Chapter 399: I

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

"You're the worst batch of freshmen this year!" A black-haired youth sat across from Su Lin on a wooden desk, holding a cigarette, a sneer on his lips:

"Twenty minutes until midnight. You've slept for five hours since arriving at school. Unfortunately, this may be your final twenty minutes."

"I've never seen anyone get dragged into a live stream after drinking themselves into this state—you four are truly exceptional."

The other pointed to the mechanical watch on his wrist, its hands now at 11:39.

Su Lin fell silent for several seconds.

Did I walk into the wrong theater? Coach, did I get the wrong script?

"But you're relatively lucky—this school has only three forbidden zones. Your three friends aren't so fortunate; they've been taken to the forbidden zones as tonight's sacrifices. When time runs out, they'll encounter the supernatural."

"What did you expect, sleeping so soundly? But at least everyone's three-day survival time has been extended."

The black-haired youth stared intently at Su Lin's face, trying to read some emotion—but unfortunately, Su Lin's expression held only confusion and bewilderment, his dead-fish eyes devoid of anger or fear.

"You don't know each other?" he asked.

Su Lin ignored him, struggling to recall what had happened before he lost his memory.

Bullshit, this isn't the office—I can't rewind time.

He glanced at his school uniform, stood up, brushed past the black-haired youth, and walked to the desk, pulling open a drawer: "Anyway, first calm down and find a time machine."

Black-haired youth: "."

Is this guy mentally ill?

He didn't know that Su Lin had merely seen the information in his mind and suspected he'd been pranked again—after all, those bottomless online friends had once set up a Sword Art Online scenario for him, complete with cameras nearby.

Task background: This is a haunted campus. Ten years ago, after an unexplained murder occurred in Dorm 404 of the boys' dormitory, on the seventh night at midnight, the cafeteria suddenly caught fire. After that incident, this once-renowned campus in Tianhai City became the site of countless bizarre and terrifying events.

Hint one: At 23:00 each night, time within this school becomes distorted. Every morning at 8:00, you must attend morning self-study in class, or the vice principal will come looking for you.

Hint two: The deceased bound to the school may move freely at midnight. When they leave, they must take one person's soul—or the forbidden object hidden beneath the school will awaken.

Hint three: On the rooftop of the girls' dormitory lies a pair of red high-heeled shoes.

Hint four: Hide your school badge.

"So this is that trendy urban horror genre that was popular a while back?" Su Lin forced a weak smile: "Wasn't it suppressed by the Divine King, who sealed away all such stories?"

Where did the memories before this go? At my current stage, I shouldn't have such poor recall.

Roasted Xuanxi with Zui Xian Niang Wine—strange, I seem to have drunk many bottles, then held a pool party using counterfeit, failed immortal wine.

How did a barbecue party turn into a pool party?

What else did I do? It seems I put someone on a cross as if for an inquisition.

Back then, everyone was too drunk to stand. Since we couldn't find anything to light the straw, Xiao Yan's lighter had been tied up with its legs and mouth blocked and placed beneath the cross, so we decided to find a flammable material to work with Han Li's flame for the execution.

Flammable material?

I think I found a flammable material—what was it I took?

"Gu Yue Fang Yuan, what are you doing?" the black-haired youth asked.

'Who the hell is Gu Yue Fang Yuan!? I'll end his life!' Su Lin's gaze sharpened, filled with killing intent as he suddenly snapped awake: "Who called that?!"

A dead Fang Yuan is a good Fang Yuan—I can use a pseudonym, but I won't tolerate a real person named Fang Yuan beside me.

"Aren't you Gu Yue Fang Yuan?" The black-haired youth pulled out a school badge, displaying Su Lin's one-inch white-background photo, with the name beside it written as Gu Yue Fang Yuan.

Su Lin froze, then his expression softened—he must have dreamed of registering a game account and used the name from a previous acting role.

The black-haired youth, seeing Su Lin raise the badge, also froze—had he just been intimidated by that look?!

Su Lin took the badge from the other's hand and smiled: "Bro, what's your name? You said my friends went where?"

The fluorescent ceiling light flickered once, then went out.

"They?" The black-haired youth's eyes turned icy, his voice dropping into a chilling, suppressed torrent of malice: "They're back."

The bulb cast a crimson bloodlight across the entire dorm, the room's temperature plummeting further. Instantly, both rows of chairs beside Su Lin were filled with shadowy figures, their eyes pure white, their skin black.

A thick drop of liquid fell onto Su Lin's head. He slowly looked up.

There, hanging like a spider from above, was a being with twisted, reversed joints, pallid skin, and a scalp torn open.

"Get up."

"Welcome… new roommate…"

Su Lin stood frozen, his eyes slightly widened.

One major reason I never accompanied Lu Mingfei to the City of Calamity…

I was afraid. A little afraid. Of ghosts.

Blue Star, Xia Nation.

The live-streaming platform has existed on Blue Star for twenty years; the new generation has grown up under this backdrop.

Every day, people are randomly selected to enter live-streaming, becoming hosts on the Demon Live Platform—sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds.

This platform selects hosts with no pattern: anyone aged sixteen or older may be chosen for terrifying, bizarre tasks—either complete them for rewards, or die in the most horrific way possible.

No nation has been able to uncover its origin. Some say it's divine punishment; others claim demons from hell seized the human world; some speculate this planet has become an alien amusement park.

Who knows?

At least it hasn't reached the level of threatening human extinction, and becoming a host isn't entirely hopeless.

If you complete ten live streams, you may choose to return to normal life and never be selected again by the Demon Live Platform, with your body restored to perfect health regardless of prior ailments.

If you refuse to continue as a host, you gain one extraordinary ability—but face far more terrifying events.

If you complete one hundred, rumors say a special reward awaits—but no one has ever seen it, as the current record is fifty-nine.

The final person chose to abandon returning to reality and is now the publicity director of the National Emergency Agency.

"That ultra-horrific task has reappeared!"

"Highest death rate among hosts under thirty streams—even a fifty-stream host with hundreds of millions of fans couldn't clear it?! Let's check it out."

"Fuck. Last time I saw this, I shit myself. In this place, people and anomalies are completely indistinguishable—even props can't detect them."

On the street, people were murmuring; many pulled out their phones and opened pages they'd long saved, while others looked terrified, turning their heads away and daring not to glance at the images on passersby's screens.

Lucky people spend their entire lives never being pulled into the game.

Only then did comments flood across the screen.

"How come there are still four drunk ones? Isn't the next livestream content supposed to be announced in advance?"

"Unless they're newbies."

"Are you kidding? After all these years, the minimum number of sessions to enter this place is fifteen."

"Fuck, look at these streamers' names: Shi Hao, Li Feiyu, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, Hong Zhong?!"

"I'm Bai Xiaochun too—where's this nostalgia coming from? Aren't these characters from old, early-era stuff?"

"The first two names sound familiar, but I don't know the last two. Hong Zhong? I'm Bei Feng too."

"What's going on? Do parents really name their kids these things?"

"Of all times to get drunk—shit. Those streamers who hid their identities and didn't open private livestreams have really dark hearts."

"It's normal. If you don't respect your own life, you don't deserve to live after getting drunk before a livestream."

"Gu Yue Fang Yuan is done—he's been dumped in Dorm 404 to stall time. That guy with the bluish face? He was the streamer who died in Dorm 404 last round."

"It's already midnight. Why hasn't he acted?!"

"He's waiting for the dorm monitor to return. Here he comes!"

"Hong Zhong is gone too—he's been taken to the cafeteria. The cafeteria sells anomaly food late at night; normal people can't eat it, or they'll be marked and become tomorrow's ingredients."

"Shi Hao—alas, named Shi Hao but sent to Class 12-3 to replace a student who failed the exam. The only advantage of this high-difficulty livestream is that surface information is openly displayed—if you're willing to sacrifice lives, three days should be fine."

"But there are only ten streamers this time."

"Why didn't Han Li wake up and stop them? No loyalty to drinking buddies?"

"What Han Li? Don't say nonsense—that's clearly Li Feiyu, the murderer and arsonist!"

"Anyone paying attention to my Immortal Sovereign? How the hell is Great Love Immortal Sovereign supposed to survive?!"

"Simple—just become an Immortal Sovereign right where you are."

"Classmate, I noticed you've been sleeping for a long time—hungry?"

Li Huowang woke up on a blue plastic bench and saw before him a beautiful girl in a school uniform—her face oval and delicate, her figure slender even beneath the loose uniform.

"I brought you some late-night snacks—eat up," the girl said gently, placing down a black bowl.

Li Huowang stared blankly, unconsciously calling out: "Nana?"

The girl before him resembled Yang Na by six-tenths.

"You know me?" The girl was startled, then said: "I'm Li Na from Class Nine."

"Sorry, I mistook you for someone," Li Huowang apologized. "You look just like an old friend of mine."

He sensed the information in his mind and wondered if he was having another hallucination—could he really have been reincarnated again?

"It's fine, eat up. You reek of alcohol—you must've drunk too much," Li Na leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"Don't let the vice principal catch you eating noodles to mask the smell. Though honestly, your alcohol scent is kind of nice."

"I've never thought alcohol could smell this good."

Li Huowang looked at the tomato-and-egg noodles before him. Indeed, he had only just begun to recover from the potency of the Zui Zui Xian Niang Niang.

He'd drunk too much this time—more than ever before. If not for that voice repeatedly urging him to sign up, and if he hadn't randomly chosen Hong Zhong's name, he'd still be asleep.

But why was he here? What task was he meant to complete? What was this information in his head?

He was about to post a message in the chat group when his nose caught a scent—tomato, egg, a touch of scallion. Not a gourmet dish, yet at this moment it filled him with comfort.

"Eat," Li Na sat across from him with a smile. "The cafeteria auntie is my aunt—I asked her to make this specially."

'This girl is too kind,' Li Huowang glanced around. This campus life had once been his deepest dream.

If he hadn't been reincarnated, if he hadn't been labeled insane, if he'd only learned to control himself sooner—he and Yang Na might have lived just like this.

Innocent childhood friends, attending school together, preparing for the college entrance exam together, eating late-night snacks after evening study sessions at the cafeteria or a street stall, then walking home together.

'I'll talk to Su Lin about that matter soon.'

'Almost there, Nana, Miaomiao—wait for me.'

Li Huowang's brow relaxed, a faint smile touched his lips as he took the chopsticks the girl offered: "Thank you."

The faint sourness mixed with the egg aroma and the scent of scallion—simple, yet Li Huowang ate with genuine joy.

There wasn't much noodles—only a small portion. For Li Huowang's physique, it was nothing; he devoured it in seconds, even draining the broth.

"Any more? Oh, sorry—I was rude," Li Huowang offered a shy smile. But Li Na stared at him, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"You ate this whole bowl and—" Li Na's words caught in her throat. "No, never mind. How did you like the noodles?"

Li Huowang praised: "Delicious tomato-and-egg noodles. Your aunt's cooking is excellent."

Li Na: "…"

Li Huowang stood and adjusted his clothes. Though he wondered when he'd even changed into the uniform, his priority now was to understand his surroundings.

"Thanks, Classmate Li. May we meet again."

At that moment, Li Huowang noticed everyone in the cafeteria was staring at him, their expressions strange.

A woman in an apron approached, placing down a bowl of plain noodles. "Student, have another bowl—you're still growing."

Li Huowang hesitated, glanced at the plain noodles—perfectly normal in every way—and said: "Alright."

It was unkind to refuse such goodwill.

Ding ling ling

Ding ling ling

"Exam over." A middle-aged fat man with upturned eyes and no pupils stood beside the second-row window seat. He rolled up the white exam papers covering the students' heads, then raised his ruler: "Failed!"

Shi Hao had been sound asleep, sprawled on his desk, when he was woken a second time; a metal ruler was about to descend from above his head, but he caught it midair with his hand and snatched it away.

"What's this?" Shi Hao seized the ruler, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it carelessly aside, then buried his head in his arms and went back to sleep: "Be quiet!"

Boom!!!

A bottomless pit remained on the playground outside; the grass and facilities vanished in an instant.

All the examinees around slowly stood up, left their belongings behind, and quietly exited the classroom.

The middle-aged fat man's hand remained frozen in the act of swinging down for several minutes; finally, he turned stiffly around and took one step at a time toward the door.

But as he reached the classroom door, he noticed a blinding flash of light suddenly erupting from the male dormitory — it seemed to be… Dorm 404.

Shhh—!

Silent and unseen, like a muted video playing, a pure white spear carrying a head flew to the very center of the teaching building.

Spears of light rained down from the sky.

The update today will be a bit late; everyone, please check tomorrow morning.

(End of Chapter)