Third-person POV: Thora's eyelids lifted as she glanced at Shirley beside her and said flatly, "I know." Hanging up the call, Thora immediately ran toward the nearest source of the ticking sound. Shirley looked into the distance, her eyes narrowing, then quickly followed. ... Meanwhile, at Skybound Tower. For some reason, Darius had been in a bad mood all day, and Lorcan was also pacing restlessly in his consciousness. He impatiently unbuttoned his top shirt button, his tie slightly disheveled. His refined, sensual collarbones were exposed, along with glimpses of his muscular chest. "Well? Have you decrypted it yet?" He directed the question at the image on the computer screen in front of him."Alpha, almost there! Just one more code sequence to decrypt." Darius drummed his fingers absently against the desk edge, his gaze darkening. Suddenly, his expression shifted sharply as he remembered something. "Call the Astralis College principal's office right now." "Yes, Alpha." Carl immediately opened the communication line. Two seconds later ... "Alpha, it's not in service." Carl's voice also carried a heavy note. As if confirming his suspicion, Darius pulled out his phone and immediately called Thora. But the result was the same. There was no way to connect. "Damn it!" Darius didn't even grab his jacket as he stood and strode quickly toward the exit. "Contact Mr. Stanton at the military immediately!" With all his calculations, he'd never thought of Astralis College. This gathering place for the children of werewolf nobility in Starlance City was essentially where all future heirs to the Astralis Empire's upper echelon congregated. And this was also Greywolf's target this time! "Thora's at the academy too. Give me control of the body!" Lorcan roared anxiously in his consciousness. Darius smoothly transferred control to him. In an instant, silver-gray fur exploded from beneath his skin, bones emitting clear cracking sounds as they restructured, and a massive wolf nearly six and a half feet tall at the shoulder suddenly took form. It raised its head and released a howl so powerful the glass trembled, then kicked off with its hind legs like a silver bolt of lightning, leaping from the top floor of Skybound Tower. Landing with barely a wisp of dust, it vanished at the end of the street in the blink of an eye. ... Meanwhile, at the Imperial Army Command Center. "Mr. Stanton, we just intercepted a message sent to our military's special channel via radio waves." A technician shot to his feet and reported. "What message?" Hugo demanded in a grave voice. The person immediately turned and converted the wavelengths into text. "Astralis College. Mercenaries have invaded with heavy weapons. More than 30 people. Multiple bombs have been planted." With each word the technical officer spoke, the faces of everyone in the command center grew increasingly grim. "Chief Stanton, Alpha Darius has sent word that the Greywolf mercenary group has very likely already invaded Astralis College."Hugo's expression turned icy. "What are you all standing around for! All personnel! Prepare for combat!" Everyone straightened with shock. "Yes, sir!" No one dared to slack off, and no one dared to take this lightly. Those were all the future heirs of the entire Astralis Empire's upper echelon, the people who would shape the Astralis Empire's future. If something happened, they didn't dare to imagine the consequences! ... While Darius was racing toward Astralis College, the technical department had also decrypted the transmitted messages between the Rexford Empire and Greywolf. Just as he'd predicted, Greywolf had been hired by the Rexford Empire's military department. Their target was Astralis College. The Imperial riot control teams and special operations forces were all converging on Astralis College. And right now, the entire academy was completely cut off from the outside world. Thora didn't rush back to Class F but instead followed the sound directly toward the electrical room. That was the bomb location closest to her. She had to defuse it before it exploded, or the blast radius would be much wider. Just then, a violent explosion rang out from one of the academic buildings, echoing throughout Astralis College. Fortunately, the blast location was empty, and the academy buildings had been reinforced against explosions, so the blast didn't spread. But that single explosion made everything clear to everyone. Astralis College had been invaded! The students panicked and ran toward the main gates. But Astralis College's gates had already been sealed. The security system originally meant to protect the academy had now become the lock that turned them into sitting ducks ...