Chapter 67: Yu Cai High School
Outside the instance, viewers could only see the two standing side by side at the door, holding cups of water as they watched the sunrise. Strangely, though, no sound came through—as if the feed had been muted.
Frustration erupted in the comments:
[What’s going on?! System, how can your high-tech feed glitch like this???]
[What are they even talking about?! Why is it muted?! The visuals are even blurred—can’t even lip-read!]
[Did Li Jianxi use some kind of item to block us out?]
[Damn, Xiao Li, what kind of spicy conversation are you having with your wife that you need to mute us outsiders?!]
[Can’t hear them, but this scene is aesthetic. Screenshot saved—new wallpaper GET!]
[…]
Li Zhi stayed silent for a long moment, staring down at the sunflower pendant in her hand. Bathed in the morning light, it gleamed with a soft luster—tangible, real, and most importantly, a prop that could be taken out of the instance.
Items from the real world couldn’t be brought into instances, and aside from system-granted props, nothing inside could be taken out either.
This pendant Li Jianxi had given her was undeniably a prop.
But why would an NPC have a player’s prop? Was he really, as the forums speculated, a special NPC who dropped Easter eggs when his favorability was high enough? Or…
Li Zhi looked up, smiling. "So if I use this next time, I can contact you again?"
Li Jianxi’s voice seemed lighter than usual. "Yes."
The others soon emerged from the dorm, ready to head to the cafeteria. Tucking the pendant away, Li Zhi glanced toward the administration building. "Dr. Li, last night you threatened to call their homeroom teacher. Was that real, or just a bluff?"
Li Jianxi said, "It can be real."
Li Zhi grinned. "Then do me one more favor…"
Leaning in, Li Jianxi listened, his brow furrowing slightly before he nodded. With a wave, Li Zhi rejoined her group, leaving the infirmary. Only after they were out of sight did Li Jianxi finally deactivate the soundproof device in his hand.
Morning brought the school back to life, bustling with energy.
Lian Qinglin, having overheard Li Zhi’s conversation, couldn’t hold back. "Zhi-jie, you asked him to report Zhou Jianzhang’s group for breaking curfew?"
The idea of their mutated former allies was terrifying. If they weren’t restrained during the day, nightfall would unleash another hunt.
But Li Zhi shook her head. "I asked him to report me."
A chorus of "Huh?!" erupted.
Li Zhi’s gaze fixed on the administration building across the field. Even under the brightest morning sun, it loomed ominously, its iron gates still tightly locked.
"The key to breaking this instance lies in the principal’s office. But under normal circumstances, we can’t get in."
Tan Manyu caught on immediately. "You’re deliberately getting yourself punished so the homeroom teacher takes you there?"
Li Zhi nodded. "It’s the only way to get inside unimpeded and see what the principal’s really doing." She’d initially considered this plan too risky, but with Zhou Jianzhang’s group fully transformed, daytime was their only window.
"Zhou Jianzhang’s eight are completely mutated. They’re still restrained by school rules now, but once night falls, they’ll come for us again. The infirmary won’t be safe tonight either. We have to deal with whatever’s controlling them in the principal’s office today. Without that control, their threat level drops. We subdue them, play the remaining games, and clear the instance."
Tan Manyu frowned. "That’s way too dangerous."
Pink Hair, drawing from last instance’s experience, blurted, "Let’s just burn the whole building down! Whatever’s in there’ll fry!"
Li Zhi shook her head. "The school’s fire safety measures are solid—any fire would be put out fast. And we still don’t know what we’re dealing with. If we spook it and the principal escapes with that thing, we’re screwed."
To uncover the truth, someone had to experience it firsthand.
Lian Qinglin hesitated. "But even if you’re reported today, would they take you in immediately? Didn’t those students like Xie Cong have a ‘probation period’ first?"
Li Zhi smirked. "Not anymore."
In Xiang Min’s diary, Xie Cong had been labeled a problem student only after repeated offenses. But recently, Wang Zhiyuan—who failed to recite The Peacock Flies Southeast in the morning—had been dragged to the office that same night. The interval had shortened drastically.
Combined with the infected students luring others into horror games, Li Zhi was certain: whatever lurked in the principal’s office had grown hungrier.
It no longer settled for just the "bad" students. It craved more.
No students had been taken in for days. Either the pool of uninfected "offerings" had dried up—or the entity was biding its time. Would it really resist a fresh, willing sacrifice?
Tan Manyu grimaced. "You going in alone is still too risky. Let’s plan this: once you’re taken, we’ll follow, neutralize the guards and homeroom teacher, then regroup with you."
The group strategized over breakfast. As they entered the cafeteria, they collided with Zhou Jianzhang’s group.
Daytime restored their human facades, but their eyes burned with unrestrained malice—the kind that made scalps prickle.
Peeling a tea egg, Li Zhi mused, "Don’t they just look punchable?"
The others nodded vehemently, memories of last night’s chase still raw.
Taking a slow bite, Li Zhi added, "Don’t worry. We’ll punch back soon."
Everyone: "?"
Viewers assumed Li Zhi was just trash-talking.
They were wrong.
When morning self-study began, amidst the chorus of recitations, Li Zhi stood, chair in hand, and strode straight to Zhou Jianzhang’s desk.
Under his suspicious glare, she smiled sweetly—
Then smashed the chair over his head.
The strike was fast. One second, a grin; the next, wood met skull.
Zhou Jianzhang didn’t even have time to react. Stars exploded behind his eyes as he crumpled with a howl. The class erupted. Bei Xian shrieked, "Have you lost your mind?!"
Li Zhi glanced at her. "Want some too?"
Bei Xian’s screech hit frequencies unknown to humanity.
Zhou Jianzhang, dazed, couldn’t get up—not that Li Zhi gave him the chance. She wailed on him with the chair until the homeroom teacher stormed in.
"Li Zhi! What are you doing?!"
Dropping the chair, Li Zhi flexed her fingers, channeling peak delinquent energy. "He looked at me funny."
The teacher’s face twisted. "First skipping curfew, now this? You’re done." She shoved Li Zhi toward the door. "Stand in the hallway! Now!"
Li Zhi considered escalating—playing the unruly student who even beats up teachers—but decided against overdoing it. One fight and a report should suffice.
As she took her place outside, Lian Qinglin’s group subtly flashed her thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jianzhang—now sporting a face full of murderous rage—could only seethe. The entity inside him still feared school rules. For now, in broad daylight, he was powerless.
The audience loved it:
[HAHAHA bet he didn’t see this coming when he was chasing her last night!]
[Li Zhi’s delinquent act is gold. Told you Zhou Jianzhang was no match!]
[Her arm strength is no joke—those hits had weight.]
[Can he even feel pain? He’s not human anymore!]
[Monsters feel pain too! Without those bugs, they’d be no match for Li Zhi.]
[She’s really going to the office now?! Nervous—what’s waiting in there?]
[Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Queen’s storming the hive! Votes for Li Zhi—NOW!]
[…]
Li Zhi’s punishment lasted until noon. Clearly, the teacher was livid. But mere standing wouldn’t suffice. If afternoon brought more of the same, Li Zhi planned to escalate—homeroom teacher included.
Luckily, the teacher spared her the trouble.
During afternoon self-study, the door swung open. The homeroom teacher stood there, voice icy.
"Li Zhi. Come with me."
As Li Zhi rose, Tan Manyu shot her a knowing look.
In the hallway, the teacher’s eyes gleamed with something unnatural. "Follow."
They headed not to the staff room—but toward the administration building.
Tan Manyu, watching from the window, signaled the others. The six slipped out quietly.
Zhou Jianzhang’s group noticed immediately. Exchanging grins, they too stood—and followed.