After the two left, Ding Yang, soaking wet, climbed out of the pool. She coughed twice, covered her mouth, and turned to see Xue Shun still in the water. She grabbed him by the hair and dragged him out.
Having held his breath underwater for too long, Xue Shun was disoriented. He gasped for air and immediately collapsed to the ground, shivering and spitting out water.
Ding Yang glared at him, annoyed. "What good are you, all that height for what?!"
Xue Shun knew he was a burden. His face fell, and fearing Ding Yang would abandon him, tears welled in his eyes. "I'm sorry..."
What had happened today was beyond his comprehension. They had barely caught their breath after escaping with the two veteran players to an apartment complex when Old Qian was swallowed by vines on the courtyard wall.
It all happened so suddenly, almost in the blink of an eye. Sister Yin told them Old Qian was beyond saving.
Then a terrifying monster appeared and chased after them. The two veteran players were no match for it; they barely escaped the monster's claws, losing an eye and an arm in the process. It was at this point that the four of them got separated.
Xue Shun, after all, was just a middle school student not yet an adult. He was filled with anxiety. "Sister Ding...are we going to find One-Eyed and the others?"
"What are you talking about?" Ding Yang looked at Xue Shun as if he were some kind of utterly idiotic fool. "You want to go find them? Do you want to die already?"
Xue Shun wiped away his tears. "But what can we do? Anyone in this school could kill us. No, maybe they're not even human. We can't survive on our own, sob sob sob."
"You still can't go find them." Ding Yang gritted her teeth. "Before Old Qian died, Sister Yin pushed him out. To them, the three of us are just cannon fodder to take their place. If there's real danger, they won't care if we live or die."
Xue Shun was terrified. "No, no way. Sister Yin said she would protect us."
"Can't you use your brain even a little bit?!" Ding Yang was furious. "If they had no ulterior motives, why would they be so kind as to help us? Do you really think they're college students?!"
Xue Shun couldn't deceive himself any longer and silently shut his mouth. "...Then what should we do?"
The veteran players had items provided by the system for self-defense, but they had nothing. Against those non-humans, they could basically give up and prepare to be slaughtered.
Ding Yang looked at the brightly lit apartment next door. "That very young teacher, he seems neutral. Perhaps we can seek his protection."
"But...but..." Xue Shun was afraid. "He's the monsters' teacher! Will he help us?"
"He's the one who took the monsters away just now," Ding Yang thought calmly. "And this afternoon, it was probably because he was there that the monsters didn't chase us."
The most crucial point was that even when this teacher saw them, there was no malice in his eyes; instead, it revealed a hint of concern. So Ding Yang decided to take a gamble.
Meanwhile, Yan Chi was making tomato and egg noodles for Sethia, making Sethia stare wide-eyed at the pot, swallowing hard without any self-control.
Seeing the food but not being able to eat it was torture for Sethia. He forced himself to look away and saw two little chicks huddled in the corner, shivering.
Xingluo had messaged Yan Chi after giving him the chicks, so Sethia wasn't surprised to see them at Yan Chi's house.
"Teacher, you have to eat these two chickens while they're still young," Sethia said knowingly. "Their meat will get tough when they grow up, and then they won't taste good."
Thinking of the terrible taste of grown chicks, Sethia wrinkled his nose. "They're super awful."
The meat would be tough and dry, with no flavor at all.
The two little chicks, receiving Sethia's gaze, huddled together timidly.
Yan Chi chuckled, remembering Xingluo's comment about chicks being pets. "You really raise chicks just to eat them?"
"Yeah, otherwise why would I raise them?"
Sethia only seemed to put effort into eating.
The noodles cooked quickly, and Yan Chi ladled out a large bowl for him. "Alright, come and eat."
"Thank you, teacher!" Sethia eagerly took a bite. The chewy noodles, coated in the sweet and sour flavor of tomatoes, made his eyes light up. "So delicious!"
Yan Chi chuckled and led him to the table. "Eat slowly, there's more if you're not full."
He knew Sethia liked to eat, so he had specially made enough for two, just in case he wouldn't have enough.
Sethia ate heartily, finishing more than half of the large bowl of noodles in just a few minutes. Yan Chi watched, then looked at his soft, chubby face. Perhaps it wasn't baby fat, but rather that he was genuinely chubby.
Yan Chi couldn't help but chuckle, causing Sethia to look up at him, bewildered, and mumble, "Um... Teacher?"
Yan Chi: "It's nothing, eat."
After finishing a large bowl, Sethia felt no fullness whatsoever. He happily scooped the rest into his bowl and began to eat heartily.
The delicate and adorable Sethia eating was a delightful sight, even more so than a mukbang video.
Yan Chi's eyes held amusement as he looked at Sethia like he was watching his own little piglet grunting and munching on its food—cute and endearing, yet with a strange sense of accomplishment.
"Ring ring."
The sudden sound of the doorbell shattered the peaceful scene. Yan Chi got up to open the door, wondering who could be looking for him in the middle of the night.
Slowly opening the door, Yan Chi saw two disheveled children standing at his doorstep. Their thin clothes were completely soaked, and it was unclear how long they had been standing there; a puddle had formed at their feet.
Ding Yang wore a monitoring device on her wrist that resembled a fitness tracker. It was given to her by Sister Yin, supposedly capable of detecting the level of an NPC. When Yan Chi appeared before them, her tracker began to vibrate violently, displaying a series of question marks on the screen.
This indicates that the NPC's level exceeds the bracelet's detection range, meaning his level is at least A-rank.
Sister Yin had told them that NPCs in dungeons are categorized by level, from the weakest C-rank to the strongest Super S-rank. Sister Yin and One-Eyed were B-rank players.
The dungeon's level is unknown; some players have reportedly cleared it and stated it's only B-rank, which is why Sister Yin and One-Eyed chose this dungeon.
However, upon encountering the monstrous-mouthed monster, Sister Yin and One-Eyed were on the verge of collapse. A-rank NPCs couldn't possibly appear in a B-rank dungeon; [Yunzhou] couldn't possibly be just a B-rank dungeon!
Ding Yang remembered Sister Yin's frantic expression, saying they'd all been deceived and would die here. She clenched her fists tightly. She couldn't die here; her mother was waiting for her to come home.
Xue Shun caught sight of the unknown level indicator and immediately tried to run, but Ding Yang grabbed him tightly.
Yan Chi asked in confusion, "What are you doing...?"
"Are you...a teacher?" Ding Yang's voice trembled. "Someone's chasing us! We're so scared! Can you save us?"
Yan Chi's heart jumped at this question. "Are those two adults with you?"
Xue Shun and Ding Yang exchanged surprised glances. What was going on? Did this teacher think those two veteran players were even more terrifying than his monster students?
Ding Yang: "Uh...yes."
"I knew it." Yan Chi said angrily. "They don't look like good people."
Looking at the two pitiful children, Yan Chi took them home with a heavy heart.
"Teacher, I've finished eating! I even washed the dishes!" Sethia skipped out to find Yan Chi. "Who came looking for you...?"
When Sethia saw the two children following Yan Chi, his bright blue eyes widened suddenly. Why were these two players with their teacher?!
Ding Yang and Xue Shun, upon seeing Sethia, both hid behind Yan Chi in fright. The detector in Ding Yang's hand vibrated wildly again after Sethia appeared, displaying a series of question marks.
Yan Chi noticed the undercurrent among the three children and said to Sethia, "Sethia, could you get me two clean towels?"
"Okay," Sethia replied, while giving the two children a hostile look, obediently fetching the towels.
"You need to change your clothes, or you'll get sick. Sethia will bring the towels later; dry yourself off first."
Yan Chi prepared to get one of his clean clothes for the boy, but he hesitated for the girl. "I have two female students; do you want to stay with them?"
Ding Yang immediately shook his head, "No!"
Who knew what kind of terrifying monsters those two were?
Yan Chi didn't force her. "Then you can make do here tonight. I'll take you to see the principal tomorrow."
"Have a seat, I'll get you some clothes."
Yan Chi went upstairs, and Sethia came out of the bathroom with a dry towel. Seeing Yan Chi wasn't there, he immediately threw the towel down and walked towards Ding Yang and Xue Shun.
Ding Yang and Xue Shun tried to run, but a strong suction pulled them back, throwing them to Sethia's feet.
"You guys are so annoying," Sethia said angrily. "Tan Mo said not to eat humans directly, it's dirty, but now, I'm going to eat you."
Under Ding Yang and Xue Shun's terrified gazes, Sethia grabbed their hands. In that instant, white fleshy masses clung to Ding Yang and Xue Shun's arms, climbing up their arms.
The ball of flesh resembled a translucent milk jelly, but countless sharp teeth emerged from it, biting into their bodies, threatening to sever even blood vessels and bones.
Intense pain swept through their bodies, but Ding Yang and Xue Shun couldn't scream. Something seemed to be stuck in their throats. They looked at Sethia in despair, no longer daring to beg the monster to let them go.
Suddenly, Yan Chi's voice came from around the corner of the stairs, "Sethia, did you get the towels?"
The moment Yan Chi's voice rang out, the deadly white jelly vanished without a trace, so fast that even Sethia himself didn't have time to react. Then, the scene before him changed rapidly.
Ding Yang and Xue Shun, having escaped death, collapsed to the ground, the former deathly pale, the latter bursting into tears.
Their arms were covered in a dense network of wounds, telling them that what had just happened was not a nightmare they had imagined.
Wait… where is the monster boy? Why did he let them go?
Ding Yang hurriedly looked around, but didn't see Sethia. Suddenly, as if possessed, she lowered her head. A small, round jelly-like creature stared at her with its round, bright eyes.
The little jelly had tiny hands, tucked into its chest. It was entirely a dazzling gold. It seemed bewildered by its current situation, then angrily bounced twice, pointing its two little fingers at Ding Yang and Xue Shun, as if gathering its strength to utter a threat.
Unfortunately, no one could understand it.
"You…" Ding Yang guessed that this little jelly must be the blond boy who had tried to eat them earlier. Although she didn't know why he suddenly became like this, she was on guard against the little jelly suddenly attacking.
But then, the little jelly toddled out the door on its short legs and disappeared in a flash.
He just let them go like that?
Ding Yang couldn't believe it.
"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Yan Chi came downstairs with clean clothes and quickly helped the two children up, but he didn't see Sethia. "Where's Sethia? Did he leave?"
Ding Yang looked dazed. "Yes..."
"He left in such a hurry, but that makes sense, he had a mission." Yan Chi handed them the clothes. "You can change in the restroom. Don't worry, I won't peek."
His last words were directed at Ding Yang.
The two children thanked him as they took the clothes. Ding Yang, being a girl, went to the restroom to change.
After they changed, Yan Chi picked up a clean towel to dry their hair. This time, he noticed the deep, bone-revealing wounds on their arms and was immediately shocked. "How did you get these?"
Xue Shun felt the soft towel being wiped through his hair. The pent-up grievances he had been holding back erupted at Yan Chi's concerned questioning. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably, "It's...it's..."
"We accidentally scratched ourselves," Ding Yang interrupted, giving Xue Shun a threatening look.
Xue Shun immediately shut his mouth, continuing her sentence, "Yes, it was an accidental injury."
Yan Chi frowned as he looked at the swollen, bleeding wound. He got up to get a small first-aid kit and began applying medicine and bandaging their wounds.
Four arms were wrapped in bandages. Yan Chi instructed, "Don't get the wounds wet."
Ding Yang touched the bandages, her eyes reddening. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. It's late. You can stay in the guest rooms on the second floor tonight. I've already prepared the rooms."
Yan Chi felt sorry for the two children. These days, which child isn't pampered and spoiled? These two had encountered bad people, couldn't go home, and were covered in injuries. He couldn't imagine how worried their families must be.
After settling the two children in the guest rooms, it was already late. Yan Chi went back to his room, lay down, and turned off the lights.
Outside the classroom apartment, Lin Heng's long hair swayed gently in the night breeze. His dark eyes were fixed on the darkened room. "Let's go."
Tan Mo, holding a golden jelly, asked, "Aren't we going to kill them?"
The golden jelly jumped up and down anxiously, its little finger pointing in the direction of Yan Chi's house. It tugged at Tan Mo's sleeve, urging him to go and fight them.
Tan Mo pressed his head down, looking at Lin Heng.
Lin Heng glanced at him. "You dare kill someone in front of Teacher Yan?"
Tan Mo didn't speak, and the golden jelly also fell silent. Then the two of them, along with the golden jelly, turned and left.
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