CHAPTER 55 - ASSEMBLY AT THE PLAZA
The unease didn't fade.
If anything, it settled deeper.
Ling Yifan pushed his tray away untouched and stood. Long Hao followed a moment later, neither of them needing to say anything more.
Some conversations didn't need conclusions—only vigilance.
As they left the cafeteria, the noise behind them swallowed itself whole. Laughter, arguments, clattering trays—all of it felt distant now, like background static to something more pressing.
Outside, the academy grounds were already in motion.
Students streamed in one direction.
Toward the central plaza.
A deep, ancient horn echoed across Dragon Turtle Academy—low and resonant, vibrating through stone, bone, and instinct alike. It wasn't an invitation.
It was a summons.
"That'll be the Stage Two announcement," Ling Yifan said quietly.
Long Hao nodded. "Everyone's being called."
They joined the flow.
THE PLAZA
