(2/5)
Yuying University
Chapter 463: Trying not to get beaten up
[Ten seconds remaining until the scene ends]
The second Wen Jianyan’s words fell, the horrified, angry, and pained expression on Hugo’s face suddenly vanished completely.
Then, his facial features began to rapidly melt, turning into a complete blank within just a few short seconds.
Wen Jianyan gasped for breath. He let go of the blade and slowly took two steps back.
Amidst the gurgling sound of boiling water in the iron pot, the figure in front of him began to dissolve rapidly like the college student who had approached him earlier, turning into a puddle of bloody mud before finally collapsing into the shape of an eyeball.
The next second, the familiar system voice sounded in his ear.
[Ding! The special scene you activated has been cleared. Hidden side quest complete!]
The moment the voice fell, Wen Jianyan felt a wave of dizziness. Then, all the light and shadows and sounds began to recede rapidly. A thick, rotten stench washed over him, replacing the dissipating smell of blood.
When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had changed from the blood-filled back kitchen to the narrow, dark cabinet.
Not far away, the unidentifiable headless corpse lay quietly, its rotten hand still gripping Wen Jianyan’s wrist.
Wen Jianyan shuddered and sharply pulled back.
The corpse’s hand, which had been as cold and hard as a shackle, now loosened easily, allowing Wen Jianyan to pull his hand away.
The dinging of the system notifications sounded in his ear once more.
[Ding! Live room special task complete. Special route unlocked. Point reward: 50,000]
[Instance Exploration Progress: 75%. Point reward: 150,000]
“Congratulations on once again breaking the exploration record for [Yuying Comprehensive University]. You have made history…”
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Only then did Wen Jianyan begin to pant heavily.
His heart was beating fast, thumping against his chest so hard it almost started to hurt.
—He was back.
Wen Jianyan gripped his own wrist with one hand, forcing his trembling fingers to open and close.
His back was drenched in cold sweat, and his muscles even began to twitch from the excessive tension. The sticky feeling of blood seemed to linger on his palm.
In the special scene just now, “Hugo” was hidden far deeper than the “college student” who had struck up a conversation.
After all, long before Wen Jianyan had figured out the rules, “Hugo” had already been acting alongside him. In such a situation, one would subconsciously classify the other person as their “ally.” What’s more, Wen Jianyan and Hugo weren’t actually that familiar with each other, so he couldn’t distinguish whether he was real or fake based on his words and actions.
Generally speaking, special scenes could indeed only be entered by anchors who met specific conditions. It was Wen Jianyan who had collected the two eyeballs, so this scene should have originally been accessible only to him.
But…
There were exceptions.
After all, while Wen Jianyan was crawling into the cabinet, Hugo’s “smoke” talent had been shrouding him, helping him conceal his presence and movements. In most instance scenes, talents held a much higher status than items and could even gain the power to twist the rules. So, the fact that “Hugo” entered the special scene with Wen Jianyan was not the main reason for his suspicion.
His suspicion of “Hugo” was built up slowly.
Although Wen Jianyan and Hugo were not very familiar, the two had also cooperated in the administration building and almost came into conflict over decision-making power. If Wen Jianyan hadn’t, at a critical moment, revealed the fact that he had appeared in the Xingwang Hotel instance, the final outcome might not necessarily have gone as he imagined.
And in this special scene, if one thought about it carefully, one would discover…
The entire puzzle-solving process was completely led by Wen Jianyan.
Even considering he was injured, Hugo’s performance was far too passive—no suggestions, and certainly no questions.
This was really not like a top-five Nightmare anchor who was a loner and didn’t mix well with others.
What really made Wen Jianyan begin to doubt Hugo’s authenticity was at the swimming pool.
The un-messaged back was one thing, but more importantly, Hugo didn’t follow “Wang Ni” into the changing room.
A high-level anchor who had experienced countless instances would more or less have some abnormalities. And as one of the top ten, it was even possible their very souls had been remolded by Nightmare. Being like Orange Candy, with a weak moral compass and doing as they pleased, was perfectly normal.
The information given in the special scene they were in was too little; they had almost nowhere to start. Because of this, even the smallest piece of information could be a matter of life and death.
But “Hugo” didn’t do that.
This was not like an action a high-level anchor would take. His suspicion deepened when two chances were used up, leaving only the last one. This time, Nightmare had him… it seemed very reasonable… you see, the fake plots were Brave Richard and A Day in the Life of Wang Ni. Logically, there should have been more. That would be First Love, which Hugo had chosen. Clearly, the two movies Wen Jianyan experienced were fully replicated, but Nightmare didn’t have them go through the plot of the movie only Hugo had entered. Why was that? Was it because Hugo didn’t enter the special scene through normal channels? Or was it because this scene was actually built around him alone?
And when he saw the “college student’s” body dissolve, Wen Jianyan became completely certain of his idea.
That puddle of flesh ultimately collapsed into a single eyeball.
But… Wen Jianyan hadn’t forgotten that the item he had obtained was two eyeballs.
Having two eyeballs meant that there were two “flaws” in this special scene. It was just that one was obvious, and one was hidden. If he had let his guard down after finding the first one, thinking he had successfully completed the task, then he would have stepped into a truly fatal trap.
So, after the first [flaw] was found, no notification sounded.
What sounded afterward was just the countdown.
—But the end of the countdown did not equal task completion.
So, the true “Task Complete” notification only sounded after Wen Jianyan killed “Hugo.”
Recalling everything that had just happened in the scene, Wen Jianyan felt cold sweat break out on his back.
He had to say…
Although this wasn’t a surefire deathtrap, it was definitely filled with killing intent at every step. Relaxing for even a second, or ignoring even one detail, could have led to a misstep and the collapse of everything.
And at this moment, staring at the headless corpse not far away, Wen Jianyan felt the exhaustion of having survived a disaster.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. It seemed complex, but it had all happened in an instant.
Wen Jianyan quickly composed himself again.
He knew he had to leave quickly now.
Since the one who entered the special scene with him wasn’t the real Hugo, then Hugo himself should still be outside the cabinet.
Although time flowed differently in the special scene, entering, leaving, and acquiring the item all took time. Added together, it had already exceeded the agreed-upon “one minute.”
More importantly, Wen Jianyan realized that at some point, the smoke that had been shrouding him to conceal his presence and movements had disappeared.
Did something happen to the Hugo outside?
A sense of foreboding rose in Wen Jianyan’s heart.
So, he quickened his pace backwards. Soon, he retreated to the end of the passage.
He bent his knee and kicked outwards. The cabinet door slowly opened.
In almost the blink of an eye, Wen Jianyan slipped out from the depths of the cabinet. His movements were nimble and light, making almost no sound.
The moment he left the cabinet, he smelled a familiar, almost pungent, metallic scent, mixed with hot steam and spreading smoke. It was like a punch to the face, causing him to instantly tense up and become acutely alert to his surroundings.
The entire kitchen was shrouded in smoke, and visibility was very low.
Wen Jianyan slowly took a step forward. The next second, a pale, horrifyingly fat face slammed towards him from the smoke. Its cold, eerie eyes and smiling lips made his pupils contract and his heart race to one hundred and twenty beats per minute.
Not good, it’s the chef!!
It’s found them!!
Wen Jianyan stumbled backwards, quickly putting distance between himself and the terrifying face.
Then, the next second…
The tall, fat body closed in through the steam, lunging down, and then—
Thump!
It fell solidly onto the floor.
“…?”
Wen Jianyan stood his ground, looking down at the back of the chef’s head, which was only a few centimeters from his toes, panting in shock.
Wait, what’s going on?
“…You said before that ‘one minute’ would be enough?”
A low voice sounded from not far away.
But now the voice seemed to be panting slightly. It sounded quite weak, but you could still hear the gritting of teeth.
Wen Jianyan looked up.
Not far away, Hugo was propped up on the counter with one hand, his other hand pressed against his side, his face pale.
The smoke in the kitchen seemed to be gradually dissipating.
The place was a mess, as if a tornado had swept through. The other two chefs were lying in two other locations in the back kitchen, face down, their life or death status unknown, but they had clearly lost their ability to act for the time being.
Even without having experienced it himself, it was clear that in the past few minutes, an incredibly intense fight had taken place here.
Obviously, during the “one minute” Wen Jianyan was gone, Hugo’s talent had failed. He was discovered by the chefs and was forced into a direct confrontation.
Hugo stared at Wen Jianyan grimly, his jaw muscles bulging, looking as if he hated him enough to gnaw on his bones.
Wen Jianyan: “…”
“Really, truly, I am very sorry.”
“But there really was a special reason…”
In fact, Wen Jianyan was also very innocent.
He never expected that after collecting the two eyeballs, the instance would actually activate a special route, catching him completely off guard. Otherwise, he would have been able to leave within a minute. But he didn’t expect to be played by the instance’s mechanics, and he almost didn’t make it out of that high-difficulty scene himself.
Wen Jianyan’s apology was very sincere.
But seeing his sneaky retreat, trying to avoid a beating, he didn’t seem very deserving of forgiveness.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Hahahahahahahahaha!]
[Damn… I didn’t expect you to be fighting alone out here the whole time. Truly tragic.]
[I sincerely suggest Teacher Hugo give the anchor a good beating. It would be a public service!]
[…]
Hugo took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, seeming to suppress the murderous intent in his heart.
He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and said wearily:
“Next, I will completely lose my mobility for a period of time. So from now on, I can only rely on you.”
Hugo was already injured. Using his talent to cover a retreat under those circumstances was already his limit. But then he was forced into a direct confrontation with the instance’s NPCs. Although he was lucky enough to win, the price he paid was also painful.
At least for a while, he wouldn’t be able to use any of his abilities.
Realizing the other man didn’t seem to plan on beating him up to vent his anger, Wen Jianyan finally dared to step forward and tentatively pat Hugo’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!”
Hugo: “…”
“Really!” Wen Jianyan raised his hands, saying with an innocent face, “Mainly because our path ahead has already been cleared. Look, even the chefs have lost their ability to act. All we need to do now is leave the back kitchen, cross the cafeteria, and we can return to the normal campus. Of course, unless some sudden situation appears—”
Before he could finish his sentence, a “creak” suddenly sounded from outside the back kitchen.
It was like the side door of the cafeteria had been opened. Then, the rumbling of wheels was heard. It seemed someone was pushing a cart, slowly approaching in their direction.
Wen Jianyan: “…”
Hugo: “……………”
He turned his head expressionlessly to look at Wen Jianyan.
If looks could kill, Wen Jianyan would have died at least a hundred times by now.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[…]
[Ahhhh!]
[Jinx, that’s what you call a jinx!!]
[I can’t take it anymore, someone crowdfund a beating for this guy!]
Wen Jianyan’s heart filled with despair.
…I didn’t want this to happen either!!
The sound of rolling wheels and footsteps continued to approach.
Wen Jianyan quickly scanned the room, his brain working at high speed.
Hugo had lost his ability to fight. The three chefs couldn’t move. The kitchen was a mess.
What should he do next?
He strode forward, bent down, and felt around on one of the chefs. An idea immediately formed in his mind.
Rumble, rumble.
Rumble, rumble.
The cart stopped at the entrance of the back kitchen.
Then, the sound of a heavy iron door being pulled open was heard, and a figure slowly walked in.
It was a pale-faced student council member, with a striking armband on his arm.
He scanned the messy back kitchen, his brow slowly furrowing. His gaze finally landed on a chef at the stove with his back to him.
Thump, thump, thump.
The mechanical sound of kneading dough echoed.
“What happened here?” the student council member asked.
“Two little rats snuck in here and made a mess of the place. But don’t worry, the other few have gone to handle it.”
The chef with his back to him stopped his work and slowly turned around.
The student council member looked at him.
Wen Jianyan, wearing a chef’s uniform, was expressionless, his voice equally devoid of emotion:
“Is there something you need?”
Not far away, in a blind spot from the doorway, three unconscious, obese bodies were piled up, and the chef’s uniform from one of them was missing.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[…Keep making it up. Go on.]
[It’d be a miracle if they believed this!!]
For this disguise, Wen Jianyan was about fifty percent confident.
It might not seem high, but in his experience of bluffing and tricking people, it was actually not bad.
First, the major premise was that all NPCs in this instance could be supplemented and replaced. Since the student council and clubs could accept new blood, then the chefs might be able to as well.
More importantly, the moment he touched the chef’s uniform, he felt the cold aura coming from it.
In other words, the chef’s uniform should be something similar to the student council armbands or club badges.
Especially after putting on the chef’s uniform, the oversized, ill-fitting clothes shrank in the blink of an eye to fit his body size, which once again verified Wen Jianyan’s guess.
Although he was already quite confident, but…
In Wen Jianyan’s palm, hanging by his side, he was already clutching an item, ready to counter-attack at any moment.
If it were any other situation, it might not matter, but now Wen Jianyan was still concerned about the over-exhausted Hugo on his side. So, even though he wasn’t good at direct confrontation with NPCs, if this disguise was really seen through, then regardless of whether Wen Jianyan wanted to or not, he would have to do it.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s body tensed slightly as he seemed to calmly accept the scrutiny of the student council member not far away.
After a few short yet long seconds, the student council member finally looked away.
In that instant, Wen Jianyan knew:
He had gotten away with it.
But, before he could let out a sigh of relief, he heard the student council member continue to ask:
“Where’s the stuff? Is it all used up?”
Wen Jianyan’s heart leaped into his throat again.
Stuff? What stuff?
“Is it all used up?”
Watching the student council member walk over, Wen Jianyan glanced at the three motionless chef bodies behind the stove not far away, which would be immediately discovered if the angle changed. He blurted out:
“No, there’s still some.”
—The cart the other person was pushing.
—The “stuff” they needed.
—And it was a consumable.
He turned, seemingly searching the stovetop, but in reality, he pulled out the white cloth bag filled with dirt from his own person.
It must be it.
Wen Jianyan turned around and placed the cloth bag on the opposite stovetop.
Sure enough, the student council member stopped and did not continue forward.
He picked up the bag, turned, and walked towards the cart at the door.
“…”
Phew.
Wen Jianyan let out a long, imperceptible sigh. He turned and once again faced the cutting board in front of him.
Thank heavens.
Looking at the situation, the crisis was temporarily resolved.
Next, he just had to wait for the student council member to leave, and then he could slip away with Hugo.
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan’s gaze fell on a corner next to the cutting board, and he froze.
Wait a minute, is that…
Not far away, on the dirty knife rack, hung a very familiar-looking kitchen knife.
It was covered in rust spots, like dark red bloodstains that hadn’t been cleaned off. The blade was chipped, and it looked very worn.
Wasn’t this the knife he had used in the special scene before, the one that killed the fake “Hugo”?
Similarly, it was also the knife that “Chu Chu” had used to cut off her own head… It was still in this kitchen?
As if possessed, Wen Jianyan reached out and touched the handle of the knife.
The next second, the familiar system voice sounded in his ear:
[Ding! Congratulations, Anchor, for obtaining a hidden item from the instance (Difficulty: Hard)!]
[Collection Progress 3/10]
As expected!
Wen Jianyan’s spirits lifted.
It’s an item.
He had now collected three!
But, before he could be happy, he heard the student council member’s voice from behind:
“What are you still standing there for?”
Huh?
Wen Jianyan blinked, turning around in a daze to look towards the source of the voice.
The student council member stood at the door, pushing the cart with both hands, looking at him impatiently.
Looking at the other person’s appearance, Wen Jianyan once again felt a wave of foreboding.
He heard the other person say:
“Let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan: “…”
Wait, wait a minute, go where?!!
After a long day of frequent accidents, Wen Jianyan was on the verge of a breakdown.
—Oh, heavens!
Can’t you just give me a break? Huh?
