Si Cheng spoke with his head lowered, his expression humble and subservent, like a servant abused and exploited by the young miss, forced to do nothing but foot-wiping work all day long.
Now that the young miss had finally allowed him to approach, he leaned in as if drunk. His knuckles cracked under the pressure, his breath came in rough, excited pants, and his face flushed with exhilaration.
His eyes gleamed with a long-restrained green light, saliva nearly dripping from between his teeth.
Jiang Yingxiao didn’t wait for the boy before her to magically produce a tissue from his flat pocket. Instead, she saw his handsome, shadowed face suddenly press close to hers.
Did wiping her face require getting this close?
That look in his eyes was very much like a vicious dog in a dream, ready to pounce.
Could it be that there really were many food crumbs stuck to her mouth, so much so that even those around her couldn’t bear to look?
No, she had tried her best to keep the chopsticks in her mouth while eating. It must be that Si Cheng himself was nearsighted.
“Can’t you see clearly?” Jiang Yingxiao bit her lip and obediently leaned her face closer. “Go ahead and wipe.”
The pretty little lamb placed her neck in the carnivore’s mouth, even considerately touching its teeth, worried they might not be sharp enough.
Beneath her fair, delicate skin, blood vessels pulsed steadily. A gentle scrape from sharp teeth would make her bleed profusely.
So foolish.
“Young Miss…” Si Cheng swallowed and moved back slightly.
He rolled up the rough sleeve of his outer coat and used the snow-white shirt inside to slowly wipe around her mouth.
The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, like a contented cat, so comfortable she almost wanted her ears to pop out and twitch atop her head.
Her already rosy lips were rubbed to a deeper shade, standing out against her clean, pale face like a plum blossom in winter snow.
A place he only dared to imagine licking in his heart, yet it had been sucked and nibbled by some starving ghost.
“Don’t trust men like me anymore.” Si Cheng released his hand, lowered his eyes, tidied up the lunchbox, and almost slunk away with his tail between his legs.
Jiang Yingxiao carried a scent that didn’t belong in this horror game, utterly out of place amidst the pervasive damp, muddy stench of decay.
Nothing here could keep her.
The disgusting, slimy ghosts, the ugly, violent humans—all were crawling insects and rats in the dark gutters. They should be content just to be glanced at by her.
“Tomorrow is the Ranking Exam. Everyone, work hard and strive for the guaranteed admission slot.”
On the third day of class, the teacher refreshed her dialogue as usual.
Everyone thought she would move on to reviewing questions, but the woman continued, “Students who wish to take the Recommendation Exam, please raise your hands.”
Despite her gentle tone, the NPC classmates around began to tremble. Some even pretended to drop their pens to avoid her gaze, bending over to pick them up for a long time.
The atmosphere in the classroom grew heavy and oppressive. No one dared to look up.
“What?” The woman’s voice shifted to a different tone. “Are you all so unmotivated in your studies?”
A snarling voice echoed through the corridor. Her eyes rolled in their sockets, and half her face instantly became a bloody, mangled mess, unrecognizable from its original form.
Pink flesh grew teeth at the severed edges—sharp, stark white—and drooled toward the students below. The papers on the lectern were soon soaked with saliva.
“Teacher, I’m willing!”
A male voice rang out from the back of the classroom. Hearing this, the woman’s voice stopped. She tilted her head to examine him, and her mutated face began to revert, the pink flesh receding.
Glasses Man’s expression was fervent, his hand raised high above his head. The Tall and Thin Woman was startled by his voice. She glanced at the teacher on the podium who had just returned to normal, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly raised her hand as well.
Now only four Players remained. The short, stocky man who had been with Glasses Man had poked out his eye during the Eye Exercises Game the previous day and then died mysteriously shortly after. His only remaining teammate was this Tall and Thin Woman who supported him.
Compared to Glasses Man’s confidence, the woman’s fingertips trembled, as if she were somewhat afraid of him.
The teacher on the podium finally showed a sincere smile at the corner of her mouth, nodding repeatedly as she looked at them. “Enthusiastic students are always good students. After class, I’ll teach you a little extra knowledge.”
She was so delighted that she sprayed saliva, and half of her tongue seemed to straighten out considerably.
It seemed she was going to leak the exam questions to them.
Glasses Man secretly rejoiced. His gaze met Jiang Yingxiao’s, who was looking over from the front, and he raised an eyebrow, thinking he looked cool.
This Recommendation Exam randomly selected between the A and B Test Papers. The previous day, they had already obtained the answers to Paper A from the Principal’s Office. If the teacher was willing to hand over the answers to Paper B, this Instance would be foolproof.
The girl wrinkled her face and turned back around.
The teacher said, “The remaining students, of course, must also take the exam. As for you bunch of unenthusiastic children, whether you get recommended or not will depend entirely on yourselves.”
No one below responded, but she didn’t seem particularly angry. She didn’t even ask any questions. Instead, she spent the entire class happily highlighting key points throughout the lesson.
It was useless. In summary, everything except the cover would be on the exam.
Jiang Yingxiao felt as if she had genuinely attended a high school math class—drowsy and struggling to stay awake. As soon as the System reminded her that the Round had ended, she wiped the drool from her mouth and prepared to go back for a nap. However, before she could even steady her legs, she slumped back into her chair.
【Task Five: Secretly hide your roommate’s clothes in bed.】
【Time Limit: 30 minutes.】
【Mission Reward: 2000 Points.】
Her roommate… was Xie Yingqi.
The girl was momentarily stunned. As soon as she began to think, her fingers unconsciously started rubbing the edge of her clothes. Then, to her delight, she realized that this piece of clothing originally belonged to Xie Yingqi.
Great! She wouldn’t have to do anything sneaky.
【Violation Warning: Please note, Player. The current tally of items belonging to the Task Target is as follows: one set of St. Sonia Uniform, two pairs of underwear.】
076 kindly reminded her:
【Don’t take the wrong ones, baby.】
What the heck.
Jiang Yingxiao shot a resentful glare at the expressionless man by the window and then mentally cursed 076 a little.
So it was just about making her take underwear like some pervert, but phrased so nicely.
This Xie Yingqi was also bad—why didn’t he bring more clothes after being in the Instance for so long?
【Task Remaining Time: 26 minutes.】
The crisp electronic voice echoed in her mind like a death warrant. The girl puffed out her cheeks, exhaled a breath of frustration, and pushed herself up from the desk.
Then, she was blocked by a tall, dark, and sturdy man.
Glasses Man stood in front of her, stretching out his long arm to block her path. He chuckled twice, his gaze toward her filled with aggression.
It was as if he were looking at a plaything that was about to fall into his hands.
“What do you want? Move aside,” Jiang Yingxiao frowned and looked up, but the other man didn’t budge at all. The Tall and Thin Woman behind him remained silent as well, though her lowered hands trembled even more violently.
The previous afternoon, during their investigation, Glasses Man had insisted on sneaking into the Principal’s Office to steal the answers but was caught on the spot.
The man, who looked like a malevolent ghost, let out a sinister laugh. His sticky gaze wandered back and forth among the three of them as he opened his mouth, grinning:
“Naughty children, if you want this answer to pass the exam, that’s perfectly fine.”
Dragging a mangled, bloody leg, he stood up and reached out to pull out a few sheets of A4 paper.
The greedy eyes of the two people beside him focused on the papers. They reached out to grab them, but before they could touch them, the papers were suddenly snatched back.
“If you want something so precious,” he opened his mouth wide, his entire body tearing open to reveal teeth inside his abdominal cavity, “you’ll need to trade a person for it.”
The two exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, grabbed the blind, short, and stout man standing nearby.
The Tall and Thin Woman snapped back to reality, her hands clutching the hem of her clothes, her gaze toward Glasses Man even tinged with hatred.
If the answer to Paper B also required a human life in exchange, the two of them would inevitably fight to the death.
“Little sister, your big brother here has the answer now. I can leave the Instance tomorrow. If you beg me now, there’s still time.”
Glasses Man’s lecherous voice echoed through the classroom. The woman paused for a moment, then slowly turned her gaze toward Jiang Yingxiao.
Such a great opportunity—the little dodder vine definitely wouldn’t refuse. Later, when going to the office to get the answer, she could bring her along.
“That’s right, come out with us,” she chimed in, forcing a stiff smile at the corner of her mouth.
Jiang Yingxiao blinked at them, then, under their expectant gazes, uttered a refusal. “I’d rather not. I haven’t done any investigating myself, so I shouldn’t enjoy these benefits.”
Her words sounded polite and tactful, but inwardly, she was growing frantic. With these two blocking the way, she was going to miss the Mission time.
Glasses Man still refused to give up. “Little sister, don’t be so quick to refuse—”
“Um,” the girl interrupted him, racking her brains to come up with a lie. “That NPC named Yu Chi ordered me to go to the Rooftop right now, or else he’ll break all our legs.”
Whether they believed it or not, the two exchanged another glance and reluctantly took a small step back to make way.
Jiang Yingxiao hurried toward the stairwell, finally disappearing from their sight.
The remaining two prepared to head to the office, but a long knife suddenly dropped in front of them, embedding itself in the ground.
“Where are you going?” The man who walked up from behind spoke in a detached tone, his voice carrying an ominous weight as it reached their ears.
【Task Remaining Time: 7 minutes.】
076 ticked away the Countdown in her mind. Jiang Yingxiao jogged all the way back to the Dormitory and, without even catching her breath, began rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
Fortunately, Xie Yingqi himself wasn’t there, so she felt less restrained while doing this shady business.
“There’s nothing in the wardrobe. Where else could he have put it? He couldn’t possibly be wearing two at once, could he?”
Wouldn’t that feel too tight?
The girl muttered to herself, large beads of sweat rolling down her flushed pink cheeks, sliding over her fair collarbone, and disappearing into her collar.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. Her eyes lit up as she looked toward the other’s bed curtain.
That’s right—something so ordinary must be kept on the bed for daily changing and washing. Besides, for such a perverted Mission, it must be hidden in the most perverted place.
As if she had found the correct answer, Jiang Yingxiao lunged forward, pulled open the curtain, and searched every corner, not missing a single spot. Finally, beside the pillow, she discovered a suspicious bag.
Inside was exactly what she had been longing for—the Task Target, brand new and unopened.
Jiang Yingxiao’s lips curled into a smile as he clutched the stolen item and slid down. Just as his feet touched the ground, he heard a noise from the dormitory door.
Someone was opening it.
[You guys are late. Is my wife getting ready to sleep in bed? Haha, feels like all the beds in this Instance look the same. Qi Shen’s bed is like this too.]
[…If you knew my baby was on that bastard Xie Yingqi’s bed, wouldn’t you explode?]
[F*ck, damn Xie Yingqi, stealing my wife is an unforgivable grudge. When you come out, I’ll find a van full of people to deal with you.]
Author’s Note:
Next, Baby Yingxiao will choose: A. Hide himself in his teammate’s bed.
B. Hurry back to his own bed to complete the Mission.
C. Throw what’s in his hand at his teammate’s face and declare, “I don’t want this. I want the one you’re wearing.”
Getting things sorted, this is almost over. Probably two or three more chapters. How’s the pacing, babies?