Chapter 46: Gaoji Academy (Part Eleven)

Chapter 46: Gaoji Academy (Part Eleven)

Xu Xiuxiu had a soft heart and hadn't treated the students like the other NPCs from the outset. Later, after Xie Fangcheng intimidated the NPCs with a show of force, the other teachers in the class dared not intervene too much.

Moreover, following the decline in grades, the players who were sent to student dormitories could still be rescued by Xie Fangcheng, emboldening Xu Xiuxiu slightly. She was the first to allow students to answer questions and discuss freely in class.

But no one expected...

"This student's academic performance was not poor, and I've never hit or scolded him. Just yesterday he actively participated in the class discussions; how could he possibly commit suicide by jumping off the building?"

Xu Xiuxiu's face bore a grave expression.

Before her, a corpse that looked no different from the student NPC that Tong Xinxin and others had seen lying dead in the dormitories, lay silently in the basement.

This place was also where the school centralized body disposal; all the bodies of students and teachers were brought here to be incinerated.

It was during the evening self-study session that Xu Xiuxiu realized one student was missing from her class.

These students had been disciplined for so long that even when they realized the teacher was amiable, they wouldn't suddenly learn to skip classes.

Just as Xu Xiuxiu was pondering over the whereabouts of the student, she caught a fleeting shadow passing by the glass in the corridor from the corner of her eye, followed by a dull "thud" of a landing sound.

When Xu Xiuxiu went to check, she found herself locking eyes with a student who had fallen to his death below.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but she even felt that at that moment, the student hadn't passed away, instead glaring at her with eyes filled with resentment.

Why?

Xu Xiuxiu couldn't figure it out.

The players exchanged silent glances amongst themselves.

Tan Chen hesitated, "Could it be that some other teacher NPCs said something?"

"No," Yue Haiyang glanced at Jie Fangcheng, who was silently standing aside, and spoke, "Ever since Brother Jie taught them a lesson, those NPCs dare not treat the students as they did before. I've observed them secretly; they are genuinely afraid."

Since it wasn't the teacher NPCs, the only recent change was Xu Xiuxiu's improved attitude towards the students.

But with her being more kind-hearted, shouldn't the likelihood of a student committing suicide decrease?

Why then…

At that moment, a faint murmur resonated in the quiet room, "I've been saying we might as well follow the methods of those NPCs."

Following the NPCs' approach—appeasing the diligent students while humiliating the underperformers—at least now we wouldn't be in the dark about how the student died.

The strategy to clear the level was clearly before our eyes, but because of one player, everyone was unable to utilize it.

Despite the fact that five players were hunted down by student NPCs that day, everyone understood that if, as a penalty, they were sent to live in the student dormitories, they might be hunted down by the spirits of deceased students.

But everyone knew exactly what transpired that day.

Tong Xinxin, Guo Siming, and Yue Haiyang had foolishly opened their eyes, hence they were pursued by the NPCs.

The other two were even more foolish, risking their lives for a player they had known for less than a week.

If it were them, they would definitely not have opened their eyes.

Moreover… it's not necessarily true that the average score would decrease next time.

If we followed the tactics of the teacher NPCs, gradually weeding out the weaker students, wouldn't the exam scores improve with each iteration, thereby avoiding stays at the student dormitories entirely?

The individuals saved by Jie Fangcheng were grateful and sided with him for his life-saving grace, but the remaining players naturally wouldn't.

At this moment, when one person voiced out, others quickly chimed in.

"Exactly, these students seem intent on committing suicide whether we treat them well or not; the outcome remains the same."

"Indeed, we all understand the strategy to clear this instance, why are we forbidden to use it? Isn't this overly tyrannical?"

"The clearing condition is to have the students' test scores exceed 562 points. This isn't a brute force instance, the students might be happy now, but what about us? Are we just waiting for our demise?"

Like a balloon filled with accumulated grievances, once pricked by a needle, even through a small hole, the resentment within explodes forth instantly.

Yue Haiyang was seething with rage.

"You lot are really something, aren't you? Without someone lending a hand, you wouldn't even have grasped the situation in the instance. Director Wei alone would have been a handful for you all!"

Someone snorted in disdain.

At that moment, Jie Fangcheng spoke with an indifferent tone, "If you wish to employ the same tactics as the NPCs, by all means, proceed."

The crowd paused, just as someone was about to joyously respond, Jie Fangcheng smashed half a wall with a forceful swing of his stick.

"Then meet the same end as those teacher NPCs."

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.

But his stance was clear. Several players locked eyes, then turned around without a word and left.

Shortly, only half the players remained in the room where the student's body lay.

Tong Xinxin, Liu Hui, Tan Chen, Yue Haiyang—these were the individuals rescued by Jie Fangcheng that day.

Guo Siming was not present. Despite owing his life to the rescue, after much hesitation, he decided to leave with the other half of the players.

Xu Xiuxiu stayed behind. She was inherently compassionate, which was why she was the first to inadvertently cause a student's death by treating them too kindly.

And then there was another...

Jie Fangcheng turned to look at Zhang Dao'an.

Zhang Dao'an smiled, "We are all teachers of Class 7 now; naturally, I stand by your side."

Jie Fangcheng turned his head back.

Tong Xinxin scanned the faces of the remaining players in the room.

Seven people.

Actually, a bit more than she had anticipated.

When Jie Fangcheng insisted that they couldn't resort to the methods of the teacher NPCs, Tong Xinxin had already foreseen a division among the players someday.

Had he not made that demand, perhaps even she might have emulated the NPCs, coercing students to allocate her a larger share of the scores.

It was a matter of no choice. Even though the tactic was somewhat distasteful, these NPCs were merely data—revivable upon death. In contrast, the death of a player was final. Anyone would opt for choices beneficial to them.

If it wasn't for Jie Fangcheng saving her, Tong Xinxin might have been one of those who left.

The fragmentation among the players had been brewing for a while; now, it simply surfaced explicitly.

However, for some reason, she felt that the pace of this instance was accelerating.

In such instances, where a clear path to victory is established, players generally find the first solution to succeed only after half the time has elapsed, during which the NPC's have reduced their numbers by half.

However, this time, they are tasked with elevating the students' grades to 562 points by the fourth major examination. Remarkably, they have identified a viable strategy shortly after the first major examination.

Furthermore, it's quite common to witness discrepancies among players, even distinctly dividing into two or more factions.

But in the early stages, everyone is relatively unfamiliar with the instance. During this period, choosing to collaborate, while observing and identifying players who can be leveraged, with whom collaboration can continue, and even those who can be eliminated, is a standard approach. This cooperative phase usually lasts until the latter part of the instance, manifesting only after a clear pathway to success has been determined.

But this time, the fracture among the players occurred much earlier than usual.

It's as if an invisible hand is orchestrating all this, unveiling the cruelty and indifference among players right from the outset.

What is the motive? The instance timeframe is fixed, so fostering division among players this early on would surely heighten tensions in the later stages, wouldn't it?

At this moment, Xu Xiuxiu stumbled upon a new finding.

"Take a look."

She lifted the arm of the deceased student, revealing a large bruise on the ribcage area.

"He died from a head-first fall, resulting in a shattered skull; there shouldn't be this kind of bruising on his body. It must have occurred while he was still alive."

Everyone gathered around hastily.

Gao Ji Academy has rules prohibiting students from fighting.

Moreover, these students are hardly known to interact with each other, let alone fight; it would be completely implausible for disputes or previous grudges to arise amongst them.

So why does this student bear signs of physical assault?

Without any apparent grudges or conflicts, who could have assaulted him?

What was the meaning behind the resentful look in his eyes before he died?

Everyone was left baffled, unable to find an answer.

However, time was pressing, and with lingering doubts, everyone returned to their dormitories. Upon reaching the entrance, they found Director Wei waiting there.

Seeing Jie Fangcheng, Director Wei involuntarily retracted his neck slightly.

"Is something the matter?" Jie Fangcheng asked.

Director Wei glanced at Xu Xiuxiu.

"I need to discuss something with Teacher Xu."

Jie Fangcheng responded with a nonchalant "Oh": "Go ahead, I'm curious to hear what the matter is."

Director Wei: "…"

With no other option, Director Wei began, "Teacher Xu, Yu Shengmiao, the student from your class who committed suicide today, wasn't a poor performer academically. Had it been a student from the back rows, I wouldn't have sought you out. But now, a good student with decent grades is dead. What does this signify? It indicates, Teacher Xu, that the educators of Class Eleven have failed to recognize the importance of nurturing good students! Given his death, it seems a penalty is in order for the teachers of Class Eleven."

Xu Xiuxiu steadied herself, "What kind of punishment?"

Director Wei rubbed his hands together, "I need to retrieve the lecture notes that your class teachers are currently using. The other teachers have already handed theirs in; you're the only one left."

Xu Xiuxiu paused, somewhat stunned, "If the lecture notes are taken away, how am I supposed to conduct the classes?"

She wasn't a professional at this, and without the lecture notes where almost every line was highlighted, she simply couldn't manage teaching.

Director Wei began, "This is the school's policy. If class eleven shows improved results in the next test, the notes will be returned to you. However, if the performance is unsatisfactory..."

Before he could finish, Jie Fangcheng, who was standing nearby, interjected firmly, "No."

Director Wei: "..."

He knew it would come to this!

A look of distress surfaced on Director Wei's face, "Teacher Jie, you must understand my position too!"

Jie Fangcheng fixed his gaze on him, "I said no, and I mean it. No further discussions."

Jie Fangcheng found it bothersome to carry a stick around all the time. Now, having dismantled a handrail to create another, he kept one in the classroom and one in the dormitory.

At this moment, he wasn't holding the stick, but he motioned as if he was, swinging an imaginary stick through the air with great expressive detail.

Director Wei turned and left hastily.

All eyes converged on Jie Fangcheng.

Although they were well aware of how formidable he was, the sight of him intimidating an NPC was electrifying, no matter how many times they witnessed it.

After Director Wei left, everyone retreated to their respective rooms to sleep.

Tong Xinxin shared a dormitory with Tan Chen. After they returned to their room together, Tong Xinxin couldn't help but express her feeling that the pace of this instance had accelerated. Tan Chen pondered over it and agreed.

"Indeed, in my numerous instances of clearing dungeons, the rift among players usually occurs at the end, during competitive phases. This time, it's happening far too early."

Players aren't machines; they require rest.

An earlier schism indicates an extra day of being on guard against hostile players, and this kind of mental pressure is substantial.

"Never mind," Tong Xinxin said, her eyes brightening, "We don't have classes tomorrow, let's go to the library in building three to check student records!"

According to the school regulations, during daytime classes, they were expected to stay within the academic building preparing for lessons, unable to wander freely outside.

The Grade 11 schedule was packed with Language and Math classes since they didn't have extracurriculars like art, music, or physical education, leaving only Wednesdays and Fridays free.

"Agreed."

As they resolved to visit the library, Jie Fangcheng knocked on Director Wei's door once again.

"Little Wei."

From the way he was addressed, it was clear that Director Wei had now been forced into a close acquaintance with him. He sat miserably at the edge of the bed, "Go ahead."

Jie Fangcheng hoisted his stick up again.

"I wanted to ask you something; are the student files stored in the library of building three?"

Director Wei was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure.

It must be Zhang An!

What on earth is going on with Teacher Zhang? How could he turn around and share the information with this person so swiftly?!

However, recalling the previous incident where he wrongfully accused Teacher Zhang over the computer room keys, Director Wei promptly concocted a plausible explanation for Zhang's actions.

At first glance, it was evident that Teacher Jie was not to be trifled with. Probably, he had caught wind of something and pressured Zhang into divulging the information. Poor Zhang had no choice but to comply.

They were all pitiful souls coerced into this.

Director Wei could only nod, "Yes..."

Jie Fangcheng murmured, "So it really is true."

It wasn't surprising that he harbored doubts about that youngster. The individual seemed quite scheming, holding clear disdain for other players around, akin to someone ready to bury all other players at the slightest disagreement.

Naturally, one had to approach his words with a fair dose of skepticism.

After getting his answer, Jie Fangcheng stood up, the stick still over his shoulder.

It was a rare occasion that Director Wei avoided a beating. Before he could fully savor this bit of luck, Jie Fangcheng turned back around.

"Hey, I have another question for you."

"Huh?"

"How can we ensure that students not only achieve a score of six hundred but also enjoy the bliss of holistic education?" Jie Fangcheng inquired.

Director Wei: "..."

Is this person looking for trouble?

If he knew the answer to that question, would he still be a director? He would ascend straight to the position of principal!

Merely achieving a "score of six hundred" was a steep hill to climb, yet he wants the students to be cheerful too?

Is he daydreaming??

Director Wei's expression underwent a series of transformations, sensing this might be the onset of a new pretext for a beating.

But in the past, Jie had never needed a reason to resort to violence. Could it be that he was showing a bit of restraint today?

Jie Fangcheng observed his expression, nodding thoughtfully.

"Seems like asking you was a waste of time, with this level of understanding, and you're still a grade director," he remarked with a tinge of disdain.

Having said that, he left.

Director Wei experienced another sleepless night.