Ao Qingxue, controlling Langzhu, entered the gate as usual.

During her absence, players who had reached the third act had already figured out how to obtain the [Diary Fragment 2].

It still required using the [Lin Xiaomei’s Doll] to time travel to the space ten years ago, and then running to the small woods at 12 o’clock at night to dig up the soil, which could find the second half of the diary.

Following the strategy, Ao Qingxue quickly dug up the diary.

It was stained with dust, soaked with rain, and smelled of earth. She joked, “Who in their right mind just throws diaries around?”

In the past ten days, the contents of the diary had been studied over and over by players. Most of it was meaningless daily life of romance, with only a few points worth noting.

2124/3/10

It hasn’t appeared in a long time.

I went to the school doctor, and the school doctor said that it might be because I was under too much pressure and had mental problems, seeing hallucinations. In fact, it doesn’t exist.

Am I really sick?

Maybe.

But I’ve been able to see those scary things since I was little, am I under pressure since I was little?

Mom doesn’t believe me, and neither does Dad. No one is like me.

After being with Ah Huai, I always feel good, and I haven’t seen it again.

…Maybe I really was sick before.

2124/3/25

I think it knows I can see it.

That night, I made eye contact with it. Although I quickly controlled myself to pretend to yawn and went back to sleep, waiting until it left, I think it still noticed.

It doesn’t matter, I’m about to graduate and leave here forever.

I really hope to be with Ah Huai forever.

Ao Qingxue realized that the “that night” Lang Tingyao mentioned was the one Lu Zibing dreamed of.

So that’s how she dealt with it then…

Ao Qingxue couldn’t help but admire her. Lang Tingyao could actually pretend to sleep under the ghost’s nose.

She considered herself brave, but if it were her, she probably wouldn’t have reacted much better than Lu Zibing.

【Lang Tingyao’s setting should be similar to a “superpower user,” who can see ghosts and other supernatural beings, also known as having “yin-yang eyes” in ancient books.】

【That’s right, she said she was scared in Building 18, she must have seen something scary. And then this thing steals items.】

【In the line that Lu Zibing played, the one that broke into the dormitory on a rainy night was “that thing,” is it Lin Huailu? Just thinking about it gives me the creeps, only she can see it, and everyone around her is oblivious…】

Ao Qingxue: “I think… she was targeted by the ghost for this reason.”

Logically, such an ability would definitely be a tonic for supernatural beings.

The last entry in the diary was at the end of March.

2124/3/29

Ah Huai asked me to make a wish on the roof tomorrow.

We can definitely get into the same university, right?

“It’s a bit sad to see this…” Ao Qingxue said softly.

Lang Tingyao’s birthday was March 30th, and judging from all the signs, the day she fell from the building should also be March 30th, her birthday.

The girl went to the roof to make a wish with her boyfriend, full of hope, but got an irreversible end.

【Right, I was sad when I saw this too.】

【Director Shang is simply a romance deterrent! So far, the only HE couple is the CP mutual affection illness.】

【After playing this, I don’t expect beautiful campus romance anymore…】

Ao Qingxue sighed and put away the diary.

She came early to dig up the soil, and now she had to go back to class. Ao Qingxue was very uneasy, not knowing how to face Lin Huailu.

The viewers also didn’t know what would happen next. Although other players had found the notebook, Ao Qingxue was still ahead in the main storyline, which might trigger scenes that others hadn’t reached.

But when she got to the office, she didn’t see Lin Huailu.

“Today? Teacher Lin took a leave today, I’ll be teaching his Chinese class.”

The teacher from the next class said.

Ao Qingxue was caught off guard, blankly: “Huh?”

Lin Xiaomei also took a leave, calling to say she had a cold, and telling Teacher Lang to be careful, the weather wasn’t good lately, and to bring her doll for good luck.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Ao Qingxue felt she was hinting at something.

She followed her advice and tied the doll tightly to Langzhu.

The second class in the morning was Langzhu’s math class.

Ao Qingxue clearly felt that the students in the class were easier to manage today than usual.

No one was whispering, no one was passing notes, and no one was interrupting Langzhu. Everyone was listening attentively, and the game didn’t prompt her to maintain class order.

【Did the students change their personalities in the third act?】

【Why didn’t I get such good treatment? I’m kind of touched, the developers are finally being nice.】

【Finally, it’s not a homeroom teacher simulator!】

Ao Qingxue was a little unaccustomed. When the bell rang, she announced: “Class dismissed!”

Usually, the students would have rushed out like monkeys. But today, her words were like a stone thrown into the abyss, without any response.

The students in the audience still held their hands, sitting upright, staring at her.

Ao Qingxue was uncomfortable being stared at, and looked back, everything was normal.

—The focus of those gazes was on her, moving with her.

【?…】

【This is a bad omen!】

【What’s going on, they’re not moving, it’s scary.】

“Ha…”

Suddenly, a laugh came from the audience.

Someone laughed first, and the female voice said crisply, “Building 18!”

Then, the laughter seemed to be contagious, and the students laughed one after another, still sitting in their seats, but shaking their heads, repeating cheerfully: “Building 18! Building 18!”

“What the hell?!” Ao Qingxue took a step back, her scalp tingling. She had never thought that such a simple and ordinary scene could become eerie, as if these children had suddenly turned from humans into unknown monsters.

When did the change start?

She was just teaching!

【Holy crap!】

【I knew the developers wouldn’t be nice so easily!】

【What is it? Are they possessed?】

Creak, creak, the students’ movements became more and more exaggerated, shaking the chairs under them!

Ao Qingxue couldn’t bear it any longer and ran away.

The sound of chairs moving rang out, and the students came out. In the corridor, the students from the neighboring classes were also looking up at her.

The same smile, the same cheerfulness.

Even the Chinese teacher who said he would fill in for Lin Huailu looked at her, holding a file, with a big smile: “Building 18!”

“Haha! Building 18!”

“Building 18! Hahaha, Building 18!”

“Hahahaha, hahahaha!”

“Eighteen…”

The corridor was filled with chanting and laughter. They didn’t deliberately block the way, but just came forward.

Langzhu had difficulty moving forward, from running to walking, and finally had to push through the crowd to move forward.

The teachers and students crowded together, all with the same smile, even the number of teeth showing and the curve of the smile were standard as if they were carved out.

【This is too mentally polluting, I feel like I’m going to be infected too! Why are they all chanting Building 18?】

【It must be Lin Huailu, he wants to force the female lead to Building 18!】

【No matter what he is, Building 18 is definitely his home field!】

Ao Qingxue was glad she chose the follow mode, just following Langzhu, otherwise, in experience mode, she would have to walk through this crazy crowd.

However, Langzhu’s movements gradually slowed down, surrounded by the crowd, unable to squeeze to the stairs.

She even started to show symptoms of laughter, blurting out: “Ten…”

Before she finished, she realized what she was doing, her face changed drastically, and she bit her tongue.

【Help, is this really contagious?】

【In experience mode, the player would realize they’re out of control, how scary!】

【Developers, have a conscience!】

At this moment, Ao Qingxue suddenly saw a figure at the staircase at the end of the corridor.

It was the girl with the reversed head and body!

She was still carrying the red schoolbag, seemingly slowly looking up at Langzhu, but her face was still shrouded in shadow.

The crowd suddenly fell silent, the teachers and students frozen like mannequins. Ao Qingxue seized the opportunity and controlled Langzhu to rush out!

“We definitely have to follow her!”

Ao Qingxue said anxiously, but when the female lead reached the end, the girl had disappeared.

【Ah… is the student ghost helping me?】

【She’s likely Lang Tingyao, the female lead’s daughter, so it’s not surprising she’d help.】

【I never thought we’d have to follow a ghost, curse the dev!】

Everyone on each floor was infected and crazy. Ao Qingxue went down a floor and found the corridor blocked, making it even harder to move. She had to give up the stairs and desperately pressed the elevator button.

1, 2… she had never felt an elevator take so long. When it finally arrived, Ao Qingxue rushed in before the doors were fully open.

The elevator doors slowly closed, almost being forced open by the students.

【Thank goodness!】

【I was so anxious, I almost cried.】

【We’ll have to face a critical hit on the first floor, get ready.】

—If it were players from Shang Jingyan’s previous life, they would be extremely cautious entering the elevator, a hotspot for paranormal events. But players in the interstellar era had no relevant experience and didn’t think anything was wrong.

Ao Qingxue couldn’t help but lean against the wall, taking a deep breath.

The elevator started to descend. This elevator was newly installed in Baishui No. 2 High School last year. Despite being new, it still made shaking noises.

But Ao Qingxue suddenly realized something was wrong.

Was it taking this long to go down four floors?

She looked up at the small display and felt a chill creeping up her spine.

The numbers had already passed 1, showing [-2]!

Building 3 only had four floors, where did the underground floors come from?!

The viewers were also startled by this change:

【Did the elevator time travel?】

【Or is the display broken?】

【Help, where is the streamer now?】

Negative three, negative four… negative five, negative six… negative ten…

The red electronic numbers kept changing, and the elevator kept descending, seemingly without end.

The chat was in chaos, and Ao Qingxue murmured, “I think I know which floor it’s going to stop at.”

She remembered the information she had researched—

In ancient books, people believed the afterlife had eighteen levels of hell.

Sure enough, when the elevator finally stopped, the number on the display was [-18].

【I’m about to cry, I definitely wouldn’t dare to go down QAQ】

【What’s outside? Will there be a ghost face when the doors open?】

【So scary, is it really the eighteen levels of hell? [Crying]】

“Ding—”

The elevator doors opened, revealing darkness and the sound of dripping water. Ao Qingxue took a few deep breaths and stepped out.

Unlike the scary scene she imagined, the area outside the elevator was open-air, like the ground floor of a building.

It was still morning in the classroom, but here it was night, raining, and cold. Langzhu’s clothes were quickly soaked.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ao Qingxue saw the surroundings.

The stone bricks on the ground were neatly arranged, and the trees in the flowerbeds indicated it was winter.

“Boom!—”

Lightning flashed, followed by thunder. In the blinding white light, Ao Qingxue looked up and saw a bright red “18” on the building’s wall.

The number was new, not old or faded. This was Building 18 from ten years ago!

Ao Qingxue was stunned and turned to reopen the elevator—but the doors had disappeared.

Behind her was only empty darkness.

【It’s definitely Lin Huailu, he’s resorting to force, pulling the streamer into his home turf!】

【Being alone in a school at night is so scary. Since I started playing this game, I have to find someone to accompany me during evening self-study.】

【The immersion is so strong, I’m already shaking [crying].】

The chat was terrified, unanimously concluding that Lin Huailu had forcibly pulled her over.

Ao Qingxue bravely walked into the corridor. The corridor on the first floor of Building 18 was completely enclosed and pitch black. She groped around for a long time but couldn’t find the light switch. She had to use the lightning flashes to guide her, slowly walking along the wall: “I wonder how the monster will deal with players…”

Before she finished, a viewer said: 【Holy crap, streamer, look up at the window over there!】

A lightning flash revealed a long, thin shadow reflected on the windows at the end of the corridor.

Ao Qingxue froze, breaking out in a cold sweat, and quickly backed away.

The lightning was fleeting, and it was soon too dark to see anything, but the viewers were screaming.

【What is that thing?!】

【A long, thin neck, it’s definitely the monster!】

【Streamer, run!】

Another lightning flash revealed the shadow again, but this time, it was two windows closer.

Like a bad slideshow, it got closer with each flash.

The viewers were frantically spamming protective messages, and Ao Qingxue, not daring to look away, quickly retreated to the stairs.

Based on her experience, the direction of escape when being chased by a ghost was usually the right direction.

During the last lightning flash, the ghost shadow was only one window away.

But when the light flashed again, the ghost shadow had disappeared.

Huh?

Ao Qingxue felt something and suddenly lunged forward and turned around. Sure enough, a pale face was close, almost touching her shoulder!

The faceless ghost stood on the stairs, blocking her way up.

Ao Qingxue didn’t have time to look at the light screen on her wrist, but the viewers were saying what she was thinking:

【Holy crap! Forward is no good, backward is no good, I’m going to break down!—Dev, where do we go?!】

–

Blue River Moon.

Sister Cui startled Shang Jingyan and Luo Zhiyu, and said triumphantly, “Surprised?”

Luo Zhiyu was completely stunned, then remembered that she had just tried to teach Sister Cui, and her face turned red: “You, you… are Yun?!”

Sister Cui exhaled smoke and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a property ownership certificate: “Here, I’m also the owner of Sauvignon now.”

Shang Jingyan: “…”

She had never seen anyone pull out a property ownership certificate as casually as a napkin.

The certificate showed Sister Cui’s real name was Cui Yunting, a rather elegant name, but its owner was so unrestrained.

She was about to ask more when she sneezed, feeling the mental energy of the online GM being triggered.

Shang Jingyan: I’m used to it, it’s probably the players cursing me again.

Judging by the progress, someone should have entered Building 18 by now, no wonder they were cursing her.

“Is it true that you have connections with space pirates?” she asked curiously.

Sister Cui: “Oh, that’s just rumors—it’s just that my mom was the leader of the Exiled Star System’s space pirates, and I took over for a while when I was young.”

“You’re amazing,” Shang Jingyan said, speechless. The rumors in the Exiled Star System were true: the old lady selling fried dough sticks downstairs could be a former gang leader.

Sister Cui was only in her forties, still young by interstellar standards, but her life experience was so rich.

No wonder she was so enthusiastic about retirement life, leaning towards the life of a seventy or eighty-year-old lady. She had already seen legends and was desensitized to dramatic events.

Luo Zhiyu couldn’t hide her excitement and asked Sister Cui for an autograph. Sister Cui wrote in a flourish:

The younger generation is formidable, the future is promising.

—Gifted by Yun Sharpshooter

Then, no matter how the target robot changed modes, running, jumping, or flying, Sister Cui hit every shot, showing she was still skilled.

Shang Jingyan was a bit behind Luo Zhiyu, as a beginner, she mostly hit stationary targets.

She posted photos on her social media, lamenting the difficulty of shooting, and instantly got a lot of likes and comments.

Pei Yi even messaged her privately: 【Are you at Sauvignon Club? What a coincidence, I’m also on Blue River Moon with my family for the Star Festival.】

He sent a photo of desserts, 【Just made. Want me to bring you some? [Rabbit Cheeks]】

Shang Jingyan was tempted by the cakes and said: 【Don’t bring them, I’ll come get them tonight.】

He sent a [Rabbit OK], and Shang Jingyan closed the chat.

While Luo Zhiyu took a break to buy water, Sister Cui looked at Shang Jingyan: “You have something to ask me, don’t you?”

She squatted by the grass and offered Shang Jingyan a nicotine-free mint cigarette.

“Yes, I want to…” Shang Jingyan paused, then said the name directly instead of “mother,” “I want to ask about Shang Song, I saw her name on the honor wall.”

She was an orphan in her previous life, living well into her thirties, an age where she theoretically could have been a mother.

But at this moment, Shang Jingyan realized that she still had expectations and fantasies about “her” mother. Even though it was the original owner’s mother, not hers.

“Your mother and I didn’t join the club at the same time. I hadn’t met her when I was a sharpshooter.”

Sister Cui pointed to the dates on the awards.

“After she came to the Exiled Star System, I saw her being listless all day, so I recommended the club I used to play at, as something to do. I had already retired the ‘Yun’ alias by then.”

Shang Jingyan listened intently, the cigarette between her fingers unlit.

From Sister Cui’s words, it could be inferred that she and Shang Song had known each other for a long time, but hadn’t met. What kind of interaction would cause this? …Online friends?

Unfortunately, Sister Cui didn’t seem inclined to elaborate.

“But she wasn’t interested. After learning how to use all types of guns, she left the club and didn’t have any intention of winning higher awards.”

Sister Cui’s expression was a bit complicated. “…I don’t know if that recommendation had any positive impact on her life. Your mother met your biological father at the club. They were in love for a while, but it wasn’t meant to be. Shang Song wasn’t interested in being with anyone long-term and rejected his proposal. But she wanted a child, so she had you.”

“I looked into your father. He was just an ordinary person, a bit handsome. He was destined not to keep someone like Shang Song, just a passerby in her life.”

This was the first time Shang Jingyan had heard about the original owner’s father, but she didn’t care much, as she had never met him and he was clearly just a tool for Shang Song.

But she had seen Shang Song in the original owner’s memories and could clearly feel the emotions left by the original owner.

Shang Song “wanted a child,” but how much did she “want” one?

Probably not much, at least that’s what the original owner thought. She had been resentful about it since childhood.

Shang Jingyan couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy. Her emotions and memories seemed to be getting harder and harder to separate from the original owner’s.

Sister Cui didn’t know how to comfort her and said awkwardly, “Don’t think too much.”

“Jingyan!” Luo Zhiyu’s voice interrupted their discussion from afar.

Shang Jingyan turned around and was surprised to see Luo Zhiyu with someone behind her: Noel.

Noel, in the warm weather of Blue River Moon, was meticulously wearing a full suit, collar buttoned to the top, with a patterned tie, like a flamboyant peacock.

Luo Zhiyu looked speechless and said, “He saw the pictures I posted on my social media yesterday and followed me here. When he saw me, he asked if you were with me and insisted on finding you with me.”

Noel immediately said, “My original words were, ‘I saw the location you posted and remembered that the clubs on Blue River Moon are great for vacation. It just so happens that I was also deciding where to go for the Star Festival, so I decided on here.’ I didn’t come specifically to find you and Miss Shang.”

However, his attire made his words particularly unconvincing.

Sister Cui put on a “watching a show” expression: “Oh, so much talk, isn’t he just chasing a girl?”

Shang Jingyan: “…”

Hadn’t the “turtle soup” scared this person away yet?

–

【Streamer, congratulations, after working alone for ten days, you’ve finally caught up with Azure Snow’s progress.】

In Lu Zibing’s livestream, the viewers teased his progress.

The so-called “choices change fate,” because he didn’t trust Lin Xiaomei when he was locked in the bathroom, Lu Zibing didn’t get the charm from Xiaomei.

To make up for the lost goodwill, he had to build up his presence for a long time to catch up.

His branching development was completely different from Ao Qingxue’s, but at this moment, they unexpectedly overlapped—after opening the office door at the end of the day, Lu Zibing time traveled to Building 18 from ten years ago.

【Unbelievable, I’m watching both livestreams, and this time, it’s actually less scary here with Abing. Azure Snow encountered crazy teachers and students, it’s terrifying.】

【Is it possible that’s because the monster didn’t have time to arrange it? Did you forget, the streamer left class early! He told the students to study by themselves.】

【Hahahaha ghost: Why aren’t you following the normal teacher’s routine? I have to force you to time travel by opening the door!】

“Why bother teaching properly in a game? I’m not here to take a teaching certificate!” Lu Zibing said righteously in the rain.

Unlike Ao Qingxue, he time traveled to the top floor of Building 18, the eighteenth floor.

This floor was the school history exhibition hall, usually closed to the public.

The long corridor was clean and tidy, but still looked eerie in the dim light.

The tile floor was spotless, reflecting light. The walls on both sides of the corridor were hung with photos of famous alumni, all with bright red backgrounds, flashing in the lightning.

Outside, there was also thunder and lightning. Lu Zibing, having become much braver, strode down the corridor, planning to go downstairs.

But…

“Why do I keep feeling something’s wrong?” he muttered, puzzled.

Lu Zibing suddenly stopped.

He knew what was wrong.

—The eyes of the people in the photos on both walls were all following his movements!