Game Day 4. Early morning.
Her breakfast window was empty.
She hadn't held out much hope, but Luo Yu still came to the Player Team's meeting spot after breakfast anyway. To her surprise, someone was already waiting when she arrived.
Just one person. Sun Heng.
They looked at each other – surprise and relief in both their eyes, along with a hint of awkwardness.
These were the only two survivors.
The game still had four days left. From a safety standpoint, no matter how badly things had gone between them before, now was the time to forgive and stick together.
But before the sticking together part...
Sun Heng started walking toward her with a relieved smile, then stopped abruptly after a few steps. On the other side, Luo Yu stepped back warily too.
They both faced the same problem:
How could they confirm the other person was real, and not a monster in disguise?
Sun Heng hesitated for a moment, then pulled a spray bottle from his pocket. "This is an item – Invisibility Spray. It only works on Players."
He sprayed his own hand. It turned transparent and vanished, then reappeared after a few seconds.
"The effect lasts about five seconds. Pretty useless, so I don't normally use it," he explained.
He grabbed a random Student from the athletic field and sprayed them too. The Student sneezed several times in a row – but the magical vanishing effect didn't happen.
Only works on Players. Doesn't work on non-player characters.
Sun Heng had just proven his identity.
"What the hell?" the Student shot him a dirty look and walked off cursing.
Now it was Luo Yu's turn.
She didn't hold anything back. She pulled the Bone Whistle from her chest. "This is a key clue I found. It's connected to the Wolf Pack roaming the back mountain."
"I've basically pieced together the whole story. But if the mission is to uncover Qinggang High's secret, why hasn't the game given us a mission complete notification yet?"
Sun Heng glanced at the Bone Whistle but stayed quiet.
It was obvious he still didn't trust her – and Luo Yu knew that a couple of vague sentences weren't very convincing.
This was tricky. She was a new player. She didn't have anything that could prove her identity.
Wait. Hadn't Sun Heng said that Invisibility Spray only worked on Players?
"Why don't you spray me?" Luo Yu stared at him.
"Oh... right, right, yeah."
It suddenly clicked. He raised the spray and hit her arm a couple of times.
Her arm vanished. Then reappeared.
Luo Yu could almost hear the sigh of relief he let out.
"Because we haven't met the winning conditions yet," he said, answering her earlier question. "Knowing the secret isn't enough. Players also have to act on what they've learned."
"Sometimes it's finding an escape route. Sometimes it's defeating the main boss behind everything. It depends on the game's setting. Sorry, but could you tell me what you've found out? That way, I might be able to guess – "
Sun Heng looked ashamed as he spoke.
As a veteran player, he hadn't accomplished anything. He'd even led the entire Player Team to their deaths.
He was disgusted with himself.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't trust you before. And I acted way too casually."
Sun Heng apologized from the heart.
People are naturally drawn to strength. At first, he'd only been attracted to Luo Yu's looks. Now, he was finally speaking to her as an equal – or maybe even someone above him.
Luo Yu nodded.
She'd already guessed why the game hadn't ended directly. Asking Sun Heng was just confirmation.
She'd come to him because she needed his help.
"The Teachers in this school are all monsters. The wolves are the real Teachers," Luo Yu said, laying it out cleanly.
Yesterday evening, she'd seen the Wolf Pack from the back mountain transform into human form with her own eyes. And the alpha wolf that had led her into the back mountain? It was none other than Qinggang High's Principal.
The Principal said Qinggang High used to be a good school – relaxed, open, welcoming. He'd just gotten the wrong idea. Trying to boost the school's university admission rates, he'd swapped in a stricter management system.
"And this is what it turned into," the old Principal sighed. "The atmosphere took a nosedive. Students complained constantly. And the unclean things from the back mountain slipped in while no one was paying attention, taking over our entire Teacher staff."
"They've only gotten worse. Tormenting the students."
"Living people's energy pushes back against dark forces. The dirty things don't dare confront the students head-on, so they kill and replace them in the shadows."
"If their numbers surpass the surviving students, then there's no saving this place."
The old Principal did some quick mental math. "I used to teach math. At this rate, three days from now, the student count will drop below the safety line."
Three days from now.
Right on the game's final day.
Everything Sun Heng had said was true. If a player took the mission description at face value and chose to do nothing – just try to survive seven days in Qinggang High – by Day Seven, when the monsters were no longer restricted, every single Player would die.
After all that talk, the old Principal finally gave her something useful. "There's a Spirit-Capturing Master Statue in my office. A wandering Taoist priest gave it to me when the school was first built. He said it would come in handy at the critical moment."
"I'd like you to retrieve that statue. Help us become human again. And if you can win over the students – "
Luo Yu relayed the old Principal's words concisely, then summarized. "That's the situation. Those Teachers can only turn human again for short periods in the back mountain. You need to break into the Principal's office and steal the statue."
She raised an eyebrow. "You can pull that off, right, Sun Heng?"
He's not calling him "Bro Sun" anymore.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me." Sun Heng gave a confident nod.
Partly because he actually had the skills – and partly because he didn't want to look pathetic in front of her.
"But..." Sun Heng hesitated. "If I'm stealing the statue, what are you planning to do?"
She wasn't just going to sit around, was she?
No way, right? Luo Yu didn't seem like the type to just talk without actually contributing.
Luo Yu was silent for a long moment.
"I'm thinking," she said, shrugging. "If there's any chance, I want to help the students here. Call it a soft spot. Their world shouldn't be like this."
Crushed by monsters. Held hostage by the system. Unable to cry or laugh. They were living, breathing human beings – but they'd gone so numb they were barely distinguishable from the monsters wearing masks.
Sun Heng scratched his head.
He'd taken the university entrance exam too. It was more than ten years ago now, but those suppressed emotions – the fear, the anxiety, the suffocation – still sometimes woke him up from nightmares.
"Is that even possible?" He looked toward the classroom building, at the students packed into every class, at their hollow faces, and he had his doubts.
"Don't underestimate students their age," Luo Yu said. "When they come together, the power they can unleash – it's huge."
That night, the classroom building's main power switch was cut. Evening study session was cancelled schoolwide.
Sun Heng slipped into the Principal's office amid the chaos and easily stole the Spirit-Capturing Master Statue. The monsters were too afraid of it to even approach the office – which made Sun Heng's job way easier.
Meanwhile, at the girls' dormitory.
Luo Yu found the girl who'd cried to her that afternoon.
"Want to help your other classmates?"
"Don't be scared. I'll be with you the whole time."
Summary:
Luo Yu and Sun Heng verify each other's identities and reconcile as the only two survivors. Luo Yu shares the Principal's revelation that the teachers are monsters and the wolves are the real teachers. They split tasks: Sun Heng will steal the Ghost-Catching Master Statue while Luo Yu tries to rally the students.
Trivia:
- The Invisibility Spray only works on Players, not NPCs, which serves as the identity verification method.
- The Principal was formerly a math teacher and calculated the three-day timeline based on student attrition rates.
- The Ghost-Catching Master Statue was given to the Principal when the school was first built by a wandering Daoist priest.
- The wolves can only temporarily regain human form in the back mountain area.
- Luo Yu found the Bone Whistle, which connects to the Wolf Pack and served as her key clue.
- Sun Heng originally dismissed Luo Yu based on her appearance but now respects her as an equal or superior.
- The game's clear condition requires action based on discovered information, not just knowledge.
- The monsters fear the Ghost-Catching Master Statue and won't approach the Principal's office.
- The students have become so numb that they're barely distinguishable from the disguised monsters.
- Luo Yu's plan involves helping the students directly while Sun Heng handles the heist.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A foundational concept in Chinese cosmology. Yang represents positive, active, bright energy while yin represents negative, passive, dark energy. In this context, the students' collective vitality (yang) is the only thing preventing the monsters (yin) from completely overrunning the school. The translation preserves the original terminology for cultural authenticity.
Notes:
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• K - A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N's protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school squad.
• 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.
• 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.