"Big brother, no need to be so polite—it was just a small favor." Chao Musheng noticed Zhang San staring blankly at the car and smiled politely at the middle-aged man. "We haven’t had lunch yet, so we’ll take our leave now. Goodbye."
"Wait—" The man barely had time to speak before Chao Musheng turned and walked away.
The advantage of being young and long-legged was that you could walk faster than others.
Zhang San followed behind Chao Musheng, his head light and his feet heavy. The short distance felt endless, as if each step failed to land on solid ground.
Before stepping into the restaurant, he couldn’t help but glance back once more.
A colossal dragon coiled in the air, its massive head turned toward them, its hollow eyes filled with nothing but swirling chaos—a vortex of garbled code and question marks.
Just one look at that vortex filled him with boundless terror.
This fear was beyond description, transcending life and death, making even his soul tremble.
"Stop spacing out and come sit down." Chao Musheng saw Zhang San standing frozen at the entrance, still dazed, and peered outside.
The moment his gaze shifted, the dragon hovering above the car vanished, as if it had all been an illusion.
The rear car window slowly rolled down, but the interior was backlit, revealing only a faint, indistinct silhouette.
"Stop looking, stop looking." Chao Musheng forcibly seated him at the table. "No matter how luxurious the car is, it belongs to someone else. The food in your stomach is what’s truly yours."
He shoved the menu into Zhang San’s hands, then noticed the sweat beading on his forehead and handed him a couple of tissues. "Why are you so worked up?"
"I—I’m fine." Zhang San clutched the tissues, afraid to let Chao Musheng see his trembling hands. "Brother Chao, do you know the owner of that car parked outside?"
"No." Chao Musheng poured him a glass of water as sweat continued to drip down Zhang San’s face. "I just gave him directions a few days ago."
"Then he’s…" Zhang San swallowed hard. "He’s really polite."
Chao Musheng gave him a complicated look. Something as trivial as giving directions didn’t warrant repeated gratitude—it was clearly suspicious. "Zhang, remember to download an anti-fraud app when you get back."
Zhang San almost asked what an anti-fraud app was, but when he met Zhao Shang’s calm gaze, he snapped back to reality.
This was a game world, not his own.
A single careless word could expose his strangeness.
Cold sweat seeped down his back again. How could he let his guard down around Chao Musheng?
[Ding. Enjoying a delicious lunch. HP +5.]
His health points had increased again.
Even eating outside the school could restore HP?
After the meal, Zhao Shang set down his chopsticks and silently observed Chao Musheng paying with his phone.
In this game world, NPCs outside the school seemed to prefer mobile payment over cash.
When the players arrived, each had been given a thousand yuan—all in cash.
Fortunately, he and Zhang San had loaded their student cards with money, so using them in the cafeteria didn’t seem out of place.
"Let’s head back to school." Chao Musheng finished paying. "I’m planning to borrow some books from the library. Want to come?"
"Yes!" Zhang San nodded eagerly. "Brother Chao, I’ve been dying to see what the library’s like."
It was the library—a crucial setting for major plot developments in a school-themed game.
Before entering, Zhao Shang and Zhang San had been thinking about the game’s storyline. But the moment they stepped inside, all that remained was awe.
Endless shelves of books, robots gliding through the aisles, and countless students maintaining perfect silence.
Even a slacker like Zhang San couldn’t help but feel reverence in such a sacred place.
Chao Musheng searched for his desired book on a smart terminal, gestured to the two of them, then headed to Section 7.
When he returned with his book, he noticed Zhao Shang holding two volumes of his own and smiled, leading him to the checkout counter.
Only when Chao Musheng registered all three books under his own card did Zhao Shang realize his temporary student ID only allowed in-library reading, not borrowing. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know."
"It’s fine." Chao Musheng handed the books back to him. "If you feel bad, just help me out this Friday."
"Okay." Zhao Shang hugged the books tightly.
Chao Musheng explained, "Friday is our school’s anniversary celebration. I’ll be hosting some invited guests, but I also have a performance later. Could you two keep an eye on my costume for me?"
"Of course!" Zhang San fawned. "Such a small favor—no need to even ask. We’ll be at your service the whole day."
"Thanks, then." Chao Musheng bid them farewell outside the library. "Class starts at 2:30. Don’t be late."
After he left, Zhang San eyed the books Zhao Shang was cradling like treasures. "Shang, is there some game-breaking secret in those?"
"No." Zhao Shang shook his head.
Zhang San was baffled. "Then why are you so obsessed? Don’t tell me you’ve been influenced by these students and actually started enjoying studying?"
"These books contain groundbreaking theories and inventions that could advance our country. I want to memorize them and share them when we return."
"Return?" Zhang San stared at Zhao Shang’s resolute expression and finally asked hoarsely, "The way back… is too difficult."
Zhao Shang’s grip on the books turned his knuckles white. "As long as we don’t give up, there’s always hope."
Even if the path ahead was uncertain.
Old Jin’s death had deeply shaken the players. Over the next two days, they exhausted themselves trying to please their classmates—buying drinks, fetching meals, running errands, cleaning, sweet-talking—they did everything they could.
But these students were all heartless. After two full days of effort, not a single one’s favorability toward them had exceeded 50.
The players were frantic, itching to shake these NPCs and demand what they really wanted.
That evening, Chao Musheng was dragged by the arts club to rehearse for the anniversary show. By the time he left the auditorium, his head was ringing from the sound equipment.
The days were growing hotter, but the cool breeze from the artificial lake at night was refreshing. As he strolled along the shore, weaving past couples, he pulled out his phone to take a picture of the swans dancing on the water.
Just then, the two girls walking ahead of him were violently shoved by an invisible force—straight into the lake.
"Got them!"
Two male players hiding behind a tree inhaled sharply. If kindness couldn’t raise favorability, they’d resort to "heroic rescues."
There had to be a method that worked on these NPCs.
But just as they prepared to rush out and save the day, the falling girls were yanked back.
In the dim light, they couldn’t make out the guy’s face, only that he held both girls with terrifying arm and core strength.
Nothing was worse than a meddler.
One of the players once again commanded his puppet doll, ordering it to push all three of them down. This puppet of his possessed immense strength—it could lift a cauldron with ease, and even an elephant would be sent flying by its force.
"What was that?" Chao Musheng pulled his two classmates back to safety, sensing something brush against his back. He glanced down and saw a few tangled strands of straw lying at his feet. Had some bird's nest-building materials fallen from above?
The male player, watching as his puppet shattered the moment it touched Chao Musheng, nearly lost control of his emotions and almost charged forward on the spot. His precious puppet!
The two girls, still shaken from the scare, huddled together with pale faces, repeatedly thanking Chao Musheng.
"As long as you're unharmed," Chao Musheng said, picking up the phone he had dropped and brushing off the grass clinging to it.
"Is your phone okay?" The two girls immediately pulled out their own phones, ready to transfer compensation for any damages.
"My phone's fine, not a scratch. No need for repair fees," Chao Musheng reassured them. He scanned the surroundings but found no loose pavement or hidden pits. "You two should head back and rest early."
The male player could only watch helplessly as Chao Musheng stepped all over the shattered remains of his puppet, even pausing to grind his foot into the pieces. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and stormed forward.
Another player, seeing his companion's fury, followed suit.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Chao Musheng turned. "You?"
The enraged player leading the charge froze when he saw Chao Musheng's face, his anger instantly deflating. "Ch-Chao Ge."
Had he known it was one of the receptionists ruining their plans, he would never have stepped forward.
"You're Chao Musheng from Computer Science?" one of the rescued girls asked, recognizing him from the nickname. "Chao, thank you so much for tonight. We’ll treat you to milk tea tomorrow."
"Really, no need for formalities," Chao Musheng insisted, gently ushering the unlucky girls away. Noticing the two exchange students still lingering, he asked kindly, "Do you need help with something?"
"N-no," the male player stammered, stealing pained glances at Chao Musheng’s shoes, on the verge of tears.
"If there's nothing else, I’ll be heading back," Chao Musheng said. Noticing the exchange student’s gaze, he looked down and saw straw stuck to his sole. He rubbed his shoe against the grass to shake it off.
No—
Watching his puppet reduced to utter ruin under Chao Musheng’s foot, the male player felt his heart shatter along with it. How could anyone treat his puppet so mercilessly? Absolute monster!
"Shang Ge, are we coming back to the library tomorrow?" Zhang San asked, his head spinning from the overwhelming knowledge crammed into the library. Even the restroom’s exit light seemed to blur into double vision.
Zhao Shang paused, his gaze fixed on the restroom entrance.
"What’s wrong?" Zhang San grew nervous. If there were a ranking for eerie locations, restrooms would easily compete for the top spot—bathrooms being their only rival.
"I think I heard someone in pain. Wait outside," Zhao Shang said after a moment of hesitation, stepping inside.
"Shang Ge, don’t!" Zhang San sighed but reluctantly followed.
The restroom’s fluorescent lights cast a sterile, pale glow.
"Should’ve just obeyed from the start," Chen Er sneered, gripping Zhou Yi’s hair and shoving his face into the sink.
"Chen Ge," one of his lackeys urged nervously, "let’s go before someone walks in and sees this."
"Scared of what?" Chen Er taunted, though his grip loosened slightly.
Seizing the chance, the lackey helped Zhou Yi up. Zhou Yi braced himself against the sink, coughing expressionlessly. He wiped the water from his face and stared silently at Chen Er’s reflection in the mirror.
"Remember your worthless parents and that crippled brother of yours," Chen Er said, wiping his hands with disgust. "Keep your mouth shut if you don’t want them losing their jobs."
"Don’t think just because you’ve latched onto Chao Musheng, I won’t—"
Click.
The sound of a phone camera shutter echoed from the doorway.
Zhang San grinned awkwardly. "Oops, forgot to mute the shutter sound."
Zhao Shang’s expression hardened as he took in Zhou Yi’s drenched, pallid appearance—this was the same student who served them at the cafeteria’s 8th window. "Zhou Yi, do you need help?"
Chen Er scoffed, tilting his chin mockingly. "Well, Zhou? Need their help?"
Zhou Yi clenched his fists tightly before slowly releasing them. Under Chen Er’s jeering gaze, he shook his head.
"See? Nothing for you two lapdogs to meddle in. Get lost—"
"Chen Er, barking again?"
At the sound of that familiar voice, Chen Er whipped his head toward Zhao Shang and Zhang San. "You two snitched?"
