Shadow Being System

William left the restroom, thoughts racing through his mind. "What do I do? How do I stop him?" His heart pounded in his chest, and with every step, his mind churned with potential outcomes. Then he asked the system, "Is Mr. Duke an actual heretic?"

The system responded quickly, its voice neutral yet tinged with disbelief. "Him? No way. He is just a mere fly compared to the heretics. He's just a sacrificial pawn."

William's eyes scanned the facility, taking in the new buses and students arriving. The place buzzed with activity. As if to underscore the urgency of the moment, an alarm blared throughout the facility, signaling that it was time to resume the journey. "Shit," William muttered under his breath. "What should I do? Should I just scream and tell everyone that he's a spy?"

The system's response was immediate, dripping with sarcasm. "Sure, go ahead. Watch the soldiers drag you off. And when they ask how you know, what will you say? That a voice in your head told you? That you've got some secret ability?"

William sighed, exasperated. "Damn it, you're right. I can't do that. Guess I'll just have to run away. If I can't save them, at least I'll save myself."

"Run where?" the system retorted. "Look around, genius. How do you plan to escape without being noticed?"

William clenched his fists, frustration coursing through him. He was stuck. The other students were lining up for their buses, moving through the strange device that scanned them earlier. With little choice, William joined the line for his bus. And there, right at the front, stood Mr. Duke, watching over the process like a hawk.

William's teeth gritted as he looked at the man. "That bastard," he thought. "How could he be so heartless, planning to kill a bunch of students?, what will the heretics even gain from killing a bunch of student"?

The system cut into his thoughts, its tone surprisingly calm. "These students are weak now. But in the future, they will be strong soldiers. The heretics want to eliminate a problem before it even arise."

William's stomach twisted at the truth of those words. Soon, it was his turn to pass through the device. An idea suddenly sparked in his mind. He stepped forward, stood in front of the machine, and then, out of nowhere, grabbed his head and screamed in agony. He let his body fall limp as he fainted dramatically.

Panic erupted from the students around him. "Is William a spy?!" someone yelled, their voice laced with fear.

Mr. Duke quickly approached and knelt beside William, checking his pulse. "Don't worry," he said, his voice smooth and confident. "He's not a spy. If he were, the device would have done far more than just knock him out." With that, Mr. Duke scooped William up and carried him through the device, laying him down on the back seat of the bus.

William cracked one eye open, watching carefully as Mr. Duke placed him next to Miss Mona. The male teacher's eyes flicked toward Mona. "He fainted. Must be stress," he explained before walking off the bus, leaving the two alone.

As soon as Mr. Duke was gone, Miss Mona turned toward him, her voice low but clear. "You can stop pretending now."

William sat up, rubbing the back of his neck with a wry smile. "You caught me, Miss Mona. Can't pull one over on you, huh?"

She gave him a sideways glance, her expression as bored as ever, then closed her eyes as if talking to him was already too much effort. Outwardly, William tried to remain calm, but his mind was a storm of panic. "Damn it," he thought. "When Mr. Duke carried me through that device, it didn't detect him as a spy. How is that possible?"

The system's voice echoed in his mind, more serious now. "Looks like the heretics have outsmarted the military with this one."

"No," William muttered through clenched teeth. "I'll stop him. No matter what."

"Good," the system replied. "Use this as a motivation."

Suddenly, a system notification popped up in William's vision.

Chain Quest Given:

Quest 1: Stop the heartless villain from blowing up the bus and be the dashing hero.

Quest reward: Level up.

"A level up? Now that's a David Goggins-type motivation!" William thought, feeling a surge of determination ignite within him.

The other students had boarded the bus by now, and when Mr. Duke re-entered and saw William sitting up, he asked, "Feeling better?"

William forced a smile, doing his best not to lunge across the aisle and punch the man in the face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Must've just been the stress, like you said."

Then the bus's speakers crackled to life, and a man's booming voice echoed through every vehicle in the convoy. "This is Commander Charles. I am in charge of this escort. Just relax and enjoy the journey. You are in safe hands."

William almost scoffed at the words. "Safe hands?" he thought bitterly. "What about the man who's about to blow us all up?"

As the bus pulled out of the facility, William's mind was racing with plans. He had to figure out how to stop Mr. Duke, but nothing made sense. If the device couldn't detect him, what other tricks did Mr. Duke have up his sleeve? His thoughts drifted to the strange black liquid he had seen in the restroom, the way it entered Mr.

Duke's body like a parasite. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.

"That liquid... it has to be connected to his ability," William thought. "But what does it do?"

Suddenly, the bus jerked, and a new wave of tension washed over him. Commander Charles' voice boomed over the speaker again. "We're entering the tunnels now. Stay alert, soldiers."

William's heart sank. The tunnels. That's where Mr. Duke said the explosion would happen.

His time was running out.

The system chimed in, pulling William from his thoughts. "You're wasting time thinking about it. You know what he's planning, and you've got your quest. Do something."

William glanced over at Miss Mona, who was still sitting calmly beside him. If anyone could help him, it was her. She wasn't just a teacher. Her stats were high and her ability was telekinesis, but is it powerful enough to stop whatever Mr. Duke was plotting.

"Miss Mona," William began quietly, "I think something bad is about to happen."

She opened one eye lazily, giving him a look that said she wasn't in the mood for drama. "What now, William?"

"It's Mr. Duke," William whispered. "I think he's working for the heretics."

Both of her eyes snapped open this time, and she leaned in, her voice low. "What makes you say that?"

"I—" William hesitated. "I just... I know. I heard him talking to someone in the restroom. I can't explain it all now, but trust me. We're in danger."

Miss Mona looked at him for a long moment, then slowly nodded. "Fine, tell me everything you heard." Her voice absolute.

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