Other players were directly stunned. Only five people?
How could there be only five people?
Wasn’t it always seven people? They clearly all came in together. They never felt like anyone was missing.
Moreover, here they seemed more like spectators. Most people would ignore them, and there’s no real danger encountered. It’s not plausible for anyone to go missing.
The other players, in disbelief, counted themselves and indeed found only five people.
It seemed like the ones missing were... God Mu and that beautiful NPC?
And they had been tracking the residents of Dormitory room 404 in Building A for several days now, yet they had never noticed this.
They didn’t even know when exactly the two people went missing.
The players carefully recalled, but their memories were blurry, as if something had obscured their brains and eyes, preventing them from noticing this issue all along.
The players looked at each other in horror, clearly indicating that there were significant issues with this illusion.
They passed several days completely unaware, and if it weren’t for that one player suddenly noticing the missing people, they might not have even known how they died.
The players were no longer just sticking with the four people from Dormitory room 404 in Building A and that girl named Xiaoxiao; they had split into two groups.
One group continued to track the five people, wanting to see how they acted and where they buried the pen spirit’s remains.
The other group investigated where God Mu and the beautiful NPC had gone.
Although players thought those two were probably in dire straits, they didn’t give up.
At least knowing how those two died would be good.
After all, no one could guarantee it wouldn’t be their turn next.
***
After the glaring white light, Ruan Qing closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, found himself in a different place.
It was a classroom, just after class, with students packing up to leave.
Ruan Qing looked around in confusion. Why was he here?
Oh, he came for a class, but he slept through the entire session.
It seemed playing too late at night was taking a toll on his senses.
Ruan Qing rubbed his slightly numb hands, packed his bag, and prepared to return to the dormitory for some rest.
Just as Ruan Qing was about to leave after getting ready, the voices of other students came from the classroom door, “Xia Qing, the counselor wants you to go to his office.”
The student said this and left directly, leaving Ruan Qing with a slight frown.
Why would the counselor want to see him? Could it be for another talk?
Ruan Qing, with a troubled expression, rubbed his forehead and could only resign himself to carrying his bag to the counselor’s office.
After all, it was his fault for attending the wrong class for almost half the semester...
Causing him to skip his class for most of the semester.
If it weren’t for the counselor calling him in, he wouldn’t even know he had been attending the wrong class.
Now, it was already after working hours, and only the counselor was in the office.
The counselor seemed busy, not bothering to look at Ruan Qing when he arrived, just pushing something on his desk toward him.
“You and student Qi are in the same dorm, right? Take the competition certificate and prize to him.”
Ruan Qing looked at the first-place prize and certificate, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he spoke, “But classmate Qi has never been to the dorm. How can I take it to him?”
In the First University, during the freshmen’s enrollment, each student would be assigned a dormitory, whether they chose to live in it or not.
Although Ruan Qing and Qi Shen were in the same dorm, Qi Shen had never been to the dorm from the beginning of the school year until now.
So he hasn’t said a word to Qi Shen, he’s just a stranger with a roommate label.
The counselor was organizing student forms, casually waving a hand towards Ruan Qing without even turning around, “Then just take them straight to his home; I’ll send you student Qi’s home address.”
Ruan Qing was reluctant, “But...”
The counselor seemed to anticipate Ruan Qing’s refusal and interrupted him directly, “Xia Qing, who has been absent since the beginning of the semester, do you have any other questions?”
Ruan Qing cleared his throat at the words, reluctantly saying, “No, I’ll go and deliver it right away.”
Ruan Qing quickly picked up the things on the desk and left the office, afraid that the counselor would talk to him again.
After all, attending the wrong class for most of the semester was just too embarrassing.
And if it weren’t for the counselor talking to the professor of that class on his behalf, he would have definitely failed the course.
But the problem was, how was he going to deliver the items?
Ruan Qing looked at the things in his hands and the address sent by the counselor, his delicate face filled with distress.
So far away...
The location of the First University was quite remote, and the address sent by the counselor was obviously in the city center, taking more than two hours by bus one way.
Although taking a taxi would be faster, the fare was just too expensive.
Ruan Qing checked the time; it was almost six o’clock.
The closing time for the First University’s student dormitory was eleven o’clock. If he went now, he could still make it back in the evening.
Ruan Qing skipped dinner, directly boarded the bus to Qi Shen’s house.
Two and a half hours later, Ruan Qing stood at the entrance of a residential area, then stared blankly.
Because the address given by the counselor turned out to be the most luxurious villa area in the city center.
Ruan Qing double-checked the address, confirming that this was indeed the place.
He had heard that Qi Shen’s family conditions were quite good, but he didn’t expect it to be this luxurious.
Ruan Qing walked into the community with his things, only to be stopped by the security guard.
The security guard, looking at the handsome young man in front of him as if he walked out of a painting, was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure. The security guard’s tone subconsciously softened. “Hello, sir. Please show your pass.”
Naturally, Ruan Qing didn’t have any pass. He showed his student ID and explained, “I’m just here to deliver something.”
After hearing this, the security guard was somewhat embarrassed. Such a reason couldn’t allow someone to enter.
After all, this community didn’t allow casual entry; there had to be a pass or the homeowner’s consent to enter.
Seeing the security guard’s expression, Ruan Qing knew he was in a bit of a predicament. He didn’t insist on entering the community; he just came to deliver something.
As long as the items reached Qi Shen, it would be fine.
Ruan Qing directly handed over the certificate and prize, “Can you please pass them on for me...”
Before Ruan Qing finished speaking, the security guard shook his head. “We don’t allow delivery to homeowners on their behalf because the residents here are either wealthy or prominent. Once something goes wrong with the delivery, we can’t bear that responsibility.”
The security guard thought for a moment, “Do you have your classmate’s phone number? If you do, give them a call and ask for permission.”
“As long as the homeowner agrees, we can let you through.”
Ruan Qing naturally didn’t have the other’s number, but the counselor probably did.
Ruan Qing sent a message to the counselor.
The counselor was straightforward and directly sent Qi Shen’s phone number.
Seeing this, Ruan Qing dialed the number, but it rang for a long time with no answer.
If he couldn’t hand over the things to Qi Shen, this trip would be in vain.
Moreover, it would be a waste of time to come again, considering that Qi Shen usually didn’t go to school.
Ruan Qing persistently called several times, and finally, someone answered this time.
A deep, magnetic, and slightly impatient voice came, “What’s the matter?”
Ruan Qing immediately spoke, “Hello, Qi Shen, I’m Xia Qing. The counselor asked me to deliver the certificate of the competition from a few days ago to you. Because I don’t have an access pass...”
“I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
After saying that, the other party hung up, and Ruan Qing could only wait in place.
Ten minutes later, a car pulled up from outside.
The car was obviously luxurious, worth at least millions, and there was an access pass attached to the front of the car.
Clearly, it belonged to a resident of this community.
The security guard immediately opened the community gate when he saw this.
Ruan Qing stepped aside, not thinking that this was the car coming to pick him up.
After all, if someone was picking him up, the car should come from inside.
Unexpectedly, the car stopped when it passed by Ruan Qing.
And it was not a coincidence because the car window slowly rolled down.
Obviously, this should be the car picking him up.
The security guard walked up to the luxury car, speaking very respectfully, “Hello, sir. Is there anything you need help with?”
The man sitting in the driver’s seat, after stopping the car, got out and politely smiled at the security guard, saying, “Young Master Qi asked me to pick up his classmate.”
At this point, Ruan Qing had also walked over. He had no intention of getting in the car but handed the certificate and prize to the driver, saying, “The counselor asked me to deliver these. Could you please help pass them to Qi Shen? I won’t go up.”
“Or you can personally give it to Young Master Qi.” The driver shook his head upon hearing this, opening the car’s back door while saying, clearly inviting Ruan Qing to get in.
Ruan Qing looked at the certificate in his hand, pursed his lips, and eventually got into the car.
The residential area was filled with standalone villas, giving off an extravagant vibe.
The car stopped in front of one of the villa’s gates.
As the driver had other matters to attend to, he left after dropping Ruan Qing off at the entrance.
Ruan Qing had to enter on his own.
There were people inside the villa at the moment, a maid wiping a table, presumably the villa’s housekeeper.
The housekeeper looked surprised when she saw Ruan Qing enter, then politely inquired, “Hello, who are you looking for?”
After hearing Ruan Qing’s response, the housekeeper pointed to the third floor of the villa, saying, “Young Master Qi is on the third floor; you can go up to find him.”
How troublesome...
Ruan Qing sighed inwardly and thanked the housekeeper before heading upstairs.
There weren’t many rooms on the third floor, only two bedrooms and a study.
The study had its door open but was empty.
One of the bedrooms also had an open door; Ruan Qing quickly glanced inside, noticing various toys.
It seemed to be a child’s room.
Ruan Qing speculated that Qi Shen’s room should be the one with the closed door. He knocked on the bedroom door.
However, after knocking for a while, there was no response.
Afraid that the person inside hadn’t heard, Ruan Qing increased the strength of his knocks, attempting to get a response.
Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened from the inside.
Ruan Qing almost accidentally hit the person who opened the door.
Fortunately, he quickly withdrew his hand.
Looking at the man in a loose bathrobe with wet hair, Ruan Qing finally understood why he hadn’t answered his calls earlier.
He had clearly just finished taking a shower.
Other players were directly stunned. Only five people?
How could there be only five people?
Wasn’t it always seven people? They clearly all came in together. They never felt like anyone was missing.
Moreover, here they seemed more like spectators. Most people would ignore them, and there’s no real danger encountered. It’s not plausible for anyone to go missing.
The other players, in disbelief, counted themselves and indeed found only five people.
It seemed like the ones missing were... God Mu and that beautiful NPC?
And they had been tracking the residents of Dormitory room 404 in Building A for several days now, yet they had never noticed this.
They didn’t even know when exactly the two people went missing.
The players carefully recalled, but their memories were blurry, as if something had obscured their brains and eyes, preventing them from noticing this issue all along.
The players looked at each other in horror, clearly indicating that there were significant issues with this illusion.
They passed several days completely unaware, and if it weren’t for that one player suddenly noticing the missing people, they might not have even known how they died.
The players were no longer just sticking with the four people from Dormitory room 404 in Building A and that girl named Xiaoxiao; they had split into two groups.
One group continued to track the five people, wanting to see how they acted and where they buried the pen spirit’s remains.
The other group investigated where God Mu and the beautiful NPC had gone.
Although players thought those two were probably in dire straits, they didn’t give up.
At least knowing how those two died would be good.
After all, no one could guarantee it wouldn’t be their turn next.
***
After the glaring white light, Ruan Qing closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, found himself in a different place.
It was a classroom, just after class, with students packing up to leave.
Ruan Qing looked around in confusion. Why was he here?
Oh, he came for a class, but he slept through the entire session.
It seemed playing too late at night was taking a toll on his senses.
Ruan Qing rubbed his slightly numb hands, packed his bag, and prepared to return to the dormitory for some rest.
Just as Ruan Qing was about to leave after getting ready, the voices of other students came from the classroom door, “Xia Qing, the counselor wants you to go to his office.”
The student said this and left directly, leaving Ruan Qing with a slight frown.
Why would the counselor want to see him? Could it be for another talk?
Ruan Qing, with a troubled expression, rubbed his forehead and could only resign himself to carrying his bag to the counselor’s office.
After all, it was his fault for attending the wrong class for almost half the semester...
Causing him to skip his class for most of the semester.
If it weren’t for the counselor calling him in, he wouldn’t even know he had been attending the wrong class.
Now, it was already after working hours, and only the counselor was in the office.
The counselor seemed busy, not bothering to look at Ruan Qing when he arrived, just pushing something on his desk toward him.
“You and student Qi are in the same dorm, right? Take the competition certificate and prize to him.”
Ruan Qing looked at the first-place prize and certificate, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he spoke, “But classmate Qi has never been to the dorm. How can I take it to him?”
In the First University, during the freshmen’s enrollment, each student would be assigned a dormitory, whether they chose to live in it or not.
Although Ruan Qing and Qi Shen were in the same dorm, Qi Shen had never been to the dorm from the beginning of the school year until now.
So he hasn’t said a word to Qi Shen, he’s just a stranger with a roommate label.
The counselor was organizing student forms, casually waving a hand towards Ruan Qing without even turning around, “Then just take them straight to his home; I’ll send you student Qi’s home address.”
Ruan Qing was reluctant, “But...”
The counselor seemed to anticipate Ruan Qing’s refusal and interrupted him directly, “Xia Qing, who has been absent since the beginning of the semester, do you have any other questions?”
Ruan Qing cleared his throat at the words, reluctantly saying, “No, I’ll go and deliver it right away.”
Ruan Qing quickly picked up the things on the desk and left the office, afraid that the counselor would talk to him again.
After all, attending the wrong class for most of the semester was just too embarrassing.
And if it weren’t for the counselor talking to the professor of that class on his behalf, he would have definitely failed the course.
But the problem was, how was he going to deliver the items?
Ruan Qing looked at the things in his hands and the address sent by the counselor, his delicate face filled with distress.
So far away...
The location of the First University was quite remote, and the address sent by the counselor was obviously in the city center, taking more than two hours by bus one way.
Although taking a taxi would be faster, the fare was just too expensive.
Ruan Qing checked the time; it was almost six o’clock.
The closing time for the First University’s student dormitory was eleven o’clock. If he went now, he could still make it back in the evening.
Ruan Qing skipped dinner, directly boarded the bus to Qi Shen’s house.
Two and a half hours later, Ruan Qing stood at the entrance of a residential area, then stared blankly.
Because the address given by the counselor turned out to be the most luxurious villa area in the city center.
Ruan Qing double-checked the address, confirming that this was indeed the place.
He had heard that Qi Shen’s family conditions were quite good, but he didn’t expect it to be this luxurious.
Ruan Qing walked into the community with his things, only to be stopped by the security guard.
The security guard, looking at the handsome young man in front of him as if he walked out of a painting, was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure. The security guard’s tone subconsciously softened. “Hello, sir. Please show your pass.”
Naturally, Ruan Qing didn’t have any pass. He showed his student ID and explained, “I’m just here to deliver something.”
After hearing this, the security guard was somewhat embarrassed. Such a reason couldn’t allow someone to enter.
After all, this community didn’t allow casual entry; there had to be a pass or the homeowner’s consent to enter.
Seeing the security guard’s expression, Ruan Qing knew he was in a bit of a predicament. He didn’t insist on entering the community; he just came to deliver something.
As long as the items reached Qi Shen, it would be fine.
Ruan Qing directly handed over the certificate and prize, “Can you please pass them on for me...”
Before Ruan Qing finished speaking, the security guard shook his head. “We don’t allow delivery to homeowners on their behalf because the residents here are either wealthy or prominent. Once something goes wrong with the delivery, we can’t bear that responsibility.”
The security guard thought for a moment, “Do you have your classmate’s phone number? If you do, give them a call and ask for permission.”
“As long as the homeowner agrees, we can let you through.”
Ruan Qing naturally didn’t have the other’s number, but the counselor probably did.
Ruan Qing sent a message to the counselor.
The counselor was straightforward and directly sent Qi Shen’s phone number.
Seeing this, Ruan Qing dialed the number, but it rang for a long time with no answer.
If he couldn’t hand over the things to Qi Shen, this trip would be in vain.
Moreover, it would be a waste of time to come again, considering that Qi Shen usually didn’t go to school.
Ruan Qing persistently called several times, and finally, someone answered this time.
A deep, magnetic, and slightly impatient voice came, “What’s the matter?”
Ruan Qing immediately spoke, “Hello, Qi Shen, I’m Xia Qing. The counselor asked me to deliver the certificate of the competition from a few days ago to you. Because I don’t have an access pass...”
“I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
After saying that, the other party hung up, and Ruan Qing could only wait in place.
Ten minutes later, a car pulled up from outside.
The car was obviously luxurious, worth at least millions, and there was an access pass attached to the front of the car.
Clearly, it belonged to a resident of this community.
The security guard immediately opened the community gate when he saw this.
Ruan Qing stepped aside, not thinking that this was the car coming to pick him up.
After all, if someone was picking him up, the car should come from inside.
Unexpectedly, the car stopped when it passed by Ruan Qing.
And it was not a coincidence because the car window slowly rolled down.
Obviously, this should be the car picking him up.
The security guard walked up to the luxury car, speaking very respectfully, “Hello, sir. Is there anything you need help with?”
The man sitting in the driver’s seat, after stopping the car, got out and politely smiled at the security guard, saying, “Young Master Qi asked me to pick up his classmate.”
At this point, Ruan Qing had also walked over. He had no intention of getting in the car but handed the certificate and prize to the driver, saying, “The counselor asked me to deliver these. Could you please help pass them to Qi Shen? I won’t go up.”
“Or you can personally give it to Young Master Qi.” The driver shook his head upon hearing this, opening the car’s back door while saying, clearly inviting Ruan Qing to get in.
Ruan Qing looked at the certificate in his hand, pursed his lips, and eventually got into the car.
The residential area was filled with standalone villas, giving off an extravagant vibe.
The car stopped in front of one of the villa’s gates.
As the driver had other matters to attend to, he left after dropping Ruan Qing off at the entrance.
Ruan Qing had to enter on his own.
There were people inside the villa at the moment, a maid wiping a table, presumably the villa’s housekeeper.
The housekeeper looked surprised when she saw Ruan Qing enter, then politely inquired, “Hello, who are you looking for?”
After hearing Ruan Qing’s response, the housekeeper pointed to the third floor of the villa, saying, “Young Master Qi is on the third floor; you can go up to find him.”
How troublesome...
Ruan Qing sighed inwardly and thanked the housekeeper before heading upstairs.
There weren’t many rooms on the third floor, only two bedrooms and a study.
The study had its door open but was empty.
One of the bedrooms also had an open door; Ruan Qing quickly glanced inside, noticing various toys.
It seemed to be a child’s room.
Ruan Qing speculated that Qi Shen’s room should be the one with the closed door. He knocked on the bedroom door.
However, after knocking for a while, there was no response.
Afraid that the person inside hadn’t heard, Ruan Qing increased the strength of his knocks, attempting to get a response.
Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened from the inside.
Ruan Qing almost accidentally hit the person who opened the door.
Fortunately, he quickly withdrew his hand.
Looking at the man in a loose bathrobe with wet hair, Ruan Qing finally understood why he hadn’t answered his calls earlier.
He had clearly just finished taking a shower.
