I'm in the Dragon Clan, bound to the Naruto Counterattack System

Chapter 173 Xia Mi vs. Caesar

In the classroom of the preparatory class in the capital, the afternoon sun shone through the glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the desks.

Xia Mi idly twirled the ballpoint pen in her hand.

The pen twirled nimbly between her slender fingers, tracing silver arcs. Her gaze casually swept across the blackboard, where the complex formulas from the morning's math class still lingered.

The classroom was filled with chalk dust and the scent of youth.

A few girls huddled together, whispering about the latest idol drama. Meanwhile, the boys in the back row were passing around a comic book, occasionally letting out suppressed laughter.

Everything was so ordinary, just like countless peaceful afternoons during my student days.

It wasn't until the gold pendant in her pocket suddenly vibrated that Xia Mi could feel the heat emanating from it through her clothes.

Xia Mi's pen-twirling motion abruptly stopped. The pen fell onto the desk with a "thud," rolled a few times, and came to rest next to the open textbook.

Her face instantly darkened.

Those eyes, which always carried a hint of lazy smile, unconsciously turned cold at this moment.

Xia Mi knew that something had happened in the Nibelungen again.

This pendant is an alchemical alarm she set herself, inextricably linked to the entrance to the Nibelungen. It only sounds when a powerful hybrid intrudes into her territory.

On the podium, the teacher was still explaining trigonometric functions.

Xia Mi suddenly raised her hand.

"Teacher, my stomach hurts." Her voice was just the right amount of weak, her brows were slightly furrowed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The teacher pushed up his glasses and looked at the girl who always sat quietly in the corner.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"I want to ask for leave to go home and rest," Xia Mi said in a low voice, her fingers still pressed on her lower abdomen, as if she was enduring the pain.

The teacher nodded and signed her name on the leave slip.

"Go back and get some rest."

Xia Mi grabbed her schoolbag and practically rushed out of the classroom.

Her movements were so swift that they stirred up a gust of wind, causing the class's rotating red flag hanging at the entrance to flutter. The corridor was empty, with only the echo of her footsteps breaking the silence.

Just as she turned the corner, a figure flashed past the office doorway.

Caesar Gattuso had just returned from the school's monitoring room and was heading back to his classroom. He was carrying a stack of files detailing several recent unusual events, all related to the recent elevator crash.

Furthermore, according to her investigation, some students reported that Xia Mi had just gone to the toilet because of a stomachache when the accident occurred.

It's too much of a coincidence.

Caesar narrowed his icy blue eyes, watching the hastily departing figure.

His intuition was warning him.

This seemingly ordinary girl harbors too many secrets. The investigation into the elevator accident is still ongoing, and now she's leaving in a hurry again.

There must be a problem.

Caesar casually placed the document on the windowsill in the corridor and strode after him. His steps were light, like a cheetah tracking its prey, always maintaining a safe distance.

Xia Mi's figure moved quickly through the campus.

She didn't go through the main gate, but chose a secluded path. This path led to the back gate of the school, and few people usually passed by it.

Caesar's brow furrowed more and more deeply.

Why would a girl who claims to have a stomachache and wants to go home to rest head towards the back door?

His suspicions were confirmed.

Xia Mi stopped in front of an abandoned greenhouse. This place used to be the biology club's breeding base, but it was abandoned due to funding problems, and now only the broken glass roof and rusty steel frame remain.

It was very quiet all around, with the faint sound of birds chirping.

Xia Mi slowly turned around, her eyes as cold as ice. Her gaze was precisely fixed on the direction where Caesar was hiding, where there was a dense clump of holly bushes.

"Mr. Tagging, have you had enough?" Xia Mi said coldly.

She spotted Caesar following her early on and deliberately led him here. She just didn't know where this half-breed got the confidence to follow her all this way.

Caesar emerged from behind the bushes, a graceful smile on his face, his blond hair gleaming in the sunlight, like the sun god from ancient Greek mythology.

But there was no smile in his icy blue eyes.

"Xia Mi-kun," his voice was as calm as ever, "can you explain why someone who claims to have a stomachache and wants to go home is here?"

Xia Mi looked at him coldly without answering.

"And then there was the fire in the lab building last time." Caesar took a step forward, his gaze sharp as a knife. "The students at the time said you were also leaving at that time. That's too much of a coincidence."

Xia Mi's fingertips trembled slightly.

She could feel the commotion in the Nibelungen growing stronger, and every second of delay increased the danger to her territory.

This problem must be resolved as soon as possible.

"I don't have time to play detective games with you, Professor Caesar."

Her voice carried obvious impatience. A golden glint flashed in her eyes, and her entire demeanor changed abruptly. The previously languid and carefree girl vanished, replaced by something more ancient and dangerous.

Alarm bells rang in Caesar's mind.

Almost instinctively, he released the Word of Power "Kamaitachi".

Countless invisible wind spirits spread out from him, filling the surrounding space. These wind spirits would relay all the sounds they captured to him, allowing him to perceive the most subtle movements.

This was Caesar's proud Word of Power, which had helped him gain the upper hand in countless battles.

This time, however, all the weasels brought back was fear.

The invisible wind demons trembled and wailed. They refused to approach Xia Mi, as if she were some indescribable, terrifying being. The sound feedback was intermittent, and finally vanished completely.

Caesar's expression turned serious; this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

In the instant he was stunned, Xia Mi suddenly moved.

Her speed was beyond the limits of human vision. One second she was standing in front of the greenhouse, the next she was behind Caesar—who didn't even have time to turn around. A precise chop to the back of his neck, the force perfectly controlled—enough to knock him unconscious without causing permanent damage.

Darkness surged in like a tide.

Before his consciousness faded, Caesar only managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of gold in the girl's eyes. That light was ancient and majestic, and it captivated him.

Then, he knew nothing more.

Xia Mi looked at the blond youth lying on the ground and sighed softly.

She knelt down, extended her finger, and touched Caesar's forehead.

Subtle mental fluctuations emanated from her fingertips, rippling outwards like waves. This was a sophisticated Word of Power, capable of altering human memories.

She carefully erased Caesar's memories of this period.

From following her to being knocked unconscious, every detail was completely erased.

After doing all this, Xia Mi stood up and took one last look at the unconscious Caesar.

Sunlight streamed through the broken glass roof, dancing on his long, golden hair. This proud heir to the Gattuso family looked, surprisingly, somewhat vulnerable.

Xia Mi pouted, thinking to herself, "Why are all these men the same after they faint?"

However, Xia Mi couldn't help but compare them, and Chu Zihang still seemed more pitiful.

Wait, Xia Mi, what are you thinking?

Xia Mi shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off these useless thoughts.

The invaders in the Nibelungen are still waiting for her.

Without further ado, she turned and strode quickly toward the subway station. Her figure soon disappeared into the campus, as if she had never been there.

Only the unconscious Caesar remained, lying alone in front of the abandoned greenhouse.

A gentle breeze stirred, ruffling the golden hair on his forehead. His eyes, always sharp as an eagle's, were closed, yet a faint smile lingered on his lips, as if he were dreaming a beautiful dream.

The sun was still shining brightly in the open space in front of the greenhouse.

A few sparrows landed on a branch not far away, curiously observing the human lying on the ground. They chirped a few times, then fluttered their wings and flew away.

Everything has returned to calm.

Only Xia Mi knew that the real crisis had only just begun. The invaders from the Nibelungen were probably not so easy to deal with.

She quickened her pace, determined to resolve the problem before it spiraled out of control.

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