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Li Haotian pulled Lin Mo into the teaching building. The corridors here weren't as dilapidated as the cafeteria, but the smell of rotting lilies in the air was stronger. Some areas on the walls oozed a pale purple sap, like mold.

"Su Wan, is the core laboratory downstairs in this building?" Li Haotian asked, his voice low.

Su Wan's voice came through the earpiece: "Location locked, 15 meters underground in Area B of the teaching building."

Lin Mo gripped Li Haotian's clothes tightly. Her nose twitched. "Dazhu, there's a strange smell here."

Li Haotian gently patted her head. He could feel Lin Mo trembling.

At the end of the corridor, a classroom door was ajar. A low, reciting voice drifted from within. The sound was like a lullaby, making one drowsy.

"There are living people inside," Li Haotian said. He pushed open the classroom door.

Inside the classroom, dozens of students sat ramrod straight. Their eyes were unfocused and unfocused. On each student's desk lay a thick textbook. Twisted runes were engraved on the cover of the textbooks, emitting a faint purple light.

On the podium, a professor wearing black-rimmed glasses was lecturing. His voice carried an eerie, seductive quality. On the blackboard, a projector displayed slides. The slides were distorted, the light and shadow shifting. Various bizarre symbols and patterns flickered on the screen.

Lin Mo covered her ears. She let out a muffled groan. "Dazhu, my head hurts."

Li Haotian looked at the professor on the podium. The professor's gaze swept over the students, finally settling on Li Haotian and Lin Mo. A smile appeared on his lips.

"Students, you should all listen to this lecture." The professor's voice reached my ears, carrying an invisible pressure.

Li Haotian walked to the nearest desk. He casually picked up a white chalk stub. The chalk stub felt cold to the touch.

He twitched his finger slightly, and golden light shimmered on the chalk tip. He flicked his finger. The chalk tip, trailing a golden trajectory, shot straight towards the projector.

"Bang!" A crisp sound.

The projector lens shattered instantly. The slides on the blackboard burned out. A burnt smell filled the classroom. Black smoke billowed from the projector.

The professor's smile vanished. His face contorted rapidly. Purple veins bulged beneath his skin. His body began to swell. In less than a second, he transformed into a monster over two meters tall.

"You've ruined my masterpiece!" the monster professor roared. His mouth split open, revealing sharp teeth. Eight thick tentacles extended from his body. The tentacles were tipped with barbs, and they coiled towards Li Haotian and Lin Mo.

Li Haotian stood in front of Lin Mo. With a push of his left hand, Lin Mo was shoved to the back of the classroom by an invisible force. He gripped the bronze dagger tightly in his right hand. Golden light shimmered on the dagger.

A tentacle attacked first. Li Haotian neither dodged nor evaded. His dagger, gleaming with golden light, slashed fiercely at the tentacle.

With a "sizzle!" sound, the tentacle was severed. Purple liquid gushed out, landing on the ground with a sizzling sound.

The monster professor roared in anger. More tentacles shot out from its body, like wildly dancing venomous snakes, coiling towards Li Haotian.

Li Haotian brandished his dagger. Golden flames wove a dense net before him. Tentacles struck the fire net, emitting a burnt, foul odor.

"This kind of thing, you think you can give a lecture?" Li Haotian sneered. He kicked the podium.

"Boom!" The podium shattered instantly. The broken wooden planks, carrying golden sparks, struck the monster professor's body. The monster professor's body shuddered violently.

Li Haotian rushed to the monster professor. He used his strength to grab the professor's head. Then, he slammed the professor down.

With a loud "thud," the monster professor's body was forcefully pressed into the floor by Li Haotian. The floor cracked, revealing a deep black hole.

Golden-red flames erupted from Li Haotian's palm. The flames instantly engulfed the monster professor who had sunk into the floor. A piercing scream echoed from beneath the ground. The sound lasted for a few seconds, then fell silent. Only the stench of burning remained in the classroom.

On the platform, only a charred hole remained.

Su Wan's voice rang in Li Haotian's earpiece, urgent: "The energy fluctuations are intense. Scans show that the core device of the underground laboratory at Donghai University has been activated."

"Lin Mo's energy response is being forcibly drawn. She is the 'key' that is being activated," Su Wan said.

Li Haotian looked at Lin Mo. Lin Mo's face was pale. Her eyes were closed, and her body trembled slightly. A very faint purple light was flickering between her brows.

"The key?" Li Haotian said softly. He walked to Lin Mo's side. He reached out and placed his hand on Lin Mo's forehead. Golden energy flowed slowly from his palm into Lin Mo's body. Lin Mo's trembling subsided slightly. The purple light between his brows also dimmed.

"Dazhu... I feel so bad." Lin Mo's voice was weak.

The students in the classroom remained seated, their expressions blank. Their eyes had become even more vacant.

Li Haotian glanced at the students. The purple runes on their textbooks shone even brighter.

"These students have all become props for the launch ceremony," Su Wan said angrily.

Li Haotian took Lin Mo's hand. "Let's go, let's go downstairs and take a look."

He walked to the back door of the classroom. The back door was locked with an iron chain. Li Haotian flicked the chain with the bronze dagger in his hand. The chain snapped instantly.

Outside the door was a narrow staircase. The staircase descended, its bottom invisible.

"Su Wan, what is the exact location of the core device?" Li Haotian asked.

"Below the teaching building, on the third basement level, lies the main area," Su Wan replied, her voice tinged with unease.

Li Haotian led Lin Mo by the hand and stepped onto the stairs. Purple slime seeped from the walls on either side of the stairs. Tiny worms slithered within the slime.

"Little bugs." Lin Mo pointed to the wall. Her disgust deepened.

Li Haotian remained silent. The dagger in his hand shone even brighter. He sensed a powerful energy gathering below the stairs. That energy possessed a corrosive quality, sending chills down his spine.

With each step, the stench of rotting lilies grew stronger. Lin Mo's breathing became rapid.

Li Haotian stopped in his tracks. He looked at Lin Mo. A glint of purple light flashed deep in Lin Mo's eyes.

"Dazhu, something ahead is calling me," Lin Mo said. Her voice was somewhat ethereal.

Li Haotian gripped Lin Mo's hand tightly. He pulled out his last cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Golden-red sparks rose from the cigarette butt.

"Don't be afraid," Li Haotian said. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of golden-red smoke. The smoke twisted in the air, transforming into a small fire dragon. The fire dragon let out a silent roar and surged into the dark depths of the staircase.

A commotion arose in the darkness.

"Su Wan, get ready," Li Haotian said.

"Ready," Su Wan replied.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the bottom of the stairs. A gigantic figure slowly emerged from the darkness. It was covered in slime and reeked of a foul stench.

"It seems they've been waiting for us for a long time," Li Haotian said. The dagger in his hand gleamed brightly.