Xiao Muyu forced herself to forget her emotions along the way, keeping her eyes fixed on the light. Fortunately, the magnetic field pattern was clear at this moment, and the so-called centripetal force was real. As long as she maintained this speed, she could accurately pass through the next intersection.
Time was running out. Not only were the lights flashing, but the entire magnetic field was starting to shake. Alarms were blaring continuously, like an air raid, creating unimaginable pressure on those inside.
Xiao Muyu could no longer hold back. It seemed like the place was about to collapse. She couldn’t help but worry if Shen Qingqiu was in trouble.
Finally, that corner appeared in front of Xiao Muyu. She stepped forward, instantly feeling the space twist around her, her body spinning as if caught in a whirlpool, turning everything upside down.
She felt a sharp pain in her body and was thrown out. Despite her dizziness, she struggled to get up. What she saw was a table, a bed… She was now in Liu Ya and Lin Xue’s room.
At last, she saw people. Her gaze quickly moved up but then froze.
It wasn’t her.
Liu Ya and Lin Xue were standing in the room, holding hands and looking at her. Lin Xue reached out to help her but withdrew her hand when she saw Xiao Muyu standing steadily.
Liu Ya’s expression had softened significantly. Seeing Xiao Muyu emerge, Lin Xue’s eyes showed a hint of a smile. “You finally made it out.”
Xiao Muyu, however, didn’t have time to look at them. She scanned the surroundings. Shen Qingqiu had been right beside her when they entered, but now there was no one!
“Captain Xiao.” Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian’s voices came from behind. She turned around to see the two girls sweating profusely and panting, looking like they had rushed up from downstairs.
Seeing Lin Xue and Liu Ya, the two were somewhat wary, but they couldn’t afford to care about the culprits now. They hurriedly asked, “Thank goodness, Captain Xiao, you made it out too. Where is Miss Shen?”
Xiao Muyu didn’t answer their question. She looked at the two and softly asked, “What about Chen Kaijie? Did he make it out?”
“Everyone’s out.” Su Jin replied quickly, then immediately realized something was wrong. But seeing Xiao Muyu’s expression, she didn’t dare to ask more.
Zuo Tiantian opened her mouth but quickly closed it again. The three of them stood silently in the room, the atmosphere so heavy it felt suffocating.
After a while, Xiao Muyu turned around. She didn’t look at Lin Xue and Liu Ya but kept her eyes fixed on the empty space beside her, as if waiting for Shen Qingqiu to emerge at any moment.
Liu Ya glanced at Lin Xue, who shook her head before breaking the silence in the room.
“We’re very sorry. Xiaoya and I were blinded by hatred, which led to this game and caused you all to suffer. We’ve already avenged ourselves on those who deserved it. As for those who stood by and watched, Xiaoya and I have let go. Once this is over, we’ll leave immediately.”
She looked at Xiao Muyu with a mix of regret and compassion. They had long noticed that the girl who hadn’t made it out had an unusual relationship with Xiao Muyu.
As the main characters of this tragedy, no one understood this feeling better than they did. They knew that any consolation at this moment would be meaningless.
Xiao Muyu remained motionless for a long time before suddenly remembering something. She hurriedly activated her control panel.
After a quick glance, a flicker of emotion finally crossed her previously cold and pale face. At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared beside her.
The person looked very weak, unable to stand, and fell straight to the ground.
Xiao Muyu, who was closest, reacted quickly. She reached out, caught the person, and held them tightly. Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian, filled with joy, rushed over.
The body in her arms was burning hot and leaned softly against her. Xiao Muyu held her tightly, then loosened her grip slightly, her hands trembling.
After clenching her fists, she raised her hand and gently brushed the hair off Shen Qingqiu’s face. Shen Qingqiu seemed to have fainted.
Her beautiful face was smeared with dirt, as if she had come from a fire. Her forehead was covered in a fine sweat, and she clenched her teeth as if enduring some pain. Xiao Muyu panicked—was she injured?
“Thank goodness she’s out. What’s wrong with Miss Shen? Did she choke?” Zuo Tiantian asked excitedly, then looked worriedly at the unconscious Shen Qingqiu.
Xiao Muyu, still reeling from the ordeal, said nothing. She carefully removed Shen Qingqiu’s jacket and unbuttoned her collar to help her breathe.
She checked Shen Qingqiu’s body thoroughly—there were no burns and no new injuries apart from the previous ones. So what was causing her pain?
“Let her rest on the bed for now,” Lin Xue suggested. Though she was just a student, she was very considerate.
Seeing Shen Qingqiu out, Lin Xue’s eyes showed a hint of happiness and a bit of regret. She turned to look at Liu Ya, whose eyes were red, and held her hand.
Xiao Muyu thanked her, then bent down to lift Shen Qingqiu and carefully placed her on the bed.
She looked down at Shen Qingqiu, then turned her gaze to Lin Xue and Liu Ya.
She truly understood Lin Xue and Liu Ya’s pain and knew how they felt now.
“Have those who bullied you been punished?” Xiao Muyu thought of the students whose grades had suddenly dropped.
Liu Ya gritted her teeth. “Not a single one escaped. They got off easy this time. Compared to the pain Ah Xue went through, what they suffered is nothing.”
Xiao Muyu fell silent. “Those responsible for Lin Xue’s death were the two students who died earlier, along with Zhang Zhu, Chen Xuan, Li Yuehang, and Luo Zihao, right?”
“Yes.” Liu Ya’s hatred was still palpable. “Ah Xue was clearly killed by them, yet they claimed it was an accident. They colluded and insisted it was due to using prohibited electrical appliances in the dorm. They said it was a prank, not murder. No one at school was willing to testify—they accused me of being aggressive.”
Remembering this, Liu Ya couldn’t hold back her tears. The despair was suffocating.
“I reported them to the police when they first bullied Ah Xue and me, but the police only mediated, calling it a minor dispute between classmates. This only made things worse. Ah Xue’s report made them resentful, and they targeted her.”
Liu Ya was in deep pain. The students had not initially targeted Lin Xue. If it weren’t for their relationship being discovered, Lin Xue wouldn’t have been criticized by others, and teachers and parents wouldn’t have scolded her.
Later, because Lin Xue stood by her and defended her, she attracted lethal trouble.
“I just loved her. I didn’t harm anyone or disturb them, but they wouldn’t leave us alone. Teachers couldn’t stop us, so they condoned the others’ ridicule and bullying. I curse them; they deserved it.”
The others remained silent. School bullying was familiar, but the extent of the harm it caused to the victims was often unimaginable.
As adults, parents, teachers, and police should uphold justice against school bullying, or they extinguish the last hope for those kids seeking help.
“If you leave, will they remember these events?” Xiao Muyu asked after a long silence.
“As long as I want them to, they will.”
“The dead are gone, and the living should reflect on themselves. Let them remember. Some lessons must be learned.”
Xiao Muyu didn’t sympathize with those people. No matter how they retaliated, Lin Xue and Liu Ya’s pain would not disappear.
“Liu Ya, you…” Zuo Tiantian hesitated but then fell silent.
Liu Ya turned to Lin Xue, smiling gently. Her eyes were full of tenderness. “It’s nothing. I’ve stolen a lot of time already. It’s worth it.” Liu Ya had become a monster; her deep resentment had made her swap souls with a monster, allowing Lin Xue to remain. Lin Xue’s resentment had faded, so she could rest in peace, but Liu Ya couldn’t.
“I don’t quite understand what you’re doing, but I wish you all the best,” Lin Xue said sincerely.
To Xiao Muyu and the others, Lin Xue was no longer just an NPC in a game; she was flesh and blood.
“And although I didn’t like the two of you at first, I hope you won’t repeat our mistakes,” Liu Ya said, glancing at Shen Qingqiu on the bed before turning to Xiao Muyu.
Her gaze at Xiao Muyu was peculiar, a mix of hope and shared suffering.
After speaking, Liu Ya and Lin Xue held hands and walked toward the window. A glow appeared on their backs, and they gradually vanished into it, hand in hand.
After seeing them off, the three of them felt a bit heavy-hearted. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the outcome is destined to be a tragedy.
“Ugh, ugh,” Shen Qingqiu suddenly coughed twice from the bed, causing Xiao Muyu and the others to turn toward her.
Shen Qingqiu opened her eyes to see three worried faces. Her gaze settled on Xiao Muyu for a moment before moving away.
Using Xiao Muyu’s hand, she sat up and smiled, “Looks like I’m lucky, still alive.”
“You’re so capable; nothing could happen to you. This is what they call ‘good people are blessed by heaven,'” Zuo Tiantian said with a smile.
“Ding! Instance 004, Death Class Seven, main storyline progress complete! Congratulations to Xiao Muyu’s team for successfully clearing limited edition Instance 004. The overall rating for this instance is S-level! Individual ratings will be announced shortly!”
Shen Qingqiu had just sat up when she heard the system announcement. Her forehead twitched—damn thing!
“Instance 002 was a collector’s edition, and Instance 004 is a limited edition. What’s with this? No wonder it was so hard!” Chen Kaijie was speechless, bemoaning their luck.
Xiao Muyu only frowned slightly and said nothing. Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian couldn’t help but roll their eyes; they were at the mercy of others.
The limited edition instance’s overall rating of S-level was a team score. This instance had informed them from the start that individual scores would be calculated separately.
“Let’s go down first.” The individual scores weren’t out yet, and Chen Kaijie was still downstairs. Xiao Muyu signaled for them to go down and meet up.
Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian turned and walked ahead, while Xiao Muyu stayed by Shen Qingqiu’s side. As they walked out the door, she whispered, “Are you alright?”
Shen Qingqiu tilted her head, touched her lips, and smiled seductively, “I feel great, actually. Quite memorable.”
Xiao Muyu turned away, her face expressionless, “Then hurry up.”
Shen Qingqiu glanced at her reddening ears and laughed softly, “Repressed.” She then walked out leisurely, her steps steady and light, as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Muyu’s eyes showed a trace of helplessness. Impulsive, indeed. Shen Qingqiu’s antics reminded her of that kiss, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips lightly.
Far Ning High School was quiet at night. Under the dormitory’s streetlights, there were only five of them.
“Now announcing individual scores: Xiao Muyu, S-level, 120 points; Shen Qingqiu, S-level, 110 points; Su Jin, B-level, 90 points; Zuo Tiantian, B-level, 85 points; Chen Kaijie, B-level, 80 points.”
The difficulty of this instance was unexpectedly high. Mostly, Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu led the charge, so Su Jin and the others expected their scores.
But seeing the results, they still felt a bit disappointed. Chen Kaijie apologized, “I was of no use in this instance.”
“We’re a team. If you were useless, our team score wouldn’t be S-level. This instance required 100% storyline exploration and completion while staying alive. Surviving this complex scenario already puts us ahead of many,” Xiao Muyu countered, continuing, “And on the first night, if not for Su Jin and Xiao Zuo’s bravery and caution, Qingqiu and I might not have made it. Besides, you three separated and returned unscathed, meaning everyone contributed.
“The exam scene was about the average score. If you were too poor, we’d definitely have lost. Everyone has their strengths, so don’t overthink it.”
Shen Qingqiu quietly watched Xiao Muyu, observing that the calmest and most aloof among them was actually the most caring and considerate.
“Congratulations on completing the instance. It’s time to return,” said the referee for Instance 004, who had appeared silently behind them, reminding them.
Xiao Muyu glanced at the school. From today, its gloom would lift.
“Let’s go.” Shen Qingqiu had already taken her hand. Xiao Muyu looked at her without saying anything, and the next moment, their vision blurred, and they were back in the room where they had entered the instance.
It was lottery time again. Xiao Muyu felt a bit of a headache; the instance cards were useless this time. She wondered what they would get.
The author has something to say: The system is a dog. Some readers said that if A-level was so difficult, what about the future? I couldn’t help but laugh. Remember, even during the B-level instances, readers said the same thing. Later, S-level and SSS-level will be nightmares.
In the setup, there are four levels, each with equivalent difficulty. Some focus on puzzles, some on recordings, and others on combat. The difficulty is equivalent, but some instances are tricky. Thanks for the encouragement, I’m doing well! Continuing to write! The weekends will be easier.
