Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 52

Lin Qiao couldn’t respond to that comment, but Yatagarasu was the type to take things seriously. Lin Qiao explained, “I was just a bit surprised. I thought you would be as friendly to others as you are to me. I don’t mean to dislike you.”

Yatagarasu was satisfied with this explanation. He thought for a moment and said earnestly, “You’re different.”

As for how Lin Qiao was different, Yatagarasu couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He acted based on his feelings and didn’t have a specific reason.

The car was driving down the road when Nelson, who had heard the conversation in the back, couldn’t help but slam on the brakes. Yatagarasu, who liked to squat on the seat, nearly hit his head on the dashboard from the sudden stop. Nelson, embarrassed, said, “Sorry, there’s a red light ahead. You guys should fasten your seatbelts.”

Yatagarasu then sat up properly and clumsily looked around for something, eventually turning to Lin Qiao and saying, “I don’t know how to fasten it.”

Lin Qiao got up to help, and Yatagarasu obediently stayed still while Nelson in the front seat let out a meaningful cold snort.

The area where “458 Chaotian Road, Dawn Middle School” was located was still bustling. Along the way, they could see shops, movie theaters, squares, and so on. The closer they got to the school, the fewer people there were, until finally, it was desolate and surrounded only by lush green vegetation.

In the real world, such an area would never be left empty; even if it weren’t a school, it would be quickly demolished and turned into something else. But this was not the real world; it was the dungeon world of a horror game. The empty school not only remained unrenovated but also affected the surrounding residents. Next to the school gate was a security booth, filled with dust. The gate was electronically controlled, but because of the power outage, it could be easily pushed open. Lin Qiao noticed something was off as soon as he entered; the electric gate wasn’t just out of power—it had been hacked with an axe. The inner fence was damaged, the electronic lock was in tatters, and there were dark red, dried stains on the ground. The stains looked like they had been dragged and extended all the way to the adjacent flower bed.

Just stepping into the school grounds, they felt the temperature drop significantly. In this dungeon world filled with ghosts and monsters, such a school should not have been visited by thieves, so it still retained some traces of human life. Lin Qiao could even see the surveillance equipment in the security booth that had not been moved, along with fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, and other items for the security guards’ use. There was even a bowl of instant noodles on the table.

Nelson asked, “Should we go in and take a look first, or wait until tonight when we start live-streaming?”

Logically, entering at night would be more dangerous, but with their high affection values, it didn’t really matter whether they went in early or late. Without hesitation, Yatagarasu said, “Let’s go. We’ll take a look around now.”

He then put his arm around Lin Qiao’s shoulders, “You keep your pets close and follow behind me.”

Lin Qiao nodded, holding the black cat in his arms with the Doberman following beside him. The three had found the school’s floor plan online before coming and planned to explore the entire school first. The easternmost part of the school was a row of teaching buildings, the north side had laboratories and art studios, the west side was the dormitory building, and the south side was where Lin Qiao and the others had entered.

They walked counterclockwise, covering the general areas of the teaching buildings, sports field, laboratory, dormitory, supermarket, and cafeteria. The teaching buildings were connected by corridors, with ivy climbing up the corners of the walls. A strange tree extended from a classroom window on the second floor. Out of curiosity, Lin Qiao went over to take a look. The classroom floor had collapsed, revealing the office on the first floor. The tree was still growing; there were already cracks on the third-floor floor (which was the roof of the second floor), and the walls had developed fissures.

Nelson warned, “Let’s stay away from that. It feels like it could collapse at any moment.”

When the group arrived at the school, it was already close to afternoon, with the sun shining brightly and not a hint of gloominess. However, as they walked through the corridor, they passed by the restroom, from which faint sounds of punching and kicking could be heard. A boy was pleading with the others not to hit him, but the attackers did not stop; instead, they intensified their assault.

The protection values on Lin Qiao’s phone began to deplete, and Yatagarasu and Nelson experienced the same situation. They deduced that what was inside was not human. In Lin Qiao’s experience, terrifying events usually occurred at night, in places without sunlight. The occurrence of a paranormal incident in the bright midday sun made Lin Qiao less frightened.

The three of them stopped at the restroom door and listened quietly for a while. The cries inside grew louder, as if the sounds were right beside their ears, following them closely. Yatagarasu covered his ears and kicked the door open directly. The restroom was empty.

Nelson frowned, “We should have listened for a bit longer. Brother, did you understand what was going on just now?”

Lin Qiao had indeed discerned something from the sounds of the fight: “The boy being beaten has some leverage in the hands of the others. The people hitting him… they often bully their classmates.”

Yatagarasu looked around the restroom and then pushed open the last stall. The walls inside were covered with densely written curses, the content of which was unspeakable and filled with vulgar language.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard outside the door. Three students, all wearing school uniforms, approached from a distance. They were chatting and laughing, and when they saw Lin Qiao and the others, they politely greeted them: “Hurry up, class is about to start.”

Nelson said without hesitation, “Follow them.”

The three students in front had shadows and made noise as they walked. They seemed oblivious to the dilapidation of the walls around them and headed unknowingly towards their classroom.

After following the students to the classroom, Lin Qiao and the others indeed saw a room full of students. Some were gathered together chatting and laughing, some were playing basketball in the classroom, some were erasing the blackboard, and some were reviewing their books. The students here were all vibrant and youthful, with desks full of books. Almost the moment Lin Qiao and the others stepped into the classroom, the bell rang for class to start.

With Nelson and Yatagarasu by his side, Lin Qiao wasn’t as scared. As for Nelson and Yatagarasu, they had passed through many horror dungeons, and this one was nothing compared to what they had seen before.

The students quickly returned to their seats. At a glance, there were three empty spots. It was obvious who these seats were for. Lin Qiao, with the black cat in his arms, walked to the back. He just thought it would be more convenient to take care of the pets from there. Nelson and Yatagarasu sat in the middle and the front row, respectively. As soon as Yatagarasu sat down, the student in the second row behind him grumbled, “Why are you sitting here? You’re blocking my view.”

If they were to sit according to height, Lin Qiao should have been in the first row. Feeling a bit guilty, Lin Qiao kept his head down and pretended not to hear. Yatagarasu turned around and slapped the boy behind him, “Got a problem?”

The boy behind him stopped complaining. Nelson’s seatmate was a girl who was secretly looking at Nelson and smiling with her lips pursed.

Lin Qiao also took the opportunity to observe his own seatmate, a rather tall boy who was sleeping with his face buried in his arms, leaving Lin Qiao with a view of the back of his head.

Lin Qiao saw that the black cat and the Doberman were not as vigilant, so he grew bolder and reached out to poke the girl in front of him.
The girl’s back stiffened, and she asked irritably, “What are you doing?”
Lin Qiao blinked his eyes, and the girl’s anger instantly dissipated. Her tone softened as she asked, “Is there something you need?”
Curious, Lin Qiao inquired, “Do you know me? Do you know my name?”
The girl whispered, “Yes, your name is Lin Qiao. I’ve watched your live streams.”
Lin Qiao immediately raised his hand and asked, “Have you watched that guy’s live stream? Nelson’s?”
The girl’s face turned red as she replied, “I have, and I even gave him likes.”
Lin Qiao’s face also turned red as he asked, “Oh, I see. Which part of him do you like the most?”
The girl turned her head 180 degrees in excitement and said, “Need you even ask? I love his Adam’s apple. It’s just amazing. When he drinks water, I really want to bite it.”
Her voice was not low, and Nelson, who was in the middle, must have heard it.
Lin Qiao was great at stirring things up and said, “Don’t you think his back is amazing too? The muscles there are even harder to build.”
The girl nodded in agreement, about to say something, when Lin Qiao’s sleeping deskmate suddenly moved.
The girl immediately stopped talking and stealthily turned her head 180 degrees back, scribbling something on a piece of paper and then handing it to Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao opened the note and saw that it was a little essay about Nelson, praising him to the skies.
Lin Qiao unceremoniously exchanged notes with the girl, trying to get more information out of her.
It turned out that the students here were indeed evil spirits, but they were restricted in life, so they had to follow the school rules even after death.
During the day, they had to attend classes, and only at night could they move around freely.
They were like bound spirits, unable to do as they pleased. However, during the annual Best Streamer Competition, they would have a week-long break and could go out and feed freely.
As for sacrifices like Lin Qiao and Nelson, the girl talked very little about them, being very evasive, as if there was some unspeakable secret.
The black cat dozed on Lin Qiao’s desk, and although the Doberman was on guard, it was not as vigilant.
The protection value on Lin Qiao’s phone kept decreasing. It was speculated that it might be because of the protection value, so these ghosts could not attack but only consume it.
Lin Qiao got along well with the NPCs. About five minutes later, a “teacher” came in. The girl in front sat up straight and stopped passing notes.
The “teacher” who came in was an older woman. She wore a pair of red-framed glasses and had a very stern expression.
The “teacher” scanned her students and then looked at Lin Qiao at the back. She pointed at him discontentedly and said, “Stand up.”
The black cat shook its head and bared its teeth at the female teacher in a threatening manner. The Doberman did not react as strongly and continued to sit beside Lin Qiao.
The female teacher had intended to walk down from the podium to get closer to Lin Qiao, but she was intimidated by the cat and dog and had to stay on the stage.
She pushed her glasses up and asked directly, “You’re the one who does live streaming, right?”
Lin Qiao stood up and admitted, “Yes, it’s me.”
The female teacher looked Lin Qiao up and down suspiciously and said, “Why do something like that? Why choose to be a borderline streamer? Did your parents raise you just to do this?”
“It’s because of guys like you who stream all day and all night that my students don’t attend my classes. They stay glued to your live streams and even sneak peeks during class!”
Lin Qiao was puzzled. He had never streamed during the day before: “Teacher…”
“Someone like you might as well be a ghost. Then you’d have no future. You can do whatever you want,” the female teacher interrupted Lin Qiao, her tone malicious. “Only those with high likes are meant to be consumed, Nelson, right? Go to the office right now and get me a lesson plan.”
As soon as the female teacher finished speaking, the entire classroom fell silent.
Lin Qiao realized after a moment that he had taken Nelson’s place, which was why the teacher had mistaken him for someone else.
Lin Qiao politely said, “Teacher, my name is not Nelson. I am Lin Qiao.”
The female teacher’s face showed a moment of discomfort. Lin Qiao didn’t expect that even ghosts could mistake someone for another: “Teacher, the Best Streamer Competition is something every ghost must participate in. It is a necessary part of the world’s cycle.”
“Being a ghost and watching live streams is a contribution to the world. If you don’t watch live streams, that’s when you’re really falling into depravity.”
The girl in front of him gave Lin Qiao a thumbs-up, while the female teacher’s face turned ashen, telling Lin Qiao to get out immediately.
Lin Qiao left with the cat and dog, perfectly embodying the role of a rebellious student.
Yatagarasu watched Lin Qiao in surprise, seemingly not expecting such a reaction. He raised his hand high, but the female teacher didn’t even glance at him: “Class begins.”
Lin Qiao lay on the windowsill, propping his chin up with his hand, eavesdropping on the teacher’s lecture. She wasn’t teaching textbook knowledge but rather the current relationship between pets, humans, and evil spirits.
“Humans have always been orderly. The chances for pets to become human are very rare. They only established the church ten years ago.
“We are the only ones who are unorganized and undisciplined. Compared to the other two, we are the ones who truly resemble animals!
“Above us all is the game. Although pets can restrain us, it is actually humans who hold the dominant position.
“I can’t control the other ghosts, but I can control you. Do not be dominated by your desires. Be rational.”
Lin Qiao was astonished. So the ghost NPCs in horror games were this competitive?
The black cat and the Doberman seemed indifferent to the lecture, as if they thought these ghosts couldn’t amount to much.
Humans unite and cooperate with the pet alliance, while ghosts stand in opposition to both humans and animals.
Whether it’s humans or pets, what they do is for the future.
Ghosts have no future. If they have no future, what’s there to talk about development for?
The students below began to lose focus again. Some lay on their desks, dozing off; some secretly opened their phones to watch live streams; and some whispered to the students beside them.
They didn’t care what the female teacher said. Lin Qiao heard one of the ghost students complain quietly, “Ever since the church was established ten years ago, she’s been in a hurry. If I keep listening, my ears are going to grow calluses.”
“I’m going to feast on humans this last week of the month, get stronger, and leave this place early.”
“Pets don’t turn into ghosts after they die. Humans keep having children. For the sake of the next generation of humans, for the continuation of the human race.”
“What about us? What future do ghosts have? Ghosts can only eat people or be eaten.”
“What about Lin Qiao? Has he run away?”
“He can’t. He still has to stream at night. I didn’t expect Lin Qiao to bring two more sacrifices. With the other two, we’ll have a feast.”
The students didn’t mind Lin Qiao hearing this and even smiled up at him.
Yatagarasu had no patience to listen to the female teacher and kicked the table as he walked out.
Nelson raised his hand to signal, and as he left, he whispered something into the female teacher’s ear. Her expression became very strange.
Nelson also walked out, and the female teacher slammed the door in anger. With the sound of the door closing, Lin Qiao looked into the window again and saw that the room was now empty, with only a layer of dust remaining.

Yatagarasu complained out of boredom, “This is so boring. They didn’t attack us, so why did they lure us in here just to sit for a while?”

Nelson raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you think, brother?”

Lin Qiao didn’t hold back and said, “I think they lured us in here mostly to trap us.”

“According to rumors, there are different ghost stories here. The teaching building is occupied by these students, so there must be other evil spirits in other places.”

After Lin Qiao finished speaking, he asked Nelson, “What did you say to the female teacher?”

Nelson’s face took on a mischievous smile and he replied, “I told her that I would welcome her to watch my live stream and admire my youthful physique.”

Lin Qiao frowned and said, “That’s likely to provoke her, and I think the teacher is quite thoughtful.”

Nelson didn’t argue with this point, but he reminded, “I was just verbally disrespectful to her, but you, brother, poked at her sore spot.”

Before Lin Qiao could respond, Yatagarasu defended him, saying, “Lin Qiao deliberately provoked her to get kicked out. You, on the other hand, still wanted to provoke her before leaving.”

Nelson shrugged nonchalantly and said, “Isn’t that just a way to earn some hatred points for the brother?”

Lin Qiao quietly told the two to stop arguing. He felt that the female teacher didn’t call him out just because she was provoked.

The teacher had initially wanted the “Nelson” with the highest likes to leave quickly, but she had mistaken the person because she hadn’t watched the live streams.

Sending Lin Qiao to get the lesson plan was also a way to get him out of the room. Later, when Yatagarasu and Nelson wanted to leave, several students clearly wanted to follow, but they were intimidated by the teacher’s anger and didn’t dare to act.

Lin Qiao rubbed his forehead and asked, “Have you guys ever encountered such… self-aware ghost NPCs before?”

After asking, Lin Qiao realized it was a silly question. Players would forget their experiences once they left the scenario, so how could they know what the NPCs were like before?

Sure enough, Yatagarasu shook his head and said, “I don’t remember.”

But Nelson didn’t respond until Lin Qiao looked at him, and then he shook his head and said, “Maybe, but players can’t even remember each other, let alone NPCs.”

Lin Qiao had no one to discuss his deductions with, so he asked in his mind, “System, is each horror game scenario based on a complete world?”

The system, which had been silent for a while, replied: Yes.

Lin Qiao pressed further, “Why is there a Yan Ting in the first scenario, Yan Ting in the real world, and even the black cat and Doberman here are from Yan Ting?”

The always-responsive system only replied with: ……

It seemed they couldn’t say. Lin Qiao sighed inwardly, “You’re keeping secrets from me, and I’m really upset about it.”

After a pause, the system replied: You will know in the future.

Lin Qiao stopped asking since he couldn’t get an answer and followed Yatagarasu and Nelson to another place.

This time, to avoid being trapped by ghosts, they only walked outside the buildings.

Even so, they could still see fleeting white figures inside the buildings and several pieces of glass falling from the sky.

If Lin Qiao and the others hadn’t dodged quickly, their heads might have been smashed open.

After going around the area, it was around five in the afternoon. The three of them got some food at the school gate, and Lin Qiao opened some canned food for the pets.

His protection value had decreased by four thousand, but it had increased by ten thousand.

It seemed that the downside of bringing pets should include the protection value not decreasing but increasing.

If other players knew about Lin Qiao’s troubles, they would probably think he was looking for trouble.

But for Lin Qiao, having such a high protection value was a bit conspicuous: “System, I won’t mutate and become a cat when I return to reality, right?”

The system affirmed, No.

Lin Qiao felt reassured. Since he had already mutated, a high protection value seemed to have no impact other than possibly drawing the attention of the Church.

Lin Qiao poured the canned food into the bowls for the cat and dog, while Nelson got water from the trunk of the car.

When he came back, he warned, “Someone has tampered with our water.”

Yatagarasu stood up and asked, “Are there other players following us?”

Lin Qiao could sense the gleam in Yatagarasu’s eyes and his eagerness to act.

Lin Qiao personally checked the water. The bottle’s exterior was fine, the cap was fine, but there were some undissolved white particles at the bottom.

Yatagarasu extended his forked tongue to capture something in the air. He placed the calico cat in Lin Qiao’s arms and said, “I’ll be back around six o’clock and get some drinkable water.”

Yatagarasu flipped over the electronic gate and chased after the side. Lin Qiao was a bit worried, but Nelson said, “He knows what he’s doing. Let him go find the other players. It’s better to find them now than to be ambushed by them after nightfall.”

Lin Qiao waited on the spot. Time ticked by, and soon it was six o’clock, but Yatagarasu showed no sign of returning.

Another thirty minutes passed, and the sky had darkened. Footsteps and voices could be heard from a distance.

Lin Qiao became nervous, and Nelson held Lin Qiao’s hand as they warily watched the approaching figures.

The newcomers were not Yatagarasu, but the co-streamer Dao Zhang  and the new guy Bian Yi.

These two looked quite disheveled and travel-worn.

Upon seeing Lin Qiao and Nelson, the Dao Zhang  didn’t have time for small talk and directly asked, “Do you have any food?”

Lin Qiao took out some food from the car, and the Dao Zhang  began eating heartily without any hesitation.

While eating, he complained, “The NPCs here are all crazy. They won’t let us take vehicles or sell us anything.”

“We couldn’t even rent a car. In the end, we had no choice but to hijack one, but it ran out of fuel just before we got here. The gas station wouldn’t refuel for us either.”

“This place is hard to find. When we asked NPCs for directions, no one responded. We barely made it here.”

Bian Yi went straight to the trunk to get water, but Lin Qiao stopped him, saying, “You can’t drink that.”

Bian Yi sneered and was about to pour it into his mouth when Nelson took action and threw the water away.

Bian Yi cursed, “What are you doing? Can’t I even have a drink of your water?”

Nelson’s lips curled into a smile as he said, “Other players have tampered with the water. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and drink it.”

Bian Yi recognized Nelson as the top player and, intimidated by Nelson’s tall stature, backed down: “If that’s the case, then I won’t drink it. If the water is bad, why didn’t you throw it away instead of keeping it in the car? Isn’t that misleading others?”

Nelson replied bluntly, “Exactly, to mislead others, especially mindless people like you.”

Bian Yi didn’t dare to argue back, and the Dao Zhang  had no intention of standing up for him. Instead, he praised Lin Qiao: “You… you’re really obedient. You wear whatever you’re told to wear.”