Vol. 1 Chapter 3 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus (3)

Riiiiing—

The moment the time jumped to ’07:00′, the shrill sound of the bell echoed across the entire school.

The broadcast speaker crackled twice, and the announcement began:

[Evening self-study for third senior year, Class 3, has begun. Players, please move to the door of Class 3 and get ready to draw your makeup lesson subject.]

A few minutes later, the six players gathered at the door of Class 3.

It was unknown what Ding Pei’an had shown the two newcomers during the period, but their complexion appeared rosy and excited, completely dispelling the fear they had felt when facing the zombies earlier.

Noticing Chi Xi and Yin Liuming, Ding Pei’an walked past as if he hadn’t seen them at all.

Wei Zilong had clearly become Ding Pei’an’s number one lackey. He swaggered in front of Chi Xi and Yin Liuming, clearly borrowing Ding Pei’an’s authority to bully others. “I’m telling you two, why make things difficult for Brother Ding? What happens if the random draw lands on you next and zombies devour you? No one’s going to collect your corpses in the game. Why not just admit you were wrong now? Brother Ding might even give you a protective talisman.”

Yin Liuming looked at the middle-aged man indifferently, then smiled faintly, and said nothing.

Wei Zilong just took it as if he didn’t dare to argue back, his gaze growing increasingly contemptuous.

Chi Xi pressed his lips tightly. He gathered his courage and said, “Mind your own business.”

Wei Zilong laughed out loud, shaking the talisman in his hand. “Do you know what this thing is?”

Chi Xi’s face turned red, revealing displeasure, yet he suppressed what he was about to say.

He instinctively looked at Yin Liuming, noticing that Yin Liuming’s expression was surprisingly calm without a trace of anger.

“Brother Yin, aren’t you angry?”

Walking a little farther away from Ding Pei’an’s group, Chi Xi asked indignantly.

Yin Liuming touched his chin. “The current me has a good temper.”

Chi Xi was a little confused about what ‘the current me’ meant.

Yin Liuming continued, “Apparently, they didn’t find any news from the office building.”

Otherwise, knowing Wei Zilong’s personality, he probably would have proudly shown it off long ago.

With that thought, Chi Xi’s anger lessened quite a bit. “Deserved it.”

Yin Liuming lifted his eyebrows.

Right then, the familiar broadcast speaker rang out once more:

[Six players have arrived, starting the random selection of subjects.]

Everyone’s attention instantly focused on the broadcast, clutching their lesson plans, involuntarily becoming nervous.

The zombie students in the classroom had pale faces; their cloudy eyes kept staring at the doorway, making them feel stifled and fearful at all times.

Wei Zilong calmed himself, gripping the protective talisman tightly in his hand, and comforted himself: It’s okay, he’s always been lucky. He just joined the game and already has a strong backer. As long as he follows Brother Ding properly, not to mention doing well, he will secure a favorable position in Brother Ding’s guild and enjoy the benefits without much effort…

After a burst of electric crackling noise, the broadcast speaker announced today’s randomly assigned subjects:

[Today’s makeup lesson subject: Mathematics.]

Wei Zilong’s eyes went blank.

The subject he chose was mathematics.

Unexpectedly, the sarcastic statements at Yin Luming and Chi Xi earlier would instantly apply to himself.

“Brother, Brother Ding…”

Ding Pei’an said coldly, “Main mission can’t be refused.”

Wei Zilong swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down—yet it barely worked. His face remained pale, and his legs shook as he slowly walked into the classroom.

The classroom’s front door shut with a loud bang, cutting him off from the others, locking him in the room full of zombies.

Wei Zilong grew increasingly uneasy. Enduring the stares of dozens of zombie students, he forced himself onto the podium, opened his lesson plan, and clutched the protective talisman. With a trembling voice, he did his best to appear normal. “Hello, students.”

The hollow and unfocused eye sockets of the zombies below turned toward him, but they obediently remained seated without moving.

Wei Zilong let out a slight sigh of relief—if these zombies didn’t move, making it through an hour of tutoring might not be too difficult.

……

The classroom door featured a small glass window, just large enough for two adults to peer inside while standing at the door.

Ding Pei’an and Ning Yuanyuan were leaning against the wall, resting with their eyes closed. Two newcomers stood at the door, constantly looking inside.

A moment later, Yang Jiao turned back; his honest face showed a trace of fear. “Brother Ding, Wei Zilong seems… off.”

Ding Pei’an’s eyelids lifted slightly. “What’s the matter?”

“He’s drawing a geometry on the blackboard.”

Ding Pei’an frowned. “Is he trying to teach a class?”

“No, not really.” Yang Jiao looked at the classroom again. “The geometry he drew is too large.”

So large… that a person could be stuff in.

After watching for a bit, Chi Xi turned to Yin Liuming and whispered, “Brother Yin, Wei Zilong appears to be teaching math function curves.”

Yin Liuming asked with interest, “What curve?”

“He wrote ‘y=x^3’ next to the geometry…”

Before Chi Xi finished speaking, a loud scream suddenly erupted from the classroom!

Yin Liuming frowned and glanced over.

Wei Zilong was suspended in midair, pressed against the blackboard by an invisible force, his eyes bulging and making continuous gasping sounds.

His body twisted unnaturally, his right arm stretched out, contorted into a curve that normal human bones could never achieve; both legs struggled desperately but could not resist the invisible force, twisting into the same shape as the arm.

Yin Liuming narrowed his eyes.

Behind Wei Zilong was the huge geometry he had drawn.

And his current twisted shape… he practically became a cubic equation curve.

Yang Jiao looked at Ding Pei’an anxiously. “Brother Ding, quickly think of a solution!”

Ding Pei’an’s face was somewhat gloomy. “The talisman didn’t work?”

Ning Yuanyuan interjected flatly, “This isn’t a zombie attack, so the talisman you gave of course doesn’t work.”

To save points, Ding Peian exchanged talismans for Wei Zilong that only protect against zombies.

Ding Pei’an glanced at Yang Jiao’s anxious gaze and struggled internally for a moment.

He naturally had other props to interrupt the attacks Wei Zilong was facing and rescue him.

The problem was that those props were costly, and using them on newcomers whose ability to survive multiple dreams was still unknown could lead to a complete loss.

Who’s been spreading the rumor that novice dreams are simple and it’s easy to exploit newcomers?!

— Why not just give up on Wei Zilong?

Riiiiing—

Ding Pei’an was still struggling internally when he suddenly heard a piercing sound, exactly the same as the school bell for class changes he’d heard before!

He looked up and found that the sound was from Yin Liuming’s phone.

Yin Liuming held his phone up to the classroom door, as if afraid the students inside wouldn’t be able to hear.

The zombie students turned their eyes to the door, and a commotion arose as they all stood up from their seats.

Wei Zilong on the blackboard also fell to the ground with a thud.

Ding Pei’an frowned and scolded, “What are you doing! Do you want to kill him?”

He silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Yin Liuming didn’t spare him even half a glance, only raised his foot and kicked the door—

The previously tightly shut classroom door was kicked open with a bang.

Ding Pei’an subconsciously took a few steps back, ready to run at any moment.

The zombie students in the classroom seemed to have lost the aggression they showed in the afternoon; they didn’t rush forward but just wandered around aimlessly.

Holding his twisted and broken left arm, Wei Zilong struggled to sit up. Cold sweat drenched his pale face, and with gritted teeth, he staggered out of the classroom.

Although the arm was broken, at least the life was saved.

“Thank you, Brother Ding, for saving my life; thank you, Brother Ding, for saving my life…”

Chi Xi said in displeasure, “It was Brother Yin playing the bell sound that saved you!”

Wei Zilong’s face, which had been full of gratitude, froze. He looked up at Ding Pei’an with some disbelief, then turned his head to look at Yang Jiao.

Yang Jiao nodded carefully.

Wei Zilong opened his mouth, and his pale face suddenly flushed red — not long ago, he had mocked Yin Liuming directly, but he never expected that in the end, it would be Yin Liuming who saved him!

With difficulty, he shuffled over to Yin Liuming and stammered, “Th-thank you… I’m very—”

Yin Liuming turned around without waiting for him to finish speaking and went directly downstairs.

Chi Xi hmphed and quickly followed, leaving Wei Zilong awkwardly standing alone in place.

……

“Brother Yin, why do you have to save him?”

Chi Xi was still somewhat indignant.

Yin Liuming twirled the yellow rose between his fingers and said leisurely, “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to test if the ringtone I recorded on my phone works.”

Chi Xi muttered, “Giving him that mission for free, that’s a whole 1 point!”

Previously, Wei Zilong’s attitude was utterly disgusting after he thought he had gained Ding Pei’an’s support.

Yin Liuming smiled and asked, “Do you think Wei Zilong completed his mission?”

Chi Xi paused, momentarily stunned.

The main mission required them to tutor the students, but Wei Zilong hadn’t even managed to write down the first problem… How could that be considered complete?

Thinking this way, Chi Xi felt more at ease, though he still wasn’t quite satisfied. “That’s still letting him off easily.”

Yin Liuming didn’t mind. “It’s always good to have more people trying and making mistakes.”

At least now, his previous two conjectures have been confirmed.

First, under normal circumstances, the zombie students were actually not aggressive toward them.

Secondly, a phone recording of the school bell could also trigger the school’s class schedule, although it was still unknown what the consequences of doing so might be. At least for the next few days, if they still couldn’t figure out how to handle the actual ‘makeup lesson,’ they could use this method to avoid the scripted death.

“Brother Yin, I was watching at the door for a bit earlier, and it seemed like something was wrong.”

After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Chi Xi leaned in close to Yin Liuming and whispered, “Looks like… there’s one fewer student.”

He had always liked observing others, and being meticulous by nature, after enduring his fear and disgust toward the zombies, he keenly noticed that there was one less ‘person’ in the front row of seats.

But the first time he came to the third senior year, Class 3, there was clearly a student sitting there.

Yin Liuming looked at him with some surprise. “You’ve observed so closely.”

Chi Xi gave an embarrassed smile and just then saw a girl running over from ahead.

The same NPC who had led them in was the girl in a ponytail and school uniform. She smiled at Yin Liuming and Chi Xi. “Hello teachers, Director Jiang asked me to take everyone to the dormitory.”

The girl looked behind them curiously and asked, “Where are the other teachers?”

Yin Liuming said, “Upstairs, should be down soon.”

The girl nodded. “Then we will wait for the other teachers to come down.”

There was a room full of zombies in Class 3 upstairs. Given Wei Zilong’s broken arm, they were unlikely to remain for long.

As expected by Yin Liuming, the other four people soon came down. They were taken aback to see the girl standing beside Yin Liuming.

The girl repeated herself, and a look of relief was obvious on the faces of Wei Zilong and Yang Jiao.

At least there was a place to sleep.

The girl led them to the dormitory building and took out a ring of keys from her pocket. “Each teacher gets a room.”

Her expression was somewhat apologetic. “Director Jiang said the staff dormitory is full, so teachers will stay in student dorms for now.”

Several players looked a little pale.

Are they going to live with those zombie students?

“However, the students all live upstairs and won’t come down unless necessary, so teachers don’t need to worry.”

Yin Liuming glanced at the sign in the girl’s hand and suddenly asked, “Which dorms do the students in third senior year, Class 3, live in?”

“The boys are all on the third floor, but I’m not sure which rooms specifically.” The girl said apologetically. “The girls’ dorm is in another building, rooms 208 to 211.”

Yin Liuming nodded without asking further and reached out to take the key to Room 101.

Chi Xi quickly followed and chose 102.

Before entering, Chi Xi asked softly, “Brother Yin, about that student…”

“Talk about it tomorrow.”

Yin Liuming interrupted him, smiling gently, “It’s bedtime now.”

Chi Xi looked at his phone somewhat blankly.

It’s not even 8 PM yet?

Does Brother Yin really keep such a healthy routine?

……

There were four bunk beds in the student dormitory, each looking a little old but immaculately maintained.

Yin Liuming placed his backpack on one of the beds and took out his belongings one by one.

Bedsheet, pillowcase, eye mask, earplugs, sachet…

There was even a set of pajamas and a small rag doll.

The bulging backpack turned out to be filled entirely with bedding.

A voice tinged with sarcasm suddenly sounded behind him.

“You’re bringing these things into the Nightmare Game?”

Yin Liuming turned around, and a light blue, phantom figure floated in front of him.

The figure glowed with a soft blue light, its body almost transparent. It was clearly a tall man, dressed in a tidy evening suit, carrying an air of nobility that was difficult to explain.

His features were handsome and cold like ice, displaying the aloofness of the Tianshan mountain peaks; his eyes held a striking arrogance, as if all of heaven and earth should kneel at his feet.

…like a noble, luminous jellyfish drifting in the shallow sea.

Yin Liuming said calmly, “I don’t sleep very well. I find it easier to fall asleep with familiar things.”

‘Jellyfish’ lifted his chin lightly and parted his lips. “I almost forgot that you entered the game in order to treat your insomnia.”

Yin Liuming rejected Ding Pei’an mainly because he hated being restrained, but he also had a contract with a book spirit named ‘Shen Lou.’

A few days ago, while cleaning up his grandfather’s old study, Yin Liuming discovered a book with a very strange cover.

After opening the book, a wandering ghost appeared, claiming to be the spirit of the Nightmare Game illustration book.

Faced with a ghost that shattered his twenty-odd years of materialist beliefs, Yin Liuming was considering whether calling the police could solve the problem when, unexpectedly, the book spirit spoke up, “You’re good-looking. What’s your figure like?”

Yin Liuming: “……”

And it was also a perverted gay ghost.

“Don’t get me wrong; I just think this body is barely qualified for me to lower myself to use it.” The book spirit, calling himself Shen Lou, said arrogantly, “Alright, now tell me, do you have any wishes that can’t be fulfilled in the real world? I can take you into a new world you’ve never seen before. If you’re lucky enough, you can achieve any desire you want to. Of course, if you fail, this body is mine.”

If Shen Lou were a salesperson, his performance would probably be negative.

It just so happened that Yin Liuming really did have a problem that had been bothering him for over twenty years.

As the book spirit of the illustration book, Shen Lou’s power was affected, so he urgently needed a player to work for him.

After the person and the ghost reached an agreement, Shen Lou signed a contract with Yin Liuming, sending Yin Liuming to the Nightmare Game.

According to the contract between the two of them, Shen Lou granted Yin Liuming the qualification to enter the Nightmare Game; Yin Liuming, in turn, had to help Shen Lou collect the records of the Nightmare Game illustration book.

If Yin Liuming were to accidentally die in a dream, then his body would be given to Shen Lou, allowing Shen Lou to use Yin Liuming’s body to be reborn into the real world.

In just a brief time spent together, Yin Liuming clearly realized that this Shen Lou was an arrogant, narcissistic, vicious… and, most importantly, a completely useless spirit.

No wonder Shen Lou hadn’t managed to trick anyone into signing a contract with him before.

Floating in mid-air, Shen Lou narrowed his eyes slightly. “Are you cursing me?”

Yin Liuming pulled his thoughts from his memories, forcefully denying, “No.”

“Heh.”

Shen Lou’s lips curved into a smile. “After signing the contract, I can sense the emotions in your heart.”

Yin Liuming ohed. “Alright, I just think you’re a bit useless.”

Shen Lou: “……”

His eyes gradually filled with interest, and he gently raised his fingers. “I don’t mind switching to another player to help me collect the records of the illustration book.”

Yin Liuming promptly changed his words and said, “My apologies, it’s that I haven’t yet been able to make use of Mr. Shen’s abilities.”

Shen Lou scrutinized him for quite a while before changing the subject.

“Since there’s no one around, didn’t you just catch a monster? I’ll teach you how to use the book.”

Yin Lumeng glanced at his phone and sighed softly. “My bedtime is coming up soon. I hope Mr. Shen can be a little faster.”

Shen Lou frowned. “Don’t you have insomnia?”

Yin Liuming took out a thin book with a dull yellow cover from his pocket.

The cover featured a hexagram array printed in light gray, with a cluster of bright blue light dots in the center of the array.

As he turned past the title page, he noticed that the second page contained a simple sketch of a zombie with bared teeth and claws, still wearing a discolored school uniform.

The missing zombie student that Chi Xi mentioned was right here.