Yu Jin glared at him, disbelief etched across his face.
"You’re insane. Absolutely insane. I’ll give you thirty minutes. But don’t think for a second I’ll hesitate to throw her out if you fail."
Long Yifan inclined his head slightly. "I will try my best."
Yu Jin spun on his heel and stord out of the tent, muttering curses under his breath. Outside, Gu Aihan approached him, her face alight with cruel anticipation.
"Well? Did you finally see sense? Are you throwing her out?"
Yu Jin shot her a withering glare. "Shut your mouth, Aihan. If you’re so eager to be useful, help reinforce the barrier instead of stirring up trouble."
Gu Aihan’s face flushed with embarrassnt and anger, but she bit her tongue, retreating without another word.
Inside the tent, Long Yifan knelt by Gu Jin once more, his fingers brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
"Don’t worry, Gu Jin," he murmured softly. "No one will touch you. Not while I’m here."
He waved his hand and took out a bracelet and helped Gu Jin wear it. The light dimd quite a lot instantly.
However, it was still there.
Soon the beast left.
"Fifteen minutes left," he muttered, deactivating the barrier to conserve its power.
"The beasts seem to have backed off for now. Everyone, return to your tents. Stay alert, but rest if you can."
The students dispersed, murmuring among themselves.
Gu Aihan lingered, her lips curling into a smirk as her sharp eyes caught sight of the tent flap stirring in the light breeze.
From her position, she glimpsed Long Yifan helping Gu Jin wear an artifact—a bracelet—and observed the light’s reduction.
Her mind raced.
"This could be my chance. Let’s see how Yifan handles it when things spiral out of control."
Inside the tent, Long Yifan stayed vigilant.
The bracelet glimred faintly, doing its best to suppress the green glow emanating from Gu Jin. He sighed, brushing his fingers over her wrist.
"Just hold on," he whispered. "We’ll get through this."
Outside, a figure approached the tent silently, his movents calculated. Gu Aihan, hidden in the shadows, signaled to him with a discreet motion.
Long Yifan, noticing movent outside, instantly tensed. He stepped out swiftly, his sharp eyes scanning the area. "Who’s there?" he called, his voice low but firm.
A faint shuffle echoed from the other side of the tent.
Without hesitation, he chased after the sound, his senses heightened.
However, when he reached the spot, no one was there.
In the tent, Gu Aihan quietly tried to remove the bracelet.
The bracelet slid off Gu Jin’s wrist smoothly, and the light began to intensify again. Gu Aihan slipped away.
On the other side.
The forest was eerily still. Long Yifan’s brows furrowed. "Sothing’s off."
Suddenly, the green light behind him intensified, flooding the area with its eerie glow.
Long Yifan whipped around, dread sinking into his chest.
He rushed back to the tent, only to find the bracelet missing from Gu Jin’s wrist.
His fists clenched, his face darkening. "Who did this?" he hissed under his breath.
The beasts outside stirred, their restless growls returning.
As the green light grew brighter, their frenzied howls pierced the air.
The students scrambled out of their tents, weapons in hand, while Yu Jin activated the protective barrier once more.
"Damn it!" Yu Jin bellowed, rushing toward the source of the disturbance. He barged into Gu Jin’s tent, his eyes blazing with fury.
"That’s it, Yifan! I told you what would happen if the light ca back! We’re throwing her out!"
Long Yifan stepped forward, blocking Yu Jin’s path.
"The bracelet suppressing the light was stolen. Soone here deliberately sabotaged her breakthrough."
Yu Jin’s eyes narrowed.
"And you expect to believe that? Even if that’s true, we don’t have the luxury of playing detective! The beasts are at our gates, and it’s because of her! Move aside!"
"No," Long Yifan said firmly, his voice like steel.
"Gu Jin is in a critical state. If you throw her out now, it will kill her—and the beasts will only get worse. Let handle this."
Yu Jin sneered.
"Handle this? You’re a weakling, Yifan. What are you going to do against a horde of beasts? Your delusions are going to get us all killed!"
Long Yifan didn’t flinch.
"If you think I’m so weak, step back and watch. I’ll fight every last beast myself if I have to. But I won’t let you throw her out."
Yu Jin growled in frustration.
"You’re insane! Move, or I’ll make you move!"
Yu Jin stepped forward to push Long Yifan aside, but Long Yifan didn’t budge, his feet rooted to the ground.
His unwavering gaze t Yu Jin’s.
"I won’t let you," Long Yifan said quietly but resolutely.
The commotion drew others. Professor ng and several students approached their faces a mix of confusion and anger.
"Yifan!" one of the students shouted.
"What are you doing? We’re all risking our lives here, and you’re protecting the cause of it all?"
Another chid in,
"She’s attracting more beasts by the second! If a Supre Rank beast shows up, we’re all dead! Are you that selfish?"
Professor ng raised a hand to calm the group.
"Enough," he said sharply, though his tone carried a note of concern.
"Long Yifan, I understand your loyalty, but you must see reason. The lives of everyone here are at stake."
Long Yifan stood his ground.
"I understand the risk, Professor. But Gu Jin is not the cause of this chaos. Soone here sabotaged her breakthrough by stealing the bracelet. Punish the culprit, not her."
Gu Aihan stepped forward, her face a picture of righteous indignation.
"Oh, please! Who would waste their ti stealing a bracelet when we’re all fighting to survive? Stop blaming others for your failure, Yifan!"
Yu Jin sighed, his patience completely gone.
"Enough of this nonsense! Move, or I’ll remove both of you."
Long Yifan’s hand went to the sword at his side. "Try it." His voice was low, and the weight of his words silenced the crowd.
A tense silence fell over the tent as the howls of the beasts grew louder outside.
Gu Aihan seized the mont, her voice ringing out with feigned concern,
"I can’t watch this any longer," she said, stepping forward with an air of self-righteousness.
"People are going to die because of Gu Jin. If you’re so determined to protect her, Long Yifan, why don’t you just leave with her? Save her sowhere far from here, but don’t drag the rest of us down with you."
The murmurs among the students grew louder.
Several nodded in agreent, their fear overriding any sense of loyalty.
"She’s right," one said, clutching his weapon tightly.
"We can’t fight off these beasts and protect her at the sa ti. If Long Yifan wants to take responsibility, let him do it alone."
Another chid in, "It’s either her or all of us. The choice is obvious."
Long Yifan’s eyes narrowed as he looked around, taking in the faces of those who had so quickly turned against Gu Jin.
Before he could respond, Yan i stepped forward, her voice cutting through the din.
"Wait!" she said, raising her hand.
"Before we make any rash decisions, let’s focus on the real problem. The light didn’t intensify on its own—it was stable until soone stole the bracelet.
If we find the thief and get the artifact back, the situation can be controlled."
Gu Aihan let out a sharp laugh, drawing attention to herself.
"Oh, Yan i, you’re so naive. Do you really think it’s that simple? Who here has the ti or energy to investigate when our lives are on the line?
If you’re so worried about Gu Jin, why don’t you leave with her too?"
Yan i’s face darkened, but she held her ground.
"At least I’m trying to fix the problem instead of making it worse with baseless accusations."
Gu Aihan ignored her, turning to Yu Jin with a pointed look.
"We’ve wasted enough ti. Gu Jin needs to go, and if anyone else wants to defend her, they can leave too. We can’t afford to let sentintality put us all in danger."
Yu Jin’s jaw tightened as he weighed the situation.
Finally, he turned to Long Yifan, his expression cold and resolute.
"She’s right. If you’re so adamant about protecting her, then take her and go. But don’t expect us to put our lives on the line for your stubbornness. What’s it going to be, Yifan?"
Long Yifan’s answer ca without hesitation. "I’ll leave with her."
A stunned silence fell over the group.
Shock rippled through the crowd as students exchanged incredulous looks.
"You’re insane!" soone exclaid. "You’ll both be dead within days!"
Another added, "You think you can protect her against an entire horde of beasts? You’re throwing your life away!"
Yu Jin scoffed, shaking his head.
"Fine. If that’s your decision, so be it. But you’ll stay away from the campsite—at least ten kiloters away. I won’t have your recklessness drawing the beasts back to us."
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