Perhaps because Luo Yu had been staring for too long, the students lined up behind her began to complain.
“Are you buying or not? Hurry up already!”
“Seriously! If I’d known, I would’ve brought a book down to read too.”
“Classmate, could you please stop wasting other people’s time?”
“What a scourge on the school. People who don’t study should all die!”
Luo Yu blinked and didn’t respond to the increasingly extreme remarks behind her.
It was true that she had delayed things, and complaints were understandable. Still, what these students were saying was far too radical. There really was something wrong here.
While thinking this over, she smiled at the service window. “Two meat buns, please.”
The bun vendor didn’t comment on her behavior. In fact, aside from the routine question he’d asked at the start, he had remained silent the entire time.
Luo Yu took the buns and stepped aside to make room for the others.
After walking a few steps, she still couldn’t suppress the flutter in her chest and turned back to look at him again.
Appreciating beauty is a human instinct. If you don’t look, you lose out.
In an escape game like this, she might die at any moment. Seeing something nice was a gain in itself.
But that single glance made Luo Yu notice something unusual.
When she had turned her back earlier, the bun vendor seemed to be secretly observing her as well.
Although he quickly shifted his gaze away when she looked back, Luo Yu still caught it—a flash of red light flickering through his eyes.
Had she imagined it?
Or was there really something strange going on?
Come to think of it, among a group of food-service NPCs who were all middle-aged men and women, having one particularly handsome young man mixed in did feel out of place.
Could he be a breakthrough for investigation, a hidden monster lurking behind the scenes?
Luo Yu ate her buns while feeling troubled.
Deep down, she truly didn’t want to suspect someone so good-looking.
People liked to say that the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it became, but as a devoted looks enthusiast, Luo Yu firmly believed that beautiful things were beautiful inside and out.
How could he possibly be the mastermind?
She quietly observed the bun window. Even from such a distance, her heart still pounded.
Being a looks enthusiast really was dangerous.
If he were to appear in front of her, tell her he was a monster, and say he was going to eat her…
Luo Yu might very well be so dazzled by his beauty that she’d agree in a daze and lose her life as a result.
She knew that was bad, but still…
She really had no resistance.
Students came and went from the cafeteria in a hurry. Before long, the once-crowded hall emptied out.
Only a few dozen people remained, Luo Yu among them.
Of course, she wasn’t staying just to sneak a few more looks at the bun vendor. More importantly, she was waiting to meet the other players.
If the other players weren’t stupid, they’d be thinking the same way she was—
NPC students who cared about studying would rush back to their classrooms for evening self-study after dinner. By then, those left in the cafeteria would most likely be players with escape missions rather than study missions.
Instead of struggling to search through a crowd, it was better to patiently wait until the tide went out and everything became clear.
Sure enough, Luo Yu soon spotted more than a dozen players gathered in a corner.
She wiped her mouth and slowly walked over.
A scar-faced man asked, “Newbie?”
Luo Yu nodded. So there really were veteran players in the game. Judging by the situation, this scar-faced man was one of them and had already faintly become the leader of the group.
“Since there’s a newcomer, I’ll repeat it once more,” the man continued. “My name is Sun Heng. I’ve been through three horror escape games. This is my fourth.”
“The winning conditions for this game are to uncover the secret of Qinggang High School, or to survive successfully for seven days.”
“Although there are two options, based on my experience, the latter is almost always a trap.”
“Brother Sun, what… what does that mean?” a chubby man asked, his face turning pale.
Some of the other players also began whispering among themselves.
Sun Heng looked at him, his tone grave. “It means the survival environment will keep getting worse. If we do nothing, we likely won’t even make it to seven days before the game rules kill us.”
“So my suggestion is that everyone band together, search for clues, share information, complete the first task, and leave this place.”
“Actively looking for clues carries a certain level of danger, and I won’t force everyone to participate. In short, those willing to follow my command can stay in my team. Those unwilling can leave.”
“But,” Sun Heng’s voice turned cold, “I’m only responsible for members of the team. Once you leave, you won’t receive any help from us. Your life or death will be your own responsibility.”
Some people immediately stated that they would join Sun Heng’s team.
Most of the players here were newcomers. Following an experienced veteran player clearly offered better odds of survival than going it alone.
Luo Yu wasn’t foolish. She chose to join as well.
The chubby man who had hesitated earlier struggled for a few minutes before finally gritting his teeth and agreeing.
At that point, all the players had joined Sun Heng’s team.
Sun Heng was very satisfied with this outcome.
“Very good. Since you’re all willing to trust me, I won’t hold anything back. As a veteran player, I received some survival tips before entering the game—Qinggang High School’s school rules.”
“Students of Qinggang High School must obey the school rules. This may be the hidden rule the game has given us. Violate the rules, and you die.”
Next, Sun Heng began explaining the content of the school rules.
The players listened nervously, afraid of missing even a single rule and ending up with a miserable death.
Luo Yu also memorized them carefully, but honestly speaking, there were too many rules. She couldn’t guarantee she’d remember every single one clearly.
Besides, Sun Heng’s words weren’t necessarily entirely trustworthy. What if he had made up a few fake rules to deceive them?
After Sun Heng finished explaining, it was already getting late.
“That’ll be all for today. From now on, we’ll still gather in the cafeteria. This is the first day, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous. Everyone go to evening self-study.”
“But…” the chubby man tried to say something.
“Hurry up. Being late for class violates the school rules. Before I came here, I saw the school schedule. The official bell for evening self-study is about to ring!”
Hearing this, the players immediately scattered in a rush.
The chubby man shuddered and didn’t dare say anything else, breaking into a run toward the cafeteria exit.
Luo Yu was also about to leave when Sun Heng called out to her.
“You’re Luo Yu, right? Here—this is Qinggang High School’s school rules and student handbook. I only have a few copies, not enough for everyone, so I didn’t take them out earlier.”
Luo Yu accepted them, flattered. “Thank you.”
Sun Heng patted her shoulder. “It’s nothing. Girls should be looked after a bit more to begin with.”
Then, with a hint of implication, he added, “If you’re scared, you can come to me for help anytime. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s fine.”
To be fair, Sun Heng wasn’t bad-looking, and the scar at the corner of his eye added a bit of rugged charm.
But the way he smiled at her now made Luo Yu feel inexplicably disgusted.
She thanked him again, didn’t linger, and quickly left Sun Heng behind.
Just before exiting the cafeteria, she suddenly sensed something and turned her head to look toward the service windows.
They were completely empty. All the staff, including the astonishingly handsome young man, had vanished.
Luo Yu didn’t notice that inside the cafeteria, another woman was staring at her retreating figure, her eyes vicious and her expression full of venom.