Chapter 2

“Gu Meng.”

The soft female voice followed the breeze swept across his neck as Gu Meng opened his half-closed eyes like he was awakened from a long sleep.

He subconsciously turned his head back to search for its origin, there was nothing there, only seeing a mottled iron school gate closing slowly behind him.

Looking around the unfamiliar campus environment, Gu Meng only used two seconds to digest his current situation and realised he had already arrived in the first game.

He looked in front, a woman wearing a black and white uniform was leading two columns of people and dressed like a teacher in charge of a class.

The group passed through a wet basketball court, coming to a stop at the hallways on the first floor of the school building with three rows of lockers on their right.

The woman ahead turned over to face everyone, holding a pointer stick and a lesson plan. With neat bangs and smiling eyes, she looked quite young and her sexy figure was like Taobao’s hot items.

“The third-year students of Class A, the long holiday has ended. I welcome everyone back to the campus. Teacher Xiao Yu has been waiting here for everyone for a long time.” The woman suddenly started to speak with a smiling expression on her face, her lovely appearance brimming with warmth, “But before the school starts, I’ve a very regrettable news to tell everyone. In this terms’ name list, there’s only 16 students because Chun Zi got murdered a day before school started.”

When this sort of unlucky word, “murdered” was spoken, there was an abrupt change in everyone’s complexion.

The woman continued to say, “In the next seven days, as the classmates of the deceased Chun Zi, everyone needs to work together to complete Chun Zi’s last wish, are you confident?”

”

”

A question was asked but no one answered.

Many people looked at the woman in front of them in a daze, like it was no more than a farce happening before their very eyes; or perhaps, from that moment they were trapped in the wisdom room1, they felt everything was a farce.

“Teacher, when will the school gate open?”

A low male voice asked from the group.

Gu Meng searched for the voice and found a man with a tall and long stature leaning against the locker.

Although everyone wore standard white clothes, the man was still eye-catching, not only because of his outstanding appearance but due to excessively indifferent temperament made him look different from other people in this oppressing and tense atmosphere.

Appearing to be really happy that someone asked this question, the woman cutely tilted her and smiled until her eyes crinkled, “Student Bo Ye, wait for everyone to finish Chun Zi’s last wish and the school gate will open again.”

The male was slightly startled. He probably didn’t expect to be called out by his name but he reacted quickly and said the following, “What’s Chun Zi’s last wish?”

Yet, the woman overlooked his question and said to everyone, “The new school uniforms have already been prepared and placed into everyone’s lockers. Everyone, please change into your school uniform. If you wear everyday clothes, your individual points will be deducted if you are caught.”

No one moved and a few people in the group looked out of the long hallway.

At the end of the main path, the mottled gate of the campus was closed securely.

Standing at the forefront was a middle-aged man, he withdrew his gaze from the school gate and after he swallowed his saliva, he incited the other players, “In any case, this environment is stimulated by those whatever Homo sapiens and is all fake. This teacher is also fake. Let’s try leaving now? We can talk about it if we truly get stopped.”

“The new school uniforms have already been prepared and placed into everyone’s lockers……”

It was probably because the storyline did not advance so the woman repeated her instructions once through every thirty seconds. At the same time, her line of sight swept through everyone present. It was obviously a lovely and gentle smile but so rigid that it was a bit scary.

Everyone looked at each other and no one dared to respond to that middle-aged man’s suggestion.

“I advise you not to take risks.” That man called Bo Ye said indifferently, “The novice guide has clear-cut rules and refusing to participate in the game will result in getting wiped out.”

Before the game started, the wisdom room released a novice guide; it didn’t state in specific what “wiped out” meant.

The middle-aged man looked at the gate at an appreciable distance, clenched his teeth, stride down the school building’s long hallway and said furiously, “I don’t believe in superstitions, pretending to be supernatural beings, it’s most likely a joke. If you don’t dare to, I’ll go first!”

“Student Chen Jindong.” The woman turned her head to look at him and her tender voice warned, “Please come back, do not leave the campus without permission.”

The middle-aged man straightened up his neck, his rear figure was aggressive but his gradually accelerating pace revealed the panic in his heart.

The woman smiled and raised the volume of her voice, “Please come back, your teacher is going to get angry!”

The last few steps, Chen Jindong trotted to reach the school gate. He looked around and climbed the iron fence.

“Seeking death.”

Gu Meng heard a very soft male voice from behind him and turned around to look. Bo Ye changed his stance and leaned against the top of the lockers, lowering his head and turning the ring on his hand.

The woman sighed, opened the lesson plan and took out a thin piece of paper from within, “I really hate students who play truant.”

Gu Meng took a look and saw the three words written on it through the back of the paper.

“Chen Jindong.”

The next second, the woman tore the paper from the middle.

“Ahhh——”

A heart-rippling shriek sounded, not just the women but even the men screamed.

Gu Meng hurriedly looked forward. Chen Jindong’s hands firmly grasped the school gate but the part below his waist dropped to the ground, dark and viscous blood trickled down.

“Rip——”

The sound of ripping resounded. Chen Jindong’s body broke up even further into pieces in the air with uneven edges like the rough edges of fragmented paper.

Even if it was a distance, Gu Meng could still hear the horrifying sound of “puchi”.

That was the sound of flesh separating.

At the front, the female teacher panted with a fierce smile, her eyes wide-opened. She excitedly looked at the scraps of paper in her hands as she unceasingly tore with a kind of close to neurotic madness until the scraps of papers became shreds but she still didn’t stop.

”

”

Watching all this, made Gu Meng’s stomach feel uncomfortable.

After tearing the paper, the woman calmed down her breathing, her expression slowly changed into an amiable one, revealing her standard smile, “The new school uniforms have already been prepared and placed into everyone’s lockers……”

Before she finished speaking, everyone rushed to the three rows of lockers.

Gu Meng was finding his name on the row of red lockers. He opened the locker door. Sure enough, a set of navy blue uniforms was piled up and neatly folded inside with a flip phone to the side.

Just as he was about to take out his clothes, a person stood beside him and Gu Meng arbitrarily cast a glance.

That man was nearly 1.9 meters tall and was very young, he was looking at him with a sense of inquiry. He did not hide nor evade his gaze and was so unperturbed that he was practically innocent.

Gu Meng was stared at until his movements became sluggish and felt this man was like a curious baby in capital letters.

“What are you looking at?” He asked.

The man opened his eyes slightly and looked quite surprised. His eyes swept over Gu Meng’s face once over and said, “What are you looking at?”

His voice was soft and neat, making people think of granules of snowflakes.

Gu Meng creased his brows, perceived a trace of abnormality and repeated, “Brother2, I asked you what are you staring at me for?”

The man blinked. He followed to crease his brows soon after and there was not the slightest difference from Gu Meng in his manner of speaking, “Brother, I asked you what are you staring at me for?”

Gu Meng: “……”

This person was either provoking him or dim-witted.

After everyone changed into their school uniforms, the players who were obediently assigned into two columns, followed the female teacher lead, to the canteen.

Before they left the hallway, a girl shouted as she covered her mouth, “Look at that person!”

Everyone heard her voice and looked out of the school building’s hallway, one after another.

A boy with a face full of blood stood there. His looks could not be distinguished clearly under the dim sky, only a pair of large black-and-white eyes could be seen, blinking and looking at the people on the stairs. He appeared to be cautious and awfully timid.

All of a sudden, that male called Bo Ye rushed out from the group of people, advancing quickly down the flight of steps and hugged the person covered all over in blood.

Everyone looked at each other in dismay and no one understood what was going on for a while.

Under the flight of steps, the two people in an embrace separated and spoke in low voices for quite a long time. The boy covered in blood stomped his feet and seemed to be crying.

“It’s a new student.” The female teacher leisurely flipped through the lesson plan. She flipped the papers while smiling, “This is troublesome……Why didn’t you inform me3 in advance?”

Regardless of the woman’s tone or expression, it gave people a sort of vague premonition.

Bo Ye wiped away Tang Zhi’s tears, consoling him with a few words and turned to the female teacher to say, “The game never mentioned that new players are not allowed to join.”

The woman closed the lesson plan and sighed, “That’s right but the name of this student is not within the admission list given to me by the administration office so it’s a pity……”

Following the woman’s words, many of the players were extremely nervous4, thinking of the two words, “wiped out”, simultaneously.

“We don’t have an extra male uniform.” The female teacher tilted her head and smiled cutely, “So, I can only trouble the newly arrived student Tang Zhi, to wear a female uniform.”

“……”

Bo Ye wanted to bring Tang Zhi to the infirmary and Gu Meng took the initiative to step forward, “I learned simple dressing before so I’ll go together with you.”

Along the way, other than the three of them on the campus, no other students were seen again. The street lamps on both sides were dim, leaving only a muddled outline of a bush, showing a gloomy aura.

Gu Meng encircled a set of school uniforms for females in his hand, walking to the side and had simple interaction with the other two en route. He found out the new player who joined was called Tang Zhi, a mixed-blood of Chinese and Japanese descent. Before the catastrophe, he was a fourth-year university student and the lover of Bo Ye.

Tang Zhi did not explain the reason on his own accord of why his whole body was full of blood so Gu Meng did not have the nerve to ask even though he was very much curious.

The entire administrative building was pitch-dark with only the window at a corner of the first floor being lit up. That place was the infirmary.

Passing through the pitch-dark and silent hallway, Gu Meng took the lead in opening the door. He was caught off guard when he bumped into an old man wearing a white coat.

The old man wearing a white coat should be the school doctor, his complexion appeared to be deathly pale. After looking at them one by one, he suddenly laughed, slowly moving to the side to invite them in with an aged and rough voice, “Are you Chun Zi’s classmates? Do you need help?”

Cautiously going in with his back plastered against the wall, Gu Meng pointed behind him, “Someone got injured, we’re borrowing the medical kit to use.”

The school doctor slowly closed the door after he let the three of them in and said, “Has Chun Zi been well?”

Gu Meng said based on the information he knew, “Chun Zi was murdered yesterday.”

The school doctor did not seem to be surprised. He only sighed deeply and supported himself with the table to move around until he was at the seat and sat down, “Alas, Chun Zi was a nice girl.”

Bo Ye pulled open the white curtain in the infirmary and said to Gu Meng, “I’ll check the state of Candi’s injuries first. I’ll call you if I need you later.”

Gu Meng nodded.

The incandescent light in the school infirmary emitted murky lighting.

Gu Meng took the medical kit from the cabinet and placed it on the single bed against the wall to check the medicine inside.

Gauze, purple hydrogen peroxide, iodine, cephalosporin…..He nodded, the medicines in common usage were all there.

“Chun Zi was a nice girl. She brought a present for me this morning and only she thinks of me before a new term starts.”

Leaning against the table in front of the window, the school doctor unfolded a piece of newspaper to block his face, his voice was deep and gloomy.

Gu Meng lightly frowned, Chun Zi was just murdered yesterday, it was impossible for her to bring a present over to see the school doctor.

Even though he knew it was a game world, one must not pay attention to the alibi of insignificant characters. Some dialogues of NPCs may not be useful but it was nevertheless scary, hearing the school doctor’s words.

The school doctor: “The present has not been opened yet.”

Holding a roll of gauze and going over to sit on the single bed, Gu Meng thoughtlessly raised his head and as it turns out, he came across a muddy eye.

The school doctor was peeping on him through the edge of the newspaper.

Gu Meng’s hand trembled and the roll of gauze dropped on the ground. When he thought of the old man staring silently at him for a long time, he felt extremely uncomfortable, “Doc……doctor, what are you looking at?”

“Student……” After being found out, the old school doctor shook the newspaper, raised it up high before keeping the newspaper and slowly said, “You didn’t remove the tag from the back of your school uniform.”

“……”

Gu Meng extended his hand over his back and really touched a tag hanging on the collar of his uniform.

A curtain away, Bo Ye and Tang Zhi were right in the middle of changing their clothes and in the quiet room, Gu Meng could inevitably hear their conversation.

“This isn’t my blood. I didn’t suffer any serious injuries……”

“How did you come here?”

“After clearing the previous game, I was rewarded with the privilege to be able to choose a game copy twice and then I came here.”

“The previous game……How many people cleared it?”

”

”

“Just me……” Tang Zhi’s voice lowered, “My teammates are all dead. In this game, we will really die.”

Using his fingertip to scratch his eyebrow, Gu Meng somewhat could not breathe and they also sank into silence.

The white curtain reflected the silhouette of the person behind it, a shadow stood up and walked over to Gu Meng.

Gu Meng felt the curtain beside him move and one hand extended forward from the inside, patting his shoulder.

“Are you done……”

He picked up the medical kit and was preparing to go in. When he raised his head, he stood rooted on the spot and was unable to budge. The coldness abruptly rushed to his back.

Gu Meng swallowed his saliva, he slowly aimed his line of sight to the side to confirm it once more.

There were three shadows behind the white curtain.

Bo Ye and Tang Zhi were still talking softly, seemingly unaware of the extra person but Gu Meng could see it clearly. Just a curtain away, a petite shadow stood silently for a long time.

Cold sweat began to flow out from Gu Meng’s forehead.

The sound of the flipping the newspaper resounded, the old school doctor glanced over from the edge of the newspaper and words were muttered from his lips, “Chun Zi is a nice girl.”

It was at this moment that Bo Ye stood up and walked towards this side, his tall figure overlapped with the third shadow before the white curtain was pulled open.

“It’s more or less done, Candi’s knee has some scratches. I’ve to trouble you to bandage it up.”

Gu Meng abruptly turned his head to look over. At the other side of the curtains, other than Bo Ye and Tang Zhi, there was no one else.

Like everything was an illusion.

After coming out from the infirmary, the three of them went to the canteen to eat, then found the dormitory building with six levels. Everyone was waiting in the bright and spacious lounge.

When they saw Tang Zhi appear, wearing the JK uniform, the eyes of many people lit up. They intentionally or not intentionally cast a glance at him, especially at that pair of slender and pale legs under his miniskirt.

After counting the number of people, Teacher Xiao Yu smiled and said, “Everyone’s dorm room is on the sixth floor and each room is a two-person room. As long as you find a roommate, you can enter the room. Everyone must be tired. Everybody, please rest early.”

Hearing that they could rest, many people heaved a sigh of relief.

The female teacher took the lesson plan, turned around and was about to leave when she stopped. She turned her head and said, “I forgot to remind you, by all means, do not be alone in this dormitory building. Chun Zi likes loners.”

This sentence made everyone alert once again.

There was only one lift in the building. While waiting for the lift, the weak girl in the group said in a low voice, “Wasn’t Chun Zi murdered? What does she mean by she likes loners?”

Gu Meng thought of the dark shadow he saw in the infirmary and said, “The teacher could be reminding us that Chun Zi will return and will especially look for loners to trouble them.”

Everyone kept away from Gu Meng silently.

“……” Gu Meng was helpless, “What are you avoiding me for? There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Don’t say such unfounded words to scare people again.” In the group, a very gorgeous young girl raised her chin high, “If people die, they stay dead. There’s no possibility of them returning.”

At this time, the lift reached the first floor and opened silently.

The girl took the lead in entering, flicking her jet-black hair, “That woman made it clear that we can’t be on our own, then we should be careful.”

The girl’s words undoubtedly stabilised the anxious hearts of others and a lot of people in the team were unconsciously drawn to her, following her into the lift.

The lift could carry nine people at most at a time.

Looking at the packed lift, Bo Ye stood outside and reminded them indifferently, “If this game really has ghosts, do you still dare to take the lift? Aren’t you scared that something will happen halfway when it goes up?”

The complexion of the people in the lift suddenly changed.

Indeed, if they really bumped into a ghost in the lift, there was no place to flee to.

After a while, five people came out of the lift, leaving it half-empty.

After that, Bo Ye led Tang Zhi into the lift in a calm manner, “If you don’t take the lift, we’ll go up first.”

The people who realised that they had been tricked later on, “……”

In the lift, everyone exchanged their names. Bo Ye only remembered that young girl’s name was Shui Xing and she was nineteen.

Merely remembering her name was not only because she was beautiful, but because she had such an arrogant and aloof temperament. Her whole body issued an aura of “I am a woman who has not been a big brother in many years.”

The lift carried six people to the top floor. The lift doors opened and they faced a long hallway.

The white marble floor was suffused with cold light under the dim lighting. The four men and two women walked out of the lift.

On the left-hand side was the men’s toilet, Bo Ye said something to Tang Zhi before they entered the toilet.

The remaining people continued to walk forward.

Shui Xing walked with her arms wrapped around her body, her eyes critically swept over doors before it stopped on a door in the middle of the hallway, next to the passageway to the safety exit.

She said to the weak girl behind her, “Jingjing, let’s choose this dorm room?”

Qin Jingjing had no objections and answered softly with an “en”.

Shui Xing pressed down the doorknob, wanting to push it open but could not open it. She tried it a few more times but the door did not budge.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Seeing that a beautiful woman was having difficulties, a very expressive big boy stepped forth at once and said with a grin, “I am He Wei. Everyone will be classmates in the future.”

Shui Xing arched a brow and looked at him, giving way to He Wei.

”

”

In the end, He Wei fiddled with the door for a long time but also could not open it.

Shui Xing flicked the hair on her shoulders, leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped around herself and sneered lightly.

He Wei’s complexion gradually flushed red in embarrassment against a beautiful woman’s mocking gaze, “Maybe we need a key……”

Tang Zhi tried to push the door on the right side but it didn’t budge at all. He said, “This door can’t be opened either.”

“Then do we need to sleep in the hallway for a night?” Qin Jingjing stated softly, “But the teacher said that we can enter the room as long as we find a roommate.”

Shui Xing simply thought about it and guessed, “Maybe our roommates have been assigned and the door will open as long as we find our roommate.”

“It’s very likely.” Another male wearing a pair of spectacles agreed, “So we need to wait for each and everyone to gather before trying?”

The sound of numerous footsteps came from the passageway to the safety exit by the side. Shui Xing turned her face over to look, as it turns out, a person panting opened the door to the safety exit.

It was Gu Meng.

One after another, the remaining ten people gathered.

They climbed six floors in one go so everyone was unbearably tired.

Gu Meng propped himself on his knees and calmed his breathing. After looking at the group, he said, “Why are you all standing there and not going in?”

“The door can’t be opened.” Shui Xing explained, “We probably have to find the correct roommate.”

“How do we find them?” Gu Meng asked, “We can’t choose our own roommate?”

Everyone was baffled. A few of them didn’t believe their words and tried to push open the door but were not successful.

There was a brother that was very irritated at a glance, he wiped the sweat away from his forehead and said impatiently, “Don’t give me such a hard time. Why don’t we just kick open the door?”

“If you don’t follow the rules, I’m afraid you’ll be torn into pieces……”

In the group, a voice murmured.

All of a sudden, the lights in the hallway flicked.

Qin Jingjing was so scared that she looked at the mottled ceiling, “It seems a bit cold……”

The lights flickered again and the people gathered at the safety passage felt the temperature drop at the same time.

Unhurried footsteps came from the end of the hallway, everyone stepped back like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow5 and looked towards the source of the sound.

The author has something to say:

Tang Zhi’s JK uniform can be played with for a hundred years.