Vol. 1 Chapter 9 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus. (9)

Yin Liuming didn’t show much emotion; he just raised his eyebrow a bit.

“Looks like you suspected it all along?”

Yin Liuming shook his head and said, “I think the flowers could be important, but the flowers in the flowerbed downstairs aren’t necessarily students.”

Ning Yuanyuan furrowed her brows a little.

On campus, most people were students, and flowers were everywhere in the garden, no matter the kind or number. If the flowers aren’t students, then what could they be?

Yin Liuming pulled a yellow rose out of his backpack and sniffed it softly. “Considering how many classroom buildings Anyang High School has, the total number of teachers and students will not exceed ten thousand. But the flowers in the flowerbed downstairs definitely number more than ten thousand.”

If all of them were students from the school, then who were the extra people?

“What’s your guess?”

“In this dream of Anyang High School, besides students, teachers, and other staff, who else is there?”

Ning Yuanyuan was frozen for a moment, her neatly shaped brows tightening before easing back.

Chi Xi didn’t understand. “Besides teachers, students, and the staffs, who else is there? It can’t be the students’ parents, right?”

Yin Liuming gently patted Chi Xi’s shoulder. “There’s also you.”

Chi Xi was stunned for a second.

Ning Yuanyuan understood, crossing her arms as her expression turned serious. “Players.”

And wave after wave of players keep coming to take on the challenge.

Chi Xi suddenly widened his eyes.

In the densely packed flowerbeds of Anyang High School, there were countless flowers. How many players have entered this dream?

“Once the dream shatters completely, it will vanish without a trace. So many players have died in this dream, and yet it hasn’t been cleared?” Ning Yuanyuan frowned. “This novice dream is truly unexpected.”

Yin Liuming rummaged in his pocket. “This is a seed left after Wei Zilong’s body disappeared.”

Ning Yuanyuan took the seed, glanced at it, and held it thoughtfully for a moment. “It’s a chrysanthemum seed.”

It was one of the nine types of flowers counted in the flowerbed.

Chi Xi was somewhat surprised. “Sister Ning, you know so much?”

“A little prop for identifying plants. After learning the name of the dream I was entering, I swapped for some useful props beforehand.”

Yin Liuming was very curious about the system exchange that hadn’t been unlocked yet. “Why not wait until we’re inside the dream to make the exchange?”

“The points spent for exchanges inside the dream are doubled, and depending on the dream, there are restrictions on what can be exchanged,” Ning Yuanyuan said, her face showing a hint of pain. “Usually, you only spend them when it’s a matter of life and death.”

Yin Liuming understood.

This method probably aimed to prevent players from overusing powerful props so they could experience the dream more freely.

Doubling the exchange cost for props before completing the task. No wonder Ding Pei’an looked so grim earlier.

Probably sensing something from Yin Liuming’s expression, Ning Yuanyuan reminded him, “Don’t underestimate Ding Pei’an. As guides, we have a limited number of props we can carry and exchange. He’s not the type to rely on brains to break through, which makes him seem so low.”

Yin Liuming nodded.

The system setting for the guide role was likely designed to help new players quickly get familiar with the Nightmare system, not to let them rely on others and win easily.

Ning Yuanyuan brought the topic back. “Nine types of flowers… could they be related to the nine core subjects?”

If each player who failed and died transformed into a flower, then the types of flowers would likely align with the subjects studied by the students.

Chi Xi felt somewhat confused. “Isn’t senior year already divided into liberal arts and science? There are only six players this time.”

Yin Liuming thought for a moment. “Sports, music, art?”

Chi Xi laughed. “How could that be possible? At a high school like this, in senior year, apart from the six main subjects, all the other classes are just self-study periods.”

Yin Liuming nodded thoughtfully.

Chi Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t this dream a novice dream? How could so many players die?”

Ning Yuanyuan gave him a glance, finding the naive boy somewhat amusing. “The more novice the dream, the more people die.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow. “Don’t guides like you protect newcomers?”

“Protecting newcomers does have its rewards, but generally, those foolish, reckless, and arrogant newcomers cost more to protect than the rewards they bring.” Ning Yuanyuan’s gaze landed on Yin Liuming, holding a trace of admiration. “A decent newcomer like you is rare.”

Chi Xi fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “What if the main mission isn’t completed…”

“You’ll be expelled from the Nightmare Game and never allowed back in.” Ning Yuanyuan understood what he meant. “But you won’t die.”

Chi Xi exhaled with a sense of relief.

Yin Liuming shrugged lightly.

“Regardless, this is a possible direction for speculation.” Ning Yuanyuan quickly thought of the main mission. “Our mission is to have makeup lessons, so the flowers you have might come in handy.”

Yin Liuming said regretfully, “If I had been the one to pick randomly today, that would have been great.”

Chi Xi worriedly said, “What if it’s useless…?”

“Then just ring the class bell.”

“……”

Ning Yuanyuan’s serious expression relaxed a little. “I’ll also go to the garden and see if I can find a flower that catches my eye.”

After exchanging information, Yang Jiao, who had been eavesdropping the entire time, looked conflicted. He glanced at Yin Liuming, then at Chi Xi, but remained frozen in place.

Chi Xi didn’t like Ding Pei’an and took out some of that frustration on Yang Jiao. “Aren’t you going to warn Ding Pei’an?”

Yang Jiao stood awkwardly and started to say, “I didn’t…”

Seeing Yang Jiao’s pained expression but no movement, Yin Liuming said calmly, “It’s okay to tell him.”

“Brother Yin…”

“If he’s picked randomly tomorrow, our mission will keep getting delayed.”

Yang Jiao sighed with relief—he no longer had to worry about not warning Ding Pei’an and then getting bothered later.

Watching Yang Jiao head to the classroom where Ding Pei’an was, Yin Liuming smiled and turned to head downstairs.

“Brother Yin, what are we doing now?”

Yin Liuming took out his phone and said, “It’s past eight; we can start thinking about going to sleep.”

Chi Xi replied, “…Brother Yin, your routine is a bit too healthy.”

Yin Liuming lightly rubbed his chin. “I’m starting to feel a bit tired.”

Recalling Yin Liuming’s fierceness from last night, Chi Xi stayed silent and escorted him back to the dormitory.

……

Maybe it was because all the ivy flower pots had been moved away, but nothing dangerous happened during the night, and morning came without any trouble.

After breakfast, Yin Liuming noticed Ding Pei’an and Yang Jiao strolling around the flowerbeds, hoping the flowers would jump onto them by themselves.

They didn’t want to see Ding Pei’an’s gloomy face, so they turned and went the other way.

By another school building, a girl with a ponytail was squatting next to the flowerbed, her head down, focused on something.

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow and walked over.

The girl had a pretty face and a cheerful look; she was the one who had shown them the way when they first entered the dream.

Yin Liuming watched her for a moment, then suddenly asked, “What are you doing?”

The girl looked up and smiled brightly. “I’m digging a hole.”

“Digging a hole for what?”

“To plant flowers.”

“What kind of flowers?”

“Chrysanthemums.”

Yin Liuming slowly squinted and asked, “Where do the flowers come from?”

The girl brushed the dirt off her knees and stood up, looking expectantly at Yin Liuming. “From Teacher Yin, of course.”

Yin Liuming stared at her for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a chrysanthemum seed.

The girl eagerly reached out for it, but Yin Liuming suddenly pulled his hand back. “You can have the seed, but first, answer a few questions for me.”

The girl looked surprised, then smiled. “What would you like to ask me, Teacher Yin?”

“What’s your name?”

“Chu Dang.”

Chi Xi hesitated briefly. “That name sounds familiar.”

Yin Liuming’s gaze deepened slightly.

Earlier, when Yan Hang bullied Qi Xiaobei, he insulted him by saying sending gifts to Chu Dang was like a toad wanting to eat swan meat.

“Which class are you in?”

“Class 32 of the third senior year.”

“Do you know Qi Xiaobei and Yan Hang?”

“I know Qi Xiaobei; we were in the same class before the liberal arts and science split. But I’m in liberal arts, and he’s in sciences,” Chu Dang said thoughtfully. “As for Yan Hang… I’ve caught him a few times during discipline checks. Does that count as knowing him?”

Yin Liuming was somewhat surprised; he had previously believed that Chu Dang was Yan Hang’s girlfriend, but now it appeared that Yan Hang only had a one-sided affection for Chu Dang.

“Why are you planting flowers here?”

Chu Dang quickly replied, “No particular reason, I just want to plant flowers.”

Yin Liuming paused thoughtfully, then asked, “I heard your birthday is coming up soon?”

Chu Dang looked somewhat astonished. “How did you know my birthday is tomorrow, Teacher Yin?”

Yin Liuming smiled and didn’t answer, instead saying, “Happy birthday to you.”

“Thank you, Teacher Yin.” Chu Dang’s happiness was obvious, but then her face fell into a worried pout. “It’s a pity the exam is the day after tomorrow. If my birthday had been on the weekend, that would’ve been wonderful.”

“An exam the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes, the exam is the day after tomorrow, and if I do well, the school will award scholarships.”

“What if you don’t pass?”

Chu Dang was momentarily stunned, as if it had never occurred to her that failing the exam was a possibility. “If I don’t pass… then I’ll have to take a retest, and if I fail that too, I won’t receive my high school diploma.”

Generally, students attend high school mainly to prepare for the college entrance exam, and few were concerned about earning the high school diploma.

Yin Liuming had gathered enough information; he extended his hand, and the chrysanthemum seed gently landed in Chu Dang’s palm.

Chu Dang gratefully accepted the seed. “Thank you, Teacher Yin!”

Yin Liuming nodded quietly, watching as Chu Dang crouched down again, patiently and carefully planting the seed in the hole, covering it with soil, and then running off to fetch a watering can to water it.

She not only watered the flower she had just planted; she also tended to all the surrounding flowers.

Yin Liuming turned and left.

Chi Xi gradually caught on and felt a bit dazed. “Since Qi Xiaobei dreamed of his goddess, is that why she’s watering these flowers?”

Chu Dang wasn’t in Class 3 of the third senior year, yet she hadn’t vanished like the other students. It was clear that Qi Xiaobei had deliberately kept her there.

Though it seemed like a very elegant task, thinking that each flower was born from a player’s dead body sent a chill through Chi Xi.

“How Qi Xiaobei imagines it doesn’t matter; what’s important is the timing that Chu Dang mentioned.”

Chi Xi suddenly remembered, “Right, the main mission mentions passing the exam. It must be talking about the final exam, right?”

“Pretty close.”

“But the final exam is only two days away—what if we don’t finish the makeup lesson mission in time?”

Yin Liuming fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “I have a guess. Let’s go check Class 3 of the third senior year first.”

Chi Xi was confused.

Upon their arrival at Class 3 of the third senior year, it became evident that the neatly arranged ivies from the previous day had disappeared completely.

Chi Xi widened his eyes. “Where are the ivies?”

Yin Liuming walked over to the corridor window and looked down at the flowerbed. “They should be by the dormitory building,”

“Did they crawl back by themselves?”

Yin Luming denied it. “No, it should be time going backwards.”

He turned around, shaking his phone with the calendar open. “If I’m right, then unless we finish the makeup lesson mission, we’ll be forced to live this same day on an endless loop.”

So time flowed backwards, and the ivy pots returned to the third and fifth floors of the dormitory building.