The school breathed in the night, with the icy and hollow wind blowing. The soft mulch gave people the illusion that it would turn into a swamp at any time, and every step seemed to have wet mud crawling up to the ankles.
The street trees on both sides of the road were wrapped in black plastic sheets, like many standing body bags. Although only vague outlines could be seen in the darkness, Xu Zhongping felt that cold eyes were staring at him from behind the plastic sheet.
He couldn’t help but shiver, tightly gripping the steel pipe in his hand, drawing courage from it to keep himself from fainting in fear.
The leaves rustled, whispering softly as they brushed against each other.
Butterflies gathered quietly in the shadows, their wings fluttering hesitantly.
Something felt… off…
Second Treasure, nestled in Xu Yintang’s arms, squinted its five large eyes, each pupil darting around with lightning-like sharpness. Its tail bristled as if startled, and a threatening growl rumbled from its throat.
“Hmm?” Xu Yintang gently smoothed Second Treasure’s fur, touching his pink nose with a questioning touch, while his tentacles spread out to explore any potential dangers in all directions.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Empty.
The tips of the tentacles fed back everything they touched, gently moving with the flow of every wisp of air. This feeling, while normal, might not be normal, but it was also a common occurrence in this copy, subtly reminding Xu Yintang of the clear blue sea woven by the data in Fourth Joy’s body when it was still an egg.
“What… what’s wrong?” Xu Zhongping asked nervously, his hands trembling violently on the steel pipe. Although it was a smart decision not to choose a knife to deliver food to the enemy, judging by his shaky demeanor, even if he had a divine weapon, he was probably lagging behind.
So why bring him in together?
Xu Yintang wondered, subconsciously pressing down on this question, his mind pondering as he tugged at the corners of his mouth, responding casually, “Nothing.”
He scratched Second Treasure’s chin a few times, appearing calm yet distant and difficult to approach.
Xu Zhongping dared not inquire further, taking small steps to keep up with the leading figure, Shi Yuebai, his chubby face crumpled in distress, desperately swallowing saliva.
Second Treasure tilted his little head back, enjoying his mother’s scratches, quickly calming down. While he was puzzled as to why he had suddenly bristled earlier, seeming like a reflex after being attacked, he nonchalantly wagged his tail, soothing the fragile mental state of Xu Zhongping.
The human looked utterly terrified, yet despite this, there was a peculiar resilience in his spirit. One could almost smell the scent of his sanity teetering on the edge, swaying back and forth, but always managing to hold on through the pain.
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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Eyes in the dream realm rolled and swirled through the smoke, observing the space around them from all directions.
Something was off…
Second Treasure’s consciousness drifted, the smoke coiling and entwining with the tentacles left in its body by its mother. Information flowed silently through these touches. It didn’t understand why it felt the need to communicate so secretively with its mother, as if something might be lurking nearby, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Just as Second Treasure had this vague notion, not yet fully formed, a huge, pale, indistinct face suddenly pushed its way between it and its mother, pressing closely against its adorable round face.
In an instant, the smoke was filled with this blurry, grotesque white face, like a white abyss staring into Second Treasure’s consciousness. The cub’s body emitted large clouds of nightmare-like black smoke, swelling into a massive furry ball in Xu Yintang’s arms. A sharp, piercing shriek, accompanied by the scorching smell of sulfur, erupted, echoing explosively throughout the space.
Screeeeech——!
…
Shi Yuebai was suddenly startled.
Unclear of the reason, his heart suddenly tightened as if being firmly grasped, yet he hastily concealed his attention, only feeling a subtle sense of discomfort like ants crawling on his skin, bringing an almost imperceptible itch.
Something’s not right…
Countless copies honed his sharp intuition, and in his mind, a bright red alarm was flashing, scratching the steel plate with the sound of Casey Cat’s claws. Mist seemed to gather and disperse before his, with blood-red light emanating from the darkness everywhere.
The color of prey.
It seemed to be everywhere, staining the surroundings with a vivid red as if a paint can had been spilled, yet at the same time, it seemed invisible, with its appearance and whereabouts unseen.
Even the slightest distraction for the sound behind his, and the blood-red scene would dissipate, not knowing if it had fled far away or lurked, waiting for an opportunity.
Casey Cat leaped onto his shoulder, the golden pupils in his eyes flashing with the cold and icy light unique to hunting, his ears agilely rotating to catch traces of prey, his tail whipping through the air with a whip-like vigor.
Shi Yuebai’s eyes were equally cold, the golden color surrounding the edges of his pupils making the black of his irises appear even deeper, as if even human emotions had been swallowed up by that abyss, turning towards Xu Zhongping, who almost felt like he was facing a wild beast.
Savage, brutal. Sensing the tearing and shattering phantom pain, drilling from the surface of the skin into the depths of the bone marrow, awakening the fear buried deep in the instinct of survival as prey.
Will die—
Fear gripped Xu Zhongping’s throat, his eyes widened, the instinct for survival surging forth from his body—
…
They were standing right under the school’s wall.
After Xu Zhongping got stuck on the wall and even ended up with a leg injury when being helped down, Shi Yuebai, without even looking at his swollen ankle, immediately expelled him from the team.
“You better go back,” he said, “You can’t even stand like this.”
It seemed like a fracture, which for most players wasn’t a big deal; a few potions would fix them right up, ready to defeat monsters as usual—no need for the kind of potions Xu Yintang and others used. The pain would subside after a bit.
But for Xu Zhongping, restraining himself from screaming in pain was already a tremendous effort. Holding onto his leg, his face pale and covered in cold sweat, even a slight movement would cause him to tremble with pain, making it clear that he shouldn’t be night exploring the school with Xu Yintang and Shi Yuebai.
“Let Little Darling take you out. Do you have any clues about Yu Kongyou?” Xu Yintang proposed a very reasonable solution. Xu Zhongping knew well that even if his leg wasn’t broken, he would only be a burden. Entrusting Xu Yintang and Shi Yuebai was the most reliable option.
After all, they had effortlessly climbed over a wall that was impossible to climb. They seemed to have just appeared here out of nowhere.
Xu Zhongping thought he might be overreacting due to the pain, his mind blank. He couldn’t even remember how Xu Yintang had climbed the wall, let alone how he himself had gotten here. All he remembered was falling with a thud and landing solidly in front of Xu Yintang and Shi Yuebai.
The inexplicable memory gap was something worth doubting, but even more inexplicably, the unwillingness surged in his mind like a flood, countless emotions accompanying it. He deeply hated his own weakness and incompetence, yet at the same time, he felt he shouldn’t be so feeble.
He could find it… He could find it…
He shouldn’t be stuck like this, even if his leg was broken, even if all his bones were crushed into powder, even if his intestines spilled out and he went blind and deaf with death just a step away… he should still be able to find it…
But… something’s not right…
In a moment of sudden clarity, a cold light shone from Xu Zhongping’s eyes, that giant, pale, decaying face suddenly appearing deep within his pupils.
…
Xu Yintang walked into the classroom building.
Xu Zhongping followed closely behind, not daring to have the slightest negligence. Xu Yintang was weighed down by the heavy electric saw, and even the short distance from the wall to the classroom building made his arms sore. He was panting heavily, his nose covered in sweat.
He was very scared, the smell of fear permeating every inch of his skin, and very nervous, like a bird startled by the slightest noise.
But he still desperately urged his body to fight against fear, stepping forward, gripping the electric saw tightly, and even trying to maintain the posture of the saw teeth facing outwards as much as possible, his body tensed like a taut bowstring.
Either break or burst.
Subconsciously adjusting himself like this, Xu Zhongping walked into the darkness, subconsciously slowing his breathing, and the small steps he took on the ground were almost silent.
If he were a human player, such performance would be considered quite talented, and worthy of being used as a reference template for tutorials by Shi Yuebai.
Shi Yuebai squinted slightly, and the tacit understanding between them, made Casey Cat instantly synchronize with what he was thinking. The cat, the same color as the darkness, raised its tail tip, stepped on Shi Yuebai’s shoulder, jumped in mid-air, and used Xu Zhongping’s head as a foothold during the fall, landing perfectly on Xu Yintang’s shoulder.
“Meow~”
It blinked its eyes and meowed softly and coquettishly at Xu Yintang, provoking a glare from Second Treasure.
Xu Yintang rarely saw this big furball getting close to him, so he petted it affectionately as it snuggled up. Casey Cat purred contentedly, rubbing against Xu Yintang’s cheek, ignoring the dagger-like glances from Shi Yuebai behind.
Once it had enough snuggling, it jumped off Xu Yintang and transformed into the size of a calf, striding ahead with its head held high, as if leading the way for everyone.
“Don’t be nervous,” Shi Yuebai patted Xu Zhongping’s back, and as if amiably grabbing his arm, he subtly suppressed the weak resistance of the teenager’s reflexes. The dimples on his cheeks smiled sweetly and innocently, his eyes deep like those of a wild beast, yet also showing a bit of round cuteness.
“I will find Yu Kongyou.” Xu Yintang turned around and looked at him, his tone firm and decisive.
Xu Zhongping saw his own reflection in those black eyes, the crimson moon emitting a twisted light like tendrils, shining into his soul in the moment of eye contact.
Vaguely, he saw a blurry pale shadow flash by. Before he could realize what he saw, the huge moon, which had completely wiped his mind blank, was already within reach. He no longer sensed anything, no longer thought about anything, only the moon— the devouring moon.
The lifeless grayness on Xu Zhongping’s face revealed an expression of deadness. All the colors on his face faded away, turning as white as paper.
Tentacles emerged from Xu Yintang’s skin, weaving into ropes, pulling something invisible to the naked eye, straining almost to the point of breaking.
Creaking noises resounded faintly from the darkness, seemingly coming from nowhere, like the gears of a clock being stuck but still futilely turning, like a game save failure, the machine signaling a malfunction.
Shi Yuebai clenched his fist, his body slightly crouching, his posture relaxed and soft, like a boneless snake.
In the buzzing echoes of the darkness, rustling sounds—danger approached.
Scary
Mini boss coming? Henchmen? Are they going to fight the entire school?