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Chapter 20: Dormitory

The mirror’s experiences were not worth talking about and he couldn’t confirm if the three using their phones earlier were really players. For this mission, it looked like he had to start with the unimaginable legends first.

How could he find other players while hiding his identity as well as find at least one of the mission objects?

Xing Ye stuffed the mirror back into his chest pocket, using the textbook to cushion his head as he lazily leaned against the wall. He completely showed the appearance of a slacker.

Xing Ye and his little brother Xing Shuo were both top students, and were the teachers’ pets in school. In high school, Xing Ye never experienced a punishment like being forced to stand against the wall, but university… When he was forced to quit school after the incident, Xing Ye learned what it felt like to be a bad student.

He cared, but he was forced to pretend like he didn’t; the more it hurt, the more carefree his smile became. Before others even saw him as a good-for-nothing, he had to see himself as a hopeless case.

Just like that, he became an incurably bad student, from his appearance down to his very bones.

The best way to hide his identity was naturally to disguise himself in the crowd. He also needed to make early preparations for when other players’ identities would get revealed.

Perhaps it was due to the nice weather, but the teacher’s voice as he lectured was very warm. Xing Ye felt like he had returned back to the days he spent without a care and unexpectedly fell asleep against the wall.

”Xing Ye!” An angry voice roused Xing Ye as the English teacher glared at him, practically steaming with fury, “You can even fall asleep during your punishment! Do you even have any desire to study?”

Xing Ye wiped his mouth, noticing there were quite a few students circling together and watching in the hallway: “Teacher, you should just end the class and get some rest. The lecture even made your throat hoarse.”

The crowd of curious onlookers grew bigger and bigger. The English teacher didn’t seem to want to give Xing Ye, this hopeless student, any more attention, as he strode away, panting with rage.

Xing Ye watched her closely. Her teaching was skillful and the anger earlier didn’t seem to be faked. He can probably rule out the possibility of her being a player; well, unless that player really was a teacher in real life. However, he couldn’t be that unlucky, right?

Nah, if it was a following fate Camp player, it was definitely a possibility.

Unlike the magic mirror world, this one was very similar to real life. Acting was much easier, but it also made it difficult to pin down the players that didn’t fit in.

After the English teacher left, a few boys walked over, grinning at Xing Ye mischievously: “See, you had to stand against the wall as punishment again. How many times did I tell you to use your textbook to hide yourself when you’re sleeping in class, but you just won’t listen.”

The words “a gang of scoundrels” were practically printed on their faces. They were clearly Xing Ye’s band of troublemakers.

”Oh well,” Xing Ye didn’t seem to care, “It’s quieter sleeping outside. My legs get a bit tired from standing, but everything else is fine.”

”Wow, I wish I could sleep while standing.” A man hooked his arm around Xing Ye’s shoulder, his tone intimate.

Xing Ye didn’t push him away, acting out his character perfectly.

The next class was gym, so Xing Ye and his gang of scoundrels just gathered together, chatting. As they talked, Xing Ye cleverly steered the topic to the school rumors.

H City Prep School was the most prestigious private high school, with only three types of students: those with high grades, those with high personal skills, and those with money.

Xing Ye belonged in the ‘wealthy but hopeless’ category of students, and the same went for many of his friends. They often ran rampant at school, but the teachers did not dare offend them. Only their homeroom English teacher, due to her year end bonus being deducted due to a scuffle Xing Ye had last year, treated Xing Ye differently and always picked fault with him. However, just because she looked very pretty, Xing Ye and his group of shallow scoundrels bore with it.

After gym, they returned to their homeroom class. Xing Ye deliberately shouted in front of the class: “Sigh, I’m so bored, is there really nothing fun here?”

This was very much in line with his character settings. Plus, Xing Ye and his group could be considered to be a group of local tyrants, so the other students didn’t dare protest.

”Why don’t we sneak photos when Ms. Li is bathing?” A boy said, “Her figure’s super hot! She also won’t dare make trouble for us anymore with the pictures.

Ms. Li was the English teacher that punished Xing Ye earlier. The boy’s voice was quite loud, causing many students to scowl and look at them with disdain.

Xing Ye shook his head, “Too old, there’s no point.”

To high school boys, the 26-27 year old English teacher really was too old. Another boy suggested, “Then what about younger ones? We can sneak into the girl’s dorm tonight, hehe…”

Xing Ye was precisely waiting for this as he patted the other’s shoulder roughly: “Good idea, let’s go tonight!”

He knew that if he went to the mission site alone, it would definitely draw suspicion. However, it would seem much more ordinary if he went in a group that already had an objective there.

Xing Ye looked at the three suspicious students again. He had already gone through the class roster and grade rankings to dig out their names: Guan Ling, Zhao Hong, and Cao Qian. Their grades and appearances were all average, and they were unremarkable students that easily blended into the crowd.

Xing Ye spent the day at school observing his classmates before gathering with some of his friends in the evening to sneak into the girl’s dormitory.

”Can we go in?” Boy A asked, “The nanny in the dormitory’s really scary. I heard that before, some boys got beaten out by her with a mop.”

Boy B said: “It’s fine, I already checked. Every night, she goes to bed at 11:30 and won’t come out even if somebody screams outside. I heard rumors that after twelve, ghosts start haunting the girl’s dormitory- hahaha, who’d be silly enough to actually believe that.”

Boy B was called Wu Yu and was also the one to suggest sneaking into the girl’s dorm for fun. It was all quite suspicious.

Xing Ye still remembered Wu Yu’s expression when he had just entered this world. At that time, he was just looking out the window in a daze and didn’t do anything strange.

There was too little information. He needed to be patient.

At 11:30, the dormitory nanny locked up the doors and returned to the school guard’s room to rest. The female dormitory’s lights also turned off.

The boys felt their way towards the third floor’s bathroom before taking out their tools to climb up. All four boys, including Xing Ye, were pretty fit and easily climbed up.

There were no guard rails on the third floor window, and since because it was summer, the window was wide open. Lu Yu took off the mesh screen, letting the four boys sneak into the girls bathroom.

This wasted a lot of time. Xing Ye glanced at his watch and saw it was already 11:50.

Wu Yu re-installed the mesh screen. The bathroom was completely empty so the four just crouched in the corner to discuss what they’d do next. Would it be better to wait for a girl to enter and peek at them, or should they go see if any of the dorm rooms were open and try to sneak inside?

Xing Ye glanced at Wu Yu and suggested: “Just crouching here’s too boring and the girls coming into the bathroom aren’t always pretty. Our school’s…. That really pretty girl, which room is she in?”

Xing Ye had no idea who the prettiest girl in school was. He deliberately phrased it so somebody else could say it for him.

A school would always have an ‘it girl’, right?

”Oh, are you talking about that girl who rejected you earlier? Year two, class three’s Zeng Jingrou, room 403. I helped you investigate after she rejected you.” Boy C said.

”What do you mean, rejected me?” Xing Ye swatted Boy C’s head, “It was me who thought she wasn’t pretty enough and didn’t want to ask her out.”

Boy C snickered and asked, “Then are we going?”

”Of course we’re going,” Xing Ye got up, “How dare she not give me any face earlier.”

The four smiled mischievously as they walked out of the bathroom. They were currently on the third floor, meaning they’d have to take the stairs to the forth.

There was still five minutes until the time stated in the system’s hint. Xing Ye was the first to step on the stairs, soon followed by boys A and C. Wu Yu, however, hesitated at the bottom of the stairs: “I don’t think this is right.”

Xing Ye stood on the steps, looking down at him arrogantly.

The time stated in the mission was 12 at midnight. If they went up now, they’d arrive in front of the dorm room long before 12.

A real player would definitely want to go up the stairs perfectly at twelve and would stall for time.

Wu Yu was also the first to propose going to the female dormitory. He was too impatient, making his chances of being a player very high.

”What are you guys doing?” One of the doors on the third floor opened, revealing Cao Qian. She looked at the boys heaped in front of the staircase and asked.

”Cao Qian…” Boy C scratched his head, “You look average, there’s no point peeping on you. Does your dorm have any beauties?

Cao Qian was one of the three students playing with her phone in class earlier. It was currently 11:58, but instead of wearing pajamas, she was dressed in sportswear. At this time of night, it was very suspicious.

”You guys should hurry up and leave,” Cao Qian said, “Since we’re classmates, I’ll let you guys go this time. If you keep trying to peep tomorrow, I’ll report you to the teacher and you might get expelled.”

Boy A: “Hehe, you might not know, but even if the first in our year, He Zhengqi, might get expelled, nothing will happen to us.”

It was 11:59:50. Xing Ye casually said, “Wu Yu, if you aren’t following, then scram. Cao Qian, mind your own business,” before turning to head up the stairs. Wu Yu hastily followed and Cao Qian also shouted, “I’ll go find the teacher!” before running up the stairs too.

Boy A and C tried to block Cao Qian. Xing Ye walked calmly, counting inside his head. When he reached the twelfth step, the clock struck 12 perfectly and his foot landed on the thirteenth step.

At the same time, Cao Qian’s and Wu Yu’s feet did as well.

Suddenly, their surroundings changed. The once brand new and shining dormitory changed into ruins, all the lamps in the corridor broken, and paint peeling off the walls. A disgusting odor wafted in the air as the buzzing of flies droned on around them.

Boys A and C grabbed Xing Ye’s arm, their voices trembling as they asked: “Xing, Xing Ye, what’s happening? Weren’t we just in the girls dormitory?”

“Heh.” Cao Qian sneered. “You’re still pretending.”

She ran upstairs, hastily followed by Wu Yu. Xing Ye also hauled the two boys up to the fourth floor.

The building’s structure still seemed to be a dormitory, with rows of rooms on each of the four floors. Upon arriving on the fourth floor, Cao Qian just pushed open room after room, inspecting them. She probably didn’t know what the object they were supposed to find was and was just blindly looking around.

Xing Ye formed a group with the other two boys and assumed an appearance of ‘acting calm but secretly scared’, trembling as he said: “Huh, it’s finally getting interesting.”

Wu Yu stared at the three with a frown before shaking his head and catching up with Cao Qian, seeming to have already dispelled his doubts about them.

Boy A called after Wu Yu: “Old Wu, d-don’t act alone here. If you’re left alone with ghosts, you’ll definitely die!”

Xing Ye also nodded: “That’s right. You guys should all follow me, we can think of a way to leave this ghastly place together.”

Wu Yu sighed, “To think that I thought there was a player in one of these three! Looks like I was really overthinking.”