In the quiet stillness of the late night, hurried footsteps echoed under the streetlights in the school garden. Three figures sprinted forward, doing their best to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the terrifying Dean.
Only when the sounds behind them faded did the three finally stop, taking cover behind a five-meter-high stone monument to catch their breath.
Chai Yingying bent over, hands on her knees, panting heavily. She couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it! So the Dean is the real big boss of this school. No wonder the students are so scared of her.”
Earlier, they had thought the students’ fear stemmed from being sent to detention. Little did they know that the Dean herself was just as ferocious, if not more so, than the horrors of the detention room.
Lu Ji pulled out a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Gu Jiu, his face full of concern.
They had been running so frantically that he could hear her labored breathing, and his heart ached at the sound.
Gu Jiu drank more than half the bottle from his hand. The sweet, cool water flowed down her throat, soothing her body and easing the suffocating feeling inside. Gradually, her racing heartbeat began to settle.
The Dean, who had transformed into a monster, was indeed formidable. Whenever she drew near, the suffocating sense of crisis gripped Gu Jiu’s heart, leaving her too terrified to confront the Dean directly.
Chai Yingying noticed that Lu Ji only gave water to Gu Jiu, completely ignoring her own equally desperate need after the chase. She was used to this by now and didn’t even bother rolling her eyes anymore. Instead, she pulled out her own bottle of water and chugged it down.
Once she had quenched her thirst, her mind began to work again.
“Gu Jiu, what was that pill you threw earlier? Did you buy it at the Boundless City item shop?” she asked curiously.
The pill Gu Jiu had thrown struck the Dean’s leg, releasing a cloud of gray mist. It allowed the players to escape her clutches under the cover of the fog. There was no denying the pill’s practicality—it avoided direct confrontation while also buying time for the players to flee.
Chai Yingying couldn’t help but covet such a handy item.
Gu Jiu handed the remaining half-bottle of water back to Lu Ji, signaling for him to drink as well. She gave him a reassuring smile, indicating she was fine, and then replied, “It’s a Fog Pill I purchased after clearing a game. The Boundless City shop doesn’t sell it.”
Chai Yingying suddenly understood.
No wonder it was so powerful—this mist could even deceive the senses of monsters.
The Boundless City shop mainly sold items crafted by players themselves, which were useful but nowhere near as potent as items generated by the game’s world rules. Unfortunately, game-generated items were rare and could only be purchased with points if encountered.
As she sipped her water, Chai Yingying remarked, “Now I understand why you’re always broke. You must spend a ton of points on stuff like that, huh?”
Gu Jiu replied modestly, “It’s not that much.”
Chai Yingying sidled closer. “Hey, Miss Moneybags, do you have any more Fog Pills? Share a few with me, will you?”
Gu Jiu generously handed her five Fog Pills.
Chai Yingying, now certain that Gu Jiu had a stash of these life-saving tools, was thrilled. Fog Pills were excellent for escaping perilous situations—especially when faced with monsters beyond one’s ability to defeat.
And indeed, Gu Jiu had plenty of them. She had bought an entire box, containing nearly a hundred pills.
Of course, they had cost her a substantial number of points. Fortunately, before entering the game world, Lu Ji had transferred her a large amount of points to spend.
The feeling of being pampered by her boyfriend was simply wonderful. Gu Jiu wasn’t one to refuse kindness—she gladly accepted his generosity and even rewarded him with a passionate kiss. Her affection left the innocent Lu Ji flustered and almost emotionally paralyzed.
Her decision to enter a B-level arena was heavily influenced by the fact that, thanks to Lu Ji’s points, she had stocked up on so many items during the C-level games that staying in the lower-tier arena no longer served much purpose.
Hearing Gu Jiu casually mention how many items she had bought, Chai Yingying was filled with envy.
She turned to Lu Ji and asked, “Lu Ji, do you need a little follower? I can fight for you, serve tea, and carry water!”
Lu Ji glanced at her and replied, “No, I don’t need a follower. If I did, even paper dolls could do the job—they wouldn’t require wages or items from me.” After a moment, he added, “Besides, I need my points to take care of Gu Jiu. You should go find yourself a boyfriend to pamper you.”
Gu Jiu burst out laughing.
Chai Yingying looked at them with envy so intense it could almost be considered a sickness.
Finally, she stubbornly declared, “Modern women are independent and strong! Who needs men anyway?”
Privately, though, she bit her handkerchief in frustration. She wished she had a boss like Lu Ji to pamper her as she did Gu Jiu. She wouldn’t even mind learning Gu Jiu’s flirting skills if it meant she could get points and items!
On the other side of the stone monument stood a building—the grand auditorium of Shengying High School.
The three of them leaned against the stone monument, gazing at the auditorium bathed in the dim glow of streetlights.
Under their watchful eyes, the auditorium doors slowly creaked open. A faint light seeped out from the darkened interior, as though silently inviting them inside.
Chai Yingying, intrigued, studied the sight for a moment and then chuckled. “Would you say this counts as a silent invitation?”
Gu Jiu responded, “Then let’s go check it out.”
Both she and Lu Ji, bold yet cautious, quickly reached a consensus. With Lu Ji’s unflinching trust in Gu Jiu, the three decided to step into the auditorium.
As they approached, they could see through the open doors a brightly lit stage in the otherwise empty auditorium. On the stage, a group of people was performing a silent song and dance.
It was like a bustling pantomime—lively and festive in appearance, yet conducted in eerie silence.
In stark contrast to the stage, the audience seats were cloaked in darkness, devoid of any visible spectators. All the light seemed to focus on the stage, leaving the rest of the space in pitch-black gloom, as though begrudging even a sliver of illumination.
The trio entered the auditorium.
They chose a corner to sit down, appearing to watch the performance but keenly observing their surroundings.
Suddenly, a figure seated in the audience ahead of them turned to look back.
Chai Yingying’s eyelid twitched. Wasn’t this place empty just moments ago? Where had this person come from? Their sudden appearance was unnerving—clearly, this was no ordinary person but a ghost.
“Do you want to go on stage and perform?”
The voice was sweet, belonging to what sounded like a lovely girl. In truth, the owner of the voice was indeed a beautiful young woman. However, her body remained motionless while her head rotated a full 180 degrees to face them. No matter how stunning her face was, the grotesque scene evoked strong discomfort.
Chai Yingying couldn’t help but blurt out, “Hey, doesn’t your neck hurt?”
The girl maintained her sweet smile, ignoring the question. Instead, she repeated, “Do you want to go on stage and perform?”
“Sorry, we’re not interested in performing,” Gu Jiu firmly declined.
The girl’s sweet smile faded slightly, replaced by an eerie expression as she ominously repeated her question: “Do you want to go on stage and perform?”
Gu Jiu remained defiant. “We’re not performing!”
“…”
In an instant, the stage lights extinguished with a loud pop. In the darkness, countless thin, thread-like objects shot toward them, sharp enough to pierce through flesh and bone. These threads could easily control human bodies like puppets.
The trio reacted swiftly, retreating just in time.
Gu Jiu tossed a paper umbrella into the air, and it rapidly expanded, forming a barrier against the thread-like tendrils.
“Gross! It’s hair! So disgusting!” Chai Yingying exclaimed. She wielded a dagger, its cold blade flashing as she severed several strands that had pierced her arm. Upon closer inspection, the texture confirmed it—those fine threads were indeed strands of hair.
At that moment, a beam of light illuminated the stage.
The girl who had previously asked if they wanted to perform was now suspended mid-air on the stage. Her limbs were bound by black strands of hair, contorted into a strange, puppet-like posture.
Her lowered head slowly lifted, revealing a sinister smile aimed at them.
Suddenly, countless strands of hair surged toward them, as if intending to bind and hoist them onto the stage to perform just like her.
The paper umbrella held firm for about ten minutes before shattering under the relentless assault.
Despite their quick reflexes, numerous strands still managed to pierce their flesh. The hair was so fine that the wounds didn’t even bleed, but the sharp, tingling pain was enough to make their skin crawl.
“Lisa, eat it!” Gu Jiu shouted.
From the shadows emerged a doll dressed in a cute little skirt. It lunged toward the stage, grabbing onto the strands of hair hurtling toward them. Swinging along the strands like a tightrope walker, its tiny claws easily severed the threads and devoured them with gusto.
The eerie smile on the girl’s face faltered for the first time.
The doll gleefully swung across the stage, clutching the crisscrossing strands of black hair, hopping and dancing with abandon.
Nearby, the mermaid doll watching this scene grew jealous. It tugged on Gu Jiu’s skirt, only to have Lu Ji whip it sharply with a flick of his hand, sending it flying toward the stage as if granting its wish.
Chai Yingying also tossed her Glutton Ball onto the stage.
The three paranormal creatures hungrily absorbed the energy contained within the strands of hair.
Paranormal entities could grow stronger by absorbing energy from ghosts and other supernatural beings. Whether it was the shadows from the music classroom or the hair strands from the auditorium girl, all contained spectral power.
Chai Yingying severed the strands piercing her body again and, ignoring the sting, yanked them out.
She glanced at the stage and noticed her Glutton Ball couldn’t compete with the two lively dolls in devouring the strands. Compared to the nimble dolls, her orb was like a bloated, clumsy beach ball.
Feeling a bit regretful, she thought, I should’ve invested in some paranormal dolls instead.
With the three paranormal entities devouring the stage girl’s energy, the strands attacking them gradually decreased, giving the trio a chance to catch their breath and even engage in some banter.
“Hey, Miss Eldest Miss, you didn’t come here just to feed your two dolls, did you?” Chai Yingying teased.
“Didn’t you do the same?” Gu Jiu shot back.
Her expression was one of smug camaraderie, as if to say, Look who’s talking—we’re all cut from the same cloth. It made Chai Yingying roll her eyes so hard she nearly sprained them.
For players, it was often better to focus on cultivating a few high-quality items rather than hoarding many mediocre ones. A well-developed tool could save lives in critical moments.
It was clear Gu Jiu was investing heavily in her two paranormal dolls.
The girl on the stage, realizing her hair strands were dwindling rapidly, finally let out a piercing scream.
The sound reverberated through the auditorium, as though trying to expel these intruders.
But what she didn’t realize was that summoning them had been the easy part. Banishing them? That would have to wait until they had completely drained her of her power.
Finally, Lisa, the mermaid doll, and the Glutton Ball were fully satiated.
The three stuffed paranormal creatures rolled back to their respective owners, letting out contented little burps.
The girl lay sprawled on the stage, her once-delicate face now gaunt and emaciated, clearly the victim of a brutal attack.
Gu Jiu picked up the mermaid doll, poking its belly while using the system to check its level. Before the doll could slap her with its claw, she casually tossed it aside.
When it was Lisa’s turn, her actions became much gentler. Gu Jiu cradled the little doll carefully, smoothing its hair with a tenderness that made the mermaid doll seethe with jealousy. She softly asked, “Lisa, do you want a new dress? How about one like what that lady over there is wearing?”
She pointed at the girl on the stage, who was dressed in a beautiful performance costume.
Lisa’s dark, shiny eyes turned to the girl. Under its intense gaze, the girl shrank back in fear. But when the doll shook its head, she let out a small sigh of relief.
Lisa clearly indicated it had no interest in wearing clothes that others had worn.
Gu Jiu smiled. “I see. Then I’ll buy you new clothes in the future. We won’t wear anyone else’s. But I’ll get you something in the same style as that lady’s dress.”
Lisa nodded happily, her lips curling into an eerie yet oddly adorable smile.
The mermaid doll, feeling left out, climbed onto Gu Jiu’s shoulder and began tugging on her hair, demanding its own new outfit.
Lu Ji intervened, grabbing the mermaid doll and casually tossing it onto his own shoulder.
Though Lu Ji had never done anything overtly threatening to it, the mermaid doll seemed inexplicably terrified of him. Once perched on his shoulder, it surprisingly behaved, sitting still and not daring to act out anymore.
Both Gu Jiu and Lu Ji clearly had the dolls under tight control.
Meanwhile, Chai Yingying inspected her Glutton Ball and discovered it had gained a significant power boost. She exclaimed in delight, “Wow, I didn’t expect this ghost girl to be so strong! It’s even more effective than when the orb devoured the puppet rats.” Then a mischievous idea popped into her head.
“Gu Jiu, what if we come back here tomorrow and let them feed again? What do you think?”
“Sounds great,” Gu Jiu agreed.
The two women turned to look at the girl on the stage, flashing her dazzling smiles.
The girl, realizing their intentions, was speechless. Are these two seriously treating me like a sheep to shear?
The trio left the auditorium.
As they walked, Chai Yingying remarked, “Actually, this reincarnation school isn’t so bad. There’s so much paranormal energy here—it’s perfect for raising our paranormal dolls. Young Lady, I suddenly have an idea.”
Gu Jiu responded, “Got it.”
The two exchanged knowing smiles, silently sealing their decision.
Lu Ji cast them a glance, a faint smile flickering in his eyes. Their plan didn’t surprise him in the least.
One was a daring points-hoarder; the other, a fearless Eldest Miss. Discovering that the reincarnation school was an ideal breeding ground for paranormal creatures, it was only natural for them to capitalize on it.
Not long after, they once again avoided the patrolling dean and made their way to the cafeteria.
As they approached the brightly lit dining hall, Chai Yingying’s excitement grew. “Come on, let’s go give that fat guy a taste of his own medicine!”
She still remembered the chubby cafeteria uncle who had tattled on them earlier, leaving her thoroughly disgusted. Now that the Dean was patrolling near the teaching building and unlikely to come this way anytime soon, it was the perfect opportunity for some payback.
Gu Jiu didn’t mind at all. She readily pulled Lu Ji along to back her up.
The three of them headed straight for the cafeteria staff’s dormitory.
These staff members were all ghosts who didn’t require sleep at night. Instead, they were gathered in the dorm, playing cards, gambling, and snacking late into the evening…
The atmosphere was lively—until suddenly, the dorm door was kicked open with a loud bang.
Startled, the cafeteria staff turned instinctively toward the noise, only to see a woman standing confidently in the doorway with an evil grin plastered across her face.
She looked every bit the classic villainess.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji remained at the entrance, watching Chai Yingying as she played her role as the wicked supporting antagonist, brandishing an Infernal Blood Whip and striking the ghostly staff until they wailed in agony, begging for mercy.
The Infernal Blood Whip, kindly lent by Lu Ji, had a particularly nasty effect—it inflicted torment on ghosts so intense that they wished for death to escape it.
This scene alone made it clear how petty Lu Ji could be. Whoever dared upset his Eldest Miss would have their misery returned tenfold, courtesy of him.