Chapter 19: The Widow: Are You Human or Ghost?

"Huff... huff..."

"Brother Chen Baili, why the hell is your stamina so good!" Tu Tu Xing Sun was running out of breath, panting heavily.

Behind them, a horde of tentacle ghosts twisted and crawled across the ground, claws and fangs flailing as they pursued; though their posture was grotesque, their speed was by no means slow.

This instantly revealed the fundamental difference between wild players and players from the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs.

Chen Baili, having undergone long-term physical training, ran with remarkable steadiness and speed.

In contrast, the little dwarf nearly got caught and overtaken several times.

"Stop chattering! We're almost at the office!" Chen Baili led the way ahead.

First floor, second floor, third floor...

Before long, they reached the sixth floor. Chen Baili had long memorized the room locations in this building; the homeroom teachers' offices were always on the floor corresponding to their class.

Seeing the sign that read 【Gao San Office】, the two immediately beamed with joy.

We're alive! We're almost alive!

Creak—

Before they could even raise their hands, the iron door of the office creaked and opened by itself.

A strange man walked out from within.

He was pot-bellied with a beer belly, his face's flab jiggling with every step; all ten fingers were covered in rings of various colors, making him look like an obese nouveau riche.

Only his eyes revealed a murderous glare that sent shivers down one's spine.

Chen Baili and the other man collided face-to-face with the man; the instant their gazes met, they nearly dropped to their knees.

Because they heard Teacher Yao's voice from inside the office say:

"Principal Wang, take your time!"

Principal?

This man was the principal of the damn Gaoshan Ghost School!

"Teacher Yao, which class are these students from? Don't you know running and playing in the corridors is prohibited?" Principal Wang's voice was deep and filled with authority.

Chen Baili and the other man instantly recalled Shi Gandang's previous dangerous assessment of the principal.

And now there was no escape left.

Then it was—game over!

"Report, Principal! There are some strange things behind us hunting the students! They are hindering our studies!" Chen Baili had a sudden flash of inspiration and, gritting his teeth, sought help.

Rules! The principal must have his own set of behavioral rules!

We haven't done anything wrong, and our grades are good.

The principal wouldn't punish us without cause... right?

Hearing this, Principal Wang frowned and looked toward the stairwell behind them.

Sure enough, he saw a group of tentacle ghosts of various forms crawling over; some were even crawling onto the ceiling and hanging there to advance, their dense numbers looking utterly terrifying.

"Noisy! The school is a sacred place! How can we tolerate such chaotic things causing trouble?" Principal Wang's tone held a hint of anger.

Then, he slowly rotated the ring set with a sky-blue gem on his index finger.

Everything around them instantly fell silent.

That horde of tentacle ghosts froze in mid-air as if a pause button had been pressed.

Even a few that had leaped into the air were frozen motionless.

The wind outside the window, the swaying of leaves, even the flow of air itself had all come to a standstill in that moment.

Only Principal Wang himself, Teacher Yao, and Chen Baili and his companion could move.

Under their terrified gaze, Principal Wang strolled toward the horde of tentacle ghosts.

"Just a few side dishes for wine!"

The next second, he stopped being human.

His already obese body swelled like a small hill, nearly filling the entire corridor with his bulk; his massive hand reached out and grabbed a tentacle ghost.

Compared to this form, the opponent was like a chick being lifted up.

"Crunch... crunch..."

Principal Wang actually put the tentacle ghost directly into his mouth and began chewing!

Then, under the pale, trembling gaze of Chen Baili and Tu Tu Xing Sun,

that seemingly unstoppable horde of tentacle ghosts truly became side dishes for wine, eaten clean by Principal Wang, who had gradually transformed into a vengeful ghost form.

Moments later, the corridor was quiet.

Principal Wang's figure returned to its original shape; only the faint crimson remaining at the corner of his mouth could prove what had just happened.

He slowly walked over.

Standing beside Chen Baili, he said to Teacher Yao: "Go investigate the situation in the Dark Room. The appearance of these things indicates that a fish slipped out of the Dark Room; they have come to find that fish."

As he spoke, his eyes turned fierce.

Staring fixedly at Teacher Yao's panicked eyes and trembling legs, he threatened: "Do your job well, Old Yao. Someone must take responsibility for this accident."

Gulp—

Teacher Yao swallowed hard.

He was a smart man.

Principal Wang's meaning was clear: if the real culprit couldn't be found, he himself would have to bear the responsibility.

"D-don't worry, Principal Wang, the two matters you entrusted to me will be handled!" Teacher Yao agreed, his teeth chattering.

Seeing this, Principal Wang didn't say much more.

He turned his head to look at Chen Baili and the other, rotated the yellowish ring on his middle finger, and extended his obese palm to press down on Chen Baili's slightly messy hair.

His voice low, he said, "Chen Baili and Sun Jia, right? Your grades are acceptable; I hope you maintain them in tomorrow's exam."

The next second, his tone grew serious.

"But I don't want to see any twisted thoughts from you. Students must prioritize learning. Do you understand?"

The two immediately nodded like garlic being pounded.

Especially Bai Li Dao, fearing that if the other party was even slightly dissatisfied, he would have his head twisted off and used as a chamber pot.

Who the hell would dare not understand at a time like this!?

Damn Spirit Disaster game!

Is this really something they can contend with?

At the same time, the two of them also felt a shred of relief.

Fortunately, the main quest was just to catch truants, not to make them figure out how to play truant.

If it were the latter, they would be completely done for.

"Alright, forget what just happened. Study hard; only by getting into a prestigious school can you achieve success in the future," Principal Wang said gratified.

The smile spreading across his face still faintly revealed tentacle meat strands and fragments of school uniform fabric stuck between his teeth.

He rotated the white ring on his ring finger.

Swish—

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding environment became familiar.

Bai Li Dao and Tu Tu Xing Sun looked at the dormitory covered in sticky notes and the messy beds around them; they were somewhat stunned.

"This is... back in the dorm?" Tu Tu Xing Sun panted, puzzled.

At the same time, Bai Li Dao also looked at the scenery outside the window.

The sky was dotted with stars.

It was already night.

The two looked at each other.

Time control, ghostly form, spatial movement...

Principal Wang is simply an invincible existence in this Ghost School!

Clang—

The dormitory door was suddenly kicked open.

A tall figure rushed in, his expression slightly unnatural.

"Hmm? You're back?" The two dazed men looked at Shi Gandang, somewhat confused.

Shi Gandang trembled as he said, "Just now, the sky instantly turned black. The school doctor kicked me out, saying to return to the dorm to rest, so I couldn't stay in the infirmary to take care of Sister Qing."

"Then why does your expression look like you've bumped into a ghost?" Bai Li Dao raised an eyebrow.

The other party replied with a bitter smile, "It really is. I met Wei Wang Ren; he came to the infirmary and obtained a certificate stating he couldn't attend class."

Upon hearing this, the two were greatly shocked.

"What! He's still alive!"

"Damn, there's still new player protection?"

After all, since that guy was taken to the small black room by Teacher Yao from morning self-study, he had never appeared again.

They had simply assumed the other party had met with disaster.

But Shi Gandang shook his head and refuted, "No, I'm not sure if he's still alive."

Having said that, he described what he had seen—

In the infirmary, Wu Wang walked in to obtain a certificate stating he couldn't attend class normally.

The school doctor followed the procedure to examine him.

That kid actually directly exposed his broken right wrist, saying he couldn't hold a pen to do problems now.

"That school doctor is also stubborn; he actually said that as long as the eyes can still see, even if you can't do problems, you can still read books, and stubbornly refused to issue the certificate," Shi Gandang said somewhat helplessly.

The other two also sighed.

Obviously, they had also considered trying to go to the infirmary to get a certificate before.

They didn't expect this school doctor to be so difficult to deal with.

They couldn't possibly gouge out their own eyes to get a certificate, could they?

Thinking of this, Bai Li Dao's expression suddenly became unnatural as well.

Shi Gandang had initially said the other party obtained the certificate.

So he asked, trembling slightly, "Are you saying he..."

"Yes, just as you think. Wei Wang Ren stuck his finger into his eye socket right in front of me and told the doctor he was blind; only then did the other party, forced by necessity, issue the certificate."

Every time he recalled this scene, Shi Gandang felt his whole body shudder.

Those hollow eye sockets seemed to still be staring at him.

"Sure enough, he is no longer human."

Bai Li Dao sighed.

It seems Wei Wang Ren has already been harmed; what is now wearing his skin must be something from inside the small black room.

It might even be related to the strange tales.

He himself has most likely been transported back to the real world.

Fortunately, this is a non-lethal instance.

"Yes, I also think he has already been harmed; after all, he is just a new player, so it's normal to have no self-defense ability," Shi Gandang said with equal regret.

Creak—

The words had barely fallen when the door opened again.

A familiar figure in strange clothing walked in.

The three of them instantly looked as if facing a formidable enemy.

Wu Wang tilted his head and said with a faint smile:

"I heard that after we split up, you've been going around telling everyone I'm dead, you bastard?"