Chapter 21 Horrifying Crime 1: The Isolated Island Prison

With Wu Wangwang drawing their hatred, Chu Ping and Guo Tianyin didn't attack the remaining two, but instead chased after Wu Wangwang.

In their eyes, two unprotected players are no match for Wu Wangwang, who has a protected identity. After all, if Shi Rong goes crazy and really wants to fight Chu Ping to the death, the outcome is uncertain.

Wu Wangwang ignored them and ran straight ahead without turning, reaching the other end of the square. In the pouring rain, they could no longer see each other, only the dark figures chasing after them gradually became clear.

In the rain, Wu Wangwang's aura could not be hidden. Chu Ping and Guo Tianyin were already water ghosts, and the rain was like a buff for them, making every player who came into contact with the rain nowhere to hide.

The stench of blood permeated the surroundings, completely enveloping Wu Wangwang, leaving her nowhere to escape.

Soon, Chu Ping and Guo Tianyin rushed over with knives in hand. Their faces were contorted and they could no longer be recognized as human.

Wu Wangwang showed no fear or intention to flee. Before they reached her, she asked, "You all heard what we just said, but do you know the truth I'm about to tell you?"

Chu Ping twirled the knife: "So what if I don't know? Anyway, as long as you're all dead, whether it's true or not doesn't matter."

“It’s important, there’s one very important point,” Wu Wangwang replied earnestly.

Guo Tianyin had gone mad after Hua Jiao's death. He was unmoved and took direct action. Left with no other choice, Wu Wangwang grabbed his raised arm and threw him back to Chu Ping's side.

Seeing Wu Wangwang's actions, Chu Ping became wary: "What did Shi Rong give you? Why are you able to harm us?"

Wu Wangwang felt like she was facing a newly appointed idiot colleague: "You can scare the players because you can't be killed. Players naturally have a fear of the unknown. But in reality, inside Shi Rong and Du Luo's bodies, you are only half a person. To be honest, you are not that vicious."

Because they weren't vicious enough, they even waited until Shi Rong and Du Luo were dead before they could come out and chase after the players. Just like Wu Wangwang said before, they were strongest when they were outside this body, but they were instead limited by the settings of Shi Rong and Du Luo.

They become hesitant and timid because of uncontrollable forces, but in reality, if they were just a little bolder, such loopholes in the rules would not exist.

Chu Ping's face twisted in disgust: "Yes, we are not as vicious as you. You are the murderers! You clearly killed people, yet you can pretend nothing happened and continue to live in this world!"

“That’s why I said there’s a truth you all need to know,” Wu Wangwang sighed helplessly. “The two of you were killed in a swap. Yahe and Huajiao cooperated to switch you and kill you because killing your own enemy would have a psychological burden, but if you were just helping your friend kill their enemy, you would become an accomplice.”

The exchange of murders is also a kind of fear of familiar humans. When they were young, Aya and the other six did not have such strong hearts. Once they had a reason to kill someone and did it, they would think about it every day and suspect that their conflict with the victim would be discovered and they would be suspected.

But things are different after the exchange. You become someone who helps, and even if you are discovered, you are not the mastermind, but an accomplice. If you are discovered, you can say that you were young and ignorant and were forced into it.

Both sides harbored the same wishful thinking and acted with a clear conscience, feeling that they were the lucky ones. Although the exchange of masterminds was actually meaningless, Fu Mei seized upon their fear mixed with hatred.

Many people are afraid to do things in their own name, which is caused by their living environment. For example, many people are obviously outgoing and proactive, but when faced with things, they are very timid and have to be pushed around by others. This is a kind of fear. But if they are given a reason, they can stand up and give full play to their abilities.

As an observer, Fu Mei happened to glimpse Ya and the others' psychology. The six of them, each harboring their own secrets, all shared the same goal and ultimately accepted the psychological comfort method offered by Fu Mei.

Chu Ping froze, then scratched her face raw: "You mean? The Hua Jiao and the others I saw before I died were actually acting on Ya He's orders?"

Guo Tianyin, who had been insane for a long time, reacted slowly: "Jiaojiao...want to kill me? Why?"

Wu Wangwang looked at the two of them with affection: "Yes, you've got your enemies mixed up. I suggest you reconsider."

Then Chu Ping went crazy just like Guo Tianyin. They struggled on the spot for a while, and then glared at Wu Wangwang together.

"You! Was it your idea? Was it you?" Chu Ping demanded shrilly.

Wu Wangwang nodded directly: "It's me. If you don't believe me, you can release Shi Rong and ask her. She doesn't need to hide it anymore."

Chu Ping was about to agree when she quickly realized, "No, you're lying to me. You want me to come out so Shi Rong can protect you!"

They've been found out; their only chance to stall until 8:30 is gone.

Wu Wangwang's eyes darted around quickly. She sensed that the referee was waiting in the rain, watching their progress closely. It wouldn't work to take direct action against Chu Ping and Guo Tianyin; she had to have Shi Rong and Du Luo provide cover.

"Why would I lie to you? All of us players have triggered the death rule, I have no reason to lie at the last moment." Wu Wangwang finally gave in to the referee and continued to tempt her.

Chu Ping abruptly turned her head: "You told her that all the players have triggered the death rule?"

Guo Tianyin was stunned, and slowly shook his head.

Seeing this, Wu Wangwang realized that the person who chased after her was probably Du Luo. She probably had already killed Hua Jiao by then, so with Shi Rong protecting Wu Wangwang, she didn't directly try to kill her.

Wu Wangwang still had a question: "To be honest, I'm very curious. Du Luo said that every one of us players triggered the death rule, but why? If it was triggered a long time ago, why did they let us live until today?"

Chu Ping swayed as she stood up, knife in hand, her eyes turning completely bloodshot: "The only rule of death in this instance is that you should die when you realize you are the murderer. So your only chance to survive is to hide in the police station."

As for the extra time they had to survive, it was all due to the disagreements among the four ghosts. If they had all agreed, even seven players wouldn't have been enough to kill them.

Yahe and Li Hu, who had followed after Wu Wangwang out of concern, overheard Chu Ping's words. Yahe, being more educated, exclaimed, "I've figured it out! Our chance to survive this ordeal is to turn ourselves in. Because of the Juvenile Protection Law, we won't be sentenced. As long as we can stall until the last day of the two months, plus tonight's battle royale, we can survive!"

Wu Wangwang looked up in confusion, completely bewildered. After thinking for a while, she remembered hearing about this in the Night Sacrifice instance. She never expected that this knowledge would actually come in handy. She should have asked that player who seemed to know more to explain it back then.

Chu Ping sneered: "What kind of protection law is this? It only protects the murderer. What kind of protection is that? You all deserve to die!"

After saying that, Chu Ping rushed towards Fu Mei and raised her knife to kill Wu Wangwang.

Yahe and Li Hu wanted to help, but Guo Tianyin stopped them. Guo Tianyin was in a state of confusion, and it seemed that Du Luo was struggling again. Compared to Shi Rong's slumber, Du Luo seemed to be much more insane and resentful. He often fought Guo Tianyin to a standstill.

At this moment, Wu Wangwang had already started fighting with Chu Ping. The referee was watching too closely, so she couldn't use her strength to knock Chu Ping down like before, and kept dodging.

Seeing this, Yahe, who was standing nearby, simply ignored Guo Tianyin, who had started to harm himself, and went with Li Hu to help Wu Wangwang.

Yahe pulled out a long electrical wire from somewhere, looped it around Chu Ping's neck, and tightened it around her neck.

Li Hu grabbed Chu Ping's hand and frantically pried at it with a screwdriver, trying to take the knife from her hand.

Looking at the things they were using, Wu Wangwang, while restraining Chu Ping's other hand, asked, "Where did you get all these things?"

Yahe strained with all her might, gritting her teeth as she explained, "It's an item. I got it after clearing the last dungeon. It was supposed to be an internet connection that would never be interrupted!"

Li Hu also said, "Mine is the same, a screwdriver that can open any nail!"

But no matter how hard they tried, Chu Ping wouldn't let go. Instead, after gathering her strength, Chu Ping flung them both away.

Just as Chu Ping was about to raise her knife to chase after her, she found that Wu Wangwang was still holding onto her arm tightly. She hadn't been thrown off by that attack, even though Yahe and Li Hu, who looked much taller, had been thrown off.

Chu Ping didn't think much and was about to watch Wu Wangwang. Wu Wangwang quickly realized that she was supposed to be thrown away, so she pushed off with her foot and flew three meters away, leaving Chu Ping standing dumbly in the rain with her hands up.

The referee in the rain looked puzzled, but also felt it made sense. After all, Wu Wangwang was very strong, and it was normal that Chu Ping couldn't shake him off in one go since she hadn't regained her ghost form.

Wu Wangwang got up from the ground, covered in mud and water, and thought with disgust, "So dirty, I don't want to come to such a dirty dungeon next time." Chu Ping was furious that she still had time to complain about dirt at a time like this. She rushed over and continued to attack Wu Wangwang, while Wu Wangwang started running around the square. At first, Li Hu and Ya He wanted to chase after her to help, but they couldn't catch up and had to give up.

Tired of the corpse, Chu Ping discovered that her legs were starting to wear and tear. Her body's repair mechanisms couldn't keep up with the wear and tear, which explained why she was finding it difficult to run. She had no choice but to stop and repair the rotting flesh of the stone banyan tree.

Seeing that Chu Ping didn't continue chasing, Wu Wang stopped in his tracks.

Chu Ping stared at Wu Wangwang, gritting her teeth: "How come you're alright?"

“I am a human, and you are a corpse. Corpses will swell up when soaked in water, so they are difficult to control. Even if a water ghost corpse doesn’t swell up, the person in charge still has to come. You might as well separate from Shi Rong as soon as possible. I’ll let Shi Rong protect the other players, and you can continue chasing me. That would be fairer,” Wu Wangwang replied seriously.

Fairness—what an alluring word! Chu Ping was almost tempted. She was indeed stronger after leaving Shi Rong's body, but she might also end up like Guo Tianyin, being beaten down.

But Shi Rong really listened to Fu Mei. Their sisterly bond was unshakable, not even by marriage or having children.

Chu Ping frowned: "I'll give you one chance. If you go back on your word, I'll just suppress you again. Shi Rong is a ghost who's been dead for less than half a year. He can't suppress me."

After he finished speaking, a red, human-shaped mass of blood slowly peeled off Shi Rong's body, and his eyes, which were originally full of blood, gradually returned to black and grayish-white.

Compared to Chu Ping's body, which was filled with resentment, Shi Rong was more like a water ghost. Her whole body was pale, her eyes were black, and her lips had turned black from being frozen by the water.

Upon seeing Chu Ping appear, Wu Wangwang suddenly ran over and hugged Shi Rong, making the same embracing gesture as her own statue once did. She whispered in Shi Rong's ear, her voice like a ghostly chant, indistinct yet its meaning clearly conveyed: "I bestow upon you my blessing; tonight, no one can stand against you."

The soaring ghostly aura attracted thunderous roars, instantly plunging the already bright sky back into darkness. The immense ghostly aura pressed down from the heavens, as if a demon or god had descended.

The referee in the rain looked up in astonishment. He was about to check when the feeling of a powerful boss descending from another instance vanished. Only the stone banyan in the square seemed to be enraged, and the ghostly aura seemed to come entirely from her.

The shock and pressure I felt just now seemed to be just an illusion.

A flash of silvery-white lightning appeared, and black lines slowly crept across Shi Rong's face, making him resemble a vengeful ghost with fangs from the legend of the Green Sprouts.

Wu Wangwang slowly released Shi Rong, said nothing more, and ran towards Ya and the others without looking back, her back directly facing Chu Ping.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chu Ping instantly reached behind Wu Wangwang through the rain, but the numerous blood mists were instantly blocked by Shi Rong.

Running over to Yahe, Wu Wangwang quickly said, "Let's hurry to the bus stop and wait. I finally tricked Chu Ping out. Shi Rong will save us."

Yahe glanced nervously over there. The fight between the two bosses was extremely intense. From a human's perspective, all that could be seen was black and red colliding, while Guo Tianyin was still fighting with Du Luo for control of his body.

"Is Shi Rong okay? What if Guo Tianyin decides the winner later and you have to help Chu Ping?" Ya He asked nervously.

Wu Wangwang's eyes darted left and right: "Judging from his condition, he can't beat the crazed Du Luo anytime soon, and Du Luo can't suppress him either. Maybe by the time they decide the winner, the bus will have already arrived."

With the blessing of the Ghost Mother Goddess, Shi Rong completely overwhelmed Chu Ping, but perhaps out of guilt, he did not kill her, but only stopped her.

Wu Wangwang had already been delayed for a long time, so when they returned to the bus stop, the bus had already arrived. The referee was in the driver's seat. He didn't look at the players, but stared intently at Shi Rong in the distance. He was still bothered by the strange behavior earlier.

The three boarded the bus and sat down side by side in the middle seats. Wu Wangwang glanced at the referee without making a sound, thinking that she should be more careful when using her abilities in the future. The referees were too perceptive. It was just a blessing of the same attribute, and it wasn't even a wish exchange that fell under the authority of the Ghost Mother Goddess, yet they were still discovered.

Yahe and Li Hu nervously counted down the time on the bus, afraid that Shi Rong wouldn't be able to hold on. In this kind of dungeon, accidents can easily happen until the very last second.

The clock ticked forward, 57, 58, 59—the instant it jumped past 8:30, time stood still in the entire instance, the bus doors closed instantly, and the referee finally looked away, saying, "Attention passengers, departure is imminent, please hold on tight."

Upon hearing this, Yahe collapsed into Wu Wangwang's arms: "You survived..."

Wu Wangwang calmly hummed in agreement.

The Night of Return is vast, with many instances. After parting ways, they should never meet again, never encounter each other again. They will be strangers from now on, scattered across the world.

The moment she left the instance, Wu Wangwang heard Yahe and Li Hu thanking her, saying that without her, the entire army would probably have been wiped out.

The next second, Wu Wangwang woke up in the noisy hospital. Listening to the sounds in the ward, she felt a real sense of returning to the human world. At the same time, she finally received a reward in addition to survival items—props.

The item appeared in her hand as if that were a pair of jet-black jade rings carved with water ripples. They were called "The Promise." Once two people wore them, all their words to each other would become a promise, and the one who broke the promise would be eaten by the ring.

Afterwards, Wu Wangwang underwent many examinations at the hospital. The doctor said that her wound was very deep and the bleeding was extremely heavy. She almost did not survive, but fortunately she survived.

It means that the neck is injured, and the person will not be able to speak for a short period of time. They will need to spend a lot of money on vocal cord repair and voice training to regain their voice. However, they may also experience psychological problems and eventually be unable to speak again.

Wu Wangwang wasn't worried about these problems. She wasn't human, and she could heal these minor wounds on her organs directly. Now, she needed to limit the recovery speed.

The police kept coming over, but because Wu Wangwang couldn't speak, the whole process was done by handwriting or typing, so the process of taking her statement was very slow. But at least many things had been settled.

The mother was sent to prison for theft and attempted murder. It was the family that helped her. They didn't want to see that person again, but they provided a lot of help to Wu Wangwang. For example, her current treatment was provided by the family.

Aunt Gao and the housekeeper also visited Wu Wangwang, bringing her some food and supplies. It's pitiful that she's so young and has no one to take care of her after such an incident.

Wu Wangwang expressed her gratitude and said that she would soon be discharged from the hospital and able to go back to work.

With her wound healing well, Wu Wangwang prepared to be discharged from the hospital. She understood that one shouldn't waste other people's money and needed to go back to work so as not to be fired.

Before being discharged from the hospital, Wu Wangwang remembered that the doctor had her voice checked. After confirming that she could gradually recover her voice, she was exempted from the corrective surgery. However, rehabilitation was still necessary. Whether or not she would do it was beyond the doctor's control. Wu Wangwang planned to let her natural talent allow her to recover.

After this brief delay, the police came to find Wu Wangwang again, saying that her father and brother had been charged with a series of crimes including theft, economic crimes, and gambling, and that as the only normal person in the family, she needed to come and claim them.

Wu Wangwang said that she was seriously injured and had temporarily lost her ability to act, and that she had no objection to the police acting in accordance with the law. She said that the policewoman from the previous round had taught her to say this.

With Wu Wangwang's affirmation, this matter would no longer affect her. Later, she saw on the news that the father and son had been sent to prison because they were involved in a highly confidential document that resulted in huge losses. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, and given their personalities, they would probably never get out.

When she returned to the main house to work as a flower grower, the lady made a special trip to see Wu Wangwang to ask about her injuries and how the flowers in the garden had been acting strangely since she left, always looking listless.

The flowers bloomed so beautifully before because Wu Wangwang had extracted their essence beforehand, forcing them to bloom, all to win the favor of the lady.

Now that everything has settled down, Wu Wangwang decided to let the flowers rest, so she typed: "Madam, it may be too hot. We need to change the fertilizer. I'm sorry I can't speak right now. I'll go take a look now."

The lady touched her hand with some concern, handed her a plate of snacks, and said that she could go after she had rested, since there were no gatherings recently and she didn't need the money.

Seeing this, Wu Wangwang went back to her room and focused on recovering from her injuries.

But staying there like this is boring. Wu Wangwang has been sitting in that dungeon temple for many years. When people don't go there, she is actually very lonely. She can only play with those Japanese devils.

The next day, Wu Wangwang couldn't sit still any longer and went to the garden. Sure enough, the flowers weren't in very good spirits, but they didn't need to work hard to bloom anymore. She thought for a moment and then went to get some of the things that the flowers and plants wanted to eat.

It's mid-September now, after the start of autumn, and the lingering heat of late summer is at its peak. Not only are the flowers and plants wilting, but people are also feeling listless. Wu Wangwang is very popular because being around her makes you feel inexplicably cooler, and the irritability and depression caused by the hot weather can slowly disappear.

Life in the villa was safe and peaceful, and Wu Wangwang was even happier. She didn't want to go back to the game; even being trapped in the villa every day was more interesting than being in the dungeon.

Once she went to the instance, she had to worry about whether the referee would discover her identity. If she was discovered, she would switch back with Wu Wangwang, and from then on, she would still be sitting in that seat, which was very boring.

One day in late September, Wu Wangwang delivered flowers to the lady's room and found that the lady was dressed up beautifully, which was unusual for her. When she saw the flowers Wu Wangwang had brought, she was very happy: "Wangwang, the flowers you grow are getting more and more beautiful. By the way, do you still want to go to school?"

Wu Wangwang is still in the recovery period and can't speak. After putting down the flowers, she typed: Studying? High school or university? What about the flowers I planted for my wife?

Upon seeing the message, the lady smiled and said, "It's like this, my son is a senior in high school this year. He had to take a three-year leave of absence due to illness, but he's recovered and is now back in school. I was thinking that since you two know each other, you could look after him at school, and if he gets sick or injured, you could let me know immediately."

"This is a very strange request," Wu Wangwang asked with a puzzled look. "But doesn't the young master already have many people taking care of him? Why do you need me too?"

The lady frowned slightly: "It's strange, ever since he got sick, he won't let us send anyone to follow him. During the three years he was hospitalized, he wouldn't allow anyone to see him except the doctors and nurses. Now that he's finally recovered, he's living alone and doesn't get close to anyone at all. The only thing I can think of is to find a trustworthy child of about the same age and send him to his class."

What a strange habit. Wu Wangwang's first reaction was that the other party had something wrong with him, and then she became a little suspicious... Could this young master of the main family also be a gamer?

But even if you're in the game, you don't need to be so cautious, right? Dying and coming back to life in front of everyone isn't a big deal, so no one will suspect Wu Wangwang.

She couldn't understand it, but the lady said she could go to school. Wu Wangwang remembered that the original owner of the body regretted that she had to drop out of junior high school because her parents wouldn't allow it. Originally, Wu Wangwang had planned to study the human imperial examination system. Now that the lady wanted to send her to school, it seemed quite appropriate.

So Wu Wangwang nodded in agreement.

The original owner was already twenty-one years old, which was a bit too old for high school. However, the original owner was always hungry and cold, very thin, and had a baby face. Recently, Wu Wangwang took care of her health and looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child. Apart from her temperament, she was not very noticeable among high school students.

Fearing that Wu Wangwang wouldn't adapt well to school, the lady specially arranged for the tutor who taught her son to come and give Wu Wangwang some intensive tutoring, and then put her into the corresponding class according to her grades.

The lady said she didn't dare let her son know that someone was being placed around him, so it would be best to separate the classes. Wu Wangwang should just remember to check on him during breaks and then come back to report the situation.

Wu Wangwang was quite curious about the knowledge of this world. In her world, there wasn't much information circulating in the village, and the knowledge she knew was all very old.

After the teacher assessed her, it was discovered that Wu Wangwang's academic performance was extremely unbalanced. She scored almost full marks in Chinese, Mathematics, and Politics and History in the Humanities section, but she completely failed in English, Geography, and the Science section. This is not just a lack of foundation; she is worse than an average student from the last century.

In fact, Wu Wangwang had access to all of the original owner's memories, but unfortunately, the original owner was not cut out for studying. She could only remember some basic humanities subjects, but she had forgotten everything else.

Wu Wangwang is a ghost or deity. The knowledge she possesses depends on the information transmission of the current era. She has received other types of knowledge, but she cannot apply them.

In the end, the teacher could only say that she could try to go to the humanities class, but the missing English and geography subjects would have to be left to fate.

The lady was shocked. She thought Wu Wangwang knew nothing, yet her humanities grades were so good. It was such a pity that she had such parents. If she had been born into a good family, she might have been the top humanities student!

With good grades, things became much easier. Madam arranged for Wu Wangwang to go to school. Now it's the new college entrance examination, and classes are ranked according to grades. The best class is Class 1, which is the elite class and also Madam's son's class. Wu Wangwang was too unbalanced in her subjects, so she went to Class 9.

Before starting school, Madam had told Wu Wangwang that the young master's name was Ling Yuanshan, and that he was the most handsome and tallest in the class. She had even shown Wu Wangwang a photo. Wu Wangwang knew about beauty and ugliness and thought that Madam hadn't lied. The young master was indeed handsome, but his expression was cold and his phoenix eyes were full of inexplicable death.

This is very strange. How could someone so young die so suddenly?

With the mindset of taking care of a child, Wu Wangwang was sent to the city's middle school. As a temporary transfer student, everyone in the class was very curious. Seeing everyone's inquisitive eyes, Wu Wangwang was inexplicably reminded of the dungeon she had just passed.

"Our Promise" can be considered half a campus story. Whenever Wu Wangwang thinks about the reunion in the class and reminiscing about the past, she can't help but wonder how many secrets and promises are hidden in such a class?

It was senior year of high school, and time was tight. Wu Wangwang was briefly introduced by the homeroom teacher and then assigned to a corner. There was no way around it; everyone wanted to go to the city's top high school. Getting admitted was one thing, but whether he could study well was another. Wu Wangwang looked like the kind of country kid with no talent, so the homeroom teacher didn't care about him.

On her first day of school, Wu Wangwang didn't understand anything and relied entirely on the kind girl sitting next to her for explanations.

Fortunately, senior year of high school was simple. Wu Wangwang quickly figured it out. All she had to do was complete her homework and tests. The housekeeper provided all the stationery and textbooks. She just followed her deskmate's lead and took whatever she saw.

If you don't know how to do a question, just copy it from your deskmate.

Her deskmate quickly noticed and told her, "You can't just copy mine. Cheating isn't allowed in exams. Besides, copying one or two things is fine, but if you copy everything from me and all the mistakes are the same, wouldn't that be like trying to hide something obvious?"

Wu Wangwang suddenly realized that even learning required the application of Sun Tzu's Art of War; modern people are truly fascinating.

After finally holding out until noon, Wu Wangwang watched as everyone else flocked to the cafeteria for lunch. She remembered that the housekeeper had said that because the villa was too far from the school, he couldn't pick her up at noon, so he gave her a meal card to use at school, and the money in it was all paid for by the family, so she could eat and drink without worry.

Following her classmates' example, Wu Wangwang went to see the cafeteria, swiped her card, and got her food. She wouldn't starve even if she didn't eat, but that would be too abrupt.

During the meal, Wu Wangwang's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw that it was her mother asking about it.

The lady said that Ling Yuanshan lives alone and doesn't even need a housekeeper or a cook. He usually eats in the cafeteria. She wanted to know if her son was eating well, so she asked Wu Wangwang to take a picture.

The city cafeteria was very large. Wu Wangwang couldn't find Ling Yuanshan with her naked eye, so she simply used her ability to find that Ling Yuanshan was on the second floor. She quickly finished her meal and, like the others, put her tray in the corresponding position before going upstairs.

The second floor is lined with individual shops, and students line up at the windows of their respective shops to buy food. It looks a bit better than the communal meals on the first floor.

With humans tracking her, Wu Wangwang quickly found Ling Yuanshan eating alone by the window. She strode over, stood opposite Ling Yuanshan, and slapped him and his bowl into the frame.

Ling Yuanshan froze, looking up with murderous intent: "What are you doing?"

Wu Wangwang sent the photos out immediately before looking at Ling Yuanshan and saying, "Take a picture."

Ling Yuanshan was taken aback by her confident demeanor. Then he carefully examined Wu Wangwang's face: "It was you. Did my mother send you?"

When she arrived, Wu Wangwang felt that Ling Yuanshan should still remember her. Such an independent person would not have a bad memory. Madam just treated Ling Yuanshan too much like a child, which is why she thought it was okay to send Wu Wangwang over.

But how could you betray your master at a time like this?

Wu Wangwang shook her head: "No, I study in Class 9."

Ling Yuanshan was wary and had stopped eating. He wiped his mouth clean with a tissue and asked, "Why haven't I seen you before?"

"There are so many people in the school, do you want to meet every single one of them?" Wu Wangwang retorted.

Slightly taken aback, Ling Yuanshan changed the subject: "Why did you take a picture of me? Did you send it to my mom?"

Wu Wangwang put her phone down and showed it to him: "Look, I've never seen this before. Can you tell me what it is?"

The phone displayed a Baidu image search, but it only identified a handsome guy. Ling Yuanshan was furious and stormed off without eating. He felt that Wu Wangwang was crazy. How could such a grown man not recognize seafood porridge? She was simply brain-dead.

Watching Ling Yuanshan leave, Wu Wangwang breathed a sigh of relief. She had only learned a few software functions, and in order not to be discovered, she could only use her most commonly used image search and recognition.

The midday commotion didn't affect Wu Wangwang. She gradually learned how to adjust the phone's focus and realized that shooting from a distance was actually quite clear, so she no longer needed to get so close to photograph Ling Yuanshan.

But Ling Yuanshan was very perceptive. Every time Wu Wangwang's camera was pointed at him, Ling Yuanshan could immediately react and hide. Several times, he could only capture a small part of his figure.

Wu Wangwang found it increasingly strange. Was Ling Yuanshan being overly cautious? Even ghosts don't hide like this.

Even with all that, the lady was still very satisfied. When she returned to the villa that evening, she gave Wu Wangwang a large red envelope and then asked if she could be friends with Ling Yuanshan so that she could have Wu Wangwang deliver the food to Ling Yuanshan. It was too pitiful that he only had a bowl of seafood porridge for lunch.

"Having seafood porridge to eat shouldn't be too pitiful," Wu Wangwang thought to herself. Then, thinking of Ling Yuanshan's wary look, she said, "Madam, it's best not to be too aggressive. The young master is very vigilant. If he notices something is wrong, he will immediately make me leave the city."

After being reminded by Wu Wangwang, the lady was somewhat disappointed, but felt that her reminder was correct, so she did not mention it again and told Wu Wangwang to go back and get some rest, and continue tomorrow.

Wu Wangwang, relying on her superhuman abilities, stalked Ling Yuanshan for several days, and soon it was Saturday.

The city also needs to hold weekend classes, but there are only senior students in the school, so it is much quieter. The teachers are also more relaxed. They just grade papers themselves and let the students do their homework on their own, without giving many lectures.

This relaxed management style gave Wu Wangwang the opportunity to film Ling Yuanshan doing his homework in class.

Using the excuse of needing to use the restroom, Wu Wangwang walked from the other side of the corridor toward Class 1's classroom.

As soon as I got near Class 1, I saw Ling Yuanshan looking at his phone and walking straight out.

Not knowing where he was going, Wu Wangwang hesitated for a moment, then followed him.

Ling Yuanshan walked towards the art building, where art students practiced. Apart from events and art students, ordinary students rarely went there.

Following Ling Yuanshan's scent up to the top floor, the dance studio floor, Wu Wangwang peeked out from the stairwell and saw Ling Yuanshan confronting several boys.

Ling Yuanshan's cold voice came: "I don't want to get involved in your pointless entanglements. I came here today to make things clear. If you keep bothering me, the Ling family will deal with you."

The other boys seemed enraged by his arrogant demeanor and roared, "We don't care about the Ling family! Do you think we don't know? Nobody in the Ling family cares about you! You must be the Ling family's illegitimate son, that's why they don't acknowledge you. What are you pretending for? You stinking bully who's just borrowing the tiger's power! Let's get him!"

A group of people surrounded him, but Ling Yuanshan's eyes turned cold, and he threw a punch back. He fought against four or five people and was not at a disadvantage at all. Every punch landed hard, and in just a few moves, they were on the ground howling in pain.

Ling Yuanshan didn't even break a sweat. He turned around to leave, but then he saw Wu Wangwang peeking out from the stairwell. He paused for a moment.

Then a knife suddenly flew out of the dance studio. Taking advantage of Ling Yuanshan's momentary daze, Wu Wangwang sighed, rushed out and pushed Ling Yuanshan back. Because Ling Yuanshan was much taller than her, the knife flew past her head.

The knife landed below, and Ling Yuanshan nervously peered over to look. Seeing that the knife had landed without hitting anyone, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ling Yuanshan then stormed into the dance studio, furious, and yelled at the man who threw the knife, "Are you crazy? That knife will kill me if it stabs me in the head! Aren't you afraid of going to jail?"

It seemed like the first time Wu Wangwang had ever seen Ling Yuanshan so excited since they first met. She could sense Ling Yuanshan's fear of death.

Why?

The other men gathered around, seemingly angry that Wu Wangwang had suddenly appeared and saved Ling Yuanshan.

The boy in the lead covered his face and gritted his teeth at Wu Wangwang: "You little brat, how dare you ruin our plans! You should die too!"

Wu Wangwang punched the boy, sending him flying a meter away; she was already holding back a lot of force.

The boy spat out a tooth and screamed, "My tooth! My tooth! My tooth!"

Seeing this, the other boys swarmed around Wu Wangwang, but were quickly dealt with by her.

Seeing that they couldn't move, Wu Wangwang went to the dance studio to check on Ling Yuanshan and found that Ling Yuanshan was injured and his arm was bleeding profusely.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be a great fighter? How did you get injured?" Wu Wangwang jogged over and asked.

Ling Yuanshan gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go!"

Wu Wangwang didn't move: "Why?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Wangwang suddenly sensed the aura of the game item. Then she looked up sharply and saw that the boy opposite her was holding a small, gleaming silver knife and was stabbing it at Ling Yuanshan.

That was a game prop, and she dared not let it pierce her when its function was unknown. Wu Wangwang was also worried that it was a tracking prop, so she could only stand in front of Ling Yuanshan, clench her fist, and gradually gather ghost energy in her palm. Since things had come to this, she could only try to find a way to disable the prop.

But the next second, Ling Yuanshan suddenly hugged Wu Wangwang and, with her in tow, smashed through the dance studio's floor-to-ceiling window and jumped out.

Ling Yuanshan hugged Wu Wangwang from behind, so Wu Wangwang was facing the dance studio. She saw the boy peek out, smile, and raise his other hand, which was holding a pure white hand puppet with a drop of bright red blood on it.

Now Wu Wangwang understood that the knife was only meant to stab Ling Yuanshan, but its real purpose was to stab the puppet hand!

It was rare for Wu Wangwang to feel angry. She looked at the boy, clenched her fists again, and at the same time, the boy's knife and hand puppet shattered into dust.

The boy above immediately burst into tears, while Ling Yuanshan behind him snapped back to reality, managing only to utter, "Oh no—"

Before they could finish speaking, the two of them collapsed to the ground, and the next second, they both coughed up blood.

Before losing consciousness, Wu Wangwang felt a little embarrassed: she was so focused on revenge that she forgot to save people. Normally, she wouldn't die from the fall; she was used to it.

However, Wu Wangwang's body will be near death. As long as the game detects this state, it will enter the game. It does not only enter the game when completely dead.

Wu Wangwang was a little annoyed. She was still not used to it. She thought that she would be fine if she used a fleshy pad. It was all because she was bad at physics. Who knew that in addition to Ling Yuanshan who was at the bottom, her body would also be affected?

After all, if she were the one to fall down, the people above wouldn't have died.

Humans are so fragile.

Before her eyes, the blue sky and white clouds changed, and the scorching autumn wind gradually carried the smell of fishy dampness. The cries of seagulls startled Wu Wangwang awake. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and found herself still lying on the ground, leaning against a hard cushion.

Wu looked back and saw Ling Yuanshan, who was still troubled by the pain of death. They had actually entered the game together. Was this allowed?

Although she knew that some players knew each other and entered the dungeon together when they died, Wu Wangwang had never experienced it before. She thought it was quite rare, but she didn't expect to encounter it in less than half a year since she became a human.

People who fall from buildings experience difficulty breathing, pain all over their bodies, and are generally in a disheveled state. They also tend to regain control of their bodies more slowly than those who die from other causes of death.

Wu Wangwang called out "Young Master" twice, but Ling Yuanshan still hadn't recovered. She had no choice but to raise her hand and cover Ling Yuanshan's eyes, absorbing the fear and death aura emanating from him. After a while, feeling that Ling Yuanshan's breathing had become steady, she removed her hand: "Young Master?"

Ling Yuanshan stared intently, then sat up abruptly and grabbed Wu Wangwang by the collar: "How did you get in here?"

Not knowing how to answer, Wu Wangwang was afraid that Ling Yuanshan would complain to his wife after leaving, so she remained silent and smiled.

Looking at Wu Wangwang's silly smile, Ling Yuanshan covered his head and sighed: "Forget it, if you get entangled with me, you'll come in sooner or later. From now on, you have to stick close to me and never be alone. Do what I tell you to do, understand? If you want to live, listen to me."

Unexpectedly, even after entering this kind of game, Ling Yuanshan was still thinking about saving people. Moreover, judging from his words, he already knew that the Night of Returning Souls could bring people who died at the same time into the instance.

Ling Yuanshan's insistence on being alone was probably because he was pulled into the Night of Return of the Soul when he was on the verge of death from his illness. After surviving, he preferred to risk his own life rather than cause the death of others.

Wu Wangwang nodded and reached out to help Ling Yuanshan up.

They were on a huge ship, surrounded by the sea, with only an island faintly visible in the distance.

Ling Yuanshan was silent for a moment, then asked Wu Wangwang, "When you came in, did you sense any sudden information?"

Wu Wangwang didn't feel it, but she saw it. She pointed to Ling Yuanshan's clothes—they were all wearing prison uniforms now, blue and white striped, with names and numbers embroidered on their chests. Here, Wu Wangwang was called Hu He, number 0058.

Ling Yuanshan's real name is Cheng Hei, and his ID number is 0934.

Every time I enter the game, the first message I receive is the key to clearing the level. Just like the identity of Night Festival and the oath in the agreement, the key information for this dungeon should be each player's number and name.

Ling Yuanshan frowned when he noticed that both he and Wu Wangwang were wearing prison uniforms. He then took out a prop, a bundle of red thread, took Wu Wangwang's hand, tied one end to her ring finger, and the other end to his own.

After the red thread was tied, Wu Wangwang immediately felt that her life was connected with another person. She could sense Ling Yuanshan's condition. This nineteen-year-old boy had a kind, upright and strong soul, but his soul lamp was flickering, indicating that he would die young.

He should have died long ago; it was the Night of Return of the Soul that prolonged his life.

According to fortune telling, if someone with a destiny that should die young doesn't die, the ghost messengers will keep chasing him and will also bring trouble to those around him until he dies.

In human terms, it's like death is coming; there's no escaping it. Every time he manages to escape, someone else takes his place. Thinking about it that way, it's really understandable that he lives alone.

The red thread connected the two people and then disappeared. Ling Yuanshan said, "Alright, now our lives are tied together. Unless someone can kill both of us at the same time, as long as one of us is alive, we can be reborn next to the other immediately. But remember, this red thread can only save lives nine times per instance, symbolizing a long and lasting marriage."

"Then you'll live to be a hundred!" Wu Wangwang couldn't help but laugh out loud. Ling Yuanshan kindly gave himself an absolute guarantee, after all, the Ghost Mother wouldn't die in the game, at most she would be called back to the original instance by the referee.

As long as she doesn't die, it'll be difficult for Ling Yuanshan to die even if he wants to.

Ling Yuanshan's expression was serious, his still-youthful features carrying the composure of a mature man: "Don't laugh, this concerns our lives. This is a death escape game. We came in because we were almost dead. Whether we live or die depends on whether we can complete this game!"

Wu Wangwang suppressed a smile, nodded, and remained silent.

Seeing that Wu Wangwang was quite well-behaved, Ling Yuanshan figured it wouldn't be a problem to bring her along. He mentally counted the props in his hand and felt that bringing one more person shouldn't be an issue.

Ling Yuanshan noticed that Wu Wangwang showed no sign of nervousness and couldn't help but ask, "Have you been to the Night of Return of the Soul before?"

"The Night of Returning Souls? In my hometown, the Night of Returning Souls refers to the seventh day after death. Are we dead?" Wu Wangwang asked, pretending to be serious. She wouldn't give Ling Yuanshan a chance to complain to the madam. She had finally found a simple job and had a chance to study, and she didn't want to be fired.

Wu Wangwang remained calm as always, and Ling Yuanshan couldn't detect any flaws. Usually, when he occasionally saw Wu Wangwang, she would always have a half-smile, as if she didn't care about anything. Perhaps it was just her nature.

Ling Yuanshan then observed the surrounding environment again and found that they were getting closer and closer to the island. It seemed that the dungeon map was on that island, but the specific conditions for clearing the dungeon were still unknown. Moreover, he noticed that his prison uniform was different from Wu Wangwang's.

Judging from their clothes, they should be in a prison. Prisons usually separate men and women, and unless there are special circumstances, the dungeons will generally follow the real situation.

Ling Yuanshan couldn't help but think, what if he and Wu Wangwang were assigned to separate men's and women's prisons? How would Wu Wangwang protect herself?

Those who come in together must leave together. Ling Yuanshan gritted his teeth, took out a pair of scissors and gave them to Wu Wangwang: "This is a game item. You can think of it as a sharp weapon that can cut through both yin and yang. Once you have it, just silently recite 'put it away,' and it will be hidden by the game. It will only appear when you use it."

The scissors had red handles and looked very sharp. Wu Wangwang took them and felt the game's description as soon as she held them in her hand.

[Dowry Series - Red-Haired Scissors: One of the essential items for a bride. They symbolize severing ties of marriage, love, life and death, and even the separation of life and death; once all attachments are severed, she can leave home.]

Wu Wangwang thought of some familiar faces, and after putting away the scissors, she said, "I will protect myself, young master. You must also be careful. If you encounter any danger, remember to come find me."

Ling Yuanshan was surprised to receive such concern from the other party. He glanced worriedly at Wu Wangwang's obviously different prison uniform and said, "You should worry about yourself. Once we get to the island, we'll probably be separated."

"Why?" Wu Wangwang asked, puzzled.

"Because prisons don't allow men and women to live together. If men and women are grouped together, it's like a dungeon where male and female players have to fight each other to clear it. Let's pray that doesn't happen, otherwise I can't guarantee you'll survive." Ling Yuanshan's tone was heavy.

Wu Wangwang looked enlightened: So human prisons are divided by gender? That's quite humane. In hell, men and women are killed together.

Oh, they are human beings after all.

-----------------------

Author's Note: [End of Chapter]

Wu Wangwang: People should have humanity, remember that [starry-eyed]

——

The male lead is Ling Yuanshan.

My period isn't over yet, and I'm feeling disoriented every day, so my update schedule is irregular. I'm so sorry, I'm begging you all [please][please]

————————

Thank you for watching, and I hope you enjoyed the article.

————————