Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The bald man’s death was so gruesome that nearly everyone ran off to vomit.
Only a handful remained standing behind Smiling Tiger.
The short-haired girl frowned and murmured to herself, “He wasn’t shouting when he first went in. So why…?”
Then something occurred to her. Her head snapped up.
The uniform!
When Xiao Huai asked for one, Smiling Tiger had said, “It is a school rule, after all.”
The bald man might have died the moment he stepped into the teaching building because he wasn’t wearing a uniform.
It had not mattered while they were outside, but once they entered the building, a uniform became mandatory.
In other words, every school rule had a specific area where it applied.
Some of the sharper people gradually reached the same conclusion. They rushed the wardrobe like lunatics, snatching up skirts and pulling them on without the slightest concern for whether they were men.
There were plenty of uniforms. No one had to worry about running out.
But after watching someone die, everyone’s nerves were stretched taut. They fought over the clothing, knocking several girls down in the process.
With death staring them in the face, chivalry and manners meant jack shit.
Just then, another body plummeted from above with a heavy thud.
The sound of flesh striking the ground made their skin crawl.
The players put on their uniforms as fast as they could and hurried after Smiling Tiger.
On the fourth floor, he led them into Class 44 and told them to find seats. Then he went to the blackboard and wrote three characters: He Lecheng.
“Students, welcome to Ivy Girls’ School. I’m your homeroom teacher, He Lecheng. You’re all outstanding students transferred here from No. 1 High School. I’m sure you’ll help the entire grade improve and earn the best results on this exam!”
When he finished, he set his employee badge on the lectern, sat down, and silently observed every player’s expression.
Not one of them dared speak. They did not even dare meet his eyes.
He smiled. “This is your first time meeting, but you’ll be classmates from now on. Why don’t you spend the next half hour introducing yourselves and getting acquainted?”
“A-are we allowed to talk during evening study?”
One player asked timidly, terrified of breaking a school rule without realizing it.
He Lecheng nodded. “Of course. Your thirty minutes start now, so make good use of them. You’ll have an exam later.”
“An exam? What exam?!”
Unable to restrain himself, the muscular man looked up at He Lecheng.
He Lecheng met his gaze. “A placement test, of course. Students of different levels naturally need different teaching methods. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The sudden question caught the muscular man off guard.
He had graduated high school more than ten years ago. There was no damn way he would pass an exam now.
And judging by how Smiling Tiger killed without batting an eye, the consequences of this test could hardly be good.
Everyone became preoccupied with how they were supposed to pass, forgetting all about introductions and conversation.
Then He Lecheng said, “Some of the students among you are exceptionally talented. A few have even memorized the entire question bank. Why not ask them for help?”
His words hit like a depth charge, sending waves through the room.
“Them?”
Everyone understood at once.
Some people here had been different from the very beginning.
That man, for example!
The muscular man whipped around to glare at Xiao Huai. “You! Is it you? You know something, don’t you?”
He charged over, his dagger flashing in and out of the moonlight.
Xiao Huai sat beside the window in the last row. He gave the man an indifferent glance, his eyes so languid it seemed the end of the world would have nothing to do with him.
“You asked Smiling Tiger for a uniform right at the start. How did you know we needed one? Do you know the school rules?”
Every eye turned to Xiao Huai. He was the most suspicious person here.
The muscular man had a point. How could Xiao Huai have known to put on a uniform before entering?
And why would any man agree to wear women’s clothing so easily?
Unless he really did know something.
The short-haired girl watched Xiao Huai too, her gaze calm as she tried to glean more from his expression.
Xiao Huai leaned forward slightly, resting one hand on the desk and propping his chin in his palm.
Under the moonlight, his dark red eyes were as bewitching and uncanny as a blood moon.
His thin lips parted. Pointing toward the corpse below, he enunciated each word slowly.
“This is a girls’ school. I like dressing as a woman, especially in pink skirts.”
The sole viewer in Xiao Huai’s livestream burst out laughing.
The muscular man: “…”
Realizing he had been toyed with, the man seized Xiao Huai’s wrist in a fury and squeezed hard.
“You little bastard. You think this is funny?”
As though he felt no pain, Xiao Huai curved his lips into a smile. “Instead of interrogating a cross-dresser, why don’t you ask whether anyone else has an identity card?”
“Identity card?” The new term immediately sharpened the muscular man’s gaze.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Xiao Huai. Since we’re classmates now, I hope we’ll get along.”
He smiled as if the muscular man wasn’t still crushing his wrist and threatening him.
“Ning Gaoqiang.” It was difficult to strike someone who met you with a smile, and Ning Gaoqiang wanted information, so he finally let go.
The short-haired girl walked over and offered Xiao Huai her hand. “Hui Yulian. This is my second instance. You’re a veteran player too, aren’t you?”
Xiao Huai did not shake her hand. He only smiled. “I don’t remember, but I probably count as one.”
Hui Yulian’s expression barely changed as she quietly withdrew her hand.
Their exchange had been brief, nothing more than simple introductions, but everyone around them was watching.
Some of the newcomers had no idea what was going on and stared in open astonishment. A small number of players studied them with curiosity.
Hui Yulian sighed. As if reaching a decision, she began to explain.
“We’re all people who were chosen to participate in the gods’ games as players. This is a first-floor instance, and it’s only survival mode. As long as we don’t break the rules, we won’t die. We just have to make it safely through seven days to complete the mission.”
She paused and looked around. As expected, most people appeared utterly lost.
Hui Yulian continued, “Chosen humans can only return to reality after clearing all eighteen floors of the horror game.”
“Then what are the selection criteria?”
Xiao Huai asked the question with a trace of amusement in his eyes.
His rich, pleasant voice reached Hui Yulian’s ears, and she found herself meeting his gaze.
In truth, Hui Yulian did not know the answer. She was about to respond with silence when He Lecheng, who had been quietly watching them, spoke instead.
“Potential, naturally.”
Xiao Huai turned to him. A rare flicker of genuine emotion appeared in He Lecheng’s eyes.
There was even a hint of madness in it.
“The potential to make our world a little less boring,” he added.
“Heh.” Xiao Huai looked away and sprawled lazily across his desk. His eyes drifted shut as if he were already about to fall asleep again.
“Son of a bitch. They’re treating us like toys.” Ning Gaoqiang bristled with righteous indignation after hearing their exchange.