# 47
**Chapter 47: Flag Bearer**
Lin Qiye froze when he heard those words.
Indeed, when he had scanned the floors earlier, he’d noticed that most of those infected were girls. With Li Yifei pointing it out, he realized something was off.
“Could that mythological creature have come from the girls’ dorm?” Lin Qiye muttered.
He opened his earpiece and lowered his voice.
“Sister Hongying, where are you?”
“Just left the office building. What’s up?”
Lin Qiye shared his guess. On the other end, Hongying nodded immediately. “Got it. While you’re all at the flag-raising, we’ll check the girls’ dorm.”
“Alright.”
As the march played, Lin Qiye’s class filed out of the building and slowly moved toward the flag-raising platform.
The ceremony was held in a small open space in front of the teaching building. With all three grades packed in, there was barely room to breathe.
“Keep up, back there! Move!”
“Don’t push me.”
“Hurry up!”
“How fast can I go? The people in front are blocking the way!”
“Huh? Where’s the person in front of me?”
“Who’s in front of you?”
“Lin Qiye. Where’d he go?”
“No idea. He was just here.”
“Hey, Li Yifei’s gone too!”
While the others were still confused, Lin Qiye and Li Yifei had already slipped out of the line, weaving against the chaotic crowd through the classes.
Lin Qiye’s mental perception only reached twenty meters. To scan all two thousand-plus students, he had to keep moving.
“Lin Qiye, Lin Qiye! Have you finished scanning? The music’s ending, the flag’s about to go up!” Li Yifei shoved through the crowd and called out.
“Not yet. Still half left.”
“What do we do? Once everyone’s in place and the music stops, we’ll be spotted!”
The march was fading. The two of them, darting through the crowd, were becoming more obvious. People were already pointing.
Lin Qiye frowned. Li Yifei was right—if they kept moving after the lines formed, they’d draw attention. If they pushed on, a teacher might stop them.
But if they gave up now, the only way to scan every student and teacher would be to wait after school and block the gates.
Too long. Too many variables. They couldn’t wait.
His mind raced. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught the flag-bearer team in the distance. His eyes lit up.
He changed direction, pushed through, and walked straight up to them.
“Hi,” Lin Qiye said politely to the student at the front.
The flag-bearer blinked. “Uh… hi?”
“You’re relieved.”
“…” The student stared. “What?”
“School leaders just issued an urgent notice. An outstanding student representative will raise the flag and give a speech. They’re swapping flag-bearers.” Lin Qiye spoke with a straight face, reached out, and grabbed the flagpole.
“But—”
“I’m Li Yifei, the outstanding sophomore representative. Hand me the flag. If you have questions, ask the leaders after the ceremony.”
Lin Qiye yanked the pole away, stepped into position, and stood at attention.
Li Yifei: …
The bewildered student scratched his head, hesitated, then returned to his class.
“Lin Qiye, what are you doing?” Li Yifei hissed. “You’ll get us both punished!”
“I used your name to take the flag. It’s on me. Besides, I’m not a student anymore. I don’t follow school rules… I’m Night Watch.”
The solemn music began. Students, teachers, leaders—all fell silent, eyes on the flag, waiting.
To the beat, Lin Qiye raised the flag and marched forward in perfect step.
“Hey, doesn’t that flag-bearer look familiar?”
“Yeah, kinda handsome. Looks like Lin Qiye.”
“…Kinda? That’s him!”
“…”
Most didn’t know him, but his classmates whispered once they recognized him.
The leaders on stage didn’t notice the swap, smiling at the handsome boy. With so many students, who kept track?
But the teacher in charge of the ceremony spotted Lin Qiye—and his face changed.
A bad feeling crept up his spine.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lin Qiye marched proudly. Just as he reached the steps…
He snapped a sharp right turn!
He strode along the edge of the student formation, away from the platform.
The smiling leaders froze.
Their smiles stuck as they watched Lin Qiye ignore them. Seconds passed before they reacted.
They spun to glare at the teacher in charge.
Cold sweat poured down that teacher’s back.
Students noticed too, gaping as Lin Qiye strolled past. Chatter exploded.
“What the—why isn’t he going up?”
“Dunno. First time? Never seen him.”
“Epic fail!”
“Look at the leaders’ faces—dying!”
“What’s Lin Qiye up to?”
“…”
The teacher’s voice boomed:
“Quiet! Everyone quiet! Flag-bearer, you’re going the wrong way!”
Lin Qiye kept walking, even faster.
His eyes swept the crowd like blades.
Surprise, confusion, snickers, schadenfreude—
But Lin Qiye’s gaze stayed deep as a still pool.
To him, they were sheep heading for wolves, unaware of the danger. Of the two thousand here, only he and Li Yifei were awake.
“Come back! Which class are you from?!” the teacher roared.
Finally, having scanned every student, Lin Qiye feigned surprise, spun around, marched to the pole, and tied the flag.
The teacher trembled with rage, desperate to shout—but this wasn’t the time.
Lin Qiye ignored him. He had bigger worries.
As the anthem played and the flag rose…
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his cheek.
He stared at the leaders, then lowered his gaze.
“Captain… you’d better brace yourself…” he whispered.