Chapter 24: House of Corpses and Incense

Chen Nan and the little fatty continued leading the way.

Explaining everything here along the way.

But whether it was an illusion or not, Wu Wang always felt the two of them were silently putting distance between themselves and him.

"…The general situation is pretty much this."

Chen Nan said with a slightly helpless, bitter smile.

According to her, every so often students would appear out of thin air in this arts building. The two of them were the same, only they had arrived earlier.

Generally, students who appeared out of thin air only remembered their own names and that they were students of Gaoshan Middle School, but had no impression of any more specific information.

To keep the others from panicking, Chen Nan suggested everyone form classes and huddle together for warmth.

She took on the role of head class monitor, and classmates could come to her with any conflicts or emergencies.

She was a born leader with the air of a strong woman.

"Hopefully the teachers and classmates outside will notice we're missing and find this place quickly." Chen Nan said with a reassuring smile: "But at least for now there's no class here—everyone's only responsible for having fun. The arts building has every kind of art and vocal-music supplies!"

They had recently been discussing painting graffiti all over the arts building's walls.

Each person could give free rein to their wildest imagination.

"So you're the earliest one to arrive?"

Wu Wang asked curiously.

Chen Nan shook her head, pointed to the side, and said: "He's the earliest. I'm the second. When I arrived, Little Fatty was so scared he was crouching under a desk all by himself, trembling."

"Chen-jie… don't expose my embarrassing moments." The little chubby boy scratched his head sheepishly.

He really was a coward.

This was something everyone in the arts building knew, so every time they let him receive newcomers to train his courage and social skills a bit.

Chatting as they went, they arrived at a large classroom.

Inside were cabinets filled with paint.

All the desks had their legs removed, leaving only the wooden boards; they were tied together in pairs to form simple bed platforms, with bedding sewn from curtains and other fabrics laid on top.

"Conditions are limited, don't mind it, okay? From now on you'll stay in this classroom. Liu Yang lives here too. Since you already know each other, look out for one another." Chen Nan patted Wu Wang's shoulder with a smile.

But it was precisely this casual gesture.

That instantly let Wu Wang catch a clue.

He frowned and asked uncertainly: "You… know his name is Liu Yang?"

If he remembered correctly, from the moment they entered the arts building until now, only he himself had said the name Chu Yu Qian. Liu Yang hadn't spoken at all and was still in a dazed state.

The question left Chen Nan baffled.

Somewhat puzzled: "Of course I know. He was the last student to appear, you're the one who appeared this time. You two are only a day apart."

After saying that she lightly punched Liu Yang's chest and said irritably: "You little punk too—where'd you run off to hide during the day? Couldn't catch a glimpse of you all day long."

Liu Yang: "?"

Hold on, sister, who are you!

Do I even know you, and you're already getting handsy?

Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask something, Wu Wang stopped him.

"It's fine, you guys go ahead. This kid just woke up and is a bit out of it. I'll tidy up the bedding." Wu Wang put on an even brighter smile.

Although he still looked to be in a normal mental state, Chen Nan was still a little worried.

She carefully pulled Liu Yang aside and reminded him: "Keep a close eye on him, don't let him hurt himself again."

Liu Yang: "?"

So sister, why exactly are you so familiar with me!

Before he could say anything, after the reminder Chen Nan took the little chubby boy and left the classroom.

The moment her front foot left.

The smile vanished from Wu Wang's face the next second.

He had seen through the true nature of the arts building.

"Heh, Gaoshan Middle School really is a house of corpses and incense." Wu Wang said mockingly.

Chen Nan, the little chubby boy, and the other arts building students were actually already dead—they just didn't remember it.

He had always felt something was off.

Turns out it was because things here were too normal!

Outside Gaoshan Middle School everyone was alive but suffocating with a dead, oppressive air.

Inside the arts building everyone was dead yet bursting with youthful vigor.

Essentially, the students who appeared here were people who had died because of the little black room—whether they died on the spot inside the little black room or later jumped from a building to kill themselves, it was all the same.

The normal humanity and youth stripped from them was reproduced here, and they forgot the fact of their death, as if deceiving themselves into believing they were in a warm, cozy school.

No wonder dead students would be thrown into the little black room for processing.

Because corpses represent lifeless, drifting walking dead—convenient for the ghost school to control.

The ghosts appearing in the classroom represent the obsession that comes from becoming a learning machine, which is why they don't belong to either side. Anyone who obstructs their learning will summon the tentacle ghost.

"Principal Wang, looks like you're not so invincible after all." Wu Wang bared his teeth in a wild expression: "You're afraid… afraid that something inside the arts building will destroy the Gaoshan Middle School outside?"

After saying that, his gaze turned to Liu Yang.

He hadn't expected this unintentional move to actually be the right one.

The corpse returning to the arts building meant Liu Yang's two sides had met and merged—he was once again a complete "person."

A student capable of independent thought, rather than a machine that only knew how to study.

This is what Principal Wang feared!

Afraid that students who have returned to normal might discover certain secrets hidden inside the Art Building!

"Liu Yang, walk with me outside." Wu Wang patted the other's shoulder and suggested.

"Where to?"

Wu Wang smiled in a somewhat chilling way: "Go see which forbidden places in the Art Building are off-limits; those are the places we should go play."

Liu Yang: "..."

Although he didn't quite understand, translating the meaning should be—let's go get ourselves killed.

"Can I refuse?"

"As long as you can persuade me."

He pulled the dagger named "Tang Niu" from his combat boots, twirled a blade flourish to make Liu Yang understand that under normal circumstances Wu Wang was reasonable.

Moreover, right now, reason was also in his hands.

Pfft—

Wu Wang suddenly felt a sharp sting on the back of his hand.

It turned out he had knocked over the paint on the cabinet nearby.

His entire palm was dyed completely red.

This familiar red and pain...

"If it were anyone else, this dungeon would indeed be fraught with peril and mystery, but sorry, today I am the one here." Wu Wang sneered.

In a daze, he saw himself inside a dilapidated classroom piled with clutter; the previous movement had caused a row of nails on the cabinet to pierce his palm, densely packed, roughly ten or so in number.

Rustling footsteps came from outside the classroom.

And that eerie "hehe" sound from the beginning.

It was obvious that whether it was the steel pipe or the nails, they were all related to the ghost in the real Art Building.

With a calm expression, he pulled out nail after nail covered in rust; Wu Wang pressed the dagger against his heart and stabbed it in fiercely.

【Undying】! Revive at full strength!

He twisted his neck, and his vision returned to the warm and tidy classroom once more.

He had also figured out the situation inside the building.

The events happening on both sides had corresponding symbolic objects; as long as he was not stained by any red paint on this side, then he would be safe on the other side.

Conversely, a fatal situation would occur.

"Go get killed... oh, go find the forbidden places, Brother Liu Yang, don't be afraid." Wu Wang comforted him: "I will teach you the essence of bravery—worst case, you die."

"A five-day limit? Completely unnecessary! Let me show you how the undying me speedruns this supernatural game!"