Vol. 1 Chapter 19 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus. (19)

“Wait.”
Yin Liuming suddenly stepped forward and called out to Ding Pei’an.
Ding Pei’an turned around and saw Yin Liuming, his excited expression instantly turning into vigilance and resentment. The scar on his face twitched, and he suddenly revealed a proud smile.
“What, seeing that I’m about to clear the level, you’ve come here specifically to take a slice of the pie?”
Yin Liuming said calmly, “If you go in now, you’ll die.”
“Haha!”
Ding Pei’an laughed triumphantly. “Let me guess what you’re about to say… You must think that the conditions for clearing the level aren’t met yet, and if I go in, I’ll only trigger the fire plot, right? But in reality, you just plan to stall until your side mission is complete, don’t you?”
Yin Liuming’s expression wavered slightly. “How do you know?”
Ding Pei’an chuckled. “Otherwise, after figuring out that the condition for clearing the level is to have all students turn into zombies and only let Qi Xiaobei pass the exam, why haven’t you acted immediately?”
He glanced at Yin Liuming with a hint of jealousy, spat lightly, and said, “You young people think that because you have some skills, you can do whatever you want in the Nightmare Game? Pei!”
Ning Yuanyuan’s gaze turned cold and sharp.
Ding Pei’an had already walked away when Yin Liuming was making his deductions, so who secretly told Ding Pei’an?
Yin Liuming tilted his head and glanced casually at Yang Jiao.
A trace of guilt appeared on Yang Jiao’s face, and he stammered, “I-I’m sorry…”
Ning Yuanyuan let out a cold snort and placed a hand on the holster at her waist. “Traitor.”
The guilt on Yang Jiao’s face deepened, but he still resolutely walked away from them, joined Ding Pei’an, and kept his head lowered, not meeting their eyes.
“I’ve already turned all the students outside into zombies.” Ding Pei’an sneered. “I hope that ignorant little friend you left outside won’t be affected, haha!”
Deliberately targeting players for attacks would be punished by the Nightmare system, but large-scale collateral damage was hard to avoid.
Ning Yuanyuan lit a cigarette, her eyes gradually focusing, the muscles in her calves and shoulders tensing, ready to dash out like a gazelle.
Ding Pei’an snapped his fingers lightly, then Yin Liuming and Ning Yuanyuan felt a strong suction from behind, holding them back so they couldn’t take a single step forward.
Ning Yuanyuan turned her head, glanced at the paper talisman pasted on the bathroom tiles at some point, and looked at Yang Jiao with murderous intent.
“I’ve never seen anyone this foolish, trusting the opponent’s follower without the slightest suspicion.” Ding Pei’an sneered, kicked open the archive room door, and flashed a mocking smile at Yin Liuming and Ning Yuanyuan. “Just wait here for the fire plot to happen. Tomorrow, I’ll come collect your corpses, if your ashes aren’t mixed together, haha!”
His figure disappeared into the dark doorway of the archive room, leaving only a string of malicious laughter behind.
Yang Jiao cautiously glanced up at Yin Liuming and hesitated before apologizing again, “I-I’m sorry… I had no choice…”
He had already signed a contract with Ding Pei’an, and he and Yin Liuming and Ning Yuanyuan had always had their differences, so he couldn’t integrate even if he wanted to. When Ding Pei’an approached him, he promised that once they got out of this dream and formed a guild, he would make him an elder.
This way, he could develop new players, enjoy the benefits, and not have to risk himself in these strange dreams.
Still, he felt a bit guilty toward Yin Liuming… but who told Yin Liuming to stand out so much? If he had bowed to Brother Ding like them from the start, wouldn’t all the conflicts have been avoided?
So it wasn’t his fault; he had no choice…
Despite this weak justification, Yang Jiao confidently followed Ding Pei’an into the archive room.
As long as they could get the exam paper and let Qi Xiaobei pass the exam, they could complete the mission and clear the level…
“Ah——! Get away! What is this!”
Suddenly, a piercing scream came from the archive room ahead.
Qi Xiaobei had gone in to steal the exam paper but hadn’t turned on the light, so the archive room was pitch dark, with only faint outlines of bookshelves, desks, and chairs visible.
On him, a deeper, more ethereal shadow coiled tightly, and no matter how fiercely Ding Pei’an struggled, he couldn’t shake it off.
Yang Jiao’s body went rigid, his pupils suddenly contracting. He gasped rapidly like a suffocating fish and instinctively stepped back twice.
“Damn it, the props are useless?”
“Let me go! Help!”
“Ah——! It hurts! No, no, no!”
“Help!”
Ding Pei’an’s screams grew more and more shrill, as if they would tear through Yang Jiao’s eardrums. Soon, the cries for help subsided until only a dying groan remained.
A liquid with a metallic smell slowly oozed from the archive room, slithering like a snake. It stained the soles of Yang Jiao’s shoes, spreading a silent, inky blackness in the unlit corridor.
Ding Pei’an weakly struggled, reaching out a hand to Yang Jiao, who was only a few steps away. “Help…”
With Ding Pei’an’s movement, Yang Jiao clearly felt the gaze of the ‘inhuman’ entity devouring Ding Pei’an sweep over him.
As if suddenly waking from a nightmare, Yang Jiao let out a sharp scream, stumbled back, and staggered down the stairs, quickly vanishing into the staircase.
……
Ning Yuanyuan stared at the blood flowing from the archive room door and frowned slightly. “What happened?”
The two couldn’t see what was happening inside the archive room. Anyone could tell that something had gone wrong in there by hearing Ding Pei’an’s screams and seeing Yang Jiao flee in a panic.
As if to confirm her suspicion, a bloodstained hand gripped the floor, struggling to crawl out from the archive room.
Ding Pei’an’s face was pale, everything below his shoulders covered in black material. Seeing Ning Yuanyuan and Yin Liuming still there, his eyes lit up, and he shouted, his voice pained but determined, “Help me…”
Yin Liuming’s expression remained calm as he stood still.
Ding Pei’an perked up and pleaded, “Help me… I can give you all my points…”
The points of an old player who had cleared a three-star level were an irresistible temptation for newcomers and even some veteran players!
Ding Pei’an was sure that Yin Liuming and Ning Yuanyuan couldn’t possibly refuse!
Yin Liuming lowered his gaze to the dying Ding Pei’an and spoke lightly, “It’s really tempting, but unfortunately… I can’t get over there.”
Ding Pei’an froze. His face, which was already pale from blood loss, turned even whiter.
He had given Yang Jiao a binding talisman and told him to stick it on the bathroom tiles.
That binding talisman could take effect for at least half an hour.
Initially, he believed that taking this action first would stop Yin Liuming and Ning Yuanyuan from obtaining the exam paper, which would enable him to complete the mission easily.
He thought it was the key to victory, to seize the opportunity, but eventually, it was all self-inflicted. His smugness turned out to be an invitation from death, the final death signal.
If only he had known earlier…
Regret, resentment, unwillingness, and fear flickered in Ding Pei’an’s eyes. His outstretched hand weakened, and his pained gasps gradually faded away.
………
Ning Yuanyuan watched the half-open door of the archive room with vigilance, always ready to fight the ‘monster’ inside.
However, the archive room remained as calm as it had been at the beginning. Except for Ding Pei’an’s corpse and the blood flowing from it, nothing seemed to have happened.
Ning Yuanyuan heard Yin Liuming say, “Don’t worry; he can’t get out.”
Ning Yuanyuan was momentarily stunned, turning her head to look at Yin Liuming. Her expression slowly became serious and surprising.
Since Ding Pei’an had said he had turned all of the third senior year, Class 3 students into zombies, he wouldn’t be joking about the main mission.
Why was it that when he went in to steal the exam paper, he was killed by the ‘monster’ in the archive room—most likely Qi Xiaobei?
Unless…
Yin Liuming seemed to know what Ning Yuanyuan was thinking and said lightly, “Actually, clearing the level has nothing to do with turning the other students into zombies.”
Ning Yuanyuan was taken aback for a moment, then her mind turned slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face. “You lied?”
Yin Liuming said calmly, “Yes.”
Ning Yuanyuan gave him a look, unexpectedly not frustrated, but instead let out a light laugh. “Did you suspect Yang Jiao back then? Or were you guarding against me?”
“Neither.” Yin Liuming shook his head. “At first, I assumed in that direction, but later I thought it might be a misunderstanding. I only wanted to confuse the dreamer of this dream, so I didn’t say it outright.”
Explaining would have been troublesome, and having Chi Xi and the others act could easily have exposed them, so Yin Liuming simply chose to conceal it.
In any case, searching for a way to turn the students back into zombies wouldn’t be dangerous.
Ning Yuanyuan was genuinely curious. “Where is the misunderstanding?”
She still found that reasoning quite logical.
“The basis of that reasoning is that the dreamer’s wish is to pass the exam—if Qi Xiaobei is the dreamer, is passing the exam really what he cares about the most?”
Yin Liuming pointed toward the dormitory building. “These past few days, what we’ve observed about Qi Xiaobei is that his main troubles were being bullied by Yan Hang and the others and even being burned to death in the office building. During this time, aside from stealing the exam paper, there was almost nothing else related to the exam. In this situation, Qi Xiaobei’s obsession is unlikely to be the exam.”
More importantly… Based on Ye Qingqing’s illustration book data, all the students, regardless of whether they were dead or alive, were labeled as ‘zombie students.’
That means being dead or alive didn’t actually affect the system’s judgment.
Ning Yuanyuan furrowed her brow upon hearing Yin Liuming’s implication. “You mean, the dreamer of this dream… isn’t Qi Xiaobei?”
If it’s not Qi Xiaobei, then who is it?
Yin Liuming leaned lazily against the wall, still unable to free himself from the talisman set by Ding Pei’an. He said lightly, “What impressed you most about this dream?”
Ning Yuanyuan answered without thinking. “Flowers.”
Yin Liuming flicked his fingers slightly. “A school with a sea of flowers, Qi Xiaobei himself has basically nothing to do with the flowers—but there’s another person who’s responsible for planting them, watering them, pruning their branches…”
Ning Yuanyuan looked up and flicked her cigarette. “Chu Dong.”
Yin Liuming turned and looked toward the door of the archive room.
At the door of the archive room, which had been empty, stood a ponytailed girl in a school uniform.
Chu Dong still wore a bright smile, tilted her head slightly, and spoke kindly, “Teacher Yin is not only handsome but also smart.”
She squatted down, touched Ding Pei’an’s corpse with a bit of distaste, flipped her fingers, and a flower seed leapt from Ding Pei’an’s body into her palm.
Chu Dong stood up, carefully put the flower seed into her pocket, looked up, and blinked her eyes as she said, “A person as smart as Teacher Yin, the flowers you grow must be gorgeous.”
Yin Liuming’s expression remained calm and steady as he responded lightly, “Thank you for the compliment.”
Ning Yuanyuan had already drawn the weapon at her waist. Seeing that Chu Dong showed no intention of attacking, she furrowed her brows warily. “Chu Dong… doesn’t seem to have much attack power.”
Yin Liuming said, “She doesn’t need any attack power. She only has to wait here for the fire to happen and burn us all to death.”
Chu Dong smiled, showing her white teeth. “Does Teacher Yin want to find a way to escape?”
“No.” Yin Liuming suddenly smiled. “I’m going to complete the mission.”