# 56
**Chapter 56: Nanda Serpent Demon**
An Qingyu opened his mouth, as if to ask something, but after a moment of hesitation, wisely said nothing.
He was very interested in Lin Qiye’s identity and his extraordinary combat power, but under the watchful eyes of the crowd, asking would likely yield no answer—only annoy Lin Qiye in the process.
“Qiye here is a once-in-a-decade genius from Cangnan City, the pride of No. 2 High School. Ever heard of him?” Li Yifei introduced.
“Never,” Lin Qiye said flatly.
“…”
“Now’s not the time for this,” Lin Qiye said calmly. “Get the students to the auditorium—it’s safer there.”
Li Yifei blinked. “But we can’t get down. The first floor’s crawling with monsters…”
Halfway through, he realized how stupid the question was.
“They’re all dead. How else do you think I got up?” Lin Qiye looked at Li Yifei like he was mentally challenged.
“You’re insane.” Li Yifei clicked his tongue. “Going up to save more?”
“Obviously.”
“I’m coming with you.” Li Yifei spoke with conviction. “Don’t worry, I won’t drag you down. The others trust me—I can help keep things under control.”
Lin Qiye hesitated only briefly, then nodded. “Bring your axe squad and follow me.”
Though he showed no outward sign, after a full day of fighting, nearly twenty monsters had died by his hand. Both stamina and mental energy were drained; he was exhausted.
Having Li Yifei and his axe squad along would ease the burden.
“I’m coming too,” An Qingyu suddenly said.
“You?”
“I can help plan and analyze the monsters’ behavior.” An Qingyu met Lin Qiye’s gaze without flinching.
Li Yifei leaned in and whispered, “I think the kid’s sharp.”
Lin Qiye pondered a moment, then gave a slight nod. “Fine. But I can’t guarantee your safety.”
He was already hauling a whole axe squad—one more made little difference.
“No problem. I’m not afraid of dying.” An Qingyu’s eyes lit up, almost excited.
After briefing the rest of the class, Lin Qiye sent them toward the auditorium. It wasn’t far from the senior building, and with the monsters cleared, the route was basically safe.
“Li Yifei.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s upstairs like?”
“Not bad. Holding the fourth-floor monsters shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Good. We rest here a bit.”
Lin Qiye pulled over a chair and sat. Plenty of monsters waited on the fourth floor; to fight his way up, he needed stamina and focus.
“Sis Hongying, how’s your side?” He opened the comm.
“Lost it. Chased the thing halfway across the school, then it slipped into the woods behind campus—vanished.” Hongying sounded frustrated.
Lin Qiye’s heart sank.
Until the main body died, this incident wouldn’t end. Picking off spawn one by one was only a stopgap.
“Where are you now?”
“Xiaonan’s tracking any traces it left. We’ll keep after it. As long as the [Borderless Domain] is up, it can’t leave the school.”
“Got it.”
“Oh—Wu Xiangnan identified the monster.”
Lin Qiye’s eyes brightened.
“It’s a Nanda Serpent Demon, from folklore. Wu scoured every mythic text—nothing—until a tattered old book gave a scrap of info.”
“Nanda Serpent Demon?”
“Perfect camouflage, human-level intellect. Swallows prey, plants a ‘snake seed’ inside, turning the body into a puppet offspring. Limitations exist: the main body produces only one seed per day; offspring need three days each. And until maturity, both main body and spawn are fairly weak.”
“So that’s it.” Lin Qiye rubbed his chin.
The demon had been here longer than he’d thought. With so many spawn, it must have infiltrated the school over a month ago.
Cautious. Patient.
As Lin Qiye pondered, An Qingyu silently stepped beside him.
“Something on your mind?”
“A question.”
“If you’re wondering whether I’m Superman or a cultivator, forget it.”
“No. I want to know… monsters like this have always existed, just beyond our awareness?” He pointed at the headless corpse outside.
Lin Qiye hesitated, then nodded.
“Then how do we live so peacefully?”
Lin Qiye glanced at him. “Because someone stands watch in the night for humanity.”
Technically, he shouldn’t answer, but since memories would be wiped anyway, it didn’t matter.
Yet he could say no more.
“I understand.” An Qingyu nodded.
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Scared? Why?” An Qingyu’s lips curled. “I find it fascinating.”
“Fascinating?”
“To learn creatures like this exist alongside science.” He licked his lips, eyes fixed on the corpse. “I really want to take one back—slice it up for study.”
“…You’re just a high-schooler, right?”
“So? Like everyone else, you think high-schoolers should only study high-school stuff?” An Qingyu chuckled. “Spending three years on rigid, simple material is a waste of life.”
“So you…”
“Finished a master’s in biology recently. This fall I start my Ph.D., focusing on genetics and mutation. I dabble in clinical medicine too.”
“…” Lin Qiye stared, finally managing, “My apologies.”
There really are freaks like this?
Lin Qiye had always considered himself smart, but next to this guy, the word felt hollow.
He checked the time, stood, and headed for the door.
“Let’s move. Time to save people.”
Everyone grabbed their weapons and followed, fierce and ready. Even An Qingyu fished a fruit knife from a drawer, smiling as he joined.
He looked less like he was marching to battle than heading to carve specimens into eighteen neat slices for research.