Vol. 1 Chapter 5 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus (5)

Ding Pei’an was thrown into a mass of ivy, and the surrounding ivies instantly detected his scent, rushing forward like snakes upon prey, attacking fiercely as if eager to embed their roots into his body.

A ring of light burst out from his body, resisting the ivies’ invasion.

Ning Yuanyuan glanced at Yin Liuming, and finally, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.

She took two steps closer, without blaming Yin Liuming; instead, she reminded him, “In the Nightmare Game, players are generally forbidden from attacking each other. Don’t act impulsively next time.”

Yin Liuming took a breath, suppressing the lingering morning grumpiness, and asked, “What happens if the player breaks the rules?”

Ning Yuanyuan seemed to realize something, her expression turning somewhat grim. “The system will make a judgment. If you go too far or even kill a player, you’ll be sent into the highest difficulty punishment dream. It’s almost a death sentence.”

Chi Xi covered his mouth as he watched Ding Pei’an struggle out of the ivy-covered pile, looking like a complete mess, and finally exhaled a small sigh.

Ding Pei’an’s face darkened with a terrifying gloom as he raised the knife in his hand and charged forward.

His heart was bleeding inside.

Being thrown unexpectedly into the tangled ivies, he couldn’t react in time and was forced to use his protective props on the spot—perfect defense props were both scarce and expensive, and this one was now gone to waste!

Yin Liuming neither dodged nor avoided; he waited until Ding Pei’an charged right in front of him, then lightly clenched his fist. “I’m a fragile newcomer. You’d better think carefully. If I accidentally get cut down by you, you’ll have to take a little trip to the punishment dream.”

Ding Pei’an was clearly aware of the punishment dream; his face instantly stiffened, trembling with fury.

—Fragile? Bullsh*t!

He had never seen such an arrogant newcomer before! That daytime act was all a disguise!

But eventually, he didn’t dare to make another move.

It was unclear how the Nightmare Game distinguished between player ‘attacks’ and ‘self-defense,’ and Ding Pei’an certainly didn’t want to be the test subject.

—Besides, he wasn’t even sure he could beat Yin Liuming.

He inhaled deeply, barely suppressing his anger, and gritted his teeth while uttering, “Just wait!”

After saying that, he glared at Ning Yuanyuan, then silently distanced himself from Yin Liuming.

Ning Yuanyuan let out a soft chuckle. “Fool.”

Wei Zilong and Yang Jiao lowered their heads, watching the whole scene in silence, as their ideal view of Ding Pei’an slowly crumbled.

This so-called veteran player who claimed to have cleared the three-star dream… didn’t seem all that strong?

Yin Liuming was obviously a newcomer, yet it appeared like he could easily take down Ding Pei’an single-handedly…

From this perspective, was signing a contract with Ding Pei’an actually the wrong decision?

Wei Zilong felt even deeper regret in his heart.

If he had known Yin Liuming was this powerful, he wouldn’t have badmouthed him and tried to flatter Ding Pei’an.

Now, he didn’t even know if Yin Liuming would hold a grudge against him…

Wei Zilong thought this as his broken arm throbbed painfully, and with a pale face, he edged closer to Yang Jiao for safety.

Meanwhile, Yin Liuming completely ignored Ding Pei’an and started speaking with Chi Xi and Ning Yuanyuan about the dangers they faced.

“I actually fell asleep but woke up before the ivy attacked me,” Chi Xi recalled, his eyes suddenly lighting up. “I think I was woken up by some sound on my body! I thought it was just the sound of ivy crawling before.”

He rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a bright red poppy from his pocket.

Hours had gone by, and Chi Xi had even slept, but the poppy still looked fresh and lively, as if it had just been cut from the stem.

Ning Yuanyuan frowned thoughtfully. “It woke you up?”

Chi Xi wasn’t sure either and looked to Yin Liuming for help.

Yin Liuming replied with a serious face, “I have insomnia.”

Even when he was asleep, the slightest noise would wake him up.

“No matter what, the number of flowers is a clue,” Ning Yuanyuan pondered. “But there’s something strange—usually in novice dreams like this, the dream only tests players once a day. So why did the ivies come to attack us?”

Yin Liuming shot her a glance, and her choice of words was subtle, as if she had been through many novice dreams herself.

Ding Pei’an had become a guide to recruit followers, so what was Ning Yuanyuan’s purpose?

Riiiiing—

A familiar bell ringing sounded.

Ning Yuanyuan looked up with a frown. “It’s already 11 PM. Why is the bell ringing now?”

Chi Xi scratched his head. “It should be the lights-out bell. In my high school, the lights-out bell rang at 11 PM.”

After the lights-out bell, the entire dormitory building’s power would be cut off to let students rest properly.

Nearby, Yang Jiao suddenly spoke up, “Those flowers seem to have stopped moving.”

As the lights-out bell rang, the ivies wildly growing on the dormitory walls suddenly quieted down.

As soon as the bell stopped ringing, the ivies withered and shriveled almost immediately, retreating into the flowerpots on the windowsills and becoming completely quiet.

A few of them exchanged glances, unsure what to say.

It seemed like the crisis had passed.

But no one dared to go back to the dormitory just yet.

Wei Zilong and Yang Jiao glanced at each other, then cautiously looked at Ding Pei’an. “Brother Ding, how about we sleep outside tonight?”

Ding Pei’an’s face twitched slightly.

Meanwhile, Yin Liuming gently rubbed his temples and strode toward the dormitory building with long strides.

Chi Xi followed in surprise. “Brother Yin? Aren’t you worried the ivies will attack again?”

“No.”

Yin Liuming was unable to sleep and felt restless, desperately wanting to lie down. “The lights-out bell has already rung, right?”

Chi Xi looked confused. “What does the lights-out bell have to do with it?”

Ning Yuanyuan caught up and calmly explained, “From the information we have so far, this dream should be a student’s dream. For students, the bell ringing represents school rules—iron laws that cannot be broken. So everything in the dream follows this law.”

Just like the actions of the zombie students earlier, they were strictly bound by the bell ringing.

Chi Xi suddenly understood. “Brother Yin is really smart!”

Ning Yuanyuan gave a faint tug at the corner of her mouth, then pressed her lips together and moved forward.

…….

Yin Liuming returned to Room 101 with a cold expression. He changed back into his pajamas. But just as he was about to lie down, he noticed someone was beside him.

Shen Lou remained suspended in midair, gazing down at the player who had signed a contract with him, a faintly peculiar look crossing his face.

Yin Liuming raised his emotionless eyes to glare at Shen Lou. “Got something to say?”

Tired yet unable to sleep, annoyance filled his mind. Yin Liuming was extremely irritated, counting the seconds in his head and planning to take action if Shen Lou didn’t say something useful.

Shen Lou could see the suppressed anger boiling under Yin Liuming’s calm surface.

Compared to his previous mild and composed resistance, Yin Liuming’s temper was sharper now, his tone unintentionally bound with irritation.

Suddenly, Shen Lou found this contract player quite intriguing.

He shifted his posture slightly and said slowly, “Just a reminder that a new illustration record you just collected probably unlocked a new skill.”

After thrashing the ivy into submission, Yin Liuming’s temper eased slightly, and he calmly tucked the mangled plant into his illustration book.

However, because Chi Xi was waiting outside, Yin Liuming didn’t have the chance to see what interesting things were about the new illustration record.

Yin Liuming’s lips twitched slightly. “That’s it?”

“And… your pajamas are pretty cute.”

Shen Lou slightly lowered his head, his pale blue eyes focusing on Yin Liuming’s face, then suddenly broke into an elegant smile. “Good night.”

With that, he transformed into a streak of blue light and flew back into the illustration book.

Yin Liuming smashed at the spot where Shen Lou was just now.

He took a deep breath, changed into sleepwear, and lay back down on the bed.

…….

The next day when Yin Liuming stepped out, he immediately caught Chi Xi’s cautious gaze.

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow lightly. “What’s the matter?”

Chi Xi probed carefully, “Brother Yin, are you in a good mood right now?”

Yin Liuming slung his backpack over his shoulder, smiling gently. “What do you think?”

Chi Xi studied him for a moment before letting out a relieved sigh. “Looks pretty good.”

The Yin Liuming from last night and the one now were worlds apart.

Chi Xi even half-joked that Brother Yin might have a dual personality.

“Not a dual personality.”

Chi Xi froze for a moment. “Did I just say that out loud?”

Yin Liuming chuckled softly. “No, you didn’t.”

He had noticed that kind of question on the faces of countless friends before; he could read Chi Xi’s thoughts easily.

“Haven’t I mentioned it before? I have insomnia, and I get really irritable when I wake up—if my sleep is disrupted, my mood drops significantly.”

He was not only irritable; he was more like a whole new person.

Chi Xi suppressed that little thought, reluctant to say it out loud.

Yin Liuming’s eyes landed on Chi Xi’s head. “What’s that on your head?”

Chi Xi touched the red poppy on his head. “Oh, it saved me once, so I plan to carry it with me.”

“Your way of carrying it is by tying it to your head?” Yin Liuming commented. “Good thing it wasn’t the ivy that saved you.”

Chi Xi thought about the lush green mess on his head and let out a couple of awkward laughs.

Yin Liuming scanned the group. “What about the others?”

“They got up early and already went to investigate the school.”

Only Chi Xi wanted to wait for Yin Liuming to move together but was afraid to knock, worried he might wake him.

Yin Liuming stretched and nodded. “Alright, let’s get going too.”

He glanced back at his room and suddenly frowned.

The wooden door he had kicked yesterday and the window frame damaged by the ivy had both been returned to their original condition, and the broken leaves and vines on the floor had disappeared without a trace.

It seemed like none of it had taken place at all.

The two arrived at the dormitory entrance, and as they turned the corner, they almost collided with a short boy.

The boy quickly dodged to the side a couple of times, looked up at Yin Liuming and Chi Xi, and panicked slightly, repeatedly apologizing, “I’m sorry, teachers, I was going too fast…”

Chi Xi instinctively waved his hand. “It’s okay—”

Then he suddenly became alert, his eyes widening. “Wait, who are you?”

Looking both confused and nervous, the boy shyly introduced himself, “I didn’t skip class; I just forgot something and came back to the dormitory to retrieve it…”

Yin Liuming suddenly inquired, “Which room are you staying in?”

“310.”

Yin Liuming narrowed his eyes. “Alright then, go ahead.”

After the boy ran upstairs, Chi Xi rubbed his eyes and exclaimed, “There was clearly no student here last night; how did one appear out of the blue now?”

Yin Liuming pulled his gaze away from the stairs and said calmly, “And he’s very likely a student from the third senior year, Class 3.”

“Ah?”

“Although the students were all in a zombie-like state yesterday, their genders were still recognizable. The male-to-female ratio in the third senior year, Class 3, was roughly even, and I suppose the other classes are similar. Yesterday, Chu Dong mentioned that the girls’ dormitory was on the second floor of the other building, specifically Rooms 208 to 211, while the boys’ dormitory was on the third floor. Therefore, Room 310 should likely belong to the third senior year, Class 3.”

Chi Xi was shocked. “Brother Yin, you noticed all that detail?”

In the presence of so many zombies, most people would flee, but Brother Yin actually took a moment to observe the gender ratio!

Chi Xi hesitated, then added, “That student just now had a weird scent on him.”

“What kind of scent?” Yin Liuming paused to think, his brow furrowing slightly. “I didn’t smell anything.”

“It was faint; I can’t quite put it into words…” Chi Xi wasn’t sure. “Maybe it’s just my imagination?”

They chatted as they stepped outside.

Compared to the empty and desolate school of yesterday, today it felt alive. The sound of students reading aloud filled the air, and now and then, a few latecomers, munching on steamed buns, could be seen hurrying toward the school building.

Chi Xi looked puzzled. “Where did all these students come from? Weren’t there only zombies yesterday?”

“Did you forget what happened last night?”

Chi Xi was momentarily stunned. “The ivies?”

Yin Liuming nodded. “The ivies were trying to embed themselves in our bodies last night… If the residents of the dormitory were zombie students instead of players, what would their fate be after the ivies took root?”

Chi Xi guessed, “You mean… those ivies brought those zombie students back to life?”

Chi Xi shivered at the thought of ivy roots sinking into the decaying flesh of zombies.

Yin Liuming stepped down the stairs, hoisted his backpack, and said, “We can conduct an experiment to verify that.”

He just happened to have both a zombie student and an ivy.

“But before we do that…” Yin Liuming said, rubbing his stomach. “Let’s have breakfast first.”