[Hahahaha, I can't stop laughing, everyone!]
[!! So this is how you play with cards? I'm stunned!]
[This is cringeworthy! I can't imagine what Song Gua's expression will be when he finds out all this, hahaha.]
The comments gradually died down.
Song Gua had already jumped out of the room into the corridor. Reaching the elevator, he quickly pressed the button, spun around, and jumped in, then leaped onto the open space outside the dormitory.
In the eerie night, he danced silently on the open space outside the dormitory, the chilling music adding to the night's dread.
Song Gua looked up. Several students in the dormitory buildings cautiously peeked at him through their curtains, then quickly turned off the lights and pretended to be asleep.
They were probably afraid of him.
From this distance, in the deep of night, from their perspective, they could only see a white-skirted "ghostly figure" dancing in the darkness—quite creepy.
Song Gua suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction, as if he had completed a mission.
After Xie He left, he took his blanket and went to Old Zhang's dormitory.
Old Zhang quietly opened the door and, seeing Xie He, asked in surprise, "Why are you here so late?"
Xie He: "I share a dorm with Song Gua."
"Oh! You two are roommates? He'll definitely be nagging you..." As he spoke, Old Zhang seemed to remember something and pulled Xie He aside, whispering to his roommate, "What's going on with you and Sui Yuan? You didn't betray me and get together with Sui Yuan, did you?!"
Xie He lazily replied, "On my way to deal with him. First, get close, gather clues, try to get us out of the dungeon, then we'll take care of him."
A look of hesitation crossed Old Zhang's eyes, as if he were pondering something. After half a minute, he said, "Fine! Since you took 820 points from me, you have to kill him!! You have to guarantee I get out of the dungeon..."
"Okay."
"...What's that sound? Wait a minute." Suddenly hearing a strange sound outside, Old Zhang quickly ran to the window, peeked downstairs, and saw a dancing "female ghost." He hurriedly turned off the room light, his face contorted in panic, and exclaimed, "It's all over! The girl who jumped off the building is back! She's dancing outside now—"
Old Zhang's other roommate had already started chanting incantations using cards in the room. After reciting something, the player said, "The ghost won't come in anytime soon. Let's get some sleep and look for clues tomorrow."
Old Zhang rubbed his arm, on the verge of tears, and said, "She won't come in, but I'm still scared. There's this 'woo-woo-woo' sound outside, it's terrifying."
Xie He leaned against the doorframe, looking weary, and held out his hand to Old Zhang: "100 points."
"What 100 points?"
"I'll take care of her for you."
"That expensive?"
"The other side is a ghost, it will take a long time to deal with. If you don't want to spend the money, that's fine. I also think it's dangerous, let's just go to sleep." Xie He yawned and, using the dim light of the streetlamp, spread out a makeshift bed on the floor.
Old Zhang stared at Xie He's retreating figure, feeling the sounds outside growing increasingly eerie and terrifying, even punctuated by horrifying screams!
He could have forgotten about the female ghost, but her entrance was accompanied by its own background music, making it impossible for him to ignore the ghostly presence outside.
Old Zhang gritted his teeth: "Fine. But we can't exchange points in this instance. I can sign a contract with you. Once we leave the instance, the system will automatically deduct it from my account, but you have to promise to be able to deal with the other party. At least tonight."
He wasn't entirely confident in Xie He, but he had seen Xie He's instances; every time he thought Xie He was about to die, the guy would turn the tide.
So he wanted to try betting on Xie He.
If Xie He won, he could sleep soundly; if Xie He died, he wouldn't lose anything.
Xie He remained silent, which was taken as agreement.
After seeing Old Zhang press his fingerprint on the contract, Xie He went downstairs and first used his meal card to buy an apple.
Then, casually...
Snap. In a second, the phone music stopped.
The phone notification read: [Your 100 points have been credited to your account. You can withdraw them after exiting the dungeon.]
The chat was practically bursting with laughter:
[Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! Just a flick of the finger, and he earned 100 points in a second!]
[Killing two birds with one stone! This guy seems to be getting better and better at the game.]
[Hopefully the difficulty of this dungeon doubles later, so I can crush him, hehe.]
At the same moment, upstairs, Old Zhang lay in bed, silently pulling the covers over himself. Xie He really had some skills; he'd dealt with the ghost so quickly. Old Zhang smiled with satisfaction, feeling this was the most worthwhile 100 points he'd ever earned.
Downstairs, Xie He glanced at Song Gua, who was spinning and leaping with abandon in the distance. He felt like a princess from Disneyland, his dance steps light and graceful thanks to the card's enhancement.
Song Gua shivered from the cold, his face contorted in pain as his stiff bones were stretched. "Crack—crack—" His stiff bones made strange sounds, almost dislocating.
Xie He thought Song Gua must be incredibly happy right now. He was trembling with excitement, his face displaying a variety of expressions, though he couldn't understand them. But he was making a crushing sound like smashing biscuits—how amusing!
—Just keep jumping.
Xie He sat downstairs for a while, then returned to his dorm. Back on his makeshift bed, he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.
How could he find out why the original "Xie He" jumped? And why did she curse this school…?
Drowsy, he drifted off to sleep.
In the quiet night, something was quietly brewing.
In the stillness of the night, as people were drifting off to sleep, they suddenly heard a deafening roar: "Boom—!!" from the dorm, like something long suppressed suddenly exploding. The ground shook violently!
Oh no!! Something terrible has happened!!
Xie He quickly sat up, and Old Zhang swiftly reached for the light switch.
His fingertips touched something cold, cylindrical, and slightly slippery. A chill ran down Old Zhang's spine.
When the light suddenly blazed on, he realized that what he had touched was a bloody… severed finger.
He was horrified. The severed finger rolled down the back of his hand and fell to the floor.
It left a gruesome, bloody gash on the back of his hand, like graffiti!
Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!
Old Zhang screamed hoarsely, his eyes closed!
The moment the light blazed on, the horrific scene in the dormitory was laid bare. Their roommate, though covered by a thick blanket, had blood gushing from his bedsheet, pooling on the floor!
The stench of blood filled the dormitory.
Xie He walked over, quietly lifting a corner of the blanket, and peeked inside. All that remained was a bloody mass of flesh.
Their other roommate had exploded!
Old Zhang, in a hysterical panic, clutched his head, trembling as he stammered, "Why, why!! Another...another death..."
Xie He released the blanket, letting it fall, and covered the body.
There must be some kind of death trigger among them. If a player accidentally triggered it, the virus would activate instantly, causing an explosion and death!
What could this death trigger be?
What did Xia Yuanyuan and her male roommate, who suddenly exploded, do together?
───
No other players lived on the same floor, so no one rushed over. Considering it was late at night, the two decided to continue sleeping in the dormitory.
The next morning, when Xie He arrived at the classroom door, Old Zhang was talking to players from the next class about the death the previous night. Everyone looked grim, and the atmosphere instantly became even more somber.
"Someone died in your dormitory last night? We heard strange noises outside, accompanied by screams, and then we looked down. Guess what we saw? A girl in a white dress!! It must be a female ghost," a player said nearby.
Song Gua walked over.
The sunlight slanted in, but he was shivering all over, awkwardly blowing his nose, clearly having been quite cold the night before.
Xie He casually said, "I also thought it was scary. That female ghost last night was terrifying. I wonder if she'll appear again tonight..."
Remembering he was now under the ghost's protection, Song Gua proudly puffed out his chest, glanced disdainfully at Xie He, and said, "Heh, you're so afraid of a female ghost? I think you'd better just wait to lose!" Then he limped away.
The comments section exploded:
[Hhhhh, still so smug, got scammed and still helping the other guy count his money, darling.]
[No wonder he did a little ballet all night, I feel like Song Gua is even walking on tiptoe now, hahaha.]
[The guy definitely did it on purpose, that last sentence was just to provoke Song Gua to keep dancing tonight, hehehe, it's all a routine.]
When Xie He entered the classroom, he saw the students whispering amongst themselves, their voices filled with fear.
It was already the second day in the dungeon, and the red spots on everyone's bodies had deepened.
The antibodies sent to the school had also been depleted, and there were less than 48 hours left before the virus flared up and exploded throughout the school. The players' main storyline hadn't progressed much.
The loudspeaker blared again: "Good morning, students. The school doctor will be coming shortly to disinfect your classrooms. Please wait in the hallway—"
Amidst the creaking of desks and chairs, many students had already left. As Xie He stood up, he suddenly felt dizzy, as if struck on the back of the head; his vision began to black out.
He accidentally knocked over a desk.
"Thump!" The desk crashed to the ground, scattering books everywhere. Xie He snapped back to reality.
He righted the desk and, as he knelt to pick up the books, noticed a hole in the leg.
Some white fragments were visible inside.
Xie He picked at them and discovered that the scattered white fragments were two crumpled pieces of paper. Unfolding them, he saw the following: [Go to hell!!! Go to hell go to hell go to hell go to hell go to hell go to hell!!!!] [Liar, I'll never believe you again!!!]
Xie He narrowed his eyes.
Who's the liar? Who should die?
As he thought this, his vision began to blur again as he stood up, and he accidentally bumped into an embrace. The man's bones were somewhat strong, and he could even smell the cool, fruity scent of tobacco on him.
Xie He couldn't help but lean into the other's arms, clinging to him like a tall, human-shaped pendant, resting his chin on the other's shoulder, and mumbled sleepily, "...Let me lean on you for a while."
He rubbed his face against the other's shoulder, his warm breath burning against the other's neck.
"!" Sui Yuan felt his vision suddenly go dark. The other person was too tall, his entire body leaning on him, making him feel uncomfortable. He could hear the other's clear heartbeat.
Sui Yuan's breath hitched a beat. As if seeing a ghost, he shoved Xie He away forcefully, gritting his teeth and saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Do I know you that well? Go lean against the desk."
Xie He was pushed back half a step, his back lazily resting against the desk, his black hair casting small, wispy shadows on his eyelids.
With slender, well-defined fingers tugging at his collar, Xie He looked down at Sui Yuan, and chuckled casually, "Didn't you touch my waist under the guise of applying medicine last time? This hug is a return gift, do you like it, Dr. Sui?"
"And the love letter I wrote to you, do you like it?" Xie He stared intently at him, then continued, "I'm that student who had a crush on you, right? You even hid my corpse, so you must have feelings for me too..."
Xie He glanced at Sui Yuan, then grasped his wrist, placing his fingertips on his heart, his expression languid. "Didn't you want my eyes? Do you want my heart, like slicing sashimi with a knife, to dissect my beating heart and see if it's your favorite color?"
"Dissecting me, will that excite you..."
"What if I willingly let my hands be bound, and I'm destroyed by you?"
He paused at just the right moment, his voice slightly hoarse.
"—Would you...like me?"
Sui Yuan felt the other's warmth wash over him. He knew the other person was testing him, trying to extract clues.
When the boy raised his eyelashes, his dark eyes seemed like an abyss from which death could strike at any moment.
But the heartbeat at his fingertips was real and strong, gradually becoming clearer, like the first snow falling when insects awaken, slowly melting away.
Sui Yuan: "I don't like anyone. That person is just deluding themselves."
The voice from the school's loudspeaker was still urging him on.
"Thank you for letting me know," Xie He said, walking out of the classroom.
Sui Yuan, however, watched Xie He's departing figure, falling into silence.
Xie He's appearance just now—dizzy, pale, suddenly collapsing into his arms—he must be suffering from being poisoned, yet he still pretended to be fine, stubborn, even teasing him with a smile in this situation.
People who put on a brave face are always more...heartbreaking than those who expose their vulnerability.
And what he said later also touched him.
But Sui Yuan knew this person well.
He was the most ruthless and vicious madman.
Sui Yuan had seen a video of Xie He before he entered the game. He jumped off a cliff without hesitation amidst the howling wind. He was vengeful and never suffered a loss; he toyed with his life at will.
He knew how to express love and affection. He could even understand Sui Yuan's strange quirks and didn't show any disgust like most people would; instead, he quickly adapted and cooperated.
But he had no feelings for anyone. Once he had extracted clues, he could discard them like worn-out shoes.
Don't be fooled by Xie He's appearance...
Never mind, what does it have to do with him?
That person is going to die soon anyway.
Sui Yuan continued spraying disinfectant.
Looking down, he noticed something on the ground. It was shiny.
It was the silver stud in Xie He's ear cartilage.
───
The school loudspeaker continued broadcasting: "Students, please pay attention to hygiene—"
Standing in the corridor wasn't as stuffy as in the classroom. Breathing in the fresh air made Xie He feel a little better. He grabbed a student and asked, "Where's the broadcasting station?"
The student pointed the way, and Xie He went there on his own.
Xie He went to the broadcasting station and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
When he went inside, Xie He found two men sitting there, whispering to each other.
Hearing the voice, they both looked up at Xie He.
They, like the students, had no facial features. It looked eerie under the lights.
One of them patted the other on the shoulder and said, "Hi. Principal Zhang, your daughter's here."
Xie He: "..."
Firstly, he still couldn't quite adjust; the original owner of his body was a girl.
Secondly, he realized that the original owner was actually... the principal's child.
The man called Principal Zhang glanced at Xie He and asked suspiciously, "Why are you here now? Is there something you need?"
Xie He quickly replied, "The red spots on my body seem to have worsened, so I wanted to see you."
Principal Zhang said kindly, "Are you alright, daughter? Let me see."
Xie He: "Sure." His fingers, however, secretly fiddled with the cap of a beer bottle in his pocket—something he had found in his dormitory yesterday at noon.
The man next to him chuckled, "Principal Zhang, you two have such a good relationship. You two chat first, I won't bother you any longer."
Principal Zhang nodded to him.
After the man left, Principal Zhang went to the water dispenser and filled a cup with hot water. Amidst the rushing water, he muttered to himself, "I didn't expect you to come at this time."
Principal Zhang said casually, "Have a seat, have some water later."
"Okay," Xie He replied.
Then, Principal Zhang carried two cups of water towards Xie He, and as soon as he looked up, he saw—
Xie He was already holding a slingshot, pointing a bottle cap at his face: "I'm your father, you ghost woman—"
"Reveal yourself!!!"
"Pfft—!!" The beer bottle cap pierced his face, and blood gushed out.
The man instantly transformed into a girl in a white dress, her entire body eerie, her bones twisted, blood dripping from her skirt.
"Plop. Plop." It fell to the ground.
The online comments were going crazy:
[??? Why why???]
[How did he know she was a ghost? I'm going crazy! Every time I see the handsome guy predicting everything, I wish I could go inside his head and see what's going on! Waaah!!]
"You!" The ghost clearly hadn't expected Xie He to see through her so quickly.
She screamed angrily, lunging at Xie He with her blood-red maw wide open.
[!!!!]
[And also, isn't he on the same side as the ghost? Why are they fighting? Help, my brain can't process this.]
[Waiting for an answer, waaaah!! Urgent!!!!]
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