Chapter 85: Death Class 7 (Part 9)

[Understood.]

Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian had been hiding in the library but heard Luo Zihao shouting by the artificial lake. They became more nervous when they caught the names Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu had also said the targets might be on their backs tonight. So, Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian could no longer sit still.

Since joining Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, they had grown considerably gutsier. They quickly went downstairs and snuck into the school building behind the artificial lake. From the window, they saw Luo Zihao refusing to leave.

From this angle, it was easy to see no one was in the pavilion. That could only mean Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu hid in the water. Su Jin wasn’t dumb. She knew they wouldn’t be able to stay in the water for too long. She hurriedly searched around for something. Finally, Su Jin found a basketball and threw it over.

Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian immediately moved to a new spot after the former had thrown the basketball. They climbed up the clock tower on the last floor of the school building, hanging directly from it. It was terrifying, but that upside-down corpse, Luo Zihao, shouldn’t be able to find them at that angle.

Once they saw Luo Zihao leave in frustration, Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu finally surfaced again. Water dripped down Xiao Muyu’s face. She stared at Shen Qingqiu, who turned her head away guiltily.

Xiao Muyu wanted to say something. But she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger. She instinctively grabbed Shen Qingqiu and pulled her back into the water. The moment they submerged, Luo Zihao appeared on the shore. He stared in their direction with a chilling gaze.

Unfortunately for him, he had already missed his opportunity. Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu had gained enough time to catch their breath. Less than three minutes remained now, and he still hadn’t found them.

Luo Zihao began slamming his body against one of the pavilion’s pillars in a frenzy. His dead form struck the wood with loud thuds. With his terrifying strength, he cracked the pillar. It then broke with an audible snap, tilting the entire pavilion.

Luo Zihao finally left for real after all that kerfuffle. He wailed as he made his way toward the gymnasium.

He still retained a human way of thinking and knew people were inside.

*Thud, thud* sounds echoed through the gym. “I can’t find them, can’t find them,” he yelled with bitterness and sorrow.

Zhang Zhu had run out alone in a fit earlier. It wasn’t until he heard Luo Zihao’s voice that fear finally set in. He didn’t dare take any chances after understanding the rules. He quickly found a place to hide.

He was now curled up underneath the first-floor seats in the gymnasium.

That section was originally retractable. Zhang Zhu had pulled the seats out before squeezing himself into the empty groove where the seats used to be. It was a highly concealed spot.

When Luo Zihao bounced in, Zhang Zhu heard that sound again. Every impact sent a deep, muffled thud through the floor, reaching his ears. He trembled while curled up tightly in his hiding spot. The voice outside grew more frantic and resentful. Zhang Zhu’s fear escalated with each passing second.

He kept swallowing nervously. Yet, an inexplicable curiosity arose amidst the terror. One he couldn’t suppress.

He slowly turned his head to peek through the narrow gap. The gymnasium lights were on, allowing him to see a small portion of the floor.

There was nothing there.

He exhaled in relief and was about to turn away. Suddenly, Luo Zihao shouted excitedly, “Found you!”

Zhang Zhu’s entire body went rigid.

The next moment, a half-destroyed face appeared right before his eyes. That face’s remaining eye showed a cruel yet childlike glee.

“Ah! Ahhh!”

Zhang Zhu’s screams were loud enough to be heard throughout Yuanning High without the broadcast system.

Huang Meng also hid in the gymnasium. She clamped her hands over her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she whimpered.

“*Ding!* The round is over. Zhang Zhu has been eliminated! Congratulations to players Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian for passing the first round!”

The announcement told Xiao Muyu and several others they had escaped with their lives for now. But it also informed them of Zhang Zhu’s death.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu immediately climbed out of the water. The biting wind felt unbearable through the soaked, cold clothes clinging to their bodies.

Chills spread through them when they stepped onto the shore.

Countless circular bloodstains covered the ground by the artificial lake. Some white things were mixed with the red. These were the traces Luo Zihao left behind while wandering back and forth.

The sheer number of them sent a tingling numbness up their scalps.

Xiao Muyu still felt lingering fear when she recalled what had just happened. She suddenly turned around and stared Shen Qingqiu down. Her gaze was icy cold, and her words even colder.

“Shen Qingqiu, what were you up to just now?”

Shen Qingqiu blinked. She knew Xiao Muyu was angry but couldn’t immediately tell what had provoked her. Was it the kiss, or…?

“Are you talking about me giving you air or something else?” she asked.

“I’m talking about you trying to get yourself killed.” Xiao Muyu gritted her teeth, her tone growing harsher. “Did you plan to go out yourself if Su Jin hadn’t hit Luo Zihao with the basketball?”

Shen Qingqiu fell silent, then let out a careless laugh. “We couldn’t hide anymore in that situation. He would’ve found us both if no one had gone out. Muyu, you’re so smart—you must understand sacrificing one person is better than losing both. Besides, my getting chosen wouldn’t necessarily mean certain death. I have you. You’d find a way…”

“F*ck you!”

The two words Xiao Muyu furiously spat out cut off Shen Qingqiu’s next sentence. Her eyes burned red with anger.

It was Shen Qingqiu’s first time hearing Xiao Muyu curse. She stared dumbly at her, muttering, “What did you just say?”

“I said, f*ck you! F*ck you for thinking one person is better than both. F*ck you for assuming I’d find a way. Am I some omnipotent god to you!?” The more Xiao Muyu spoke, the more agitated she became. She yanked Shen Qingqiu forward by the collar. “Don’t you get it? If you die in this game, you’re gone for good. No matter how capable I am, I can’t bring you back to life! Even if I clear the game, you’d still be dead. Do you get that, Shen Qingqiu!?”Xiao Muyu glared fiercely at her before finally shoving her away.

She despised hearing others curse, especially when they dropped f-bombs so carelessly. Yet, she had lost her cool and said the word she found most disgraceful.

Shen Qingqiu staggered back two steps and then stood there in silence. She quietly looked at Xiao Muyu.

For some reason, Shen Qingqiu could see anguish beneath Xiao Muyu’s overwhelming fury. It made her feel a net was tightening around her heart, stifling her.

“…I’m sorry,” she said after a long pause, her voice strained.

Xiao Muyu raised her hand to stop her.

“You ask me why I’m angry?” She let out a cold laugh. “What about you? If you were planning to throw your life away, what was that last move supposed to be? Air transfer? Did you need your tongue for that?”

“*Cough, cough.*”

Su Jin choked on her saliva upon hearing something so intimate. She and Zuo Tiantian had just arrived and initially hesitated to step in when they noticed the two arguing.

Shen Qingqiu awkwardly reached out to take Xiao Muyu’s hand. Xiao Muyu promptly swatted it away.

Shen Qingqiu bent over with a muffled groan.

Xiao Muyu’s expression changed instantly. She hurried to support her.

Shen Qingqiu lifted her eyes and, in a weak, delicate voice, said, “It hurts…”

Xiao Muyu glanced at Su Jin, whose jaw was almost on the floor, then back at Shen Qingqiu. “Serves you right!” she said through clenched teeth.

Yet, she didn’t let go.

Luo Zihao’s voice echoed through the broadcast again.

“What a pity. Game time is up. Sadly, I couldn’t find the companion I like. But I won’t be lonely now that Zhang Zhu’s here. Everyone, get some rest… and be very, very careful. Haha.”

His chilling, hollow tone made everyone’s skin crawl. They visibly shuddered upon the mention of Zhang Zhu.

The participants emerged once the broadcast ended. Of the thirteen people who had entered, only twelve remained. Zhang Zhu was gone.

The boy close to Zhang Zhu had lost all color on his face. He appeared utterly shattered.

The others turned to look at Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu. Shock and envy mixed into their fearful gazes.

But there was no time to linger.

When the ten-second countdown ended, Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu found they were back in their dorm beds.

The four girls slumped outside their beds had also woken up. They stared into space for a long time before shakily crawling back under their blankets. Silently, they cried over their nightmare-like experience. These girls found little joy in surviving. They knew an abyss without hope awaited them after this lucky escape.

Xiao Muyu wordlessly looked at the person beside her.

Shen Qingqiu lay on her side, holding Xiao Muyu. Their faces almost pressed together. To outsiders, they looked like a young couple.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t let go. She just stared at her. When Xiao Muyu was about to move, she murmured, “I’m sorry, Muyu. I know what I did was conceited. That ‘sacrificing one person is better than losing both’ part is bullsh*t. The decision I made wasn’t a rational one. It didn’t matter to me whether more or fewer people died. The same goes for sacrificing one person or two. What mattered… was your life in the balance.”

Xiao Muyu stared at her without blinking. It was hard to tell if she was focused or indifferent.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure what was happening to her. There were words she wanted to express, accumulating in her mind.

“Do you remember me asking you when you’d be able to make room for me in your mind? And you asked me when I would place you in my heart, not just my mind? Back then, I wanted to deny what you meant. But Muyu, whether it was preparing to get out of the water or the abrupt action before that, I made those choices with you in my heart, not my mind.”

Shen Qingqiu spoke a long string of words. Still, Xiao Muyu only looked at her, not saying a word.

Shen Qingqiu felt a rare sense of awkwardness. After a while, she murmured again, “Muyu, you…”

“Let go of me.”

“Oh, okay.” Shen Qingqiu hurriedly released her grip and pulled back slightly.

“I’ve told you, I’m not interested in women. I’m even less interested in you.” Xiao Muyu repeated what she had said before. The first time Shen Qingqiu heard these words, she almost laughed. But this time, they stung her deeply.

But then Xiao Muyu added, “So why did you say all that just now?”

Shen Qingqiu was taken aback. She didn’t understand what Xiao Muyu meant. She hesitated a long while before speaking. “I don’t know. I just couldn’t hold it in. Life is so unpredictable here. Like tonight, we were one step away from death. Maybe I’ll die one day. And if I die without telling you all this, I wouldn’t be able to rest in peace.”

Xiao Muyu frowned deeply. “Stop repeating that word.”

“How about you?” Shen Qingqiu’s eyes faintly shimmered as she met Xiao Muyu’s eyes. “Do you genuinely feel nothing for me? Or to put it another way, could you give me a chance?”

Xiao Muyu’s heartbeat quickened. She struggled to maintain eye contact with Shen Qingqiu. She gently turned her head to look at the top of the bed.

A while later, she murmured, “I don’t know.”

Shen Qingqiu felt a bit disappointed. As she sighed, Xiao Muyu muttered, “But if anyone dares to stick out their tongue while giving me air, I’ll cut it off.”

“Pfft.” The silent person beside her suddenly laughed. It was quiet, but Xiao Muyu could hear happiness in that laughter.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t get too close to her. She turned to lie on her side, curling up beside Xiao Muyu. Her humored gaze never left Xiao Muyu.

Xiao Muyu held back for a long time. She grabbed a garment nearby and threw it at Shen Qingqiu’s face. “Hurry up and sleep. I’m tired.”

Shen Qingqiu chuckled, turning away. She pulled the garment down to her chest. She even kicked her legs childishly a few times. After one last glance at Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Xiao Muyu waited a long time before gently turning her head. The dim light in the dorm room made it hard to see Shen Qingqiu’s facial features. But her outline was visible. Even in sleep, the curves and lines of her figure hinted at how beautiful she looked.

Xiao Muyu reached out and poked her with a finger. There was no response. So, she propped herself up and slowly leaned over.

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Author had something to say:

Look at how worked up the kid got with a little tongue during that air transfer.

Can you guys guess what Xiao Xiao’s going to do?

Haha. A reader said Luo Zihao should be lying on the ground and rubbing himself. That cracked me up. What god-level imagination. So silly.

Xiao Xiao had fallen a long time ago. It can’t be helped when she won’t admit it.