Chapter 80: Death Class 7 (Part 4)

Edit: I’ve split the names with only two characters (i.e. Liu Ya, Lin Xue, Zhang Zhu, etc.). Also fixed the title.

---

Zuo Tiantian happened to overhear their conversation as she approached. She froze before asking, “Is she also in Class 3-7? Could she have transferred in?”

There had only been three empty seats in the classroom earlier. After Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu had taken theirs, they confirmed they sat in the right seats. Logically, the remaining empty seat should have been Luo Zihao’s.

Xiao Muyu immediately turned around, peering into the classroom through the window. She watched as the girl confidently walked over to Liu Ya and sat in the empty seat beside her.

A smile instantly blossomed on Liu Ya’s previously expressionless, wooden face. Her eyes sparkled, staring at the girl. She seemed like a different person.

“They know each other,” Xiao Muyu murmured. So, Zuo Tiantian’s earlier assumption was out.

“That’s her seat,” Shen Qingqiu said, furrowing her brows as she scanned the classroom. The girl had taken the seat without hesitation, and no one in the room found it unusual.

“Lin Xue, you’re finally back,” said the girl whose seat was behind Xiao Muyu’s. “I thought something happened to you, too.” Her words seemed caring, but the vague tone twisted them into ridicule.

Liu Ya turned to look at the speaker. The light that had filled those eyes seconds ago dimmed.

Even Xiao Muyu felt a chill in her heart watching her. How could a teenager’s gaze carry such intense hostility?

The three of them exchanged looks before continuing down the hallway.

“Luo Zihao only jumped a few hours ago,” Xiao Muyu said once they reached the restroom at the end. “They shouldn’t have cleared his desk and chair so quickly. And there’s no vacant spot in the classroom either. The girl, Lin Xue, sat down so naturally. Based on the reactions of the others, it looks like that was her seat. But what happened to Luo Zihao’s seat?”

Zuo Tiantian, also confused, followed up on her reasoning. “When I entered the instance, I was sitting in the classroom. Luo Zihao hadn’t jumped yet at the time. The classroom—” She paused. Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall. “I don’t remember how many seats were vacant. But no one moved the desks or chairs out of the way.”

Xiao Muyu fell silent, frowning slightly in deep thought.

Zuo Tiantian still had something to say. Shen Qingqiu raised her hand, telling her to hold it. Then, she silently watched Xiao Muyu.

Unfortunately, the bell rang shortly after.

Xiao Muyu took a deep breath and murmured, “Our roles both support and hinder our investigation for the truth.”

Shen Qingqiu understood what she meant. Students were required to attend classes. The system had even warned Zuo Tiantian once for skipping class.

Despite that, Shen Qingqiu smiled, leaning closer to Xiao Muyu. “But I’m an ignorant and incompetent delinquent.” She winked. “Skipping class should be justifiable for me. We have two classes this afternoon and evening self-study. If we stay in the classroom the whole time, we’ll have to rely on Chen Kaijie and Su Jin to clear the instance for us.”

Su Jin was a teacher. While she had more freedom than them, she had to teach classes. Chen Kaijie had to act according to police orders, so he wasn’t that free, either. Letting Shen Qingqiu skip class was their best solution.

After silently considering all this, Xiao Muyu nodded. “Okay.”

“Finally.” Shen Qingqiu stretched lazily and frowned. “I don’t have to sit in the classroom and listen to lectures anymore. It’s been ten years since I graduated high school. I have no desire to revisit that time. You guys continue with your classes. I’m heading out.”

She waved at Xiao Muyu, walking backward with a smile.

As she turned around, Xiao Muyu tossed a card her way. Shen Qingqiu steadily caught it. She looked at it, then turned around in surprise.

“Keep it with you,” Xiao Muyu said. “Contact me immediately if anything happens.” The “Loving Family” card could not reach them if they got more than a kilometer away from Chen Kaijie. The others staying in the classroom wouldn’t face any immediate danger. But it was different for Shen Qingqiu. Who knew what might happen to her?

Shen Qingqiu didn’t refuse. She nodded and was about to leave when a warning came from behind her.

“Be careful.”

Shen Qingqiu looked back. However, Xiao Muyu quickly walked away without a glance at her. Shen Qingqiu felt like she had imagined those words.

“So stiff,” she muttered to herself. “When can you speak gently with me?” As if thinking of something, a chuckle escaped her lips. The rebelliousness and indifference in her gray eyes softened.

But as she recalled what she needed to do, Shen Qingqiu’s expression grew serious. She didn’t need to worry about Class 3-7 with Xiao Muyu there.

As she experienced high school again, Xiao Muyu realized how busy students were. Excluding mealtimes, they spent nearly all their time in the school buildings. Evening self-study lasted until ten o’clock, leaving almost no free time.

During this period, Xiao Muyu had a few simple conversations with her classmates, especially the girl sitting behind her. She learned her name was Huang Meng.

Xiao Muyu finally grasped a tiny clue through Huang Meng. She now understood why everyone was so weird about Luo Zihao jumping from the building.

It wasn’t the first time something had happened to a Class 3-7 student. Three students from the class, including Luo Zihao, had died since the start of this semester.

A rumor had circulated in Yuanning High: Class 7 was cursed. In other words, any student in Class 7 could meet with misfortune at any time. Luo Zihao’s death had added another layer of dread to the curse.

Xiao Muyu would’ve asked more if everyone wasn’t so tight-lipped about the matter. Strangely, they also didn’t know why a desk and chair had disappeared.

Xiao Muyu still hadn’t seen Shen Qingqiu when dinner time rolled around. Chen Kaijie’s “Loving Family” card had also lost its effect.

While Zuo Tiantian ate, she noticed Xiao Muyu seemed distracted. Unable to hold back, she asked, “Ms. Shen still hasn’t contacted you?”

Xiao Muyu gave a quiet “Mm” in response. She continued eating with her head down, seemingly unconcerned.

“This is supposed to be a supernatural instance,” said Zuo Tiantian. “But so far, apart from that rumor, I haven’t felt any creepy atmosphere or encountered anything paranormal. It’s making me uneasy.”

She had been tense the whole time. Level A instances felt different from Level B ones. Their setting was far too realistic.

Xiao Muyu took a bite of food, then paused after hearing this. “When Luo Zihao fell,” she said as she lifted her gaze, “I saw a ghost woman in red. Also, a desk and chair have vanished into thin air. Isn’t that supernatural enough?”

Zuo Tiantian choked. In truth, she had only wanted to point out whether Shen Qingqiu might be in danger while acting alone. Yet, this person refused to admit her evident concern.

Zuo Tiantian also found class boring. She wasn’t classmates with these students. She hadn’t interacted with them much aside from the occasional small talk. Most of the time, Zuo Tiantian just observed her surroundings. That was how she noticed Xiao Muyu looking outside more than once. Xiao Muyu couldn’t possibly be anticipating Su Jin’s Chinese class. Only Zuo Tiantian would be looking forward to that.

“Miss Shen won’t run into any trouble, right?” Zuo Tiantian couldn’t help but ask.

Xiao Muyu held her chopsticks, looked up at her, and said flatly, “Haven’t you seen her skills? If some clueless ghost dares to mess with her, it’s hard to say who’ll end up in trouble.”

Zuo Tiantian laughed. “That’s true. I’ve met over a dozen players in instances. Some were skilled. But I’ve never seen anyone as clever and composed as you or as… tough as Miss Shen.”

Ghosts might scare other people to tears. Shen Qingqiu, however, could make ghosts cry instead. Zuo Tiantian remembered how Shen Qingqiu killed ghosts as easily as slicing vegetables to this day.

“Still, I’m more worried these ghosts will become harder to deal with further down the road,” Zuo Tiantian voiced her concern while chewing her food. “Can brute force alone solve everything?”

Xiao Muyu’s movements promptly slowed. She put down her chopsticks. “I’m done eating. I’ll go search for other clues.”

Zuo Tiantian blankly watched Xiao Muyu pick up her tray and walk away. She lowered her head, hurriedly eating a few more bites. It was such a rare treat to have normal food in an instance. She couldn’t waste it.

Self-study that evening featured physics and Chinese. At nine, the Chinese self-study began. Shen Qingqiu remained nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Su Jin entered the classroom with seriousness, holding a stack of test papers. She glanced at Zuo Tiantian and Xiao Muyu, briefly exchanging meaningful looks with them.

There was no way they would do the test. When Su Jin walked around the classroom, she noticed a single sentence in Xiao Muyu’s essay section.

[Have you seen Shen Qingqiu?]

Su Jin subtly nodded at her. She pulled out a pen and wrote a response.

Xiao Muyu pursed her lips tightly after reading it. Her fingers curled into a fist.

Su Jin lightly patted her clenched hand in reassurance.

One hour felt unbearably long. When the bell finally rang, the students, quietly keeping their heads down, looked up at once. On their faces was that same unmistakable look of fear.

It was like the bell wasn’t signaling a break but a death knell.

It was no exaggeration to say that some students’ faces paled when the bell rang.

Xiao Muyu observed for a moment. Liu Ya and Lin Xue looked relatively calm. However, Zhang Zhu, who sat behind them, handed in his paper with a cold expression. He kicked his chair aside, then sneered at his visibly panicked classmates.

“Just a bit of ghostly nonsense, and you’re all scared stiff. Pathetic.”

He glanced at Liu Ya. With a derisive smirk, he walked out of the room. His abrupt comment rendered the entire class into absolute silence. The students handing in their papers froze in place.

Standing at the podium, Su Jin watched Zhang Zhu leave before urging the students to hand in their papers. The class submitted their work in a daze.

The situation was becoming increasingly baffling. Why were the teachers, the school, and the parents indifferent if the class was cursed?

But Xiao Muyu had no time to dwell on this. Su Jin had just informed her that Shen Qingqiu had been injured.

The “Loving Family” card hadn’t been activated. Was Shen Qingqiu’s injury so serious that she couldn’t even reach out to her?

Taking her test paper, Xiao Muyu, Zuo Tiantian, and Su Jin hurried toward the teacher’s apartments.

Under the dim campus streetlights, Class 7 students walked in small groups down the narrow path to the dormitories.

Xiao Muyu turned back to glance at them. There were dozens of classes in the three school buildings. All the dormitories stood in the same area. There were three routes leading to the dorms. Yet, as if bound by some unspoken rule, the students of Class 7 took the narrow cobblestone path on the far left.

That path was long and winding with dim lighting. In contrast, the road to the right was wide, straight, and brightly lit by rows of streetlights.

Watching from a distance, Xiao Muyu felt as if the students of Class 7 were walking along a road leading straight to hell. There was a distinct division between them and the rest of the school.

The scene was unsettling. Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin stared at it speechlessly. A chill ran down their spines.

“Wh- what’s going on?” Zuo Tiantian spoke, then suddenly had a thought. She gasped. “Could… could Class 7 be a ghost class?”

It would make sense why no one cared about what happened if the students in the class didn’t exist.

“Not likely.” Xiao Muyu’s eyes darkened with an unreadable expression. “The students in Class 7 didn’t appear any different until Luo Zihao jumped. Chen Kaijie has also investigated this. He would have noticed if the two of us were ghosts. But the curse… that’s probably real.”

Zuo Tiantian did realize her words made no sense as soon as they came out. She had been too shocked.

Xiao Muyu turned her head away. She quickened her pace.

Class 7… If those students were all living humans, her team was probably no different from them. In this instance, they were lambs waiting to be slaughtered.