Chapter 29: The Widow Was the Best Teammate I

The dismissal bell echoed across the campus.

The entire Gaoshan High School was utterly silent.

Principal Wang, though struggling through the sea of security guards, sneered: “Who’s going to listen to you? Look—they dare not move.”

Gaoshan High had never had the concept of dismissal.

From the day they enrolled, they were forced to study until the college entrance exam.

Because holidays and going home were seen as wasteful of study time.

It was a cage that imprisoned young eagles for three years, denying them the right to fly.

The excuse? To make them fly faster later.

Wu Wang sneered in return: “You underestimate their courage. A great man once said, students are the sun at eight or nine in the morning—their hope lies in them.”

“Let the bullets fly a little longer.”

No sooner had he spoken than Principal Wang saw the main door of the arts building open.

A girl stepped out, her uniform splattered with paint.

She glanced at Principal Wang.

Then calmly said: “Classmates, go reclaim what belongs to us. Go become who we are.”

Tap-tap-tap—tap-tap-tap—

Behind her, a flood of students in uniforms surged forth, their faces brimming with energy and passion unseen in the rest of Gaoshan High.

At Chen Nan’s command as class monitor, everyone cheered and rushed toward the outside of the arts building.

As if stepping into a new life.

“Charge! Dismissal’s here!”

“Hahaha! After I get out, I still want to paint!”

“I’m going to write novels and earn royalties!”

“Then you’ll starve.”

“...”

Everyone chatted and joked, completely ignoring Principal Wang beside them.

They playfully dodged the Black Room, ignoring the heavy deathly aura within.

There lay their corpses.

There lay their pasts.

【I got out of school today】

【I’m ready to spread my wings tomorrow】

【But I died yesterday】

【Yet my ideals still lie far away】

【Far away—where poetry and art reside】

The students in the arts building, who had been kept in the dark, began remembering everything the moment they heard Xiao Pan and Wu Wang’s voices over the loudspeaker.

Or rather, the moment Wu Wang absorbed the eerie aura of the red vertical pupils.

They recalled everything they had once been.

Even knowing they were dead, they still brought the radiant vigor of a rising sun to their numb classmates.

When their figures vanished beyond the dormitory building,

the entire Gaoshan High School erupted.

Like a barrel of explosives ignited by a tiny spark, sweeping away all decay.

The students chose together to sing loudly like birds.

Not to die silently like lambs.

“Principal Wang, do you understand now? Studying is important, but some things can never be buried forever.” Wu Wang’s voice came from the entrance of the arts building: “What was that quote again—”

“Some birds are not meant to be caged. Their feathers are dipped in the light of freedom!”

Because the ring’s power source had been absorbed by Wu Wang and suppressed by the security guards and school nurses,

Principal Wang, utterly powerless, grinned grotesquely.

He cursed the instigators:

“Do you know what you’re doing?! Even if they leave Gaoshan High, they’ll still wander in bigger cages! The suffering they face later will be worse than this! I’m the one who’s right!” His voice sounded mad, and heartbroken.

Wu Wang merely shrugged.

He said: “So what? Who cares? I’m just a madman in your eyes.”

“Madmen don’t need reasons. If you insist on one, it’s the same reason Laozi was said to have written the Dao De Jing.”

“Because Laozi felt like it.”

The next moment, he strode off into the distance.

Leaving behind only the stunned Principal Wang.

And Liu Yang slowly emerging, carrying two Xiao Pans.

Liu Yang sighed: “Principal Wang, Comrade Chu asked me to give you a gift.”

“He said—now you must face your true self.”

With that, he released the two Xiao Pans.

They charged toward Principal Wang with fury.

Just as Liu Yang’s humanity had merged with corpses when he returned to the arts building,

the Xiao Pans would merge with Principal Wang to form his true self.

The self he had once abandoned.

“No no no! I don’t need you! Please stay away from me!” Principal Wang’s voice grew pleading.

But it couldn’t stop the Xiao Pans from approaching.

In the end, they merged as one.

Becoming a corpse lying on the ground, tears streaming down its face.

The corpse no longer wore an expensive suit, nor held precious gems.

Only a paint-splattered uniform remained.

A vivid red patch on the uniform stood out sharply.

Because it was stained with blood.

Meanwhile, Wu Wang, near the classroom building, suddenly felt lighter.

He flipped open his bulletproof vest and found his uniform beneath had vanished without trace.

He smiled.

That uniform had always been the human Xiao Pan—no, it was the relic left behind by Wang Zhiyong when he fled the school.

Now it had returned to its rightful owner.

“Oh? Master Baili, good evening. Why are you lying here? Get up—sleeping isn’t allowed.”

Wu Wang spotted Baili Dao, drenched in blood on the ground, and teased.

The other let out a weary smile.

He asked, puzzled: “Brother Wang, what exactly are you planning?”

But Wu Wang looked surprised and replied: “Isn’t the goal to catch truants? Why limit yourself to catching one at a time?”

He pointed toward the sea of students flooding the school gate: “Look—I orchestrated a school-wide truancy event. Now we can catch them however we want. Need me to help you up?”

Baili Dao: “...”

He had never considered this approach.

But it didn’t seem wrong.

If he went after students now, he could rack up the Fuben rewards to an unimaginable level in no time.

Too bad he couldn’t do it himself.

“Cough cough cough! Brother Wang, I think I’m done. Go ahead—it’s yours.” Baili Dao smiled, at peace.

His injuries were too severe.

He could barely hope to stand, let alone chase students for rewards.

On the other side, He Yikan, without a nurse to watch over him, had likely already died and escaped the Fuben .

Wu Wang would become the sole player left in this Fuben .

“Tsk tsk tsk. So young and already giving up? Your future wife’s going to be miserable.” Wu Wang cracked his usual lewd joke: “I’m off to do real work now.”

He rose to leave.

But Baili Dao called him back, solemnly: “Brother Wang, honestly—though your actions and spirit are erratic, you’re the best teammate I’ve ever met in a Fuben . So I must warn you—”

“After clearing the Fuben , watch out for those three free players.”

“You’re only a level-one player. Back in reality, to them you’re just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.”

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow, his expression turning to sudden understanding.

Those three bastards planned to double-cross him in reality!

And he’d actually stumbled into this kind of opportunity?

That meant if he just defended himself properly—and maybe accidentally overdid it and killed them—

he could cry while looting their bodies?

After realizing this, Wu Wang patted Baili Dao on the shoulder and said, “Thanks for telling me this good news. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a proper burial—I’ve got my own Daoist certification.”

Baili Dao: “?”

Big bro, this isn’t a death-type Fuben !

I’m gonna go back to the real world in a minute—what the hell are you exorcising, you fake Daoist?

Whatever, he probably understands what I mean.

Baili Dao took a deep breath.

Slowly vanished into the grass, departing the Fuben world after death.

Wu Wang stood up and walked toward the school gate.

But he didn’t grab any student.

Instead, he blended into the crowd and left the school slowly.

His silhouette was just like every other student’s.

Unremarkable, yet independent.

【Transferring out of the Fuben 】

【Congratulations, Player Weiwang, you’ve cleared the Reality-Oriented Team Fuben —Escape from School Dragon】

【Game Rating: α】

【Main Quest Completed】

【Side Quest 1 and 2 Completed】

【Hidden Reward Condition Achieved—Purification Completed】

【You successfully led all students to escape—the Fuben reward stacking has reached its peak!】

【Please collect your rewards promptly】

【 Fuben Summary: You exhibit extreme lack of team awareness, fundamentally incapable of empathizing with any student. You felt no pressure from studies or authority from school administrators, yet easily scored a perfect mark through cheating—you’re literally a tumor… But none of this matters. You purged the pollution from Gaoshan High, liberated the entire school. Oh my friend, you are the true hero!】

Wu Wang: “?”

It felt like the system just scolded me, but there’s no concrete proof.

Whatever, let’s see what the reward is.

Then go out and be “the lamb about to be slaughtered.”

I’m already eager to act in self-defense!