Chapter 196: Red Maple Boarding School (Part 33) “Let’s sign a Contract.”

Red Maple Boarding School, outside the kitchen.

A player lay in a pool of blood, their throat pierced by Chen Lidong’s White Blade, killed with a single strike.

Jiang Junjue, his face cold, stepped forward through the overflowing blood and raised his Bixie Sword at Chen Lidong: “Our Tingfeng guild rules recently added a clause: upon encountering Slaughter-path players, we must unite to eliminate them.”

Zhou Datong saw the situation was bad and quickly raised an iron rod, aiming it at Jiang Junjue. Two Tingfeng members, not to be outdone, also grabbed their weapons and advanced on him.

Chen Lidong looked at Jiang Junjue and said coldly, “I don’t want to kill Tingfeng people, don’t come looking for trouble! I only need to kill two more, it won’t bother you.”

Jiang Junjue forced a smile: “Since I’ve seen it, I have to intervene whether I want to or not. You acted right in front of me; aren’t you being a bit too disrespectful?”

“I only have half an hour left, who cares about you!” Chen Lidong flipped his wrist, using his White Blade to parry the Bixie Sword, his face contorted in a grimace, “You can’t beat me in your current state. If you don’t move, you’re next!”

“Oh, I understand now.” Jiang Junjue nodded, took a few steps back, and cleared a path, “I didn’t see anything. You can continue.”

As he spoke, he gestured to the two Tingfeng members behind him to retreat: “You two didn’t see anything either. Yes, we fell asleep after taking the potion and know nothing.”

Chen Lidong and Zhou Datong: “…”

The other two players observed the entire process from the side, naturally knowing that they had been abandoned during the conversation and would soon be killed to serve as ingredients for the potion.

Their physical fitness was inferior to the three Tingfeng members, so after taking the potion, they were so overwhelmed by sleepiness that they couldn’t move, their consciousness drifting in a hazy state between waking and sleeping, able only to cry out to Jiang Junjue for help.

Unfortunately, at this moment, everyone except Chen Lidong and Zhou Datong, who had taken the antidote and adjusted their condition a day earlier, was in danger.

After realizing that Jiang Junjue would not offer assistance, their pleas turned into insults:

“So many people have died, and none of you saved them! You’re all just like Slaughter-path players, why pretend to be good people?”

“Jiang Junjue! You’re selfish, you watch people die without helping, you’ll come to a bad end! Just wait until you’re posted on the forums!”

No matter how much they shouted, Jiang Junjue and the other two merely leaned against the low wall nearby, closing their eyes to rest, as if truly asleep.

【Mission Time: 17 minutes】

After killing one player, Chen Lidong dragged another into the bathroom and killed him under the running water.

The corpse visibly turned into soil and scattered into a muddy mess under the wash of the water.

The last ingredient was finally gathered.

【Mission Time: 10 minutes】

Chen Lidong returned to the kitchen with the soil wrapped in his jacket. Zhou Datong had already removed the yellow flowers, Yellow Butterflies, and poisonous mushrooms from the two corpses and had been cooking them in a large pot for a while.

A pot of waxy yellow thick soup shimmered with eerie blue-green patterns. Chen Lidong poured all the soil from his embrace into the pot, and in a few seconds, the thick soup churned into a greyish-black with an earthy smell.

Chen Lidong’s hands and feet trembled from the intense activity and fluctuating emotions. He tried to speak to Zhou Datong in a steady voice: “Xiao Zhou, take the pot and come with me to find Ms. Medina.”

Zhou Datong nodded and complied.

【Mission Time: 3 minutes】

Ms. Medina, her face gaunt, stood at the school gate. Seeing Chen Lidong, she curled her lips into a sinister smile: “Did you catch 47?”

“Ms. Medina, he’s too cunning, I searched everywhere but couldn’t find him.” Chen Lidong swallowed, then subtly motioned for Zhou Datong to hand over the pot, “However, I’ve prepared the antidote that can cure ‘insomnia syndrome’…”

Ms. Medina’s gaze swept over their faces, and after five seconds, she took the pot from Zhou Datong’s hand, saying, “If this truly is the antidote, then our business is settled.”

With the NPC’s guarantee, Chen Lidong breathed a sigh of relief, eagerly staring at Ms. Medina as she picked up the pot and drank the soup inside in one gulp.

Time ticked by, second by second. The only sound in the air was the “gulp” of liquid being swallowed. Chen Lidong’s eyes darted between the system interface and Ms. Medina, but no welcome change occurred.

Even after Ms. Medina finished the entire pot of thick soup, the prompt 【main quest Completed】 still did not appear.

The lead-gray world was silent as death. Chen Lidong felt chills run down his spine, as if plunging into an ice cellar.

With a clang, the iron pot was thrown to the ground by Ms. Medina, followed by the woman’s furious scolding: “You liar! This is no antidote at all! All you Philanthropists are liars!”

Chen Lidong instinctively retreated step by step, his mind suddenly recalling the three players he had killed after they took the antidote.

Yes, if their ‘insomnia syndrome’ had really been cured, how could they have turned into soil and grown poisonous mushrooms after death?

But why? He had meticulously followed every step, and even used the Ring of Truth to test the veracity of Zhang Yiyu’s words… why wasn’t that recipe an antidote? How could it be? How could that recipe be fake?

The pale countdown zeroed out before his eyes, and the entire system interface burst with unsettling red light. Chen Lidong, never one to accept fate, immediately leaped up, grabbed his White Blade, and thrust it towards Ms. Medina’s face.

But just as the blade was about to fall, he found himself fixed by an invisible force, unable to move forward even an inch.

Beneath the blade, Ms. Medina, looking frantic, shrieked out incomprehensible words one after another:

“47 is dead, you won’t find him!”

“They were never Bad Kids, nor demons; you are!”

“You never intended for the children to live in the first place; they all died one by one!”

Chen Lidong had no time to analyze the worldview implied by her words. Intense pain crawled all over his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a golden sea of flowers erupt from his chest, and he knew his life was in imminent danger.

But he was unwilling to give up. As long as he cleared this instance, he could become a full member of the Sera Guild and borrow enough points to save his wife… He had sacrificed so much, killed so many people. Dawn was right before his eyes; how could he fail here?

The veins on Chen Lidong’s forehead pulsed wildly with indignation, and physiological tears welled in the corners of his eyes, seeping into the petals that covered his entire face.

Through the gaps between the flowers and butterflies, he saw Zhou Datong swinging his iron rod towards Ms. Medina, hearing him foolishly shout, “Brother Chen, hold on! As long as we kill her, we can still complete the main quest!”

The tragic sight of the black man from the previous morning flashed back in Chen Lidong’s memory. He immediately yelled, “You idiot! Get back!”

“Brother Chen, you gave me this life, I can’t abandon you!” Zhou Datong’s voice seemed to come from beyond the heavens, yet suddenly felt very close.

He had already rushed in front of Ms. Medina, raising his iron rod to strike down.

Yellow Butterfly corpses climbed along the iron rod, quickly coiling around his right hand, but the other side of the rod landed on the woman’s face, provoking furious roars from her.

Chen Lidong laughed in exasperation: “Zhou Datong, are you stupid? From the day I met you until now, I’ve been treating you like an idiot and taking advantage of you!”

Zhou Datong seemed not to hear, staring at Chen Lidong and shouting, “Brother Chen! Run!”

Perhaps due to the interference, a few of the flowers that had almost buried Chen Lidong scattered, allowing him to breathe again and his limbs to twist slightly.

Chen Lidong felt the restraints on him loosen slightly. Ignoring the overwhelming pain, he turned back to grab Zhou Datong’s arm.

The butterflies wrapped around Zhou Datong’s wrist burrowed into his blood vessels from the point of contact, and a few more climbed up his calves. Zhou Datong pulled open Chen Lidong’s backpack, took out a chainsaw, and severed his own right arm and left foot.

Blood gushed out, and the blood-loss victim’s face instantly turned ashen.

Chen Lidong dared not delay, hoisted Zhou Datong onto his back, and sprinted towards the Graveyard.

The coffin behind Tombstone No. 47 was very sturdy… Si Qi disappeared after lying inside… Fragmented clues flashed before his eyes, and Chen Lidong realized this was a way out.

As long as he reached the Graveyard, as long as… he got into the coffin… Ms. Medina, encountering a player who could break free from her control for the first time, let out a piercing howl of rage.

Large patches of yellow flowers and Yellow Butterflies burst from the ground, entwining Chen Lidong’s ankles and covering his entire body within two seconds.

Death was irreversible, already written in fate; a feeble struggle was nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree.

If they hesitated any longer, both would surely die…

Chen Lidong realized this, using his last bit of strength to fling Zhou Datong away, a final cry bursting from his throat: “Little Zhou! Run!”

Zhou Datong didn’t run. Chen Lidong watched as this simple-minded countryman crawled up from the ground and limped toward him, like the comical steps of a clumsy actor.

“Brother Chen, have you forgotten? If you hadn’t brought wine and gone to talk to the boss back then, fighting for our hard-earned money, I would have jumped into the river with my mother…”

“Now my mother is dead. I have no wife, no children. There’s no point in living…”

The voice gradually faded, leaving only a statue covered in yellow flowers and Yellow Butterflies.

The warm breeze lifted scattered petals, swirling them in the air before they drifted some distance and landed precariously.

The scene of self-sacrifice was moving enough, but unfortunately, no miracle occurred; the spontaneous sacrifice, in this situation, was merely an absurd, farcical play.

Under the sunless sky, two corpses covered in yellow flowers stood facing each other, shedding the wings of butterflies in rustling flakes.

That year, Chen Lidong was thirty. The unscrupulous boss defaulted on wages, so Chen Lidong carried a case of wine and a knife and went to the boss’s door.

He opened a bottle of wine, took a sip, and said to the boss, “Either I give you this case of wine, and everyone settles the wages peacefully; or I finish this bottle, and chop up your whole family.”

In the end, everyone’s wages were paid, but Chen Lidong also went to the Security Bureau. After getting out, he learned to think twice before acting.

Now, he was forty. He had forgotten many things, and would forget even more as the years passed.

However, he had no future left… 【Side Quest (Optional) “Kill the Philanthropist” Completed】

【You did not directly participate in this quest, but its completion is partially related to you… Participation assessment in progress】

【Assessment complete. Participation level met. Quest performance points issued as usual】

Memorial Hall for Indigenous Victims, first-floor lobby.

It was deep night. The unlit evening was dim, with only a faint flicker of firelight wavering weakly among the display cases, providing minimal illumination.

Qi Si held up a lighter, using the faint light to illuminate the glass cases storing paper documents, finally narrowing down the display cases containing Indigenous documents to three.

Shuomeng lowered his voice: “After we break the first display case, the Guide will probably rush back. Whether we can open the other two is unknown. The best way is for us to take one each, act simultaneously, grab the documents inside, and run.”

If strangers with different goals wish to cooperate, they must present a sufficiently weighty pledge of allegiance to gain trust.

Qi Si gave an “Mhm,” agreeing to Shuomeng’s suggestion.

The three stood in front of a display case each. Chang Xu summoned the Destiny Playing Cards, while Shuomeng tossed Qi Si a small hammer, then retrieved a mace—which seemed inconsistent with his appearance—from his inventory, holding it above the glass case.

Shuomeng spoke in a calm voice: “Three, two, one… smash!”

The sound of shattering glass suddenly exploded, and all three display cases broke simultaneously.

At the same time, the system interface was suddenly covered in blood-red color, and a piercing alarm sounded simultaneously in the ears of the three individuals.

【Severe Violation! Warning! Warning!】

【You have damaged the memorial hall’s public property and will now face pursuit by ghosts!】

“Holy crap!” Shuomeng cursed under his breath, his hands and feet working non-stop to stuff the documents from the display case into his backpack. “Didn’t the rules just say we’d be kicked out of the memorial hall? What the heck is this pursuit?”

The Eerie Game did not respond to him, nor did anyone have the leisure to reply.

The whistling wind echoed through the floor, emitting sounds like mournful ghost wails.

Chang Xu held the playing cards in one hand and the documents in the other, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

Several distorted shadows spread across the walls like water stains, and black claws emerged from the concrete floor, silently grabbing the trio’s ankles.

The moment he witnessed this, the Fate Poker transformed into a streak of blue light, slicing through the ghostly hands beneath the trio’s feet before returning to Chang Xu’s fingers.

The severed ghostly hands reverted to a muddy state, merging back into the concrete floor, immediately followed by new ghostly hands condensing out, relentlessly trying to drag down the players’ legs.

“Run!” Shuomeng shouted, immediately sprinting desperately toward the doorway.

Chang Xu chased for a few steps, then looked back and saw Qi Si lagging far behind, visibly suffering from exhaustion.

Leaving anyone behind at a time like this was tantamount to sentencing them to death.

During the later stages of the Hopeless Sea instance, Qi Si was parasitized by Puppet Threads after they separated. Once was enough… Chang Xu didn’t hesitate much before turning back, hoisting the “patient” onto his back, and running again, chasing after Shuomeng’s retreating figure.

Amidst the ghost wails, the entire memorial hall seemed to come alive.

All the concrete undulated unevenly like boiling magma, and faces protruded from the walls, emitting wails and screams that no one could understand.

Countless black arms stretched out from the walls and floor, carrying a sticky, foul stench as they grabbed at the players’ clothes.

Concrete dripped from the ceiling piece by piece. The massive drops stretched with astonishing viscosity, connecting with the ground to form spikes and thin lines, sealing off the space behind them while scratching the players’ skin.

Qi Si, hugging a stack of documents, felt dizzy and confused from the fever, and being jostled by Chang Xu made him feel like his brain was being thoroughly shaken.

He thought for a moment, realizing he couldn’t do anything useful right now, so he simply closed his eyes and sank into the Hall of Thought, sitting as a Red-clothed Spirit Body under the Golden Giant Tree, poking at Zhang Yiyu’s Soul Leaf.

Zhang Yiyu’s voice was anxious yet mixed with surprise: “Big Boss! Big Boss! You’re finally online! I have a fever, at least forty degrees. If I don’t get an antidote, I’m going to die…”

Their situations were actually six of one and half a dozen of the other. If anything, Qi Si was even more miserable.

At this moment, the miserable person calmly said, “Antidote, huh… What’s the date on your side?”

Zhang Yiyu said, “If I haven’t miscalculated, it should be June 4th already… What does that have to do with the antidote?”

“June 4th, huh? Then there’s no hope. In this instance, you probably won’t ever find the antidote.” Qi Si imagined the miserable state of his fellow patients, feeling quite cheerful. “If you’re curious about the antidote’s formula, you can spend points to enter the instance again after you clear it.”

“I never want to come back to this instance in my life…” Zhang Yiyu stopped halfway, her eyes widening. “Huh? Big Boss, what do you mean? What about the formula?”

Qi Si smiled, his voice lazy: “If I recall correctly, you copied the formula once and then took it to the fourth floor for those skeletons to translate. The correct solution, however, should have been risking violating the rules and being pursued by ghosts to take the original formula to the fourth floor.”

“Ah? Why?”

“I got a new clue here. The Indigenous language is very special. Depending on the medium, the same characters can express different meanings.” Qi Si patiently explained, “The Indigenous documents, having been copied, no longer contain the original formula, so naturally, they cannot cure your insomnia syndrome.”

“What should I do then? Should I try to escape and steal the original documents?”

“It’s useless.” Qi Si’s smile became even more cheerful. “On June 3rd, all Indigenous documents were ordered burned by Mr. Thorson. The formula to treat insomnia syndrome has long been gone from this world, hahahaha!”

The heat continuously destroyed his rationality. He laughed wildly, leaning back and allowing himself to fall out of the Consciousness Space.

At this moment, Chang Xu and Shuomeng finally reached the Graveyard, stopping breathlessly in front of Tombstone No. 47.

Shuomeng pulled a paper talisman from his inventory and lit it, using the ashes on his finger to draw a large circle, enclosing the three of them and the grave pit, keeping all the strange entities out.

Qi Si held onto the cold tombstone, dismounted from Chang Xu’s back, and used the support to maintain his standing posture.

Then Shuomeng reached out to him: “We agreed beforehand, lend us a Recorder.”

Qi Si looked at him with a half-smile: “Before that, why don’t we sign a Contract first?”

A blood-red long scroll faintly appeared in the void, and golden vines outlined lines of text, emitting brilliant light in the pitch-black night.

Golden light and red light intertwined. Surrounded by the phantom vines, Qi Si spoke slowly and clearly: “I will do my best to help you complete the main quest, and you must also do your best to assist me in completing my quest.

“—A fair trade, wouldn’t you say?”