Vol. 1 Chapter 14 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus. (14)

Yan Hang hadn’t been unconscious for long before Yin Liuming pinched his philtrum and woke him up.

The moment he opened his eyes, he instinctively glanced behind Yin Liuming.

There was nothing there.

Not seeing that eerie, blue-glowing ghost official made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Yin Liuming lowered his gaze indifferently, ignoring Shen Lou, who was floating behind Yan Hang’s head. If Yan Hang lied again, he’d have Shen Lou give him another scare.

“Speak the truth; what did you come here for?”

Just as Yan Hang was about to speak, he heard a hint of coldness sharpen in Yin Liuming’s voice, “Lie again, and I’ll throw you to the blue-clothed ghost.”

Yan Hang went pale, hesitated twice, clenched his fists, and said, “W-we came to steal the exam papers.”

“Steal exam papers?”

“Yeah… Tomorrow’s the exam, and the papers are sealed in the archive room now, so we wanted to steal a copy and solve the questions beforehand…”

Yin Liuming narrowed his eyes slightly. “You still care about the exam?”

From what the students of Class 3 of the third senior year said, Yan Hang didn’t seem to care about his exam results at all.

“Originally, my grandpa promised to change my grades so I could even be named an outstanding graduate,” Yan Hang said, still a bit indignant. “But this year, the Education Bureau came to inspect, so it’s hard to pull off. If I have to retake the exam, it’ll mess up our schedule—we’re planning to travel abroad during the make-up exams.”

Yin Liuming lowered his eyes, hiding the strong emotions beneath. “What about the fire?”

“The fire really was started by Zhao Liang smoking!” Yan Hang’s face went even paler, fear flashing in his eyes. “It had nothing to do with me!”

These rebellious boys who thought the world revolved around them barely ever let go of their cigarettes once the smoking trend started.

It sounded reasonable enough.

Yin Liuming looked down at him, remembering the scene from the night before when he saw this group bullying Qi Xiaobei in the dormitory restroom.

—”I told you to go steal, didn’t you hear?”

—”I’m telling you, steal it tomorrow night.”

Yin Liuming slowly narrowed his eyes. “Then what about Qi Xiaobei?”

Yan Hang trembled all over, his face deathly pale. “W-what Qi Xiaobei?”

“Didn’t you tell Qi Xiaobei to go steal it?”

“He… no matter what we did, he wouldn’t budge, so we just ignored him…”

Yin Liuming expressionlessly tilted his chin toward Yan Hang’s back.

Shen Lou reluctantly lowered himself and gently tapped Yan Hang’s neck with his toe.

A sudden chill swept over Yan Hang, and he shuddered hard. He trembled like a sieve, frozen in place and too scared to turn around.

Then he felt a cold wrap around his entire neck, as if… the vengeful ghost behind him was gradually losing patience.

Yan Hang’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

Yin Liuming: “……”

This guy acted all tough and bullied his classmates, but who would’ve thought he was such a coward?

Shen Lou shrugged like it wasn’t his fault. “Want to try again?”

Yin Liuming thought for a moment and shook his head. “No need.”

He already knew everything he needed to know.

There was no doubt the drag marks on the stairs were from Yan Hang pulling Qi Xiaobei there.

Maybe he wanted a scapegoat, or maybe he was just messing around—but Yan Hang had forcibly pushed a young life into a deadly situation.

Shen Lou glanced sideways at him. “Don’t forget what you promised me.”

Yin Liuming: “…I know.”

To convince Shen Lou to help him scare Yan Hang, Yin Liuming had to pay a small price—simply to satisfy Shen Lou’s twisted sense of fun.

He picked Yan Hang up like a worn-out sack and turned to head for the front entrance of the office building.

The fire had already reached the first floor. Walking close to the building, one could feel the scorching heat pouring out from inside.

With no one else around, Yin Liuming took out the illustrated book and checked the new entry he had just received.

[Flames of Rage and Regret.]

[Dream Source: Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus.]

[Rarity: ★★]

[Strength: 15]

[Aggressiveness: 15]

[Rationality: 5]

[Illustration Book Unlocked Skill: Flame Entanglement Lv1 (Costs 1 point. Wraps fire around a target location and ignites it.)]

Yin Liuming raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.

He hadn’t expected that flame flower to actually be a two-star illustration.

This skill seemed to be offensive—it would at least give him some self-defense capability later on.

Shen Lou gave a light snort. “It’s merely a little spark—you’re really that happy about it?”

Yin Liuming said with a blank face, “Which eye of yours saw me happy?”

“Both.”

“Heh.”

……

Around the corner, they heard Ding Pei’an’s mocking voice. “I didn’t see anyone when I came down. He’s probably already burned to a crisp. What’s the point of waiting here?”

Then came Chi Xi’s angry voice. “Brother Yin will definitely be okay!”

“You’re dreaming—I’ve already found the key to clearing this dream. He’s gone now. If you’re smart, sign the contract with me, and I’ll get you through this dream. Otherwise…”

Yin Liuming happened to walk up right then, his voice cool. “Otherwise what?”

Ding Pei’an’s voice cut off instantly, like a chicken with its neck grabbed. He stared at Yin Liuming in shock, a faint flicker of disgust in his eyes. “You’re fine?”

“Brother Yin! You’re alright!”

Yin Liuming gave a calm “Mhm,” then looked directly at Ding Pei’an. “You found the key to clearing the dream?”

Ding Pei’an lost some of his edge but still talked tough. “Why should I tell you?”

Chi Xi’s eyes widened. “Ding Pei’an, don’t be shameless! Brother Yin shared all his clues with everyone!”

“Only an idiot would do something like this.” Ding Pei’an ran his fingers across the scar on his face, composed himself, and gave Yin Liuming a cold smile. “If you’re willing to bow your head, I wouldn’t mind letting you take a cut.”

Yin Liuming dropped Yan Hang, clenched his fist lightly, and took a step forward.

Ding Pei’an instantly recalled being lifted by the neck earlier. His face turned red as he backed away a few steps and yelled at Yang Jiao and Ning Yuanyuan, “Aren’t you two trying to clear this level? This newcomer got lucky once! You seriously think he can solve the dream?”

Ning Yuanyuan looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

Yang Jiao kept his head down and didn’t say a word, but his feet stayed firmly rooted, showing no intention of moving.

Ding Pei’an laughed in anger. “Fine, I’ll clear the instance by myself! You all can just sit here and rot!”

With that, he turned away without even looking back.

Even someone as mild-tempered as Chi Xi couldn’t help but curse, “Shameless!”

He got this far by relying on Brother Yin’s strength, and the moment he found a clue, he broke off on his own!

Watching Ding Pei’an’s back, Yin Liuming slipped his right hand into his pocket, a glint flashing in his eyes.

If it were the daytime, when he was in a better mood, maybe he wouldn’t care. But right now, with his body itching for sleep and no way to rest, irritation had taken over…

Though Ding Pei’an talked big, he was actually in a terrible mood—this time, acting as a guide, he only managed to sign one newcomer, Yang Jiao, and they weren’t even on the same page. It was a total loss.

It was all that damn newcomer with the surname Yin’s fault!

Ding Pei’an vented his anger by kicking nearby flowers, snapping stems and leaves, and grinding the blossoms underfoot. Watching the delicate petals turn to mush gave him a twisted satisfaction, as if he were crushing Yin Liuming himself.

Broken petals and sticky sap clung to his soles.

At that moment, a chill ran through his body—then a wave of burning heat.

A cluster of flames burst out from the crushed flowers at his feet and wrapped around his entire body.

The searing pain made him let out a horrible scream.

He ran a few steps instinctively, but the flames followed and burned him all the way.

In a panic, Ding Pei’an endured the agonizing pain in both body and soul and exchanged it for a fireproof prop.

A stream of clear water poured from above, surrounding him in a semi-transparent membrane.

The water shield blocked the flames, which slowly died out.

“F*ck! What the hell!” Ding Pei’an looked around but found no explanation.

Another prop wasted!

And it costs double the points!

Not knowing whether it was something he’d brought from the office  building or the consequence for stepping on the flowers, Ding Pei’an could only run carefully toward the dormitory.

Yin Liuming pulled his hand from his pocket with a blank face, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

To avoid attacking a player directly, he had targeted the flames at the flowers right as Ding Pei’an kicked them. Since Ding Pei’an wasn’t the designated target, he wouldn’t have gotten burned—if he hadn’t stomped the flowers and gotten the petals on his shoes.

He’d just spent his only point but didn’t feel the slightest regret.

Chi Xi asked, “What happened to Ding Pei’an?”

“Who knows. Maybe he stirred up something in the fire.”

Chi Xi flinched. “Brother Yin, are you alright? Should we wait in the restroom?”

“I’m fine.”

Yin Liuming nudged Yan Hang over with his toe so he was facing up. “They were stealing the exam papers.”

Ning Yuanyuan paused, then quickly caught on. “Steal the papers early, do the questions in advance, and pass the exam?”

“Mhm.”

“Is this the hint the system gave us?” Chi Xi’s eyes lit up, then he frowned. “But why such a huge fire?”

Yin Liuming repeated what he’d gotten from Yan Hang.

Ning Yuanyuan connected the dots quickly. “Since Qi Xiaobei is the dreamer, the paper theft must involve him too—did Yan Hang force him to do it?”

Yin Liuming nodded, raising his eyes to the still-burning office building. “Given Yan Hang’s personality, he probably didn’t help Qi Xiaobei escape—so right now, Qi Xiaobei is probably…”

Most likely already dead in the fire.

Even Yin Liuming, after reaching the third floor, had to jump out of the second-floor bathroom window to survive—and that was after he acted fast.

Qi Xiaobei might’ve perished during the very first encounter, lost to the Flame of Rage and Regret.

Yin Liuming suddenly remembered how every time he saw Qi Xiaobei, there was always that hard-to-describe burnt stench clinging to him.

It was only after seeing another student burned by those flames in the hallway that he finally understood. That smell was from a living human body being consumed by fire.

Chi Xi couldn’t help asking, “Wait, isn’t Qi Xiaobei the dreamer of this world? Why would he be dead?”

Ning Yuanyuan paused, then sighed. “Let me share a bit of experience as your guide. These nightmare dreams all come from a real person. However, dreaming is not limited to the living. Dreams in the Nightmare Game fall into two types: dreams of the living and dreams of the dead. The difference depends on whether the dreamer is dead. Living dreams are built from desire; the dreams of the dead… are usually fueled by their unwillingness at the moment of death.”

Chi Xi froze.

“Actually, the dreams of the dead show up even more in Nightmare Games. Their only dream is a loop of their death scene. The deeper the obsession, the harder it is to escape.” Ning Yuanyuan lit a cigarette. “That’s why I told you not to get too emotionally involved. No matter how much care and love you give Qi Xiaobei, it won’t change a thing.”

Because Qi Xiaobei is already dead.

Even if you gave him endless sympathy and concern, it would all be meaningless to him.

He’s nothing more than a vengeful spirit, filled with resentment and unwilling to leave.

This scorched-earth campus wrapped in blooming flowers is merely the manifestation of his resentment, a cycle that traps him in the moment of death, torturing both his tormentor, Yan Hang, and himself, over and over again.