"Smile?"
How could he possibly smile?
At his feet lay a cold corpse. In his hand was a bloodstained murder weapon. The victim's blood still clung to his clothes.
How could he possibly smile?
Wen Ruyu's slender body was completely rigid. His fingertips still seemed to retain the sensation of the blade piercing flesh, making his stomach churn violently.
In the real world, he had never killed anyone.
He had never even seen a dead body.
This was the first time he had ever truly faced one.
He bit his lower lip hard, until a faint metallic taste of blood spread at the corner of his mouth. Only then did he barely suppress the urge to vomit.
The man in front of him was still smiling.
That smile hung on his face, yet it was more terrifying than a demon crawling out of hell.
It was as if, if he did not do exactly what the man asked, something far worse would happen.
Wen Ruyu forced the corners of his lips to move, trying to squeeze out a smile.
But the expression looked even worse than crying.
The corners of his lips lifted stiffly, his red-rimmed eyes vivid as if brushed with rouge. Tear tracks still stained his delicate and stunning face, making him look as if he had suffered a tremendous injustice.
And yet even like this, he was indescribably beautiful.
It was like pure fragility wrapped in malice.
Beautiful enough to suffocate.
A breathtaking, heart-shaking beauty.
"Click."
The sound of the camera shutter rang out again.
The man looked at the photo on his phone. This time, a satisfied smile finally appeared on his lips.
He put his phone away and crouched down in front of Wen Ruyu again. He gently wiped away the tears on Wen Ruyu's face, the coldness of his fingertips making Wen Ruyu shiver uncomfortably.
"Now."
"We're real accomplices."
The man's voice was gentle, like he was whispering sweet words of affection, the final tone lingering softly.
But to Wen Ruyu's ears, it was more terrifying than any threat.
No one wanted to be an accomplice to a murderer.
The man did not seem to expect a response. He picked up Wen Ruyu's phone from the ground and quickly swiped across the screen.
After entering a string of numbers, he pressed the call button.
Less than three seconds later, a cheerful ringtone sounded from the man's pocket.
He hung up the call and handed the phone back to Wen Ruyu.
Wen Ruyu reached out with trembling hands to take it.
But the moment he did, the man suddenly grabbed his wrist again. His grip tightened abruptly as he forcefully pulled Wen Ruyu closer.
Wen Ruyu had no strength left. He was practically dragged straight into the man's arms.
The knife slipped from his hand.
Clang.
It hit the ground, the sharp metallic sound echoing through the silent corridor.
The man glanced at the knife on the floor, then looked at Wen Ruyu, whose entire body was trembling.
A low laugh escaped his throat.
"What are you afraid of?"
He leaned down beside Wen Ruyu's ear, his voice strangely gentle, carrying a chilling sort of comfort.
"As long as you behave and listen to me, I won't kill you."
That was not comfort.
It was a threat.
A naked threat.
The man loosened his hold slightly, bent down, and picked up the knife from the ground. He casually wiped the blood on his own clothes.
After thoroughly cleaning the blade, he placed the knife back into Wen Ruyu's hand.
His tone was bright and cheerful.
"A gift for you."
"Consider it a symbol of our friendship."
Friendship?
Wen Ruyu's expression froze.
What friendship could possibly exist between them?
They were nothing more than forcibly bound accomplices.
A murderer and his prey.
But Wen Ruyu had no right to refuse.
He stiffly held the knife placed in his hand, looking like a puppet obediently manipulated by the man.
The man saw the terror in his eyes and smiled even wider, as if he had found the most satisfying toy imaginable.
"You can go now."
Wen Ruyu seemed unable to react.
He remained sitting stiffly on the ground, staring at the man with a terrified expression.
Seeing this, the man raised an eyebrow.
"You're not leaving?"
"Or what?"
He deliberately paused, glancing at the corpse nearby. His tone carried a hint of teasing.
"Do you want to stay and help me deal with the body?"
Only then did Wen Ruyu come back to his senses.
He realized the man truly intended to let him leave.
Like someone waking from a nightmare, he trembled as he tried to stand.
But his legs had long since gone weak. The moment he stood, he staggered, nearly collapsing back onto the ground.
If he had not quickly reached out to support himself against the wall, he might have fallen back into the man's arms again.
The man had already prepared himself to catch him.
But when he saw Wen Ruyu steady himself against the wall, he clicked his tongue in faint disappointment.
Wen Ruyu supported himself against the wall and slowly walked forward step by step.
His back was soaked in cold sweat, the damp fabric clinging uncomfortably to his skin. A breeze drifted down the corridor from the far end, bringing with it a faint chill.
The sun still hung high in the sky.
Sunlight streamed through the stairwell windows and fell across his slender figure, yet it could not drive away even the slightest bit of cold from his body.
Wen Ruyu could feel the coldness of the blade in his hand.
He could smell the faint scent of blood on his clothes.
And he could clearly sense the sticky gaze of the man behind him.
Every nerve in his body screamed at him to run.
Perhaps because the distance between them was growing, the fear in his heart eased slightly, and some strength gradually returned to his limbs.
He quickened his pace.
Just as he was about to reach the corner of the corridor, the man's cheerful voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Ah, right."
Wen Ruyu's steps paused slightly.
But he did not stop.
Nor did he turn around.
All he wanted was to leave this place as quickly as possible.
The smile on the man's face faded slightly.
His lazy tone carried an unmistakable pressure.
"I don't like it when people talk to me with their backs turned."
His voice had barely changed, yet his displeasure was obvious.
It felt as if something terrible would happen if Wen Ruyu refused to follow his wishes.
Wen Ruyu's body trembled uncontrollably.
His steps stopped completely.
He slowly turned around, stiff and reluctant, looking toward the man still standing beside the corpse.
The moment Wen Ruyu turned back, the man broke into a wide smile again. The irritation in his eyes vanished instantly.
He raised his right hand and made a gesture beside his ear as if answering a phone.
His tone was light, but impossible to refuse.
"Remember to answer my calls."
...
Wen Ruyu practically forced himself to walk out of the abandoned teaching building.
When he finally stepped into the sunlight, the moment he relaxed, all the strength in his body seemed to drain away.
He weakly leaned against a tree not far from the building.
The nausea in his stomach surged again, even stronger than before.
He bent over and retched violently.
His throat burned and tears streamed from his eyes, yet nothing came out.
"Student, are you alright?"
At that moment, a deep, magnetic voice sounded behind him.
It was filled with concern.
"Do you need help?"
Wen Ruyu's body stiffened slightly.
He was still holding the knife.
There were bloodstains on his clothes.
Anyone who saw him like this would inevitably think the worst.
"Thank you."
"But there's no need."
Wen Ruyu did not turn around.
He subtly hid the knife in front of his body, then quickly straightened and walked forward.
From beginning to end, he never looked back at the person behind him.
If it were an ordinary person, such a reaction might seem rude.
But the man behind him did not think so.
He simply felt that...
The figure walking away was incredibly beautiful.
He had never been someone who meddled in other people's affairs.
He had only approached because the slender figure looked strikingly beautiful from afar.
Unfortunately, the other party had not given him the chance.
Tsk.
Wen Ruyu did not dare remain at the school any longer.
He avoided the crowds and immediately left the campus.
When he left, he still carried the knife with him.
He did not dare throw it away.
Just as the man had said, his fingerprints were already on the blade.
If someone else discovered it, he would not be able to escape suspicion.
Wen Ruyu avoided everyone and returned to the rental apartment.
When he inserted the key into the lock, his hands were still trembling uncontrollably.
He tried several times before he finally managed to turn it.
Click.
The door opened.
As if he had finally found a place of safety, he slammed the door shut behind him.
Then he slowly slid down along the door, his back pressed tightly against the cold surface as he breathed in ragged gasps.
After recovering slightly, he did not even have the strength to change his clothes.
He staggered toward the sofa and collapsed onto it.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, he soon fell into a deep sleep.
When Wen Ruyu woke up again, the sky outside had already grown dark.
The rental apartment was eerily quiet.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still slightly unfocused. Only after several seconds did the events of the afternoon return to him.
If this had been the real world, he would have immediately called the police and had that murderer arrested.
But this was a dungeon.
This was not reality.
He was merely a Special Player sent here to reduce the dungeon's difficulty.
None of this had anything to do with him.
Besides, the man still had that photograph on his phone.
That single photo was enough to make him unable to defend himself.
Even if he reported it now, the police probably would not believe him.
They might even treat him as an accomplice and arrest him.
Just as Wen Ruyu was trying to calm himself down, the ringtone of his phone suddenly shattered the silence of the apartment.
"Ring."
"Ring."
"Ring."