PTYS Chapter 90

With the chart in hand, Su Jin entered all the names. The other four people watched the screen, observing each student’s line graph. It was easy to spot anomalies. The most abnormal data points were from Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu—one consistently excellent, the other consistently poor. Everyone else’s data fluctuated, but theirs were almost straight lines.

They all understood the reason behind this and didn’t focus too much on it, making a few jokes before moving on to highlight those with highly erratic data.

“Clearly, besides Liu Ya and the four deceased students, Zhang Zhu, Huang Meng, and the Chinese class representative Chen Xuan, as well as class monitor Jiang Yifan, have significant grade fluctuations.”

Su Jin, being the most adept with the data, directly presented the results.

“Indeed, overall, Class Seven’s grades have been declining, especially in the March exams, where there was a significant drop. The decline continued afterward, though it wasn’t as drastic.

But these individuals didn’t start declining sharply in the March exams; it began during the final exams in January.”

Chen Kaijie couldn’t help but speak up while looking at the data.

January was etched deeply in his mind. Something major must have happened in Class Seven that month!

This event was the source of all the calamity and the core of this mission.

“It basically matches our hypothesis again. The sharp decline in March is understandable; by then, the curse had taken effect, and knowing this, they couldn’t focus on studying.

January showed general fluctuations, but not significant ones. So what do you think about the individuals who dropped drastically?” Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu and Zuo Tiantian, speaking slowly.

“Something significant happened to them in January, directly impacting their exam results, which fits. If it was campus bullying, then they were either the bullies or the victims.”

Shen Qingqiu rubbed her chin and said slowly, then clicked her tongue, “So this brings the focus back to Liu Ya. Given her condition, she could only have been the victim of bullying.”

“So have we identified the extra person, Liu Ya?”

In Zuo Tiantian’s understanding, the bullies should have died and turned into vengeful spirits, so naturally, it had to be Liu Ya.

Xiao Muyu still frowned, muttering to herself, “This is too smooth, and Liu Ya’s presence is too conspicuous.”

It wasn’t just Xiao Muyu; Shen Qingqiu also felt this way. “It could be the system deliberately creating confusion, but normally, it wouldn’t make things so easy for us.

Moreover, haven’t you noticed that the system has been eerily silent? When we uncover key plot points, it usually makes its presence known.

Even in the orphanage scenario, the system reacted to every little thing. Now that we’ve supposedly found the culprit, it’s silent.”

Shen Qingqiu’s tone was disrespectful when mentioning the system, her expression full of disdain. Her words resonated with the group—it did seem unusual.

Just as she finished speaking, a “ding” sounded, and the system’s voice reappeared.

“Congratulations to player Shen Qingqiu for activating the system’s hidden side quest: The system stops pretending to be dead. Due to a blockage in the mission progress, the system was unable to function. When the player summons the system, the hidden task will initiate, forcibly advancing progress.”

Shen Qingqiu’s face turned dark, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“You’re asking for trouble.”

Xiao Muyu knew the system had emotions, so she pulled Shen Qingqiu’s hand, asking calmly, “What’s the task?” She was used to the system’s antics by now.

As soon as Xiao Muyu spoke, the railing in front of them disappeared, and Su Jin and Chen Kaijie, who weren’t in the corridor, suddenly appeared beside them.

Before Xiao Muyu could react, her body began to slide uncontrollably.

The instinctive sense of danger made her limbs exert force, barely stabilizing her body.

Looking down, Xiao Muyu’s heart pounded wildly.

The five of them were on the rooftop where Luo Zihao jumped, but the rooftop was now a smooth, steep slope.

The incline was seventy degrees; they had to use all their strength to hold onto the slope, their toes digging in to prevent sliding down.

She could feel her body getting heavier, slowly slipping.

Chen Kaijie and Su Jin let out short cries, Zuo Tiantian sliding down a bit before stabilizing, making the scene extremely tense.

Sweat broke out on Xiao Muyu’s forehead as she pressed against the slope, asking quickly, “What do you want?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were red, but she didn’t say a word. She felt foolish—how could she have ever trusted such an unpredictable thing that wasn’t even human?

“Please answer: In this ‘Death Squad Seven’ instance, what is the reason for the curse on Class Seven’s teachers and students? Note: If the answer is wrong, the slope will become steeper. Answer carefully.”

Xiao Muyu glanced at the ground and her companions. Shen Qingqiu’s voice was calm and low, “Just say it.”

Xiao Muyu knew someone would fall if this continued, so she took a deep breath and said, “On January 8th this year, an incident of severe bullying occurred in Class Seven at Yuanning High School, resulting in a student’s death!”

After she finished, the platform tilted back slightly, causing the five of them to slide down again.

Xiao Muyu’s fingers gripped tightly, her feet pressed against the slope, barely stopping herself from sliding any further, now less than a meter from the edge!

Her heart pounded violently in her chest.

Zuo Tiantian slid down further, her foot almost touching the edge, letting out a terrified scream and breathing heavily.

Fortunately, the slope’s angle decreased, and she soon stabilized.

Xiao Muyu glanced down at Zuo Tiantian, seeing her fingers bleeding, her face covered in cold sweat.

Xiao Muyu’s fingers were also torn from exertion, leaving bloody marks on the slope, but the tension made her numb to the pain.

She looked to her right at Shen Qingqiu, who was the strongest among them, barely moving but staring intently at her, her face pale. The usual smile and casual demeanor were gone, replaced by a cold, serious expression.

Xiao Muyu shook her head at her, indicating she was fine, while glancing worriedly at Shen Qingqiu’s waist.

She didn’t hesitate and continued, “The deceased student didn’t leave the world, still lingering in Class Seven. To others, they appear alive, but they cursed the entire class.”

A click sounded as the slope’s angle decreased again.

Xiao Muyu tested it, finding she didn’t need to exert as much effort to stay in place, but it wasn’t enough to climb up yet.

“Not just students, but Class Seven’s teachers and the police handling the case are also cursed.”

The slope decreased again, slightly.

Xiao Muyu’s expression relaxed a bit, whispering, “Start climbing up.”

Zuo Tiantian, her legs trembling, took a deep breath and, with Chen Kaijie’s help, turned around and started climbing up the slope. As the slope didn’t move further, it seemed safe to climb.

After Chen Kaijie, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian safely left the slope, Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu stopped simultaneously.

Su Jin, worried, called out, “Captain Xiao, Miss Shen, come down quickly!”

Xiao Muyu said softly, “You go.”

Shen Qingqiu shook her head, her eyes showing silent determination.

“Time is running out. Is your waist wound reopening?” Xiao Muyu’s tone remained gentle, but her words were firm and irrefutable.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t reply, pulling out a dagger and saying quietly, “You know I can’t let you face danger alone. Time is short, so hold on tight.”

“The culprit is connected to Liu Ya!” she suddenly said. Zuo Tiantian and the others realized what this meant, their hearts nearly stopping.

The system was silent for a long time; the slope neither decreased nor increased.

Just as Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu exchanged a disappointed glance, a click sounded, and the slope decreased again.

Xiao Muyu decided to go for broke: “The culprit isn’t Liu Ya!”

This time the slope didn’t move, but Xiao Muyu had a hunch, “And those cursed aren’t just from Class Seven; anyone involved in handling the bullying case is cursed.”

The slope decreased again as the system’s voice rang out: “Time’s up. Congratulations to Xiao Muyu’s team for completing the hidden side quest, avoiding death.”

It was still a mechanical voice, but Xiao Muyu and the others could hear the system’s frustration.

Shen Qingqiu helped Xiao Muyu, and the two climbed down the slope. Once they were safe, they were back in the corridor as if nothing had happened.

Shen Qingqiu said nothing, taking Xiao Muyu’s hand. Xiao Muyu’s nails were short, but exerting such force had separated the nails from the flesh, a pain those who experienced it knew well, especially with bleeding.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes showed a trace of pain, but it was fleeting. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Not just to Xiao Muyu, but also to Zuo Tiantian and the others. She had never felt so frustrated before; the system was warning her.

Zuo Tiantian realized the problem and quickly waved her hand, “How is it your fault? It’s clearly the system being… unreasonable,” she quickly corrected herself, lowering her voice.

Xiao Muyu nodded, looking at her hand, “It’s nothing. We need to think about what happens next.”

Completing the hidden quest relieved some pressure, but everyone knew it was far from over.

“The truth is still hidden,” Su Jin said softly, “but we’re getting closer.”

Chen Kaijie added, “We have to find the real culprit. Only then can we break the curse.”

Xiao Muyu looked at Shen Qingqiu, who nodded slightly. “We’re on the right track,” she said, “but we need to be careful. The system won’t make it easy.”

They all agreed. The mission was far from over, but they had each other and a clearer path ahead. As long as they stuck together, they had a chance to unravel the mystery and escape the curse of Class Seven.