The audience seats in the grand hall were shrouded in darkness, while the stage was dazzlingly lit, bustling with activity.
Ji Linfan glanced at the lively, almost pantomime-like stage and casually found a seat. The darkness was so deep that he could barely make out the positions of Gu Jiu and the other two, but he chose not to join them, quietly waiting instead.
A sweet voice suddenly broke the silence in the darkness. “Are you going to perform on stage?”
Ji Linfan looked toward the row of seats in front of him. There sat a person, body facing forward, but their head twisted 180 degrees around. In the dim light, his excellent night vision revealed a girl’s pretty face—along with a ghastly expression.
Adjusting his glasses, he responded coolly, “Thank you, but I have no such plans.”
The girl gazed at him with an eerie calm, while Ji Linfan met her eyes without flinching.
When the lights on the stage completely extinguished, plunging the hall into total darkness, Ji Linfan sensed something attacking him. Fine, hair-like threads pierced his shoulders, chest, and arms. The sensation was both painful and numbing, though not fatal. However, the speed of the attack left him little chance to react.
A scalpel appeared in his hand. With a quick flick, the blade severed the threads piercing his body.
Moments later, a spotlight illuminated the stage.
The girl from earlier now hung suspended in midair. Black strands of hair radiated outward like steel wires, lashing toward the players in the audience, slicing through flesh with ease.
Her hair blended seamlessly into the surrounding darkness, making it nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Suspended in the air, the girl glared venomously at the group. Clearly, she hadn’t forgotten how they had taken advantage of her the day before. Tonight, she intended to exact her revenge.
Unfortunately, no matter how good her plans were, they couldn’t overcome Gu Jiu’s group’s preparations.
Calm and unhurried, Gu Jiu and the others retreated to the back, releasing three supernatural creatures.
The three entities lunged at the pervasive strands of hair, using them as leverage to glide toward the stage. The threads, which had been a deadly weapon, now became a convenient meal for the creatures.
Ji Linfan, having severed the threads that pierced his body, looked toward the stage. Watching the three supernatural beings feasting, he couldn’t help but remain silent.
The ghost in the grand hall wasn’t particularly powerful. Her strength lay in her hair. Once the threads were consumed by the creatures, her power dwindled. No matter how furious she became, it was to no avail.
The key was that the group refused to step onto the stage.
Ji Linfan instantly understood: the stage was the ghost’s domain. Any player who willingly stepped onto it would become her puppet, their body controlled by the black threads.
Supernatural creatures were notoriously savage and gluttonous. Once they found food, they devoured it relentlessly. Under the ravenous onslaught of the three beings, the ghost’s power weakened until she eventually collapsed limply onto the stage.
Ji Linfan observed as the creatures greedily absorbed the ghost’s energy and quickly grasped Gu Jiu’s plan.
They intended to use Shengying High School’s uniquely haunted environment to nurture their supernatural creatures.
Shengying High School teemed with ghosts of varying strength, and these entities, capable of cyclical rebirth, provided an excellent resource for cultivating supernatural beings.
Once the ghost was too weak to move, Gu Jiu called back two of the supernatural dolls.
She smiled at the ghost and said, “Thanks for the meal. We’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Chai Yingying chimed in, “My little orb is stuffed too!”
The ghost: “.…” I really want to kill these two jerks!
The four left the grand hall.
“Miss, let’s check out the library. I heard there’s a ghostly librarian there,” Chai Yingying said enthusiastically. She turned to Ji Linfan. “Old Ji, you’ve been to the library before, right?”
“I have,” Ji Linfan replied indifferently. “I heard the library had a fire long ago. The librarian was trapped inside and burned alive. So every night, the librarian ghost roams the library, forbidding any light. If any light appears, it enrages him.”
The librarian ghost, having been burned to death, despised all forms of light in the library. Once he spotted it, he would fly into a murderous rage.
The library wasn’t far from the grand hall.
At night, the library was locked, but that was no problem for players. Chai Yingying pulled out a lock-picking tool and easily opened the door.
“Not bad, Miss Chai. You’ve got the potential to be a master thief,” Gu Jiu praised.
Chai Yingying grinned smugly. “Of course! As a seasoned gaming hunter, I have all kinds of skills. Crafting a lock-picking tool is a piece of cake. If you want, I can teach you.”
“No need.”
“Why not? I’m offering to teach you out of kindness, and you’re rejecting me?” Chai Yingying pouted dramatically.
Gu Jiu replied lazily, “If I can solve something with a single punch, why make it complicated?”
This blunt and barbaric declaration left Chai Yingying at a loss for words.
Fine. By now, she was beginning to understand that Gu Jiu’s awakened spirit-type ability was likely body-focused. For example, ghost-claw nails capable of making spirits howl, indestructible punches, sharp hearing, or a dog-like sense of smell.
These physical enhancements were both practical and effective.
Inside the library, Lu Ji tried to turn on the lights but found they didn’t work.
“The library lights don’t turn on at night,” Ji Linfan explained. “The wiring is probably cut.”
Fine, then.
Lu Ji pulled out a flashlight. The beam swept ahead, revealing a shadowy figure between the shelves, seemingly watching them.
The figure was pitch black, as though charred to coal. Its facial features were indiscernible, but two faint red dots—likely its eyes—glimmered on its blackened head.
This was the librarian ghost, the one burned alive.
Maintaining his burned form, the ghost was a blackened lump, faint traces of ash falling from him. As the flashlight’s beam swept over, he let out a furious roar and charged at them.
Watching the ghost rush toward them, all four remained indifferent.
Just as the librarian ghost was about to reach them, Gu Jiu placed a hand on Lu Ji’s shoulder, leapt into the air, and lashed out with her long leg.
The librarian ghost was sent flying, crashing into a bookshelf. The impact toppled the bookshelf, triggering a domino effect as the others followed.
The clattering sounds echoed throughout the library.
“Who’s in there?!” An angry voice called from outside the library.
The four players’ faces changed. They quickly bolted to the second floor.
It was the dean. She had come to the library.
Reaching the second floor, the group split up. Gu Jiu dragged Lu Ji into one set of shelves, while Chai Yingying and Ji Linfan ran in the opposite direction.
Not long after, the dean also ascended to the second floor.
Her eyes glowed like two ghostly flames in the darkness, scanning through the library. Though she wore high heels, her footsteps were eerily silent. Even when standing face-to-face with her, one might not notice her presence.
Yet, no matter how faint the sound, Gu Jiu’s heightened senses could not miss it.
This was a hallmark of her “Heavenly Demon Physique.” Though it had not fully awakened, it already granted her many advantages, such as razor-sharp claws, heightened sensory perception far surpassing ordinary players, and a devastating punch powered by concentrated force.
As a B-rank player, her enhanced senses had reached new heights, allowing her to pick up sounds imperceptible to others.
Gu Jiu pulled Lu Ji along, weaving through the bookshelves. Every time the dean passed by, they ensured there were always three shelves between them, narrowly avoiding detection.
Unaware of their presence, the dean turned and walked in another direction.
Meanwhile, Chai Yingying and Ji Linfan were hiding near the reading room.
They kept a close watch on the shelves, immediately noticing when the dean began heading their way.
Chai Yingying scattered a handful of thumbtacks on the ground and grabbed Ji Linfan, motioning for them to climb out the window. Their plan was to escape from there.
As they reached the window, Ji Linfan’s shirt snagged on a protruding wire, making a faint tearing sound. Both of their hearts sank.
Sure enough, the dean immediately dashed toward them.
The high heels she wore landed on the thumbtacks, causing her movements to pause briefly. The thumbtacks, a basic obstruction tool, managed to momentarily delay even the dean’s swift reflexes. By the time she reached the window, Chai Yingying and Ji Linfan had already slid down the outer wall to the first floor and sprinted away.
The dean smashed the window with a punch and leapt down in pursuit.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji emerged from between the bookshelves and walked over to the window. They watched the chase unfolding in the dark, moonlit campus below—two players running with a ghostly dean hot on their heels.
Given the dean’s terrifying combat abilities, she would likely catch up to the two in no time.
Lu Ji glanced at Gu Jiu and asked coldly, “Ah Jiu, should we follow them?”
“No need,” Gu Jiu replied with a faint smile. “Let’s meet at the cafeteria later. I’ve got some faith in Chai Yingying. She might not be able to beat the dean, but she can definitely escape.”
Hand in hand, the two wandered leisurely around the campus.
With the dean occupied by Chai Yingying and Ji Linfan, there was little chance of her returning to this part of the school for now. This left Gu Jiu and Lu Ji free to enjoy their stroll.
Lu Ji found himself relishing this rare tranquility.
Turning his head, he gazed at Gu Jiu. For a fleeting moment, he imagined they truly were students, sharing the simple joy of youth in a carefree school life.
Ever since meeting her, his desires had grown increasingly greedy.
At first, he thought he’d be content if she simply liked him back. But once she did, he wanted more—so much more. He wanted to claim every part of her life, past, present, and future.
If only he had met her earlier, he wondered, could they have gone to school together? Could they have shared this unforgettable chapter of life as students?
As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly felt a soft warmth on the corner of his lips. Turning, he saw her radiant smile.
She had kissed him, quick and fleeting, leaving behind a world of unspoken possibilities. Under the glow of the streetlight, her face appeared more elegant and beautiful than ever, her gentle expression like a stream of moonlight breaking through the darkness and illuminating his heart.
“What’s on your mind, Lu Ji?” she asked with a smile.
Lu Ji answered honestly, “I was just thinking… if only I had met you sooner.”
“Why? It’s not too late now!”
“Because I want to go to school with you.”
Gu Jiu chuckled softly, clasping his hand. She leaned in again, giving him another kiss, her voice as gentle as water. “Ah Ji, how many points are you still short for buying your house?”
Lu Ji was momentarily stunned, unsure how the conversation had shifted to this topic.
“I’m not short anymore. I’m already looking at houses. Once this game world ends, I can buy one when we get back.”
She kissed him once more and said, “Once your house is ready, I’ll move in with you.”
Her eyes shimmered as she gazed at him. Lu Ji’s heartbeat quickened, and as realization struck, he became a little dizzy. His body felt hot, but he couldn’t help laughing foolishly.
Gu Jiu laughed along with him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again.
Afterward, they brought their two supernatural creatures to the gymnasium.
The gymnasium was haunted by a particularly troublesome “sports ghost.” However, the players had long since strategized how to deal with it. Gu Jiu gave the sports ghost a thorough beating, then let her supernatural dolls absorb its energy.
By the end of the night, the two dolls were well-fed.
At around 3 a.m., Gu Jiu and Lu Ji arrived at the dormitories for cafeteria staff to meet up with Chai Yingying and the others.
Not only were Chai Yingying and Ji Linfan there, but a number of other players had also gathered to rest.
The cafeteria ghosts, seeing the players return, were visibly annoyed but still diligently cleaned, served tea, and prepared a generous late-night feast for them. They even offered to keep watch while the players rested.
Chai Yingying collapsed onto a chair, utterly drained. “The dean is truly a big boss. Those three-meter-long legs are insane. Who can outrun her? She chased us all the way to the sports field. We only managed to lose her by using a Fog Pills.”
Ji Linfan sat beside her, maintaining a calm and rational demeanor. However, his silence betrayed the psychological toll the dean had taken on him.
The others nodded in agreement, affirming the dean’s unnervingly inhuman combat abilities.
Her existence was downright unscientific.
As they ate the delicious late-night snacks prepared by the cafeteria chefs, the players’ frightened hearts gradually found solace in the food.
“At this rate, who knows when we’ll clear the game,” Pei Yongyong muttered, glancing meaningfully at Gu Jiu and her group. “The Reincarnators are hiding too well. There’s not a single clue.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the players, whose moods had just started to improve, fell silent again.
The school was overrun with ghosts. They had encountered many, yet they still had no leads. On top of that, the terrifying dean, who could tear players apart with her bare hands, loomed over them like a nightmare. Every encounter with her was a desperate escape.
“Gu Jiu, what’s your take on this?”
Gu Jiu, leisurely sipping the tea Lu Ji had made for her, slowly lifted her eyes when Pei Yongyong addressed her. “I think this place is great.”
Great?
The others doubted their ears.
Smiling, Gu Jiu pulled the two supernatural dolls from her pocket and placed them on her shoulders. “Yes, just look—this is a perfect place to cultivate supernatural creatures.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if System 387 had designed this game world just for her, giving her a chance to enjoy herself before leaving.
The group was speechless.