​​Chapter 62: Yucai High School​

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The others were gripping their pens tightly, too nervous to breathe, none of them noticing the additional shadow that had appeared on the window.

Playing a horror game was inherently dangerous, so Li Zhi had preemptively disabled her warning system to avoid wasting a precious chance.

The classroom was pitch-black, and Li Zhi could barely make out the slender silhouette that had joined them. Its head hung low, long hair draping over its face as it furiously scribbled across the paper, the pen leaving deep, jagged scratches that radiated an overwhelming aura of resentment.

Several players paled. Their hands hadn’t moved an inch, yet the force driving the pen grew stronger, unstoppable and inescapable.

The pink-haired player stammered, "Z-Zhi-jie!! Wh-what do we do?!"

Lian Qinglin growled, "Haven’t you played ‘Summon the Pen Spirit’ before?! Don’t you know what to do next?!"

The pink-haired player was on the verge of tears. "I never actually summoned a real pen spirit before—I just wanted an excuse to hold the hand of the girl I liked!"

Lian Qinglin: "You absolute bastard—!"

Though the violently moving pen was proof enough that they had successfully summoned the spirit, Li Zhi decided to follow the game’s proper procedure anyway. "Pen Spirit," she asked, "is that you?"

The pen jerked abruptly, then scrawled a shaky "Yes" across the page.

The pink-haired player inhaled sharply, regaining some of his "veteran player" confidence. "Now we just need to ask it a few questions, get its answers, and then send it away. That’s all it takes to complete the game!"

Lian Qinglin was about to ask if the pen spirit knew what kind of filling was in his breakfast bun when Li Zhi stopped him with a raised hand.

"Xu Jingsheng mentioned that after they successfully summoned the Lamp Spirit, they made a deal with it," Li Zhi said calmly, unconcerned that the vengeful ghost lurking among them could hear every word. "I’m sure the Pen Spirit follows the same rules. If we get answers from it, we’ll have to pay the price it demands."

What kind of price would a vengeful ghost demand?

The players’ faces turned even paler.

To complete the game, they had to engage in a question-and-answer session with the Pen Spirit. Once they received its answers, they would suffer a terrible cost. But if they didn’t ask, they couldn’t end the game—let alone complete the instance’s mission.

Damn this [Supernatural] system—it was relentless in throwing traps at them!!!

Xu Yiran trembled. "I-I have an exorcism charm. If worse comes to worst, we can ask the questions and then use the item to drive it away. I feel the temperature dropping even more—I don’t want to stand next to it anymore..."

The pink-haired player nodded vigorously. "Same here!! I have anti-ghost gear too. If we have to, we can kill it after we’re done!"

The pen suddenly slashed viciously across the paper, leaving a long, deep gash.

Everyone: "…………"

Right. Brainstorming ways to kill the spirit while it was right there listening was probably a bad idea.

Li Zhi spoke slowly, "Pen Spirit, please tell me..."

The others watched her anxiously, their free hands clutching their respective items.

She lifted her gaze to the slender shadow trembling on the other side of the glass window and smiled faintly. "What is the method to expel the [Supernatural] system from our world?"

Everyone: "……?"

Audience: "……?"

Pen Spirit: "…………"

The pen, which had been radiating malevolent energy, stopped moving entirely. It lay motionless on the paper, as if dead.

Li Zhi smiled at the shadow on the window, which seemed to shudder slightly. "Pen Spirit, why won’t you answer? Don’t you know? Or are you too afraid?"

The ghostly figure convulsed in anguish.

She drawled, "I’ve asked my question. Whether you don’t know or you’re too scared to say, the game is complete either way."

The chat exploded with reactions:

[The Pen Spirit is probably screaming internally: I just wanted to play a game with you, and now you're trying to ruin my entire livelihood?!]

[I can already picture it flipping Li Zhi off.]

[So... is there really a way to expel the [Supernatural] system? Li Zhi, you absolute madwoman.]

[Congrats to Player Li Zhi for achieving yet another 'Terrifying Ghosts Rage Out' milestone!]

...

Finally, the Pen Spirit—its hair still hanging limp over its face—slowly lifted its head. Through the glass, it locked eyes with Li Zhi. The light was too dim for her to make out its features clearly, but she could see its fury in the blurred outline.

It released its grip on the pen and vanished in a hurry, looking rather disheveled.

The others felt the oppressive force on the pen disappear.

Li Zhi relaxed her hand. "It’s gone."

The group slumped back in their chairs, exhaling in relief and shooting Li Zhi admiring looks.

Li Zhi flexed her wrist and glanced at the nameplate on her desk.

​​Name:​​ Li Zhi
​​Score:​​ 20 points

The others quickly checked their own nameplates, cheering in delight. "Our scores went up!"

Whether it was because Li Zhi’s question had been so devastating or sheer luck, all seven of them had gained exactly twenty points—more than Zhou Jianzhang’s group. After last night’s Four-Corner Game, only Zhou Jianzhang had earned twenty points; the rest had scored in the teens.

The ever-resourceful Lian Qinglin immediately drew a connection. "If that’s the case, then when we play ‘Summon the Lamp Spirit,’ we can just wish for the [Supernatural] system to be expelled. If it fails, it won’t get anything from us."

Li Zhi: "Not a bad idea."

The pink-haired player exclaimed excitedly, "That leaves only the Four-Corner Game and the Dormitory Mirror Game. If we get twenty points from each, we’ll only need to play one more game to clear the instance. Should we try the Four-Corner Game now?"

Li Zhi shook her head and stood up. "We can only clear one game per night. Playing more won’t earn us extra points. Let’s head back to the dorm—it’s late."

Indeed, time had slipped away. As the initial thrill of earning bonus points faded, the darkness outside reminded them of their lingering fear. "Let’s go, let’s go—back to the dorm, fast."

They turned off the lights and left the classroom. The only illumination in the entire building came from the safety signs along the hallway, their eerie green glow casting an unsettling pall over the darkness. They hurried across the silent campus, and just as they reached the dormitory building, they ran into Zhou Jianzhang’s group.

They had just returned from the sports field after completing their Lamp Spirit summoning. The two groups met, and the tension was palpable.

The thought of being infected by some unknown supernatural entity made the pink-haired players shudder. Though Li Zhi had explained that transmission required physical contact during a horror game, they still kept their distance from Zhou Jianzhang’s crew.

Li Zhi, however, greeted Zhou Jianzhang with a cheerful smile. "Did you succeed in summoning the Lamp Spirit?"

Zhou Jianzhang replied politely, "We did."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Who was chosen?"

"Bei Xuan."

Li Zhi looked at Bei Xuan, who stood behind him. Hearing her name, she slowly raised her head with a delayed, almost mechanical reaction before snapping back into her usual haughty demeanor. "That’s me. What about it? Why so many questions?"

Li Zhi subtly frowned but didn’t press further. She gave Zhou Jianzhang a polite nod and turned to head back to the girls’ dorm.

Lian Qinglin and the other two quickly followed, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Zhou Jianzhang’s group.

On the way up the stairs, Li Zhi murmured, "Something’s wrong with Bei Xuan. Her symptoms are worsening. Be careful tonight—no matter what she does outside, don’t open the door."

Xu Yiran and Pei Pei nodded vigorously.

Back in the dorm, Li Zhi and Tan Manyu quickly washed up and climbed into bed. Soon after, Bei Xuan and her two companions returned. Li Zhi heard the door close and shut her eyes in the darkness.

The night was deep, and everyone was exhausted from waking up early. It didn’t take long for sleep to claim her.

How much time had passed? In a daze, Li Zhi heard knocking from the next room.

"Pei Pei... Yiran..." Bei Xuan’s pained voice echoed down the hallway. "My stomach hurts so bad... Please help me..."

Li Zhi opened her eyes, sensing that Tan Manyu’s breathing on the lower bunk had also grown heavier.

She was awake too.

Neither of them spoke, silently listening to the sounds outside.

After a while, Bei Xuan stopped knocking. Xu Yiran and Pei Pei, already awakened, lay stiffly on their beds, gripping their items tightly and staying absolutely still, not daring to make a sound.

Bei Xuan pounded on the door twice more, then the sound of dragging footsteps approached Li Zhi and Tan Manyu’s room. Heavy breathing preceded another round of desperate knocking. "Li Zhi... Help me... You’re always the one who helps your teammates, right? I’m in so much pain... Li Zhi, please..."

Tan Manyu’s breathing was barely audible.

Li Zhi didn’t move, only listening as the knocking grew more agitated—until a wet, gagging sound cut through the air. Bei Xuan was vomiting in the hallway, chunks of something splattering loudly onto the floor. A foul, sickening stench seeped through the crack under the door.

Li Zhi’s nose twitched. That smell... It was the same one she had caught a whiff of outside the principal’s office.

As Bei Xuan continued retching, a new sound joined the chaos—like countless insects crawling over skin.

An eternity seemed to pass before the noise outside finally subsided. Bei Xuan and the grotesque sounds were gone.

Tan Manyu let out a long, shaky breath. She heard Li Zhi slowly shift on the bed beside her.

A silent reminder to go back to sleep.