Teacher Han stood, his feet planted firmly as restrained energy bled from his body despite the suppression field biting into his limbs.
Two bodyguards held him from either side, reinforced restraints locked around his wrists and shoulders, mana dampeners humming softly as they worked to limit his output.
The Director stood a short distance away, coat unruffled, expression twisted with barely restrained satisfaction. His eyes never left Teacher Han's face.
"You see?" the Director said, voice smooth but sharp at the edges. "This is exactly how it starts. Powerless. Watching. Knowing what's coming and being unable to stop it."
Teacher Han said nothing. His gaze remained forward, calm to the point of indifference.
The Director stepped closer, lowering his voice as if sharing something intimate. "Your student is inside right now, fighting enemies he was never meant to face. If he fails today, if he breaks, it will be because you stood where you are now and couldn't do anything." A thin smile crept across his face. "I want you to feel it. The despair. The helplessness. The same way I did."
He let out a short laugh, sharp and unpleasant. "Consider this a lesson. For you and for him."
Teacher Han remained silent.
That seemed to irritate the Director more than any response could have. He leaned in, eyes narrowing, ready to continue—
And then Teacher Han laughed.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't wild. It was calm, controlled, and completely out of place.
The Director froze.
Teacher Han finally turned his head slightly, looking at him for the first time since being restrained. His expression held no panic, no anger—only certainty.
"I expected you to do something foolish like this," Teacher Han said evenly. "That's why I made my preparations."
The Director's smile twitched. "Preparations?"
Before he could respond further, footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor. Heavy. Numerous. Disciplined.
The bodyguards stiffened first.
Then the Director turned.
A group of uniformed enforcers advanced down the hall, their formation precise, insignia marking them far above local authority. At their center walked a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and an unhurried stride, his presence alone enough to shift the atmosphere.
Teacher Han spoke his name calmly.
"Xu Wenhao."
The man stopped a few steps away.
"Chief of the Gene Education Bureau of Starfall City."
The Director's face changed instantly. Shock flashed across his features before he forced it down, rearranging his expression into practiced composure. He stepped forward quickly, bowing slightly.
"Sir," he said, voice respectful, almost warm. "You honor us with your presence. If you had sent word, I would have come to meet you personally."
Xu Wenhao didn't answer him.
His gaze went straight to Teacher Han, still restrained between the guards. His eyes narrowed slightly.
The Director cleared his throat. "There's no cause for concern, sir. We're conducting a routine inquiry. We received information suggesting a lower-tier academy attempted to interfere with official procedures. This individual is merely assisting with the investigation."
Xu Wenhao finally looked at him.
The silence stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable.
"Release him," Xu Wenhao said.
The Director's smile stiffened, but he recovered quickly. "Sir, with respect—"
Xu Wenhao raised a hand.
"I wasn't asking."
The Director's smile stiffened, but he recovered quickly. "Sir, with all due respect, this matter does not concern you. Why are you interfering? I am simply doing my job."
Xu Wenhao looked at him calmly. "Oh? You're only doing your job?"
"Yes," Director Luo replied without hesitation, his tone sharpening. "Everything here follows proper procedure."
Xu Wenhao let out a short, humorless breath. "Is your job supposed to include making things difficult for lower-tier academies? Or quietly altering competition brackets to favor certain institutions? Is it also part of your duties to overlook the use of forbidden gene enhancers, then frame others when it benefits you?"
The corridor fell silent.
Xu Wenhao continued, his voice even but cold. "Or does your job now include sabotaging students' futures, burying evidence, and settling personal grudges under the banner of 'investigation'?"
Director Luo stared at him for a moment, then laughed.
"So you already know," he said, clapping his hands once. "Interesting. Then what? You think that changes anything?"
He straightened, arrogance returning full force. "I can do what I want. Can you stop me? You know who stands behind me, don't you?" His eyes narrowed. "Why should we fight over some low-level trash? Close one eye. Let this pass. I can give you far more than whatever he ever offered you."
Xu Wenhao's expression changed.
The calm vanished.
"Oy," he said sharply, taking a step forward. "Are you forgetting whose city this is?"
The pressure in the corridor shifted. Even the bodyguards stiffened.
"This is Starfall City," Xu Wenhao continued, voice rising, authority crashing down without restraint. "My city. And you dare cause trouble here? You dare think you're giving me a choice?"
His eyes locked onto Director Luo. "You didn't forget who my master is, did you?"
Director Luo's face twitched. He took an involuntary step back, throat tightening, then forced out another laugh.
"…Even so," he said, forcing confidence into his voice, "it's too late. That trash of a student won't come out safely."
Teacher Han's eyes sharpened for the first time.
"I sent someone I trust," Director Luo continued. "You've probably heard of him. The Blood-Tusk."
At the name, several of Xu Wenhao's guards exchanged looks.
Xu Wenhao's gaze darkened.
The Blood-Tusk. A mercenary infamous for brutal contracts, unstable temperament, and a trail of ruined battlefields behind him.
Teacher Han clenched his fists despite the restraints.
Blood-Tusk…
His jaw tightened. I hope Jin is still standing.
Xu Wenhao raised his hand sharply. "Locate them immediately."
"Yes, sir!" Several men broke formation at once and moved, devices already lighting up as they rushed down the corridor.
Xu Wenhao turned back, his eyes settling on Director Luo like a blade.
"Capture him," he said.
The guards moved without hesitation.
The pressure in the white room shifted as the man in the center finally moved.
Jin felt it immediately. Not an aura flaring outward, but weight—controlled, deliberate. His body tried to respond. His legs shook and gave out again before he could stand.
Lin gritted his teeth and forced himself to breathe. His light wouldn't answer him anymore. He couldn't even lift his arm.
The man looked at the two fallen four-stars and clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Useless," he said. "Four-star warriors, and they can't even deal with a couple of school kids."
His gaze settled on Jin and Lin.
"So I have to do it myself."
He stepped closer. The floor cracked faintly beneath his boot.
Jin clenched his fist, but his hand barely moved.
Blood-Tusk looked down at them, expression bored.
"Relax," he said. "I'm not killing you yet."
He took another step forward.