Vol. 1 Chapter 11 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus. (11)

That evening, as it neared seven o’clock, five players gathered at the entrance of third senior year, Class 3.

In the afternoon, they employed their old tricks again, transforming the zombies back into students as they waited for the system to randomly assign today’s lessons.

Apart from that, everyone also found the flowers that had automatically jumped into their hands.

Ding Pei’an had become much more subdued, no longer foolishly provoking Yin Liuming. Ignoring Yang Jiao, he stood alone in the corner of the corridor.

Ning Yuanyuan lit another cigarette.

Chi Xi whispered, “Isn’t it bad to smoke in front of the students?”

Ning Yuanyuan looked at Chi Xi in surprise and suddenly laughed. “Do you really see them as students?”

Chi Xi was relatively bewildered.

“Little friend, don’t forget we are in a dream; everything you see and everyone you interact with are just illusions.”

Ning Yuanyuan extinguished the cigarette, her tone heavy with a sigh. “Don’t call me heartless. The deeper you go into this game, the clearer it becomes that everything in this dream is false, no matter how real it may seem.”

Chi Xi slowly pressed his lips together.

“Having good empathy is valuable, but it’s not what the Nightmare Game demands.”

Ning Yuanyuan said, “These are all lessons learned from blood and tears. Some empathize with the monsters in the dream and end up killed; some try to save the tragic NPCs, leading to the failure of their main mission; others fall in love with characters in the dream and willingly choose to stay and accompany them.”

“Did that person succeed?”

“Of course not.”

Ning Yuanyuan spread her arms. “Later, he tried every means to enter that dream again—but the character he once loved no longer remembered their time together.”

Chi Xi opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

“Just remember that everything in the dream is fake. You all entered the game with wishes to fulfill, right? Don’t lose sight of your original intentions.”

Yin Liuming didn’t join the discussion; instead, his gaze lingered, profound and thoughtful.

Right then, the broadcast speaker rang out:

[Today’s Random Assigned Lesson: Physics.]

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Yin Liuming.

Yin Liuming nonchalantly took the yellow rose from his backpack and stepped through the door of Class 3.

As his gaze swept over the crowd, the students below looked astonished, clearly not expecting such a young teacher. A few of the girls even displayed a hint of admiration in their eyes.

“Hello, Teacher Yin!”

Yin Liuming smiled at Ye Qingqing, then opened his lesson plan and placed the yellow rose on top. “Alright, let’s begin the class.”

With those words, Yin Liuming felt an invisible force binding him, as if something were trying to twist his body or manipulate him in some way.

However, the yellow rose on the lesson plan unexpectedly lit up.

After a faint glow, a phantom of an old teacher with slightly graying hair appeared before the students.

Yin Liuming felt the binding force on him abruptly vanish.

“Today’s lesson is…”

The old teacher ignored Yin Liuming and continued the lesson on his own.

Yin Liuming stepped down from the podium, raising an eyebrow slightly as he looked at Shen Lou beside him. “Why are you out again, Mr. Shen?”

Outside, Chi Xi and the others were still watching.

Shen Lou hmphed. “I just don’t want the body I’ve chosen to get destroyed.”

“If I get damaged from being twisted, will Mr. Shen be able to rescue me?”

“Definitely not. However, if the damage is minor, it’s possible to find a way to fix it.”

Yin Liuming smiled inwardly as he mentally placed Shen Lou in the ‘useless but very tsundere’ group.

“Are you cursing me in your mind again?”

“No, you’re thinking too much.”

“Heh.”

……

The one-hour makeup class passed quickly. When the bell rang to end the class, the old teacher bowed slightly to the students, nodded at Yin Liuming, and then vanished in a flash of light.

As Yin Liuming exited the classroom, he unexpectedly saw Chi Xi with tears in his eyes, and he felt a bit surprised. “Why are you crying?”

“Nothing, I just feel that we can finally complete the mission.”

Chi Xi wiped his tears, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Congratulations, Brother Yin.”

The moment he finished speaking, the broadcast speaker rang out:

[Player Yin Liuming has completed the main mission, reward: 1 point. Other players receive no reward.]

[Main mission updated: Help the students pass the exam.]

[Complete the mission to clear the level. The rewards for clearing will be settled in the system center.]

Hearing the system broadcast, everyone showed expressions of relief.

They had been stuck at this makeup class mission for several days, and now they had finally passed.

The next main mission sounded like the final hurdle; completing it would allow them to clear the game!

The joy didn’t last long; soon, the players’ faces were again overshadowed with concerns.

—How to help the students pass the exam?

They ended up giving the students a full day of makeup lessons!

Almost instinctively, everyone turned their eyes to Yin Liuming.

Yin Liuming crossed his arms and, living up to expectations, spoke up. “I only have one suggestion right now…”

Chi Xi felt an ominous premonition rise in his heart.

“Go back to sleep.”

The players: “.…..”

Yin Liuming said with a smile, “It’s late, and I’m starting to feel sleepy.”

Chi Xi muttered softly, “It would be great if danger only showed up whenever Brother Yin is sleepy.”

Yin Liuming glanced at him lightly, and Chi Xi directly shut up.

……

Perhaps Chi Xi ominous words came true; that night, Yin Liuming did encounter a situation.

Yin Liuming’s expression was cold, but his eyes burned with molten rage. He took off his earplugs and clenched his fists. “What is that?”

Shen Lou gleefully uttered a sound of satisfaction. “Sounds like someone is fighting.”

“At one o’clock in the morning?”

Yin Liuming took a deep breath, pushed the pom-pom on his sleeping cap away from his forehead, slipped into his matching bear slippers, kicked the door open, and stepped outside.

Ning Yuanyuan just happened to come out as well. “Did you hear that…?”

Seeing Yin Liuming in his adorable bear pajamas, she couldn’t help but twitch her mouth, unable to continue with her greeting.

In a dream where danger lurked around every corner, who wouldn’t feel nervous and alert, ready to handle unexpected situations? Even while sleeping, one would lie down fully dressed… Yet this guy was dead serious about changing into pajamas!

And it was the kind of adorable that didn’t match his personality at all!

Ning Yuanyuan followed him with interest.

……

Anyang High School featured a relatively old architectural style, and its dormitory building was no exception. The restrooms there were especially notorious for their foul stench.

Yan Hang kicked Qi Xiaobei to the dirty floor, blowing a smoke ring from his mouth. “I told you to steal; didn’t you hear me?”

Qi Xiaobei curled up his body and trembled slightly.

Yan Hang kicked him again. “Speak!”

Qi Xiaobei shook and spoke in a timid voice, tinged with tears. “I… don’t dare…”

“You don’t dare, what else don’t you dare to do?”

Yan Hang tossed his cigarette butt into a nearby urinal and sneered. “You dared to flirt with Chu Dang. A toad that thinks it can even eat swan meat?”

“I didn’t… cough!”

Yan Hang pressed his slippers roughly onto Qi Xiaobei’s face, applying pressure a couple of times as he narrowed his eyes. “You still dare to talk back?”

He turned his head and let out a laugh, glancing at a few of his lackeys behind him.

“Exactly! How dare he talk back to Brother Hang!”

“Do you want to die?”

Qi Xiaobei trembled even more violently, and a confused expression gradually spread across his pale face.

“I’m telling you, you better steal tomorrow night—or else…” 

Yan Hang thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “I’ll strip you naked and hang you at the door of Class 2 for a whole day.”

Qi Xiaobei’s body suddenly stiffened.

“Do you understand?”

“Un… Understand…”

“Louder!”

Qi Xiaobei’s voice quivered with tears as he replied, “Understand!”

Only then was Yan Hang satisfied as he moved his foot away.

He stood up straight, rolled his neck, and a cruel smile suddenly appeared on his face. “To make sure you never forget…”

He undid his belt and raised an eyebrow. “I’ll give you a bath.”

Qi Xiaobei’s face was whiter than the moonlight outside.

He shut his eyes. His hands and feet trembled, as if he might stop breathing at any moment.

At that moment, with a loud bang, the door of the restroom was kicked open!

Yan Hang jumped in surprise, fighting the urge to urinate as he turned around, glaring. “Who the hell—”

His voice came to a sudden halt as he met the fiery gaze of the newcomer.

The person was tall and handsome, wearing exceptionally soft and adorable bear pajamas. He leaned against the battered door frame, scanning the restroom.

For some reason, being watched by that gaze filled Yan Hang with an inexplicable sense of terror, as if he were being stalked by a carnivorous beast.

He heard the person turn to someone behind him and say, “Didn’t you say that everyone in here is fake?”

A distant feminine voice replied with a hint of amusement, “Yes.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Yan Hang’s pupils constricted and then widened in shock, panic flooding his heart in an instant as he instinctively yelled, “Do you know who my grandpa is? I’ll make you… Ahhh!!” 

……

Ning Yuanyuan looked over from the window at the end of the corridor.

On the outside of the window, there were two iron poles embedded in the outer wall, probably for hanging clothes.

Now, three of them were on one side, making a total of six boys hanging there, screaming and pleading for mercy.

The smooth, cold iron poles pierced through their collars, the metal pressing against their necks and sending shivers down their spines.

The ones hanging there didn’t dare to move—these iron poles, usually used for hanging clothes, had bent considerably under the weight of six living people. If anyone shifted carelessly, they could all fall together.

This was the third floor!

After Yin Liuming vented his anger, he lifted Qi Xiaobei entirely and, while the boy was still dazed, took him to the boiled water room, apparently planning to give him a bath.

Ning Yuanyuan found Yin Liuming to be quite intriguing.

His intelligence and composure matched the Nightmare Game perfectly, yet he became quite merciful when dealing with NPCs.

Unlike Chi Xi, who was impulsive and easily swayed by emotions, Yin Liuming appeared to stay true to himself after careful consideration.

“Please, Teacher! Save us! We promise we won’t do it again!”

“Just wait! Tomorrow, I’ll make sure my grandpa expels all of you!”

“Waaah, I’m so cold!”

Ning Yuanyuan withdrew her disdainful gaze said flatly, “The weather is nice tonight; why don’t you all enjoy the moonlight here?”

Even if she viewed these NPCs as mere illusions in the dream, it didn’t change her loathing for them.

It was as if to occur simultaneously with her words that the clear night sky outside was suddenly covered by dark clouds, obscuring the bright moonlight, as thunder and lightning erupted almost instantly.

Then, a torrential rain poured down.

Ning Yuanyuan: “……”

Since Qi Xiaobei was a dreamer, the weather in the dream naturally mirrored his state of mind.

However, that had nothing to do with her.