Chapter 13 Race Against Time "We...survived..."
Song Ming stood there lifelessly, and with Liang Xun's strength being so great, the two of them lost their balance and fell heavily to the ground.
Luo Chuange, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and pulled the curtains that Song Ming had already opened back into place.
Liang Xuan was pinned down by Song Ming.
Her arms slammed into the desks on either side, leaving a bloody gash on her forearm from the metal legs. Before falling, Liang Xun's waist also bumped into a corner of the desk, making it slightly difficult for her to stand up.
Luo Chuange hurriedly pulled the absent-minded Song Ming up, and Gu Keke also quickly stepped forward to help Liang Xuan up.
The turbidity in Song Ming's eyes vanished instantly. He shuddered and then came to his senses.
His legs were weak and powerless, and he collapsed to the ground again following Luo Chuange's hand.
"I saw it..." Song Ming gasped for breath, his vest completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his skin. "I saw a red fox... I found it strange too, but before I could react, I lost consciousness..."
Liang Jun sat on a nearby chair, her uninjured hand massaging her waist.
Gu Keke was bandaging the wound on her other hand.
Song Ming took a deep breath, "I feel like I've been sucked in, I feel like my soul has left my body..."
"And now? Has your soul returned?" Liang Jun stared intently at him.
Song Ming nodded repeatedly.
He noticed Liang Jun's injuries and wanted to get up to apologize, but his legs were too weak, and he fell to the ground again.
"Thank you, Sister Jun, thank you for saving me." Song Ming struggled to his feet. "If you hadn't pulled me away in time, I might have died here."
"Don't say those unlucky things."
Perhaps stimulated by the wound, Liang Xun gasped, "Have you triggered any hidden rules right now?"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, watching Song Ming's every move.
A suspicious red fox outside the window—it almost cost someone their life.
No matter how tricky or demanding the triggering conditions of these rules may be, they should be tested and revealed by now.
Song Ming was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately: "Everything outside the window is irrelevant to the students. Please concentrate on your studies and don't get distracted..."
Just as he finished speaking, the other three simultaneously received a system notification—
[Hidden rule triggered.]
3. Please close the curtains when you are in the classroom. If you find curtain hooks on the windowsill, please do not touch them; there are no such things in the classroom. Everything outside the window is irrelevant to students; please concentrate on your studies and do not be distracted.
Liang Yan, supporting her lower back, slowly rose from her seat.
She didn't say much, nor did the others.
After Song Ming explained the correct rules to him, he was also able to receive official system notifications.
This is yet another method for obtaining hidden rules!
Moreover, Liang Jun also noticed that Song Ming and the system had explained the hidden rules word for word.
This means that Song Ming shared the rules he had learned at the cost of his life with the remaining three people present without reservation.
A hint of trust appeared in Liang Jun's eyes as she looked at Song Ming.
After giving Liang Xun's wound a simple bandage, Gu Keke helped Song Ming, who was standing, to a chair.
"You should get some rest first," Gu Keke patted Song Ming on the shoulder.
The classroom fell into a deathly silence.
Seeing Luo Chuange stand up, Gu Keke asked warily, "What are you going to do?"
"Let me move around a bit," Luo Chuange said, stretching his limbs. "They're a little numb."
Gu Keke sighed softly.
"Should we continue?" She glanced back at the half-dead Song Ming and the disabled but determined Liang Jun. "It's already very dangerous."
“But we’ve already come this far…” Luo Chuange clenched his fists. “It’s too late now. Who knows when we’ll be able to try again next time?”
Song Ming was still in a dazed state, shaking his head, trying to clear his head.
Liang Xun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's continue."
Gu Keke sighed again, but still actively joined the discussion.
“We’ve already unlocked quite a few hidden rules,” Luo Chuange said, standing on the podium, chalk in hand, drawing a mind map on the blackboard. “Now that I think about it… there’s only the second rule left that we haven’t tried yet!”
"Article Two..."
After being reminded, Gu Keke repeated the rule. As if encountering a difficult point in a problem, she asked Luo Chuange for help.
"What is the double-pole double-control switch mentioned in the rules? What kind of switch is it? Is it special?"
"Not special."
Game developer Luo Chuange walked to the vicinity of the front door, directed Gu Keke to the back door, and then began his explanation.
"Simply put, it means that a light can be controlled by two switches. For example, if I press the switch here..."
Following his explanation, Luo Chuange pressed the switch for the front door.
The fluorescent lights in the classroom suddenly went out, plunging the entire classroom into darkness.
Liang Jun and Song Ming were both startled, but they calmed down considerably afterward.
Gu Keke was startled and exclaimed, "Programmer! What are you doing!"
"Don't panic, let me demonstrate for you." Luo Chuange remained calm and composed. "Now, press the switch at the back door, and the fluorescent lights in the classroom will turn back on—that's the effect of a double-pole, double-control switch."
"Alright."
Although Gu Keke was scared, she still followed Luo Chuange's instructions.
With a click, the back door switch made a crisp sound, indicating that it had been pressed.
But the classroom remained shrouded in darkness.
As Luo Chuange had predicted, Gu Keke was clearly flustered.
Her hand was still on the switch, and her voice trembled slightly.
"What should I do? Why isn't the light on? Should I try again?"
Don't try it!
In the darkness, Liang Xun scooped up Song Ming, whose legs wouldn't obey her commands, and, ignoring her own back pain, also pushed Gu Keke, who was standing dumbfounded at the back door, out of the classroom.
"Close your eyes! Close all your eyes! No matter what happens, don't open your eyes!"
The entire teaching building was shrouded in complete darkness.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
Wearing only a vest and covered in cold sweat, Song Ming stood in the corridor, hugging himself and shivering, his teeth chattering from the cold.
Liang Jun couldn't control them; she could only advise them to pray for their own good fortune.
She closed her eyes tightly.
The cold wind around her rushed into her injured waist, and Liang Jun was in so much pain that a layer of cold sweat seeped out of her forehead.
She remembered that the rule stated that after a switch malfunctions once, one should immediately go to the hallway and stand with their eyes closed for thirty seconds.
But the rules don't specify what the penalty is for being a second too much or too little.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid.
Liang Xun's body was trembling, but she tried hard to calm herself down. She took a few deep breaths and silently counted in her mind in a rhythmic pattern: "1001, 1002..."
This counting method is the most accurate.
As long as your rhythm isn't disrupted, you can open your eyes after counting to 1030, and everything will be fine.
"1004, 1005..."
It felt like something slippery brushed against my skin.
Liang Xun felt as if the wound on her arm had been pierced directly through it. A sticky liquid remained on her scar, and the excruciating pain made her clench her teeth.
The rhythm must not be disrupted!
"1006, 1007..."
The loudspeaker in the teaching building suddenly came on, and Liang Jun's heart almost stopped.
"Students, your wonderful learning time has come to an end, and the teaching building will be closing soon. Students who have not yet left, please evacuate as soon as possible..."
Liang Jun's heart skipped a beat, and she felt utterly devastated.
"1010, 1011..."
"Countdown to the closure of the teaching building: 30, 29, 28, 27..."
The rules state that entering the teaching building is prohibited outside of class hours. Therefore, Liang Jun and her friends must escape the soon-to-be-closed building before the countdown ends.
"1020, 1021..."
"Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen..."
However, judging from the current pace, after they close their eyes and endure the thirty seconds in the corridor, they only have ten seconds left to race against time to save themselves.
Liang Jun gripped her pants tightly, concentrating all her attention on counting down the seconds.
"1029, 1030!"
"Twelve, eleven, ten..."
The instant the thirty seconds ended, Liang Xun perceived the scene suddenly brighten through her eyelids.
She opened her eyes to find the school building corridor as usual, with the three people standing in front of her unharmed.
The loudspeaker in the teaching building was still echoing, but the sweet female voice sounded like a deadly blade at that moment.
Liang Jun grabbed Gu Keke's hand, and Luo Chuange reacted at the same time, reaching out to pull Song Ming.
"Run! Run!"
"Eight, seven..."
Fortunately, the classroom they initially chose was close to the stairwell, and all four of them were quite agile. Under the high-energy stimulation of adrenaline, they darted down the stairs at almost the speed of afterimages.
"May 4th..."
Liang Jun led the charge, with Luo Chuan Ge bringing up the rear.
Gu Keke was originally in second place, but she couldn't beat Song Ming, who had recovered, and fell to third place.
There was also commotion in the other classrooms. The remaining players, who were a beat slower to react, began to rush out in a panic.
"Three, two..."
Outside the teaching building, darkness had already enveloped everything—but no one had the heart to appreciate the night view.
Liang Jun was the first to rush out of the teaching building. Because of her excessive speed, she skipped over the first three steps and landed unsteadily on the ground.
Song Ming ran out after him. But before he could even get down the steps in front of the door, his legs gave way and he collapsed in front of the teaching building.
"one."
Gu Keke and Luo Chuangeka rushed out at the last second.
Neither of them noticed the ball of earth beneath their feet; their footing landed directly on Song Ming.
Song Ming let out a howl as he was trampled, and Gu Keke and Luo Chuange also tumbled down the steps as a result.
Liang Jun was standing right in front of the steps when the two people rolling down knocked her to the ground.
The countdown ended, and the teaching building doors were tightly shut.
The player, who had already stepped halfway out of the door, was cruelly split in two at that moment.
Players who escaped were still shaken, while those trapped inside the building pounded on the glass, feeling like they were living a life worse than death.
The moment the gates closed, the entire teaching building was plunged into darkness.
More and more black phantoms swirled within the building. These unknown monsters also exuded a bone-chilling coldness that was repulsive to all.
In an instant, screams of agony echoed from the teaching building.
Despite the shadows, everyone could still see the bright red blood splattered on the glass.
Gu Keke got up from the ground.
The skin on her elbows and palms was scraped off, and the pain and numbness made her sob.
"We...we survived..."
A note from the author:
----------------------
When I was writing about the Great Escape, the bathroom exhaust fan suddenly started screaming loudly, which scared me to death!
I'm just a poor little girl... I also live alone in a rented room (crying)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
