After Jiang Xiuxiu left the lounge, she didn't act rashly or panic.
She simply found a place to sit down and calmly contemplated the situation, carefully analyzing the
strengths and weaknesses of herself and Xu Bai.
Firstly, overall, she believed she had some degree of initiative and was in a favorable position.
For Xu Bai to escape, he needed to destroy three blood jades, one of which was in her possession.
With this blood jade, she essentially had an amulet of protection; Xu Bai wouldn't harm her and might even
protect her if she was in danger.
Secondly, she had completely uncovered the secrets of Cihe Academy and was aware of Xu Bai's background,
which he likely hadn't anticipated.
As long as she could act convincingly, she could potentially deceive Xu Bai to some extent and achieve her
goals.
However, despite Xu Bai seemingly being at a disadvantage, there were several aspects about him that
troubled Jiang Xiuxiu.
Firstly, his strength was significantly greater than hers, and if he discovered the location of the blood
jade, she wouldn't stand a chance and would be immediately ejected from the game.
Secondly, Xu Bai's plans were utterly inscrutable. Jiang Xiuxiu wasn't sure what methods he would use
regarding the remaining two blood jades.
However, Jiang Xiuxiu speculated that he would likely eliminate all other insiders first, just as he did
with the dean's family, to cover his existence and maintain the lie that the blood jade was the source of
all calamities. These insiders would inevitably come into contact with the blood jade.
Perhaps she could gain something through these people.
With that in mind, Jiang Xiuxiu headed to the archive room to check the records of the original employees
of Cihe Academy.
After the academy was established, besides the now-deceased principal and dean, two vice principals and five
teachers joined.
She decided to find these individuals immediately.
First, she inquired around the teachers' office and then checked the vice principals' offices.
From the staff, she learned that after the dean's incident, these individuals had gathered in the conference
room for a small meeting.
She thought, "Typical of leadership, always holding meetings no matter what happens."
But this meeting felt somewhat inappropriate under the circumstances, raising a sense of unease in Jiang
Xiuxiu.
Without hesitation, she rushed to the conference room and eavesdropped on their conversation outside.
Although she arrived a bit late, the meeting was dragging on as usual. The two vice principals were
passionately sharing their psychological processes.
"These past few days, with various incidents occurring, we've been on edge. We all know why we're having
this meeting since we are aware of what happened back then."
"For the safety of our academy and to quell this fear, we must take action. Rest assured, I've contacted the
best construction workers, and they'll arrive soon."
After understanding what the vice principals were discussing, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a wave of frustration and
disbelief.
They were planning to dig out the blood jade buried beneath the closed classroom.
Now she knew why the boss could escape from the seal in just two or three days.
The scariest thing in this world isn't those who know everything clearly but those who pretend to understand
while knowing very little.
"Well said!"
"As expected of our vice principals, always putting the academy first."
"They are truly exemplary models for us."
Accompanying the vice principals' fervent speeches was a burst of applause from the conference room.
Jiang Xiuxiu felt numb and disheartened as she turned to leave.
Unlike the principal and dean, these vice principals and teachers only had a vague impression of what
happened back then.
Understandably, such a secretive matter wasn't known to everyone.
Due to fear, they hadn't witnessed the rituals performed by the master but had heard rumors about the blood
jade being buried.
Thus, they subconsciously believed the blood jade was something bad.
No wonder Xu Bai had managed to fool everyone, including her, with the blood jade.
A group of potential allies was now, ironically, digging their own graves.
Jiang Xiuxiu was speechless and frustrated, unable to stop their fanatic actions.
With the construction workers already contacted, they would likely start digging soon. As an intern teacher,
she would be kicked out before she could say anything.
There were two remaining blood jades, one under the closed classroom and one with the school's ghosts.
She couldn't rely on the one in the closed classroom, so she decided to seek out the ghosts.
Based on her observations, she had a rough guess about the identity of the ghosts holding the blood jade.
If individuals like Teacher Wang and the dean were influenced by Xu Bai, then the players who had gone
insane from teaching likely weren't his doing.
Especially the male player she questioned in the lounge had clearly explained Xu Bai's identity despite his
confused state.
Ghosts revealing such details shouldn't be on Xu Bai's side.
With that, Jiang Xiuxiu headed straight to the classroom.
Those players were affected during lessons, so she had to enter the classroom to contact the ghosts.
Previously, it would have been difficult for Jiang Xiuxiu to enter the classroom due to ongoing lessons,
but with the current chaos in the academy and more teachers taking leave, she found the students mostly
studying on their own.
Jiang Xiuxiu walked in confidently, went straight to the podium, and faced the students.
As she entered, the students all put down their books and stared at her with hollow, black eyes.
Their pale, expressionless faces were unnerving, as if they were thirty masked monsters instead of students.
In a way, this feeling wasn't entirely wrong.
"I know you're all ghosts, and I have some understanding of that so-called demon," Jiang Xiuxiu said
calmly, "I hope one of you can come forward and talk to me."
Although she was confident the ghosts had a unified stance, she remained cautious.
Many players had been tortured to madness and death, so ghosts might harbor ill will toward humans.
The students didn't react to her words but turned their heads in unison towards a student in the middle of
the room, who seemed more agile.
He stood up, smiled stiffly, and said, "Teacher Jiang."
"I believe our goals might align," Jiang Xiuxiu said warily, "I hope your attitude remains friendly."
"Don't worry, we've always been friendly," the boy replied, "We never harm anyone."
Jiang Xiuxiu was speechless.
That statement was blatantly false.
The male player she ended the suffering for had been tortured mercilessly.
"We merely gave them some well-meaning reminders."
Perhaps noticing Jiang Xiuxiu’s uneasy look, the boy added, "We didn't expect the results to be so poor."
Jiang Xiuxiu asked, "What kind of reminders?"
The boy explained, "We follow them 24/7, telling them there's a demon here and showing them the demon's
image."
Jiang Xiuxiu felt speechless. She wanted to say something but looking at the dazed students and the boy
whose thoughts seemed unusual, she didn't know what to say.
"Teacher, don't be afraid," the boy reassured her, seeing her silence. "My condition is psychogenic, not
very aggressive."
Jiang Xiuxiu replied, "Okay."
Despite this awkwardness, the rest of her conversation with the boy went smoothly.
The boy was among the most clear-headed of the students, and Jiang Xiuxiu was well-informed. They got
straight to the point with minimal small talk.
From the boy, Jiang Xiuxiu learned that her previous guess was correct: they and the other academy NPCs had
all died in August 1995. However, due to certain methods, they remained at the academy in soul form,
endlessly reliving their past experiences.
Xu Bai was also preserved with them.
After the massacre that year, the master who set up the academy left a safeguard. He designed the academy in
such a way that if a large number of deaths occurred, all souls would merge with the academy to form a
second seal.
"Except for me and that demon, no one else has self-awareness and doesn't know they're dead," the boy said.
"Over the years, the seal's power has weakened. I'm worried he'll eventually escape. August is when the seal
is weakest, so I impersonated the principal and sent out hundreds of job offers, bringing you interns here."
Jiang Xiuxiu suddenly asked, "What about the blood jade?"
The boy calmly replied, "The energy keeping us active comes from a piece of blood jade. Its power is almost
exhausted, lasting no more than two days."
The game's timeline roughly matched the real world, around 2019.
Thus, the reason Xu Bai was still at the academy over twenty years after the 1995 incident became clear.
To completely leave, he needed to destroy three blood jades. In the past, he likely only succeeded in
extracting two.
The third blood jade became the final seal, trapping Xu Bai after people died from the demon's revival.
However, according to the boy, this last blood jade was nearly powerless.
Therefore, Jiang Xiuxiu only needed to watch over two blood jades.
Currently, she had one, and the vice principals were about to dig out the other from the sealed classroom.
"Teacher," the boy said, looking at her steadily, "we must reenact our past most of the time, so the next
part is up to you."
Jiang Xiuxiu nodded.
After bidding farewell to the boy, she didn't stay nor did she go to the conference room to stop the vice
principals from digging. She walked out of the classroom alone.
She thought she finally knew how to break this situation.
Previously, upon learning the truth from the male player, she considered resealing Xu Bai by stealing the
blood jade and reburying it.
But now, knowing there were only two functional blood jades left, that plan was impossible.
The original seal required all three blood jades.
So, was the game unwinnable for players?
That couldn't be.
Games never have unwinnable levels, so there must be another solution.
What could it be?
Jiang Xiuxiu walked down the corridor, recalling every moment she had spent with Xu Bai since entering the
game.
After a long while, she smiled slightly.
In the afternoon, two excavators rumbled onto the school grounds.
The construction team began digging around the teaching building.
Jiang Xiuxiu watched from a distance as the building quickly crumbled, dust filling the air and shallow
pits forming in the ground.
Students were herded out to the square, blankly watching the chaos unfold.
Since the blood jade wasn't buried deep, it emerged within half an hour under the vice principals'
supervision.
The teachers swarmed towards the blood jade, as if its sight would end all calamities.
"How amusing," Jiang Xiuxiu commented.
"Interesting," came a voice from behind her.
Jiang Xiuxiu turned to see Xu Bai standing beside her, having appeared without a trace like a ghost.
Seeing her turn, he smiled.
"So, have you reconsidered?" His voice was light, with a hint of teasing. "Do you want to change the
condition?"
This time, his expression was as calm as before, showing no sign of the anger from the previous night.
He clearly wanted to see if Jiang Xiuxiu had changed her mind.
Unfortunately for Xu Bai, Jiang Xiuxiu was firm.
She shook her head and said decisively, "No change."
As long as her task was to get him to wear the cat costume, her condition would never change.
"Oh, really?" Xu Bai's smile remained, but his gaze grew colder. "I can give you wealth, status, and fame,
but you only want me to wear that outfit?"
He squinted at Jiang Xiuxiu, suspicious. "What are you up to? What's your goal?"
Jiang Xiuxiu showed no sign of wavering.
It was simple: game rewards couldn't be taken into the real world.
As for why it had to be that specific outfit, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a stir in her heart. She raised her head
and blinked at Xu Bai, saying, "Can't you tell? I have designs on you."
She shamelessly gave Xu Bai a meaningful and somewhat lewd smile. She was tired of these meaningless
conversations. Rather than let Xu Bai continue to probe her, she might as well put an end to it and let Xu
Bai deal with his own confusion.
"I see."
Even someone as experienced as Xu Bai was taken aback for a moment by Jiang Xiuxiu's shameless words. His
sharp gaze lingered on Jiang Xiuxiu, roaming between her face, body, chest, and waist.
His expression gradually became serious, his eyes flickering with an unusual hesitation, as if contemplating
an important decision.
Being stared at by Xu Bai, and seeing his thoughtful look, Jiang Xiuxiu suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next second, Xu Bai slowly said, "If you must become my partner, I suppose I can consider
it."
He paused and added, "Of course, the time limit can't exceed a year."
Jiang Xiuxiu was speechless.
What about your dignity as a demon?
Weren't humans supposed to be insignificant ants to you?
How could you sell your soul so easily?
And why do you look so reluctant?
As a demon with an endless lifespan, you're only willing to give up a year?
Am I really that hard to accept?
Jiang Xiuxiu's face darkened.
Xu Bai, confused by her lack of enthusiasm, didn't understand why this humble human wasn't overjoyed at his
proposal. Instead, she gave him a sinister smile.
"Sorry," she said sweetly, "I think I'm only interested in your body, not you personally."
Actually, if it weren't for the damn task, she wouldn't even be interested in the boss's body. If he weren't
a cute, pretty girl, she wouldn't even think about dressing him up.
"I see."
Surprisingly, Xu Bai didn't get angry. He tilted his head slightly, giving Jiang Xiuxiu a gentle smile with
an indefinable meaning.
"If we can't come to an agreement, so be it," he said slowly. "But I hope you'll change your mind one day."
His smile, combined with those words, gave the moment a subtle, profound significance.
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't take his words to heart. She just sneered, turned around, and left.
Not far from there, she began to reflect on the hidden implications of her interaction with Xu Bai.
This brief exchange seemed like a negotiation, but it was actually a probing process between her and Xu Bai.
An interesting phenomenon, Jiang Xiuxiu thought. She wasn't in a hurry, but Xu Bai seemed more impatient.
If Xu Bai approached her to see if she'd be swayed by the vice principals' actions, that would make sense.
However, she remained resolute without any sign of retreat, so why did Xu Bai give in?
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't believe Xu Bai was seriously considering a partnership. Demons' words can never be
trusted.
If she handed over the blood jade, she wouldn't be met with cooperation but betrayal.
Of course, Xu Bai might genuinely believe she liked him and was testing her.
However...
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't have feelings. She only cared about money.
Especially now, with the blood jade from the sealed classroom revealed, Xu Bai might not be at an advantage,
but he wasn't entirely passive.
If she were him, she wouldn't be so "agreeable" at this point.
The standards for judging Xu Bai's temperament differ from normal standards.
For a consistently violent boss, the fact that Xu Bai considered her condition suggested he was softening.
He was hinting that if the conditions were more lenient, there could be room for negotiation.
But she only had two days, didn't she?
With this realization, Jiang Xiuxiu's eyes gleamed with interest.
As she suspected, Xu Bai's power wasn't increasing.
On the contrary, his energy was steadily diminishing.
After realizing Xu Bai might have been deceiving her from the start, Jiang Xiuxiu refused to believe any of
his words.
Demons excel at deception, and Xu Bai was a master at misleading others.
After learning the third blood jade was about to disappear, Jiang Xiuxiu first considered Xu Bai's
strength.
She soon realized she never fully understood Xu Bai's true strength.
During their first two encounters, Xu Bai always disappeared after about five minutes, saying, "Time's
almost up."
She assumed Xu Bai could only appear for five minutes.
After the teacher brought out the blood jade, Xu Bai's appearance time increased.
This made Jiang Xiuxiu suspect Xu Bai's abilities were gradually recovering, making her more cautious.
But now she thought this assumption wasn't accurate.
Xu Bai could control the duration of his appearances.
He could have appeared for a few hours but left after five minutes to deceive her into thinking his time was
limited.
He controlled the power he displayed.
Thus, Jiang Xiuxiu had to evaluate Xu Bai's strength based on other facts, not his displays.
For example, his attitude towards the blood jade.
Jiang Xiuxiu thought, even with the third blood jade disappearing and the vice principals planning to
destroy the one in the sealed room, why would he still make concessions to her holding one blood jade?
Was it really just impatience from being confined too long?
Lies always have loopholes. The more lies, the more exposed when unraveled.
Ignoring all false pretenses, examining Xu Bai's actions, his basic motivations, his original goals, would
reveal more.
His initial goal was to use Jiang Xiuxiu to destroy the blood jade.
What he targeted most must be his biggest threat.
The blood jade was likely the key to defeating the game.
As the item sealing the boss, the blood jade had the power to suppress him completely. Holding it gave her
the power to challenge him.
With this in mind, Jiang Xiuxiu felt more confident.
Xu Bai before her was mostly a shadow, a projection.
So, where was Xu Bai's real body?
She thought she could guess.
Xu Bai arranged to meet her at the academy gate after she obtained the blood jade, so his body should be
farthest from there.
With this clarity, Jiang Xiuxiu moved into action.
She found an excuse to get a shovel from the construction team.
Then, carrying the shovel, she went to the farthest point from the academy gate, the back gate.
Remembering the male player's words, "His body lies deep in the earth," Jiang Xiuxiu smiled and struck the
ground with the shovel.
Soon, with a soft "thud," she felt the shovel hit something solid.
Eyes narrowing, she swiftly cleared the soil, exposing the object beneath.
What she unearthed soon lay bare in the sunlight.
It was a coffin.