Chapter 328: Beware the Rabbit (II) The Living May Be Ghosts

In the Ruins of the Setting Sun, in various game spaces, and in the screening rooms of major guilds, a system prompt sounded at the same moment.

【The player you are following, “Si Qi,” is currently live-streaming the ‘Beware the Rabbit’ dungeon. Go check it out~】

Players clicked into the live stream room simultaneously, and the barrage of comments quickly flooded the screen.

“Wait, what’s going on? Hasn’t he always refused to stream?”

“The Final Dungeon is approaching. He’s probably using the stream to clarify some things and build momentum for the Unnamed Guild, hoping to rope in some teammates.”

“Didn’t someone say last time they’d eat shit if they ever caught Si Qi streaming? Is that person still alive? Don’t go back on your word~”

After the messy discussions, the players’ attention quickly focused on the specific content of the dungeon.

“This dungeon is interesting. The style is quite rare. Is it dual-line parallel? I’ve never seen a single player run a dual-line plot before.”

“As expected of the number one on the Newcomer Leaderboard, is he really that bold? He offended the NPC directly and was invited to the office…”

“The prerequisite warning said items would be sealed. I bet he’s barely better than a blank slate. Yet he still dared to enter the office—he really isn’t afraid of death!”

“I’m already impatient to see him show off his skills. I’ve never watched his stream, so I don’t know what trump cards he has.”

…In the office, Qi Si showed no emotion. Seeing that Li Fang was still fetching water, he followed the scent of blood directly to an office desk.

He placed the computer and lesson plan he was holding onto the desk, then smoothly crumpled a list lying on the corner of the desk and stuffed it into his pocket.

Feeling a slight dampness on his toes, he lowered his head slightly to look at the ground.

A pool of dark red blood was silently seeping out from under the desk, slowly flowing outwards, having soaked his toes without him realizing it.

“Lu Ming, the High School Entrance Exam is coming soon, and you still look so idle! You only scored 67 on the last math mock exam. I really don’t know what you’re listening to in class!

“You grew up in an orphanage, unlike other students who have family support. No one is backing you up, and you’re not even trying hard yourself. What am I supposed to do with you?”

Li Fang’s words were extremely earnest, as if she were deeply worried about Lu Ming, yet they were interspersed with the gurgling sound of water, making them sound somewhat eerie.

Qi Si thus completed some of the original body’s information: a family tragedy, orphaned by the death of both parents; his ability to study at this middle school was likely due to sponsorship.

He lowered his eyes slightly and said politely, “Teacher, I know I was wrong. I will work harder in the future.”

Li Fang seemed not to hear him and continued to chatter: “Lu Ming, you need to feel a sense of urgency. If you fail the next mock exam, you will have to stay here forever.”

“Stay here forever”? What does that mean?

Qi Si’s mind stirred. He subtly retreated a few steps, leaving a reddish, bloody footprint on the clean floor.

From his current angle, he could clearly see the scene beneath the office desk.

A twisted corpse jutted its head out from the corner of the desk. Blood flowed out like a waterfall. The furry rabbit face looked up at Qi Si, its features still recognizable as the appearance it had before death.

It was Li Fang; she was already dead and had turned into a rabbit. Her body was hidden under the desk, yet another version of her continued to teach and discipline students as if nothing were wrong.

“Lu Ming, didn’t you always want to leave?” The sound of running water stopped, and a suspicious scraping sound came from behind him. “Why do you suddenly want to stay?”

“Making a hasty decision and sacrificing your entire life due to momentary laziness… your teacher truly hopes you don’t do that.”

Li Fang was turning around and about to walk over.

He couldn’t let the ghost see its own corpse, or it would turn into a vengeful spirit.

Having associated with Jin Yusheng, whose main profession was Tianshi, for so many years, Qi Si still possessed some basic common sense.

He stepped sideways, blocking the desk, raised his foot, and kicked the rabbit face.

The corpse tumbled back under the desk, hitting the wooden baffle, but made no sound.

The smell of blood vanished. The bloodstains and the corpse disappeared without a trace. Under the desk, there were only old test papers and extracurricular exercises covered in dust.

Qi Si turned around and looked directly into Li Fang’s eyes: “Teacher, you know my older brother, Lu Ming, is here. I want to stay and keep him company.”

Hearing this, Li Fang’s face suddenly turned pale: “What nonsense are you talking about? What brother? You should focus on your studies at your age, not daydreaming all day. You’ll go crazy!”

Her fear was so genuine, as if Qi Si were the malicious ghost lurking here, hissing with ill intent.

Qi Si innocently touched his own face and said gently, “Teacher, I heard from a classmate that a student named Lu Ming had an accident…”

“Stop wasting time with irrelevant things and focus on your studies!” Li Fang frowned and waved her hand impatiently. “Go back to class. Eternal Life Technology Company sponsors your education, not for you to mess around. Bring me your self-critique before dinner.”

The previous abnormality vanished completely; this was now a perfectly normal conversation between a teacher and a student.

Qi Si silently memorized the term “Eternal Life Technology Company” and left the office compliantly.

In a typical dungeon, he wouldn’t adopt such aggressive means of exploration, especially without a disposable pawn to utilize.

But this dungeon secretly held an opportunity to gain divine power, and the map wasn’t small. To gain anything, he had to seize the chance to explore more places.

The teacher’s office was one such place.

Li Fang, categorized as a neutral NPC and noted as a “good teacher,” was bound to be a relatively safe source for clues and background information in the early stages. There was no harm in interacting with her.

As for the possibility of encountering a death point and being killed instantly… Qi Si wasn’t overly worried.

In the opening CG, three people buried a little girl, and he witnessed the whole thing. This easily corresponded to the ‘Ten Rabbits’ nursery rhyme at the beginning.

Rabbits Six, Seven, and Eight buried Rabbit Five. As the witness, Rabbit Nine, he also bore the task of telling the truth to Rabbit Ten.

If this link were missing, the story could not be completed.

Therefore, before Rabbit Ten learned the truth, he was likely safe, or a logical paradox would occur: the truth would be buried with the death of Rabbit Nine, and the last two verses of the opening nursery rhyme would vanish.

Even if his deduction was wrong, it didn’t matter; he could just use the Fate Pocket Watch to rewind once.

The evolved Fate Pocket Watch allowed him to rewind directly to a fork in destiny. Holding the souls of tens of thousands of people, he could rewind at least ten times, ensuring he wouldn’t face life-threatening danger until the rewind charges were used up.

Fortunately, it seemed his deduction was close enough, saving a thousand lives that he could keep for next time.

Half an hour had passed since the dungeon started. Qi Si strolled back to the classroom of Class 9, Grade 9, and sat down in his seat.

No one spoke to him during this time, which confirmed his suspicion that Lu Ming’s interpersonal relationships were extremely poor.

Most teenagers this age are highly curious. If a classmate is called away by a teacher, someone is always eager to ask about the experience in the office.

Unless there was intentional isolation.

Using a net of indifference and neglect to constantly blockade a person, isolating them in their own world under the guise of mutual non-interference… Qi Si was all too familiar with this behavior.

Lu Ming’s past experiences and the reason for his isolation are worth investigating further. His brother named “Lu Ming” is likely the breakthrough point.

The rabbit is also an important clue, and he needs to quickly figure out the symbolic meaning of this image.

Since the main quest hasn’t been triggered, he can only sort through the known clues and formulate an exploration plan based on vague guesses.

Qi Si took the crumpled list out of his pocket and spread it on the desk.

This was the other purpose of him intentionally being “invited” into the office.

In virtually any formal school, the homeroom teacher keeps a student roster for daily morning roll call.

Obtaining the student roster is the most convenient way to learn the class distribution and general situation, and he could even judge the teacher’s emotional inclination from the handwriting of the checkmarks.

The list was titled “Day Student Attendance Status.” Qi Si noticed there were thirty-six names on it, even though the class clearly had forty people.

He quickly scanned it, using his short-term memory to memorize the names one by one, finally confirming: Lu Ming’s name was not on it.

The four people not on the list were likely boarders, and Lu Ming was one of them.

From Li Fang’s words, it could be inferred that he might have always lived at the school, hence the phrase “wanting to leave.”

An ordinary student, even if orphaned and living on campus, would never be permanently confined to the school. What was so special about Lu Ming?

Or perhaps… this school itself had some strange regulations?

The top column of the list showed the dates, from 【August 1st】 to 【August 7th】. Checkmarks filled the spaces below, indicating no one was absent during those seven days.

Qi Si looked up toward the front of the classroom. The date was clearly written on the blackboard:

【August 1st】

The attendance column after August 7th was blank; the record abruptly stopped.

It couldn’t be that Li Fang was afraid of trouble and checked off the whole week, otherwise she wouldn’t have left the subsequent spaces blank.

So, what date is it today?

Having experienced the Rose Manor dungeon, Qi Si was well-adjusted to time-disruption settings, but he never expected such an abrupt situation.

He grabbed a boy passing by and pointed to the blackboard: “Did they forget to change the date on the board? Should we ask the student on duty?”

The boy glanced at the blackboard, then glared at Qi Si impatiently: “It is August 1st today, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I misremembered.” Qi Si released his grip, lowered his head, and continued to study the list in his hand.

Was there a real problem, or was he overthinking it? That was a question worth pondering.

Li Fang’s math class was the first in the afternoon, followed by Chinese, English, and Science. Some teachers looked kind and benevolent, others fierce and intimidating, but they all seemed like living people.

Qi Si listened intently to the lessons, feeling momentarily as if he had returned to middle school six years ago, when, just like now, his mind was completely focused on things other than studying.

The difference was that six years ago, he spent every day figuring out how to kill his classmates; now, he was figuring out how to clear the dungeon.

During the three ten-minute breaks, Qi Si conveniently finished the self-critique Li Fang requested, using the rhetorical formula he often employed during his middle school days.

He folded the critique and put it in his pocket, then turned around to look at the classroom, which had become empty at some point. He suddenly felt that if he didn’t turn this place upside down, he wouldn’t be doing justice to the heartfelt self-critique he’d written.

So, he reached into his deskmate’s drawer and methodically began to search.

Inside, there was nothing but textbooks and notebooks.

No small notes or toys—it was surprisingly clean, unlike a drawer belonging to a student of this age.

Qi Si searched a few more desks, unwilling to give up, and found the same result.

The students even had the same arrangement of books, as if they were carved from the same mold, NPCs in a game sharing the same string of code.

If this were just a holographic game on the market, Qi Si wouldn’t find it strange. But bizarre games always pay attention to detail, and since they had made the environment and NPCs identical to a real-world campus, this level of uniformity seemed suspicious.

“Lu Ming, aren’t you going to the cafeteria for dinner?” A clear female voice rang out from outside the door.

Qi Si turned back and saw a girl in a white school uniform standing outside the window. She was short, with shoulder-length hair, and her face was blurred in the light and shadow, indistinct.

“I waited for you in my classroom for a long time but didn’t see you, so I came to look for you.” The girl’s voice carried a hint of reproach. “You’re so slow. I always have to come find you…”

It seems she really came looking for the original body; she must be an important NPC.

Qi Si smiled and walked toward the girl step by step, subtly drawing a razor blade from his right wrist and clamping it between two fingers.

It was clearly evening, yet the corridor was bathed in a hazy yellow light. A gentle breeze stirred their hair, creating a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

Standing in the light and shadow, Qi Si finally saw the girl’s face: it was the girl who was buried in the pit in the opening sequence of the dungeon!

But at this moment, she wasn’t wearing a kimono or dead; she was smiling brightly and vividly.

【Name: Lingzi (Student of Class 10, Grade 9, Hope Middle School)】

【Type: NPC (Currently Neutral Faction)】

【Note: Only seven days remain】

Two lines of prompt text refreshed, and Qi Si learned the girl’s name was Lingzi.

What concerned him most was the note.

Seven days? What does that mean? Does it mean the dungeon only lasts seven days?

What relationship does that have with the date August 7th?

“Lu Ming, what are you thinking about?” Lingzi asked softly.

Qi Si pulled the self-critique from his pocket and waved it in front of her: “I’m thinking about how to get Teacher Li to forgive me. I accidentally fell asleep during her class this afternoon, and she told me to write a self-critique and give it to her before dinner.

“I was just writing the critique, so I didn’t notice the time. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s okay, I never blame you.” Lingzi smiled carelessly. “You shouldn’t always make Teacher Li angry. She looks fierce, but she’s actually a very kind person!”

Qi Si narrowed his eyes and asked in a joking tone, “How so? Did she bribe you?”

“Anyway, I think she’s very nice. Once, I was almost hit by a falling flowerpot from above, and she pulled me out of the way. She even asked if I wanted to stay at her house for a while.”

“Oh? Did you stay at her house?”

“How could I trouble her? Of course, I refused.”

As they spoke, the two had already reached the office door.

The office door was tightly shut, covered in stains and mildew, looking as if it had endured many years. Even the perpetually bright light in the corridor couldn’t dispel the ominous feeling seeping out from the door cracks.

Qi Si tentatively turned the doorknob, and the door opened with a creak.

The office was pitch black. The smell of blood rushed out, and blood gushed from the crack under the door, seemingly alive as it tried to touch Qi Si’s toes.

Qi Si reacted extremely fast, slamming the door shut and retreating a step away from the bloodstains.

Lingzi seemed completely oblivious to the office’s abnormality and asked, confused, “Lu Ming, what’s wrong?”

“Teacher Li isn’t here.” Qi Si turned and walked toward the staircase. “It’s better to give the self-critique to her in person, don’t you think?”

Lingzi followed him, nodding in agreement: “You should apologize to Teacher Li then. She really is a good person; she even gave me a rabbit doll once.”

A rabbit doll?

Qi Si’s ears twitched. He asked casually, “Do you like rabbits?”

“I wouldn’t say I love them, but they are certainly cute, well-behaved, and quiet. They’re not like cats or dogs that might harm other small animals.”

Well-behaved, quiet, harmless, innocent.

These four words summarized the characteristics of a rabbit quite well.

Qi Si’s gaze lingered on the dungeon name bar.

Beware the Rabbit. Beware what kind of rabbit? Why beware the rabbit?

What exactly does the rabbit symbolize in this dungeon?

“And Lu Ming, I really feel like I have a strong connection with rabbits. This morning, someone placed a wooden rabbit carving on my desk and said it was a gift for me.” Lingzi took out a painted wooden carving from her pocket, showing it to Qi Si.

It was a rabbit wearing black clothes. A rabbit’s head topped a human-like body, its eyes blood-red, yet its expression was solemn, like it was attending a funeral.

The moment he looked at it, a strong sense of unease rose within him.