IGSB – Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Who's the Murderer? (Part 3)
The note found in Ming Hui's notebook contained sharp and harsh words, making it hard not to overthink.
Could Ming Hui have orchestrated Zhou Xiuxiu's death?
Was Ming Hui truly a madman, a devil, as the note described? If the truth was the complete opposite, then who would accuse her so caustically?
What exactly did Ming Hui do to deserve such a condemnatory note? And who wrote it?
For a moment, questions flooded in.
Xia Zhiyi silently met Jing Ruyu's gaze.
The puzzle set by the New World and the Ghost King was indeed not simple.
“Ring—”
The class bell rang again.
The previously noisy students obediently returned to their seats to wait for the teacher, and the players were no exception.
Xia Zhiyi casually brought Ming Hui's notebook, with the note still inside, back to her own desk.
This was the last class of the afternoon, taught by their homeroom teacher, a middle-aged woman with short hair who taught chemistry.
To the players' surprise, the New World actually made them sit through a chemistry lesson.
Staring at a full board of chemical formulas, Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu, as deskmates, were at a loss for words.
And because they sat in the front row, they completely lost the privilege of whispering during class, forcing them to borrow a pen and paper to chat.
Xia Zhiyi: No way, the New World is actually making us listen to a chemistry class???
Xia Zhiyi: Could there be some clue in this?
Jing Ruyu: Probably not. It's likely just for an immersive experience.
Jing Ruyu: Even if there is, we can ignore it.
Jing Ruyu: Because we don't understand it.
Xia Zhiyi: That makes so much sense.
What you couldn't understand, you just couldn't understand. Wasting more time on something you couldn't understand was just that, a waste.
It was like math. A cornered dog will leap over a wall, but can a cornered person solve a math problem?!
Therefore, rather than expending a great deal of energy on something for which they lacked the requisite knowledge, it was better to first gather all the other clues. Time was precious; not a single second could be wasted.
And so, they were forced by the New World to sit through an entire chemistry class.
It was dull, tasteless, and very unfamiliar. After so many years of working, and not in a related field, what office worker would remember any of this!
The class was forty-five minutes long. Fortunately, the homeroom teacher didn't intend to use the entire time for lecturing. In the last five minutes, she spoke about other matters.
“To the few newly transferred students, your dormitories have been arranged. After school, go to your dorms and report your names to the dorm matron. She will take you to your rooms.”
“Classmates, please get along well with the new students.”
“Okay—” the students chorused.
After saying this, the homeroom teacher turned to Sun Jun and said, “Sun Jun, your day student pass will be approved tomorrow. Remember to come to my office to pick it up.”
Sun Jun was going to be a day student?
Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu turned to look at Sun Jun.
He flashed an impeccable smile and said to the teacher, “Okay, I understand. Thank you, teacher.”
Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu heard the girl at the desk next to them sigh in a low, excited voice, “So handsome…”
The two of them: “…”
They retracted their gazes.
Xia Zhiyi stared at the notebook in front of her.
Jing Ruyu was silent for a moment, then slowly raised her hand and looked at the homeroom teacher with a composed expression. “Teacher, when are the language and math class representatives coming back to school?”
The other four players all looked at her.
Could you just ask that directly??
At her question, the homeroom teacher had a moment of realization. “I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it.”
“Listen up, everyone. Ming Hui is transferring schools. She probably won't be coming back anymore. The school will handle her belongings later. I'll have your language teacher select a new class representative.”
At these words, both Jing Ruyu and Xia Zhiyi frowned.
Ming Hui was transferring?
Why would she suddenly transfer out of the blue?
Was it out of guilt? Or because she knew something?
A classmate voiced the question on their minds: “Why is Ming Hui suddenly transferring?”
“I don't know, she didn't give a reason,” the homeroom teacher said. “Alright, alright, you don't need to be curious about such things. As long as you study hard, you can go anywhere.”
“As for Zhou Xiuxiu, her parents called to say she isn't feeling well, so she'll need to continue her leave.”
“Class president, for the time being, please take over the duties of the math class representative as well. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Also,” the homeroom teacher added pointedly, “Xiuxiu is very unwell and doesn't wish to be disturbed. If any of you want to visit her, please wait until she's feeling a bit better. Don't go and cause trouble for her family.”
Hearing this, Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu exchanged a look.
In other words, at this point in time, Zhou Xiuxiu hadn't fallen from the building yet, but she didn't want to see anyone. They obviously couldn't go find her either, since getting out of the school was a problem in itself.
But speaking of which, why exactly was Ming Hui transferring? Did she really know something?
“Crackle.”
The classroom's broadcast system suddenly crackled to life.
The next second, a voice came from it: “This week, the Political and Educational Office will be conducting dorm inspections. After lights out at night, all students are to rest quietly in their beds. No loud noises, no getting out of bed to play, no leaving the dormitory, and no engaging in any disciplinary infractions. Violators will be punished.”
“End of broadcast.”
The broadcast ended, and a wave of annoyed complaints rippled through the classroom.
“Ugh, another dorm inspection…”
“Doesn't the Political and Educational Office ever sleep?”
“So annoying…”
Xia Zhiyi turned to Jing Ruyu. “This is probably the quest NPC's safety warning, right?”
Jing Ruyu nodded lightly. “Probably…”
As long as the Ghost King didn't appear, the school was bright and not at all scary during the day. However, no one knew what the night would be like.
So far, besides the Ghost King, they hadn't seen any other ghosts. Could it be that this instance only had one ghost, the Ghost King?
It probably wasn't that simple…
Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.
Students gathered their books and backpacks, checked that they had everything they needed to take with them, and then left the classroom.
The small note they found before class made the players feel that they could dig deeper at Ming Hui's desk. So, as soon as class was over, they all tacitly turned and walked towards Ming Hui's seat.
But this time, they were stopped by the homeroom teacher. “What are you all doing? Hurry up and go eat.”
Xia Zhiyi looked back. “Teacher, we want to eat a little later.”
“No,” the homeroom teacher's attitude was firm. “No one is allowed to linger in the classroom after school. Go to the cafeteria to eat immediately. After eating, go back to your dorms to shower and rest. The Political and Educational Office will be here to lock the doors soon.”
“Lock the doors?”
Xia Zhiyi was surprised.
“Then when will they be unlocked?”
“For morning reading tomorrow, of course,” the homeroom teacher said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Huh?!”
“What ‘huh’? If you have things to get, get them now. Once the doors are locked, they won't be opened until tomorrow. After you're done, hurry to the cafeteria. If you're late, the cafeteria will be closed and there won't be any food.”
The homeroom teacher hugged her books and looked at them. After some thought, she couldn't help but add a few more words of advice.
“You're new transfers, and you heard the broadcast just now. You must rest obediently at night. Don't cause trouble for the teachers.”
“Alright, hurry up and go to the cafeteria. Go on, go on.”
In the end, Xia Zhiyi, clutching Ming Hui's notebook, and Jing Ruyu stood outside as they watched both doors to the classroom being locked, their expressions speechless.
After a moment.
Xia Zhiyi: “Don't tell me we'll have to steal the keys tonight?”
Jing Ruyu crossed her arms and offered a very objective consolation, “It's fine. We probably won't be able to get out at all tonight.”
Xia Zhiyi: “Oh, that's true…”
That was indeed something the New World would do.
“Let's go eat first, then. We'll starve if we're late!”
“Okay.”
The sun set in the west, and twilight settled in.
The school's cafeteria looked no different from the high school cafeterias Xia Zhiyi remembered. Even the way the uncles and aunties serving food would have shaky hands was exactly the same.
Xia Zhiyi: “…”
What an immersive experience.
Jing Ruyu raised her eyes and scanned her surroundings.
Because the cafeteria had a time limit for meals, the students were all eating quietly with little conversation. It would be useless to try and strike up a conversation with them.
It seemed there was nothing to be gained here.
With that thought, she lowered her gaze and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Xia Zhiyi was eating obediently.
Clues had to be found, but food had to be eaten. She wasn't about to let herself starve to death here!
Just then, a pair of chopsticks placed a braised chicken leg, one of her favorites, onto her tray.
She paused, looking up at the perfectly composed, beautiful woman across from her.
This braised chicken leg was the last one in the cafeteria. Unfortunately, she had been standing at the back of the line and hadn't gotten it, but her ex-girlfriend had.
Now her ex-girlfriend was giving the chicken leg to her… Did she still remember what she liked to eat?
Her eating motions stopped, and she looked at the person before her hesitantly. “This…”
“Mutual help,” Jing Ruyu said calmly. “It's what teammates should do.”
Xia Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. “Thanks.”
Then, without a second thought, she gave Jing Ruyu a large portion of her favorite braised pork, piling the section of her tray with the pork until it was full. “Mutual help. I have the chicken leg, that's enough for me.”
Jing Ruyu's gaze lingered on the braised pork for a long moment before she slowly smiled and said, “Thank you. I'll enjoy it.”
Liu Xue, who happened to be sharing their table and had witnessed the entire exchange: “…?”
For some reason, she felt that the atmosphere between the two of them was a bit subtle.
Was this the unique camaraderie of the New World???
After dinner, Liu Xue went back to the dormitory first.
Xia Zhiyi and Jing Ruyu took a stroll around the cafeteria and the sports field—they didn't hear the sound of water from the Ferry Crossing.
They had to answer the Ghost King's question, but they also had to find the Ferry Crossing. Otherwise, even if they scored two hundred points, it would all be for nothing.
Jing Ruyu glanced at her watch. Seeing that it was still early, she suggested, “Zhiyi, want to check the rooftop of the academic building?”
In a New World scene, of course, you should see everything you can see and search everything you can search.
Perhaps a clue, or even the Ferry Crossing to clear the instance, was up there.
Xia Zhiyi had always trusted her, so she nodded without asking why. “Let's go!”
The school's academic building was very tall, with no elevator. Getting to the top meant climbing with your own two legs.
By the time Xia Zhiyi reached the sixth floor, she was already panting heavily.
“Finally… made it…”
After catching her breath, she looked at Jing Ruyu, who was perfectly composed. She was momentarily speechless.
“I'm about to die from exhaustion, and you're not even out of breath…”
Jing Ruyu looked at the door leading to the rooftop. Hearing this, she calmly replied with a smile, “You know my stamina has always been a bit better than yours.”
After she said it, their eyes met, and both of them froze. Then they quickly looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
It wasn't the eye contact that was embarrassing, but the memories of certain past activities that required stamina. Thinking about how they had already broken up, the awkwardness arrived uninvited.
A faint pink blush colored the tips of her ears, and Xia Zhiyi suddenly didn't know how to face Jing Ruyu.
“I'll go see if I can open the door.”
Jing Ruyu took the initiative to break the silence. She walked to the door and, upon getting closer, saw a lock hanging on it—a broken lock.
“This door can be opened.”
Xia Zhiyi immediately said with concern, “Be careful. What if there's something behind the door…”
“Don't come up yet.”
Jing Ruyu gestured for her to find a safe spot. Only after she was positioned did Jing Ruyu remove the lock, grip the door bolt, and cautiously push it open, watching as the white light from the crack was torn wider and wider—
It was completely empty.
Jing Ruyu leaned out and looked left and right. Still empty. There was nothing on the rooftop.
She took out the piece of paper from her pocket. It was the note they had passed in class. She had meant to throw it away but forgot. Now it could be useful.
She crumpled it into a ball and tossed it out—
Good. There were no monsters that rushed out to bite upon seeing something appear, as she had imagined.
Seeing Jing Ruyu step out, Xia Zhiyi immediately followed.
As they stepped onto the rooftop, a cool breeze blew against their faces, stirring their dark hair.
Jing Ruyu picked up the paper ball and walked around the four corners of the spacious rooftop, finding nothing.
“I don't hear any water.”
Xia Zhiyi scanned the area and said, “Maybe it's a timed trigger again? We can ask the students later. Anyway, the New World definitely wouldn't hide a clue in the sky.”
After one novice instance, she had more or less figured out the New World.
As Jing Ruyu had said before, this place was both cruel and merciful. It didn't care about the players' lives, but it also wouldn't maliciously hide clues so that players couldn't find them.
It even allowed players to incite NPCs to rebel against the Ghost King, clearly offering a high degree of freedom in clearing the instance.
Just then, she noticed Jing Ruyu staring motionlessly into the distance.
She walked over curiously. “What are you looking at?”
Jing Ruyu pointed in the direction of the school gate.
“There's no fog there.”
Unlike the novice instance, this time the white fog didn't coldly seal off the school completely.
From the school gate, two roads stretched out to unknown destinations, and the buildings along them were clearly more visible than elsewhere, as if a natural barrier was holding the terrifying white fog at bay, waiting for them to explore the story.
This time, the scene was clearly not just the school.
“Where could those lead?” Xia Zhiyi looked in that direction and murmured to herself, “Could it be to Zhou Xiuxiu's house and Ming Hui's house?”
“It's possible. Looks like we'll have to find a chance to get out.”
Jing Ruyu glanced at the time and then at the darkening sky.
“It's getting late. Let's head back to the dorm first.”
Xia Zhiyi agreed.
The two turned around, only to look up and see the Ghost King, Zhou Xiuxiu, standing at the rooftop exit.
Sticky black blood enveloped the entire rooftop exit like a spider's web for hunting. Long, thin strands of black hair writhed within the blood, like pulsing veins beneath the skin.
Under the vast, distant sky, Zhou Xiuxiu stood there quietly, watching them with a cold expression, like a lofty judge.
The two of them immediately took two steps back, their expressions wary.
Zhou Xiuxiu suddenly smiled.
“You're so timid.”
Xia Zhiyi: “…”
Jing Ruyu: “…”
It took some nerve for a Ghost King to call others timid.
The two sides faced off in silence for a moment, neither moving.
Seeing that Zhou Xiuxiu had no intention of attacking, Xia Zhiyi took the initiative to speak. “I heard from your classmates that you're very good at math and very enthusiastic. If someone has a question for you, you'll definitely answer it. So, can I ask you a question?”
Zhou Xiuxiu's cold gaze pierced her, and she suddenly let out a sinister laugh. “Ask.”
When it came to math problems, no one was better than her.
Xia Zhiyi: “Are you the real Ghost King?”
“…?”
Zhou Xiuxiu: “What kind of math problem is that?”
Xia Zhiyi looked innocent. “I never said it was a math problem.”
Zhou Xiuxiu: “…”
You've got guts.
The incredibly brave and sociable Xia Zhiyi ignored her speechless expression and analyzed with sound reasoning, “You have to understand, the big boss usually makes a grand entrance at the end. For you to reveal yourself right at the start makes people suspect you might be impersonating the Ghost King. And we don't have this world's anti-fraud app. We don't want to be deceived either, please understand.”
Zhou Xiuxiu: “You don't believe me?”
She grinned sinisterly and said deliberately, “How about I give you a few keywords, and you can try saying them?”
Unexpectedly, Xia Zhiyi whipped out a pen and paper from her bag, ready to take notes. “Okay, please speak.”
Zhou Xiuxiu: “?”
Are you fucking trying to trick me into giving you information???
Zhou Xiuxiu wasn't that stupid. She clearly had no intention of giving her any hints. With a snort, her body melted into the black blood beneath her and vanished into thin air, leaving only her voice drifting in the wind.
“Xia Zhiyi, I look forward to seeing your answer sheet.”
The two looked at the now-empty rooftop. The wind blew past, as if the Ghost King had never been there.
“What did she even come here for?” Xia Zhiyi asked.
“I don't know,” Jing Ruyu replied. “A free Ghost King has a free soul. She can go wherever she wants, I suppose.”
Jing Ruyu couldn't help but look back at her.
“You were really brave just now.”
Xia Zhiyi: “Yes, I've always been good at facing difficulties head-on. It's just a pity I couldn't get any information out of her…”
She held her pen and paper and sighed sincerely, “This Ghost King is a bit heartless. She came without even bringing one or two death keywords. She came empty-handed!”
Jing Ruyu found this amusing and couldn't help but laugh a little, then said in a warm voice, “Let's go, time to head back.”
With a teammate like this, it was hard not to be happy.
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