Chapter 25: Special coaching

The morning classes ended, and Jiang Xuan was called on four times.

Her apathetic attitude in class successfully infuriated the teacher.

Jiang Xuan had a strong premonition that if she couldn’t answer any questions in the afternoon, she would be kicked out of the classroom.

During lunch break, the five of them gathered at the entrance of the cafeteria, slowly moving along with the crowd while exchanging information in hushed voices.

Jiang Xuan first reported her situation: “I’ll probably be kicked out of the classroom this afternoon. Might as well see what the punishment is.”

“Wait, wait—7…”

Except for Lin Lulu, who seemed numb and accepting, the rest of the teammates clearly weren’t ready.

“What did you trigger?” Wu Maolong asked sternly.

Sister Yuan anxiously draped a hand over Jiang Xuan’s shoulder: “What happened?”

Jiang Xuan: “I can’t answer the questions.”

“…..”

Guan Zifei was momentarily stunned but then couldn’t help bursting out laughing.

After Sister Yuan gave him a sharp glare, he reluctantly reined himself in and cleared his throat: “I understand, very much so.”

Wu Maolong furrowed his brows: “If you really get kicked out, come find me in Sixth Class.”

Wu Maolong’s nickname was Bear Big, and his ability belonged to the Mutation category.

After mutation, he acquired bear-like traits, making him both a spear and a shield in combat.

“No need, Brother Bear. I’ll protect Jiang Xuan,” Lin Lulu said.

Lin Lulu’s ability was A-Level, Summoning type.

The teammates were all eager to protect Jiang Xuan, leaving her at a loss for how to respond.

She opened her mouth, then recalled the note slipped inside her English book.

“Someone put this in my book.”

Jiang Xuan handed over a note with “Little Ren Zhang Wen” written on it, then recounted the bullying incident she saw in the bathroom.

“According to what you said, this Zhang kid… he seems afraid you overheard,” Guan Zifei pondered. “There’s also Wu Chenyu. Find a chance when no one is around and see if you can talk to them.”

“Hopefully we can get them to open their mouths.”

“I’m with Sister Yuan in Seventh Class,” he continued. “Our class is pretty calm, but there’s this male student who’s insanely handsome.

Rumor has it many girls like him—the campus heartthrob type.

Almost every topic somehow circles back to him.

Someone like that probably has something to do with the whole plot, right?”

As they talked, the group slowly moved to the food window to get their meals.

There was a school rule about the cafeteria:

【11. Wasting food is strictly prohibited in the cafeteria. Everything on your plate is considered your food.】

Rules about food were always troublesome.

Sister Yuan said, “Food is the foundation of the people. If bugs poison the food, that’d be so cruel… but bugs don’t have morals anyway.”

“By the way, I want to ask, who here feels hungry?”

Guan Zi: “No one.”

Lin Lulu shook her head.

Jiang Xuan tested it out: “A bit.”

Wu Maolong calmly said, “The flow of time here is probably different from outside. My hunger isn’t as intense as it would be in the real world at the same time.”

They hadn’t eaten breakfast and went through a high-intensity morning class until noon before getting food, yet they didn’t feel much hunger.

Fortunately, their appetites were normal and their appearance wasn’t strange.

Wu Maolong let out a sigh of relief.

Sister Yuan laughed out loud: “Scared, huh! Jiang Xuan, I’m telling you, don’t be fooled by Bear Big here. Even when he’s starving, he can’t finish a meal!”

“When he just started, he was starving at the bug nest but didn’t say anything. We only found out when he nearly fainted from hunger. After that, Long Ge always carried some compressed biscuits, afraid he’d pass out from hunger. He’s such a big guy, who could possibly carry him if he did?”

This teasing memory didn’t bother Wu Maolong; he just smiled sincerely and took big bites of his food.

Jiang Xuan felt a faint sadness beneath the seemingly light atmosphere, like the dampness after rain.

Guan Zifei crossed his leg and rested his chin on his hand, smiling: “Long Ge was always this thoughtful. If he were still around… ah, sorry, forgot to tell you, Long Ge was our team’s former Vice Captain but has already passed away.”

“….” Jiang Xuan fell into thought—so that sadness was because they were mourning “Long Ge.”

Field missions were routine, and every task carried the risk of death.

Before Jiang Xuan could compose comforting words, the silhouette of the Bullying Five appeared in view.

“Watch them!” Jiang Xuan whispered.

The Bullying Five had finished their meal and, as if discovering something amusing, pushed and squeezed into the crowd. One boy grabbed another student’s collar.

Among the students wearing the same school uniform, Jiang Xuan recognized the one being grabbed.

Zhang Wen.

The five sneered and knocked over Zhang Wen’s food, then stomped on it twice, putting the steamed bun back onto the plate.

“Already eaten!”

“Zhang Wen, don’t waste food!”

Surrounding students scattered quickly, avoiding the commotion. Zhang Wen said nothing the entire time and obediently ate the bun.

Sister Yuan and Wu Maolong’s expressions showed suppressed anger.

“Those bastards!” Sister Yuan cursed.

Zhang Wen gobbled down the rest, then hung his head and quickly left the cafeteria. Jiang Xuan and the others hurried to follow his trail.

In the dense crowd, he vanished in the blink of an eye.

“Zhang Wen is off,” Guan Zifei whispered. “Keep an eye on him, but be careful not to act rashly.”

Back at Dormitory 104, Sun Xiaoqi sat at her desk. Jiang Xuan returned, subtly observing her.

Jiang Xuan swung her leg over a stool and fixed a cold gaze on Sun Xiaoqi.

“Let’s talk, Sun Xiaoqi.”

Sun Xiaoqi’s expression was fierce yet fragile inside: “I’ve told you everything I know!”

“What’s threatening you? Why are you afraid of me?” Jiang Xuan said expressionlessly. Her long eyelashes cast shadows, her pupils dark and exuding an invisible pressure.

Sun Xiaoqi’s spirit was worn thin, and the slightest disturbance ignited her anger.

“You’re threatening me!” Sun Xiaoqi said bitterly. “Weren’t you supposed to save me? When can we get out? I can’t take it here—it’s like a nightmare…”

Jiang Xuan looked at her for a while, her expression softening. She spoke gently and patiently: “I will take you out, but you have to cooperate, okay?”

Sun Xiaoqi took a deep breath.

Jiang Xuan: “I’m not your enemy. Everything I’m doing is to pull you out of this nightmare. This is just a nightmare; nightmares always end.”

Struggle appeared in Sun Xiaoqi’s eyes: “Am I dreaming?”

Sun Xiaoqi’s consciousness was unclear. Jiang Xuan coaxed gently: “Nightmares always end.”

“Now tell me—do you know Zhang Wen?”

The name “Zhang Wen” hit Sun Xiaoqi like a hammer, shattering her confused thoughts. She muttered, “This isn’t my nightmare.”

“This is… Zhang Wen’s nightmare.”

The afternoon classes resumed, and the time for third-year students felt like a tightly compressed plank, their studies intense and relentless.

The first period in the afternoon was physics. Under the physics teacher’s strange smile, Jiang Xuan was successfully kicked out of the classroom.

Lin Lulu immediately stood up, but Jiang Xuan quickly raised her hand, motioning her to stay seated.

She signaled Lin Lulu not to move.

During class time, all other classes were in their classrooms. Jiang Xuan, under the scrutinizing gaze of classmates, walked out and leisurely began exploring.

She proceeded forward, visiting Third Year Seventh Class—Guan Zifei and Sister Yuan’s class—where the girl who helped Zhang Wen studied.

Then Third Year Sixth Class, where Wu Maolong’s sturdy figure was cramped under a desk, looking very uncomfortable.

When she reached Third Year Fifth Class, Jiang Xuan looked through the window and locked eyes with Sun Xiaoqi.

Sun Xiaoqi suddenly widened her eyes in panic, trying to mouth something:

“Go back to the classroom quickly!”

Jiang Xuan paused and nodded in understanding, but didn’t return.

She continued wandering to the platform, preparing to go downstairs when someone called out to her from behind: “Which class are you in?”

The person made no sound of footsteps, drifting like the wind.

Jiang Xuan turned around. A man wearing a shirt and black pants, with a protruding belly, stood behind her. His expression was stern but his narrowed eyes revealed cunning.

“Class time, not studying seriously! Studying is the duty of a student; your parents spend money sending you to school, isn’t it hard?”

The Guidance Director came over and lectured sternly. His lips cracked wider as he raised his voice, eventually hooking his earlobe.

“Disobedient students need special guidance.”

Jiang Xuan was led by the Guidance Director into a cramped classroom.

Inside, there was only one desk and one chair. The window was locked, and the lighting was dim.

On the desk lay a small booklet. The Guidance Director’s cracked lips revealed a blood-red tongue as he said, “Copy this entire booklet, then you can leave!”

Afterward, the Guidance Director crossed his arms and shut the door, leaving Jiang Xuan alone inside.

The dim room and cramped space greatly increased the discomfort.

Jiang Xuan flipped open the booklet. The first page showed a curled-up child with the slogan: [Little Ming doesn’t like studying; he wants to go out and see the world!]

Jiang Xuan tapped her pen tip, then copied the sentence onto paper before turning to the next page.

The child stood at the foot of a mountain, gazing up at a towering peak. [Only by crossing the mountain can one escape the enclosed pigpen!]

Her gaze lingered on the words “pigpen” for a moment. She carefully copied each character.

When she finished the first character, she clearly felt leg soreness, like muscle pain after a long trek.

After writing the second character, Jiang Xuan began breathing heavily, inhaling and exhaling sharply, her whole body aching.

She stopped writing. Furrowing her brows, she didn’t continue copying this section but turned the page to see what came next.

The child had crossed the mountain, with the peak towering behind him. Ahead lay a pool of magma with a few stepping stones on the surface. [Only by crossing the magma can one see the other shore… but Little Ming is already exhausted. Can he really escape the pigpen?]

Jiang Xuan rubbed her temples and started writing again, but as soon as she penned a character, a fiery burning sensation flared up on her soles.

After stopping, the pain faded but left a sharp sting.

At this point, Jiang Xuan was certain this booklet forced the writer to endure the same sufferings as Little Ming.

The punishment was to copy, not to endure the pain.

Jiang Xuan rested her chin and thought for a moment: “Words cannot affect reality—”

A familiar oppressive sensation crushed inward like a huge hand pressing on her organs. She shut her mouth, and the pressure vanished instantly.

This rule was beyond her ability to resist.

Jiang Xuan exhaled slowly and, under the dim light, continued flipping through the story.

The child jumped over the magma pool, his clothes tattered and torn, deep wounds on his feet exposing bone. Ahead was a deep, bottomless pond.

Next, he had to cross a forest where the howling of a wolf pack echoed.

On the last page, the child was reduced to a half-body skeleton, dragging the half of his bones that remained, wearing a miserable expression: [I never want to see the world again! Let me go back to the pigpen!]

God heard his wish. It was granted. The child became a half-pig because he only had half a body left.

Disgust welled up inside Jiang Xuan. She lowered her eyes and tapped her pen. The end result of copying was either death or turning into a pig.

After reading the entire story, Jiang Xuan felt sick.

Thinking it through, she spoke again: “When words are copied without thought, they cannot affect reality.”

The rule was established.

An itching sensation immediately welled up in Jiang Xuan’s throat. She cleared her throat twice, took out the medicine she had obtained from Luo Chen, and swallowed a pill.

The effect was immediate; strength gradually returned. Jiang Xuan leaned lazily against the chair and began copying mechanically without thinking.

After two pills, she felt the side effects were lighter than usual.

She hadn’t forgotten the real purpose of this trip—to consume more pills.

Like a wild beast driven by instinct, without recovering her memories, the pills still exerted a mysterious attraction on Jiang Xuan.

Judging it was enough, the Guidance Director greedily licked his lips and pulled open the door—

Only to be met by a pair of dark, misty eyes, identical to his own gaze.

Guidance Director: “…What?”

What did this mean? What did this mean?!

She wants to eat me too?!

Jiang Xuan stretched and handed the completed paper to the Guidance Director, then walked out.

The Guidance Director stood stunned, then his mind finally caught up. His anger flared: “Fine, fine, fine. I see you’re incorrigible. Tomorrow you’re on duty in your class!”

“…” Jiang Xuan: “I don’t understand the thought process of you corrupted ones. How am I incorrigible?”

Sister Yuan slapped Jiang Xuan’s shoulder repeatedly, laughing hysterically: “Jiang Xuan, you’re a genius! You’ve made those corrupted ones so mad they’re about to explode!”

Honestly, nobody knew why it was funny.

Wu Maolong praised: “You made a new rule, so the Punishment Room isn’t a threat anymore. We can be bolder.”

Guan Zifei propped his chin on his hands, smiling at Jiang Xuan: “Jiang Xuan, your ability has side effects. How do you feel now?”

Jiang Xuan said, “I took Luo Team Leader’s medicine. I feel fine.”

“Oh, good, good. His medicine is really effective,” Guan Zifei winked.

They were standing in line at the cafeteria for dinner. After getting their trays, the topic about Jiang Xuan was dropped and they exchanged new intelligence gained that afternoon.

After dinner, during evening self-study in their class, Jiang Xuan organized the information she had gathered.

One, Wu Maolong showed no abnormalities after swimming class but felt someone was secretly watching him.

Two, the so-called handsome campus heartthrob in Third Year Seventh Class liked Zhang Wen (?).

Jiang Xuan also told Guan Zifei about the girl in Seventh Class who helped Zhang Wen.

The evening self-study class monitor was different from other corrupted teachers. She had a dull expression, acted normally, and didn’t target Jiang Xuan or Lin Lulu.

Jiang Xuan raised her hand once to ask for a book, and the monitor kindly gave it.

Darkness fell. Flipping through the newly arrived books, Jiang Xuan organized her thoughts…

—Zhang Wen was clearly a boy, yet he went to the girls’ bathroom.

—The campus heartthrob liked Zhang Wen?

Before evening self-study ended, the silent monitor suddenly spoke, breaking the quiet: “The end-of-term exams are coming soon. Remember to review well.”

“The Assistance Grant for Poor Students has been distributed. I will call the names: Zhang Xiaoli, Mu Wenzhi…”

After the list was read, Zhang Wen’s name was not on it.

The bell signaling the end of self-study rang. Students quickly packed up and left the classroom without any hesitation.

Jiang Xuan arranged to explore the Teaching Building with Lin Lulu. They had to return before the dormitory locked.

Standing on the fourth floor stairwell, watching students flood out like a tide, the Teaching Building fell into a dead silence in just ten minutes.

Jiang Xuan and Lin Lulu began their exploration from the fourth floor.

The empty corridor echoed with their footsteps. Lin Lulu’s cold voice said, “Zhang Wen isn’t on the list of poor students.”

“But from what I observed, whether it’s his clothes, shoes, or stationery, they all look old and cheap. I heard his family is poor to the point where ‘poor’ is an understatement.”

Poor family conditions, but no aid granted.

Jiang Xuan nodded and noted this down.

Lin Lulu took a deep breath and glanced at Jiang Xuan with her peripheral vision. The silence in the Teaching Building was eerily intense. The overhead lights seemed pale and terrifying under this quietness.

“Jiang Xuan…”

“…Did you get hurt in your afternoon encounter with the corrupted ones?”

“No,” Jiang Xuan answered honestly, “just a bit tired.”

“Next time, take me with you.”

Lin Lulu fiddled with her pants seam, biting her lips slightly.

From the fourth floor to the second were classrooms; the fourth floor was the Third Year section, third floor the Second Year, and second floor the First Year.

When the two reached the first floor, the lights suddenly flickered and then went out completely.

In the darkness, Jiang Xuan felt her clothes being tugged.

“…Lin Lulu?”

Lin Lulu’s voice came from the darkness, steady. She gripped Jiang Xuan’s clothes tightly.

Their phones had been confiscated at the start, citing the ban on high school students having phones. Jiang Xuan pulled out a small flashlight, which was allowed.

The flashlight’s beam illuminated the two. Jiang Xuan, taller, lowered his eyes slightly; Lin Lulu’s delicate brows furrowed, lips turning pale.

“The lights are out,” Jiang Xuan said. “Should we go back?”

“There’s still time before eleven at night… let’s finish exploring the first floor,” Lin Lulu said.

Jiang Xuan looked at her teammate with surprise—she must be afraid of the dark.

Afraid, yet persevering?

Since Lin Lulu could overcome her fear, Jiang Xuan chose to respect that.

Jiang Xuan walked ahead, holding the flashlight. The pitch-black space felt like invisible walls pressing against them.

Most rooms on the first floor were offices, all locked from the inside. They explored from the stairwell until the flashlight froze on one door—

[Archives Room]

Lin Lulu whispered, “Archives Room, maybe there are clues.”

Jiang Xuan shook her head: “It’s locked.”

No key for the Archives Room, and time was tight, so they had to head back to the dormitory.

The next day, Jiang Xuan learned from Guan Zifei that the girl who had helped Zhang Wen before was named Zhou Qing.

She and Zhang Wen were best friends.

…Best friends.

Jiang Xuan was almost certain of her guess but needed to verify it.

The class bell rang. Wu Chenyu walked with an NPC classmate toward the bathroom. Jiang Xuan stood and followed, grabbing Wu Chenyu’s arm from behind.

Wu Chenyu’s body stiffened.

The NPC classmate looked at Jiang Xuan, who gave a faint smile. “Classmate—”

Wu Chenyu’s eyes flashed with panic. She gripped Jiang Xuan’s hand tightly and stepped forward, telling the NPC classmate, “Qingqing, you go ahead to the bathroom. I think I need to borrow a book from another class.”

The NPC classmate nodded and left alone.

Wu Chenyu immediately looked at Jiang Xuan warily: “Don’t come looking for me to talk.”

Jiang Xuan went straight to the point: “Zhang Wen…”

Wu Chenyu hurriedly pointed at Jiang Xuan’s mouth, her eyes darting anxiously around, as if someone was closely monitoring them.

Finally finding a chance to communicate, Jiang Xuan’s voice came softly from her palm: “I have questions—about him—”

Wu Chenyu released Jiang Xuan’s hand but quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a corner: “I know what you want to ask. I can’t say… If you want to live… don’t get involved with them.”

It was the same vague and guarded attitude as Sun Xiaoqi’s.

It seemed that mentioning certain key words would lead to unbearable consequences.

Jiang Xuan said, “You just need to nod or shake your head.”

Wu Chenyu looked at Jiang Xuan with complexity.

They stood in the corner beneath the stairwell, sunlight casting shadows across the floor.

In the shadows, Jiang Xuan’s eyes deepened: “Is he… a girl?”