Chapter 1: Seventh High School (1)

【Welcome, player, to the escape game Ember.】

【This game’s location: Seventh High School】

【Difficulty Level: D】

【Highest historical exploration rate: 75%】

A slight dizziness passed, and Bai You opened her eyes.

The bright red chalk words on the blackboard immediately caught her attention, glaringly vivid like blood.

Since she wasn’t fully conscious after entering the game, the item in her hand slipped and fell at her feet with a “thud.”

Bai You looked down and saw it was a chalkboard eraser.

She took a few steps back, then raised her head to see what was written on the blackboard.

The previous text had been erased, leaving behind two shocking words written in bold, sinister red letters:

“Go Die”

Oh, this again.

As expected of a school-themed scenario—childish tricks.

Bai You’s expression remained calm as she turned around. The chalk on the podium was scattered messily, and broken pieces rolled across the wooden platform.

She glanced up. The classroom was empty.

The desks were neatly arranged, and the room was eerily quiet. The cold white light shone brightly, while only the fan above spun with a creaky rhythm, making a repetitive wobbling sound.

【Ding!】
【Player detected entering a scenario for the first time. The system will now randomly grant a beginner’s gift pack.】
【Would you like to receive it now?】

Bai You squinted. This step was essentially a newbie card draw. She had seen many “lucky emperor” players draw SSRs instantly, though most ended up with SRs.

After all, the chances of drawing an SSR were 1.735%, while SRs were 60%, and R cards were 38%.

It was time to test her luck. Bai You were a little excited. Even if she couldn’t draw an SSR, an SR wouldn’t be bad.

“Receive.”

As the roulette spun, a streak of golden light slowly appeared on the screen. The pointer moved gradually, passing over the SSR section before landing on… the nearly negligible N card section, with only a 0.265% chance.

A sleek, high-quality black-and-gold deck of playing cards quietly appeared at the top of her inventory—54 cards, complete.

【Item Name: Heart-Shaped Playing Cards】
【Grade: N】
【Effect: None】

Bai You: “?”

Ridiculous.

The ultra-low probability of drawing an N card from the newbie pool was clearly meant to give beginner players a more “enriching” gaming experience—a mere decoration.

【Newbie gift pack successfully distributed】
【Don’t forget to leave a positive review~!】

Bai You expressionlessly gave it a thumbs-down.

Stupid system. There must be a bug. She’d reset it to factory settings and reinstall it properly later.

The playing cards shimmered faintly with a subtle glow, looking exceptionally high-end.

After thinking for a moment, Bai You decided they weren’t entirely useless. At the very least, if she were being chased by ghosts, she could whip out the cards and challenge them to an intense game of ghost-human Fight the Landlord.

Perspective matters.

Having failed spectacularly at the card draw, Bai You coldly shut off the screen and began exploring the classroom.

The front and back doors of the room were both shut. She tried pushing them, only to hear the clinking sound of metal rings colliding outside.

It seemed the doors were locked from the outside.

There was no way out, and since the system hadn’t issued any tasks, she deduced that this was probably not a standard task-based scenario but rather a special one.

For now, all she could do was look for clues inside the classroom.

Nearly every desk was piled high with books and test papers, leaving the aisles cramped and cluttered. Bai You didn’t bother squeezing through and instead pulled a book from the nearest desk in the front row.

A biology textbook—mandatory module three.

It appeared to be a senior year science textbook.

She opened the first page. Written on it was a name in slim, elegant handwriting, likely belonging to a girl:

Lin Songyue.

The desk also had graffiti scrawled all over it, filled with profanities. The varying handwriting indicated it wasn’t written by just one person.

“Lin Songyue, filthy b**. I curse you…”**

“Your mom’s dead, idiot!”
“Heh, use this money for your burial.”
“…”

Vicious curses and wanton insults filled the desk. Bai You frowned as she caught a whiff of a rancid smell. She turned to look inside the desk compartment—it was stuffed with trash.

Tsk.

It really was trash.

On the back wall hung a banner reading “166 days until the college entrance exam.” Below it, a clock showed the time as 10:13 PM.

Bai You glanced at the class schedule posted nearby. Evening self-study ended at 9:50 PM, so it seemed the class had just ended not long ago.

She stared at the two red words on the blackboard, picked up the eraser from the podium, and prepared to wipe off the remaining writing.

Just as her fingers touched the eraser, the fluorescent lights began to flicker, casting faint and distorted shadows of her figure onto the podium. The ceiling fan above her started spinning violently.

A chill suddenly brushed past the back of her neck.

A hoarse, grating voice whispered near her right ear, cold and eerie.

“Lin Songyue… Go die—ah!”

Bai You remained calm, turned her head slightly, and swung the eraser forcefully at the space behind her. The voice cut off abruptly, followed by several sharp “coughs,” and then the chilling presence vanished.

The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness. The fan slowed to a stop.

New players have a one-hour protection period upon entering a scenario. During this time, ghosts cannot attack and will only try to scare them.

This was why Bai You wasn’t fazed.

However… “Lin Songyue.” It seemed the ghost was calling her.

Bai You lowered her eyes slightly. The ghost that tried to frighten her had inadvertently given away information. Clearly, this was her new identity:

A student who appeared to have been bullied.

Just as this realization solidified, a thin card suddenly fell from midair, confirming her thoughts.

Bai You picked up the card, watching as words slowly emerged on its surface.

【Identity Card】
【Name: Lin Songyue】
【Age: 17】

【Occupation: Senior Year Class A Student at Seventh High School】
【Related Plot: To Be Unlocked】

Turning the card over revealed two additional lines:

【Time Remaining in Scenario: 5 hours 54 minutes】
【Current Exploration Progress: 3%】

It was a role-playing scenario. Bai You paused while holding the card, a little puzzled. There was a time limit, yet no tasks were assigned…?

Or perhaps a certain exploration level was required to trigger tasks?

Unable to figure it out for now, Bai You put the card away. She resumed erasing the words on the blackboard until it was completely clean.

Admiring her work, she dusted off her hands. But as she turned, she saw someone standing next to Lin Songyue’s desk in the first row and froze.

More precisely, it was a boy. He was leaning lazily against the desk, flipping through Lin Songyue’s notebook with an air of nonchalance. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, exposing pale skin that resembled the moonlight streaming through a lattice window—soft and luminous.

Sensing her gaze, the boy lifted his eyes.

His long lashes framed a pair of obsidian eyes, pure and dark as polished glass, as though they could see straight into her soul. Even a fleeting glance was enough to make one’s heart race.

Bai You looked at the boy, then at the notebook in his hand. Her gaze flicked back and forth a few times before, after some deliberation, she finally couldn’t resist speaking up for herself.

“Uh, brother, I think that’s my notebook.”

Since she was now Lin Songyue, that notebook was hers, wasn’t it?

Personal property shouldn’t be violated—didn’t he understand that?

The boy paused mid-flip, staring at her for a moment with a calm expression. Then, without a word, he closed the notebook and placed it back on the desk.

Ah, that’s more like it.

Bai You nodded in satisfaction, picked up the notebook, and prepared to see what was written inside. Maybe it held some important clues.

【Chapter 13, Revenge】
【Ling Xue frowned. Someone actually dared to harm him!】
【She curved her lips into a bloodthirsty smile. He was hers—how could she let anyone else bully him?】

Bai You’s expression froze slightly.

Something felt… off.

She continued flipping through the pages.

“Ling Xue patted Li Tian’s head and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, I’m here. I won’t let them bully you.’”
“Li Tian, moved to tears, whimpered softly and hugged Ling Xue tightly. ‘Xue, I’m so glad you’re here.’”

The storyline quickly veered into indescribable territory.

Bai You: “…”

A domineering yet tender wife and her little CEO?!

It was… intriguing.

No, wait!

That wasn’t the point!

The issue was that she had just declared to someone that this was her notebook, and that person had read the entire contents!

Bai You coughed abruptly, snapping the notebook shut with forced composure. She shoved it beneath the pile of books on the desk, attempting to bury the evidence.

Feigning nonchalance, she said, “That’s… just some excerpts from novels I copied down years ago. Pretty good, right?”

Help.

How was she supposed to know Lin Songyue had a hobby of writing… this kind of novel? No wonder the boy’s gaze had been so peculiar earlier.

Was it too late to reset and pick a different scenario?

After Bai You finished speaking, the boy’s expression grew increasingly layered, as though he was processing something. He paused briefly, seemingly choosing his words.

Then, with a calm voice laced with faint curiosity, he asked, “…You like it this much?”

Bai You: “…?!”

No, wait—no!

Let me explain!!

Just as she was about to speak, the boy’s look, as if he were regarding some strange creature, silenced her completely.

…Forget it.

Just let it all end.

Her gaze shifted and landed on a set of keys in the boy’s hand. Turning to look, she noticed that the classroom’s front door was now open.

She had no idea when the boy had unlocked it. Perhaps it was while she was dealing with the ghost using the blackboard eraser, or maybe when she was preoccupied with the identity card.

But neither of these scenarios boded well for her.

In a role-playing instance, players were forbidden from revealing their true identities. This meant even among players, it was impossible to confirm who was who. Mistaking an NPC for a player and inadvertently exposing personal information to the NPC could lead to unimaginable consequences.

In simpler cases, it could result in forced elimination by enraged NPCs. In more complex scenarios, the fallout was unpredictable.

However, the boy before her appeared calm, his gaze neutral—except for the way he looked at her as though she were some sort of lunatic. Other than that, he didn’t seem particularly problematic.

Bai You exhaled slightly and steadied herself.

…Fine, let him think she’s a lunatic. After all, once this instance was over, they’d never meet again.

With this thought, Bai You composed herself further and began analyzing her current identity’s situation.

A girl bullied by her classmates, locked in the classroom after the evening self-study session. This boy had come to open the door for her and had gone straight to her desk to pick up her notebook, which clearly meant they knew each other.

But when Bai You had glanced at the class roster earlier, she hadn’t seen his photo among her classmates.

They knew each other, but they weren’t in the same class.

Bai You pressed her lips together. She couldn’t yet determine whether the boy was an NPC or a player, so she chose her words carefully.

“Not leaving yet?”

The boy’s gaze shifted from the window back to her face, light and indifferent. His voice was just as calm. “They’re coming up.”

Bai You froze slightly.

They…?