Chapter: Ivy Girls' School (24)

"Student, you're not allowed to enter here casually."

A security guard, around forty years old and dressed in a uniform, spoke from behind Xiao Huai.

When Xiao Huai turned around, the guard paused in surprise. "It's you?"

Xiao Huai raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"

The security guard shook his head, then nodded. "Aren't you the conglomerate who bought Ivy Girls' School? I read in the newspaper that it was a young man with red eyes."

People from Huaxia with naturally red pupils were rare.

Xiao Huai frowned. "A newspaper? Can I take a look?"

The security guard, not daring to delay, led Xiao Huai to the archive room.

The newspaper was dated 1988.

The headline read: "Young Tycoon Buys Ivy Girls' School for Huge Sum, Plans to Develop it into a Shopping Center! Public Debate Ensues..."

The article did not reveal the identity of the young tycoon but mentioned his age and some basic physical characteristics.

In addition, the article discussed the fire at Ivy Girls' School from a year ago, which matched the newspaper content Xiao Huai had seen in the game.

Xiao Huai began to wonder about his past and the nature of this place. He hadn't expected Ivy Girls' School to appear so normal.

"Where is this place?" Xiao Huai asked suddenly.

The security guard looked confused. "Ivy Girls' School."

"I mean, what city, what country, what year, month, and day is it?"

The guard, seeing his serious expression, was about to answer when suddenly a piercing system prompt sounded in his ear:

"Bug fixed, returning to the polluted world..."

The security guard's face began to distort, colors swirling, as if countless hands were pulling him into the ground. When Xiao Huai opened his eyes again, the scene had completely changed.

To be precise, he had returned to that familiar place.

The Ivy Girls' School, at night.

Xiao Huai's expression turned grim. He frowned, his eyes cold.

"Tsk."

A few small monsters passed by, pausing when they saw Xiao Huai.

It was him again.

Xiao Huai shot them a cold glance, a smirk forming as he casually tossed a box of matches.

The little monsters had never seen a human look so terrifying. They immediately scurried away.

There was no hide-and-seek game announcement over the campus radio this time, so there weren’t many monsters out.

Xiao Huai leaned against a tree, furrowing his brows.

What had just happened... Could that place be reality? Why had he appeared in 1988?

Who exactly am I?

The terrifying game created by the gods referenced Earth's urban legends and games, and it could also be based on true stories.

Though he didn't fully understand what had just happened, he knew he needed to continue playing the game.

Eighteen levels, huh... If he could return to reality, perhaps he would discover who he used to be.

Ding! Hidden mission—Fulfill Miss Hanako's wish, find her mother. Time remaining: 12 hours.

Failure penalty: Death.

Xiao Huai arrived at the third-floor bathroom of the West Teaching Building and knocked on Hanako's door, just as he had done before.

"Big brother! It's you again!" Hanako, eyes filled with excitement, seemed ready to hug him.

"Yeah."

"What game are we playing today?" she asked eagerly.

Xiao Huai crouched in front of her, gesturing for her to climb on his back.

He softly murmured, "Today, we're going to find your mother."

"Mother?" Hanako repeated the word. "But Hanako was abandoned."

Xiao Huai remained silent, carrying her on his back.

After a while, he finally spoke. "She didn't."

Hanako stiffened slightly, her voice soft. "Big brother, how do you know Hanako wasn't abandoned?"

As Xiao Huai walked, he calmly replied, "She was just sick, but she didn't abandon you."

If she truly didn’t want you, she wouldn’t have made the whole school pay with their lives.

In the same way that you died.

She was a mother—a mother who, after losing her daughter, went on a vengeful rampage.

Hanako's death wasn't an accident; it was a campus tragedy, caused by the negligence of the school administration.

He had pieced it all together from the diary.

Unfortunately, kind people are often taken advantage of.

When a kind-hearted person is pushed to the limit, their anger snaps like a taut steel cable, violently lashing back against everything.

As Xiao Huai spoke to Hanako, their game had already begun.

In the Ivy Girls' School game instance, Hanako was considered a boss.

As Xiao Huai played the game with her, the other small monsters kept their distance.

In the fake world created by He Lecheng, Ivy Girls' School was located on a mountain.

But here, the school was in the city.

However, the city in the polluted world was desolate, with no people on the streets.

To be precise, no "humans."

The figures walking along the road were no more than paper dolls. Some had faces drawn on, while others had no faces at all.

Thankfully, Xiao Huai was able to leave the school grounds with Hanako on his back. She excitedly remarked, "Big brother, I've never been outside before."

Because no player had ever agreed to play this kind of game with you.

"Well, today, your brother will show you around."

The polluted world was like a boundary between the underworld and the living world.

Hanako's death was a fact, but here, she could continue to "live."

Though the way she lived on was by becoming a part of the game instance.

At the school gate, a small city map was posted on a bulletin board. The map was too blurry, and the text was barely legible.

Xiao Huai squinted at the map, studying it closely when Hanako suddenly exclaimed.

"Auntie Shan!"

Hearing her voice, Xiao Huai frowned and instinctively glanced in Hanako's direction.

She raised her hand, excitedly pointing at the crosswalk.

Following her gaze, Xiao Huai’s pupils constricted slightly.

He saw a massive, charred creature. The thing weighed at least 200 pounds, its skin burned beyond recognition, with its jaw completely gone.

But Xiao Huai somehow knew who it was.

The dormitory manager.

The "Auntie Shan" Hanako was referring to.

When the dormitory manager realized Hanako was in trouble, she was the first to rush in to save her. Unfortunately, she failed and lost her life in the process.

"Auntie Shan!" Hanako called out again.

The light turned green, and the dormitory manager, with great difficulty, began crossing the street toward them. Unable to speak, she walked directly up to Xiao Huai and handed him a clear map.

Xiao Huai paused for just a second before taking it. "Thank you."

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