I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity-Chapter 160: The Cafeteria’s Gaze

It was now noon.

The morning classes had concluded though Adam had completely missed his first one.

He didn’t even know which class section he had been assigned to nor did he particularly care.

It was lunchtime.

And the vast cavernous cafeteria of the United Academy was bustling with activity. The majority of the student body from the newest wide-eyed first-years to the most seasoned and cynical fourth-years were gathered here.

Their voices were a low rumbling din that filled the grand hall. Others were scattered across the various training grounds relentlessly honing their skills.

The cafeteria much like the rest of the Academy was a microcosm of its rigid social structure. It was unofficially but strictly segregated.

The four powerful factions each had their own designated sections. They had large swathes of tables where their members ate together in exclusive well-defined territories. Their colored jackets a clear demarcation of allegiance.

There were also mixed tables neutral zones where members of different groups or those brave or foolish enough to remain unaffiliated sat together.

The atmosphere in these areas was a complex mixture of wary tolerance simmering tension and the occasional overt display of hostility.

The large double doors of the cafeteria swung open with a soft whoosh. And the low hum of conversation immediately began to die down. Adam and Ryan entered.

The moment they stepped inside a hush fell over the noisy hall. Hundreds of conversations trailed off into silence. Hundreds of pairs of eyes from every corner of the vast room turned towards the entrance.

Everyone from every faction stared at Adam—or the boy they knew as the now-infamous Eric. And they stared at the bruised fearful-looking Ryan who walked beside him his gaze fixed on the floor.

Adam’s gaze cool and unbothered swept across the cafeteria. He took in the scene with a detached analytical air. He saw students from all four years all four factions their meals now forgotten their attention completely and utterly focused on him.

A short distance away huddled together at a very large isolated table he saw them. The members of his own group The New Warriors.

They were sitting together but they were not eating. Their faces were a mixture of palpable fear and a deep pervasive sadness. Their shoulders were slumped in a collective despondency.

The weight of the morning’s events the news of Ryan’s attack was crushing their already fragile morale. At the surrounding tables members of the established factions particularly the Red and Black Teams were looking over at them.

Their expressions were smug and mocking. Some were even making quiet jeering comments.

It was clear that before Adam’s arrival they had been systematically harassing and intimidating the members of his fledgling group. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Adam’s gaze passed over the taunting upperclassmen as if they were nothing more than furniture.

His eyes continued to sweep across the room until they found his true target. A short distance away at one of the prime tables in the center of the Red Team’s section sat the leadership.

Simon Samba Somya and the imposing Cian along with several other high-ranking members of their faction were all there. They were laughing amongst themselves. Their demeanor was one of relaxed arrogant confidence.

Samba’s eyes met Adam’s across the crowded room. He then deliberately looked at the bruised and battered Ryan standing beside Adam.

A cruel triumphant smirk spread across his face. He had delivered his message. And he was confident it had been received loud and clear.

At the table with The New Warriors Void who had been sitting with them trying his best to offer some semblance of support and leadership in his "leader’s" absence was becoming increasingly frustrated.

Before coming to the cafeteria he had met secretly with Gold and Silver in the forest.

They had reiterated their orders from the Apostles their mysterious masters.

Their mission was one of observation and intelligence gathering. They were to remain under the radar to simply search for their target within the vast student body of the Academy.

They had not yet received any orders to capture or engage.

This meant that Void despite his own immense barely contained power had been forced to sit there and endure the taunts and provocations of the other factions.

He couldn’t risk blowing his cover. He couldn’t risk jeopardizing their long-term mission for the sake of these frightened first-year students. It was an infuriating grating exercise in restraint for him.

But the moment he saw "Eric" enter the cafeteria a wide predatory smile spread across his face chasing away his frustration. He could feel it.

He could sense the same immense overwhelming energy that he had felt in the auditorium.

It was the same power that had faced down the Principal himself.

He knew with an absolute and exhilarating certainty that the time for restraint was over. Something big was about to happen. This was going to be fun.

In the ladies’ section of the cafeteria a separate though equally tense area Alina and Monica were sitting together.

They too had heard the news that morning about what had happened to Ryan. The story of the brutal attack on a member of Eric’s new group had spread like wildfire through all the dormitories.

Monica was now intensely curious. She wanted to see what Eric would do. Her father the Emperor had praised him.

The Principal had praised him. Many of the teachers she had heard were now holding him in high regard.

But in a situation like this a direct brutal challenge to his authority a clear message that his followers were not safe she believed that even he would be powerless.

The social and political structure of the Academy was a complex savage beast. It could not be tamed by raw power alone. She wanted to see how Eric would navigate this impossible situation.

This would be the true test of his mettle. This would be the true measure of the boy her father believed could one day surpass him.

She watched the entrance with keen interest waiting for the show to begin.

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