Chapter 55: First High School (14)

Although being threatened by the man, there was actually no intention to kill emanating from him. The fierceness was only superficial.

He was just scaring him, nothing more.

He was just not acting convincingly enough, nor cruel enough. After all, based on the angle and force of the fall just now, he should have been slammed to the ground by the man, just like when he was knocked down by Song Yu before.

But strangely, even though the man was in too much pain to get up, he still instinctively protected him.

So Ruan Qing only put on a panicked and frightened expression on the surface, as if the man truly scared him.

In reality, he remained calm inside, and his mind was not in the least bit panicked. It was spinning rapidly.

A person’s aura could be changed through various means, and recognizing someone could not solely rely on their aura.

Ruan Qing understood this principle a long time ago, so he never judges based on a single condition.

Although the aura was slightly different, if his intuition was correct, this man was most likely the same man he encountered in the bathroom yesterday.

Had he been following him?

Was he a special NPC like Wen Li?

There were too few clues. Mo Ran and Xiao Shiyi were also very special NPCs, not to mention the monster in the mirror. It was difficult to determine who was the “culprit” in terms of the clearance condition.

However, regardless of who it was, they had a significant connection with First High School. It should be possible to find some clues within First High School.

But First High School was huge. It was the best high school in the city and a genuinely elite high school. Its area was almost equivalent to a regular university. Searching aimlessly for clues was like finding a needle in a haystack, and ten days was clearly not enough time.

There should be a special place somewhere.

Ruan Qing thought he probably already knew where that special place was.

Class 1-1.

Just like in the previous instance, players entered and gathered around the vicinity of the core of the instance. It’s just a matter of whether the players could discover that core.

This instance was even better in that manner than the previous one. The previous instance was mainly about escaping and killing, so it required some luck to discover the hospital as the core.

In this instance, whether it’s the players or him or his lackeys, they all belonged to the first grade.

Ruan Qing didn’t think this was a coincidence. This many coincidences should not happen in an instance without a reason.

The first grade must be a special grade.

The reason Ruan Qing believed it’s Class 1 of the first grade, rather than Class 26, was quite simple.

Because Ruan Qing discovered on the first day that he was the only player in Class 26, and strictly speaking, he was a special player who should be categorized as an NPC rather than a player.

In Class 1, there were obviously several players, including Xiao Shiyi, this special lackey. Therefore, the key location should obviously be Class 1 of the first grade.

But how could he, in Class 26, openly go to Class 1 of the first grade?

Although Ruan Qing had thought about many things, in reality, only a few seconds had passed, and the man didn’t give Ruan Qing any more time to continue thinking.

The man directly grabbed Ruan Qing’s fair chin, leaned down in front of Ruan Qing’s panicked gaze, and spoke in a hoarse voice, “You’re quite bold. Do you think I won’t kill you?”

The man’s grip was strong, causing Ruan Qing’s chin to ache. Coupled with the shock from the knife just now, Ruan Qing’s eyes turned slightly red, showing a frightened and nervous expression.

The previous calmness was gone, as if kicking the man just now had exhausted all his courage.

Ruan Qing swallowed uneasily and looked at the man, pretending to be calm. He coldly threatened, his voice filled with menace, “Do you know who I am? I’m the heir of the Su Corporation. If you kill me, my parents will never let you off, and you won’t have a good outcome.”

“If you let me go, I can pretend today never happened.”

Although Ruan Qing’s words sounded very calm, his eyes were filled with panic from the earlier knife attack, and his voice trembled slightly, giving off an intimidating yet timid impression.

It seemed like a weak prey, thinking that it’s calm while negotiating with the hunter. In reality, every hair on its body had already bristled out of fear, emanating a fragile and pitiful aura.

The teenager at this moment bore no resemblance to the arrogant and proud young master of the past.

Perhaps it had always been this way. The support the teenager relied on was merely a powerful background, and he himself was inherently weak, vulnerable to anyone’s bullying. Without that backing, he was probably like a little kitten without its owner’s protection, not even capable of scratching someone properly.

The man glanced at the teenager for a few seconds, completely disregarding his threat. He let out a cold laugh. “Whether I release you or not, won’t the Su family still come after me? So why should I let you go? It’s better to die together.”

“After all, it wouldn’t be a bad deal to have Young Master Su accompany me on the road to the afterlife.”

The man’s tone was very serious, as if he wasn’t joking with Ruan Qing. Moreover, the man’s gaze was icy and terrifying, as if he was looking at a lifeless body.

As if in the next second, the man would draw the knife from the ground and drag Ruan Qing with him to hell.

Ruan Qing’s expression froze, his body instantly stiffened, and his face nearly devoid of color. He tightly pursed his lips, not speaking, nor daring to make any movement. He only glanced at the knife beside his face with the corner of his eye. In his beautiful eyes, there was unease and fear, afraid that the man would truly do as he said and draw the knife to take him to his death.

The man seemed to have sensed Ruan Qing’s fear. He lifted the knife from the ground and approached Ruan Qing once again, nearly stabbing it next to his face, the sharp edge pointed directly at him.

As long as he tilted slightly, the knife would probably cut across his face.

Although the knife wasn’t actually touching him, Ruan Qing could feel the coldness emanating from it. Even the sunlight shining on him couldn’t dispel the chill.

The fear in Ruan Qing’s eyes deepened, and tears filled his eye sockets, as if they would flow out the next moment.

He stiffened his body, not daring to make any movement.

The man’s eyes curved slightly, seemingly satisfied with Ruan Qing’s fearful appearance. He hoarsely laughed, “Scared? Weren’t you brave when you kicked me just now? What’s the matter? The young master of the Su family is also afraid?”

The man’s tone was filled with mockery, as if he despised Ruan Qing’s cowardice and incompetence.

Ruan Qing’s eyes were filled with tears, and his body trembled slightly. He pressed his thin lips tightly and remained silent.

The man looked at the young teenager in front of him, whose eyebrows and eyes were lowered, with a hint of depth in his eyes.

The teenager had always been arrogant and rarely showed such obedience, to the extent that it made people want to take advantage of him.

He truly behaved like a delicate young master who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

The man extended his index finger and wiped away the tears that hadn’t yet fallen from the corner of the teenager’s eyes.

The man was probably used to doing rough work or frequently using his hands, as his fingertips were a bit rough. Moreover, he lacked finesse in his actions. Although he meant to wipe away the tears, his touch caused some pain to Ruan Qing. As a result, the corner of his eye turned even redder, resembling the appearance of someone who had cried miserably, making him look particularly pitiful.

Ruan Qing couldn’t help but feel that the man’s hand seemed to have some difficulty measuring distance. He had hurt him multiple times, contrasting with the man’s subconscious act of protecting him from falling and getting hurt.

Did he intentionally want to see him cry? Or...

Ruan Qing glanced at the man’s hand out of the corner of his eye and his gaze briefly paused.

Human skin... gloves?

It was possible, but Ruan Qing wasn’t entirely sure.

Because those gloves were just too lifelike. The fingerprints, texture, and even the temperature felt no different from real skin.

Ruan Qing casually swept another glance at the man’s hand, noting that his skin was somewhat dark, with several scars on it. It seemed like he often played with knives, which matched well with his identity as a criminal.

If the person in front of him was wearing human skin gloves, it was highly likely that he also wore something in his face, a complete disguise.

That’s why it disrupted his judgment, making it impossible for him to figure out who the man was for a moment.

He needed to find a way to confirm.

As long as the man was wearing a disguise, Ruan Qing didn’t believe there wouldn’t be any flaws.

However, just as Ruan Qing’s hand moved slightly, a familiar voice came from not far behind the man.

“What are you doing?!!!”

Mo Ran’s eyes were slightly red, filled with immense anger as he rushed over and shouted, “Let go of Brother Su!!!”

Due to Ruan Qing being blocked by the man, Mo Ran couldn’t see the situation clearly. While charging forward, he fiercely threw something at the man.

The man remained calm and casually tilted his head, effortlessly evading the object thrown by Mo Ran.

After the man dodged, Ruan Qing could naturally see what was thrown at the other.

It was a brick.

In reality, Ruan Qing’s angle wouldn’t be hit by the brick. It would pass over his head.

However, Ruan Qing’s pupils contracted. Like the man, he instinctively wanted to tilt his head and dodge.

But the side he tilted towards was where the man had just inserted a knife, an incredibly sharp one. If he tilted, he could be lightly cut or, in the worst case, the blade might directly strike his skull.

The force with which Ruan Qing instinctively tilted his head might even cause the knife to cut into his flesh.

Upon seeing this, the man’s pupils contracted as well. He lost his previous calmness and quickly extended his hand, directly blocking it beside Ruan Qing’s face.

The knife instantly cut the man’s hand, nearly exposing the bone. The next second, blood flowed out, staining the ground red.

Meanwhile, Ruan Qing, who collided with the man’s hand, suffered no harm.

Ruan Qing looked at the man’s hand, which was injured while protecting him, in a state of panic. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell sporadically, mixing with the blood on the ground.

It seemed like he was frightened.

If the man hadn’t protected him, it’s likely that the knife would have cut his face.

However, Ruan Qing’s inner thoughts were completely different from his displayed reaction. In his mind, he sighed with a voice filled with regret, ‘What a missed opportunity...’

System: “...”

Ruan Qing genuinely felt regretful because he had intentionally wanted to collide with the knife just now.

After all, he had to maintain his image as a school bully. Even if he wasn’t a bully, no NPC would inexplicably cut his face. He couldn’t just ruin his appearance with a single slash.

So when Ruan Qing saw that the knife’s edge was facing him and it was so close, he instantly regarded it as a golden opportunity.

An opportunity where he didn’t need to ruin his reputation yet could change his appearance.

But this golden opportunity was blocked by the man.

He had made such fierce threats, and yet, he ended up protecting him from the knife.

Hah.

 

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