Chapter 81: Death Class 7 (Part 5)

Yuanning High required students to live on campus. Since teachers had to supervise evening self-study and dorm inspections, they also had dormitories. Su Jin was no exception.

Xiao Muyu walked much faster than usual on the way there. She would have already gone ahead if she knew the exact location.

“How is she?” she asked Su Jin as they walked. “What happened?”

Su Jin knew the two’s relationship was far from ordinary. So, she didn’t skimp on the details. “I’m not entirely sure. She suddenly came looking for me about half an hour ago. Her complexion didn’t look too good. I sensed something was wrong and brought her to my room. Once we got inside, she couldn’t hold on any longer.”

Xiao Muyu’s breath hitched. “What happened to her?” she pressed.

“I’m not sure what hurt her.” Su Jin’s face turned pale, recalling when she checked Shen Qingqiu’s wound. “She had a huge gash across her abdomen. Blood had soaked through her clothes.”

She couldn’t imagine how Shen Qingqiu endured it.

The teachers’ quarters weren’t far. With Xiao Muyu’s quick pace, they soon reached the second floor.

Su Jin’s room door was closed, but light shone through the gap underneath.

Xiao Muyu let out a breath. She raised her hand and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” A soft voice came from inside, muffled slightly by the door.

“It’s me. Xiao Muyu.”

The door opened with a click.

Xiao Muyu immediately lowered her gaze to Shen Qingqiu’s abdomen. She scanned it before looking up at her face.

Her complexion was indeed bad. She appeared paler under the light, her lips dry and peeling. She had changed into a plain white T-shirt. The long black hair that had replaced her original chestnut curls hung loosely.

Ignoring those eyes, which didn’t match her youthful appearance, she looked like a high school girl.

But Xiao Muyu wasn’t in the mood to appreciate these details. She smelled blood.

“What happened?” Her voice wasn’t gentle. Yet, her hand reached out to support Shen Qingqiu.

Already burdened by the pain from her wound, Shen Qingqiu leaned against Xiao Muyu. She took a deep breath before speaking in a lazy, casual tone. “I was looking around the school and ran into something foul. Its strength surprised me, so I got scratched. It’s just a flesh wound. No big deal.”

Xiao Muyu disliked this side of Shen Qingqiu. She always downplayed her injuries like they were mundane occurrences. Like they didn’t matter and wasn’t a big deal.

Xiao Muyu didn’t bother listening. She lifted Shen Qingqiu’s shirt hem, revealing a section of pale, delicate skin on her waist and abdomen. There was the wound Su Jin had bandaged for her.

The gauze obscured the extent of the wound. However, the blood seeping through was long and plentiful. It was no mere scratch.

Shen Qingqiu hadn’t expected Xiao Muyu to be so direct. The discomfort from her injury slowed her reaction, and Xiao Muyu saw it. She stiffened briefly before teasing, “You shouldn’t be so eager. There are others here.”

Xiao Muyu glared at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be amazing? I let you skip class to gather information, and this is how you end up. You got hurt before the instance even began. What are you planning to do next?”

Anyone else might find her words harsh. But Shen Qingqiu heard the worry and anger underneath. How could someone express their concern in such a strange way?

Shen Qingqiu inwardly shook her head with exasperation. “You’re right,” she said gently with a smile, not the least bit angry. “I was careless. If something happens tonight, I’m afraid I’ll drag you all into it. Still, it’s a good thing that I am amazing. Or else your red string would’ve needed a new partner.”

Xiao Muyu felt her heart tremble. She genuinely disliked having this person sway her emotions. Every move and every word could stir her feelings, preventing rational thought.

And yet, she couldn’t resist or control it.

Xiao Muyu realized she had been too harsh. She held herself back and turned to Su Jin. “Do you have a cup?”

Su Jin had been huddled in the corner with Zuo Tiantian, watching the drama. She quickly responded, “Yes, I’ll get one.”

She fetched a cup, filled it with water, glanced at the two, and handed it to Xiao Muyu.

Xiao Muyu gave her a sharp look. “Her lips are dry.”

Su Jin expressionlessly rotated the cup before passing it to Shen Qingqiu. Of course, she knew the water was for Shen Qingqiu. She just wanted to help the two bosses ease the tension.

Shen Qingqiu, who was thirsty, accepted the cup. She lowered her head, chuckled, then slowly finished the water.

Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin were eager to know about the incident regarding Shen Qingqiu’s injury. Xiao Muyu, however, merely sat quietly to the side. Once Shen Qingqiu had finished her water, her lips less dry, Xiao Muyu finally asked, “What did you encounter?”

Shen Qingqiu set down the cup. Her expression turned serious. “We can’t leave this school.”

“Can’t leave?” Zuo Tiantian was stunned, then quickly shook her head. “But Chen Kaijie can come and go freely.”

Xiao Muyu’s brows knit together. She pressed for clarification. “Is it that you can’t leave or because the timing isn’t right?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes gleamed. She smiled. “You always think so meticulously.”

“Let me put it this way. Chen Kaijie is a player like us but isn’t restricted. So the inability to leave probably has nothing to do with being a player. As for our roles, I’ve seen some students sneaking out to skip class. Nothing happened to them either. But when I tried to go out and gather information after dinner,” Shen Qingqiu’s voice lowered and her expression turned grim, “It appeared.”

Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin both felt their breathing tighten. An involuntary chill ran down their backs. They couldn’t help but feel dread for the “it” Shen Qingqiu mentioned.

Worry filled Su Jin’s eyes. She glanced at Shen Qingqiu, then at Xiao Muyu, but ultimately said nothing.

She hadn’t seen “it” herself. However, she didn’t dare to think how frightening it was when it had injured Shen Qingqiu, who feared nothing.

“Was it the ghost woman in red?” asked Xiao Muyu.

Shen Qingqiu still seemed shocked by what she’d seen. “No, it was a tall, gaunt corpse, like a mummy, but over three meters tall. It looked like a withered tree when it stood up. Its legs and feet were thin and long, like tree branches. It suddenly appeared right in front of me while I was climbing the wall. It’s incredibly fast and stealthy. Its limbs are so long that I couldn’t dodge.” She glanced at Su Jin. “I advise you not to try leaving. We’re still unsure what restrictions there are against that. Running into that thing might have unimaginable consequences.”

Su Jin caught her gaze and nodded subtly.

Xiao Muyu noticed the silent exchange but didn’t say anything. She mulled over Shen Qingqiu’s recount. Something that could elicit such a reaction from her gave Xiao Muyu chills. This instance was not going to end smoothly.

“If the timing allows students to skip classes, it’s probably safe to go out during the day. And besides being a student, you’re also in Class 7.” Xiao Muyu looked at Shen Qingqiu. “This instance has a straightforward name—Death Class 7. We’ve learned that this class is cursed. The teachers and other students seem resigned to their fate. Don’t you find that odd?”

“Right. If Class 7 is cursed, as ordinary people—whether students or parents—their first choice should be to leave the class or the school. If that doesn’t work, they should at least try to escape. Resigning themselves to fate and letting their children meet such tragedies doesn’t make sense. The fact that things are as they are suggests they may have tried, but it didn’t work. Maybe students of Class 7 can’t leave.”

Su Jin presented the most logical explanation, one common in horror scenarios.

“That’s very possible.” Xiao Muyu nodded. “So, as Shen Qingqiu said, don’t attempt to leave the school unless necessary.”

She glanced at Shen Qingqiu’s abdomen again. “Are you really okay?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded. “Su Jin got some medicine from the school infirmary for me. I’ve taken antibiotics, and the wound has been cleaned. It’s fine.”

Xiao Muyu finally stopped asking.

A long silence later, Su Jin hesitantly asked, “Are you heading back to the dorms?”

It would be best if they stuck together after just entering the instance. With Chen Kaijie unable to join them tonight, splitting up in such a perilous environment would be a huge risk.

Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu before speaking. “We’ll all have to bear it for tonight. She’s injured. If we separate again—”

“Warning. Warning. Do not violate character settings. Lights go out at 11 PM. Please return to your dorms immediately!”

The system’s robotic voice cut in before Xiao Muyu could finish her sentence.

Xiao Muyu pressed her lips together, her expression souring. Shen Qingqiu stood up and reassured her. “It’s okay. The two of us happen to live in the same dorm room. I’ll be fine with you keeping me company.”

She then addressed the system. “Nothing in the character settings prohibits a teacher and student from staying together. A teacher favoring a particular student and letting her stay at their place is plausible. After all, a wolf in sheep’s clothing teacher is not unheard of. So, Zuo Tiantian staying here fits the role.”

Su Jin: “……”

Zuo Tiantian: “……”

System: “……”

Shen Qingqiu’s argument stunned even Xiao Muyu. Before she could respond, Shen Qingqiu grabbed her and walked out.

The two left Zuo Tiantian with Su Jin. The system didn’t issue any warnings. It seemed Shen Qingqiu’s argument had defeated its logic.

Ms. Su, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, exchanged glances with Zuo Tiantian. That worked? The air between them turned awkward. They met each other’s gaze but quickly looked away. Su Jin’s cheeks burned. She couldn’t wrap her head around how she’d gotten this character archetype. Still, having Zuo Tiantian stay behind was undeniably a good thing.

The school grounds were deserted as Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu returned to their dorm. Everything was deathly still except for their footsteps. They couldn’t even hear any wind.

The two discovered something upon reaching the three-way split. Only the narrow path Class 7 students had taken was illuminated. Darkness shrouded the other two, hiding them from view.

Xiao Muyu instinctively stopped in her tracks. Shen Qingqiu glanced at her. She reached out to hold her left hand. “I’m here,” she said in a low voice. “Let’s go.”

Xiao Muyu flinched. Shen Qingqiu’s palm felt cold as ice. She tightened her grip, frowning. “Why is your hand so cold? Are you freezing?”

Shen Qingqiu felt the warmth in Xiao Muyu’s palm. “Must be from the blood loss earlier. I’m a bit weak but not freezing. It’s late. Let’s head back first.”

Shen Qingqiu tightened her grip on Xiao Muyu’s hand. She quickened her pace, looking through the dark towards the school’s perimeter wall. There was a cold glint in her eyes.

A giant shadow loomed there like a dead tree. It moved slowly with the two’s footsteps, its branches swaying in the twilight.

Xiao Muyu could feel something watching them from behind. She had a strong urge to turn around and see.

Shen Qingqiu leaned in, hissing out a warning in her ear. “Don’t look back!”

Xiao Muyu noticed Shen Qingqiu’s breathing had quickened. Her palm was damp. The warm breath she exhaled brushed against Xiao Muyu’s neck. It tickled her, stealing most of her attention away from that thing.

The dormitory’s iron door was barely ajar now. The dorm mother was about to lock it.

Shen Qingqiu walked faster, almost jogging as she pulled Xiao Muyu through the door.

With a creak, the dormitory door closed by itself.

“Any later, and you girls wouldn’t have been able to get back.” A glum, unhurried voice suddenly echoed in the night.

Startled, Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu hastily looked up.

A woman’s head extended out from the window near the entrance. Only her head was visible at that strange angle, as if she had no body.

With the hallway lights turned off, it cast her face in shadow, darkening her complexion and blurring her features.

The woman stared at something outside the door. Her expression shifted to one of fear. “Lights out soon. Hurry back to your rooms.” She withdrew her head from the window.

Xiao Muyu glanced back. She could vaguely make out the scene outside through the stainless-steel collapsible gate.

That tall, thin figure stood at the entrance. It resembled a person. Yet, it couldn’t be human, as Xiao Muyu could only see its lower half. Its torso was so tall it seemed unreal.

*Bang!* It raised a hand and struck the iron door. Then it stepped away.

Its massive shadow, cast by the dormitory’s exterior lights, stretched inside, engulfing Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu. The creature towered at two or three meters tall and resembled a withered tree. It wandered outside as if searching for something.

Xiao Muyu swallowed nervously and whispered, “Is that what hurt you?”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t reply. She led Xiao Muyu up to the third floor.

Shen Qingqiu only answered once they entered their room. “Yes. Don’t make eye contact if you encounter it. Remember that.”

Xiao Muyu’s heart pounded. Don’t make eye contact? How did Shen Qingqiu know that? She immediately thought of the small exchange between her and Su Jin earlier. A weight settled in her chest.

There were four other girls in the room. When they saw Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, they huddled deeper into their blankets as if they’d seen a ghost.

Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu looked at each other. They unpacked their clothes and took turns washing up in the bathroom.

*Creak.* There was a piercing sound, like tree branches scraping against glass.

Xiao Muyu, tidying her bed, glanced at her roommates. Their bed curtains trembled. They were terrified out of their wits.

What was that thing? Was it selecting its prey?

Shen Qingqiu finished showering and stepped out of the bathroom. Xiao Muyu noticed the window curtain moving. A branch-like finger appeared on the glass.

The finger was unnaturally long with shriveled brown skin. It looked repulsive.

A realization hit Xiao Muyu like a lightning bolt. The curtain moved… but the curtain was inside the glass, not outside.

Almost instinctively, she reached out and grabbed the shower-damp Shen Qingqiu. She turned them both so their backs faced the window.

The curtain opened. Someone cried out.

---

Author had something to say:

Xiao Xiao couldn’t hold it in anymore.