Vol. 1 Chapter 4 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus (4)

Shen Lou said, “Place your finger on the illustration.”

Yin Liuming followed his instructions and touched it.

A piece of text appeared in his mind:

[Zombie Student (Death)]

[Dream Source: Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus.]

[Rarity: ★]

[Strength: 2]

[Aggressiveness: 5]

[Rationality: 0]

[Description: The corpse of a student whose soul has been taken away still moves aimlessly according to instinct. Behind its terrifying appearance lies a simple purpose.]

[Illustration Book Unlock Skill: Death Assimilation Lv1 (Consumes 1 point; can transform into Zombie State for 10 minutes, during which similar dead creatures will not attack).]

This illustration book held Shen Lou’s soul. Shen Lou stated it was a unique ‘artifact’ in the Nightmare Game that contained all monster information in the game. Due to the last system update, all data went missing, and Shen Lou lost most of his power and had to depend on players to help unlock the illustration book.

Just now, when Yin Liuming saved Chi Xi, he casually tried the illustration book’s function and indeed captured a zombie, unlocking the skill in the book.

The initial values were mostly understandable, but the final unlocked skill intrigued Yin Liuming. “Transform into a zombie?”

This skill finally made Yin Liuming feel that the illustration book was somewhat useful.

The only problem was that this skill required points to use…

Currently, he didn’t have a single point.

The completion points in the dream were calculated when you exited the dream. To earn points in the dream, you either rely on the main missions or the side missions.

“Let me teach you another way to use it. Keep your finger pressed down and silently recite ‘Release’ in your mind.”

Shen Lou’s words interrupted Yin Liuming’s thoughts.

He tried to do it once.

A familiar, terrible odor suddenly assaulted his senses.

Yin Liuming stared helplessly as a zombie student appeared in front of him, its already vacant pupils fixed on him, and its withered hands neatly pressed against its sides.

He hadn’t noticed it while being stuck with the mission in the school building, but now the stench of death filled the room, making it hard for him to breathe.

Yin Liuming pinched his nose and asked with great difficulty, “How do I take it back?”

Shen Lou seemed completely unaffected. “Just silently recite ‘Retrieve,’ and it will work.”

As soon as the zombie was summoned back, its expression changed slightly.

Yin Liuming couldn’t determine whether it was merely his imagination, but he sensed that this zombie appeared somewhat wronged.

The stench’s source had vanished, but the smell that pervaded the room remained.

Yin Liuming opened the window for ventilation and stuffed the scented pouch from his pillow under his nose, finally feeling somewhat refreshed.

Shen Lou floated above him, laughing mockingly. “Can’t even stand this little stench? There will be more disgusting scenes in more dreams from now on.”

Yin Liuming raised his gaze to Shen Lou’s expression, pondering if Shen Lou was trying to get back at him on purpose.

The book spirit wore a mocking expression, making it difficult to detect any genuine emotions.

He calmed down a bit. “Is it possible to use the monsters captured in the illustration book directly?”

The newly released zombie behaved remarkably well, making no noise, as if it was under his control.

“Low-level monsters like this can naturally be captured and used at will,” Shen Lou said. “But higher-level monsters, even bosses, aren’t so easy.”

“How do you deal with higher-level ones?”

Shen Lou’s thin lips parted lightly, producing one word. “Fight.”

Yin Liuming: “?”

“Continue to fight until you subdue it,” Shen Lou replied, examining Yin Liuming. “Of course, a frail human like you probably can’t win against high-level monsters, but if you’re willing to pay a price, I could help.”

Shen Lou looked down at Yin Liuming, waiting for him to ask more questions.

However, Yin Liuming just grabbed his pajamas and looked up at him, saying, “Could you please look away, Mr. Shen?”

Shen Lou: “… What?”

“Does Mr. Shen have a habit of peeping on others changing clothes?”

Shen Lou’s expression was somewhat incredulous. “You want to sleep?”

“Yes,” Yin Liuming said with a small sigh, “I’m becoming a little tired. My temper will start to get a little out of control if I don’t lie down right away.”

Chi Xi didn’t dare to take off his clothes, lying on the bed fully dressed.

After only a few hours at the Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus, full of life-and-death situations, he hadn’t noticed the increasing tension. But now, as he abruptly let go, fatigue hit him like a wave, and he found himself lying back on the bed, quickly falling asleep as his mind softly drifted into dreams.

Rustle—

Creak, creak—

After an unknown amount of time, a grating sound that made one’s teeth ache woke Chi Xi.

The sound seemed to be coming from his own body.

Chi Xi sleepily rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was met with lush green leaves nearly brushing against his face.

Chi Xi had some understanding of plants when he was pursuing his girlfriend.

The greenery in front of him should be ivy; before entering the dormitory, Chi Xi had seen potted ivy on the second floor’s windowsill.

Ivy was a common decorative green plant and grew quickly.

But there was no way it could grow from the upper window to right in front of him in just a few hours.

Chi Xi traced the ivy back and saw that it had already crushed the window frame.

At such a close distance, he could clearly see the ivy still slowly growing toward him, like a silent, slithering snake, wanting to entangle and swallow him.

Chi Xi suddenly jumped out of bed and opened the door, rushing outside without looking back.

The ivy behind him looked like it was coming to life and began to grow quicker toward him.

Chi Xi slammed the door shut, wanting to run, and then remembered something, rushing to the door of Room 101 across the corridor, anxiously knocking. “Brother Yin! Brother Yin! Are you alright?”

Theoretically, Yin Liuming should be more reliable than him and wouldn’t be affected by these strange ivies, but who could say for sure?

Before long, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly came from inside. “Move aside.”

Chi Xi hadn’t reacted yet, but his body instinctively moved aside.

Bang!

A loud crash startled Chi Xi.

The entire door of Room 101 flew out!

The flying wooden door crashed into room 102 across the corridor, smashing the ivy that had pushed the door open back into the room!

Chi Xi, who had just been drenched in cold sweat from the creepy ivy, instantly felt numb all over.

Chi Xi carefully peeked into Room 101.

Yin Liuming was wearing a pale yellow cotton fleece pajama set, and the sleeping cap on his head still had two cute bear ears hanging from it.

With his fair skin and delicate features combined with the adorable pajamas, Yin Liuming looked both cute and fragile.

Seeing Yin Liuming in this state momentarily stunned Chi Xi.

His actions were in stark contrast to his cuteness.

Yin Liuming’s expression was cold, his beautiful eyes ablaze like a volcano on the brink of eruption. With a powerful tug, he grabbed the thick ivy and tore it in half.

Dissatisfied with the outcome, he turned around and traced the broken ivy, pulling another piece through the window.

The ivy let out a sound resembling crying when it was torn apart, clearly filled with regret for having provoked this demon.

The ground was covered with scattered green leaves and shattered ivy fragments, comparable to the aftermath of a tornado.

Chi Xi: “…”

Chi Xi looked at Yin Liuming, who was dressed in bear pajamas and had an icy stare that could freeze someone to the bone, and he found it tough to match this fierce person with the gentle Brother Yin from before.

“Brother Yin?”

Yin Liuming shot him a cold glance and asked, “What is it?”

Chi Xi couldn’t help but nervously swallow. “B-Brother Yin, how about we go outside first?”

Although the ivy in Room 101 was frightened by Yin Liuming and only wanted to flee, Chi Xi remembered that the windowsill along the entire second-floor dormitory was also covered in ivy. Even teaming up would make it impossible for anyone to survive, so it was safer to head outside.

Yin Liuming nodded with a serious face. “You go out first; I’ll change my pajamas.”

Chi Xi: “… Okay.”

For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say, “Let’s run first and come back to change clothes later.”

Chi Xi didn’t dare look inside Room 101 after the door had been kicked down, so he just peered into his own Room 102, where the ivy seemed a bit shocked from the slam of Yin Liuming’s door. It was sprawled out inside, barely moving.

Room 103, right next to 101, was Yang Jiao’s. Chi Xi remembered that Yang Jiao hadn’t been as full of himself as Wei Zilong, so he walked over and knocked on the door.

There was no sound inside.

Chi Xi sensed that something was wrong, and just as he was about to knock harder, he heard a clear voice behind him say, “Step aside.”

Chi Xi turned around to find Yin Liuming standing there with an expressionless face.

Yin Liuming raised his leg and directly kicked the door.

Bang—

The long-neglected wooden door shattered instantly under Yin Liuming’s force, with wooden shards scattered all over the floor.

Looking through the broken door, Chi Xi saw that Yang Jiao was tightly wrapped in ivy on the bed—thin vines even reached his face, with tiny, dense roots creeping toward his mouth and nose.

It seemed as if the ivy wanted to parasitize Yang Jiao.

Yang Jiao was tightly bound by the ivy, his face flushed red from lack of air, with his mouth forced open by the roots, unable to make any sounds other than soft gasps.

Chi Xi drew a sharp breath.

Yin Liuming’s face darkened as he strode forward, violently tearing apart the binding ivy.

The ivy wrapping Yang Jiao loosened, and he coughed as he rolled and crawled out of the room.

“Th-thank you…”

Yin Liuming ignored him and moved on to the other rooms, rescuing everyone one by one.

Except for Ning Yuanyuan, who was cutting them with a dagger, everyone had become entangled in the ivy.

If Yin Liuming and Chi Xi hadn’t intervened, the ivy might have parasitized everyone tonight.

After rescuing everyone, they ran out of the dormitory.

A few streetlights only dimly lit the school at night.

The entire dormitory building was covered in writhing ivies; countless vines twisted around each other like snakes, making a sound that made one’s teeth ache as they rustled against the walls, giving the five-story building the appearance of a living monster that looked particularly eerie in the night sky.

Wei Zilong was rescued by Yin Liuming again, his face burning with shame as he thanked him several times before retreating to the side, too embarrassed to look at him.

Seeing the dormitory like this, Wei Zilong shivered and asked, “Have the people in there all died?”

“Apart from the third senior year, Class 3, that we’re responsible for, have you noticed any other students?” Ning Yuanyuan adjusted her hair and said casually, “Low-level dreams usually don’t have complete scenes, and in this dream, besides the students we’re supposed to teach and the guiding NPCs, it’s clear there aren’t any others.”

As for those zombies, who would care whether they had been eaten by the ivy?

Wei Zilong also flattered Ning Yuanyuan. “Sister Ning really knows a lot. No wonder you’re a senior who hasn’t been tied down by the ivy.”

“Those ivies must have hypnotic effects,” Ning Yuanyuan said, shaking her head. “I just took precautions and used protective props; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge the attacks.”

She turned her head to look at Yin Liuming and said, “Thank you for stepping in to save the others.”

Yin Liuming nodded coldly.

Anyone could see that he was in a terrible mood.

“Don’t rush to thank him yet.”

Ding Pei’an suddenly spoke up with a stern expression, “Why were we all controlled while you two were fine?”

Taken aback for a moment, Chi Xi quickly reacted, a look of anger spreading on his face. “Y-you…”

Due to his introverted nature and difficulty with words, he struggled to express himself in anger.

Ding Pei’an scoffed. “Out Of the six of us, only you two are connected to the school’s flowers.” You both woke up unaffected by the hypnosis and chose your rooms first, correct?”

Wei Zilong and Yang Jiao looked at them in surprise.

In an instant, Chi Xi’s image of Ding Pei’an as an experienced player shattered as he angrily exclaimed, “We,” and then everything in front of him blurred.

Yin Liuming was already standing in front of Ding Pei’an, narrowing his eyes and asking, “What do you mean?”

Standing at over 1.8 meters, Yin Liuming’s imposing presence immediately overshadowed Ding Pei’an, who was just over 1.7 meters tall.

Ding Pei’an caught the gaze of Yin Liuming’s stormy eyes, and, for some reason, he felt a strange flutter of panic rising inside him.

Taking a moment to gather himself, he silently scolded: This guy is just a newcomer who had just joined the game; why let someone taller and looking stronger intimidate him?

He straightened up like a veteran player and said coldly, “When we enter a dream, hiding things from each other is a big taboo; it’s easy to lead to total annihilation. If you’ve discovered anything, it’s better to say it sooner.”

Yin Liuming slightly raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a cold smile.

Without warning, he reached out and grabbed Ding Pei’an by the neck, lifting him completely off the ground.

Ding Pei’an felt a sudden grip on his vital point, turning his face scarlet and making it hard for him to breathe. He could only glare at Yin Liuming with a murderous look in his eyes.

“Brother Yin, be careful!”

Yin Liuming casually threw Ding Pei’an and the weapon that suddenly showed up in his hand toward the wriggling mass of ivy.

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiped his hands, and said coldly, “Since you think I was wrong to save you, then I’ll send you back.”