Shen Qingqiu was not immune to pain; she could merely endure it. Caught off guard, she failed to manage her expression, grimacing as her usually graceful and charming demeanor twisted in agony.
She let out a muffled groan, her body weakened by the pain, and she collapsed forward, falling into Xiao Muyu’s arms.
“It hurts,” she whimpered pitifully.
Afraid of aggravating her wound, Xiao Muyu quickly caught her and stabilized her, grunting, “I thought you didn’t feel pain. Good, at least you can feel it. Keep your mouth shut and save your strength.”
Cleaning a wound can sometimes be more painful than the injury itself. Shen Qingqiu buried her head in Xiao Muyu’s shoulder, gritting her teeth and staying silent.
Xiao Muyu found the scene unexpectedly familiar, a feeling of nostalgia washing over her.
Back in Subtask 002, she had also bandaged Shen Qingqiu’s wounds, but her feelings had changed significantly since then. At that time, curiosity and confusion dominated; now, it was mostly sympathy.
“It’ll be over soon, just hang on,” Xiao Muyu said gently despite her earlier harsh tone, unable to suppress her concern seeing Shen Qingqiu in pain.
Other than the painful wound cleaning, Xiao Muyu’s actions were gentle and she quickly finished treating the injury.
Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, her forehead still covered in cold sweat, and her hair was damp. However, she seemed in good spirits, looking at the neatly bandaged wound with satisfaction.
“How did you get so good at this?” Shen Qingqiu had noticed this skill during the last bandage as well.
Xiao Muyu paused and didn’t respond, just glanced at her and roughly wiped the sweat off her face.
Shen Qingqiu squinted and let her do it, smiling faintly. The smile on her pale, beautiful face was captivating, making Xiao Muyu’s actions involuntarily gentler.
“Captain Xiao, you should clean your wound too,” Su Jin interjected, sensing the moment.
The two sitting across from each other finally broke their gaze.
“After that little game, my suspicions have been confirmed. We’ve also obtained two pieces of information: the culprit isn’t Liu Ya, but is related to her. Liu Ya must be involved in the bullying, but she isn’t the extra person we need to focus on. However, it’s clear we need to investigate Liu Ya thoroughly.”
As Xiao Muyu finished speaking, the system responded immediately.
“Congratulations to players Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, Su Jin, Zuo Tiantian, and Chen Kaijie for successfully initiating the main task of Subtask 004: uncover the truth behind the curse of Death Class Seven! Current task progress: 40%!”
“Phew, finally. It seems the system didn’t report anything earlier because we were just speculating without evidence,” Zuo Tiantian sighed in relief.
“It’s getting late, let’s head back to the classroom. Keep an eye on Liu Ya and those whose grades plummeted in January,” Xiao Muyu instructed.
“Understood,” Zuo Tiantian and the others responded in unison.
Evening self-study was long, but it eventually ended.
The classroom atmosphere was strange, but Zhang Zhu was still alive. This gave everyone a glimmer of hope that nothing would happen tonight.
Li Yuehang had looked at Zhang Zhu numerous times that evening. When the bell rang, he hurriedly packed up and ran out, as if being chased by ghosts.
In his haste, he knocked over Lin Xue’s desk, sending her books tumbling to the floor with a loud crash.
Xiao Muyu turned to look and saw Li Yuehang glance at the fallen books and Lin Xue before walking off without stopping.
Frowning, Xiao Muyu said nothing and bent down to help Lin Xue pick up her things.
One notebook, spread open on the floor, caught Xiao Muyu’s eye. It depicted a man in shackles pushing a massive boulder. Xiao Muyu recognized it as Liu Ya’s sketchbook, often seen doodling in class.
“Thank you,” Lin Xue said, reaching for the notebook with a grateful smile, dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Lin Xue was quite pretty, with delicate features and fair skin. With her ponytail revealing her smooth forehead, she epitomized the graceful Jiangnan girl. Her focused, elegant demeanor made her a very refined individual.
“You’re welcome.” As Xiao Muyu handed back the notebook, she saw the same drawing on another page.
Liu Ya stood up to help Lin Xue organize her books, her expression dark and stifled. “He knocked over your stuff and didn’t even apologize.”
Lin Xue smiled, “Maybe he was in a hurry.” As she reached out, Xiao Muyu noticed a scar on Liu Ya’s right hand, seemingly from a burn, quickly hidden by her sleeve.
Liu Ya, hearing Lin Xue’s words, glanced outside and said nothing.
Lin Xue finished packing, handed the notebook to Liu Ya, and worriedly glanced outside. “It’s late, let’s go back.”
Liu Ya nodded, and the two left the classroom hand in hand.
Xiao Muyu watched them until she felt Shen Qingqiu beside her, also observing the pair.
“Why are you staring at them? Did you notice something odd?” Shen Qingqiu asked casually.
Xiao Muyu shook her head, then mentioned the drawing, “I saw what Liu Ya was sketching in that notebook.”
Shen Qingqiu’s expression tightened, “Anything unusual?”
“Let’s talk as we walk. I’ll take you back first,” Xiao Muyu said, gesturing to Zuo Tiantian.
It was late, and being alone could be dangerous. Zuo Tiantian didn’t object, and the three discussed the drawing as they walked.
“A man pushing a boulder, like Sisyphus from Greek mythology?” Zuo Tiantian speculated.
“Probably. There were multiple drawings. I doubt they’re meaningless.”
Xiao Muyu’s mind raced with thoughts of the sketches.
“Does it symbolize endless, futile labor, like the curse on Class Seven?” Zuo Tiantian wondered aloud.
Xiao Muyu shook her head. “That explanation makes sense, but it’s not helpful. If the system just wanted to demoralize us, it wouldn’t be so roundabout.”
Su Jin and the others had similar thoughts and proposed a theory.
“I read a story where Sisyphus’s endless labor symbolized a never-ending cycle, a dead loop. Could this scenario be a loop?” Su Jin’s words made Xiao Muyu freeze, her expression changing. Shen Qingqiu felt a similar tremor, turning to look at Xiao Muyu in silence.
Their strange reaction puzzled Zuo Tiantian. “What’s wrong, Captain Xiao? Did you think of something?”
Xiao Muyu didn’t reply, lost in thought, which worried Zuo Tiantian. “Captain Xiao, are you okay?”
Xiao Muyu snapped out of it, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “I’m fine, just feeling a bit unwell.”
Shen Qingqiu quickly approached, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
She grabbed Xiao Muyu’s hand, surprised by its cold sweat. “What’s going on?”
Xiao Muyu looked at her. “Nothing, just tired.”
Unconvinced, Shen Qingqiu knew Xiao Muyu didn’t want to talk.
“Zuo Tiantian, head back on your own. We’ll watch until you’re safe. Discuss the drawing with Su Jin later.”
The teacher’s dormitory was in sight.
“Alright. You two take care of Captain Xiao. She’s been working too hard.” Zuo Tiantian, understanding, didn’t insist.
After ensuring Zuo Tiantian’s safety, Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu returned.
Shen Qingqiu didn’t press further, holding Xiao Muyu’s hand in silence as they walked.
The dormitory’s four girls had already settled down. Xiao Muyu noticed Chen Xuan among them, Su Jin’s class representative, whose grades had also plummeted in January.
The girls had paired up, likely out of fear.
Sensing Xiao Muyu’s mood, Shen Qingqiu joked, “Want me to sleep with you tonight?”
Xiao Muyu didn’t respond immediately, merely looking at her. When Shen Qingqiu expected a rebuff, Xiao Muyu calmly said, “Just stay away from me when we sleep.”
Shen Qingqiu was stunned, not moving for a moment.
Xiao Muyu took the clothes from her and added stiffly, “Special circumstances, don’t overthink it.”
Shen Qingqiu chuckled, “I know, you’re just reluctantly letting me sleep with you because you’re worried I’ll be scared.” That night, they slept together again, Shen Qingqiu behaving this time, staying close to the bed’s edge.
But the single bed was narrow, and though both were slim, it wasn’t spacious. Xiao Muyu eventually pulled her closer. “Don’t blame me if you fall.”
Shen Qingqiu, half-asleep, moved closer. “I won’t.”
Xiao Muyu, turning her back to her, closed her eyes.
The room darkened, quiet except for the distant shouts of the dorm supervisor urging students to sleep. Gradually, everything calmed down.
Intending to stay up and observe, Xiao Muyu eventually succumbed to sleep.
Later in the night, they woke up, finding themselves huddled together. The curtain was open, and outside, silent lightning flashed.
The other four girls were also awake, their blankets trembling unnaturally.
The six-person dorm had three bunk beds, the top bunks occupied. Chen Xuan, on the top bunk, shivered as the blanket slowly inched downward.
Xiao Muyu didn’t dare make a sound. She couldn’t sense anyone but herself in the room, the silence deafening.
The blanket slowly slid off.
With the blanket gone, Chen Xuan, still curled up, suddenly fell. No one dared to scream, only a gasp escaping.
Shen Qingqiu whispered, “Su Jin, the figure near your bed, did you see it?”
She gestured subtly, and Su Jin followed her gaze.
A child stood beside Su Jin’s bed. The figure, dressed in white, was faint but visible.
Seeing everyone awake, the child started laughing, its laughter growing louder until it erupted into a creepy cackle. The child vanished with a jolt, Chen Xuan tumbling from the top bunk, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Chen Xuan lay on the floor, seemingly in pain. The door to the dorm creaked open. Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu remained motionless, exchanging a glance.
Xiao Muyu crept over to Chen Xuan, lying on her side. She carefully rolled her over, and to her surprise, Chen Xuan’s face was strangely contorted, blood trickling from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
The once quiet dormitory erupted with screams.
