The teacher’s head snapped and before she could recover, Bang!
He Zhihan swung again. And again. And again.
The Teacher screeched, her jaw splitting open as rows of jagged teeth snapped toward him.
Bang!
The grate crashed straight into her mouth, shattering several blackened teeth and sending her head whipping to the side. Thick, black blood splattered across the wall and sprayed onto the side of He Zhihan’s face.
The Teacher’s body lurched, its unnaturally long arms shooting toward him.
He Zhihan sidestepped effortlessly. The claws sliced through empty air.
Without hesitation, he swung again.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Every blow landed on her head. The corridor echoed with metal striking flesh and bone until, with one final shriek, the Teacher stumbled backward. Then, she turned and fled into the darkness.
He Zhihan lowered the grate, letting it crash onto the floor with a loud clang. He wiped a streak of black blood from his cheek before a grin slowly spread across his face. "That was fun."
[Player He Zhihan has successfully injured the Teacher.]
[+5 Points Earned.]
[Progress Toward Unlocking Player Profile: 5/100.]
"Oh?" He clicked his tongue. "But... fuck. It’s not dead."
He looked up.
The doctor had somehow climbed into the ventilation shaft and was staring down at him as though he’d just witnessed something impossible. "You..."
"Hey." He Zhihan looked genuinely curious. "How’d you get up there?"
The doctor opened his mouth. "...I..." His gaze drifted over the prison uniform, lingering on the dragon tattoo peeking out from beneath the torn collar. "...How did a newbie bash the head of a Nightmare?"
"Newbie?" He Zhihan frowned.
Before the doctor could answer, the Teacher’s shrill screech echoed through the corridor once more.
He Zhihan’s expression immediately turned serious. "...Never mind."
He picked up the bloodstained iron grate and stretched out a hand. "Help me up."
The doctor snapped out of his daze. Still clinging effortlessly to the wall like a gecko, he leaned down and grabbed He Zhihan’s wrist, hauling him into the ventilation shaft.
He Zhihan reached back and quietly slid the grate back into place, sealing the opening above the corridor.
They immediately began crawling through the ventilation shaft, with the doctor leading the way.
"Hey, Doctor," He Zhihan called. "What did you mean by newbie? Are you an experienced player?"
The doctor was quiet for a moment before answering. "...Yes. My name is Hao Qing."
He Zhihan raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you can stick to walls?"
Hao Qing nodded. "It’s one of my Skills."
Before He Zhihan could ask another question, the ventilation shaft came to a dead end. Fortunately, an open grate led into another room below.
An art classroom. The colorful drawings scattered across the walls looked strangely out of place in the abandoned school.
One after another, they dropped inside.
The boy immediately scrambled to his feet. "Y-You’re alive." His gaze landed on the streak of black blood still smeared across He Zhihan’s cheek. "Y-You have something..."
He Zhihan casually wiped at his face.
"Not there..." the boy said awkwardly before giving up. "...Never mind."
Ignoring them, Hao Qing hurried over to the unconscious little girl and checked her pulse.
Meanwhile, He Zhihan walked straight to the classroom door. He grabbed one of the heavy tables and dragged it across the floor.
Screech...!
He shoved it firmly against the entrance before pulling over another.
The boy hurried toward Hao Qing. "Um... Doctor... I checked earlier. I... I don’t think she has a pulse."
He Zhihan paused, turning to look at the little girl.
"What do you mean?" Hao Qing frowned. "She only fainted from shock." He pressed two fingers against her wrist.
Nothing. A crease formed between his brows.
He Zhihan walked over. "I was wondering..." he said. "Why is there a child in a game like this? Are children brought into the Endgame often?"
Hao Qing shook his head. "I don’t know. But more often..." His expression darkened. "...they’re cursed dolls. Or demons disguised as children to lure players." He glanced at the unconscious girl. "But in this scenario, I don’t think...."
He stopped. His fingers twitched. A look of surprise crossed his face. "...Wait. I found a pulse."
Even the boy let out a sigh of relief.
He Zhihan merely blinked. "...Didn’t you just say that children in the Endgame are usually demons or cursed dolls?" He gestured toward the unconscious girl. "We’re in a Nightmare Scenario, and she’s the only child here."
He tilted his head. "Has it not occurred to you that she might be a lure?"
Hao Qing shook his head. "She’s warm. Her breathing is steady. Everything about her is normal. I don’t think—"
"You know..." He Zhihan interrupted without hesitation. "You’re surprisingly stupid for both a doctor and an experienced player."
With that, he walked away, casually examining the colorful drawings hanging around the classroom.
Hao Qing frowned, but eventually let out a helpless sigh before turning to the boy. "What’s your name?"
"...Jun."
"Jun." Hao Qing nodded. "Keep an eye on her." His gaze shifted toward He Zhihan. "...And be careful around him."
Jun followed his gaze to the tattooed man, who currently had one hand on his chin, studying a child’s drawing as though he were an art critic visiting a museum. "...O-Okay."
Hao Qing walked over to stand beside him. He Zhihan was staring at a crude drawing of a bright yellow sun, a crooked little house, and a stick-figure family.
"What exactly were you thinking back there?" Hao Qing asked quietly. "You attacked a Nightmare. You can’t kill a Nightmare. We were lucky this Scenario only gave us a time limit. All we have to do is hide until—"
"If we hide..." He Zhihan cut him off. "...We die."
For the first time since they’d met, his expression turned completely serious. His dark eyes were empty and cold like a bottomless pit.
Hao Qing frowned. "I’m more experienced than you."
"Then use that experience." He Zhihan didn’t even look at him. "Count how many survivors are left. We were twenty-one players in that classroom."
He lightly tapped the drawing on the wall. "Besides, in hide-and-seek, the seeker usually wins. Especially when the seeker knows the map."
He turned to face Hao Qing. "This is the Teacher’s school. The Teacher knows every hallway. Every classroom. Every hiding place. We’re the ones who are lost." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "So if we keep hiding... we’re already dead."
A chill ran down Hao Qing’s spine. "...And your solution is to kill the monster?"
He Zhihan shrugged. "It’s faster." He walked past Hao Qing toward another drawing. "Oh, and stop looking at me like that, Doctor. I know."
He tugged lightly at the collar of his prison uniform. "I’m wearing prison clothes because I was a prisoner." He glanced back with a lazy grin. "I don’t like judgmental looks."
Hao Qing opened his mouth. "I’m..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Violent pounding came from the classroom door. Everyone froze.
"Help!" a woman’s terrified voice echoed from outside. "Please! Open the door!"