Lately, the caution Lin Gaoshan felt whenever he looked at Xia Miao grew heavier by the day. He had always suspected that Xia Miao was out of the ordinary, which was why he had thought about gathering a crew to test the waters and figure out what she was really capable of. Little did he know that the moment he approached Ding Renlu—who readily agreed to cooperate with him—Ding Renlu would vanish off the face of the earth.
There was no doubt about it: Ding Renlu had met with a terrible fate.
How terrifyingly ruthless of Xia Miao! Exactly how had she figured out that he and Ding Renlu were planning to move against her, prompting her to strike first and eliminate the threat?
Lin Gaoshan found himself increasingly unable to read Xia Miao’s true depth. Previously, he had still entertained the thought of cozying up to her and striking up a conversation, but now it was clear that someone with a mind as deep and unfathomable as Xia Miao’s would never carelessly reveal her hand.
Yet, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing; Lin Gaoshan had racked up a mountain of gambling debts outside, meaning he desperately had to find that suppressor. He had managed to scrape by through sheer luck in the past few games, but there was no guarantee his luck would hold out forever.
Besides, simply racking his brain just to stay alive had already drained every ounce of his mental energy. Where on earth was he supposed to find the bandwidth to hunt for a suppressor?
Fortunately, he had caught wind of some insider gossip: someone among this batch of players possessed a special ability, and he firmly believed that person was Xia Miao. To achieve his goals, he had no choice but to figure out a way to usurp that so-called special ability for himself.
Once again, his eyes drifted forward, locking intently onto the girl ahead of him.
Xia Miao had brought a mountain of snacks for Fang Ke’ai. Giving her deskmate’s shoulder a comforting pat, she offered some kind words:
“Don’t be sad. Out with the old, in with the new—you’re bound to cross paths with an even better guy!”
Fang Ke’ai still couldn’t shake her gloom. Her secret crush had withered and died before it ever had a chance to bloom into the open, shattering her young heart into pieces. Still, at least she had her friend’s comfort to lean on.
“Miaomiao, thank you,” Fang Ke’ai said, her eyes welling up with touched tears. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to crawl out from under this dark cloud.”
“We’re desk-mates and friends, aren’t we?” Xia Miao replied generously. “Naturally, I have to stick by your side and cheer you up during times like this!”
Fang Ke’ai sniffled.
“Miaomiao, you really are such a good person.”
Xia Miao privately agreed that she was an absolute saint of a human being. However, since this was the first time anyone had ever openly acknowledged that fact, she felt a swell of pride. Digging into her schoolbag once more, she hauled out another stash of snacks, arraying them across the desk right in front of Fang Ke’ai.
“Eat more sweets! It’ll instantly boost your mood!”
There was a physical education class scheduled for today, and Xia Miao was on duty to collect the equipment. Dressed in athletic wear, she lugged a heavy sack of volleyballs toward the storage shed. Fang Ke’ai had offered to tag along and help, but something else had cropped up at the last minute. Telling her friend to go take care of business, Xia Miao carried the gear into the storage room all by herself.
Squatting down to organize the equipment, she was caught completely off guard when the door behind her slammed shut with a heavy thud, plunging the room into absolute darkness.
The lightbulb in the storage shed had burned out ages ago and had never been repaired. After a few erratic sparks flared, a dim, wavering glow illuminated the space.
A man stood before her, wearing a crude mask fashioned out of cardboard and holding a flickering, rusted kerosene lantern—likely salvaged from some forgotten corner of the academy.
Stepping closer, he spoke in a raspy, muffled voice:
“Don’t panic, Xia Miao. As long as you cooperate nicely, I won’t hurt you.”
Standing up to her full height, Xia Miao asked:
“Lin Gaoshan, what are you trying to pull?”
The man froze for a fraction of a second before ripping off the flimsy cardboard mask. Sure enough, it revealed Lin Gaoshan’s prematurely aged, anxious face.
“How the hell did you recognize me?”
“I just did, plain and simple,” Xia Miao replied coolly.
Lin Gaoshan’s expression twisted into a foul scowl. Originally, he had wanted to conceal his identity to terrify Xia Miao into submission, but since she had seen right through him instantly, he abandoned the weak disguise altogether and dropped into a menacing, threatening glare.
“Xia Miao, we’re both smart people here, so let’s drop the act,” Lin Gaoshan said, fighting to keep his rising agitation in check. “I told you, we can work together. As long as we team up, we’re guaranteed to escape this ghost world alive. I happen to be the one person who knows where the suppressor is hidden—partnering with me will definitely work in your favor.”
Blinking, Xia Miao prodded,
“Well then, go ahead and tell me: where is this so-called suppressor?”
Lin Gaoshan let out a dry laugh.
“If I just handed that information over to you right now, wouldn’t I lose all my leverage? Xia Miao, team up with me. I know far more than you can possibly imagine.”
Even at a time like this, Xia Miao didn’t look the least bit intimidated. Crossing her arms, she smiled.
“If you want me to bite, you at least have to cough up something of genuine value to prove you’re telling the truth, don’t you?”
Lin Gaoshan’s expression grew complex, likely realizing that Xia Miao’s words carried a shred of logic.
“If we can manage to capture a monster together and smuggle it out of here, the people at SU will reward us with a fortune we could never spend in a lifetime.”
Xia Miao’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“You mentioned earlier that the monsters here are valuable.”
“Of course! Do you have any idea how monumental the significance of these entities really is? They’re supposed to be lifeless corpses, yet they still linger in this world. In a certain sense, their very existence is the key to eternal life!”
Lin Gaoshan grew increasingly impassioned.
“Xia Miao, you must have used some kind of trick to control that murder ghost, didn’t you? I know where the suppressor is. If you cooperate with me and lure the murder ghost right there, I can use the suppressor to immobilize him. He’s a prime, one-of-a-kind specimen—we cannot afford to miss this!”
Xia Miao smiled.
“Don’t take me for a fool. If that suppressor were truly as magical as you claim, how could its whereabouts be so easily known to you? I don’t do business with liars.”
“I am not a liar! The suppressor is right inside the school cafeteria kit—” Catching himself mid-sentence, Lin Gaoshan’s expression instantly shifted. “Xia Miao, you never wanted to cooperate with me at all! You were just fishing for information!”
“Not at all, you’ve got it all wrong,” Xia Miao countered innocently.
At the same time, her eyes darted around to scope out the surroundings. Lin Gaoshan was blocking the exit near the door; trying to sprint past him would definitely result in getting intercepted. The windows looked like a viable exit strategy, though she couldn’t tell whether they were unlatched or jammed shut.
Laughing out of sheer fury, Lin Gaoshan sneered,
“I should have guessed it. There was no way you were going to play ball and cooperate with me quietly. Fine by me—I’ll just figure out what kind of secrets you’re hiding through a different method.”
Suddenly, he tossed something into the kerosene lantern, triggering a tiny flash of sparks. An unfamiliar, pungent chemical odor thickened rapidly in the air as he simultaneously pulled a gas mask from his backpack and strapped it securely over his face.
Xia Miao’s brows furrowed tightly as a wave of dizziness washed over her.
Stepping forward slowly, Lin Gaoshan gloated,
“Don’t forget, this place is the former experimental site of SU. It’s got plenty of good toys lying around for me to unearth.”
Like the chemical compound burning inside his lantern—just a tiny whiff was enough to paralyze human nerves.
“To be completely honest, you’re not bad-looking at all. Stuck in a hellhole like this, you must be starved for a man’s touch, right? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to record a nice, clear video so I can reminisce later. Of course, if you don’t want that video broadcasted for the whole school to see, you’d better start talking and confess your secrets right now.”
Dragging a hand backward along the wall, Xia Miao feigned a weak, breathless tone:
“Step a little closer… and I’ll tell you my secret.”
Believing that she had finally broken under pressure, Lin Gaoshan lunged forward eagerly.
Without a second’s hesitation, Xia Miao hoisted a heavy dumbbell and brought it crashing down hard onto Lin Gaoshan’s head.