In the dim self-reflection room, the principal closed his eyes again, took a deep breath, and opened them once more, only to find that the scene before him hadn't changed at all.
The principal looked at the students, hesitant to speak, unsure whether to continue or stop, almost losing control of his expression management.
[Hahahaha, I was so tense and suppressed, but now I'm laughing.]
[Principal: You young people? (Thinking.jpg)]
[Ahhh, who allowed you to secretly hold my baby's hand? Let go, I'll hold it instead!]
[Plot Party peeks in, the plot of this dungeon seems clear by now, but it's really so depressing. I used to enjoy watching players escape in bloody, twisted dungeons.]
[Same here, maybe it's because I've been watching Deng Deng's live streams so much, I've started caring about these NPCs' emotions.]
Yu Deng was unaware that his live stream's popularity was rising. His focus was entirely on the just-woken principal, forgetting that he was still holding hands with his two mission targets.
He looked nervously at the principal's twitching lips and quietly called out, "Principal?"
He wondered if the principal had developed any aftereffects from sleeping too long.
"It's fine, it's fine. You must be the new student, right? I don't think I've seen you before." The principal, Principal Tang, supported himself on the floor to stand up, looking at the confused and innocent Yu Deng with a kind gaze. "Did they bully you? If you need help, you can always come to me."
At this point, it was Yu Deng who became confused. "Huh?"
What was the principal talking about, help or whatever?
The principal was clearly concerned, trying to probe, "How are they treating you?"
"They're pretty good." Yu Deng had no idea what the principal meant, "They're somewhat obedient, I guess."
The two boys, hearing this evaluation, straightened their backs, clearly proud of it.
Principal: "...?" So strange, let me look again.
Oh well, the young people must have their own reasons for doing things this way.
Yu Deng and the principal were completely on different wavelengths, talking past each other. The two promising students, who had been heavily questioned by the principal, fell silent for a moment before shifting the conversation back to a normal direction.
Lu Yan spoke up, "Principal, how much do you remember? Guihuai has already changed."
Upon hearing this, the smile on the principal's face froze, and he froze completely. As the question was asked, his gaze slowly shifted, his straight posture bending, and his hair turned even grayer.
Yu Deng dared not interrupt the principal, nervously observing his condition. The other two also quietly waited for the principal to wake up from his pleasant memories of the past.
"…Yes, this place is no longer our Guihuai."
The principal swayed a couple of times, his back hunched. Yu Deng, wanting to reach out to support him, finally realized that his hands were still being held by the two mission targets. He shot them a glare and withdrew his hands without hesitation.
"It's fine." The principal forced a smile. "You don't need to help me."
The principal, trapped deep underground, began to recall his memories, his smile bitter.
"After the school started feeling off, I thought about warning everyone, but I couldn't. I don't even know if I died... anyway, I've just been drifting in here, this door never opened… The things here must be the clues you left behind, it's already the third time."
Those double files and documents were likely the clues left by the awake people, but sadly, mere clues were of no use; the school kept falling deeper into an inescapable nightmare.
[From the player's perspective, these files are just clues and hints for clearing the dungeon, but no one has ever really looked into why there are clues.]
[Yeah, but for the NPCs, maybe this is their way of struggling in adversity, trying to find loopholes to warn themselves.]
[It's hard to watch, sigh.]
[I really love baby's live stream. It feels like it's not just about experiencing violence but actually participating in foreshadowing. Even if it's about violently clearing the dungeon, the motivation is different from everyone else's.]
Yu Deng pursed his lips. As a player, he wasn't sure what to say.
The principal slowly detached from his painful memories, his expression suddenly serious, and he reminded them.
"Be careful, this place is different from other self-reflection rooms."
Lu Yan quickly reacted: "I know."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Yu Deng looked at them playing dumb, paused for a few seconds, then turned around to look at his two mission targets.
"Deng Deng, we also have nightmares," Lu Yan whispered, "If we get trapped in a nightmare, don't be scared, we're all here... If we don't wake up, then we'll have to rely on Deng Deng."
Yu Deng thought for a few seconds, then understood what he meant—this room was also a self-reflection room, and it could also trap people in nightmares.
Then, Yu Deng's consciousness blurred for a moment, the mottled walls around him started to shift, and when he blinked, he found himself standing in a hallway.
Yu Deng stared in confusion, glancing left and right, walking aimlessly among the crowd.
"Finally, class is over. Liu Jie is really scary, she called on me three times! I couldn't answer a single one."
"Yeah! But she said that the class next door has three perfect scores, they're so amazing. I have to do more practice sets tonight."
"You're amazing too, I'm exhausted every day, I don't have the energy to write. Let's go, hurry up, I need to use the bathroom before going back to lie down."
Yu Deng turned his head and heard a few girls chattering. He hesitated and looked at the crowd in the hallway.
The faces around him were tired, but their eyes were bright, and their blue and white uniforms fluttered in the wind.
What was he doing in this hallway?
Oh, it's break time. He's supposed to rest for a while since the next class is math. Wait, which class is he in…? Wait, is he even a student here?
[Host.]
Yu Deng heard an electronic voice in his mind and slowly blinked: "…System?"
System 01 reminded him: [Yes, host, you are currently in an abnormal space created by the instance.]
Oh, Yu Deng shook his head hard and finally remembered. He was a player, and he had entered the principal's nightmare? But Lu Yan and Zhuang Lin were here too, so maybe they were here as well.
As Yu Deng's consciousness cleared, his first reaction was… Didn't Zhuang Lin say that increasing Yang energy would prevent him from encountering situations like this? Was he lying to him again...
Yu Deng muttered a few complaints about Zhuang Lin in his mind and walked down the hallway, gazing at the teaching building full of students.
This place didn't seem scary. It was just like any other school—classes, breaks, nothing special.
Yu Deng turned a corner and saw Principal Tang in a cultural shirt by the stairwell.
"It's okay if your grades aren't good, just try your best, right?" The principal pulled a milk candy from his pocket and handed it to a crying girl in front of him.
Yu Deng watched for a few seconds and recognized the girl in front of the principal. She seemed to be the same student who had asked for his head after the second phase was triggered.
"But… I've let down my parents and teachers' expectations," the girl lowered her head, tightly clutching the candy.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, you've done enough, at least you haven't let yourself down, right?"
Yu Deng didn't move closer to interrupt their conversation. He stood quietly for a moment, thinking that even under the harshest rules, there would still be warmth. But in this instance of Guihuai High, even these simple acts of kindness had vanished.
Standing in the hallway, he heard the sound of the bell ringing. He watched as the bright sky turned dark, and the five-story teaching building twisted into a monstrous shape, the faces of the students became blurry.
Like a scene change in a low-budget film, the images in front of Yu Deng kept shifting. The sky quickly turned gray, and the teachers and students slowly transformed into monsters under distorted rules.
Among the crowd, Yu Deng saw Lu Yan.
The handsome and elegant top student, often used as the school's pride, was repeatedly photographed for his excellent grades, his impoverished background and unbearable debts exposed to the public, turning it into proof of his struggle and success in poverty.
With the ringing of the bell, the scene changed. Lu Yan stood in the office, calmly arguing with several teachers.
"You shouldn't have filled out these competition entries for me without permission, and you shouldn't have used my experiences as promotional material. I'm willing to bring glory to Guihuai, but not under these conditions."
The sounds of doubt and mockery rushed in, and Yu Deng, realizing it, understood this must be Lu Yan's nightmare.
He watched Lu Yan not far away, clutching his own clothing, and shouted: "…Lu Yan!"
The boy, who had been confronting the teachers, paused for a few seconds. The gloomy aura around him dissipated instantly. Lu Yan walked toward Yu Deng, and the office scene behind him seemed to dissolve like a mirage.
"Thank you, Deng Deng."
Lu Yan embraced Yu Deng, buried his face in his neck for a moment, then lifted his head and pressed his finger against Yu Deng's lips: "Were you bullied just now?"
"Hmm? Yeah, Zhuang Lin said increasing Yang energy would help, so he bit my lips," Yu Deng complained, "But we still ended up in a nightmare."
"Yeah, he doesn't say much truth, so don't trust him in the future, Deng Deng." Lu Yan gave Yu Deng a kiss on the forehead and, without hesitation, took a jab at his rival.
As he spoke, the environment around them began to shift again. Amid the ringing of the bell, Yu Deng saw Zhuang Lin.
The tall and athletic student led a group of his friends, standing at the door of the coach's office, dissatisfied with the training hours and competition arrangements imposed by the school.
Yu Deng blinked and took a step forward, his ears picking up a familiar sound. He turned around and saw someone he recognized.
Huh? How is Dr. Lin here too?
The scenes around Yu Deng, centered on him, seemed to split—ahead of him were the athletes opposing the grueling training schedules, and behind him, scenes related to Lin Qinxu appeared.
The young doctor, full of talent, had just started to rise when he was envied by his peers. In anger, he returned to his alma mater as the school doctor. But even there, he couldn't escape the injustices, and after the distortion, he was assimilated into the role of an enforcer.
Dr. Lin Qinxu, wearing a white coat, held a scalpel, his expression cold and indifferent, expertly slashing at an unknown monster beside him.
Wow, Dr. Lin is scary, looks like he's a boss that plays with knives.
Yu Deng stood at the center of this space. He opened his eyes wide and raised his voice, nervously calling Zhuang Lin and Lin Qinxu's names.
Crack.
The past nightmares dissipated, and they both looked up at the person calling them.
The beautiful boy stood in the gray world, like the brightest and most stunning flower.
Zhuang Lin quickly walked over, silently pulling Lu Yan away, not allowing him to continue holding Yu Deng.
But he was a step too slow—just as he separated them, Lin Qinxu, waiting nearby, pulled Yu Deng into his arms.
"Baby, what are you doing in the self-reflection room?"
Lin Qinxu had already hidden the frightening appearance from earlier and resumed his usual gentle demeanor.
Yu Deng turned his head and mumbled, "This isn't what I expected... But, if I hadn't come here, I wouldn't know so much."
"Alright, as long as you're fine, baby."
Lin Qinxu comforted Yu Deng while casually tossing a scalpel, warning the two troublesome guys not to come any closer.
Zhuang Lin sneered, breaking the scalpel with his bare hands.
Yu Deng, for now, didn't notice their little actions and was struggling to think.
Clearly, his three mission targets were special— they were the best students in Guihuai High School, excelling in every aspect of ability, and now, it seemed, they were also the most lucid.
And this place was based on the principal's nightmare. What clues could he use to break the situation?
Dingling.
The clock on the teaching building's roof spun, the bell ringing constantly as the surrounding environment kept changing.
Yu Deng, deep in thought, looked at the campus now filled with monsters, and saw Principal Tang stretching his hand in vain in front of the teaching building.
This was the principal's nightmare.
A nightmare that repeatedly fell from happy memories into a distorted prison, and the principal had never been able to save this school.
Lin Qinxu covered Yu Deng's eyes. "Don't look, the old man is crying terribly."
Yu Deng vaguely sensed what they had done, and the air twisted once again, bringing with it a terrifying sense of oppression.
Hiss, his mission targets also came from this haunted high school. It seemed... maybe... they weren't exactly normal either, but had just pretended to be in front of him? Yu Deng thought uncertainly.
...
Yu Deng suddenly opened his eyes.
His consciousness was no longer in that nightmare, but he was still standing in the small self-reflection room.
Yu Deng didn't know what other players thought when they cleared the game, or if they were moved by the experiences of these NPCs. But at this moment, Yu Deng felt sad.
"Baby, your eyes are so red," Lin Qinxu sighed, gently brushing his finger over Yu Deng's wet eyelids.
It was supposed to be them in pain, but it was Yu Deng who was on the verge of tears.
Yu Deng didn't respond to his teasing, just muttered, "How did you get here?"
"My class is about to start. If my students aren't here, of course, I need to come out and look for them... I didn't expect to find my baby in the self-reflection room."
"...Cough, cough, Xiao Lin."
Principal Tang coughed heavily a few times, his face still showing a weary, painful expression. But looking at the three top students of Guihuai High School, who were all trying their best to coax the young student, his feelings suddenly became complex.
Lin Qinxu, under the principal's warning gaze and the disgruntled stares of the two rivals, finally stopped holding Yu Deng.
"Has Yu Deng figured it out already?"
"Mm..." Yu Deng nodded sullenly.
Lin Qinxu, in front of the other two boys, softly praised him, "Yu Deng is so smart and amazing."
Normally, Yu Deng would be happy to receive praise, but now he couldn't bring himself to feel joy. Instead, he felt sorrow for the teachers and students here.
"Deng Deng, do you hate this place?" Lu Yan asked.
Yu Deng didn't hesitate to nod, "Of course. What about you guys? Don't you hate it?"
Zhuang Lin smiled briefly, "Of course, we hate it, but we can't leave."
Yu Deng felt even sadder.
It seemed that his mission targets were always trapped in pain, repeatedly experiencing suffering and anger. Like these guys from Guihuai High, they fought in the food chain, only to discover that even when standing at the top, they would continue to repeat this pain.
"I actually..." Yu Deng clenched his fingers, speaking in a somewhat incoherent voice, "I can leave here, I want..."
He wanted to do something for this school, which should have nurtured so many talents.
In the corner, Principal Tang's gaze was full of warmth and affection. Though he didn't understand exactly what Yu Deng wanted to do, he still understood the emotions Yu Deng was expressing.
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has earned the approval of Principal Tang of Guihuai High School and gained partial authority.]
[Ding. Player Yu Deng also holds the title of School Belle and has gained the approval of more than two-thirds of the teachers and students. Please use this power carefully.]
Huh?
Yu Deng struggled to understand the meaning of these powers.
Surrounded by people, he left the self-reflection room. The principal couldn't leave, so he told the students to ignore him. However, before they left, they opened the doors of several other self-reflection rooms along the way.
Yu Deng exited the small building of the underground self-reflection room.
Although it was still the afternoon, the sky outside was as dark as night. The temperature was very low, and strange, eerie sounds echoed from afar. Odd-looking students occasionally passed by.
The loudspeakers in the school broadcasting room crackled, seemingly announcing new strict rules.
Yu Deng widened his eyes.
What's going on? Why has the instance suddenly become even scarier? Is it because he fully understands the core of this instance, so it has entered an even more terrifying stage?
He really needs to finish this instance quickly, sob.
Yu Deng turned around and glanced at the small building, then looked ahead.
All the clues he knew piled up in his mind—the chaotic, repeating time, the twisted and pathological teachers and students, the strict school rules, the two food chains mentioned in the rules, and the power at the top of the food chain…
Yu Deng furrowed his brows, slowly sorting through the complicated information. He felt like he might have a little idea…
Yu Deng tried hard to think with his not-so-sharp mind.
If this place wasn't actually the real Guihuai High School, if the dates were looping, and if he also had some power, could he… skip the usual two-month stay in the instance until the final exams, and instead find a way to take the exam early, maybe even do something bad during the test-making process?
It seemed like... he knew how to break the deadlock now.
Yu Deng sorted through the various ideas in his mind for a while, his eyes slowly brightening as he spoke slowly, "Tongtong, I think I have an idea..."
It seemed like he knew how to clear the instance, and also, he wanted to tear this instance apart!
The main system detected an unusual brainwave frequency and became alert: [? What idea?]
Yu Deng: "!" How could the main system eavesdrop?! If the main system finds out that he plans to do something bad, would he be restricted?
Yu Deng urgently activated his brain, his eyes darting around as he tried to act casual, "Of course, I'm thinking of sealing the mission targets, then cramming for the exam, and after ranking in the top three, I'll leave the instance."
System 01 almost wanted to laugh. The silly host actually thinks he can fool someone.
Yu Deng dragged out his tone, asking the system, trying to boost his credibility: "Tongtong, don't you think so?"
System 01: [Yes, the host is definitely going to study hard to clear the instance. You're especially dedicated, especially serious about completing the mission. This is unquestionable.]