Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Under the eyes of the entire class, Xiao Huai wrote a math problem in his notebook.
[1 + 1 = ?]
He Lecheng’s eyebrow twitched. His expression darkened further.
“You truly don’t know how to solve this?”
Xiao Huai nodded, blinking innocently. “That’s right, sir. You wouldn’t dislike me just because I’m not very smart, would you?”
Was that the scent of green tea in the air? Ah, no. It was just Xiao Huai playing the innocent little schemer.
He Lecheng’s face went blank. “Of course not. Here, let me teach you.”
He took Xiao Huai’s notebook and wrote down the answer: 2.
Xiao Huai said, “Sir, I know the answer is two. What I don’t understand is how you get there.”
He Lecheng: “…”
The entire class: “…”
Everyone knew that one plus one equaled two. Proving it, however, veered into philosophy.
Xiao Huai frowned slightly, his voice turning pointed. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to prove something this simple, Mr. He. Oh, well. Forget it. I’ll study it myself when I get back to the dorm.”
He reclaimed his notebook, turned, and left without looking back.
“Hmm?” He Lecheng’s false smile became even more pronounced. “Every profession has its specialties. Next time, I’ll find a teacher more capable than I am to tutor you properly.”
He deliberately drew out the final words. The malice in his voice filled the air with tension.
Xiao Huai did not care in the least. He returned to his usual lazy manner. “That’ll have to wait until the placement test results come out, sir.”
Something seemed to flicker in He Lecheng’s eyes.
It vanished almost immediately. He resumed his role as the smiling NPC and left the classroom.
The bell rang to end evening study. Students were already filing past the door on their way to the dormitories.
The players had no idea where the dorms were, so they could only follow the student NPCs.
As they walked, they could not stop wondering whether Xiao Huai was insane.
Smiling Tiger had slaughtered someone right in front of them, yet Xiao Huai still dared provoke him. The man must think he had lives to spare.
Hui Yulian handed Xiao Huai a Student Handbook. “We found this while you were asleep. You didn’t see it, so I made an extra copy for you.”
Xiao Huai glanced at her, then gave her a dazzling smile. “Thank you. You’re a really good person.”
Hui Yulian apparently had not expected such a sunny smile from him. Her face reddened. She rubbed her head and replied, “You’re welcome.”
The dorm rooms at Ivy Girls’ School housed four students, with loft beds above individual desks.
Thirty-three players remained after the bald man’s death. If they were divided by sex, the seventeen people in one group could not be split evenly into rooms of four, meaning some players might have to share with NPCs.
They did not know their room assignments, so they went to the dorm supervisor’s office on the first floor to ask.
The girls from Ivy Girls’ School climbed the stairs in emotionless silence. Their perfectly synchronized footsteps only made the dormitory building feel more unnerving.
The corridor lights flickered. From inside the supervisor’s office came the hiss of an old television.
Had none of them noticed the classmates who died during evening study? Or were they simply used to it by now?
“Stop pushing me. I don’t want to look either.”
The players huddled together like a brood of chicks, looking from one face to another. No one wanted to knock on the door.
They all turned pleading eyes on Hui Yulian. After all, she was the only veteran player in this first-floor instance who had openly identified herself.
Understanding what they wanted, Hui Yulian approached the office and knocked several times.
“Ma’am, we’re transfer students from No. 1 High School. We’d like to check our room assignments,” she called as she knocked.
The static inside grew louder. She knocked several more times, but no one answered. Just as some began to wonder whether the office was empty, the door opened.
The old wooden door creaked, revealing a tall, heavyset woman.
The moment she appeared, nearly everyone’s pupils contracted. They held their breath, afraid even to inhale.
The stench of blood clung to her. She held a transparent lunch box filled with some kind of raw meat, and greasy scraps still smeared her lips.
“Transfer students from No. 1 High School? Come, come. All of you, come inside.”
The woman gave them a kindly smile.
No one dared step forward. The reek of blood pouring from that room was overwhelming. Who would willingly go in?
She wiped her mouth and was about to speak when a man’s voice came from the crowd.
“Ma’am, we haven’t received the dormitory handbook yet.”
Xiao Huai’s voice instantly drew every eye.
A dormitory handbook? Of course. Some of the older players had almost forgotten that dormitories had their own rules too.
It was as obvious as needing a uniform for school, a matter of common sense. They had simply been too nervous to think of it.
At that, the woman gave a peculiar laugh and pulled a stack of handbooks from behind her. “That’s right. I nearly forgot.”
Nearly forgot, she said. He Lecheng had “nearly forgotten” last time, and it had cost them a teammate’s life.
These NPCs were deliberately trying to keep the rules from the players, weren’t they?
The handbooks were quickly passed around. Then the woman brought out the room-assignment sheet. “It’s getting late. Read this and get back to your rooms.”
Only moments ago, she had insisted that they enter the office to see their assignments. Now she had brought the sheet directly to them. No matter how they looked at it, the change was suspicious.
When no one dared take the paper, her eyes narrowed. Her mouth stretched into an eerie crescent.
“It’s almost eleven. I need to make my rounds, so make sure you’re all tucked into bed like good children~”
Only four rules were printed in the dormitory handbook.
[1. At the eleven p.m. bed check, students must be lying in bed. Anyone found absent from bed will receive a Level-One Punishment.]
[2. Students may not leave their beds after three a.m. Anyone found doing so will receive a Level-Two Punishment.]
[3. Do not participate in any form of hide-and-seek at night. Anyone found doing so will receive a Level-Three Punishment.]
[4. The dorm supervisor is a good person. If she needs help, please help her.]
They looked up at the clock. It was already ten fifty!
Anyone not in bed would be punished. No one wanted to test the rule personally, much less discover what a Level-One Punishment entailed.
They checked their assignments, then raced upstairs.
Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms. Every player was assigned with other players, in groups of two or three, with some rooms holding four.
Xiao Huai was assigned to a three-person room. One roommate was an old acquaintance, Ning Gaoqiang. The other was a novice so timid he did not even dare raise his head.
“Hey. What’s your name?” Ning Gaoqiang impatiently kicked the newcomer.
The man trembled. “M-my name is Hu Jiang. I don’t know anything. I-I can’t do anything.”
“He only asked your name. How did that turn into whether you know anything?” Xiao Huai, who had been silent until now, suddenly laughed. “Unless you really do know something and that guilty conscience of yours is acting up?”