"Generally, we just call it the Blue Institute." Lance's lips curved, as if he had long since read her mind. "Also, the Blue Institute and Blue Star Military Academy have always been sworn enemies. The two things the Blue Institute wants most are to either get their hands on or destroy the academy's data building." The Blue Institute... Thora's mind immediately flashed to those two people who had self-destructed right in front of her. They had both been marked as traitors and triggered their self-destruct programs the moment they let the name "Blue Institute" slip. These people weren't really alive at all. They were just dead soldiers, modified into weapons. ..."So you're saying the ones who planted the virus during the third round of the exam might be from the Blue Institute?" Thora asked bluntly. A hint of amusement flickered in Lance's eyes as he slowly uttered two words. "No idea." Thora knew exactly what he was doing. Lance was messing with her on purpose. Either he genuinely didn't know, or he was deliberately steering her thoughts in that direction. Or he knew the answer perfectly well but was only giving her half the story, making her guess the rest just to satisfy his twisted sense of fun. Still, Lance's words had given her an important lead. If the ones who planted the virus really were from the Blue Institute, then could tonight's attacker also be one of theirs? And that person was very likely embedded in the academy's upper ranks and knew her true identity. They attacked her because she had ruined their plans during the third round, and because they wanted something from her. That was why they hadn't shot to kill. Instead, they had used a long-range tranquilizer dart, intending to capture her alive. ... She looked at Lance. Honestly, she didn't care much about all these schemes and conspiracies. Trouble that was meant to find her would find her no matter what. She would just deal with it when it came. But right now, something else was on her mind. "You didn't come all this way just to tell me this, did you?" Making a special trip just to warn her? That wasn't Lance's style at all. Lance lazily brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen over his forehead, a seductive smile tugging at his lips. "Kid, I care about you a lot, you know. The Astralis Military is so boring. Why don't you come join my crew instead?" The leader of a criminal organization openly invites the soldier sent to catch him to join his gang. It was an absurd scene, yet between the two of them, it carried a strange sense of harmony. Thora's expression remained flat. "Crime is so boring. Why don't you come back with me to the Astralis Military Maximum-Security Prison instead? No more running around, three meals a day guaranteed. I promise, once you go in, you'll never want to leave." Lance laughed instead of getting angry. Thora's response was exactly what he had expected. "If one day I decide this world has nothing interesting left to offer me ... maybe I'll come find you there." His voice dropped lower, carrying a weight that made it impossible to tell if he was serious. His eyes no longer looked at Thora but drifted upward toward the dark, oppressive ceiling above. Thora withdrew her gaze from him as well, staring straight ahead. The small building fell into sudden silence, so quiet that only the sound of their steady breathing could be heard. ... "Kid, you really are something else." Lance's voice drifted through the darkness. It sounded like a sigh, yet also like someone who had caught a glimpse of light in the dark, carrying a barely restrained excitement. Thora said nothing. A minute passed, and seeing that Lance still had no intention of leaving, she finally spoke up to kick him out. "I'm going to sleep." Lance didn't respond, but his body shifted slightly. "Oh, by the way. There's something I've been meaning to tell you." Thora had been holding this in for a while now.