Chapter 9: Living People

Chapter 9: Living People

My just-calmed heart tightened again, and I gripped Li Fan's arm tightly with both hands.

Fortunately, the students didn't stare at me for long. The bell signaling the start of class rang, and their heads promptly turned back. A middle-aged woman on the lectern began her lesson.

"I'm here, don't be afraid. There must be certain rules here. I'll send my avatar to investigate," Li Fan reassured me, patting my head gently.

I nodded, leaning even closer to Li Fan until we were almost touching. Only then did my heartbeat return to its normal rhythm.

Li Fan looked at me and smiled helplessly. His eyes were already captivating, and that smile only made them more alluring.

Then his figure started to become translucent, scattering into countless ethereal white shadows, leaving behind a faint, smoke-like apparition still standing by my side.

Just as I began to relax, I felt someone poking me. Turning my head, I saw my new deskmate passing me a small note.

New Deskmate: Don't move around anymore. If that she-tiger catches you cheating, you'll be dead.

I froze in surprise.

Reminded by her, I noticed a mathematics exam paper untouched on my desk.

Is it really that tragic? You're dead and still have to take exams?

I glanced at the woman on the platform, making sure she wasn't looking at me before I started writing on the note.

Me: I'm new here. Apart from cheating in exams, what else could kill me?

After finishing, I threw the note back to her, and she replied promptly.

Her: You're new, huh? No wonder you're clueless. Besides cheating, failing an exam, or even being caught passing notes like this can get you killed.

Me: !!!!

Damn it!

Doesn't that mean I'm currently committing a risky act?

Feeling helpless, I drew a (ಥ﹏ಥ) emoticon on the note and threw it back, then turned to concentrate on my exam paper.

This test wasn't particularly challenging; it consisted of high school-level questions. My mathematics skills were adequate, so with a mix of guessing and inference, I managed to complete it. Calculating my score, I didn't think I would fail.

As I was scoring, I sensed a cool breeze brush past me. Li Fan's form had significantly solidified, suggesting that his avatars might have all returned.

"Li Fan, did you find the exit?" I asked, engrossed in my calculations and not lifting my head.

"No," he replied candidly. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Moreover, I have a feeling that there might not be an exit here at all."

I was startled. "No exit? Then how are we supposed to get out?"

Li Fan replied, "I don't know."

I lifted my head slightly, looking at him in disbelief. It was hard to fathom that there could be something he didn't know. I had always regarded him as an omniscient figure during our interactions.

Seemingly sensing my gaze, he looked at me with a hint of amusement. "What's the matter? Isn't it normal for there to be things I don't know? Do you treat me like Baidu, expecting me to know everything?"

I lowered my head again. The sound of ringing signaled the end, and people around us started moving. Following their lead, I submitted my exam paper.

After I returned to my seat, I saw Li Fan looking at me expectantly. I took the initiative to share with him the clue I had just uncovered.

After hearing my words, he patted my hand in approval. "That's good. You're learning to approach situations calmly. It's progress. When I'm not around in the future, you must remain composed."

His words cast a shadow over my heart, but I quickly rationalized that once I had accumulated enough merit, our paths would diverge, and he wouldn't be by my side anymore.

The she-tiger on the platform began grading the exams with remarkable speed, barely glancing at each paper before assigning a score.

Though the test was not challenging for me, many still failed. As these students went up to collect their papers, they were shredded before their eyes.

Literally torn in half, as if their academic dreams were being ripped apart, leaving them devastated.

Fortunately, my score barely scraped by, granting me a narrow escape from the same fate.

The bell signaling the end of class rang soon after. The survivors in the classroom cheered and rushed out to play. My new desk mate, her face glowing with excitement, grabbed my hand.

"Let's go down too. Next class is PE; we can play games! I'll show you around!"

Despairingly, I watched as she smeared her sticky residue all over my hand, desperately seeking an opportunity to withdraw.

"You go ahead, I...I'm not feeling quite well," I weakly protested.

Fortunately, she didn't give me a hard time but only expressed her concern before leaving. Soon, only Li Fan and I were left in the classroom.

"Get up," Li Fan said.

"Huh? What's wrong?" I asked but still stood up promptly.

The moment I stood up, Li Fan pulled me aside and took my place.

"I've been standing for an entire class. It's my turn to sit, don't you think?" Li Fan looked at me.

I was exasperated. "Go ahead, sit."

I strolled around the classroom while Li Fan sat on my seat, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually, I found myself back in front of him.

"Li Fan, how much merit do you gain for saving someone's life?" I asked out of curiosity.

"There's no specific number, but on average, saving a life earns you about twenty merit points," Li Fan replied.

After a moment's consideration, I inquired further, "Then how many merit points would it take to bring your wife back to life?"

"Not much." Li Fan winked at me. "Somewhere around twenty million, I'd say."

I'm numb, seriously.

Isn't that substantial? I was momentarily at a loss to count the number of zeros!

As a person who cherishes life, I don't wish to risk my own existence daily just to save others. I was even planning to download a digital wooden fish app on my phone to tap on it twice every day for some mental peace. But with twenty million...it seems like it would take an eternity to accumulate that amount.

Li Fan observed my disheartened expression and raised an eyebrow, smiling reassuringly. "It's alright, I'll accompany you as we gradually accumulate it. Nobody is more eager than I am."

The announcement on the wall speaker signaled the approaching class, and I glanced at my schedule to find that the next period was PE. No wonder everyone had rushed out.

What surprised me more was that they actually had a genuine PE class.

I arrived at the sports field as the bell rang, attempting to sneak into the line unnoticeably, but my efforts were in vain.

A boy gazed at me sternly. "Classmate, we'll let this tardiness slide this time. If there's a next time, you'll be contributing to our soccer game."

I nodded hastily. The message was clear: if I were late again, my head might as well be used as a football.

Following the bell, they formed a circle on the playground, and I was pulled to sit with my new deskmate. I was puzzled; were they about to play a game?

I sat uneasily on the grass, where the sky was draped in a dull gray, devoid of the sun. Even the air carried a stench of decay.

Behind me, Li Fan sat calmly, seemingly unperturbed by the situation, even finding leisure to toy with my hair.

My new deskmate beamed at me with a radiant smile, her gaze resembling that of a predator eyeing its prey.

Then, she suddenly stood up and rushed to the center of the circle, shouting loudly,

"Everyone, I've found a living person!"