Chapter 199: Genius Nursery (Part Twelve)

Chapter 199: Genius Nursery (Part Twelve)

It must be said, Liu Feiyao’s luck was truly terrible.

Just yesterday, she was the only player who had inexplicably hidden in a cabinet occupied by a real ghost. And today, she drew the lot of the ghost.

As ordinary citizens, they could simply hide. The tactics they'd discussed yesterday were devised from that perspective.

But drawing the lot of the ghost made things perilous.

To catch civilians, she'd need to open cabinets or doors, but doing so willingly risked entering different spaces.

Just like what happened to Zhan Xiaoming yesterday.

But if one doesn't catch any ghosts, according to their observations from yesterday, the children would evaluate scores based on who became a ghost first among those who caught no one.

Having drawn the ghost lot, Liu Feiyao was obviously among the first to become a ghost, and thus had to catch at least one person to get out of the danger zone.

Liu Feiyao's face turned pale, but she remained surprisingly calm.

She had already formed a quick plan in her mind.

She would absolutely not open any doors herself; by adhering to this principle, she might still score a point.

Soon enough, the bell rang, and Liu Feiyao, along with the other four "ghosts," stood with their backs to everyone, silently waiting for the five-minute timer to elapse.

The other four players immediately grouped together, hiding above a bookshelf in the first break room.

According to their discussion yesterday, the first break room was likely the safest. Initially, with fewer than twenty people including the children and the first five to draw the ghost lots, they wouldn't pose much of a threat.

These children would move on to the next break room after searching and would not return.

Under these circumstances, they could stick together and deal with the real ghosts that might appear in the first break room after the children left.

Based on Zhou Yian's experience yesterday, he had only encountered one ghost in the break room. With proper preparation, even if it was just him, the ghost would be easy to handle.

Although Zhou Yian didn't say it, choosing the first break room did have another reason.

Zhou Yian's gaze subtly shifted to the right.

There, finding it too bothersome to do otherwise, Xie Fangcheng had also drawn a lot.

After drawing, he lay down on a bed, planning to catch some sleep while it was still relatively quiet.

He'd go back to the classroom to sleep once the chaos started.

This so-called "break room" should be renamed the "game room."

He wondered if there were quieter places where one could actually lie down...

Huh??

Xie Fangcheng, whom Zhou Yian had pinned his hopes on—although indifferent, he was still one of the players—had suddenly sat up after lying down.

Zhou Yian blinked, only to see Xie Fangcheng take two steps to the door of the break room and pull it open.

Even the teacher NPCs in the hallway were surprised; the bell hadn’t even rung to signal the start of the game, and here was a child bursting out of the door.

On closer inspection, Teacher Liu looked infuriated.

Yesterday, only two children from their class had left the break room! Children from other classes were all so well-behaved!

Especially this Xie Fangcheng—he's doing it again today!

"Xie Fangcheng! What's the matter with you?? Get back inside! Or the teacher will be upset!"

Xie Fangcheng seemed quite irritated himself: "Since when is it against the rules to sleep in the break room?"

Of course, the teachers are well aware of what happens inside the break rooms.

But these are children! It's perfectly normal for them, with their boundless energy, to want to gather and play. It's an important part of fostering friendships among them.

As for the seemingly harsh punishments, they're all just kids' play.

Hearing Xie Fangcheng's comments, the teacher NPC not only found no merit in them but also considered the young man defiant and disrespectful.

"Do you want to be a bad child hated by both parents and teachers?" said the teacher NPC ominously. "Bad children don't deserve to study in the classroom; they should stand in the hallway until the teacher is satisfied."

This was clearly a threat and a warning.

Being despised by both parents and teachers would trigger even stricter punishments.

Inside the break room, the four players who should have been hiding were now pressed against the door, eavesdropping on the confrontation between Xie Fangcheng and the teacher NPC outside.

Xie Fangcheng asked, "Do you want to die?"

"You! You're so disobedient!!! … Ah!!!"

Inside the room, all that was heard was a scream from the teacher NPC, followed by Xie Fangcheng mumbling, "Someone like you deserves to be a teacher? Are you insane?"

After that remark, footsteps could be heard, signaling that Xie Fangcheng had walked away.

Everyone in the break room: "..."

They were already surprised by Zhan Xiaoming’s account, but this was even more shocking.

Zhou Yian furrowed his brow.

"This isn't a mission that can be cleared solely through brute force. The objective is to gain parental approval. We've all seen the NPC parents. If we don't behave well in school, we'll get reported by the teachers, and then the parents will dislike us. What is this guy thinking? Does he not plan on completing the mission?"

No one could figure it out for the moment.

However, if someone were to ask Xie Fangcheng, he would openly say that he still intends to complete the mission.

After all, he wanted to go to that "player's hall" to find out who designed this game and then beat them up as revenge for Zhang Daoan and Dongyue Shenjun.

Moreover, there's something else that Xie Fangcheng couldn’t ignore.

Based on Zhan Xiaoming's description, Xie Fangcheng began piecing together the situation. He had a vague idea of what might be happening.

His world might be just like what Zhan Xiaoming said—a small world on the brink of collapse.

A collapsing small world would spawn instances, turning into a hunting ground for players.

Fifteen hundred years ago, Dongyue Shenjun discovered something—possibly that the small world was collapsing and became aware of the instances within it.

For some reason, he didn't disclose this information and instead kept it to himself.

Did Dongyue Shenjun originally not want to cause any panic and believe he could prevent any ensuing calamity?

If Dongyue Shenjun had such thoughts, it wouldn't be unusual, for his power was unquestionably among the elite. However, he was different from Xie Fangcheng.

Xie Fangcheng, once unleashed, would annihilate anyone in his path, sparing neither friend nor foe. This isn't an exaggeration; had Dongyue Shenjun not intervened, the Divine Realm could have been massacred by an unrestrained Xie Fangcheng.

But Dongyue Shenjun's power lay at the other extreme; he was profoundly "anchored," his temple built atop Mount Tai, blessed with the prayers and incense of the human world for many years.

If Xie Fangcheng's attack was like the sharpest but most fragile sword, then Dongyue Shenjun's assault was like an unending mountain range, stretching as far as the eye could see.

It was difficult for him to defeat anyone, but also difficult for anyone to defeat him.

He had elevated defense to the art of attack. During the great battle in the underworld, he single-handedly withstood over 80% of the attacks from the Divine Realm and survived, albeit seriously wounded.

Including Xie Fangcheng, no one was particularly worried about his injuries.

As long as Mount Tai stood, he would eventually recover.

But who could have expected that his death would be so strange?

Reflecting on it, Xie Fangcheng thought that if the wounds weren't just inflicted by the beings of the Divine Realm but also by external invaders, then it would make sense.

The skills and items in this game are varied and numerous. It's possible that something specifically designed to injure underworld personnel had exacerbated his condition.

So even though there is no concrete evidence, it's beyond doubt that this game is nefarious. Xie Fangcheng is desperate to kill its creator to vent his anger.

Of course, he has to complete the mission. But Xie Fangcheng's situation is unique at the moment—Jie Jianye has run off.

Even if he hadn't, could Jie Jianye possibly see him as a good kid just because teachers praised him, despite the brutal beating he had received?

Could you pass this mission just because a teacher sings your praises, even after you've battered someone to that extent? That would be laughable.

So Xie Fangcheng didn't pay any attention to the teacher NPC. He might as well have a good sleep and think about other possible solutions when he wakes up.

Thinking of solutions was indeed a tall order for Xie Fangcheng. When had he ever needed to use his brain?

With these thoughts, Xie Fangcheng sighed again.

Hands in his pockets, he made his way downstairs from the break room.

By the time he reached the first floor, it was the time for a group of high school students to head home.

The high schoolers wore matching uniforms, rode their bicycles, and chatted happily as they passed the school gate.

It was at that moment that an idea suddenly popped into Xie Fangcheng's head.

His own brain might not be much use, but what about Zhang Siqian's? Although, never mind, he despises all players equally.

Were it not for the fact that he was also a player, Jie Fangcheng would have liked to curse out these intruders.

Just as he was mulling this over, a bicycle pulled up to the locked gates of the kindergarten.

A figure in a high-school uniform, a familiar one at that, parked the bike and took a lunchbox from the basket. He handed it to the security guard on duty with a smile.

The guard's face lit up in delight as he chatted with the young man.

After this heartwarming scene, the high school student at the gate casually glanced upward, meeting the gaze of Jie Fangcheng on the first floor.

Zhang Siqun raised an eyebrow, showing no trace of the trick he'd just played on Jie Fangcheng. With unflappable grace, he nodded toward Jie Fangcheng and turned to mount his bicycle.

Just then, Jie Fangcheng called out to him, almost reflexively.

"Hey, wait a moment."

Seated on his bike, one leg half-bent, foot touching the ground, Zhang Siqun had already positioned his other foot on the pedal.

He looked quizzically toward Jie Fangcheng.

A bit awkwardly, Jie Fangcheng touched his nose.

"How about a chat?"

Zhang Siqun inquired, "About what?"

"Ah, perhaps about the game?"

Zhang Siqun's eyes held a profound depth as he deeply eyed Jie Fangcheng, then nodded.

"Alright, I'll pick you up after school this evening."

"Sounds good."

Jie Fangcheng had no objections.

In the time it took for their brief exchange, Teacher Liu, who had finally regained his composure inside the rest building, charged out furiously, wielding a steel rod.

Zhang Siqun's gaze flickered past Jie Fangcheng and returned.

"Need any help?"

In the man's presence, Jie Fangcheng felt somewhat awkward.

He snatched the rod from Teacher Liu's hand, chuckling twice.

"It's alright, you can go. I'll have a nice chat with the teacher here."

"Jie Fangcheng, are you asking for trouble? Give me back my rod!"

"Alright then, see you tonight?"

"I told you to give it back to me, didn't you hear me?! Are you hiding?!"

"See you tonight, see you tonight."

Zhang Siqian courteously gestured for him to go on, then pedaled away on his bike.

As soon as he left, Xie Fangcheng snapped the teacher's rod in half with a "snap." The steel rod, about as thick as a child's wrist, felt like a chopstick in his hand; the sound of it breaking was peculiarly crisp.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Mr. Liu turned and walked away.

Recognizing the NPC's sense of timing, Xie Fangcheng felt no urge to pursue further violence.

He examined the rod now broken into two pieces.

In the hands of an NPC the size of the teacher, the rod was just right. But Xie Fangcheng was shorter, and the weapons he had used since entering the instance were almost as tall as him—awkward to wield and carry.

Now, as he weighed the longer half of the broken rod in his hand, it felt surprisingly good: solid steel, very sturdy. At first glance, it seemed durable.

Satisfied after a couple of practice swings, he headed back to the rest lounge, carrying the rod.

Mr. Liu, walking ahead of him, shot a glance back, let out a terrified scream, and dashed into the rest lounge, disappearing from sight. This left Xie Fangcheng somewhat speechless.

"What's he so afraid of?"

Muttering to himself, Xie Fangcheng swaggered into the first floor of the rest lounge, rod in tow.

The second floor was a play area for the kindergarten's younger students, the third floor for the older ones, and the first floor housed the teachers' lounge.

Unlike the open layout on the second and third floors, the first floor consisted of about a dozen rooms.

Xie Fangcheng went to one of them, knocked on the door, received no response, and turned the doorknob himself.

"Wow, pretty luxurious!"

The roughly 100-square-foot room was furnished with a bed, a bedside table, and even a TV on the wall; it also had its own private bathroom.

Finding the room empty, Xie Fangcheng made himself at home, lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket over him, and promptly fell asleep.

About ten minutes later, someone sneaked past the door outside, tampered with it, and then departed.

Xie Fangcheng's ears twitched, but he ignored it, assuming the person wouldn't dare to enter. He turned over and continued sleeping.

The two teachers at the door surreptitiously left, and only began whispering to each other once they'd reached the third floor.

"It's done; I've locked it," one of the teachers said smugly, tossing the key aside. "Since this student doesn't listen and we can't even reach his parents on the phone, it's up to us to deal with him, right? If he's so disobedient, let's just lock him up and starve him to death. A kid like this won't amount to anything anyway; serves him right if he dies!"

A smile spread across Mr. Liu's face. "Principal, you really do have all the answers."

While the two were having an intimate conversation in the hallway on the third floor, the door to the rest lounge suddenly burst open.

Zhan Xiaoming tumbled out of the room, collapsing on the floor as soon as he caught sight of Mr. Liu, his nostrils flaring.

Mr. Liu's voice was tinged with fury.

"Zhan Xiaoming! You again! You didn't listen to the teacher yesterday and left the rest lounge early. You're doing it again today! Are you courting death?"

Zhan Xiaoming lay sprawled on the floor, his pupils seemingly unfocused. It took him a while to catch his breath.

"Teacher...if you don't go in there right now, people are going to die!"

The teacher NPC in front of him furrowed his brows. "Nonsense, you're all classmates; how could anyone die?"

"They will! Really! Please, go in and help them..."

The teacher NPC lowered his gaze to meet Zhan Xiaoming's eyes. "Children should understand that they have to handle their own matters and not always rely on adults. It's normal for classmates to roughhouse with each other. Running to an adult just because you can't handle it is not what a good child should do."

Zhan Xiaoming realized it instantly.

During the game of hide-and-seek, the teacher NPCs were only responsible for guarding the hallway; they wouldn't help the students.

What to do?

— Brother Xie!

If Brother Xie were here, he would surely save everyone!

Gritting his teeth, Zhan Xiaoming climbed to his feet.

.

Just ten minutes ago,

the countdown ended, and the hide-and-seek game began.

Everything seemed to be a repeat of yesterday, as if nothing had changed.

But Liu Feiyao quickly sensed that something was amiss.

"Ah, nothing here either," said the 'seeker,' pouting before turning to leave.

Since Liu Feiyao couldn't open the cabinet herself, she followed other 'seekers' in hopes of capitalizing on their discoveries.

It was difficult for her to find anyone without opening cabinets herself, until finally, another 'seeker' opened a wardrobe.

Inside was a small, skinny child hugging his knees, hidden in a corner of the wardrobe.

He was so diminutive, and draped in the clothing from the changing room, that he could easily go unnoticed upon a casual glance.

The 'seeker' Liu Feiyao was following seemed oblivious to this, mumbling "Where is everyone hiding? It's so hard to find them," before moving away from that particular wardrobe.

The cabinet door remained ajar.

Liu Feiyao's heart raced; for a moment, she thought she had successfully found an overlooked hiding spot.

After all, the child was incredibly small and skinny, and the lighting inside the cabinet was poor. He was practically invisible, tucked into the corner.

But then, Liu Feiyao caught sight of something above the child's head out of the corner of her eye.

There was a deep fissure at the top of the child's skull, and she could faintly make out the whitish brain matter inside.

It's a ghost!

It wasn't that the child who had opened the cabinet had overlooked him; rather, ordinary NPCs couldn't see real ghosts!

A chill ran down Liu Feiyao's spine. Just then, the ghost in the corner of the cabinet turned its head toward her.

It looked like a child who had been malnourished when alive, its mouth sewn shut.

The child stared at Liu Feiyao from the corner, his eyes fixed on her intently.

Keeping her composure, Liu Feiyao pretended not to notice and continued to follow the other "seekers" to scavenge for finds.

She wondered if, according to Zhou Yian's explanation, there was only one ghost in the first lounge. Was this the one?

If so, did it mean that she wouldn't encounter any more ghosts?

Despite her reasoning, a voice in Liu Feiyao's heart told her: It can't be that simple.

Indeed, it wasn't. Liu Feiyao soon encountered a second ghost in the first lounge.

This ghost was also hiding in a cabinet, but this time, there was also a 'civilian' hiding in there with it.

The child NPC Liu Feiyao was following clapped his hands in glee and pulled the civilian out of the cabinet.

"Haha, got you! Now you're the sacrificial ghost!"

The caught child pouted for a moment but quickly became cheerful again, joining the search for other civilians. Only Liu Feiyao and the remaining ghost in the cabinet were left.

The ghost looked very familiar, as it happened to be Liu Feiyao's ghostly desk mate.

The ghostly desk mate leaned forward, its large eyes fixated on Liu Feiyao.

"Can you see me? Speak up! You can see me, can't you?"

Pretending not to hear, Liu Feiyao turned to leave, but the ghost stretched its neck incredibly long, flipping its head down to look at Liu Feiyao upside-down.

"I knew it! You can see me!" It seemed delighted, its elongated tongue dangling out of its mouth as it spoke. "What a shame, I could only come out if you guys left. How great it would be if you were a civilian! We could play the game together!"

Liu Feiyao remained silent, continuing to pretend she didn't see anything. However, her mind was racing at full speed.

This was the second ghost.

Either Zhou Yian hadn't noticed yesterday, or the number of ghosts in the first lounge wasn't fixed.

But there was another possibility, one that Liu Feiyao thought was most likely—perhaps it was because the number of players in the first lounge had changed.

Yesterday, when they were playing the game, there were three players in the first lounge: Zhou Yian, Jie Fangcheng, and Zhan Xiaoming.

Zhan Xiaoming drew the "ghost" card, Jie Fangcheng was the first to become a scapegoat, and Zhou Yian was a civilian.

The meaning of her ghostly desk mate was also clear: if the "ghosts" don't leave the first lounge, the real ghosts in the cabinets can't come out.

The term "ghosts" here likely refers only to the original five who drew the ghost cards. After all, even after Jie Fangcheng was caught and became a scapegoat yesterday, he lay on the bed the entire time, and his presence didn't stop the real ghosts from appearing.

Moreover, it's highly probable that the number of ghosts in the first lounge is determined by the remaining number of civilians in the room.

Then today, there might not just be one ghost in the first lounge... but four!

Could Zhou Yian and the others withstand four ghosts with their skills?

Or, if she doesn't leave the first lounge, would that mean the ghosts couldn't come out? Would that work?

However, if she doesn't leave the first lounge, she'd be the most at risk given the current situation, especially since she has no points yet.

If she progresses to the second or third lounges later, perhaps another opportunity could present itself.

No matter! She has to try it first!

Liu Feiyao made her decision swiftly.

It wasn't that she was sacrificing herself for the greater good; it's just that, as of now, her chances of survival were the lowest. Drawing a ghost card meant that she had to find at least one civilian to avoid being penalized.

Given the current circumstances, how easy could it be to find an overlooked civilian?

Better to safeguard the group as a whole!

Zhan Xiaoming and Zhou Yian were competent; if they could avoid punishment tonight, perhaps they could find other ways to help her.

But if everyone were punished and preoccupied with their own survival, she would find it challenging to get help.

Time to gamble!

Inside the first lounge, after the NPCs had searched for a while, they, of course, failed to find the four players hidden at the top of the bookshelf. The other civilian NPCs had all been found.

A group of kids proceeded towards the second lounge.

Liu Feiyao was at the back of the line, standing at the doorway of the second lounge, but she didn't go in.

She wanted to test whether the actual ghosts in the first lounge would remain confined in the cabinets if she stayed put.

However, her actions were apparently not permitted. Quite swiftly, a gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, blew the door of the second lounge, forcing it to close.

Liu Feiyao rushed over in an attempt to block the door, but the gust of wind was so powerful that the door between the lounges still slowly closed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something crawling out of the cabinet.

No!

In a split second, Liu Feiyao had to make her final decision.

She practically squeezed through the closing door into the second lounge. Just before she left, she abruptly spoke, "Four—eh."

It was as if she was awkwardly answering someone's question in Mandarin.

The door closed.

Zhou Yian, perched atop the highest shelf of the bookcase, frowned as he pondered Liu Feiyao's last words.

Si—eh?

Four...four???

Almost instantly, he understood something.

Without sparing time to contemplate better solutions, Zhou Yian suddenly peered down below the bookshelf.

—And locked eyes with the ghost that had already crawled onto the shelf.

A deep crack marred the top of the little ghost's head; not filled with whitish brain matter as he expected, but seemingly teeming with squirming maggots.

Suppressing his disgust, Zhou Yian quickly warned, "It's up here!!"

At his words, the other three instantly reacted.

Zhan Xiaoming and Zhou Yian, one a second-generation gamer with gadgets and the other from a magical world equipped with both gadgets and skills, immediately pulled out their items and activated their abilities.

The remaining two, however, were merely physically strong ordinary people. But in this scenario, physical strength was irrelevant as they were all turned into five or six-year-old children.

The two exerted all their strength to suppress the instinct to scream and quickly climbed down from the other end of the bookshelf.

Zhou Yian was prepared. He recited a chant, and three spectral knights materialized in front of him.

Three of them.

This was the limit he had set for himself; summoning even one more could potentially result in backlash.

He was confident in handling one ghost, possibly two, but certainly not three.

Could he handle two while the remaining three people dealt with the other two?

With no time to ponder further, Zhou Yian raised his wand high: "Everyone, gather around!"

The red gemstone at the tip of Zhou Yian's wand emitted a sanguine light, which flowed into the surrounding spectral knights. These knights knelt on one knee, took an oath of loyalty, and then stood up. This time, they were not mounted but clad in armor that resembled dark mist, holding red and black swords that appeared to be aflame.

Each spectral knight quickly located their respective opponent, successfully intercepting all three ghosts in an instant.

Zhan Xiaoming felt a shiver down his spine but also knew that among those present, he was the only one still capable of fighting.

With a light swipe at his right wrist, a strangely shaped mechanical bird materialized.

"Go!!"

The mechanical bird grew as it faced the wind, expanding to a size of over half a meter. With flapping wings, it blocked the final ghost.

"We have to be quick!" Zhou Yian gritted his teeth. "This ability has a time limit!"

After yesterday's altercation with the NPCs, Zhan Xiaoming had also made significant progress.

He controlled the mechanical bird with one hand and threw out a one-time-use Thunder Talisman with the other.

Thunder was naturally an element that restrained ghosts and spirits, and it instantly obliterated the ghost Zhan Xiaoming was confronting.

They could win!

Everyone was elated. Zhan Xiaoming had limited Thunder Talismans, so he had to aim precisely at the ghosts' vulnerabilities for them to be effective.

The sound of thunder, the mechanical bird's chirping, and the roars of the spectral knights mixed together in an awe-inspiring and hopeful cacophony.

Just then, Han Ruihang, who had been shielded in the center, felt something cold drip onto his head, as if some liquid had fallen.

Somewhat bewildered, he looked up and immediately froze.

"Zhou... Zhou Bro…"

Zhou Yian was already at his limit controlling three spectral knights. Hearing Han Ruihang speak, he could only ask, "What is it?"

"The ceiling… There are two more ghosts on the ceiling…"

Zhou Yian's heart skipped a beat as he swiftly looked up.

On the ceiling were two similar-looking ghosts, around five or six years old, clinging onto the surface like conjoined twins. They tilted their heads, one to the left and the other to the right, observing the players below.

One of the ghosts seemed to have been beaten so badly in life that all its bones had been shattered, leaving it looking like a blob of boneless mud.

The other had one cheek swollen, while the flesh on the opposite cheek had been gnawed away, leaving only the exposed bone.

What Han Ruihang had felt dripping on his head was indeed a liquid.

It was the saliva dripping from the mouth of the ghost missing half its cheek.

The next second, the two ghosts on the ceiling lunged down!

"Aaaaahhhh!"

As for what happened later, Zhan Xiaoming really didn't want to think about it anymore.

Initially, they thought there was just one ghost, then they thought there were four. But in the end, there were actually six.

Six.

This completely exceeded the capabilities of both Zhou Yian and Zhan Xiaoming.

Zhou Yian made a snap decision, reacting with lightning speed. He swiftly withdrew his three undead knights and, under their protection, burst into the second resting room without a backward glance.

No one could blame him. Zhan Xiaoming was well aware that staying put would mean a dead end for everyone. Zhou Yian had made the right choice.

However, in that moment, the ever-compassionate Zhan Xiaoming looked at his two panicked companions. They were newbies without any items—completely defenseless against the swarm of ghosts.

Zhan Xiaoming immediately unstrapped his wrist, pulling a dozen items from his backpack.

He thrust the items at the two of them, shouting, "Run! Go to another resting room!"

The trio instantly rushed to the door of the second resting room, attempting to open it.

The door wouldn't budge.

"What's going on?!" Han Ruihang was utterly shocked.

A lump formed in Zhan Xiaoming's throat as he instantly figured out why.

Perhaps Zhou Yian had locked the door behind him when he entered the second resting room.

Though the doors of the resting rooms shouldn’t technically be lockable, as each player would enter a different space upon pushing them open,

Zhou Yian possessed various unfamiliar items and abilities that Zhan Xiaoming had never seen. He was a wizard; just yesterday, he had found everyone even in separate spaces.

Zhou Yian had used these abilities to save people yesterday. Today, he was using them to endanger lives.

At least by closing the door of the resting room, the three of them would still be alive. No matter how formidable these ghosts were, dismembering and killing would take time.

Time that would be sufficient for Zhou Yian to clear the space he was in.

"Charge out!" Without another word, Zhan Xiaoming led the way, rushing toward the door of the resting room.

To the hallway! Despite the presence of a teacher NPC guarding it, whether or not they would be remembered for leaving the resting room prematurely, it was at least safe.

However, as fast as they were, the six ghosts were faster.

A mechanical bird let out a cry before it was torn apart by three ghosts. Almost in the blink of an eye, Zhan Xiaoming had barely run a few steps when he felt a tight grip around his neck—a long tongue pulled him back.

"Brother Zhan!" Han Ruihang, holding the items Zhan Xiaoming had given him and not knowing their exact uses, randomly selected one and activated it in the manner he knew from the virtual scenario.

Three fireballs shot towards the tongue.

The tongue wrapped around Zhan Xiaoming was scorched by the flames and immediately withdrew in pain.

It let out an indignant howl, and this time its tongue coiled around Han Ruihang, dragging him back.

With a sickening "squelch," Han Ruihang's abdomen was ripped open. Despite his agonized struggles, he couldn't prevent the ghost's hand from reaching into his stomach and churning its contents.

In this game of hide-and-seek, the ghosts actually couldn't kill players instantly.

As horrifying as the scene was, only the sensation of pain was real. The ghosts killed by draining one's life force and devouring souls, a process that took some time.

But the visual was too horrendous; Zhan Xiaoming felt a chill in his extremities and tears rimming his eyes.

"Ruihang!"

Just then, he was pushed hard.

It was Pei Xiaodong.

Taking advantage of Zhan Xiaoming's momentary distraction, a ghost had circled around, attempting to sink its razor-sharp claws into his neck.

But Zhan Xiaoming was pushed out of harm's way.

The ghost's claws successfully penetrated fresh flesh—Pei Xiaodong was hoisted up by his neck.

The pain almost caused him to lose consciousness, and his vocal cords were in tatters.

"Run...Zhan...go..."

Zhan Xiaoming finally scrambled up and made a break for it, using hands and feet, rolling and crawling out of the resting room.

He had to save them!

With this thought in mind, Zhan Xiaoming forced himself to stand up after learning that the teacher NPC wouldn't be of any help.

He needed to find Jie Ge as fast as he could.

Though Jie Ge didn't seem to care for them players much, he was actually a good person at heart.

Zhan Xiaoming was willing to beg him, willing to give up all his items, if only Jie Ge would save his companions in the other resting room—

"Where are you running to?" Teacher Liu was displeased. She extended her hand and hoisted the escaping Zhan Xiaoming into the air.

The next second, two pitch-black pupils, tinged with excitement, locked eyes with Zhan Xiaoming.

Teacher Liu squinted her eyes: "Zhan Xiaoming, have you forgotten that I'm your teacher? Did you not hear me talking to you just now?"

"Let go of me!" Zhan Xiaoming struggled, reaching out to slap her, but his arms were too short; he couldn't even touch the NPC in front of him.

Instead, the hand holding him—Teacher Liu's hand—sneered.

"Very well, Zhan Xiaoming. Not only are you talking back to your teacher, you're also trying to lay hands on her? I'll have you know, you're staying after school today!"

Whatever it takes!

"Let—me—go!"

Zhan Xiaoming's near-roar sounded like a sweet symphony to the NPC before him. Teacher Liu couldn't help but laugh.

"Hee-hee-hee, let go? Why would I? I'll make sure to escort you properly to the classroom, you mischievous child. What are you doing?!"

Zhan Xiaoming finally pulled a dagger from his backpack, lunging fiercely at the hand gripping his neck. Teacher Liu dodged swiftly, and the blade missed her hand, instead piercing the nape of Zhan Xiaoming's neck.

Blood gushed from the wound, staining his school uniform.

Zhan Xiaoming seemed unaware, ready to make a break for it.

But next to him, Teacher Liu had already caught the scent of fresh blood.

Once again, Zhan Xiaoming was lifted into the air.

"Xiaoming, what's the rush? It seems you've hurt the back of your neck. Let Teacher take care of that for you..."

Hurry up! There's no time!

In despair, Zhan Xiaoming opened his mouth, about to wail—when suddenly—

Hum

Bang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before he could gather his wits, Zhan Xiaoming felt the world spin, the scenery before his eyes rapidly receding.

It seemed as if he'd been slammed into something... No, it wasn't that he was slammed.

It was Teacher Liu, the one gripping him, who was slammed, sending them both crashing through the door and into the resting room.

What happened?

Zhan Xiaoming was somewhat bewildered.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!"

A scream, belonging to an adult woman, emitted an inhuman wail from a voice he had just found so familiar.

Zhan Xiaoming quickly turned to look.

Compared to his mere collision with the bookshelf, Teacher Liu was nailed to the wall by a snapped-in-half teaching stick embedded in her head.

Is this even possible...?

Oddly, the first person who came to Zhan Xiaoming's mind was someone he already knew.

He sharply turned his head back around.

At the doorway stood a student—around five or six years old, dressed in the Genius Kindergarten uniform, and with pale skin.

He looked icy-cold, sweeping his gaze across the room and furrowing his brows.

For him, even if he disliked the players, hearing what had just unfolded upstairs still made his fingers itch.

"This is crossing the line," he said, clearly displeased.

Zhan Xiaoming's nostrils flared as tears suddenly streamed down his face.

"Jie Ge..."