The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

"There are plenty of similar things," Chen Guan said. "Does that mean if two stones by the roadside look alike, I have to claim them as family?"

Regardless of the truth, he cannot admit that the coffin is related to him.

Otherwise, someone will come looking for him for tea soon.

"But I want to see it for myself," Chen Guan said.

Yin Chen raised his hand and pressed his temple, as if he had expected this reaction.

"I knew you'd say that, so I'm putting it out there: not now."

"We can't touch this right now. The Great Wall people have sealed off that valley. The outer ring is full of warning lines, and even reconnaissance planes aren't allowed to fly low. If you really want to come over, you'll have to get approval from the Great Wall side first."

After Yin Chen finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the defensive line in the distance, and then pressed the camera back.

Outside the blockade, several soldiers from the Great Wall were recalibrating the rune pillars. A cold white light shone around the valley, and even snow did not drift into it.

"That place is no longer a place anyone can just walk into. The coffin is there now, and no one can get close."

Chen Guan didn't ask any further questions, but just stared at the black coffin, his eyes filled with deep thought.

Yin Chen was about to say something more when a shout suddenly came from the side. Someone was urging the reinforcement of the defense line. The voice came through the wind and snow, sounding chaotic but urgent.

"That's all for now." Yin Chen raised his hand and pressed the earpiece: "Don't wander around, just stay near the school. I'll check from here."

Chen Guan nodded: "Okay."

There was a moment of silence in the corridor after the video call ended.

An Changqing looked at him, but Long Ao remained silent.

Hongyuan slung the axe over her shoulder and stood blocking the way at the top of the stairs.

With this kind of presence, even passing teachers would have to give way.

Chen Guan glanced at them and said, "What are you all doing, standing by like this?"

An Changqing held the report between his fingers: "I'm afraid you'll go to the northern border."

"I haven't even left the house yet."

"If you really want to run, the door can't stop you," Long Ao said.

Hong Yuan nodded vigorously, agreeing with Long Ao's words.

Chen Guan didn't argue, since Yin Chen had said that he couldn't see it even if he wanted to now.

He put his phone away, casually lifted the coffin strap on his back onto his shoulder, and walked into the dormitory building.

An Changqing took half a step forward, but didn't reach out to stop him. He simply added a few words beside him.

"Don't go out tonight."

"I wasn't planning on going out anyway."

"That would be best."

Long Ao walked at the very front, as if deliberately blocking the road.

"If you disappear again in the middle of the night, I'll go to the medical building and ask if you've been marked dead by the system again."

"...There's absolutely no need for that."

It was almost midnight when I got back to my dormitory floor.

The corridor lights shone steadily, and the night outside the window overshadowed the city's distant lights, creating a quiet atmosphere with a lingering dampness.

An Changqing stopped only after seeing the person to the door, and Long Ao leaned against the opposite wall.

As for Hong Yuan, she moved into Su Yuehe's dormitory. Like Chen Guan, she had a single room. She hadn't thought it was strange before, but now it seemed that she had applied for a single room in order to practice forbidden techniques.

Su Yuehe's video call request popped up again at this moment, but it was hung up immediately. She was probably still finishing up in the Northern Territory, and in the end, she only sent one message.

Don't wander off.

Chen Guan looked at the three words and replied with "Okay".

The people outside the door seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, clearly they were the ones who had Su Yuehe send it.

Although Chen Guan appears cold, he is actually a very soft-hearted person.

Chen Guan pushed open the door, locked it behind him, and stood with his back against it for a moment, looking around at the familiar yet unfamiliar residence.

The room was quiet, with only the moonlight streaming in through the window casting a pale glow on the floor.

Only then did he feel like he was truly back.

He leaned the coffin against the wall and reached into his storage ring to take out a badge that had been gathering dust for a long time.

The badge is engraved with the military emblem of the Great Wall.

This is a private communication tag that Colonel Li Ce of the Military Department gave him before, which can directly connect to an encrypted channel.

Chen Guan placed the badge in his palm and pressed it gently.

A tiny blue light appeared.

Soon, a ring of dark patterns appeared around the edge of the badge, followed by a deep male voice coming from the other end.

"Young man, I heard you just had a brush with death. Why are you looking for me so late?"

Chen Guan sat down on the edge of the bed, resting one hand on his knee.

"Thank you for your concern, Colonel. Do you know about the coffin in the North?"

There was a half-second of silence on the other end, then Li Ce spoke up: "I was there, but you got the information quickly."

"Sent to me by Yin Chen."

"I knew that kid couldn't keep his mouth shut." Li Ce paused, his voice carrying the soft sound of turning over documents: "That thing, the Great Wall is sealed off, very few people can get in at the scene, not a single person can get close to the coffin."

Li Ce's voice deepened: "There is a sealing array around the valley, and an old restriction is placed inside. Our people have tried three times, but even talismans cannot be sent in. Anyone who gets close will either feel dizzy or be bounced back. The coffin is just sitting there, and no one can move it."

"Actually, there were people inside the Great Wall who wanted to find you to understand the situation, but Jing stopped them. He said he would take full responsibility for this matter, so it seems he hasn't had a chance to tell you yet."

White Tiger? Chen Guan understood; Hagi Tiger had struck again.

He was no longer an unknown, ordinary student, so it was normal for someone to recognize that the coffin on his back was the same as the one in the North.

Now, all we can do is wait for Baihu to contact him first, and hopefully he has finished dealing with things in Rue Harbor.

Li Ce continued, "Since you still remember me, I'll tell you some extra information. The old patterns on that coffin lid are almost identical to the patterns on yours, except that one is older, and its owner didn't seem to cherish it as much."

"Is there any information that can't be revealed?"

"Of course, that'll have to wait for Jing to tell you. I'm just a lowly colonel."

Is there anything inside?

"have."

Li Ce answered even faster this time.

"The instrument's reaction was strange. It was like it was empty, or like there was something there. As soon as that thing appeared, all the surrounding monsters went around it. Half of the beast tide retreated, and the remaining half didn't dare to squeeze into the valley."

Chen Guan then asked, "You couldn't find the source?"

"We investigated." Li Ce made no attempt to hide anything. "We couldn't find anything. It's like that thing grew out of the snow on its own. The valley floor used to be an old battlefield where things were buried. As soon as the snow stopped, it just popped out on its own."

Chen Guan's gaze fell on the coffin beside his bed, and he imagined what the other one looked like.

I want to go see it.

"Not now. Like I said, you have to ask Jing."

After that, the two chatted briefly, and Li Ce's answer was very honest: It's a secret, I can't say, ask Jing.

Seeing that there was no more news, Chen Guan hung up the call.

The room fell silent again, with moonlight streaming in through the window.

He sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at the Great Wall badge in his palm, and then looked at the coffin on the wall.

The conversation with Li Ce only raised more questions, and every clue seemed ominous.