June 22, 2023 by Wyrd
Ruan Qing went straight back to the classroom, but there was no one inside at the moment.
Just as Ruan Qing had reached the classroom, he noticed that his desk had been moved slightly, with the angle shifted outward.
It seemed as if someone had been searching through his desk, accidentally bumping it while leaving.
However, it was also possible that someone in the classroom had accidentally hit his desk while fooling around, but the likelihood of this was very low.
After all, generally, no one dared to play around near his desk.
Ruan Qing calmly sat down without showing any signs of suspicion, and not immediately checking the situation. After all, there was someone next to him, Mo Ran, who had been trying to explain something to him.
Ruan Qing had already noticed something was off about Mo Ran when they were playing basketball. Mo Ran’s agility was not like that of an ordinary high school student.
And when Mo Ran accidentally touched his left chest just now, Ruan Qing confirmed one thing: Mo Ran knew about the monster in the mirror.
Upon careful consideration, Ruan Qing realized that whenever they went to the restroom, Mo Ran used to wait outside. But this time, he stood guard as Ruan Qing entered before stopping.
Clearly, Mo Ran knew more than just the existence of the monster in the mirror. He probably even knew the rules of how and when it appeared.
But why wasn’t Mo Ran afraid of the monster in the mirror?
Mo Ran’s heart was still on the left side, indicating that he hadn’t been replaced.
Was it because he was stronger? Or was it... that he had already killed the monster that appeared in his mirror?
Ruan Qing leaned towards the latter possibility. Mo Ran had killed the monster in his mirror, and it was highly likely that he had gained some abilities different from ordinary people as a result.
Not only him, but Xiao Shiyi might also be the same.
If this speculation was correct, it meant that the monsters that appeared through the mirrors or any reflective surfaces could be killed.
Lost in thought, Ruan Qing touched the ruby earring on his left ear, completely ignoring Mo Ran’s explanation.
Mo Ran was now becoming somewhat uncontrollable.
The other had brought the caterpillar with him, and it was easy for Ruan Qing to guess what he intended to do.
He wanted to scare him.
If he was just the original owner, he might have thought that Mo Ran was only seeking revenge against him, but Ruan Qing found it hard to believe so.
Continuing to interact with Mo Ran would definitely lead to problems. It’s necessary to find a way to restrain him.
“Brother Su, I really didn’t mean it. I was just too hasty at that time,” Mo Ran explained anxiously, fearing that Ruan Qing would misunderstand him.
“Alright, stop talking about it,” Ruan Qing impatiently interrupted Mo Ran’s explanation, clearly showing a lack of interest in listening further.
After saying that, Ruan Qing took out his phone and dialed Xia Baiyi’s number.
The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering.
Ruan Qing looked at Mo Ran and said, “Yiyi went to buy cigarettes for me just now and hasn’t come back yet. Have someone go and find her.”
Mo Ran felt relieved that the teenager no longer held a grudge about what happened earlier and immediately nodded, “Okay, Brother Su.”
After saying that, Mo Ran walked out of the classroom, apparently going to find other lackeys.
Unable to see Mo Ran anymore, Ruan Qing leaned back slightly and glanced at the desk, his gaze falling on something that didn’t belong there.
There was a folded piece of paper at the edge of the desk, a normal scrap of paper.
When Ruan Qing left the school yesterday, this paper wasn’t there. Apparently, someone put it there after he left yesterday or maybe even today.
Ruan Qing took out the paper and opened it.
Within the scrap paper was a yellow piece of paper folded into a triangle shape, with some patterns drawn in red ink on it, resembling talisman paper.
And on the scrap paper, a sentence was written in a sloppy manner.
[If you don’t want to die, carry the talisman paper with you.]
After reading the words on the paper clearly, Ruan Qing was slightly stunned.
Who was helping him?
That group of players?
Players had points, and they could indeed exchange these props with the game system.
It seemed that those players were not so foolish after all. They had already noticed the situation of this instance within two days of entering.
Ruan Qing picked up the talisman and held it in his hand, dissipating some of the uneasiness in his heart.
He was slightly moved.
While Ruan Qing put the talisman into the prop called “Chronometer” obtained from the previous instance, he praised in his mind.
‘System, the players in your game are really kind. Two instances and both had players give me things.’
System: “...”
The system looked at Ruan Qing carefully, wearing the talisman around his neck and really wanted to advise him not to take it.
However, it involved the information of the instance, and it couldn’t speak up to stop him, so it could only subtly speak.
[...Actually, players aren’t as good as you think.]
However, Ruan Qing seemed to not understand its implication, and he solemnly put the “Chronometer” inside his clothes.
The system wasn’t too surprised. Even if he understood its implication, he probably wouldn’t give up on this talisman.
After all, the teenager was not only deceiving himself, but had even hypnotized himself.
Clearly, he was extremely afraid of ghosts.
Ruan Qing took out a lighter from his pocket and directly ignited the draft paper.
He threw the paper on the ground and watched it burn while speaking in his mind, ‘System, do you think the item you sold me is useful?’
System: [...The item is definitely fine.]
Ruan Qing coldly spoke, ‘Tell me if it’s useful to me.’
System: [...It’s not.]
At first, it could still be explained that the bathroom incidents were due to the original owner’s own problems. But what happened at school clearly indicated that the ‘Red Moon’ didn’t seem to have any effect.
However, the system still didn’t think there was a problem with the props. This prop should be able to conceal a person’s special physique, but it didn’t work at all.
Ruan Qing sneered and said, ‘The prop was given to me by you and even left me in debt. And now you’re telling me it’s useless?‘
[I’ve already reported it to the main game system. Currently, the system has provided two solutions. The first one is to recall the ‘Red Moon’ prop and return the points to the player. The second one is to adjust the effect of the ‘Red Moon’ to be at the same level as a supernatural-type prop, capable of resisting ghost attacks.]
[Which option does the player want to choose?]
Ruan Qing didn’t even think about it and chose the second option.
[The prop’s effect has been updated.
Prop: Red Moon (B-grade prop)
Effect: Can resist attacks from ghosts.
Limitations: Passive-type prop, can only be used once in an instance.]
The draft paper was only a thin sheet, and it quickly turned to ashes.
Mo Ran didn’t go to find someone by himself but sent other lackeys, so he quickly returned.
Mo Ran glanced at the ashes on the floor and then looked at Ruan Qing. “Brother Su, classmate Xia seems to have left the school. Probably had something to do at home. Should I accompany you to buy cigarettes?”
Ruan Qing thought for a moment. “Forget it. Let’s go eat first.”
It was no longer early, and it was time for lunch.
Mo Ran nodded without any objections. “Then let’s eat lunch first and go afterward.”
Ruan Qing originally intended to go to the cafeteria, but Mo Ran led him to the school gate, and only then did he realize that the original owner never ate in the cafeteria.
However, confirming that the core of the instance was the monster in the mirror meant that his previous guess about the serial killer was wrong. So being alone wasn’t a problem in itself. As long as he wasn’t alone in front of a mirror, there shouldn’t be any issues.
So Ruan Qing followed Mo Ran out of the school.
The school gate opened onto the street, and it was noon, with a lot of vehicles and pedestrians passing by.
Originally, the pedestrian crossing had a green light, but a car out of control came crashing through.
Ruan Qing had already reached the edge of the street, but due to others pushing and shoving to avoid the car, he got separated from Mo Ran.
He was directly squeezed into the nearby alley.
Of course, this was also the result of Ruan Qing going with the flow. He didn’t want to stay with Mo Ran for too long.
Mo Ran was a bit crazy and had no sense of morality deep down. Although the other hadn’t gone crazy himself yet, it was only a matter of time.
Ruan Qing immediately put his phone on silent mode and walked into the alley.
All the players were students, indicating that the school was likely the core of the instance. For the school, Saturday and Sunday were special days.
After all, the game lasted for ten days, and the second day inside the instance was a Saturday. This might not be a coincidence. Perhaps these two days were the best opportunity.
Having gained some confidence from the prop and talisman, Ruan Qing decided to circle back to the school and see if he could find any crucial information.
However, Ruan Qing regretted leaving Mo Ran behind before even leaving the alley.
Because he encountered a robber.
The man wore a mask and held a knife towards Ruan Qing. His voice was hoarse as he spoke. “Hand over all the valuable things you have!”
Ruan Qing looked at the man with the knife, slightly lowered his head to avoid letting the man see his face, and handed over his phone, money, and even his lighter from his pocket.
He didn’t want to give them, but there were only two people in the alley now—himself and the man—and no one could help him.
Even if he didn’t give it, the man would force him to give it.
Moreover, even the original owner would choose to hand over things because the original owner was well aware that there was obviously no immediate way for his background to help him in these types of situation.
So he would definitely yield first and then retaliate as he pleased later.
Also, if Ruan Qing didn’t give it and the man saw his face, the consequences might be even more severe. It’s better to quickly send the man away.
Ruan Qing didn’t have much cash on him; his money was all in the bank account, and the bank card was with ‘Xia Baiyi.’
So the only valuable things were the mobile phone and the lighter.
But obviously, the man was not satisfied with what Ruan Qing had given.
He looked at the delicate young master in front of him and brought the knife closer, saying, “I advise you to be honest! Hand over all the valuable things!”
“It’s already everything,” Ruan Qing said softly with his head lowered.
The man sneered, “You’d better not test my patience. My patience is not very good.”
Ruan Qing pursed his lips slightly and said softly, “I really gave you everything.”
The man didn’t believe him and reached out his hand, as if wanting to search Ruan Qing’s body.
June 22, 2023 by Wyrd
Ruan Qing went straight back to the classroom, but there was no one inside at the moment.
Just as Ruan Qing had reached the classroom, he noticed that his desk had been moved slightly, with the angle shifted outward.
It seemed as if someone had been searching through his desk, accidentally bumping it while leaving.
However, it was also possible that someone in the classroom had accidentally hit his desk while fooling around, but the likelihood of this was very low.
After all, generally, no one dared to play around near his desk.
Ruan Qing calmly sat down without showing any signs of suspicion, and not immediately checking the situation. After all, there was someone next to him, Mo Ran, who had been trying to explain something to him.
Ruan Qing had already noticed something was off about Mo Ran when they were playing basketball. Mo Ran’s agility was not like that of an ordinary high school student.
And when Mo Ran accidentally touched his left chest just now, Ruan Qing confirmed one thing: Mo Ran knew about the monster in the mirror.
Upon careful consideration, Ruan Qing realized that whenever they went to the restroom, Mo Ran used to wait outside. But this time, he stood guard as Ruan Qing entered before stopping.
Clearly, Mo Ran knew more than just the existence of the monster in the mirror. He probably even knew the rules of how and when it appeared.
But why wasn’t Mo Ran afraid of the monster in the mirror?
Mo Ran’s heart was still on the left side, indicating that he hadn’t been replaced.
Was it because he was stronger? Or was it... that he had already killed the monster that appeared in his mirror?
Ruan Qing leaned towards the latter possibility. Mo Ran had killed the monster in his mirror, and it was highly likely that he had gained some abilities different from ordinary people as a result.
Not only him, but Xiao Shiyi might also be the same.
If this speculation was correct, it meant that the monsters that appeared through the mirrors or any reflective surfaces could be killed.
Lost in thought, Ruan Qing touched the ruby earring on his left ear, completely ignoring Mo Ran’s explanation.
Mo Ran was now becoming somewhat uncontrollable.
The other had brought the caterpillar with him, and it was easy for Ruan Qing to guess what he intended to do.
He wanted to scare him.
If he was just the original owner, he might have thought that Mo Ran was only seeking revenge against him, but Ruan Qing found it hard to believe so.
Continuing to interact with Mo Ran would definitely lead to problems. It’s necessary to find a way to restrain him.
“Brother Su, I really didn’t mean it. I was just too hasty at that time,” Mo Ran explained anxiously, fearing that Ruan Qing would misunderstand him.
“Alright, stop talking about it,” Ruan Qing impatiently interrupted Mo Ran’s explanation, clearly showing a lack of interest in listening further.
After saying that, Ruan Qing took out his phone and dialed Xia Baiyi’s number.
The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering.
Ruan Qing looked at Mo Ran and said, “Yiyi went to buy cigarettes for me just now and hasn’t come back yet. Have someone go and find her.”
Mo Ran felt relieved that the teenager no longer held a grudge about what happened earlier and immediately nodded, “Okay, Brother Su.”
After saying that, Mo Ran walked out of the classroom, apparently going to find other lackeys.
Unable to see Mo Ran anymore, Ruan Qing leaned back slightly and glanced at the desk, his gaze falling on something that didn’t belong there.
There was a folded piece of paper at the edge of the desk, a normal scrap of paper.
When Ruan Qing left the school yesterday, this paper wasn’t there. Apparently, someone put it there after he left yesterday or maybe even today.
Ruan Qing took out the paper and opened it.
Within the scrap paper was a yellow piece of paper folded into a triangle shape, with some patterns drawn in red ink on it, resembling talisman paper.
And on the scrap paper, a sentence was written in a sloppy manner.
[If you don’t want to die, carry the talisman paper with you.]
After reading the words on the paper clearly, Ruan Qing was slightly stunned.
Who was helping him?
That group of players?
Players had points, and they could indeed exchange these props with the game system.
It seemed that those players were not so foolish after all. They had already noticed the situation of this instance within two days of entering.
Ruan Qing picked up the talisman and held it in his hand, dissipating some of the uneasiness in his heart.
He was slightly moved.
While Ruan Qing put the talisman into the prop called “Chronometer” obtained from the previous instance, he praised in his mind.
‘System, the players in your game are really kind. Two instances and both had players give me things.’
System: “...”
The system looked at Ruan Qing carefully, wearing the talisman around his neck and really wanted to advise him not to take it.
However, it involved the information of the instance, and it couldn’t speak up to stop him, so it could only subtly speak.
[...Actually, players aren’t as good as you think.]
However, Ruan Qing seemed to not understand its implication, and he solemnly put the “Chronometer” inside his clothes.
The system wasn’t too surprised. Even if he understood its implication, he probably wouldn’t give up on this talisman.
After all, the teenager was not only deceiving himself, but had even hypnotized himself.
Clearly, he was extremely afraid of ghosts.
Ruan Qing took out a lighter from his pocket and directly ignited the draft paper.
He threw the paper on the ground and watched it burn while speaking in his mind, ‘System, do you think the item you sold me is useful?’
System: [...The item is definitely fine.]
Ruan Qing coldly spoke, ‘Tell me if it’s useful to me.’
System: [...It’s not.]
At first, it could still be explained that the bathroom incidents were due to the original owner’s own problems. But what happened at school clearly indicated that the ‘Red Moon’ didn’t seem to have any effect.
However, the system still didn’t think there was a problem with the props. This prop should be able to conceal a person’s special physique, but it didn’t work at all.
Ruan Qing sneered and said, ‘The prop was given to me by you and even left me in debt. And now you’re telling me it’s useless?‘
[I’ve already reported it to the main game system. Currently, the system has provided two solutions. The first one is to recall the ‘Red Moon’ prop and return the points to the player. The second one is to adjust the effect of the ‘Red Moon’ to be at the same level as a supernatural-type prop, capable of resisting ghost attacks.]
[Which option does the player want to choose?]
Ruan Qing didn’t even think about it and chose the second option.
[The prop’s effect has been updated.
Prop: Red Moon (B-grade prop)
Effect: Can resist attacks from ghosts.
Limitations: Passive-type prop, can only be used once in an instance.]
The draft paper was only a thin sheet, and it quickly turned to ashes.
Mo Ran didn’t go to find someone by himself but sent other lackeys, so he quickly returned.
Mo Ran glanced at the ashes on the floor and then looked at Ruan Qing. “Brother Su, classmate Xia seems to have left the school. Probably had something to do at home. Should I accompany you to buy cigarettes?”
Ruan Qing thought for a moment. “Forget it. Let’s go eat first.”
It was no longer early, and it was time for lunch.
Mo Ran nodded without any objections. “Then let’s eat lunch first and go afterward.”
Ruan Qing originally intended to go to the cafeteria, but Mo Ran led him to the school gate, and only then did he realize that the original owner never ate in the cafeteria.
However, confirming that the core of the instance was the monster in the mirror meant that his previous guess about the serial killer was wrong. So being alone wasn’t a problem in itself. As long as he wasn’t alone in front of a mirror, there shouldn’t be any issues.
So Ruan Qing followed Mo Ran out of the school.
The school gate opened onto the street, and it was noon, with a lot of vehicles and pedestrians passing by.
Originally, the pedestrian crossing had a green light, but a car out of control came crashing through.
Ruan Qing had already reached the edge of the street, but due to others pushing and shoving to avoid the car, he got separated from Mo Ran.
He was directly squeezed into the nearby alley.
Of course, this was also the result of Ruan Qing going with the flow. He didn’t want to stay with Mo Ran for too long.
Mo Ran was a bit crazy and had no sense of morality deep down. Although the other hadn’t gone crazy himself yet, it was only a matter of time.
Ruan Qing immediately put his phone on silent mode and walked into the alley.
All the players were students, indicating that the school was likely the core of the instance. For the school, Saturday and Sunday were special days.
After all, the game lasted for ten days, and the second day inside the instance was a Saturday. This might not be a coincidence. Perhaps these two days were the best opportunity.
Having gained some confidence from the prop and talisman, Ruan Qing decided to circle back to the school and see if he could find any crucial information.
However, Ruan Qing regretted leaving Mo Ran behind before even leaving the alley.
Because he encountered a robber.
The man wore a mask and held a knife towards Ruan Qing. His voice was hoarse as he spoke. “Hand over all the valuable things you have!”
Ruan Qing looked at the man with the knife, slightly lowered his head to avoid letting the man see his face, and handed over his phone, money, and even his lighter from his pocket.
He didn’t want to give them, but there were only two people in the alley now—himself and the man—and no one could help him.
Even if he didn’t give it, the man would force him to give it.
Moreover, even the original owner would choose to hand over things because the original owner was well aware that there was obviously no immediate way for his background to help him in these types of situation.
So he would definitely yield first and then retaliate as he pleased later.
Also, if Ruan Qing didn’t give it and the man saw his face, the consequences might be even more severe. It’s better to quickly send the man away.
Ruan Qing didn’t have much cash on him; his money was all in the bank account, and the bank card was with ‘Xia Baiyi.’
So the only valuable things were the mobile phone and the lighter.
But obviously, the man was not satisfied with what Ruan Qing had given.
He looked at the delicate young master in front of him and brought the knife closer, saying, “I advise you to be honest! Hand over all the valuable things!”
“It’s already everything,” Ruan Qing said softly with his head lowered.
The man sneered, “You’d better not test my patience. My patience is not very good.”
Ruan Qing pursed his lips slightly and said softly, “I really gave you everything.”
The man didn’t believe him and reached out his hand, as if wanting to search Ruan Qing’s body.
