Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Watching the situation unfold, both Pei Qingrong and Wei Xiao were speechless and frustrated. Yet, they had to admit that He Wei, that cunning fellow, had pinpointed the most crucial factor—time.

The "Graduation" instance doesn't mean you die immediately if you don't complete the homework. As long as no fatal taboo is triggered during class, everyone's fate will only be revealed on the last day.

Thus, everyone understood clearly: even if they did identify the ferryman NPC, no one would be willing to deal with him until the last day, hoping for some other turn of events tomorrow—even if the chances were slim.

So, even though Jin Xi really wanted to know who the ferryman was, realizing after He Wei's interruption that today wouldn't yield answers, he frowned and said, "Even if we're to vote, we'd have to wait until this class ends, right? Can we not waste any more time and select today's main and assistant lecturers? The bell's about to ring."

They still need to reach the rooftop before the class bell rings.

"Right, let's not waste any more time and choose someone." Sun Lingxi stepped forward and, with a gesture of appeasement, smiled apologetically at Chen Yun with her hands behind her back. "I nominate Chen Yun as today's lead lecturer."

Being the lead lecturer grants immunity from classroom hazards, a fact well known to all. It's clear that Sun Lingxi's move was an attempt to curry favor with Chen Yun.

However, before Chen Yun could respond, Zhang Caixia rolled her eyes and sarcastically remarked, "After what you pulled yesterday, don’t try to play the innocent here. We are supposed to choose the assistant lecturer, not the lead. When you mentioned Chen Yun, I thought you wanted her to demonstrate the lesson as today's assistant."

Indeed, it doesn't matter who today's main lecturer is, as the guide NPC directed them to vote for the assistant lecturer.

But even though the role in question is the assistant lecturer, everyone understands what's really at stake: they're choosing who will face almost certain death during the demonstration of the near-impossible "jump" lesson.

Sun Lingxi's face reddened from Zhang Caixia's jab, but she managed a strained smile, setting a trap for Zhang Caixia, "Oh? Then, who would you suggest for today's assistant lecturer, Miss Zhang?"

Zhang Caixia was caught off guard, "I—"

How was she supposed to answer that?

No matter whose name she'd say, she'd offend someone.

However, Zhang Caixia quickly found a way out, stating, "We can pick anyone."

"After the demonstration, we still won't be able to complete the lesson anyway. Why not just choose someone at random and stay on the rooftop until the class ends? There's no real need to jump off for the demonstration. So what if we don't complete today's assignment?"

Zhang Caixia proposed a kind-hearted solution but also highlighted the harsh reality behind it, "You don’t seriously think that whoever we pick will actually jump off the building, do you?"

Even Chen Yun, the kindest among the four teachers, wouldn't resort to such measures.

"They have to, or we shouldn’t give them our votes," Liu Yi, who had been cornered, suddenly chimed in. "If they don't fulfill their duties, why should we help them pass?"

At his words, Pei Qingrong and Wei Xiao exchanged discreet glances—this was their exact intention, and they believed that most participants posing as students shared this sentiment.

They were just tactful enough not to be the ones to openly state the harsh truth.

After Liu Yi played the "bad cop", Yun Meizhen, who already had four red flowers and was unwilling to give up the chance of passing that was so close, played the "good cop", saying, "Didn’t the guide NPC mention it? Jumping doesn't necessarily mean death. It might be a test of our courage. Perhaps nothing will happen when we jump. I was caught by the toilet ghost yesterday, and nothing happened to me, right?"

"Well said," Zhang Caixia, relieved to have someone share the burden, clapped and asked Yun Meizhen, "So, who's your choice?"

"I..."

Yun Meizhen's eyes darted over each teacher before finally settling on Xie Yinxue's aqua-colored hem. Without daring to meet his gaze, she murmured, "…I choose Xie Yinxue."

"Choose me?"

"Is it because I'm not the ferryman? Or because I don't possess the kindness of Chen Yun? Or perhaps... I'm not as easily manipulated and controlled as He Wei and Wu Yuehan?"

The young man's gentle voice flowed from above, soft and devoid of any discernible anger. Yet, each word carried a biting undertone, illuminating the very reasons and key points behind Yun Meizhen's choice.

Although both Xie Yinxue and Chen Yun claimed not to be the ferryman, Chen Yun might show them mercy, whereas Xie Yinxue wouldn't—he only looked out for Liu Buhua. By comparison, Wu Yuehan and He Wei, though ineffectual, were easier to control.

"Is this what all of you think?"

In the face of the young man's query, apart from Liu Buhua and Bu Jiuzhao, no student participant denied it. Even with disapproval evident on Jiang Mo's face, she felt too insignificant to change the situation.

Sun Lingxi, feigning kindness, stepped forward again, "You don't have to do the demonstration, you know."

"Wouldn't that just give you all a reason not to vote for me?"

Hearing this, Xie Yinxue chuckled lightly. His downcast lashes shielded his eyes, which were fixed on a few red chalk sticks he was toying with.

The head of discipline, visibly elated that Xie Yinxue was chosen for the perilous task, spoke in a raspy voice, emphasizing the urgency, "Three minutes until class starts... Have you made your decision?"

"We have."

Upon hearing this decisive response, everyone looked up in astonishment to find Xie Yinxue picking up a red chalk stick and writing on the blackboard: [Today's Assistant Lecturer: Xie Yinxue].

The characters were penned with a wild flourish, exuding a reckless energy—a stark contrast to Xie Yinxue's typical calm and elegant demeanor.

With the final stroke completed, Xie Yinxue looked at everyone, a smile on his face, and beckoned, "Let's go."

Even after he had left classroom 404 and started climbing the stairs to the rooftop, the others remained rooted, staring at his retreating figure, struggling to regain their composure.

The red-bound lesson plan was handed to Chen Yun by the head of discipline, since only Sun Lingxi had nominated her as the main lecturer. However, who served as today's lead lecturer was of little consequence, and nobody paid it much heed.

Upon receiving the plan, Chen Yun quickly flipped through it multiple times. Her face contorted with despair as she tremulously said, "Today's 'Jump' lesson requires us to leap from the fifth-floor rooftop and land on the schoolyard below. This constitutes the 'Physical Education' class."

On the rooftop, a suffocating silence enveloped everyone as Chen Yun spoke, making the air feel stagnant and almost unbreathable.

Now, all eyes were on Xie Yinxue, speculating on his next move.

Before Liu Yi could wield his vote as a threat again, the young man calmly volunteered, "If I jump, you'll vote for me, right?"

Jin Xi replied, "I will."

"If you truly take the leap... I can't speak for the others, but I'll definitely cast a positive vote for you," Zhang Caixia said with a mix of emotions, "But are you really going to jump?"

"What about the rest of you?"

Xie Yinxue looked around, insistently seeking a commitment from each person present.

Left with no other option, the rest of the group responded to Xie Yinxue's query with nods of agreement.

Observing their reactions, Xie Yinxue walked determinedly to the edge of the rooftop, his back to the crowd, and answered Zhang Caixia's question, "I must jump."

"What if, like Yun Meizhen suggested... it's just a test of our courage?"

Xie Yinxue slightly turned, casting a glance over his shoulder at Liu Buhua.

Seeing this, everyone understood. Xie Yinxue was jumping for Liu Buhua's sake—Liu Buhua was short of two red flowers, while Xie Yinxue had only one. For Liu Buhua to pass, he'd need to complete at least one more task.

If, hypothetically, Xie Yinxue emerged unscathed after the jump, as Yun Meizhen had posited, then Liu Buhua's passing would be assured.

But... was that even possible?

Even Bu Jiuzhao didn't have the answer.

After all, in this instance, wasn't he just an ordinary participant?

At that moment, Bu Jiuzhao felt an overwhelming desire to reveal himself, letting everyone recognize his identity and then make a deal with the cowards, so he could find out how to truly navigate through "Graduation."

However... he couldn't.

He couldn't risk drawing premature attention to Xie Yinxue's presence by acting out of the ordinary.

Xie Yinxue had jumped from the ninth floor on the Hera's Dream and survived; a mere four-story school building shouldn't be a problem for him. That's what Bu Jiuzhao kept telling himself.

Externally, he appeared unruffled, even eerily calm. He didn't even seem bothered that Xie Yinxue had only looked at Liu Buhua before jumping, ignoring him entirely.

Yet, all his composure shattered when he heard a muted "thud" followed by the rush of people to the edge of the rooftop. Looking down, he saw the slowly spreading pool of blood on the gray stone courtyard below.

The young man wasn't lying down; he was kneeling silently, blood staining the aqua hues of his clothing.

Frozen for a moment, Bu Jiuzhao abruptly turned and sprinted towards the rooftop exit.

But after only two steps, he was struck sharply on the knee by the dean of discipline from the fourth floor, brandishing a cane. The crisp sound of cane meeting kneecap made every bystander wince in sympathy. However, Bu Jiuzhao felt no pain. There were few in this world who could truly hurt him, and the dean was clearly not one of them.

This innate superiority over the world had once been the source of Bu Jiuzhao's pride and aloofness. But now, he yearned to feel that very pain, to experience everything Xie Yinxue felt beneath the building.

"What are you doing? Ouch!"

Risking danger, Liu Buhua, who pulled Bu Jiuzhao back onto the rooftop, was also hit with a cane by the dean as he neared the stairs. Fortunately for him, he was struck on the buttocks, making the blow bearable. Frowning in irritation, he chastised Bu Jiuzhao, "I know you're worried about my godfather, but leaving the classroom area during class time violates school rules."

Bu Jiuzhao looked at Liu Buhua with an expressionless face, but his hand at his side began to tremble slightly, murmuring, "…Xie Yinxue is injured."

Liu Buhua replied, "But my godfather isn't going to die."

Staring at Liu Buhua's face, devoid of worry or urgency, Bu Jiuzhao momentarily believed that Xie Yinxue was as invulnerable as he was. However, he never felt clearer about the distinction: Xie Yinxue wasn't him.

Xie Yinxue was merely a mortal.

Hence he asked Liu Buhua, "If he's not dying, does it mean he won't bleed, or feel pain?"

"He will," Liu Buhua said with conviction, then countered, "But can you save him?"

Bu Jiuzhao was taken aback.

"You can't."

Liu Buhua summed up Bu Jiuzhao's prolonged silence, speaking with the same detachment and clarity as Xie Yinxue, "If you can't save him, don't get yourself involved, don't run around causing trouble for my godfather, and don't get me spanked."

After speaking, Liu Buhua rubbed his sore buttocks, grimacing in pain.

Bu Jiuzhao watched him, seemingly indifferent to Xie Yinxue's plight. He couldn't quite articulate whether he felt jealousy or some other emotion, murmuring, "He jumped for you... He cares so much about you, and yet you don't seem to care about him at all..."

"Fool."

Liu Buhua, seeing Bu Jiuzhao's distraught expression, almost rolled his eyes like Zhang Caixia, "I'll say it again, my godfather isn't dead. Stop mourning as if he's gone. It's ominous."

"...Is he not dead yet?"

Hearing this, Zhang Caixia couldn't help but exclaim, "He's not moving."

Holding onto Bu Jiuzhao, who was eager to dash downstairs, Liu Buhua struggled, saying, "I can't hold onto Bu Jiuzhao much longer."

Regardless of Bu Jiuzhao's actions, after Xie Yinxue's leap, the remaining participants were thoroughly dissuaded from any thoughts of jumping, including Liu Buhua. This particular 'jump' lesson was clearly doomed to failure.

Jin Xi stepped back from the edge of the rooftop, unable to bear the sight of Xie Yinxue's tragic state. In a moment of emotional distress and taking a cue from Zhang Caixia, she swore, "What the hell kind of scenario is this?"

The guide NPC, who rarely ever spoke during their lessons, now broadcasted with faux kindness, "The classroom demonstration is over. Doesn't anyone want to complete the assignment? Is it too challenging?"

Zhang Caixia responded to the broadcast with a raised middle finger.

"Alright, alright... To reignite your passion for this institution, I have a little secret to share: the last lesson tomorrow will coincide with the final exam. And this exam is crucial. Even if you don't earn five red stars, a good grade ensures your graduation and advancement."

"Direct graduation and advancement?!"

Wei Xiao sat up straight, his voice cracking with excitement, making sure he hadn't misheard by asking once more.

"Indeed, the focus of the final exam will be outlined by the dean after class. Tomorrow's lesson will also be previewed in the teaching plan. So, isn't that great news? Are you all thrilled?"

They couldn't deny their pleasure, but when they thought of Xie Yinxue on the field, Ji Shanshan, Jin Xi, and Jiang Mo couldn't genuinely feel happy.

Zhang Caixia sighed heavily, "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

Had they known earlier, perhaps Xie Yinxue wouldn't have jumped.

As if responding to Zhang Caixia's rhetorical comment, the guide NPC answered, "Oh, I was just curious. If someone won't die jumping from the ninth floor, what about the fifth? Probably won't die either, right? Hehe."

Zhang Caixia, hearing the laughter on the broadcast, couldn't hold back her retort, "Such an asshole..."

However, all she could do was vent. In the game "Eternal Lock," they were all mere pawns, subject to the whims of their environment.

After a long wait on the rooftop, the dismissal bell finally rang.

Bu Jiuzhao, without a second thought, turned to go downstairs to see Xie Yinxue but was stopped by the dean, who emerged from the fourth floor, humming off-tune. She firmly closed the rooftop door and, with a mischievous grin, distributed small booklets to everyone.

These booklets were crudely bound with stacks of A4 paper, and on the makeshift cover were bold, crimson characters: [EXAM FOCUS].

Opening them, inside were sketches made with a black pen, resembling stick-figure comics.

The comics weren't intricate but were drawn in a basic stick-figure style. Smaller figures represented students, larger ones represented teachers, and the content outlined their examination focus—

Oddly enough, the exam's duration wasn't from the start of the lesson but from dawn.

In the comics, students and teachers initially slept in their bedrooms, waking up together at sunrise. Afterwards, teachers scattered and hid in various campus locations: toilet stalls, beside library bookshelves, inside classroom cabinets, under dormitory beds—every conceivable hiding spot.

Students, hand in hand in unity, headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Some grew after eating, becoming as large as the teachers, while others remained unchanged.

The students who didn't grow approached the teachers, gave them a bow, and received a red flower from their hands.

The grown students also located the teachers. Instead of bowing, however, they attacked. The teachers, now on par in size with the grown students, were defenseless. They could only watch in horror as the students sliced open their chests, removed their hearts, and handed them to the dean.

Finally, the students stained with blood—that is, those who took part in the act of killing the teachers—were all awarded a golden badge.

The guide NPC timely explained the significance of the golden badge, "Achieving a good score in the final exam will earn you the golden school badge, granting direct graduation and an automatic entry into the advanced courses of the Eternal Cycle Institute."

"Final exam..." Chen Yun's voice, laced with disbelief, trembled, "Is it about... killing the teachers?"

"It seems so?" The guide NPC replied innocently, "The dean set the exam, not me."

Wu Yuehan, afraid of being targeted, anxiously inquired, "But isn't 'Eternal Lock' supposed to prevent participants from killing each other?"

The guide NPC didn’t answer her directly, only remarking, "I've said what I had to say. Good luck on your exams tomorrow and happy graduation!"

The broadcast fell silent, and for a while, nobody on the rooftop spoke.

"Chen Yun, check the teaching plan." Bu Jiuzhao's voice, unusually hoarse since he stood sideways, instructed, "See what tomorrow's lesson is about."

Snapping back to reality, Chen Yun quickly flipped to the last page of the plan, reading aloud, "The final lesson is titled [Human]. There's no need for a teacher demonstration. Students just need to bow to their teachers, expressing gratitude for the semester-long guidance, and they'll have completed their assignment and earn a red flower."

This directly correlates to the scene in the comics where the smaller students bowed to the teachers and received a red flower.

How ironic.

They initially believed the final lesson would be the hardest, but it turned out to be the simplest.

But what good does that do?

Since nobody completed today's assignment, besides Yun Meizhen, who will easily earn her fifth red flower by just bowing tomorrow, the rest can at most get four, making graduation impossible.

For those who can't graduate by collecting five red flowers, their only option is to seek the golden badge. No wonder so few died in the early stages of this scenario; they're all meant to turn on each other on the final day.

"Everyone, stay calm."

Chen Yun's chest heaved rapidly. While urging everyone to remain calm, a thin layer of sweat formed on her brow, "The 'Eternal Lock' forbids participants from killing each other. This scenario can't be an exception. We need to think more about the final exam..."

"That's in other scenarios," Pei Qingrong interjected, using his characteristic analytical thinking, "In this one, it only emphasizes 'students should unite and love each other' and 'teachers should protect students'."

In essence, students cannot kill each other, while teachers, when faced with students' aggression, cannot fight back.

Sun Lingxi whispered, "There are some perks to being a student after all..."

He Wei, seeing the cold indifference on their youthful faces, couldn't hide his fear as he challenged, "Aren't you afraid that if you kill us, we might come back to seek revenge?"

Wei Xiao retorted, "Aren't you a Ferryman NPC? What do you have to fear?"

"I..."

He Wei hesitated, then forced a composed reply, "Right, I'm a Ferryman. What do I have to be afraid of? Just make sure to give me a positive vote later. I'll ensure your smooth passage tomorrow."

"Thank you," Pei Qingrong said, his smile illuminating his already fair, lovely face, radiant and angelic, "But even if we don't vote for you, you 'will' ensure our smooth passage anyway."

Ji Shanshan, catching the insinuation in Pei Qingrong's words, cautiously glanced at him. This was someone she once had a crush on, yet now she sidestepped, fearing to get too close.

The dean stood by, arms crossed, enjoying the participants' disputes. When he'd had enough, he approached with the teachers' performance sheet and rasped, "Time to cast your positive votes..."

At his words, everyone turned their attention to the sheet.

However, only Liu Buhua and Bu Jiuzhao stepped forward to cast their votes. The rest remained stationary.

"What about the rest of you?" He Wei asked, noticing the situation, "Why aren't you voting?"

"Why aren't you?"

Liu Buhua joined in, "Didn't you all promise my godfather that if he took the leap, you'd cast a positive vote for him?"