At that, Thora's gaze turned cold. If her guess was right, she already knew who had been following her. The person hadn't continued tailing her—probably because he realized she'd noticed. He wasn't weak. In fact, his recon and counter-surveillance abilities were extremely sharp. He was both a spy and a top-tier soldier. Too bad he stood on the opposite side from her. Seeing Thora about to leave, Lance spoke up, "Don't you want to know who was tracking you?" She stopped and replied coolly, "I already have a good idea." "You've been spending a lot of time with Adrian lately," Lance suddenly said, changing topics.She frowned and turned to face him, her voice cold. "You've been watching me." "No, Ash, I'm just concerned about you." Lance's tone carried a bit of truth, but not enough to convince her. Thora didn't believe him. "But I do need to warn you," he continued, lowering his voice. A dark light flashed in his eyes as he stared at her. "Do you know what the most terrifying thing in the world is?" Thora lowered her gaze slightly, waiting for him to continue. Lance suddenly leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It's when you're completely exposed, and every secret you've hidden becomes crystal clear..." The moment he finished speaking, he vanished. Just like he'd appeared, he disappeared in the blink of an eye. Thora stood there for a long time, her expression flat and unreadable.But the scene from the library replayed in her mind. Adrian's eyes had been like dark whirlpools, almost dragging her under. Luckily, she'd snapped out of it in time. Her gaze dimmed as she subconsciously glanced behind her. How did Lance know about that? And why would he warn her when they were clearly enemies? Then again, Lance had always been unpredictable, acting without logic. The confusion passed quickly, and she didn't dwell on it. Turning around, Thora headed back to her place. Tomorrow was the academy-wide comprehensive assessment. She needed to rest well tonight. As for whoever had been tailing her, that could wait until after the test. In the darkness, her figure slowly faded into the distance. Walking the opposite way, Lance couldn't help but look back. He stared at the photo in his hand, his blue eyes narrowing slightly. Then he tucked it away and left as well. They walked in different directions, crossing paths only once. They didn't stop, and they never shared the same road. ... The next day was the academy's mandatory comprehensive strength evaluation. Once a month, the military academy updated its overall rankings. Unlike institute rankings that focused on peak skill in one field, the comprehensive ranking measured overall ability across many areas. The test took place in the academy's virtual simulation system. It was similar to the one Thora had used for the Command Institute entrance exam, but more detailed. The format also changed every month. That day, the academy's senior leadership gathered in the monitoring room to closely watch standout students. Deans, senior instructors, and experts from the Research Division were all present. Davis observed several highlighted students on the screen. Adrian's performance was still outstanding. Tobias and Roxen, both high on the overall rankings, were also doing well, which was reassuring. Valen glanced at Adrian's data and asked a nearby research expert, "How are Adrian's latest physical sample results?" The researcher in a white lab coat answered carefully, "Cell activity is stronger than last time. All indicators are nearing peak levels. His IQ is 280. Aside from Professor Blake, whose IQ is known to be 300, Adrian currently has the highest IQ on Blue Star." The room erupted in quiet shock. An IQ of 280 was practically one of a kind. Even Tobias and Roxen, both exceptionally intelligent, were still noticeably behind Adrian. Valen suddenly thought of something. "Have you tested Thora from the Combat Institute?" The experts exchanged confused looks.Only William and Roth showed slight reactions. The other deans also looked puzzled, and Davis turned to Valen. The same researcher replied, "That student hasn't been tested yet." In other words, Thora had been relatively unknown before. She hadn't reached the top 20 overall, so she hadn't yet qualified for detailed physical and cognitive monitoring. Realizing his question had come out abruptly, Valen said nothing more and shifted his attention to Thora's feed. The others followed. Suddenly, a teacher exclaimed, "This student—look at her evaluation scores!" Everyone snapped their eyes to the screen. The name and label were clear. It was Thora from Combat Institute—the same student Valen had just mentioned. "Wait, is this real? Her scores are almost as high as Adrian's! Where did this monster come from?"