After finishing breakfast, nine of them went together for their morning pharmacology class.
It was their first time seeing the other eleven classmates in their class.
Last night, just before the dorm lights went out, they heard a commotion from within.
Those in that dorm seemed quite lively, but in class today, they were visibly tense and silent.
The teacher seemed oblivious to the students’ demeanor. His enthusiasm for teaching was evidently low, merely droning on about the contents of his lecture.
The nine of them weren’t entirely lost; they could grasp about thirty to seventy percent of what was being taught.
The other eleven looked equally clueless.
As the pharmacology lecture neared its end, the students became increasingly anxious.
When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, the teacher didn’t even finish his sentence. He quickly packed his notes and left, wasting no time.
“Ugh!”
A student seated in front of Xia Bai and Lin Xiang suddenly leaned onto his desk and vomited, sweat dotting his forehead profusely.
The surrounding students didn’t seem surprised, probably too wrapped up in their own anxieties. For a moment, nobody attended to the sick student.
Lin Xiang handed him a piece of paper and asked, “You alright? What’s wrong?”
The student weakly waved his hand, “I’m okay. Just… super nervous. I get like this when I’m stressed.”
The nine players didn’t quite understand what everyone was so anxious about, but they couldn’t help but feel the infectious tension themselves. Many looked visibly worried.
It was at that moment that every student’s phone buzzed with a notification.
Xia Bai noticed that as the phones went off, many students instinctively tensed up.
Perhaps this was the source of their anxiety.
On the class group chat, the class counselor tagged everyone.
Class Counselor: [For this afternoon’s anatomy experiment, we need two students to help Professor Liu with preparations at the anatomy lab.]
Helping with preparations for anatomy? It certainly didn’t sound like a pleasant task.
At its most basic, wouldn’t an anatomy class require a cadaver? Were they expected to transport one from the morgue?
Considering how tense everyone was, there must be more to it. Students studying clinical medicine should be prepared for anatomy class. Surely, they couldn’t be this worked up just over some basic preparations.
Their eyes remained glued to their phones, holding their breath in anticipation.
Class Counselor: [Today, it will be Dai Liangyuan and Song Mingliang. Please, after lunch, make your way to anatomy Lab 203 and prepare. I’ll give instructions on what needs to be prepared shortly.]
Some were relieved, others despondent.
Upon reading the message, a student with teary eyes grabbed another’s hand, “Bro, my heart can’t handle this. Can you go for me this afternoon?”
This must be Dai Liangyuan.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Hua Haoming cut straight to the point, “What do you want?”
Rushing to explain, Song Qiang said, “I just heard Dai Liangyuan mention that he can get someone to go in his place. Can you please go on behalf of Song Mingliang this time? We’ll be forever grateful. The next time it’s your turn, Song Mingliang will go in your stead.”
Hua Haoming replied, “Sorry.”
Still smiling, Song Qiang gave his son a nudge.
Song Mingliang didn’t respond.
Angrily, Song Qiang slapped him on the head, “Why won’t you speak up even now?! Are you trying to piss me off?!”
Pulling Song Mingliang forward, he demanded, “Speak nicely and beg Brother Hua to show you the ropes.”
Finally, Song Mingliang spoke, “I’ll go.”
Song Qiang exclaimed, “What?”
Taking a deep breath, Song Mingliang’s voice rose slightly. The veins on his neck protruded. “I’ll go myself!”
Song Qiang was about to lash out when Hua Haoming interrupted, “Uncle Song, no matter how much you plead, I won’t go on his behalf. However, after lunch, we can accompany him to scope out the anatomy lab and find out why everyone’s so scared.”
It wasn’t the outcome he’d hoped for, but it did offer some consolation. Song Qiang spat out some words of gratitude and sat at the table next to them.
After lunch, all nine of them, including the anxious Dai Liangyuan, headed for the anatomy lab.
Hua Haoming tried to console Dai Liangyuan on the way, “Don’t worry. It might be okay this time.”
Dai Liangyuan fretfully rubbed his hands, “How could it be okay? So many people have ended up with issues. It’s not just some campus legend anymore. Everyone who has gone to the morgue has gone mad or died!”
He was so agitated that his hands were turning red from the friction, “Why are we so unlucky? We got picked from the get-go.”
The players exchanged glances, catching the mention of a ‘campus legend’.
Xia Bai inquired, “What campus legend?”
The players looked at him in surprise, recalling Hua Haoming’s warning about staying in character during the game. Their identities were Dai Liangyuan’s classmates. They weren’t freshmen. In other words, everyone in the class should’ve been nervous or scared. In addition, all of them should have been well aware of what the well-known campus legend was.
Dai Liangyuan sighed, “Xia Bai, seriously? You were probably daydreaming even as we gossiped, huh? It’s fine if you don’t know about other things, but how could you not know about this? I don’t even know what to say at this point.”
“…”
Hua Haoming glanced at Xia Bai, wondering, How could he know the game would take into consideration the entirety of a player’s life? In the game, the player’s identity mirrors their real-life personality and traits?
He mused internally, “So he’s the type to daydream in school, huh? But then, how did he ever get into Heping Medical College?”
Xia Bai noticed Hua Haoming’s gaze, which showed his increased skepticism. Xia Bai gave him a dazed expression in return.
Dai Liangyuan, not missing a beat, began explaining to the seemingly out-of-sync classmate, “It’s the legend about the morgue being haunted. The ghost is said to be absolutely terrifying. Several seniors who claimed to have seen the ghost in the morgue ended up losing their sanity, even going so far as to torture themselves to death. It’s probably because of this urban legend that the school started the tradition of sending us students to prepare for classes there. Many from our year dropped out precisely because of this chilling tale.”
Even the most obtuse would discern that the key to breaking this game lay with this ghost.
“I’ve heard of that legend too. But don’t worry about it,” Hua Haoming said casually, his face betraying no emotion. “From what I’ve heard, not everyone who visits the morgue to prep for anatomy classes ends up dead.”
The others picked up on his probing tone and silently perked their ears, listening intently.
“That’s how it goes, but how do you know we’ll be the lucky ones?” Dai Liangyuan asked, clearly distressed.
However, both Song Mingliang and Song Qiang visibly relaxed. Not everyone who prepared in the morgue died? This meant there was hope.
They made their way towards the morgue, passing by a man-made lake overrun with green algae swaying gleefully. A misty green hue enveloped the water’s surface.
The dampness here seemed more pronounced, carrying with it the strong, distinctive odor of aquatic plants.
The anatomy lab and morgue were situated in a four-story red building, isolated from the main campus and shrouded by dense pagoda trees. The area was secluded, cool, and eerily devoid of human activity.
Standing at the entrance, the overpowering scent of formaldehyde hit them, stinging their noses and eyes.
Upon arrival, Dai Liangyuan began burning joss paper and started murmuring some chants.
Meng Tianyou remarked, “I told you the crux lies in the morgue.”
Lin Xiang retorted, “Nah, you said it was the anatomy lab.”
Meng Tianyou countered, “They’re basically the same thing, aren’t they? That comment just outed you as a layman.”
Lin Xiang let out a loud, sharp snort of laughter.
Clearly irritated, Meng Tianyou was about to retort when Song Qiang enthusiastically interjected, “Right, right! Student Meng, you’re absolutely right. The key NPC is in there. There must be a pivotal clue hidden within. So, why don’t more of us head in? If we uncover the truth sooner, we can get out faster.”
His argument was logical. “As Dai Liangyuan mentioned earlier, some who entered the morgue emerged unscathed, while others weren’t so fortunate. If several of us go in together, we might avoid triggering any deadly events.”
His words made sense, but with today’s assigned person being Song Mingliang and the place riddled with unknown dangers, who would volunteer?
Xia Bai eagerly stepped forward, only to be swiftly pulled back by both Hua Haoming and Lin Xiang.
Lin Xiang whispered to him, “Xia Bai, don’t be too kind-hearted.”
Hua Haoming merely remained silent.
Song Qiang scanned the group. No one volunteered. No one uttered a word. The warmth in his smile slowly froze, becoming rigid before shattering entirely.
In the end, only Song Mingliang and Dai Liangyuan braved the challenge. Under the watchful eyes of their varying companions, they reluctantly entered the anatomy building.
The rest of the players lingered at the entrance, curious about what the two would encounter.
Half an hour later, they emerged.
They seemed alright, albeit a tad weary, with unidentifiable stains splashed across their attire.
“How did it go?”
Meng Tianyou hurried over to Song Mingliang, asking, “What did you see? What happened?”
Song Mingliang, true to form, kept his head down, remaining silent.
For the first time, Song Qiang didn’t scold him for not speaking.
Meng Tianyou was taken aback.
Wen Qiu frowned and said, “Song Mingliang, stop being petulant. Don’t try to hold back information. Or do you really think you can uncover the truth on your own? We might inadvertently break a deadly rule. If we don’t uncover the truth quickly, others will die in this game, and that includes both you and your father.”
Song Qiang hesitated for a moment, then nudged Song Mingliang. “Why have you clammed up at such a crucial moment? If something happened, tell us all about it.”
“Really, nothing happened. I just did as the counselor said, moved the corpse to the examination table, prepared the dissection tools, and nothing went wrong. Apart from the dead body, I didn’t encounter anything eerie.”
It was the longest sentence he had ever uttered, spoken with such sincerity that he didn’t seem to be lying.
Wen Qiu asked, “Really?”
Song Mingliang remained silent, looking up at Dai Liangyuan.
Dai Liangyuan had already left, no longer appearing as tense and fearful as he did when he arrived. He walked cheerfully, his smile brighter than the sun. It seemed that he was indeed a fortunate guy.
“How can that be?” Meng Tianyou remarked. “Something should have happened.”
Lin Xiang chuckled, “Hoping for others to get into trouble, huh? Because you’re not the one at risk anyway.”
Meng Tianyou was so angered that his eyebrows shot up. “Are you picking a fight?”
Lin Xiang, hands in pockets, turned his head and let out a whistle.
“…”
While Meng Tianyou’s thoughts might have been questionable, he wasn’t the only one among them who felt that something should have occurred when Song Mingliang entered the morgue. Their classmates’ reactions had made it quite clear: there had to be something wrong with the morgue, and it was the key.
Yet, nothing happened. According to Song Mingliang, it was just a typical morgue and lab.
Wen Dong wondered, “Did we get the location wrong? Is it not here?”
Hua Haoming suggested, “Let’s check again during our class or maybe explore it at night.”
The academy rules stated that the dissection lab remained open every weekday evening until lights-out, to accommodate students, especially those about to undertake internships, allowing them to practice.
Having prepared for over half an hour inside, Song Mingliang felt it wasn’t worth it to return to the dorm, so they waited outside.
As class time approached, more classmates arrived, and Lin Xiang grew increasingly nervous.
For someone who never thought of studying medicine, having to attend an anatomy class in a horror game was indeed overwhelming. Especially when he was naturally afraid of such things.
He glanced at Xia Bai sitting next to him, who looked as calm as ever with his daydreaming look, but the fingers on his lap were trembling subtly.
Xia Bai had never shown any signs of panic, but after all, he was still an innocent eighteen-year-old who had never been exposed to the internet or its influences.
Seeing him, Lin Xiang felt his heart twinge, recalling the time Xia Bai had carried him out of a graveyard despite his own fears. This time, Lin Xiang resolved to overcome his own fears and protect Xia Bai.
Lin Xiang asked, “Xia Bai, are you scared too?”
He patted his chest bravely and said, “Don’t be. If the teacher asks you to touch a corpse, I’ll cover for you.”
Hua Haoming: “…”
@Yog[translator] you’ve repeated the breakfast part to the part with the description of song mingliang after the dorm leader was asked to cover
big yikes. should be fixed now. thanks for the heads-up!
Xia Bai is probably excited because of the corpses😭 Also, why is Song Qiang always shouting at his son for no reason?
Cause he’s a terrible father that hasn’t realised that the biggest hindrance to his son’s growth is himself. I hope he dies and the son makes it out alive so the son has a chance of actually becoming a happy and functional person.
i feel like he’s more excited than scared 😅
Aaaah, this feels good. It’s been a while since my last unlimited flow, but this feels quite promising!! Thanks for the chapter, will camp here!! ❤️❤️❤️
Lol, Lin Xiang, I think you’re very much misunderstanding Xia Bai’s trembling.
I bet he’s hand’s trembling not from being scared but from excitement.😁
i think something did happen… he’s just lieing?
The father could also have volunteered by himself to substitute his son😒
I’m honestly just waiting for Lin Xiang’s reaction to our family’s Xiao Bai’s (yes I know I put Xiao instead of Xia in case anyone is asking) 5 Xi Shen that he keeps in his backyard, which mysteriously went missing not long ago xD
Lmao I know damn well he’s probably trying to hold down his excitement