Chapter 190: Genius Kindergarten (Part 3)

Chapter 190: Genius Kindergarten (Part 3)

Even though the child-ghost outside the door had practically started howling like a banshee, Jie Fangcheng felt rather restrained after delivering his kick.

Leaving that aside, Jie Fangcheng was quite a reasonable person. Since he didn't fully grasp the nature of this game and Zhan Xiaoming advised against speaking to ghosts, he hadn't exchanged a single word with the little specter.

As for the fact that he'd outright kicked it, well, that just proved he could see the ghost, didn't it? But who cared? At least he hadn't spoken to it.

Jie Fangcheng closed the system interface and exited the stall as if nothing had happened.

At the door, the child-ghost was rolling around clutching its face. Its pitch-black eyes peeked hatefully at Jie Fangcheng through the gaps between its fingers.

Pretending to see nothing, Jie Fangcheng even went as far as to wash his hands in a show of normality.

As he was washing, he felt a cold, bony hand grab his ankle.

"You see me... you see me!" The voice of the child-ghost was a mix of rage and excitement, as if Jie Fangcheng only needed to nod to become its next meal.

Only those who can see ghosts can be consumed—it's the rule.

How to make the person admit to seeing the ghost, thereby triggering the rule? That was the most significant issue occupying the minds of the ghosts in the "Genius Kindergarten."

This man in front of them was truly bizarre... but he could see them!

The little ghost named Wang Zheqi was already beginning to savor the joys of consuming flesh.

The next second, a small foot "crunched" down on the ghostly hand gripping his ankle.

The assailant seemed to apply only casual pressure, standing as steady as a rock. He ground the foot a little before leisurely exiting the restroom.

Wang Zheqi lay stunned on the ground for a moment before erupting in a soul-shattering scream.

Meanwhile, not long after leaving the restroom, Jie Fangcheng encountered Zhan Xiaoming.

The ghost's wail was so piercing that it carried far, audible to all players but completely ignored by ordinary NPCs. Its unsettling, echoing scream left players feeling uneasy and perplexed.

On the first day in the dungeon, everyone was cautious, strictly following the dungeon's flow.

In the "Genius Kindergarten" dungeon, players mainly interact with teacher NPCs, who are neutral. If players behave and excel, they become model students in the eyes of the teacher NPCs and may receive protection at specific times.

Then come the child-ghosts scattered amongst the class.

These ghosts clearly harbor intense hostility and aggression towards players, and their strength in this kind of dungeon is not to be underestimated.

Everyone would rather keep a wide berth from these ghosts. They are virtually unchallenged within the kindergarten—so why such horrifying screams?

Zhan Xiaoming had an inkling. He had seen Jie Fangcheng go to the restroom.

Not only had he seen that, but he'd also noticed that Jie's seatmate followed him into the restroom.

Zhan Xiaoming had thought about warning him, but he had his own problems to deal with.

The ghost sitting next to him leaned in so close that they were almost nose to nose. Zhan Xiaoming could clearly see the ashen-gray pupils that marked the ghost as otherworldly.

His own reflection appeared in those pupils.

"You see me! You do see me, don't you?"

Zhan Xiaoming's heart raced, his thumb hovering over his wrist, ready to draw a weapon from his system inventory at any moment.

Although he was also a newcomer who had never cleared a real dungeon, his father had supplied him with an array of items and even invested in a private dungeon simulator to ensure his safety in his first dungeon.

He'd even had his bloodline altered, possessing a quarter Giant bloodline. Zhan Xiaoming thought he wouldn't be scared.

However, when faced with those gray pupils and the festering, pus-oozing neck of his ghostly seatmate, Zhan Xiaoming's breath caught for a moment.

It was in this instant that the ghost's face broke into a wide smile.

"You—truly can see."

For ghosts, discerning who can actually see them is crucial.

At this moment, he had made that discernment.

The ghost's icy hand touched Zhan Xiaoming's neck, its head lowering affectionately as it spoke, "It's alright, it's alright. You may not wish to speak to me now—but sooner or later, I'll make sure we have a good, long chat."

A chilling cold air spread from his ears throughout his body, making the hair on Zhan Xiaoming's skin stand on end.

In his current state, even if he noticed that Jie Fangcheng had been followed by another child ghost, he really didn't have the energy to help him.

Pretending to be a normal human child had already consumed most of Zhan Xiaoming's focus.

But when a scream emanated from the direction of the restroom, Zhan Xiaoming couldn't help but rise to his feet.

He steadied his mind, pretending to be just an ordinary child.

"Ah, I need to go to the bathroom."

Saying so, he quickly made his way down the hall in a half-jog, just in time to bump into Jie Fangcheng.

Jie Fangcheng was dressed in a sky-blue uniform emblazoned with "Genius Kindergarten." Short-limbed, with dark pupils, red lips, and pale skin, at a glance he looked just like any ordinary preschooler.

...That is, if you could overlook his air of a long-suffering office worker.

Upon seeing Jie Fangcheng, Zhan Xiaoming first discreetly glanced behind him. The ghost that had followed him into the bathroom was nowhere to be seen—only screams could be heard.

What happened?

With a ghost still eyeing him from behind, all Zhan Xiaoming could do was whisper, "Everything alright?"

Jie Fangcheng answered with assured decisiveness, "Yeah, all good."

As they conversed, the ghost that Zhan Xiaoming had left behind had already caught up.

Its gray eyes shifted between Zhan Xiaoming and Jie Fangcheng, as if assessing which of the two would be easier prey.

In the end, its gaze settled on Jie Fangcheng.

It recognized him as Wang Zheqi's target.

However, it was unclear why Wang Zheqi was now screaming in the restroom... This man smells delightful, emitting a scent far more enticing than that of Zhan Xiaoming.

"Hey, what's your name?" Zhan Xiaoming's ghostly seatmate leaned in, attempting to employ the same tactics he had used on Zhan Xiaoming.

The ghost emanated a pungent smell of decay. Jie Fangcheng paused before asking, "Why can't we communicate?"

His question came out of nowhere. Zhan Xiaoming was momentarily stunned before breaking into a cold sweat.

"It's a rule."

Standing in front of the ghost, Zhan Xiaoming couldn't tell him outright that revealing the ability to see ghosts would make one susceptible to their attacks.

What's the deal with this newbie?

Zhan Xiaoming felt that he wasn't this careless even during his first time in a simulated dungeon!

Of course, what Zhan Xiaoming didn't know was that his vague answer had just saved the life of his ghostly seatmate.

Jie Fangcheng let out a weary sigh, unenthusiastically following Zhan Xiaoming back to the classroom.

Genius Kindergarten not only emphasized raising obedient children but also had high academic expectations for its students.

The second class was math—unbelievably, these five- or six-year-old kids were already learning about linear equations with two variables. Math had always been a bane for Jie Fangcheng, so he muddled through the class feeling a little overwhelmed. By the end of the class, he found Wang Zheqi, who was listlessly sprawled nearby, considerably less irritating than before.

Wang Zheqi, who had been both kicked and stepped on by Jie Fangcheng, crawled back to his seat, his miserable appearance making one wonder what he'd been through.

After the morning classes, it was time for the young ones to head out for lunch together.

The food at the kindergarten was quite good; each child sat properly at their seat, eating in a slow, deliberate manner. It was hard to believe that these were just five- or six-year-old kids, their self-discipline and manners were impeccable.

After lunch, Teacher Liu was all smiles.

"Kids, it's nap time now!"

That sentence seemed to flip a switch; the children looked somewhat excited, and even the expressions on the five child-ghosts became particularly expectant.

"Let me emphasize again: during nap time, you cannot leave the nap room for any reason. Otherwise, you'll be a bad child, and bad children will be punished!" At this point, Teacher Liu swept her gaze across the children and offered an enigmatic smile. "I believe all of you are good, obedient children, right?"

"Yes—"

She nodded with a smile, "See you in the afternoon, then."

.

On the way from the cafeteria to the nap room, the ghostly classmate who had been following Zhan Xiaoming had disappeared, and Jie Fangcheng's ghostly classmate vanished as soon as the class was over, for reasons unknown.

Genius Kindergarten had four large classes, over a hundred little kids bustling from the cafeteria to the nap rooms.

The nap rooms were housed in a separate building that appeared to be three or four stories high.

The first floor was for teachers, the second for the younger classes, and the third for the older classes. From the outside, it looked spacious enough to easily accommodate over a hundred children.

Along the way, several players deliberately gathered together.

A morning's worth of observation had been enough for experienced players to distinguish who among them were NPCs and who were players.

Jie Fangcheng was only now becoming aware that there were four other players in the class.

The six of them huddled together, and one quickly began: "My name is Zhou Yian. Time's short; let me share the clues I've gathered."

Unlike Jie Fangcheng and Zhan Xiaoming, whose seatmates were ghosts, the remaining four players were seated next to ordinary NPCs.

"We arrive at school at 8:30 in the morning and are dismissed at 11:30. Classes resume at 2:30 in the afternoon. We eat and rest at the school during lunchtime, but after being dismissed at 5:30 in the evening, we go 'home' with our 'parents'." Zhou Yian's eyebrows knitted together as he continued, "My seatmate told me that after getting home, the 'parents' evaluate their child's academic performance for the day. However, a kid sitting in front of me mentioned that there are no adults in their home, only him and a nanny. The nanny leaves after preparing dinner."

"Which means, there's a good chance that we'll be separated in the evening."

The group exchanged glances.

"The dangers of going solo in a dungeon are high, and it looks like there might be risks that players have to face alone when they return 'home' at night," noted Zhan Xiaoming.

He added, "The condition for clearing the dungeon is 'to gain parental approval and become a qualified genius child.' The parent NPCs play a decisive role."

Since each player might have different parent NPCs, everyone's strategies for clearing the dungeon would have to adapt accordingly.

In such circumstances, sharing clearing strategies becomes much less effective.

"Nevertheless, we should behave ourselves while we're at school. The dungeon keeps reminding us to be 'good children,' so let's try to heed the NPCs as much as we can," Zhou Yian advised.

Barely two minutes into his suggestion, Zhou Yian almost lost his composure.

"Hide and seek?"

A hundred kids chattered and buzzed with excitement on their faces, clearly not in the mood for a nap.

Zhou Yian's relationship with the children around him seemed decent. His seatmate quickly and cheerfully explained, "Yes! We've been playing this game since we were in the lower grades! It's so much fun! Five kids are picked to be the 'ghosts' who seek out the 'civilians.' If a ghost finds a civilian, that civilian becomes a secondary ghost, helping the original ghosts seek out other civilians."

"The last remaining civilian wins and gets a prize, while the ghosts who capture the fewest civilians will be punished."

The game felt eerily strange, and before Zhou Yian could ask further, children with cans for drawing lots had already started passing them around.

The players had no choice but to draw a lot as well.

Jie Fangcheng looked down at his drawn lot; it sloppily read "Human" written with a crayon.

Zhou Yian sighed in relief after drawing his lot.

"Human... Getting the 'Ghost' lot doesn't seem easy, considering only five are chosen out of over a hundred. The odds aren't high."

As he spoke, Zhan Xiaoming emotionlessly flipped over his drawn lot.

A red "Ghost" appeared before everyone.

Just then, a shrill bell rang out through the entire nap room.

A female voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Kids, it's twelve o'clock; please rest quickly. In five minutes, when the bell rings again, let's all stop talking loudly."

With the broadcast, the children around them gleefully shrieked as they sought out hiding spots.

The nap room extended across an entire floor with three to four individual rooms. Their room was on the far left, filled with beds arranged close together.

Along the walls were toy boxes, rocking horses, indoor fishing ponds... The corners were cluttered with various things like child-sized basketballs. To the right were bookshelves and several cabinets. At first glance, the room seemed chaotic but indeed ideal for hide-and-seek.

As the little ones scattered to find their hiding places, many disappearing into other rooms through the internal doors, the players looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhan Xiaoming's mind raced.

He needed to catch at least one person to serve as a secondary ghost, ensuring he wasn't the ghost who caught the fewest civilians. Once he caught someone, he could then slack off for the rest of the game.

"You all should find hiding spots quickly too."

The other NPCs who drew the "ghost" lots obediently faced the walls, waiting for the five minutes to pass.

Zhan Xiaoming had no choice but to follow suit, waiting for the bell to ring.

Zhou Yian pressed his lips together and nodded, leading the other players to look for hiding spots.

Though wardrobes and the like were indeed excellent hiding places, they were also too obvious.

The group eventually decided to use their status as players, along with their items, to find elevated spots to hide.

Zhou Yian didn't go to another room; he chose to hide atop a spacious bookshelf in this very rest area. Given a child's size, he could comfortably lie flat on it, making it hard for anyone to spot him from below.

He used an item to mask his aura and took the opportunity to survey the current situation from his elevated position.

After he had hidden, Zhou Yian suddenly realized something.

Apart from Zhan Xiaoming, they still had five "civilian" players left.

But since earlier, it seemed like one person was missing?

Who was that player, and where had they hidden?

As Zhou Yian pondered, about to sneak a glance to see if he could spot the missing player, the shrill bell rang.

Five minutes were up.

The "ghosts" facing the walls turned around, ready to start seeking out the "civilians."