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Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
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Ruan Qing's heart clenched. He instinctively took a step toward the little boy, but quickly caught himself.
That boy had died long ago—this was the world of nightmares, and all of this was just a lure to drag him to his death.
Without hesitation, Ruan Qing turned away and kept running, never looking back.
The world was collapsing around him. The ground crumbled endlessly, magma spewing from the fissures, devouring everything in its path. The scorching flames reeked of something foul.
Even the sky began to hurl massive hailstones, smashing into the earth with terrifying force, leaving gaping holes in their wake.
Ruan Qing took shelter under a crumbling building, staring blankly at the devastated world. He pressed a hand to his aching chest. He had always thought his greatest fear was facing ghosts, but this nightmare showed him otherwise.
Just what had he experienced in the past?
He had known for a long time that he was weak—too weak to save anyone. Yet, he still held reverence for life, from the smallest flower to the tallest tree, from animals to living souls.
Failing to save that little boy had been a regret. For a moment, he had felt an indescribable despair and helplessness—a suffocating sensation even worse than facing a vengeful spirit. But he never expected this nightmare could dig even that up.
Unexpected, yet somehow inevitable.
That powerlessness of watching life slip away… it wasn’t the first time he’d felt it. As if, long ago, he had also watched someone die before his eyes.
…And not just one person.
A sharp pain suddenly split through Ruan Qing’s skull. Countless voices erupted in his mind, overlapping and tangled, as though millions of people were speaking inside his head at once—all of them steeped in a despair so heavy it crushed his breath.
Clenching his fists, he fought through the agony, straining to make out even a single voice.
But then, a light sting spread across his back—and the scene before him shifted instantly.
He had woken from the nightmare. The voices vanished.
For a moment, Ruan Qing just stared blankly at the familiar study room, his eyes still clouded with that suffocating anguish.
The one who had roused him was Lu Xiuyuan. A shadow flickered in Lu Xiuyuan’s gaze as he took in the other’s damp eyes. His tone was gentle. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Only then did Ruan Qing snap out of it. Lowering his lashes, he concealed the emotions in his eyes and gave a slight nod, playing along.
His dazed expression really did look like someone shaken by a bad dream, so it didn’t raise any suspicion.
To ensure everyone escaped the nightmare unharmed, Lu Xiuyuan had set the duration of the illusion attack to be very short. The players hadn’t been trapped for long—but some still came out injured.
Everyone fears different things, so the dangers within nightmares clearly vary as well. Because of this, trying to find clues from nightmares seems unreliable.
Unless they could find the person behind the "Death Calls."
Information about the game instance and players couldn't be discussed in front of NPCs, so the players kept their distance from Ruan Qing when talking, lowering their voices significantly.
Even Lu Xiuyuan and the others did the same.
Shen Qifeng glanced at the figure sitting obediently in the corner and spoke in a hushed tone, "The one behind the 'Death Calls' is most likely 'Him.' Finding 'Him' won’t be any easier than surviving seven days."
Clear conditions like "find Him/It" were always several times harder than simple survival—sometimes, players could clear the instance without ever uncovering a single clue about "Him."
"True," Lu Xiuyuan nodded, then casually added, "But none of us will likely make it to the seventh day anyway."
The other players fell silent. No one refuted his statement.
For players who had already enhanced their physical stats with points, staying awake for seven days straight wasn’t particularly difficult—the clearance rate shouldn’t be this low.
The most plausible explanation was that, as the instance progressed, they would be forcibly dragged into the nightmare world even if they resisted sleep… and waking up again would be nearly impossible.
And they had already experienced the nightmare world once. Its horror was on par with facing a high-level instance boss head-on. Surviving it would be next to impossible.
Ding ling ling—
The default phone ringtone echoed through the study room. This time, no one panicked. Every player who received a call answered it, carefully listening to the details of their own death.
Even Ruan Qing was no exception.
But his call… seemed a little different?
The moment Ruan Qing connected the call, an unexpected, distorted gasp came from the other end.
The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible, yet sickeningly sweet—so sweet it made one’s heart skip a beat.
That was clearly not a sound of fear. It was more like the panting from intense physical exertion… or the breathless whimper of someone being kissed senseless.
…Or the sound of someone being pushed too far.
The study room instantly fell into dead silence. All the players subconsciously turned to look at Ruan Qing, their faces filled with disbelief as if wondering whether they had hallucinated.
Ruan Qing was equally stunned. He stared blankly at the phone in his hand, momentarily unable to process what had just happened.
Just as he focused, trying to listen carefully, the voice on the other end of the line abruptly cut off—as if the caller had hung up.
But the call hadn’t been disconnected. It was more like the person on the other end had frozen in shock.
The owner of the phone must have also thought they were hearing things or that the earlier premonition had malfunctioned. After a few seconds of silence, the voice sounded again from the phone.
...It was still that sickly sweet tone, the kind that could make one’s heart race just from hearing it.
Before anyone in the room could make out the words, the voice stopped abruptly once more. The call still hadn’t ended, and the study room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
An unknown amount of time passed before a low, hoarse voice came from the other end of the line, as if the speaker hadn’t used their voice in a long time.
"I... am not that kind of person."
With that, the call disconnected—so fast that no one had a chance to react or respond.
The players’ shock deepened. That voice very likely belonged to the master of the "Death Call" and the Nightmare World—possibly the entity referred to as "Him" in the dungeon’s information.
And this phone call... could actually be used for communication?!
Without hesitation, Shen Qifeng pulled out his own phone and dialed the number "4444."
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check and try again."
Clearly, this number could only receive calls, not make them.
The players weren’t surprised by this outcome, but they were baffled by the series of strange events that had just unfolded. Their gazes turned toward the young man sitting in the corner, expressions complicated.
As expected, being good-looking really was different—even the way death came for him was... unique.
Under everyone’s scrutiny, Ruan Qing trembled slightly, pressing his lips together as he lowered his head. Only then did the players finally look away.
Qin Yulian, his tone steady, broke the silence. "He just said, 'I am not that kind of person.'"
He emphasized the word "person," making it clear that this was the key detail.
Shen Qifeng understood Qin Yulian’s implication. "He’s probably someone within the school."
Yang Wenju, speaking cautiously in a hushed voice, asked, "Could it be... that male student who was just in the study room earlier?"
"No." Shen Qifeng answered with absolute certainty, looking at Ruan Qing. "He doesn't know him."
If it had been that male classmate, he definitely wouldn’t have said those words. Still, now that they knew the culprit was someone at the school, there was at least a chance of finding him.
But the school wasn’t small—tens of thousands of students alone, plus teachers and staff. Trying to track down someone with zero clues was nothing short of delusional.
The players had no choice but to split into groups and investigate. Even if the chances were slim, at least they now had a direction to work toward.
They couldn’t afford to wait until dawn. After dividing into teams, each group set off in a different direction.
Ruan Qing was paired with Lu Xiuyuan, and their assigned area was the dormitory building where Xiao Mingyu lived.
When Ruan Qing heard their destination, his entire body tensed—after all, he hadn’t forgotten about the dorm supervisor he’d knocked out earlier.
There was no way he could go there.
The only reason he’d agreed to work with the other players was to gather more clues, not to deliver himself straight into danger.
Shaking off Lu Xiuyuan wouldn’t be easy. He needed a foolproof plan.
As Ruan Qing’s mind raced through possible strategies, he discreetly scanned their surroundings. When they passed the restroom near the Academic Building, his gaze paused. Finally, he spoke up in a small, slightly embarrassed voice.
"Um… I need to use the restroom."
Lu Xiuyuan stopped walking. He stared at Ruan Qing for a long moment, long enough to make his scalp prickle, before replying gently,
"It’s not safe to go alone. I’ll come with you."
Ruan Qing didn’t—couldn’t—object. Because the moment Lu Xiuyuan finished speaking, he grabbed Ruan Qing’s wrist and pulled him toward the restroom.
Lu Xiuyuan’s version of "accompanying" meant following him right inside, with no intention of leaving.
Even when Ruan Qing entered the second-to-last stall, Lu Xiuyuan followed, standing directly in front of him.
Ruan Qing froze, unable to move under Lu Xiuyuan’s gaze.
"What’s wrong?"
Lu Xiuyuan tilted his head, his tone friendly and helpful. "Need me to assist you?"
The cramped space was already tight with two people, and Lu Xiuyuan’s oppressive presence only made it worse. Ruan Qing’s delicate face flushed with discomfort as he murmured,
"Could you… give me some privacy?"
Lu Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow. "We're both men—what's there to be afraid of? It's not like I don't have what you have."
"I'm not used to being watched." Ruan Qing pressed his lips together, his resistance written clearly across his face.
Lu Xiuyuan responded carelessly, "Is it that you're not used to being watched, or that being watched means you won't have a chance to escape?"
Before Ruan Qing could answer, Lu Xiuyuan let out a soft laugh, his tone full of certainty. "You were trying to ditch me, weren't you?"
"Little liar. Is fooling people fun?"
Ruan Qing stiffened further. His lips pressed tightly together, he said nothing—as if caught red-handed, torn between guilt and awkwardness.
Lu Xiuyuan looked down at the man before him, his tall frame radiating undeniable pressure. Slowly, deliberately, he uttered words that sent Ruan Qing's heart racing even faster.
"Tell me—should I call you He Qing... or Miao Qing?"
Hehe thank u for the chap!
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