Yuying University
Chapter 508: You won’t die
In the upper right corner of his vision, the blood-red countdown was almost gone.
[06:44]
With only six minutes left, the effect of the dead man’s eyeballs was about to disappear.
He was currently too deep below the lake’s surface. The distance from here to the surface was very far. To leave before being swallowed by the lake water, he had to act immediately.
Wen Jianyan stuffed the photo back into his pocket and turned to rush out the door.
The dark, oppressive lake water automatically parted on either side of him. In the distance, the faint glimmer of daylight at the end of the staircase could be seen, pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
Wen Jianyan ran wildly upward.
The principal’s office had disappeared into the darkness below, the vice-principal’s office was also left behind, and the distance to the lake surface was gradually shortening.
[4:51]
At this speed, he should be able to make it.
But suddenly, Wen Jianyan’s pace slowed down without warning.
He turned his head to look at the lake water beside him.
Since he was no longer at the bottom of the lake, the transparent lake water was no longer as dark as ink. The light from outside shone through the surface of the lake, and the cocoon-like shadows floating in the distance could be vaguely seen.
They floated in the lake water, with long threads connecting them from below, sinking into the darkness of the lake bottom, like the eggs of some creature.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[?]
[What’s the anchor doing? Why did he suddenly stop?]
As if completely unaffected by the anxious emotions of the viewers in the livestream room, Wen Jianyan remained standing, letting precious time slip away.
He lowered his head and took out his phone from his pocket.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[???]
[Is there any other time to check your messages? Why this time? Hurry up, there’s not much time left.]
[Aaaah, watching this through the screen is making me so anxious!]
Wen Jianyan’s fingers tapped on the screen. Soon, the call connected, but he didn’t put the phone to his ear. He just held it, letting it emit a “beep… beep…” sound.
Suddenly, mixed in with the dial tone, there seemed to be another sound.
Very low, very far, as if it were coming from several kilometers away. If it weren’t so quiet here, it would be almost impossible to hear.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[?]
[Wait a minute… is that… a phone ringing?]
[Damn, I think it is! Where is it coming from? Above? Doesn’t sound like it.]
[Crap. I know. In the lake.]
Wen Jianyan followed the direction of the sound and saw the cocoon-like shadows floating in the distance, silently suspended in the lake water—his palm, holding the phone, was sweating, and his back felt like it was being pricked by needles.
Because the number he had just dialed was Orange Candy’s.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Holy crap!]
[Holy crap!!]
[Those cocoons are filled with people?? Are they the people who were replaced by mirror images?]
The reason Wen Jianyan had paid so much to get the three pieces of paper Richard had stuffed down the drain was that he suspected they recorded a way to revive the people who had been turned into mirror images.
In the end, he found out that Richard had been deceived and had made a deal with the devil, and all he got was a construction drawing.
Wen Jianyan had almost given up on breaking through from this direction.
For this reason, he had not expected at all that his initial guess would be confirmed in an unexpected way.
No wonder at the end of the movie, the little boy would bend down and drink the water from the artificial lake. Besides the lake being the source and core of all horror, it was also because, beneath the lake’s surface, was where his lover, who had been replaced by a mirror image, was located.
Wen Jianyan reached out to the water wall in front of him, and his fingers soon submerged into the water.
This time, the lake water did not part. Apparently, the Moses-parting-the-sea spectacle only occurred on this staircase. Beyond the staircase, the lake water was just ordinary lake water.
Wen Jianyan forcefully ran his hands through his hair, glanced at the upper right corner, his jaw tightening slightly.
Four minutes left.
Should he do it or not?
In the distance, the end of the staircase was a faint light symbolizing the exit, as if silently summoning him.
Four minutes was too short, barely enough for him to escape from the bottom of the lake. In an hour, the item’s cooldown period would be over. He already knew where Orange Candy was and could wait until then to rescue her, which would be better for both of them.
Wen Jianyan put the still-connected phone into his pocket and slowly took two steps back.
Precisely because deceiving others came so easily to him, Wen Jianyan was also very difficult for anyone to deceive—including himself.
There was less than half an hour left until the start of the graduation ceremony. No one knew what would happen at the graduation ceremony. How did he know he would find a chance to leave midway?
And once the graduation ceremony was over, the instance would end, and all the surviving anchors would leave the instance… what chance would he have to return again?
Wen Jianyan raised his hand and touched his cheek, sighing silently.
On his right cheekbone, the narrow wound had stopped bleeding and had formed a scab, which felt a little uneven to the touch.
He took a deep breath, suddenly pushed off the ground for a running start, and plunged headfirst into the parted lake water beside him!
In the ‘Integrity First’ livestream room, the bullet comments went blank for a moment, then were flooded with shocked exclamation marks and curses.
[Huh?]
[Huh???]
[Holy crap!!!! Ahhhhh, you kid, you don’t want to live!!!]
The cold water rushed towards him, swallowing Wen Jianyan whole.
Behind him, with a loud splash, the long staircase was submerged by the suddenly closing lake water. The impact of the collision pushed Wen Jianyan out, and the entire lake bottom was filled with white foam.
In the slap of the waves and the foam rushing towards him, Wen Jianyan held his breath tightly, closing his lips to prevent the lake water from entering his mouth.
The moment he was submerged in the lake water, Wen Jianyan suddenly realized that although in his new vision, this lake water looked clear and transparent, as if it were no different from normal water, when he was actually in it, Wen Jianyan’s hair stood on end. For the first time, he truly and clearly perceived the strangeness of the lake water.
It was by no means ordinary water, but rather like the bodily fluid of some creature…
Cold, viscous, but alive.
Wen Jianyan endured the discomfort and propelled himself forward with the force of the impact.
His vision was murky in the bubbles. He could only hear the muffled and distant sound of a telephone ringing. Although it was not very clear through the sound of the water, Wen Jianyan could clearly sense that the distance between him and the sound was shortening.
Finally, the white bubbles obscuring his vision gradually dispersed.
It took Wen Jianyan two seconds to realize that he was already among the group of shadows.
The visibility in the lake was not high, but it was clear enough for Wen Jianyan to see everything around him clearly.
The “human cocoons” that had looked strange enough from a distance were now floating beside him, becoming denser the deeper he went.
Their surface was covered with a transparent membrane, like the membrane that enveloped the monsters outside. Each cocoon was the size of an adult.
Wen Jianyan continued to swim forward, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the “human cocoons” floating beside him.
Through the thin membrane, the pale, distorted faces inside could be vaguely seen.
“…”
Wen Jianyan swallowed the horror rising in his heart, forced himself to look away, and continued to swim in the direction of the sound.
[02:11]
The phone ringing was getting closer, but the density of the “human cocoons” was also increasing. Wen Jianyan could no longer move forward without touching the “human cocoons.” He even had to push away the cocoons that floated in front of him.
The touch from his fingers was cold and soft, making his stomach churn with nausea.
“Ring, ring, ring!”
The phone ringing was close at hand, seemingly less than half a meter away.
But just as Wen Jianyan was about to continue searching by sound, the sound was cut off without warning.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell into a dead silence.
Without the sound of the phone ringing, the area below the lake surface was like a world apart. Wen Jianyan could only hear the sound of water flowing past him.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Ahhh! Oh no, the phone’s ringing duration has reached its limit and was automatically cut off!]
[It’s okay, it’s okay, just call again!]
[You can, but redialing in the water is very time-consuming! Hiss… at this rate, I think it’s going to be a bit difficult for the anchor to find Orange Candy and bring her back to the surface.]
The young man floated in the deep lake water, the hem of his white shirt fluttering with the current. He stood still for a few seconds, staring fixedly at the dense human cocoons before him.
Suddenly, he moved.
He swam forward without hesitation, reached out in a certain direction, and then fiercely grabbed one of the “human cocoons”!
Less than two minutes remained.
Wen Jianyan tucked the “human cocoon” under his arm, then swam back with all his might. His speed was fast. With a kick of his two powerful legs, his whole body shot forward several meters like a fish. The translucent long thread connected to the bottom of the “human cocoon” was stretched to its limit and was soon forcibly torn off.
At the same time, the transparent thin membrane attached to the “human cocoon” also began to peel off, revealing the sleeping face of the young girl, and her long orange hair spreading out in the lake water.
In the ‘Integrity First’ livestream room, question marks began to fill the screen.
[???]
[Holy crap, holy crap, how did the anchor do it? He actually found the right person just like that??]
[Without even using an item, or making a call, he just found her? What kind of dog-shit luck is this?]
[…Wait a minute, I think I know.]
[?]
[The cocoon she was in was a lot shorter than the others.]
[…]
[…]
Suddenly, a strange silence fell over the livestream room.
[Okay, got it.]
[Okay, I really get it.]
Looking at it this way, it was indeed easy to find!
The torn thin thread slowly fell, sinking bit by bit into the dark bottom of the lake.
In that instant, as if some balance had been broken, everything changed.
The previously lifeless “human cocoons” seemed to have all come alive. The pale, blurry faces pressed tightly against the thin membrane, and the surface of the transparent membrane began to bulge, slowly ‘looking’ over.
The next second, Wen Jianyan felt his ankle being gripped tightly by something cold, and his whole body was fiercely pulled towards the bottom of the lake!
Startled, bubbles escaped from his mouth and nose.
He subconsciously looked down.
Countless thin threads emerged from the dark lake bottom. They were not transparent, but as scarlet as blood. They seemed to have a mind of their own, all swimming towards him!
This is bad!
A chill ran down Wen Jianyan’s back.
This was not land, after all. One of his hands was occupied, and he still had to swim. He had no time to spare at this moment, yet he encountered something like this…?
As he struggled, several more thin threads wrapped around his ankle, his calf. Wen Jianyan’s body was fiercely pulled down again, sinking several meters.
No, I must—
As Wen Jianyan was struggling, suddenly, he felt the cold body in his arms move. The next second, the previously sleeping girl suddenly raised her head. Sharp teeth pierced through flesh, biting down with force and precision, mercilessly, almost enough to tear an adult’s throat out!
“—Ugh!!”
Wen Jianyan’s pupils constricted. He was about to struggle reflexively, but soon, a look of confusion appeared on his face.
It doesn’t hurt?
He looked down and met Orange Candy’s open eyes.
Blood seeped from between her lips. Through the lake water, her eyes were clear and cold.
Go.
Orange Candy mouthed the word.
In his peripheral vision, Wen Jianyan caught sight of the red rope that had been wrapped around his right wrist. At some unknown point, it had broken and was fluttering down into the lake.
At the same time, the threads that had been tightly wrapped around Wen Jianyan’s ankle seemed to have been interfered with by something, and their strength relaxed.
“…”
Wen Jianyan was taken aback.
Ah.
He remembered. This was before participating in the club. To prevent being framed by Weasel and the others, Orange Candy had given them a red hand rope, and she herself wore one around her neck. Orange Candy had emphasized at the time, “This thing is hard to find. It must be returned after this instance ends.” But after that, no matter what danger Wen Jianyan encountered, it had never been of any use, so Wen Jianyan had almost forgotten its existence.
And in this scene now, it made Wen Jianyan suddenly realize its function.
This red rope was specifically used to “defend against people.”
It would only be activated by another anchor’s fatal attack and would give the host a chance to escape the current scene.
In the black lake water, the thin threads below swayed like harmless seaweed in the dark water, as if in a temporary state of paralysis.
Wen Jianyan did not let go of this opportunity. He kicked his feet fiercely and glanced at the upper right corner.
One minute left.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Sigh, although I really want to remain optimistic, time is definitely not enough.]
[They’ve already been dragged down several meters. The position is too deep. It’s impossible for them to surface before the minute is up, no matter what.]
[Hiss… do you guys think that if the item’s special effect disappears, the anchor can still survive here?]
[Not sure, but it’s probably difficult.]
Wen Jianyan, holding Orange Candy with one arm, paused in place for a second. Soon, as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly moved.
However, unlike what the viewers in the livestream room had imagined, he did not choose to ascend. Instead, he kicked his legs, agilely turned around in the water, and swam downward.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[?]
[Where is the anchor going?]
Forty seconds left.
Wen Jianyan swam faster. The cold lake water was parted. Not far ahead, a long, pale line of stairs appeared.
In the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Holy crap!]
[Holy crap! He’s planning to return to the surface through the vice-principal’s office!!]
Twenty seconds left.
The moment Wen Jianyan reached the stairs, the lake water parted on both sides, leaving a space to stand. Cold lake water dripped from his body.
Wen Jianyan didn’t even have time to catch his breath before he stumbled and ran towards the iron gate not far away.
Five seconds left.
This time, there was no time to control the sound. The rusty iron gate was pushed open heavily, making a sharp, piercing scraping sound.
Three seconds left.
Wen Jianyan dragged his heavy body, and the equally heavy, soaked Orange Candy, and threw himself forward with the desperation of one facing death.
With a loud “clang,” the two drenched figures crashed through the rickety cabinet door and rolled several times on the ground.
Behind them, the rusty iron gate automatically closed, blocking the cold lake water.
A cold system prompt sounded in his ear:
“Special state has disappeared.”
“Remaining cooldown time: 01:00:00”
Wen Jianyan was on his knees, coughing violently. He looked up, his expression panicked and tense.
Ten minutes ago, there were voices in the vice-principal’s office.
If he had a choice, Wen Jianyan would never have returned to the surface through this route. However, the situation before had been too critical, forcing Wen Jianyan to make such a risky decision.
What about now?
Was the vice-principal still here? Were they safe?
Wen Jianyan’s body was tense as his eyes quickly scanned the entire room.
The room was empty.
…Thank God.
Perhaps because there were only a dozen or so minutes left until the graduation ceremony, the vice-principal had clearly already left the office.
Wen Jianyan’s perpetually tense body finally relaxed. He sat down on the ground in defeat, only then realizing that his calves and arms were trembling.
Too tense, really too tense.
Just then, Orange Candy’s voice came from behind him:
“Cough, cough, cough!”
“…”
Wen Jianyan paused and turned his head in the direction of the sound.
Orange Candy was just as wretched as he was. Her originally very defiant and fluffy long hair was now plastered to her cheeks, making her already small frame look even more pitiful.
She was currently struggling to get up from the ground, but her movements seemed somewhat clumsy.
Wen Jianyan pushed himself up from the desk and extended a hand.
“Let me help—”
His voice caught in his throat, his pupils constricting.
Orange Candy’s abdomen was bulging at a strange angle, and it was expanding rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her skin was stretched taut and white, and something strange seemed to be writhing underneath.
Looking at the abnormality of her own body, Orange Candy seemed very calm.
She held her forehead, which was beginning to feel muddled, turned her head, and spat out a mouthful of bloody lake water. “Damn it, this instance is sick.”
“…”
Wen Jianyan stood where he was, letting the lake water drip from his body, and said nothing.
Of course, he knew why Orange Candy had been hit.
As a veteran anchor, she had long since learned to hold her breath underwater and not let it enter her mouth. However, in order to activate the red rope’s effect, Orange Candy had bitten his throat with deadly intent.
Inevitably, water had entered her mouth and nose.
“No solution, right?”
Orange Candy lifted her eyelids and asked.
Wen Jianyan said nothing.
The answer was obvious, and Orange Candy didn’t press further.
“What academic year is it?” Orange Candy asked.
Wen Jianyan opened his mouth and answered after a few seconds’ pause, “Ten minutes left until the fourth academic year.”
“Hah.”
Orange Candy coughed and laughed.
“Not bad. You managed to get this far without me?”
The tumor in her body was growing rapidly. The fogginess of consciousness from just waking up in the heavy pressure of the lake water had not completely dissipated before it was deepened to an extent that could not be ignored.
Orange Candy felt her thinking speed slow down, her memories being erased from her mind as if by an eraser.
She felt cold, numb, and afraid.
It was familiar. She had experienced it more than once in Nightmare.
But she wasn’t surprised, nor did she have much reluctance.
“What about the others?” Orange Candy continued to ask.
Wen Jianyan lied, “Very safe.”
Orange Candy nodded. “Oh.”
Her talent could reverse time, but she was not prepared to do so.
Even if she went back into the lake and was given another chance, she would still make the same choice.
One lives, one dies. It was much better than both of them drowning.
She had long known this day would come.
Orange Candy no longer had the strength to sit up straight.
She leaned against the wall to make her gradually deforming body a little more comfortable.
It was normal.
She had seen anchors more outstanding than her fall in instances of lower difficulty. In the end, it was just a matter of sooner or later. At least she had gotten her money’s worth now.
Orange Candy suddenly raised her head, glanced at Wen Jianyan, her attitude unprecedentedly gentle. “Thank you for getting me out of the water.”
“That’s enough,” Wen Jianyan interrupted her rudely. “Shut up.”
“…?”
Seemingly not expecting Wen Jianyan to react this way, Orange Candy was stunned by him. It was unknown whether it was because she was too shocked or because her current state was too poor, but she even forgot to get angry.
The young man squatted down, bringing his eyes level with hers.
“Now listen to me. You will not die.”
His voice was unusually cold and hard. Through the wet bangs, what looked at Orange Candy was a pair of emotionless, unwavering eyes.
“I will not let you die.”
It was clearly worthless, empty comfort, but spoken by him in such a calm and determined tone, it was like a declaration of war against some invisible existence.
Someone who was within reach falling away from his side.
Something like that would never happen a second time.
“…”
Orange Candy opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words before they came out.
“Let me think,” Wen Jianyan’s voice was very soft, but it did not waver in the slightest. “Give me some time.”
“There is only one graduation ceremony left before the end of the instance. The time should not exceed one hour. Using these few items might freeze your state and let you live until then,” Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes to the ground, muttering to himself in a volume only he could hear, his whole person seeming to be immersed in a state that outsiders could not disturb. “No, that won’t work. Even if I drag it out until then, you won’t be able to survive. You haven’t completed your graduation thesis. There are only ten minutes left. It’s absolutely impossible to graduate in such a short time—”
Suddenly, as if realizing something, his voice came to an abrupt halt.
It’s possible.
It is possible.
Wen Jianyan suddenly raised his eyes and looked straight at Orange Candy.
“…The graduation certificate.”
He leaned forward.
“The graduation certificate we stole from the admissions teacher’s office!”
Author’s Note:
Red rope: Chapter 448
Graduation certificate: Chapter 478
salve ela!!! salve ela!!! minha garota está aprendendo a ser doce agora, ainda não é a hora dela!