31. The Mysterious High School (The End)
Premeditated staged accident
"...What do we do now?" Yak stared blankly at Zhao Jiayue's wandering spirit, then looked at the two others who were also standing there in a daze.
Bai Song led the way out, saying quickly, "Let's go find the big boss; he might be in danger."
If Zhao Jiayue was a hidden danger among the three of them, then now that the big boss has resolved this crisis, it means that Qin Fu'an, who is still speaking on the other side, is likely facing an even greater danger.
After all, he was uncovering the secrets of this copy, and if there were no obstacles or danger, he wouldn't have needed to announce it to the entire campus like this.
After his reminder, Yake and Chen Qi quickly followed.
But as Chen Qi reached the classroom door, she glanced back at Zhao Jiayue, who was now indistinguishable from the other wandering spirits. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and said to Bai Song and the other person, "You two go first, I'll go upstairs to get her address!"
No one expected Chen Qi to make such a decision suddenly, but neither of them tried to persuade or stop him. They tacitly split into two groups: one went up against the direction of the wandering spirits, and the other went down along the direction of the wandering spirits, both running as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, in the teachers' apartment, the several monsters whose secrets of the school's reincarnation had been exposed by Qin Fu'an were now thoroughly enraged.
The eerie principal, whose face was so blurry that Qin Fu'an couldn't remember it, stared at Qin Fu'an's neck and sneered eerily, "Teacher Qin, do you know what you did wrong?"
The way it said it made it sound as if Qin Fu'an was about to pay the price for his mistakes right here and then die without a burial place.
Seeing it smile, Qin Fu'an raised an eyebrow and sneered arrogantly, "What did I do wrong? I guess I was wrong for wasting my breath talking to you, giving you a chance to stall for time, and then you're here trying to threaten me with your cryptic tricks?"
As he spoke, Qin Fu'an looked at the ghostly figures that had quietly entered and surrounded the entire faculty apartment building downstairs. Still showing no intention of keeping a low profile, his provocative voice was transmitted through the signs to the depths of each ghostly figure's soul, "Reincarnation cannot be restarted. You wouldn't be thinking of running away, would you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole world fell into absolute silence.
Even the howling cold wind that seemed to come from nowhere quietly dissipated.
A chilling aura slowly crept up from the cuffs of every "living person's" trousers, gradually enveloping their tense bodies like a bone-deep infection, or like a demon weeping and whispering in their ear.
As the number of wandering spirits increased, even the school leaders who had been able to calmly threaten Qin Fu'an could no longer maintain their composure.
They stared intently at Qin Fu'an's face with venomous eyes, and the homeroom teacher, who was closest to him, let his eyes once again fill Qin Fu'an's entire body.
Countless attacks came in quick succession. Qin Fu'an's dark green vertical pupils grew colder and more ferocious. The moment they attacked, he grabbed the homeroom teacher's thin body, which was full of disgusting eyes, and threw him out of the corridor.
Before the dull thud could be heard, the ghostly figures below had already completely enveloped the teacher.
Their numbers far exceed the number of eyes on the homeroom teacher's body. The homeroom teacher's eyes are not on them, and they cannot even see their existence, but they can swarm forward and, like the most instinctive animals, silently tear at each other's flesh.
However, apart from the players who were running breathlessly and the spectators with a god-like perspective, none of the school leaders and teachers in the corridor could see any of this.
They instinctively sensed an extreme crisis, but they didn't understand that the crisis came from the students they had been toying with and bullying in their own cycle of reincarnation. They stared at Qin Fu'an with cold eyes and swarmed forward, wanting to devour him right there.
But Qin Fu'an was not one of those students who were restricted by the rules.
Qin Fu'an has a formal teacher's qualification certificate.
Qin Fu'an is the ancient mythical beast Tengshe, created by Nuwa herself using herself as a model.
Qin Fu'an is the only hope for these students who have become wandering souls to break free from the cycle.
So the eyes on his body were removed by the wandering spirits, and the swarming attacks were blocked one by one by the wandering spirits.
They clearly can't remember anything anymore—their names, their appearances, even where they came from, or how many times they've struggled in the cycle of reincarnation.
However, they continued to block Qin Fu'an's way, and the red dots representing their souls could still be clearly seen on Qin Fu'an's proctor badge.
This means that even if these children become wandering spirits, they will still remember Qin Fu'an, and remember that Qin Fu'an was the teacher who brought them to life.
It might not be a life-saving favor, it might just be a small sip of sweet honey water, or even just a bag of inconspicuous snacks, but that's enough for them to remember Qin Fu'an with their very souls.
Yake and Baisong, who had initially thought Qin Fu'an would be in danger, stood beside him after he came downstairs, silently watching the one-sided torture and slaughter.
The hired monsters couldn't see the students' souls, yet they were subjected to their overwhelming attacks.
Faced with death, both humans and monsters seem equally vulnerable. So, instead of the students wailing and begging for mercy in response to their commands and rules, the monsters now scream and run away in fear.
But this is a copy, so the area is limited to within the school. No matter how much they can run, where else can they go?
"You said there's someone behind this, who is it?" Bai Song asked Qin Fu'an. Compared to these strange creatures, he felt that this "person behind the scenes" should obviously suffer such retribution more.
"I don't know," Qin Fu'an shook his head at him.
Bai Song was stunned for a moment, and then heard Qin Fu'an say, "The person behind this may not be a person. After all, in my understanding, no one can turn a school into hell in an instant."
In fact, even now, there are still many mysteries surrounding this copy.
For example, Qin Fu'an didn't know where these students came from, whether they were unlucky ones randomly selected, or whether they originally belonged to this school.
"Have you heard of Jiang'an No. 1 Middle School?" Qin Fu'an asked the two.
Yake shook his head. Bai Song recalled for a moment and said helplessly, "I don't remember this place. I do know Jiang'an City, but in recent decades, no school in Jiang'an City has ever experienced a complete annihilation, let alone Jiang'an No. 1 Middle School."
In real life, if something happens at a school, it's usually the first news to make headlines and trend on social media; it's impossible to suppress it easily.
Therefore, if there were related reports in recent decades, he couldn't possibly have no memory of them.
Upon hearing this, Qin Fu'an nodded in understanding, and then said to the two of them, "Once these school leaders are dealt with, this instance should be over. You can just find a place to wait; you don't need to continue following me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Chen Qi running quickly towards him in the darkness, flashlight in hand.
As they got closer, they could see that Chen Qi was holding a piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from a workbook.
Chen Qi handed it to Qin Fu'an and explained, "Before Zhao Jiayue became a wandering ghost, the last thing she said to us was to go to her house and say one thing to her mother. But she became a wandering ghost so quickly that none of us heard what her last words were."
In the light shone by Yake's flashlight, Qin Fu'an could clearly see the neat and orderly characters at the top of the page.
"Everything I wanted to say is written here," he said calmly.
The address was not only accurate, but also the time she entered the game. Calculated, thirteen years had passed since then.
In addition, she also wrote down some secrets of this copy and what she wanted to say to her mother.
“So she used to be a player too…” Yak sighed. “No wonder she could understand our conversation. She should have been mute and couldn’t understand our conversation, but she acted so convincingly that we were all fooled.”
The image of Zhao Jiayue pretending to be a newbie was still fresh in everyone's mind. Although her presence hadn't been strong these past two days, everyone had gotten used to having such a gentle but reliable companion. Now that they learned that Zhao Jiayue had once been a player, they all felt a little down.
Qin Fu'an, however, remained calm and quickly browsing the information on the paper.
This piece of paper must have been written by Zhao Jiayue with great care. In it, she revealed her identity and also disclosed the origins of the school and the students.
Zhao Jiayue was a player who was once trapped in the dungeon. She was also the only player who managed to snatch five proctor badges and survive until the second night after the dungeon entered its cycle. Therefore, after the dungeon entered its cycle, Zhao Jiayue neither completed the game nor died completely. Instead, she became a special "proctor" at the school with her memories.
Through her repeated investigations, she came to the general conclusion that the students in this school, who were in a daze and whose origins were unknown, had all died in accidents or committed suicide at different times and in different schools.
[I noticed that whenever a new cycle begins, they all die in the same way, mostly from falling to their deaths. Some students also bear the marks of injuries they suffered in their previous lives. Even though their memories have long been erased and wiped away in countless reincarnations, the scars on their bodies remain clearly visible.]
[Later, I looked through the archives, and it turned out my guess was correct. The time these children enrolled in school was actually the time they died in real life. So, they had nowhere to go except the school, and in this instance, they had no parents or relatives. It was the school that took them in.]
[I tried to stop the cycle, and made many efforts to do so. I tried to reveal more information to the players who entered the game, but unfortunately, they all thought these students were monsters killing each other, not children worthy of sympathy. So I never succeeded and even received warnings from those monsters.]
[I know that most players are mediocre; whether human or cunning, selfishness is in their nature. I can't blame anyone, but I still regret the death of every player because I couldn't help them; I was the executioner who pushed them to their deaths. My hands are already covered in blood.]
[Thank you for giving me hope. I'm not sure if you'll have a chance to leave the instance. If you do manage to get out, I hope you can go and see my mother.]
She has very poor eyesight. She must be extremely worried about my sudden disappearance. If you can help me visit her, I am willing to give you most of my savings. My bank card is in my closet, and the password is six 8s.
If I remember correctly, there was about 100,000 yuan inside. 50,000 yuan was the reward, and I hope you can help me pass the remaining 50,000 yuan to my mother. Tell her that Yueyue went to a very far place, that I'm sorry for letting her go through this, leaving her alone in her old age, and that she shouldn't wait for me anymore, that she should just pretend... she never had a daughter like me.
[Finally, I wish you all a long and healthy life in this treacherous and dangerous world.]
“She cried…” Chen Qi stared at the ink smudged by water on the back of the paper and suddenly thought of her parents.
Although she had already made arrangements for what would happen after her accidental death, seeing Zhao Jiayue's "last letter" made her realize that what she had done was far from enough. Rather than making so many arrangements, the only way was to live well.
But for these "chosen ones" selected by the game, living a long and healthy life is nothing short of a pipe dream.
At that very moment, a chilling female voice, completely different from Zhao Jiayue's "proctor," suddenly rang out over the school: "The Fierce and Ghostly High School has escaped the cycle of dungeon reincarnation and is about to enter the Ghostly Realm. Countdown 1:59:59. All teachers and students, please prepare for your return."
"What does this mean?" Yak stared blankly at the dark sky above.
But in response, he heard a system notification in his ear: "Congratulations to the player for successfully clearing the beginner dungeon 'Mysterious High School'. You are about to exit the dungeon. Countdown: 0:09:59. Please prepare to exit."
"Let me go then." Chen Qi took the tear-stained paper from Qin Fu'an and showed a relaxed smile for the first time in the game: "My home is in the neighboring province of hers, so it's very convenient by high-speed rail and plane. Besides, I'm a woman, so it should be easier for me to communicate with her mother than for you."
Bai Song had no objection to this, only saying that they could contact each other after they left, and that he could lend a helping hand if Zhao Jiayue's mother needed assistance.
As for Yak, he scratched the back of his head and looked hesitantly at Qin Fu'an.
"Hey boss, how about we exchange contact information? Don't worry, as long as we can keep our information flowing in the real world, I definitely won't bother you unnecessarily!"
After Yak finished speaking, the other two also looked at Qin Fu'an.
Facing their expectant gazes, Qin Fu'an looked up at the dark sky and said to them, "I'm sorry, I rarely use modern communication tools. If needed, I will naturally contact you."
He memorized the contact information the three of them had just exchanged after hearing it only once.
"I have something to do, I'll be going now." Qin Fu'an nodded to the three of them, then turned and ran off in one direction amidst their astonished gazes.
The night quickly swallowed his figure in his blue and white school uniform. The three left behind looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, Bai Song was the first to say with certainty, "He must be in a hurry to go back to find his deskmate!"
Is there anyone who can't see the special treatment that the big shot is giving to that young Xie?
It was so blatant, it was practically as if they were shouting it out in their ears through a megaphone.
But then again...
"Since all students will become wandering spirits, why didn't Xiao Xie change before? Now that we're rushing over... will we still be able to see him?"
Is it really possible to see it again?
This was also the thought that simultaneously arose in the minds of Qin Fu'an and the audience.
Because they witnessed Qin Fu'an running faster and faster, even exceeding his speed when he gathered at the playground on the first day of the game.
But it seems it's still too late...
Qin Fu'an stopped in front of the small supermarket, slightly out of breath.
When I looked up, I was met with the mournful, grotesque faces of the two sales clerks, as if the sky had fallen.
Qin Fu'an: "..."
He slowly calmed his breathing, straightened his body, and with his eyes, which had long since turned light green, slightly closed, asked calmly and unsurprisingly, "You lost my child?"
The sales clerk sobbed, nearly bursting into tears, and looked at Qin Fu'an as if he were a jinx. Hearing this, she argued even more bitterly, "What do you mean we lost him?! He ran off with our store's collateral, threatened our employees, and then just swaggered away!!"
"Really?" Qin Fu'an clearly didn't believe it and coldly questioned them, "You're acting so convincingly, but do you have any evidence? Do you have any surveillance footage? I entrusted such a grown student to your care, and in the blink of an eye you lost him. Now you're pulling this stunt. It's hard for me not to suspect that you're trying to frame an undergraduate and make him pay for your mistakes?"
Salesperson: "...!!!"
Say it again! Say it again!? Believe me or not, we'll kneel down before you right now, waaaaaah...
It was precisely because there was no surveillance footage and no evidence that the dangerous creature was able to threaten them so arrogantly and even forcibly take Qin Fu'an's collateral before disappearing!
Qin Fu'an ignored their tearful expressions and walked around them into the store.
He walked to the spot where he had previously made the child sit quietly, and sure enough, there were things on the table.
It was a small, tender bud, about the size of a melon seed, like the very tip of a tea tree that had been carefully picked. Its color was beautiful, and upon closer inspection, it was almost the same color as Qin Fu'an's eyes. It was quietly placed on the table where Xie Yunhuai was waiting for Qin Fu'an.
"And, and this too... he left this too." The sales clerk handed a piece of paper to Qin Fu'an with tears in her eyes.
Qin Fu'an had seen similar paper just a few minutes earlier.
However, compared to Zhao Jiayue's meticulously crafted and full-page paper, the one the sales clerk handed over was much sparser.
Because it only contained a short line of text:
"Qin Fu'an, a liar."
Qin Fu'an stared at the familiar, elegant handwriting for a long while, then chuckled and folded it in half, placing it in the space he had created to ensure that this ordinary piece of paper could be successfully taken out of the game instance.
Xiao Xie is probably angry.
Unfortunately, even the accusations are so soft and endearing.
After carefully putting the note away, Qin Fu'an suppressed the gentle smile in his eyes and turned his head to look at the two strange creatures who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy.
"So, shall we now discuss the compensation?"
Salesperson: "!!!"
This is a staged accident! This is absolutely a premeditated, blatant, and shameless staged accident scam!!
I want to report this!!!
Unfortunately, in the instance, contracts under special contract rules are so powerful that even the bosses behind them would never dare to violate the rules and evade compensation.
After Qin Fu'an received a large sum of compensation, he walked out of the small supermarket and turned around to find that the two sales clerks had already hung a "Closed" sign on the door.
Perhaps, after he leaves, the two ghosts will immediately put up a sign that reads "Qin Fu'an and dogs are not allowed."
However, none of this mattered to Qin Fu'an, who was about to leave the instance.
With this friendly exchange, it is believed that he will be able to continue this sincere and pure friendship with these two people when they meet again.
At this point, there were still five minutes left before they had to leave the instance.
Just as the audience was preparing to say goodbye to Qin Fu'an, they discovered that Qin Fu'an did not choose to leave the instance immediately, but instead ran towards the teaching building.
The comments section was filled with question marks.
Qin Fu'an caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye, but didn't explain, only secretly quickening his movements.
With only two minutes left in the countdown, he pushed open the dilapidated classroom door.
The classroom was empty; there were no students sitting in their seats looking at him expectantly, nor was Xie Yunhuai quietly writing with his head down.
The air was filled with the lingering smell of decaying wood from a long-abandoned house. It had only been one night, but this classroom, this school, had actually existed for countless years in the cycle of reincarnation.
Zhao Jiayue said that this school took in these children who died in real life.
Qin Fu'an then overturned his initial guess. Perhaps there was no one behind the scenes, and those school leaders who were so different from the students might just be cuckoos occupying the nest, and under some special circumstances, they had reached a certain balance with the will of the school. Therefore, they were also restricted by the rules, and therefore they could not leave the school on "Christmas Eve" and could only wait for the new cycle to begin.
Prior to this, Qin Fu'an knew that his official teacher qualification certificate was not issued through discussions among the "school leaders," but rather, like Zhao Jiayue's status as an invigilator, it was issued by the school itself.
In other words, the "school" is a real, existing will, which is why it can actively take in the souls of those dead children, allow Zhao Jiayue to not die completely but become a "proctor," and allow Qin Fu'an to go from being a student to a full-fledged teacher...
The only thing paid by the principal was the salary. So the reason why the homeroom teacher went crazy because she didn't get paid was probably not because she didn't get paid, but because she knew that most of the "benefits" in the school were pocketed by the principal. That's why she was so distraught after Qin Fu'an pointed it out.
Suppressing these thoughts from his mind for the time being, Qin Fu'an went straight to his seat.
Then he leaned over the desk and looked inside.
As expected, all the snacks and cookies that were originally prepared for Xie Yunhuai disappeared completely, as if they had been dragged back to hibernate by some little hamster.
Qin Fu'an smiled as he reached into his desk and took out the only remaining books.
Turning to the page with Xie Yunhuai's name, I thought for a moment, and with the last ten seconds of the countdown, I picked up my pen and wrote my own name next to Xie Yunhuai's in a flourish.
Viewers in the live chat were calling Qin Fu'an a pervert.
Even after all the tricks have disappeared, he still wants to write his possessiveness next to other people's names.
The sharpness and determination revealed in each stroke of the pen cannot help but make one feel a little worried for Xiao Xie.
I have a feeling that if someone like Qin Fu'an were to target Xiao Xie, even if Xiao Xie disappeared in this instance, Qin Fu'an would definitely do everything he could to search the entire Ghost Realm.
Not an inch will be spared until Xie Yunhuai is found.
[Author's Note]
Anzai: You guys just lost my wife?!
Viewers: QAQ The streamer I follow seems to be a pervert...
Author's note: I've noticed many readers are taking exams, so here's a little treat: any readers who want to see a short side story from Yunzai's perspective? If so, I can add an extra chapter tomorrow! If not, I'll just write a transitional chapter and the next arc.
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Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:
10 bottles of neon;
What should I call him? Luo 6 Bottles;
bx, Wild Monk, Close Your Eyes When It Gets Dark (5 bottles);
Home, Gong Ma and Shou Ma, you two should fight! (2 bottles)
Fried rice with egg, Lonely boat in the rain, Participant in the sleeping party, Seventeen, 1 bottle of Mukawa Megumi;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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