Chapter 28: Reinstated The training ground for Class E3 reopened on a day when the sun poured down like nothing had ever happened.
But everyone knew things were far from over.
After the confinement was lifted, system permissions were reinstated and Armaments responded once again. But the students on the field were clearly divided—some kept their heads down, adjusting in silence, while others stole cautious glances at one person: Nie Shi.
And one stood off in the corner, like a high-and-mighty statue brought to life—Lu Jingxing.
His uniform was crisp as always, his sleeves perfectly folded, his Armament terminal clipped neatly at his waist. But the expression on his face screamed, "Don't talk to me, I'm too cool for this," as his gaze drifted lazily across the space like he was waiting for someone to cue the next scene.
Then Zhong Lan returned.
The moment she stepped into the training ground, the air turned sharp with tension.
She looked as composed as ever—sharp eyes, short hair, calm steps. The only difference was the thin layer of bloodshot exhaustion under her eyes, barely concealed.
"Starting today, Class E3 resumes normal training," she announced. "All system permissions have been reactivated. Off-campus access remains restricted."
She paused, scanning the group. "You've experienced some… unplanned testing. But I don't want you to forget who you are because of it."
"You're not system extensions. You're not anomalies in a dataset. You are Armament wielders."
With that, she turned. "Nie Shi, with me."
As Nie Shi took a step forward, he felt a soft weight behind him.
He turned slightly—just in time to see Lin Kui lowering her head and quietly adjusting the sleeves of her uniform, inching the too-long fabric back into her palms with careful fingers.
For a second, he almost thought he'd imagined her watching him.
But then she looked up. Her gaze met his—quiet, steady.
She said nothing.
But somehow, that look alone pulled him out of whatever shadow he'd fallen into.
—
Zhong Lan's office was so quiet, he could hear the buzz of the ceiling lights.
She slipped off her jacket and draped it over a chair with a tired exhale.
"You handled it better than I expected," she said.
"I still lost control," Nie Shi replied.
"That wasn't your fault." She stepped closer, her voice softening just a touch. "Void's reaction exceeded the system's tolerance. But you held it back. That proves something—you're not a variable. You're a person."
She continued, "I dug into the system logs. There's an external node called Mirror Source —it's been copying all data related to Armament outbursts."
"Mirror Source?" he echoed.
"It doesn't belong to this academy. Whatever's happening is bigger than we thought."
She paused, her gaze sharpening. "Also, your Armament's ID code isn't recognized by any academy database. They tried to flag you—so I deleted that segment of the logs."
"You deleted it?" he said, startled.
"Yes." She nodded. "Which is also part of why I was confined."
"Why would you do that for me?"
"Because you're a student of Class E3," she said simply. "That's all that matters."
Simple words. Heavier than any order.
—
At the end of the hallway, Luo Jia was leaning against a window, her hair haloed gold in the sunlight.
She smiled as he approached.
"Your instructor seems to trust you quite a bit."
Nie Shi didn't answer.
She took a step closer, voice teasing, "Do you trust me?"
"That depends on what you want to know."
She laughed lightly. "Just checking if our 'partnership' still holds."
"You're asking about Void?"
"Maybe," she winked. "I did a little digging—its code structure doesn't match anything on record. In short, you're bound to a ghost."
She leaned in, whispering just loud enough for him to hear, "Neither of us were meant to be 'standard answers,' huh?"
Then she walked away like it was nothing.
As she passed the training field, her gaze drifted—briefly—to a quiet corner where Lin Kui was packing away her Armament terminal.
She blinked once, then smiled faintly.
Like a hunter catching sight of a small, silent creature worth studying.
—
At the far end of the training field, Lu Jingxing was busy tapping away at a terminal.
Nie Shi approached.
"You again?"
"Shut up." Lu Jingxing rolled his eyes. "Not like I want to talk to you."
But his hands didn't stop.
"I checked your Armament ID. That thing? It doesn't exist. Not in any database."
Nie Shi stayed quiet.
Lu Jingxing narrowed his eyes. "You think just because you're the protagonist, you can bind a mystery weapon? For all I know, you summoned the final boss from an anime."
Nie Shi: "…"
"Oh, and by the way—some of the logs from your outburst? Gone. Like, wiped clean. Too clean. Like the system ate them itself."
He glanced at Nie Shi. "You know what that means?"
"What?"
"There's a ghost in the system." He paused. "And I found a weird fragment left behind—something called 'ZS.alpha.023-mg.' Doesn't match any known module."
He lowered his voice. "It's external code. Not from here. You get what I'm saying?"
Nie Shi didn't answer.