Cold, it’s just too cold.
Their body’s temperature was rapidly dissipating as if
entering a refrigerated room in the dead of winter, so cold that it made one’s
teeth chatter uncontrollably.
Even tightly wrapping oneself in clothes had no effect at all
because it’s not just a mere drop in temperature, but a coldness that could not
be resisted, like maggots gnawing at the bones, chilling one to the core.
It’s not just the coldness; an uncontrollable feeling of fear
arose from the depths of their hearts.
The air gradually became cold and damp, almost solidifying
into Yin energy, as if mist was condensing in the air, carrying a terrifying
sense of danger.
Even though nothing had appeared yet, the sheer gloominess
they felt was like when facing the entire world with no power and significance,
as if vaguely seeing a terrifying behemoth before them, rendering all existence
feeble.
It’s even difficult to summon the slightest resistance, as if
even struggling would be as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The hearts of all the players sank to the bottom of the
abyss, their faces far from pleasant, including Pei Yan and Li Shuyang, who had
always seemed detached from the situation.
Although they hadn’t seen any ghosts yet, the Yin energy was
so strong to the point where it was evidently unimaginably powerful.
Perhaps today, they would truly die here.
This was by no means the kind of ghost that should appear in
an intermediate-level instance.
Although this instance still imposed certain restrictions on
this ghost, barely qualifying it as an intermediate-level instance, once the
ghost broke free from these limitations, this instance was highly likely to
become an advanced-level one.
Although players could not see information about the instance
while inside the dungeon, they could make an educated guess.
This midnight blessings seemed like a kind of sacrifice,
perhaps... allowing the ghost to gradually break free from its constraints.
The side quest released in this instance seemed to be...
nurturing this ghost.
Using players to nurture it.
Ruan Qing also thought of this, but he felt it wasn’t
necessarily the case because although the teacher and classmates’ eyes were
filled with fear and panic, there was a hint of genuine surprise mixed in.
Obviously, they were also surprised by this turn of events.
In other words, this formidable monster had never appeared
before, at least not until now.
Or perhaps it’s not that it had never appeared, but rather it
shouldn’t have appeared during this period of time, which was why they were so
surprised.
Was it a matter of luck? Or... did they do something
different from past midnight blessings?
Ruan Qing carefully thought about the entire process of their
prayer for blessings, but it seemed like they didn’t do anything particularly
special.
Did other players secretly do something?
But no matter what they did, they were now in an extremely
dangerous situation because it’s difficult to predict what would happen once
the powerful monster arrived.
Moreover... this aura felt so familiar, giving Ruan Qing a
bad premonition.
Ruan Qing looked up at the teacher, raising his hand once again,
as if he hadn’t noticed the thick gloominess, and asked, “Teacher, the exam is
already over. Can the students who scored above average leave?”
The teacher looked at Ruan Qing for a few seconds and
ultimately nodding his head, revealing a bright smile. “Of course you can.”
“But... you have to give me something.” After the teacher’s
words fell, his figure instantly appeared beside Ruan Qing, and he directly
plucked a strand of Ruan Qing’s hair.
Obviously, what he referred to was Ruan Qing’s hair.
Ruan Qing flinched and covered the spot where the hair was
pulled. He tightly pursed his lips while looking at the strand of hair in the
teacher’s hand, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.
Just as the classroom grew darker and darker, a dizzying
sensation came over them. Ruan Qing’s vision went black in an instant, and
before he could react, he was grabbed by the hand and then lifted horizontally.
It was pitch black all around, without a trace of light, but
the aura that appeared felt very familiar.
They were now... back in Class 1-1?
Before Ruan Qing could think clearly, the sound of footsteps
echoed, and the person holding him began to run. Moreover, it wasn’t just one
person’s footsteps, but several.
The number of people seemed... incorrect!
Ruan Qing remembered the scores of every person and was well
aware of how many people exceeded the class average. However, it seemed that
there were three additional people.
He remembered that three people had died in the examination
hall.
Of course, it was also possible that some players who scored
below the average managed to escape from that eerie examination hall.
It was too dark, and Ruan Qing couldn’t distinguish which
situation it was exactly.
Perhaps it was because it was too dark to see clearly.
Someone bumped into a desk while running, causing a squeaking sound, followed
by a muffled groan.
Ruan Qing’s heart sank; that sound should have come from a
classmate who had already died.
There was no need to guess about the other two additional
people; it was highly likely that they were the two who died in the examination
hall.
They had been replaced, just like monsters in a mirror.
The black fog outside the window had dissipated at some
point, revealing the moon suspended in the air, casting a faint light over the
entire First High School. Although it wasn’t bright enough, it dispelled some
of the coldness and fear.
Only then did the others see the three people who should have
died reappearing with them. Their eyes showed astonishment, but they didn’t
speak out; they only remained cautious of these three.
Just as the group had already reached the corridor, Ruan Qing
spoke up with a somewhat inexplicable weakness in his voice, “Put me down.”
Xiao Shiyi paused for a moment, eventually stopping in his
tracks and letting Ruan Qing down.
The others also halted and turned to look at Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing paid no attention to their gazes, took out his
phone and checked it. He had signal reception now, and without hesitation, he
turned back and started walking.
Xiao Shiyi reached out to stop him but eventually withdrew
his hand, allowing Ruan Qing to walk up to the entrance of Class 1-1.
Ruan Qing turned on the lights in the classroom.
The lights in the classroom were incandescent bulbs, bright
enough to illuminate the entire room.
The floor of the classroom was littered with several white
candles, and some desks and chairs were askew, as if the classroom had been
messed up by mischievous students.
There’s nothing particularly special about it, as if
everything just now was a dream they had created.
But obviously, it wasn’t a dream because besides the few of
them who got a score above average and the three who died, everyone else was
missing.
Including Pei Yan, whom Ruan Qing considered quite strong.
Ruan Qing walked silently to the edge of the classroom, then
stepped on a stool and stood on the desk, taking down the famous calligraphy
and paintings hanging on the wall.
After the painting was taken down, a white wall was revealed.
Xiao Shiyi looked at Ruan Qing’s actions with some confusion.
“Brother Su, what’s wrong?”
Ruan Qing pursed his lips and looked down at Xiao Shiyi. “Is
there a mirror in this classroom?”
Xiao Shiyi’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly for a moment, and
finally, he spoke slowly with a very certain tone. “No, there’s no mirror in
our classroom.”
Ruan Qing looked around the classroom, seemingly not
believing Xiao Shiyi’s words. He got off the table and walked to the spot where
the second famous calligraphy painting was, once again stepping on the table to
take it down.
Xiao Shiyi and Mo Ran didn’t know what Ruan Qing was
thinking, but they went up to help take down those paintings as well.
Although the others didn’t understand, they also helped take
down all the paintings hanging in the classroom.
Underneath the paintings were white walls with no
abnormalities and no mirrors.
Ruan Qing fell into contemplation. Could it be that he was
mistaken?
Finally, Ruan Qing shifted his gaze to the last wall, which
had no paintings hanging on it. All the drawings and words were written with a
pen.
After looking at it a few times, he slowly walked up to the
wall, reached out to touch it, and then knocked on it.
Ruan Qing’s hand paused for a moment, and then he walked to
the left wall and knocked again.
The sound was particularly abrupt in this silent night, and
these two sounds had a slight difference, but it wasn’t very clear, making it
difficult to distinguish.
Xiao Shiyi walked to the back of the classroom and knocked on
the wall, and Ruan Qing also knocked on the wall again.
This time, the sounds were very close in timing, and everyone
could tell the difference.
The wall at the back of the classroom had a muffled sound, as
if there was... a cavity.
Xiao Shiyi’s expression turned serious, and he grabbed a
nearby chair and forcefully smashed it against the wall. At the moment of
impact between the wall and the chair, the chair immediately fell apart,
leaving only a piece in Xiao Shiyi’s hand.
And the wall had a hole smashed into it, revealing something
inside that was reflecting the light from the classroom.
It was... a mirror.
That mirror was like an eye, eerily reflecting everyone in
the classroom, sending shivers down their spines.
Seeing this, Xiao Shiyi’s pupils contracted, and Mo Ran
quickly pulled Ruan Qing away, then picked up a book nearby and pressed it
against the mirror.
Xiao Shiyi also realized what was happening and found some
tape from someone’s desk to stick the book to the wall. They even used two
desks to block the wall.
Ruan Qing wasn’t too surprised to see the mirror.
After all, the feeling he had when the previous exam ended,
it was very similar to the feeling of encountering “himself” in the bathroom.
But the difference was that the monster in the mirror came
out back then, while this time they seemed to have... entered the world inside
the mirror. So their phones had no signal, and they seemed to have returned to
the past Class 1-1.
Ruan Qing couldn’t be sure, but his intuition told him that
his guess was highly likely to be correct.
At midnight, when it was twelve o’clock, only his white
candle was not extinguished. He was the chosen one, and it was almost certain
that the monster in the mirror had chosen him.
Perhaps the monster in the mirror needed a catalyst to leave
the mirror, like staring into the mirror for a certain period of time, or
perhaps praying for blessings in this room at midnight.
After all, high school students wouldn’t look into the mirror
every day at school, so the duration might not reach that limit, or perhaps the
monster that came out based on the duration of staring into the mirror would be
greatly restricted, such as their limited existence time.
However, if someone died in the examination room after
seeking blessings at midnight and the monster took over their body, there would
be no restrictions anymore.
Even distinguishing based on the heart would no longer be
possible, as the body still belonged to a human but with a different owner
inside. It would be extremely difficult to discern.
Therefore, after briefly appearing in the mirror, the thing
inside would try to tempt humans to seek blessings at midnight.
The purpose was to appear openly in broad daylight.
In short, as long as blessings were not sought, the monsters
inside the mirror would face many limitations.
During this time, they must investigate what happened in the
previous Class 1-1.
Otherwise, they might end up confronting the monster head-on
in the later stages.
The players glanced at each other, clearly understanding the
importance of the mirror as a crucial clue, but also recognizing the danger it
represented.
Too many things happened tonight, and everyone was already
exhausted. However, the dormitory had long been closed, and they had no way to
go back.
Staying at the First High School was not safe. Mo Ran,
familiar with the school area, led everyone to a certain wall and effortlessly
climbed over it, then reached out to Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing looked at the height of the wall and then at Mo
Ran’s hand, not believing that he could jump up and grab it.
Fortunately, Xiao Shiyi also felt the same. He directly
lifted Ruan Qing horizontally and effortlessly threw him towards Mo Ran.
Mo Ran caught him steadily, but Ruan Qing, startled by the
sudden elevation, instinctively held onto Mo Ran’s neck, his eyes filled with
panic, fearing that he might be accidentally dropped to the ground.
Fortunately, Mo Ran landed steadily while holding him.
Others did not receive such treatment and had to climb the
wall on their own. However, those who were here now were either players or
replaced individuals, and they were all very agile.
Ruan Qing glanced at the three people who were supposed to be
dead.
Let’s not mention the player for now. The other two ordinary
students were obviously different. Their skills were much better than when they
participated in the blessings. In fact, it was easy to tell that they were not
the same people as before.
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