The Sole Survivor
Luo Yu still remembered the last time Liu Shuang had grabbed her hand, crying so hard the tears streamed down like rain - she'd nearly been dragged off and sold.
And this time...
The crying in the hallway came in broken, muffled sobs. The kind that sounded absolutely heartbroken.
A monster wouldn't use the exact same trick twice, right?
Luo Yu sighed and gently pushed open the dorm room door.
"Hey... what's wrong?"
The girl crying her heart out clearly hadn't expected anyone to be in the dorm. She froze for a moment.
Then, turning around and seeing Luo Yu leaning against the doorframe, she hastily wiped the tears from her face.
"It's... it's nothing." She kept her head lowered, looking frightened. "I thought the dorm would be empty. Sorry for disturbing you."
With that, she moved to leave.
Seeing how timid and withdrawn she was, Luo Yu sighed again and called out: "If something's on your mind... you can tell me about it."
Luo Yu gestured behind her at the dorm room. "It's just me here. My roommates... they're all strange. I don't really get along with them."
She watched the girl's reaction carefully as she spoke. Just as expected, when the girl heard her describe the other students as "strange," her eyes lit up noticeably.
"You - you think so too... ?"
The girl glanced around cautiously. At Luo Yu's nod of encouragement, she finally stepped inside the dorm.
Then, as though she'd been holding in a secret for years and had finally found someone to confide in, she grabbed Luo Yu's hands and started talking a mile a minute.
The content was almost exactly what Liu Shuang had said that night.
Teachers whose personalities had completely changed. Classmates who never spoke. A suffocating, oppressive atmosphere...
"I really, really can't take it anymore!" The girl sobbed. "At first I still had some friends. We'd complain to each other privately. But then slowly... they all changed."
"Either they became like the others - monsters who only knew how to study - or they'd tell me to try hard to fit in, to never be the one who stood out."
None of this was surprising to Luo Yu. It matched her earlier guesses pretty closely.
But there was something she'd overlooked.
"You said the teachers' personalities changed. Do you remember when exactly that started?" Luo Yu asked.
"It must have been not long after this semester started," the girl answered, still lost in her own thoughts.
"The teachers used to be really nice. Really lenient. Not like now - they yell and hit over every little thing. Once, I was late for class, and they made me stand outside the classroom door all day. Students walked by, whispering about me."
"That time, I really wanted to leave school. But the gates all had people watching them - there was no way out. So I went to the grove, thinking I could climb over to the back mountain and run home."
The grove again... Luo Yu frowned. Honestly, she wasn't eager to go anywhere near those woods. Just hearing other people mention them made her feel uneasy.
And this girl had actually tried to go through the grove to reach the back mountain...
The back mountain was huge, and there were wild wolves. Forget a high schooler - even a physically fit adult who exercised regularly probably wouldn't survive more than a few days out there.
Luo Yu looked at the girl with something approaching admiration.
She had to admit - that took guts.
"And then what happened?" Luo Yu asked.
The girl blinked. "Then I got lost in the grove... and ran into the wild wolves."
Luo Yu:... Can I take that admiration back?
But at the same time, a new question surfaced.
"How did you make it back to school?" Luo Yu's gaze turned serious, fixed on the girl's eyes.
The girl hesitated, biting her lip. "Well... this part's pretty unbelievable. You probably won't believe me, but..."
Luo Yu caught the scent of a major clue.
She straightened up, took the girl's hands firmly, and said with conviction: "I believe you!"
"Ah... okay. Well..." The girl stammered. "The wild wolves brought me back. They didn't hurt me. They even showed me the way."
Luo Yu stayed silent.
The girl panicked. "I'm not lying! I'm really not! Sometimes I think it might have been a dream, but... look!"
She pulled a bone whistle from around her neck. "A wolf brought this to me."
Luo Yu took the bone whistle and examined it carefully.
The craftsmanship was rough - honestly, just barely functional enough to blow. But held in her hand, it felt different somehow. Like the whistle was constantly radiating warmth.
Hidden school rules. Teachers who'd suddenly transformed. Monsters wearing human faces. Mysterious, friendly wild wolves...
All the fragments came together, gradually assembling a complete picture of what was happening at Qinggang High School.
Luo Yu quietly clenched her fists.
She probably... needed to go to the grove.
Meanwhile, in the grove itself, the slaughter continued under the cover of thick fog.
The number of players scattered through the woods was still the same.
But among them... how many were still human?
"Why did the fog come down so suddenly... Brother Sun, I'm so scared..."
In the damp forest, among the swirling mist, Yang Tian clung to Sun Heng like glue, step for step, refusing to be apart for even a moment.
Not because she was in the mood for flirting. She was genuinely terrified.
If she got separated from Sun Heng in a place that looked this dangerous... Yang Tian shuddered. She didn't even want to think about it.
Sun Heng took her hand in return and comforted her: "It's okay. Stay close to me. I'll protect you. If there really is a major clue hidden here, environmental changes are actually normal."
With that, Sun Heng cleared the tangled branches ahead and guided Yang Tian forward.
Sun Heng was a strange one, too.
Sure, he was a womanizer. But he had his principles. Operating on the rule that once he'd slept with someone, she was his woman, he'd actually protected Yang Tian pretty well in this game. He'd given her no shortage of life-saving items.
Unfortunately, compared to the difficulty of the game, those items could only do so much.
So much so that Yang Tian had been marked by a monster without even realizing it. By now, the greenish mark on the back of her neck had spread across her entire back.
"Hiss... that's a huge swampy area." Sun Heng frowned, testing the ground ahead with his foot. "And I hear howling. We need to find those wolves."
"Brother Sun... my back is really itchy."
Just as Sun Heng was focusing on figuring out their next move, Yang Tian suddenly rubbed against him restlessly.
"Don't mess around."
Sun Heng was annoyed. Seriously? Flirting at a time like this?
He gave her back a perfunctory pat - but instead of settling down, she only got more worked up.
"Brother Sun, my back is so itchy! My back is SO itchy!"
"Will you cut it out?!" Sun Heng shot her an exasperated glare - but the moment he actually registered what she was doing, a jolt of horror shot through him. He yanked his hand away.
Yang Tian was clawing frantically at the back of her own neck, completely oblivious to the fact that her long nails were tearing bloody gashes into her skin.
And with each scratch, the greenish mark spread faster. In no time, it had crawled across half her face.
Her pretty features were gone. Yang Tian clawed at her own face, wailing like a demon.
"Brother Sun, help me - HELP ME - AAAAAH - "
Sun Heng watched the screaming woman. He felt disgusted, but some old sentiment still lingered.
He stepped closer to Yang Tian. Aiming for her vulnerable neck... quick, precise, and ruthless - he struck.
Yang Tian collapsed.
He dropped her on the ground. Didn't look back. Turned and walked away coldly.
At least...
Dying in your sleep was a kind of mercy.
Summary:
Luo Yu encounters a crying girl in the dormitory and learns that the school's transformation began at the start of the semester. The girl reveals she was rescued by wild wolves in the grove and given a bone whistle that radiates warmth. Meanwhile, in the grove, Yang Tian's monster mark spreads uncontrollably, forcing Sun Heng to put her down before she fully transforms.
Trivia:
- Liu Shuang previously cried to Luo Yu and nearly dragged her into danger - this is why Luo Yu is cautious about trusting the new girl.
- The crying girl's friends either became "monsters" who only study or urged her to conform, leaving her completely isolated.
- The girl attempted to escape through the grove to the back mountain, but got lost and encountered wild wolves.
- The wild wolves did not harm her - they guided her back and gave her a bone whistle that feels warm to the touch.
- Sun Heng operates on a principle: once he sleeps with someone, she is "his woman," which is why he protected Yang Tian with life-saving items.
- Yang Tian was marked by a monster without realizing it - the mark started on her neck and spread across her entire back.
- The mark accelerates when scratched, spreading across Yang Tian's face as she claws at herself.
- Sun Heng strikes Yang Tian's neck to put her down, then walks away without looking back.
Notes:
• S - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• T - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• Liu Shuang - A female NPC student and Luo Yu's roommate. Appears nervous and traumatized, sharing unsettling observations about Li Yi's transformation. Later revealed to be working with the monsters, acting as bait to lead Luo Yu into a trap. Her fear and trembling might have been feigned to gain Luo Yu's trust.
• Luo Yu - A female player inserted into the game world. Tasked with uncovering the school's mysteries. Possesses keen observational skills and analytical thinking. Shows empathy but remains pragmatic about survival. At the time of this chapter, she has already encountered a teacher-monster and survived an attack, leading her to understand the game's true threat. A female player trapped in the Escape Game at Qinggang High. Has lost her memory of events prior to her arrival. Must either uncover the school's secret or survive seven days. Physically slender and not particularly strong. A hopeless sucker for beautiful faces, she cannot bring herself to hate someone attractive even when they're trying to kill her. Maintains a self-deprecating, wry sense of humor even in mortal danger. A player who observes rather than leads. She notices the subtleties in group dynamics and feels mildly disgusted by Yang Tian's showy behavior. Quiet and perceptive. Female protagonist trapped in the Escape Game. A high school student with a bold, flirtatious streak, she is drawn to the handsome cashier without understanding why. Currently suffering from memory loss regarding the previous night's events. Appears carefree but is observant of the school's oppressive atmosphere.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school squad.
• M - A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• B - A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S's group.
• N - A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• R - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• Yang Tian - A beautiful woman who survived two Escape Games by leveraging her looks to attach to powerful players. Aligned with Sun Heng, she shares a class with him and acts as his vocal supporter. Calculating and possessive, she views Luo Yu as a threat, displaying hostility and jealousy. Flirtatious and sharp-tongued, she taunts others to assert her position.
• Sun Heng - Scar-faced veteran leader of the main player faction. Pragmatic and calculating, uses other players as disposable assets. Previously had Yang Tian attached, his interest in Luo Yu fuels her jealousy. Subtly predatory toward female players, gave Luo Yu a rules handbook, warns rule-breaking = death. Luo Yu trusts his warning.