Xiao Muyu was speechless upon hearing this. Who didn’t know she needed a break?
“I didn’t tell you to rest on my bed.”
Shen Qingqiu ignored her, covering her head with the blanket and mumbling, “If you can call her Sweetie and call me Shen Qingqiu, then I can rest on your bed.”
Xiao Muyu was utterly speechless. “What’s the logic between those two things?”
Shen Qingqiu didn’t respond immediately. After a while, she spoke softly and coquettishly, “I’m injured, can’t you indulge me a little?”
When she didn’t hear Xiao Muyu respond, she muttered quietly, “Besides, I’m scared to sleep alone.”
In the dim light, a sigh and a chuckle came from beside her. Xiao Muyu, having no choice, sighed, “What are you afraid of? Afraid you’ll scare the ghosts?”
As soon as she said this, Xiao Muyu couldn’t help but smile lightly. “Alright, rest.”
No more words were exchanged, clearly a tacit agreement.
Shen Qingqiu smiled, turning slightly to gaze at Xiao Muyu. She felt that Xiao Muyu had become gentler.
At that moment, a slender finger extended from the darkness, tapping Shen Qingqiu on the forehead and pushing her face away. Then, it quieted down.
Shen Qingqiu felt she had more to say, but her consciousness soon became muddled.
“Dong, dong!”
A series of dull bell chimes woke Xiao Muyu from her dream. She opened her eyes abruptly. But the next moment, her pupils contracted, and she quickly turned around, looking around in shock.
She found that she wasn’t lying on a bed; she was standing on the school’s playground.
Above her head, a solitary streetlamp cast a bright circle of light in which she stood. There was no shadow beneath her feet.
Though it was night, the surroundings were not dark but shrouded in a dense white fog, making everything around her hazy and indistinct.
Gradually, she noticed the white fog subtly shifting, shadows aimlessly drifting within, becoming clearer.
Xiao Muyu was somewhat tense, focusing intently on the approaching shadows, fully alert.
Suddenly, a shadow rapidly approached Xiao Muyu from behind. Startled, Xiao Muyu clenched her right hand and swung a punch but was caught before she could make contact.
Just as she was about to struggle, the person urgently said, “It’s me, I finally found you.”
“Shen Qingqiu?” Xiao Muyu felt relieved and quickly looked her over before whispering, “Is this what’s supposed to happen tonight?”
Shen Qingqiu looked serious. “It should be. We’re not the only ones here; there are others.”
“So, you mean, as long as you look into its eyes, you’ll get… pulled in.”
Before Xiao Muyu could finish speaking, she saw Zuo Tiantian, her expression changing instantly.
“Zuo Tiantian, why are you here? Where’s Su Jin?” As soon as she finished speaking, a few more people appeared, including Su Jin.
“What’s going on? Did you encounter that thing?”
Shen Qingqiu’s expression also changed. Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian weren’t staying in the teacher’s dormitory. Could it be that they couldn’t avoid it either, and Su Jin was a teacher?
“We couldn’t avoid it; it appeared too suddenly.” Su Jin looked equally frustrated. In fact, Shen Qingqiu had quietly warned her not to look into its eyes upon her return.
However, she sighed and said softly, “It’s okay to come in. I wouldn’t be at ease leaving you out there.”
Especially when Shen Qingqiu had privately warned her not to look into its eyes, she was very worried. If she didn’t come in, Shen Qingqiu might have faced this alone.
But seeing Xiao Muyu, she felt she might be overthinking. How could Xiao Muyu let Shen Qingqiu face it alone?
In a short while, Xiao Muyu noticed that not only were they here, but the four girls from their dormitory were also present.
Everyone gradually gathered together, including Zhang Zhu and Huang Meng, who sat in the row behind Liu Ya.
Xiao Muyu counted a total of thirteen people: eight girls, four boys, plus Su Jin.
Some students were already trembling like leaves in the wind. Seeing Su Jin, they nearly burst into tears. Huang Meng choked out, “Teacher, it’s our turn this time. When will this nightmare end?” Meeting the teacher felt like grabbing onto a lifeline, and the scared girls clung to Su Jin, not daring to leave. “What is this place? I must be dreaming. This is a dream! You’re all crazy for believing in this nonsense. It’s because of your superstitions that all this mess keeps happening.”
Zhang Zhu’s face was flushed red with unstable emotions, shouting at everyone.
The boy next to him grabbed him, desperately trying to calm him down.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed in the crowd, abrupt and hollow, scaring everyone into silence.
For a moment, there were only the sounds of rapid breathing and chattering teeth.
“Swish!” Several lights flickered on simultaneously across the playground and in the school corridors, the dim light resembling eyes, watching the intruding lambs in the night.
“Hehe, everyone had a long day of classes today. You must be tired,” the laughing voice spoke again, this time through the school broadcast system.
“Ah, ah!” A girl in the crowd screamed uncontrollably, pointing towards the broadcast room, shouting in a breakdown, “Did you hear that voice? That voice is so familiar… so familiar!”
Her words made Su Jin, Zuo Tiantian, and Shen Qingqiu feel uneasy, but Xiao Muyu’s expression changed. It was indeed very familiar!
“Lu Zihao, it’s Lu Zihao!”
Huang Meng’s face turned ashen, her words like the final straw breaking down all the students.
Several people recognized it, trembling and muttering, “Teacher, it’s Lu Zihao speaking.”
“Ah, it’s good to know everyone is familiar with my voice. So, I’m leaving now. I’m sure you all miss me, right? Hmm, and the classmates who sent me off are here too. Wonderful.
Now, let’s play a game together, shall we? Hmm, you’ll definitely like it… let’s call it Hide and Seek.”
He started speaking clearly but became more garbled and filled with static as he continued.
The broadcast amplified every sound, making everyone clearly hear the gurgling noise as if his mouth was filled with liquid.
Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu had witnessed Lu Zihao’s death and could imagine the scene.
Lu Zihao’s mouth continuously gushed blood while he still spoke with a smile.
“You can choose places to hide. I’ll count to a hundred and then come to find you. Haha, if I find you within half an hour, you’ll stay with me, understand? Haha.”
Amidst the indistinct sounds, they strained to understand his words, but each word felt like a death sentence, stirring their deepest fears.
“What? What does it mean? Where can we hide?”
“Ding, players Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, Zuo Tiantian, and Su Jin have activated instance 004, a large continuous survival game, Hide and Seek.
A very interesting game, but don’t forget, hide and seek can be deadly.
However, players should not panic or despair. The ghost will seek you as a ghost, and with the demeanor of a ghost.”
The four of them frowned in unison. The students were still shouting in chaos.
“Shut up, be quiet.” Shen Qingqiu’s gaze swept over the group, her words cold and harsh, scaring the frantic students into silence. As expected, the school bully’s authority was more terrifying than ghosts.
“Think carefully about places he isn’t familiar with, places you can hide, and keep quiet. No matter what you see or hear, don’t make a sound or look!” Xiao Muyu had no time to explain further, giving only these brief tips.
Then she raised her hand, signaling them to disperse.
“I’m scared, I don’t dare to be alone,” Huang Meng sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
“At most, two people. A larger group will be too noticeable and won’t help,” Xiao Muyu understood their fear but wasn’t omniscient. Everything was uncertain now.
Compared to the students, the four of them, aside from having cards, were less familiar with the school. Speaking of cards, Xiao Muyu quickly checked,
“Many of my items can’t be used.” This realization made Xiao Muyu’s heart sink; it was a critical discovery.
“It seems we can only really play hide and seek. No hard confrontation,” Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but curse the system.
“Luckily, the ‘Family Bond’ card is still usable. But what does it mean by ‘the ghost’s way’ and ‘the ghost’s demeanor’?”
This instance at least left a slim chance of survival. Non-combat or defense-oriented cards were still usable, providing some comfort, but the two phrases were vague and unclear.
“For a normal person, finding people in a large school in half an hour is hard. So Lu Zihao will surely seek as a ghost, with enhanced speed and hearing. The ghost’s demeanor likely means he’s using his corpse.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be spitting blood while speaking.
“Rea… dy?” That unsettling voice emerged from the broadcast again.
Time was running out. Xiao Muyu quickly instructed, “Su Jin, Zuo Tiantian, you two stick together. Don’t be alone. He’s familiar with the teachers’ dormitory. Don’t go back there.”
Shen Qingqiu followed with a reminder, “Stay calm and quiet. I suggest heading to the rooftop.”
Su Jin nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu swiftly move towards the dark end of the playground, Zuo Tiantian sighed, “Let’s go.”
“Let’s head to the Science Building. If Lu Zihao is a ghost, he’s afraid of light. The upper floors are safer. We can observe from there too,” Su Jin quickly planned, “What about you? Will you stay alone?”
Before she could finish, Shen Qingqiu answered, “It’s not convenient for us to split up now. We’ll come to you later.”
Shen Qingqiu decided to discuss plans later, just wanting to get away from the playground and find a better hiding place for now.
“Okay, the Science Building, top floor.”
Su Jin said quickly, taking Zuo Tiantian’s hand. Both headed towards the Science Building.
On the other side, Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu took the remaining four girls from their dormitory, swiftly dispersing into the dark, hazy campus.
