Chapter 38: The Ghost King and the Poor Student 03

Cheng Hongyi referred to it as “the only way to survive” rather than “a way out,” which made Tang Bin feel a little nervous, and somewhat scared.

He dared not fall behind. Although the surroundings appeared to be nothing but wild grass and puddles, looking relatively harmless, he knew that if someone were to get left behind in this place, it would truly be a hopeless situation, with no one to turn to, not even the sky or the earth.

And as Tang Bin had feared, although the mountain that Cheng Hongyi pointed to was clearly visible in the distance, no matter how much they walked, they couldn’t get any closer.

They walked for another two hours, until nightfall, when the surroundings turned pitch black, and only then were they able to make out the contours of the distant mountains.

At least they could see some hope.

The sky was almost completely dark now. Even the light from the setting sun seemed to have dimmed, as though it were being swallowed by a thick black mist that enveloped everything. This made the group, who had wanted to take a break, feel too anxious to pause for even a moment. They hurriedly continued moving forward.

By the time they finally reached the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark.

Cheng Hongyi’s cheap digital watch emitted a faint glow, indicating that it was now 5:00 PM.

Cheng Hongyi did not stop, he lifted his foot and prepared to ascend the mountain.

“Huh? We still have to go? I can’t walk anymore, I’m done! Let’s rest for a bit!”

“Yeah, we’ve reached the foot of the mountain, we’re safe now. Let’s rest for a while!”

All the way along, Huang Xiaomeng had been crying and complaining that she couldn’t walk anymore, that she was thirsty, and wanted to rest. But Cheng Hongyi, walking ahead, seemed to ignore her, as if saying, “If you want to rest, go ahead. I’ll keep walking.”

This time, although Lao Diao’s underlings joined Huang Xiaomeng in calling for a break, Cheng Hongyi still carried on as if nothing had happened, only explaining briefly, “While we can still see some outline of things, we should quickly start a fire. The grass here is still wet, we must go up the mountain.”

“Then how do you know we can make a fire up there? Aren’t wild animals up on the mountain? Are you sure it’s safe?” Zhao Xiaoguang voiced his doubts.

“You can choose to come or not,” Cheng Hongyi responded casually, seeming not to want to explain himself further.

Of course, he didn’t need to explain.

Lao Diao and his group exchanged glances. None of them had outdoor survival experience, and none of them dared make any decisions on their own. In the end, they reluctantly dragged their exhausted bodies and continued up the mountain.

What could they do? They were just unlucky to end up in such a cursed place.

However, Lao Diao was more cautious. He took a spring-loaded knife out of his pocket and held it in his hand.

He always felt that Cheng Hongyi was too calm, almost eerily so, and it made him feel uneasy.

He couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

Compared to them, Tang Bin felt much more relaxed, without all the psychological burden.

Because, just as he was walking beside Cheng Hongyi halfway up the mountain, 3376 issued him a system task:

【Welcome to the world of My Arrogant School Prince Husband. System task has been issued—

Objective: Cheng Hongyi.

Height: 185cm.

Identity: Unknown.

Background: Unknown.

Task Requirements:

Establish a romantic relationship with the target.

Achieve a HE (Happy Ending) with the target.

Task Difficulty: One star.】

At the same time the task was issued, the buff showing the target’s affection level was also unlocked.

Tang Bin clearly saw a vague, pale number floating above Cheng Hongyi’s head: 1.

“Only 1 affection point?” Tang Bin asked 3376, surprised.

When he first saw the male lead in the previous world, the guy was so fierce and still had 13 affection points…

Of course, Tang Bin didn’t dare ask aloud, as he wasn’t sure if remembering those details might draw the system’s attention.

【1 point is indeed a bit low.】 3376 tried to comfort him: 【But the host has only been in this world for half a day, so don’t be discouraged.】

“…Okay.” He wasn’t really discouraged, though.

For some reason, this time, completing the task didn’t feel the same as before. Tang Bin found himself unusually calm, without the usual worries or fears about failing the task or being erased.

His heart felt unusually steady.

As the group reached the halfway point of the mountain, the trees suddenly grew thicker.

Cheng Hongyi touched the surrounding branches and tree trunks and said, “The trees here should be good for making a fire.”

The group was skeptical, but someone tried snapping off a branch and found it surprisingly dry, unlike the wetlands at the base of the mountain.

“Great!” The group cheered and began gathering twigs and leaves from the area, eventually forming a pile of firewood.

Fortunately, since Lao Diao and his gang smoked, they had lighters, so starting the fire wasn’t a problem.

The fire quickly lit up, and the group sat in a circle on the ground, finally able to take a break.

After walking all afternoon, no one wanted to move after sitting down.

However, sitting in the pitch-black forest was quite eerie, and everyone instinctively wanted to start a conversation but didn’t know what to say. At this point, it was Lao Diao who asked Cheng Hongyi, “How did you know there would be dry wood on the mountain?”

“I don’t know,” Cheng Hongyi replied. In the firelight, his silhouette seemed even more resolute. No one had noticed it before, but now it was undeniable—some people just had that kind of aura. Even just sitting next to him made others feel at ease.

Tang Bin looked at him with almost idolizing eyes, just as Cheng Hongyi added, “I guessed.”

“Pfft, what’s so impressive about that?” Lao Diao’s lackeys sneered. Throughout the journey, Cheng Hongyi had shown no expression and treated them coldly, as if they were forced to follow him. They were all young and full of vigor, and facing someone younger than themselves, they really didn’t want to listen to or trust him.

Cheng Hongyi, however, said, “The terrain here is strange. Does anyone here know geography well enough to tell what kind of climate or region this is?”

The group looked at each other. Not a single person among them had studied geography well.

Even Tang Bin, searching through the memories of the original owner, couldn’t identify where they were.

Tang Bin propped his chin with both hands, staring at Cheng Hongyi with curious eyes, and asked in awe, “Do you know where this is?”

Cheng Hongyi shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

“Pfft,” someone teased.

Cheng Hongyi continued, “Haven’t you noticed anything strange?”

“Strange? What’s strange?” the others asked.

Cheng Hongyi added more branches to the fire. “There are no animals here except for us. Not even a single flying insect.”

“…”

In the silent forest, the only sound was the crackling of the fire as the wood burned. Someone nervously asked, “What if we just didn’t see them…?”

“No,” Cheng Hongyi shook his head, then extended a long finger to point at his own ear. “No sound.”

“…Right!”

After a brief silence, someone in the group fearfully said, “If there were insects, at least there would be some noise, right? And when we were coming here, we saw a lot of puddles. It’s normal to find fleas or little flying bugs in the water, but I didn’t see any. I was wondering about that earlier…”

“No wonder I felt like it was so eerie here. So, it’s because there’s no sound.” Others instinctively shivered and rubbed their arms.

“Do you think there’s radiation or something?” someone asked worriedly. “Like death rays or something…”

“What are you talking about? If there were radiation, the trees wouldn’t be growing so tall and healthy!”

“Oh, right…”

The group started talking, each adding their thoughts. No one wanted to stop, because if no one spoke, the oppressive silence would return, suffocating them all.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tang Bin asked Cheng Hongyi, “So, when you said we should come up the mountain, was it to see if there are any creatures here?”

Cheng Hongyi nodded. “At first, I thought this mountain was fake, like a mirage we couldn’t reach.”

Tang Bin: “…”

The group: “…”

So, was Cheng Hongyi lying to them about the poisonous snakes and wild beasts?

Lao Diao and his lackeys immediately got angry. Two of them even rolled up their sleeves and seemed ready to drag Cheng Hongyi up, looking like they were about to beat him up.

Tang Bin saw the situation was bad and quickly stepped in front of Cheng Hongyi, saying, “Everyone, don’t be impulsive. We’re all frustrated, but this is all Cheng Hongyi’s doing!”

Cheng Hongyi glanced at him, then, with an indifferent expression, turned to face the group and said, “Isn’t it necessary to keep moving and see what’s ahead? I don’t know what’s on this mountain, but I do know that if we stay below, we’ll all die. At least up here, we can still find water and food.”

Upon hearing this, the two who had stood up exchanged glances and, feeling deflated, sat back down.

Everyone slumped down around the fire like deflated balloons.

Cheng Hongyi wasn’t wrong. They hadn’t eaten or drunk any clean water in several hours.

There was no shortage of water on the plains. Earlier, they had been so thirsty that they tried drinking from the puddles. Although the water didn’t look that clean, it was at least drinkable.

But food… If there were no other creatures here, what were they supposed to eat? Wild grasses and tree bark?

The group looked at each other, panic starting to set in.

“What kind of place is this?!” someone cried out in frustration.

Lao Diao gave Cheng Hongyi a wary look. “You really don’t know where we are?”

Cheng Hongyi added a few more branches to the fire and silently shook his head.

“Well then… Should we go look for some wild fruits to eat?” After a moment of silence, Tang Bin suggested.

“I’ve heard that you shouldn’t eat wild fruits you don’t recognize,” Zhao Xiaoguang, who was used to bullying him, immediately shot down Tang Bin’s idea with a tone full of sarcasm. “Don’t you know? Many of them are poisonous, and we don’t even know what they are.”

“But…” Tang Bin tried to speak again, but Cheng Hongyi suddenly interrupted him sharply:

“We have to try looking for something.”

He was affirming Tang Bin’s suggestion.

As soon as Cheng Hongyi spoke, Zhao Xiaoguang had no words left. After all, if it weren’t for Cheng Hongyi, the group would still be stuck in the weeds and puddles below. Without realizing it, everyone, including Lao Diao, started to take what Cheng Hongyi said seriously.

“It’s dark now. We can’t scatter too much. How about a few people go look for food, and a few stay here to watch the fire?” Lao Diao proposed.

“Okay.” Cheng Hongyi nodded. In the end, the group was split: Tang Bin, Cheng Hongyi, Lao Diao, and one of his lackeys went to search for food, while the rest stayed by the fire.

Tang Bin volunteered to follow Cheng Hongyi, and Lao Diao, not trusting Cheng Hongyi, insisted on keeping an eye on him. Thus, the group was formed.

However, as Cheng Hongyi had said earlier, the group made a circle around the mountainside, and there wasn’t a single fruit to be found—there weren’t even any insects.

They returned empty-handed.

Those who had stayed behind, hoping for food to be brought back, showed disappointed expressions.

Huang Xiaomeng, more distraught than anyone, cried out, “What the hell is this place?! I want to go home! Let me go home now!”

She screamed in despair, but there wasn’t even an echo. It was as silent as when they had come through here.

“Riiing riiing riiing…” Suddenly, the silence was broken by a sharp electronic sound that echoed across the mountains.

The electronic sound repeated the familiar “riiing riiing” tone, like the old-fashioned landline phone ring. In this vast, pitch-black mountain, the sound was eerie at first.

But…

“It’s a phone! This must be a prank! Or some kind of reality show! I knew it!” Huang Xiaomeng excitedly screamed, and everyone perked up, jumping to their feet and searching for the source of the sound.

However, Tang Bin noticed Cheng Hongyi glance at his wristwatch, and his handsome brows furrowed slightly.

Tang Bin immediately had a bad feeling.

As the group eagerly searched for the source of the sound, the device that was emitting the ringtone was quickly found.

It was an old-style flip phone, very much like the cheap Nokia models that used to sell for 99 yuan, the kind that even elderly people no longer used.

It was hidden in a pile of grass not far from where they had started the fire. Strangely enough, when they were gathering firewood earlier, no one had noticed this phone, which clearly wasn’t a natural object.

The phone was now in Lao Diao’s hand. Without a word, he pressed the green answer button.

The “riiing riiing” sound abruptly stopped.

In its place was a hissing sound, like electricity running through wires.

“Hello?” Lao Diao tried to speak into the receiver. “Can you hear me? Who are you? Is anyone there?”

There was no response on the other end, as if the signal was still connecting. Huang Xiaomeng, eager to get help, shouted into the phone, “Hello! Help! We’re trapped here! Is there anyone who can come get us…?”

The hissing sound continued, but there was still no response.

Lao Diao, now a little anxious, turned to Cheng Hongyi and asked, “Is there no signal here? Should we…?”

“Hello, students from XX School,” a voice suddenly crackled through the phone. The moment the voice spoke, everyone froze in shock.

…Whether Lao Diao had accidentally turned on the speakerphone or if it was due to the poor quality of the phone, the eerie silence around them made it so everyone could hear the voice clearly.

The voice was hoarse and rough, like nails scraping against metal, and it was unbearably grating.

Before anyone could comment on the unpleasant sound, the voice continued, “Welcome to the Survival Game World.”

“Survival game? What’s that?” Lao Diao asked.

There was no intention to answer him. The harsh voice continued, “Now, here is the first survival task: Go to the small cabin at the top of the mountain and stay there. Try to gather as much wood as possible and shave it down to the required size. Time limit: 3 days. Good luck.”

“What the hell?”

“What is he saying?”

“…We don’t want to play any game! I just want to know how we can get out of here!” The group shouted into the phone, but there was no response on the other end.

Three seconds later, there was a “click,” and the phone was abruptly hung up.

“Hello, hello, hello!” The group shouted anxiously, and Lao Diao hurriedly checked the incoming call number, but the phone showed no incoming call.

He tried dialing out, both his home number and his parents’ numbers, but no matter the number, whether with or without the area code, the phone always mechanically told him: “Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is out of service area.”

Others also tried calling, but the response was the same.

“What’s going on? Is there signal here or not? There’s no way everyone could have their phones turned off or set to block calls, right?” Zhao Xiaoguang, who had been trying various numbers, was getting anxious.

“Maybe… the ones out of service are us,” Cheng Hongyi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “Perhaps… we’re no longer in the same world as they are.”

—

“You… please don’t scare me…” The girl who was with Huang Xiaomeng was obviously terrified. She had been trembling from the start of the journey, as if she were about to be scared out of her wits, and was speaking less and less.

“It was the voice on the other end. It said we are in a world called ‘Survival Game,‘” Cheng Hongyi added.

It was only then that everyone remembered the ominous voice had indeed mentioned the “Survival Game World.” And “Welcome to the Survival World” didn’t sound off, but why had they emphasized the word “world“?

“The most reasonable assumption is that we’ve been transported to another dimension, that’s all. This can be explained by many scientific phenomena. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Cheng Hongyi said.

When Cheng Hongyi said this, the others felt a little less uneasy. Tang Bin asked, “So, what should we do now?”

The moment the eerie voice had sounded earlier, Tang Bin had already called out to 3376 in his mind.

He couldn’t help but overreact, it was just… why did this world feel so different from the mission name that 3376 had given him?

“My Overbearing Campus Heartthrob Husband” or whatever… it really sounded like a campus novel.

The starting scene in this world was also a school, but now… something felt off?

After a brief silence, 3376 finally replied: 【This is a one-star world. Besides the basic information about the male lead, everything else is unknown and uncontrollable for the system. The host can explore the world on their own.】

A very official answer.

So Tang Bin had no more words to say.

In fact, he should be the most rational and unafraid person in this situation.

Because, for Tang Bin, he was just here to complete a task. Whether this world was good or bad had nothing to do with him.

Moreover, he had already gotten used to the experience of being transported to another world.

The current situation didn’t feel much different from when he was transported to do a task, except… the voice that issued the task sounded even colder and more unpleasant than 3376’s…

Of course, speaking of being calm and rational, there was one person who was equally composed.

Cheng Hongyi said, “According to the phone, let’s go up the mountain.”

“What if it’s a trap?” Lao Diao was the first to express doubt.

Cheng Hongyi glanced at him and said bluntly, “If they wanted to set a trap, we’d already be dead.”

With that, he turned to head up the mountain, and Tang Bin naturally followed.

But this time, Lao Diao didn’t move.

“Speaking of which…” Lao Diao pulled out his spring-loaded knife and pointed it at Cheng Hongyi. “Where did this phone come from? Why didn’t anyone see it when we were picking up branches earlier?”

“What are you talking about, Lao Diao?” Huang Xiaomeng, startled by the sight of the knife, asked in confusion.

Lao Diao fixed a hostile gaze on Cheng Hongyi and said, “I suspect someone took advantage of our distraction and threw it into the grass pile.”