Chapter 52

Chapter 52

-Ahahahahaha, my bro is here!

-Wait, what? That voice is a girl?

-So what if she’s a girl? Girls can’t be bros? I suspect you’re trying to stir up a gender war.

-Are you brain-damaged? Who’s stirring up a gender war? Anyone would assume “bro” meant a guy, okay?

-What else am I supposed to call her, then? Sis? I’m not gay!

Qiao Yu: “…”

Thanks, but not all gay guys have sisters~

Just then, a chaotic rush of footsteps sounded from the corridor. No. 23 stumbled in, his face deathly pale, his sideburns damp with sweat and plastered to his cheeks. He looked utterly disheveled.

Then he stretched a hand toward Qiao Yu and the other person and cried out, “Don’t answer! Whatever you do, don’t answer!”

**

Time rewound to after No. 23 discovered No. 22 had turned into a ghost…

The moment he and the others in the dorm ran out of the dormitory building, they realized something was wrong.

There wasn’t a single person outside. It was so quiet it made their hearts race.

“Where is everyone?” No. 21, who had been running ahead of him, stopped in place and looked around, suddenly having no idea which way to go.

Everyone was stunned. It wasn’t until No. 20’s scream rang out behind them that they snapped back to their senses, and No. 23 immediately bolted toward the teaching building.

Once someone took the lead, the rest, gripped by terror, naturally followed the herd and wanted to stay together.

The instant they rushed into the teaching building, No. 21 hurriedly shouted, “Help! There’s a ghost, there’s a ghost…”

But to their disappointment, the teaching building was empty too. Only pale echoes answered them…

Everywhere was deserted. Standing there, everyone felt a chill crawl up their spines.

This couldn’t go on. No. 23 made a snap decision and ducked into the restroom, planning to find a stall and hide there first.

Seeing this, the others actually followed him into the restroom one after another. No. 21 even squeezed into the same hiding spot as him.

No. 23 was furious. “Can’t you people hide somewhere else? If it comes in here, it’ll catch us all in one sweep!”

“Keep your voice down.” No. 21 suddenly stepped forward and covered his mouth, pressing his ear to the stall door as if listening. Then he frowned and whispered, “Too late. No. 22 is already inside.”

Everyone huddled in the restroom stalls, so frightened they all clamped their mouths shut.

The rapid tap-tap-tap of footsteps instantly reached the restroom entrance. Everyone hurriedly held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

They prayed in their hearts: please don’t come in, please don’t come in…

Unfortunately, the footsteps stopped.

The harsh look on No. 23’s face faded slightly as he listened nervously to the movement outside the door.

Bang-

The first stall door was pushed open…

No one was inside.

The second stall door was pushed open too…

Still no one.

By the time the third stall door was pushed open, No. 24 and No. 25, who were hiding in the fourth stall, finally couldn’t take it anymore. They shoved the door open, screamed, and charged out.

No. 23 heard the ghost of No. 22 being lured away by those two streamers.

He and No. 21 exchanged a glance. In that moment, both their legs felt weak.

Just as they were thinking about where to hide next, a voice suddenly drifted over, calling from somewhere that seemed both near and far.

“Li Xiaoming… Li Xiaoming…”

“Someone’s here!” No. 21’s eyes flew open in delight, and he shouted, “Who’s calling me?”

No. 23 had been through many Instances, and by instinct, he felt something was off. “Is your ID Li Xiaoming?”

The delighted expression on No. 21’s face froze. “No.”

Li Xiaoming was his real name…

Unless streamers knew each other, they never called one another by their real names. They always used IDs. And this Instance was his first run after being promoted to a Blue-Name Streamer. There was no one here he knew at all…

Then how did the other party know his name?!

“Li Xiaoming…”

At that moment, the voice called his name again.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Li Xiaoming bit his lip, at a complete loss, and looked toward No. 23.

No. 23 had no solution either. That voice was clearly targeting Li Xiaoming, and he could barely protect himself.

“Li Xiaoming, what is your desire?”

This time, the voice began speaking to him. No. 21, however, seemed as though he’d been cursed. He abruptly turned and pushed open the restroom stall door. As he walked outside, he answered woodenly, “I don’t want to be a damn horror streamer anymore. I don’t want to keep living this terrified, trembling life…”

“Very well. I grant it.”

Hearing this, No. 23 clenched his fists, stepped out of the stall, and hid behind the restroom wall. Then, with great caution, he peeked out.

He saw Li Xiaoming standing at the corner of the corridor, and that voice was still continuing.
“In exchange, will you promise me one thing too?”

Li Xiaoming slowly nodded.

The next second, an arm covered in blisters and burn scars reached out from around the corner of the corridor. Its razor-sharp nails sliced through the major artery in Li Xiaoming’s neck with a swish, and blood sprayed out with a hiss.

That hand dug into the gash on Li Xiaoming’s neck, stirring around inside as it laughed. “Now you’re not a horror streamer anymore. You’ll never have to live in fear again. So in exchange… I’ll be taking your body!”

No. 23 covered his mouth, staring at the scene in horror. Only after a long while did he finally muster the courage to quietly head up the stairs.

When he reached the second floor, he suddenly heard a faint noise coming from Class F. Perhaps because of what had just happened, he didn’t dare go closer this time. He stood where he was and listened for a while.

The next second, that voice clinging to him like a maggot in the bone rang out again.

It said,

“Luo Ziwei… Luo Ziwei… Luo Ziwei.”

So the person in Class F was a streamer. Maybe it was one of the survivors from Dormitory 306.

At that thought, he hurried into Class F and, panting for breath, stopped them. “Don’t answer. Whatever you do, don’t answer!”

If he was even one second too late and this person died too, wouldn’t he be in even more danger all by himself?

He would go insane from fear!

To his surprise, aside from The Whimpering Monster Who Can Knock Out a Kid with One Punch from their dorm, there was someone else in Class F.

He had some impression of this person. He was a streamer from the dorm next door. He just had no idea why he was here too.

“Luo Ziwei…”

That voice was still calling, though no one knew which of the two it was calling for.

“What happens if you answer?”

The question came from No. 18, the streamer from the dorm next door.

No. 23 thought back to what he had just seen and replied in a trembling voice, “If you answer… you die.”

“Qiao Yu…”

Maybe because calling the name “Luo Ziwei” had gotten no response, that voice changed targets this time.

“Qiao Yu… Qiao Yu… Qiao Yu…”

The voice grew more and more urgent, as if it could no longer wait.

“Yep, I’m here.”

“…….!!!”

No. 23 dropped onto his butt, his gaze at Qiao Yu carrying a trace of resentment.

Was this guy born rebellious? Why did he insist on doing the exact thing people told him not to do?!

“Qiao Yu, what is your desire?”

Qiao Yu’s eyes went blank for a moment. “I want money.”

“Very well. I will grant it. In exchange, will you promise me one thing too?”

His reason returned in an instant. Qiao Yu’s vacant eyes gradually cleared, and vigilance appeared on his face. “I don’t do anything illegal.”

The voice seemed to freeze in confusion. Only after a long while did it find its voice again.

“…It’s not illegal!”

“Then pay me first. I’m afraid you’ll go back on your word.”

“…Fine! How tall are you?”

Qiao Yu blinked. “Why are you asking my height?”

The voice seemed to carry a hint of gritted teeth as it deliberately dragged out its words. “I’ve watched your streams. Your skin is so nice~”

“So? What does that have to do with my height?”

“I’m asking your height, of course, so I can estimate whether the ‘materials’ will be enough for me to use.”

“What if they’re not enough?”

“Then the deal naturally falls through.”

If the deal fell through, then there would be no money??

Qiao Yu’s expression turned a bit more solemn. “Right now, in the Instance, I should be 178? But outside the Instance, I’m 180.”

[WeChat payment received: 180 yuan.]

Qiao Yu looked at the 180-yuan transfer on his phone screen, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. “That’s it? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar?”

“Then send it back to me!” The voice drifted near and far, its words filled with anger.

Qiao Yu shrugged. “Aren’t we negotiating business? You won’t even let the seller raise the price a little?”

“…Qiao Yu!”

“I’m right here. Stop calling like you’re summoning my soul.” He put the blue folder in his hand back on the desk and picked at his ear. “If that won’t do, why don’t you come find me in Class F? Communicating by shouting like this is exhausting.”

No. 23 stared blankly at the suicidal streamer in front of him. For a moment, he even forgot to run.

After standing there in a daze for quite some time, he turned in confusion to look at Luo Ziwei, his dormmate. To his shock, that guy was propping his chin in both hands, gazing at Qiao Yu with a face full of worship, looking every bit like a little fanboy.

Holy crap! Had the world gone crazy, or had he gone crazy??

Just as he was questioning his entire existence, unhurried footsteps came from the corridor. High heels struck the floor with crisp taps: click, click, click…

The next second, a female ghost in a black suit and slacks walked in. Her body was tightly wrapped in clothing, but her exposed hands and face were covered in burn scars. Blisters clustered together in patches, making her look utterly terrifying.
-…Painted Skin? (old man on the subway staring at his phone.jpg)

-Why would she be holed up in a Blue Name Instance like this? That makes no sense!!!

-Because our girl isn’t the boss of this Instance. She’s elegant, okay? She wouldn’t deign to be the Instance Boss of such a bloody place. She’s a proper “beauty blogger,” thank you very much.

-So that’s what it means that she has her eye on the streamer’s body…

-What else would it mean? (cleansing powder warning.jpg)

-I’m dying. With how trashy the Nine Lives Live Stream is, they even mosaic out someone taking a bath. What kind of restricted content do you think they’d dare show? Too naive, quack quack quack quack.

-Sadako: Shut up. You sound like a duck when you laugh. So annoying!

-(obediently zips mouth shut.jpg)

No. 23 caught an unexpected glimpse of Painted Skin’s true appearance, and his entire world fell apart.

He stood rigidly in place, the blood in his body seeming to freeze solid. He couldn’t move no matter how hard he tried.

At the same time, a cold, sinister aura rushed toward him, as if he had been thrown into an ice cellar.

This was completely different from any Ghost he had encountered before. It left him unable to muster even the slightest thought of resistance, as though all he could do was wait to be slaughtered.

So this was the power of a top-tier vengeful spirit?

“Oh? We meet again, my proctor.” Qiao Yu looked at the newcomer and raised a brow, surprise appearing on his face.

The Painted-Skin Ghost stood in the doorway and looked him up and down. Then she glanced at No. 23 as if she’d seen something filthy and said in disgust, “Hideous. Turn your face away, hurry!”

No. 23: “…”

“Such terrible skin. Makeup would never sit properly on that. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pollution to my eyes.”

After saying that, the Painted-Skin Ghost looked back at Qiao Yu. Her gaze wandered over his face, and a flash of intense desire appeared in her eyes. “You thought the money was too little? But you only spent sixteen yuan on that what’s-her-name’s son. I gave you one hundred and eighty.”

-Li Xiaoqin: What do you mean, what’s-her-name… Am I not worthy of having a name??

-Hahahaha, Painted Skin sis went straight for the vital point!

Qiao Yu didn’t feel embarrassed in the slightest. He spread his hands with a helpless expression. “That was me showing care for a child. This is you talking business with me. How can they be the same? How about we go over it again?”

“Go over what?” Painted Skin asked, puzzled.

“You ask me one more time.”

Painted Skin: “How tall are you?”

Qiao Yu gave a light cough. “I am ninety-nine quadrillion, nine hundred and ninety trillion… meters.”

Painted Skin: ??

“Hurry up and transfer the money!” Qiao Yu stepped forward and considerately opened his payment QR code.

Painted Skin: “…Why don’t you just rob me?! I swear to your @#$%…&*&…%$#-beep-”

-Never saw that coming hahahahaha~

-I’m laughing myself to death.

-I was lying perfectly fine in bed when something suddenly smacked me in the face. I took a closer look and realized it was the streamer’s abacus beads.

-Upstairs, I’m giving you three seconds to delete that comment and let me say it.

“Robbery is illegal.” Qiao Yu hurriedly took a step back, his gaze circling over the teacher’s ID hanging around her neck. “And… Teacher Tong, as a people’s teacher, how can you swear?”

The Painted-Skin Ghost seemed to have only just remembered that she had been a teacher when she was alive. Silently, she swallowed the vulgarities stuck in her throat.

The way she looked at Qiao Yu gradually filled with a hint of regret. Then she casually found a seat in the classroom and sat down, her posture carrying an indescribable elegance and composure.

The next second, she pulled out a pale, white thing from who-knew-where. Then, holding an Eyebrow Pencil, she began to draw on it.

The sight was so shocking that even Luo Ziwei, who had been relatively calm until now, was frightened into taking a step back.

Seeing that the other party looked ready to renege on the debt, Qiao Yu’s eyes also filled with a trace of regret.

But he hadn’t forgotten the important matter. So he asked, “Do you know how to leave this place?”

The Painted-Skin Ghost cast him a sidelong glance and ignored him, continuing to draw on that piece of human skin.

Qiao Yu stood beside her and watched for a while. Then he suddenly said, “For the lipstick color, I suggest not using peach pink. I think milk tea would suit it better. A matte texture would make this skin look even paler and give it a more high-end feel.”

The Painted-Skin Ghost’s hand paused around the lipstick. She lifted her head in disbelief. “You can actually tell lipstick shades apart?!”

Qiao Yu scratched his head, embarrassed. “I used to sell cosmetics to earn tuition money.”

Painted-Skin Ghost: “…”

What other surprises are you hiding from this empress??