Chapter 342: Beware of the Rabbit (16) Who Killed the Girl

The scene before his eyes violently shook, and blood color spread thread by thread from the edge of his vision, mixing with the mist to diffuse into a thick, murky expanse.

Fluttering prayer ribbons circled around him, and scribbled text frantically refreshed, embedding itself in his eyes like blood vessels.

【You killed Lingzi.】

【You killed Lingzi.】

【You killed Lingzi.】

There was no cycle prompt, no ending narration; it was as if he had been abruptly logged out due to a sudden glitch, or perhaps a bug had been triggered, causing the game to crash.

The scene of Tùshén Dīng was washed away by the blood flow. The blood thinned into a fine film, which was then blown away by a gust of wind, vanishing without a trace.

Qisi sat in the empty classroom. The scene was frozen and dim, surrounded by gray-white mist.

A pitch-black figure, carrying a strong scent of blood, rushed out of the mist and desperately gripped Qisi’s neck: “You killed Lingzi… How could you kill Lingzi…”

The hands of the Fate Pocket Watch ticked, and the outline of a clock, along with the phantom image of blood-colored leaves, was reflected in Qisi’s eyes.

He watched the newcomer calmly, feeling the cold fingers dig into his flesh, and the sensation of suffocation spread through his chest, yet he never struggled from start to finish.

The pressure on his neck gradually lessened. The person stepped back a few paces, revealing a face crisscrossed with bloodstains and twisted, bent limbs beneath, like fragments of a corpse that had been scattered into minced meat and then pieced back together.

“You should have saved her… but you killed her…” the figure muttered, its voice sounding like weeping.

Qisi raised his hand and gently wiped away the bloodstains and grime on his neck. The dark bruises, resembling savage chains, were clamped onto his skin, revealing the crisis that had just occurred.

He chuckled: “So you’re finally showing different emotions? It seems you have self-awareness and can understand what is happening.

“Then, Lu Ming, was your previous pretense of ignorance and lack of awareness due to the limitations of the instance, or was it self-deception?”

The bloodstains on Lu Ming’s body receded thread by thread. Beneath his blood-spattered bangs was a pale, ordinary middle school student’s face. He seemed to have calmed down somewhat, staring coldly at Qisi.

After a long silence, he began to speak to himself: “Countless attempts at reincarnation have made me realize that no matter how hard I try, I cannot save her. Half of her is sealed in the past, and the other half is trapped in the present.

“The God told me that only you could save her. I cannot interfere with you, nor can I kill you, otherwise you would never return.”

Qisi knew that the “God” Lu Ming spoke of must be that unlucky Li. Striking a deal with Lu Ming, who had become a Malevolent Ghost, to construct an instance and lure players in—that was truly profiting from both sides.

He stroked his chin with interest: “I don’t understand why someone who has suffered so much under the Rabbit God would still believe the promises of other Evil Gods.”

“This is the last resort. I’m willing to take the gamble,” Lu Ming said calmly. “Lingzi’s situation cannot get any worse. As long as I can save her, any price I pay is acceptable.”

“What touching affection,” Qisi said, his smile carrying a hint of sarcasm. “I’m suddenly curious: are you trying to save the Lingzi of Tùshén Dīng, or the Lingzi of Hope Middle School?”

The Lingzi of Hope Middle School is the real Lingzi, the one Lu Ming knew and loved, the one he tried to save repeatedly; the Lingzi of Tùshén Dīng is merely a phantom dream, an alternative battleground, or a sandbox simulating the truth.

But after countless attempts and countless failures, the boundaries between reality and illusion, past and present, had long become blurred.

Kanna Nanarō, beloved by the residents of Tùshén Dīng and cherished by his father and elder brother, versus Lu Ming, isolated by his classmates at Hope Middle School and without parents—if given the choice, who would want to be the latter?

Seeking advantage and avoiding harm is human nature. Qisi understood this; if it were him, he wouldn’t even entertain the thought of saving anyone.

But he did not hesitate to point out Lu Ming’s wavering, just as an Evil God seizes the deepest, most vulnerable hidden desires of the human heart, tempting people step by step into the mire and down into the abyss.

“In fact, you’ve already made your choice, haven’t you?” Qisi extended his index finger and lightly touched the bruise on his neck. The dark blue spread, and purplish-red blood seeped from the edges.

He sighed deeply: “I killed the Lingzi of Tùshén Dīng, destroying the Rabbit God Festival from a hundred years ago. The world line has changed because of this, and the Lingzi of Hope Middle School might be saved… What is there for you to be dissatisfied with about this ending? Why was your first reaction to hate me and heap accusations upon me?”

Lu Ming lowered his head and murmured softly to himself: “No… that’s wrong… Both are Lingzi; they are Lingzi’s spirit and flesh…”

The subsequent sounds were too fragmented to distinguish. His figure faded and became ethereal inch by inch, its edges shattering like glass turning into fine dust, scattering into the air.

The scene regained its movement. The lost colors once again seeped out from underfoot in all directions: the azure sky, the dark green blackboard, the pale yellow desks. Outside the window, the cheerful laughter of students could be heard, along with the rustling of wind blowing through flowers and leaves.

“Lu Ming, sorry I’m late.” Lingzi’s clear voice rang out from outside the door.

Qisi walked over, stood beside the girl, and asked with a smile, “Lingzi, why are you so late today? Did something happen?”

Lingzi sighed and said, “I wanted to go find Teacher Li and ask her about her argument with the Dean of Studies; if possible, I also wanted to talk to her about you… But for some reason, she seemed unable to see me. No matter what I said, she ignored me…”

Can Li Fang not see Lingzi? Is it to prevent the ghostly NPCs from killing each other, or for some other reason?

Qisi asked, “Did Teacher Li only start ignoring you today? Maybe she just finished arguing with the Dean of Studies, is in a bad mood, and doesn’t want to talk to students.”

“Maybe,” Lingzi lowered her head, and for a moment, the faint image of a rabbit mask appeared on her face. “But she talked to the other students when they asked questions. It really seems like she can’t see me…”

“That is a bit strange.” Qisi put on a sympathetic expression and frowned, “Did you go see Teacher Li yesterday? Did she say anything to you yesterday? Was there some misunderstanding?”

“Yesterday? I didn’t go look for Teacher Li. The last time I actively sought her out was a month ago…”

“Is that so? Maybe she’s just been too busy lately.”

As they spoke, they unknowingly arrived at the cafeteria.

Because they arrived quite late, there were very few people left in the cafeteria. Behind the serving window, only scraps and liquids of food remained. The cafeteria aunties rolled up their sleeves, placing the empty basins onto a cart, making a clanging sound.

After Lingzi finished serving her food, she sat down in an empty spot in the corner of the cafeteria and quietly focused on eating.

Qisi, as usual, took an empty tray and pretended to walk around, but this time, he sat down across from Lingzi.

“Someone like Lingzi can only sit alone in the corner.”

“No one is willing to talk to her. Why hasn’t she died yet?”

“People like her should have died ages ago. The Rabbit God should just take her life.”

The same words as on the first day were spoken maliciously by the surrounding students. They seemed completely unaware of Qisi’s presence, repeating the same old lines like clockwork mechanisms.

The sense of reality in the world grew thin thread by thread. Qisi grabbed a pale boy with dark, lifeless eyes and asked, word by word, “Can you see me?”

A look of disgust flashed across the boy’s eyes: “Lu Ming, are you sick?”

The surrounding whispers subtly changed:

“Someone like Lu Ming can only sit alone in the corner.”

“No one is willing to talk to him. Why hasn’t he died yet?”

“People like him should have died ages ago. The Rabbit God should just take his life.”

The person at the center of the vortex changed from Lingzi to Lu Ming—who was Qisi. The students showed no awareness of anything being wrong, dutifully repeating the lines with the changed protagonist.

“I heard that we only need to sacrifice one person to the Rabbit God to fulfill any wish. Can we sacrifice Lu Ming so all of us can get into a good high school?”

“I already found someone to give the cursed Rabbit God Statue to Lu Ming. He will die in seven days, and our wish will come true.”

Worry flashed in Lingzi’s eyes, and she opened her mouth as if to say something.

Qisi gave her a dismissive smile, drew his index finger across his lips, and rose to leave the cafeteria.

Lingzi’s words from yesterday echoed in his ears: “Someone has to bear all of this. This is the arrangement of fate.”

The stage was set, the script was written. A child whom everyone hated would be jointly sacrificed to the Rabbit God by the other children as a bargaining chip to fulfill their wishes.

This child could be Lu Ming, or it could be Lingzi. Only one death was needed.

If Lingzi died, Lu Ming would live. If Lu Ming died, Lingzi would survive.

But for some unknown reason, both Lu Ming and Lingzi died at the end of the story. Hope Middle School fell into a seven-day loop, and a Malevolent Ghost, formed by Lu Ming, settled here, trying repeatedly to save the Lingzi whose fate was already sealed.

Tùshén Dīng was also such a stage. The difference from Hope Middle School was that the one about to be sacrificed was the child everyone loved.

Lingzi was already dead, killed by Kanna Nanarō, whom Qisi was playing; and on the day of the Rabbit God Festival, one more person would die… Qisi returned to the teaching building and stopped in front of the Teachers’ Office door.

It was still early before evening self-study began. Students had finished eating and were gathered outside the classrooms, either strolling back and forth in the corridors, chatting idly while leaning on windowsills, or running around and shoving each other.

Everything was vibrant and full of life, noisy like a poster from the last century. Not a single person’s gaze fell upon Qisi, as if they belonged to different layers, destined never to intersect.

Qisi knocked three times on the office door. A voice saying, “Come in,” belonging to Li Fang, came from inside.

Qisi pushed the door open, not closing it immediately, but leaving it wide open. From inside, one could hear the students’ noise outside, and passersby outside could see the situation inside.

Li Fang sat behind her desk, frowning imperceptibly, but ultimately did not tell Qisi to go back and close the door.

She took a sip of the tea in her cup and said, “Lu Ming, your homework accuracy has improved recently, but a student reported to me that you used a blade to bully a classmate. Is that true?”

Qisi pretended to recall with effort, and after a moment, he said softly, “I did use a blade today to cut paper for corrections. Maybe I didn’t put it away promptly and scared a classmate.”

Li Fang didn’t dwell on the issue. While grading the assignments in her hand, she asked, “Did you come to see me to ask about a question? I see you didn’t bring your workbook. Is it a homework problem?”

“No.” Qisi smiled awkwardly. “Teacher Li, it’s about the self-criticism letter… I was afraid to hand it in person before, so I asked Lingzi to help deliver it to you.

“But… I haven’t seen Lingzi all day today. I wonder if something happened to her?”

“I already received your self-criticism letter.” Li Fang pulled out the letter that Qisi had tucked into his workbook from the drawer. Realizing something belatedly, her face instantly turned pale.

“What did you just say? You said you asked Lingzi to hand in the letter for you? You saw Lingzi yesterday? You’re so young and already lying. Yesterday you mentioned having an older brother, and today you’re talking about Lingzi…”

Li Fang’s voice grew softer, sounding like she was talking to herself. Her expression was terrible, as if she had seen a malevolent ghost in a dream and then woke up to find bloodstains on the headboard.

She truly couldn’t see Lingzi. In her perception of the world, Lingzi had probably already met with misfortune.

Qisi confirmed his suspicion and asked knowingly, “Teacher Li, what exactly happened? I really am not lying. I saw Lingzi yesterday, right in front of your office door.

“She asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I accidentally made you angry and needed to submit a self-criticism letter to you. She told me you were a good teacher and that I shouldn’t talk back to you, and she even volunteered to help me deliver the letter…”

Li Fang slumped into her chair, her face as white as paper, but the corners of her eyes gradually turned red and became moist.

“Lingzi she… was a very, very good child, and a very, very pitiful child. Did she really think I was a good teacher? I’m not a good teacher; I failed to protect her…”

Qisi pressed, “Teacher Li, what happened to Lingzi?”

He lowered his eyes and said with a tone of melancholy, “I know many classmates dislike her and often bully her, but I was going to work with her to find a solution. She also said things would definitely get better…”

“She’s dead. They killed her,” Li Fang said through gritted teeth.

As if she had finally made a decision, she pulled an A4 paper document from her drawer and handed it to Qisi—a document Qisi had not seen during his search in the early hours of the morning.

Qisi took it and quickly scanned it. It was clearly a Death Report.

In the photo at the top, Lingzi’s bruised body lay in a pit, sand and soil already covering her waist, like a cloth of shame concealing the traces of sin.

She had been murdered, subjected to abuse and beatings before her death, and her body was hastily buried afterward.

The text below coldly described the subsequent handling: Lingzi’s death was suppressed, just like many previous incidents involving the deaths of orphans. The students involved continued attending school, receiving psychological counseling periodically to prevent them from suffering trauma.

An orphan without parents versus spoiled children from wealthy families—everyone knew how to choose between the two. Furthermore, sacrificing one person’s life to the Rabbit God was an unspoken understanding among everyone at Hope Middle School.

Lingzi in the black-and-white photo opened her lifeless eyes. Black blood flowed down her face, which had been smashed to pulp by a shovel, soaking Qisi’s fingertips through the paper.

The surrounding scene spun wildly. When it settled again, all he saw was a sky of overlapping branches and lush forest leaves, and the children’s cheerful laughter was clamorous in his ears:

“Let’s bury Lu Ming! When the Great Rabbit God receives our sacrifice, he can grant our wishes!”

“Ah, Kanna Nanarō, you poor child. May the gods protect him and his family…”

“Qisi is a monster! We killed the monster and buried him in the dirt!”

The timelines of past and present, the worlds of game and reality, countless fates and countless fragments intersected at this moment. Cold dirt sprinkled onto his face, stirring distant memories, causing astonishment, like a self-deceiving ghost suddenly realizing its own death.

Amidst the brightly green forest leaves, Qisi narrowed his eyes and saw a rabbit mask concealed deep within the woods.

The ghost in the red kimono stared with wide, scarlet eyes, gazing at this funeral that no one mourned, acting as the sole mourner.

Under the gray sky, silver-white text refreshed:

【Main Quest progress updated】

【Main Quest: Collect all of Lingzi’s corpse fragments (7/7)】

【Main Quest complete. Would you like to leave the instance immediately?】