The moment the countdown ended, the fence gate of Cihe Academy creaked shut.
Separated by a courtyard wall, the world outside the academy was instantly shrouded in a dense, white fog,
while inside, subtle sounds began to emerge. Footsteps and hushed conversations spread throughout the
grounds.
The game began.
"Let's split up here," someone said at that moment.
"If you find anything, we can share it at the teachers' dorm tonight."
Unlike other escape games, horror survival games have minimal task guidance or item hints.
To clear the game, players must explore and improvise on their own.
Since each player's tasks and abilities vary, selective teaming or solo actions are preferable to sticking
together in a large group.
Everyone agreed with the suggestion without objection.
Jiang Xiuxiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had felt out of place with the other players and had
long wanted to wander the game map alone.
Just now, after obtaining that set of erotic cat briefs, Jiang Xiuxiu realized one thing clearly: she had no
chance of clearing the game.
She wasn't a fan of escape games and had no experience in this area. She had entered the game mostly out of
a whim, hoping for luck.
If her ability had been something else, even if it were weak, she would have tried.
But why did her task have to be so bizarre?
Jiang Xiuxiu was a typical Buddhist-style player, and she was also quite pragmatic.
Although the prize money of fifty million was substantial, such a large amount often felt unreal and
unattainable.
Like hearing about someone winning billions in the lottery—though you might be envious, it wouldn’t prompt
you to start buying tickets every day.
Jiang Xiuxiu's thoughts were similar.
Rather than struggling to clear the game only to be tortured by the boss, she'd prefer to die early on.
While she was thinking this, someone suddenly reminded the group, "Don't forget to go to the office to get
your class schedule. Ignoring the 'Two Absolute' rules can lead to terrible consequences."
The "Two Absolute" rules referred to what the system had just mentioned: "Never let NPCs realize your
origin, and never let NPCs know their identity."
These rules, verified through the blood and tears of countless veteran players, were iron-clad, known even
by many who didn't play the game.
They emerged because the intelligence of NPCs and ghosts in Horror Survival was exceptionally high,
comparable to ordinary people.
They could converse with players, had their own thoughts, and could keenly detect player anomalies,
responding accordingly.
There was a highly popular post on the game forum related to this. The poster tried different tones and
statements to interact with NPCs, noting significant differences in their reactions.
Some good-looking male players even attempted to seduce important female NPCs, successfully extracting many
secrets, shocking the player community.
But such Casanovas were rare. Most geeky guys who tried to take shortcuts were often too greasy, resulting
in collective rejection by the female NPCs.
Due to this rule, players had to seriously play the role of "intern teacher" in the game.
This setup also enhanced player immersion to some extent.
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't dare defy the rules. If things got out of hand and the boss noticed her, it would be
bad.
The player's kind reminder quashed some of Jiang Xiuxiu's suicidal thoughts.
Rather than relying on NPCs and ghosts, she might as well find a quiet corner to "resolve things herself."
With this in mind, Jiang Xiuxiu looked around to study the layout of Cihe Academy.
The academy, located in a remote suburb, was large and spacious, with expansive grounds, gardens, and
woodlands.
Apart from the teaching buildings, there were offices, dormitories, playgrounds, canteens, baths, libraries,
archives, and more. The facilities were comprehensive, but the buildings were uniformly black and red,
covered in eerie patterns that gave a creepy vibe at first glance.
According to Jiang Xiuxiu’s research, Cihe Academy publicly claimed to cater to "abnormal" students, so most
of the students had various issues.
Some were disabled, others had rare psychological or physiological conditions.
Despite knowing the students had conditions, the academy's high-ups built the school in such a ghastly
manner, showing their determination to retain students.
Living with unusual conditions in such a grim environment, students had developed a reclusive and
indifferent demeanor over time.
From the start of the game, the square in front of Jiang Xiuxiu was empty. Occasionally, a few students
passed by, pale-faced, lifeless, and hurrying away silently.
Perhaps to prevent suicides, the academy had no ponds, and the highest buildings were only two stories tall.
So, her initial plans of jumping or drowning were unachievable.
Should she look for a rope or a knife to kill herself?
For safety, the game had a comprehensive protection system. If a player's mental strength approached
collapse, they would be forced offline.
With this protection mechanism and a 10% pain threshold, death would feel like a realistic, slightly scary
dream.
As long as she wasn't repeatedly tortured like that streamer.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiuxiu decided to find a student and ask where she could get tools.
It was mid-morning, and the class bell had just rung. Jiang Xiuxiu was near the teaching buildings,
occasionally seeing students drifting by like ghosts.
After observing for about four or five minutes, she finally picked a relatively normal-looking girl, who
seemed mentally sound.
Compared to other numb and sluggish students, this girl's expression was much livelier, with an unnatural
flush on her pale face, sparkling eyes, and pursed lips.
Jiang Xiuxiu approached her quietly, "Excuse me, I'm a new intern teacher. Do you know where I can find a
knife or a rope?"
The girl was startled and turned around hastily, looking at Jiang Xiuxiu's uniform and the teacher's badge
on her chest.
"You're Ms. Jiang, right?" she asked after a moment.
"Yes," Jiang Xiuxiu nodded, "Is there a problem with my name?"
"Nothing," the girl replied calmly, "Just that our next class is with an intern teacher named Jiang."
"Oh, haha, I see."
Oops, she hadn't gone to the office to get her class schedule and had no idea she had to teach a class.
"Sorry, I have something urgent," Jiang Xiuxiu said, maintaining her composure. "You can have a self-study
period for the next class."
Since she planned to die anyway, she didn't care about teaching the class.
The girl looked up and gave her a deep look.
"Okay, teacher," she said.
Jiang Xiuxiu was momentarily stunned, feeling the girl's gaze was somewhat inappropriate. But by the time
she reacted, the girl had already lowered her head again.
Sensing something was wrong, Jiang Xiuxiu asked, "So, where can I get a knife or a rope?"
"Knife, I don't know. For rope, you can check the easternmost classroom on the second floor."
The girl's speech hesitated slightly, as if surprised by Jiang Xiuxiu's dullness.
"Okay, thank you."
After getting the location, Jiang Xiuxiu was delighted and quickly thanked the girl.
Ignoring the girl's lingering gaze, she turned and left immediately.
A girl like this, clearly marked as an important NPC, would be eagerly pursued by any other player. But
unfortunately, she encountered Jiang Xiuxiu, who was bent on dying.
Still, Jiang Xiuxiu didn't fully trust the girl's words. Her behavior had been too strange.
Although Jiang Xiuxiu was reluctant to play the game, she wasn't stupid. She knew that anomalies indicated
trouble.
However, the class bell had already rung, and there wasn't time to find someone else to ask.
After considering for a moment, Jiang Xiuxiu decided to check the classroom.
But just barging in...
Jiang Xiuxiu looked around but saw no other players or NPCs.
She was unarmed, and all she had was the cat ear headband and cat tail lingerie, along with the useless
costume change skill.
Jiang Xiuxiu sighed.
Might as well use it. To be cautious, she decided to try the "costume change" skill.
Thinking positively, since she was heading to a classroom, changing into a student’s uniform might make her
less conspicuous.
This way, she might encounter less danger.
Although the transformation spell only lasted five minutes, it was enough time for her to get what she
needed and leave.
After comforting herself, Jiang Xiuxiu walked to a corner of the staircase, silently chanted "transform,"
and imagined the school uniform that the girl had just worn.
In the blink of an eye, she was wearing the same clothes.
This special ability was quite amazing.
Jiang Xiuxiu glanced curiously at her new outfit, then hurriedly made her way towards the classroom.
Because there weren't many students, the teaching building was quite simple, with only four classrooms in
total.
The other three classrooms were full of students. Jiang Xiuxiu roughly estimated that each room had about
twenty to thirty students.
As for the classroom on the easternmost side, it was completely empty.
Not only was it empty, but the doors and windows were tightly sealed.
On the edge of the classroom door, Jiang Xiuxiu could see numerous strips of tape stuck densely, leaving no
gaps.
The door lock was tied with a red rope, and a white paper with the red word "Sealed" was posted on it.
Jiang Xiuxiu thought, "This classroom looks very suspicious."
Seeing this, Jiang Xiuxiu twitched her mouth and wanted to turn around and leave.
She had sensed something strange about that girl, but she hadn't expected to be led to this place.
She was just a player who wanted to find a rope and hang herself quietly in a corner. She really didn't want
to go into a place that seemed full of plot points.
However, just as she turned around, Jiang Xiuxiu's vision blurred, and the whole world seemed to shake.
A strange force pulled her from behind, causing her to stumble and almost lose her balance.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself facing a tightly closed classroom door.
Around her, the chairs and desks were in disarray as if a chaotic disturbance had occurred, with footprints
all over the floor and stains on the walls.
The air was filled with dust and a faint, bloody smell.
Looking at this scene, an unbelievable thought crossed Jiang Xiuxiu's mind.
Had she been pulled into the sealed classroom by something?
"Are you looking for me?"
At that moment, a slightly familiar voice came from behind her.
It was a male voice, sounding like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, with a calm and clear tone.
Anyone hearing such a voice would naturally feel a sense of affection, imagining a high school boy with a
neat uniform, clean features, and a straight posture like a young poplar tree.
But when Jiang Xiuxiu recognized the voice, her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed.
How could it be the boss?