WTNL Chapter 9.1

Decai Middle School
Chapter 9.1: 408

Su Cheng truly never imagined that bypassing the old witch’s alert radius using time differences and blind spots could be this simple.

The young man traveling with him seemed to know the building’s internal structure like the back of his hand, advancing and retreating through the dark with absolute ease. Which room could be entered, which couldn’t; every single timing was seized with pinpoint precision—it seemed he could always find a blind spot to hide in just moments before being discovered.

Soon, the two reached the first floor without any mishaps.

Standing in the empty ground-floor lobby, Su Cheng was momentarily dazed.

We… just came down like that?

Why does this feel so surreal?

In a trace of disbelief, he followed behind Wen Jianyan across the lobby to the tightly shut entrance doors of the dormitory building.

The young man in front suddenly halted in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?”

Su Cheng was taken aback. He stepped forward and tried giving the door a push.

The iron door didn’t budge an inch.

He gripped the handle firmly and pressed down, but the handle remained jammed rigidly in place.

It was dead-bolted.

“I-it’s fine, the key must be nearby.” Su Cheng stared closely at the door, stepping back a few paces, trying to keep his composure.

Although he was still a rookie, he had played quite a few horror puzzle-solving games. According to the tropes, a locked door always had a corresponding key—it was just a matter of the player searching for it.

That must be it.

“I’ll go check around over there, Officer Xu, you—”

As Su Cheng spoke, he turned to look at the young man standing beside him—

His words froze halfway down his throat.

Click.

The door lock gave a crisp sound, and the door slowly swung outward.

“…”

Su Cheng stared dumbfounded, thoroughly speechless as he watched the young man rising to his feet.

“Ah, the key?”

Only then did Wen Jianyan seem to notice the other’s horrified expression. He casually pocketed a piece of wire, turned his head slightly, and remarked as if nothing had happened: “It’s not needed anymore.”

The young man smiled faintly, standing tall between light and shadow. His figure was slender and upright, his eyes clear and open.

“…”

Su Cheng opened his mouth, saying dryly: “Haha, y-your police academy actually teaches that?”

In the live broadcast room, the chat was brimming with sheer delight:

[Hahahahahahahahaha dying of laughter!]

[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I knew it!]

[Come on, place your bets, place your bets! Let’s bet if the guy across can see through the streamer’s scam.]

[I think he can. How could a police academy teach such underhanded tricks? He clearly doesn’t look like a good person!]

Wen Jianyan didn’t bat an eye:

“Our training prepares us to handle potential emergencies.”

He pointed to the stairs behind them, changing the subject:

“—Including maintaining constant vigilance over our surroundings.”

Flickering lights danced within the stairwell, casting swaying, distorted shadows on the walls that shifted shapes soundlessly. The faint rustle of footsteps could almost be heard.

“!”

Su Cheng jolted, instinctively turning and grabbing Wen Jianyan’s arm: “Someone’s coming, let’s go!”

Wen Jianyan smiled silently: “Mm.”

The two swiftly exited the dormitory building, quickly restoring the heavy door behind them to its original state.

Right at that moment, a “ding” rang in both of their ears simultaneously:

[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the streamer for leaving the dormitory building!]
[Main Mission: Leave the dormitory after lights out and explore the campus.]
[Completion: 50%]
[Reward Points: 5,000]

Su Cheng couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fantastic. It seemed his choice had been correct.

He looked over at Wen Jianyan not far away, a flash of lingering relief and gratitude sweeping through his heart.

Thanks to running into this key NPC and triggering what seemed to be a crucial storyline, he had avoided ending up in grave danger—either being hunted by monsters or struggling under the rapidly dwindling countdown.

Looking straight at the young man, he asked cautiously: “Officer Xu, where should we go next?”

“The fourth floor of the teaching building.”

That was where the locker key left by Xu Yuan pointed.

Wen Jianyan looked deeply at Su Cheng and said in an understated tone:

“Also, I went undercover as an ordinary person. There’s no need to call me Officer Xu. You… are about the same age as my sister. Just call me Brother Xiao Wen from now on.”

Although his tone was calm, his voice was pitched low, seemingly carrying a deep, complicated emotion.

Even knowing the other was an NPC, Su Cheng couldn’t help being touched. In that split second, the brief backstory the young man had given him seemed to come vividly alive.

Ah! What a heart-wrenching bond between brother and sister!

Though, according to horror movie tropes, she’s probably… sigh.

A trace of pity flashed across Su Cheng’s face.

“Alright, Brother Xiao Wen.”

Su Cheng took a deep breath and said solemnly: “Rest assured, I will definitely help you find your sister.”

A stream of ellipses drifted across the chat:

[…]

[Holy cow, he actually smoothed it over again.]

[I thought he was going to get suspicious, but now he believes it even more… That’s so fucking ridiculous!]

[What sister! There is no sister! Wake up, streamer, all of this was made up by that scammer! Breaking_down.jpg]

[…Routines, it’s all routines.]

First floor of the dormitory building.

The shadows cast against the wall gradually solidified, and chaotic, hurried footsteps echoed down the stairwell.

A few disheveled figures appeared in the lobby.

“Fuck…”

One of the streamers said with lingering dread: “That monster was way too ferocious. If I hadn’t thrown out an item in time, I would’ve capsized right in the gutter.”

Another looked equally battered:

“I thought this was a D-rank instance? Isn’t this difficulty a bit off?”

“It really is a bit high.”

One streamer guessed: “Speaking of which… could this have something to do with that NPC the old witch was searching for earlier?”

Kong Shixing frowned deeply, cutting across their conversation: “Set that aside for now. Right now, the most urgent task is finding the key to the front door.”

The three split up and began searching the ground-floor lobby for the key.

One streamer was bent low, looking under a desk. As he raised his head, his heart nearly stopped at the silhouette that suddenly barged into his field of vision.

A lonely humanoid silhouette stood by the stairwell, bathed in dim, pale light, looking just like an apparition at first glance.

The figure slowly stepped forward two paces, exposing his entire face under the light.

“…It’s you?”

The streamer froze.

The man’s build and features were very familiar—a rookie streamer they had seen more than once in the instance.

Hearing the commotion, Kong Shixing stepped out from the duty room. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze landing on the uninvited guest:

“What is it?”

“I—I want to team up with you,” the man said.

Terror still lingered on his face, his complexion deathly pale and his voice trembling: “Please let me join you.”

The streamer who had just spoken to the man exchanged a meaningful glance with Kong Shixing.

Kong Shixing said impassively: “You can move with us, but you must obey our orders unconditionally and not drag us down.”

The man nodded frantically: “Okay… okay!”

Inside an instance, initial survival time was extremely precious. It not only granted more chances for trial and error, but could also be transferred to other streamers—meaning it could be looted, traded, and swindled.

Experienced streamers generally kept their starting survival time strictly confidential.

Too much, and one became an easy target; too little, and it signaled that danger was imminent, making others more wary and distant.

The reason they remembered this streamer was because, as a newcomer with an extraordinarily high starting survival time, he had been far too high-profile.

If this were just an ordinary D-rank instance, they wouldn’t normally consider this approach; after all, if the target didn’t end up dead, it would forge a deep grudge.

However, in this current instance…

Something felt beyond their expectations and control.

In that case, having a “blood bag” prepared in the team was always beneficial.

A glint of greed flickered deep in Kong Shixing’s eyes.

“What’s your name?”

On the grimy glass of the duty room, the man’s reflection was faintly visible.

His face was pale and rigid, the corners of his mouth slowly tearing open, curling upward into an exaggerated, twisted grin.

“Cheng Huaquan,” the man replied.

Night had fallen completely.

The dense darkness was like a living creature, swallowing the entire campus into its belly.

The streetlights buzzed and flickered, illuminating only small patches of pale ground. The silhouettes of buildings were blurry and distant, filled with looming shadows silently perching at the edge of vision.

Leaving twilight behind, the campus now felt as if it had plummeted into another dimension.

Wen Jianyan looked up at the teaching building before him.

Not a sliver of light shone from the pitch-black windows. It was submerged lifelessly in the night, as if something was stirring within the dark shadows, peeking out from window after window.

The dead-silent building was completely deserted, its eerie oppressiveness sending a chill through the heart.

Su Cheng couldn’t help but swallow hard. Clinging to one last unrealistic shred of hope, he asked with a shaky voice:

“H-here?”

Wen Jianyan: “…”

Although he really didn’t want to admit it—

He nodded expressionlessly.

Upon receiving confirmation, the last trace of hope in Su Cheng’s heart was dashed. He stared at the teaching building with a miserable face, layer after layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back.

This godforsaken place—one look and you could tell there was nothing good inside!

Wen Jianyan felt entirely the same way.

However, with the mission in hand and no way out, he had to bite the bullet and forge ahead, speaking in a trained, calm voice: “Let’s go.”

Watching his companion’s suddenly towering back, Su Cheng was struck with solemn reverence.

As expected of an upright public servant! Even in a horror livestream, he gives off such a powerful sense of security!

He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and followed along.

It was too quiet inside the teaching building; only their own footsteps could be heard echoing through the vast, dead-silent hallway.

Su Cheng stuck close behind Wen Jianyan, his eyes darting from side to side.

Suddenly, his whole body stiffened.

Inside a pitch-black classroom, the dim light from a distant streetlight was faintly visible.

The light outlined several black silhouettes. Those shadows stood side by side, completely motionless and soundless.

Su Cheng went pale. Quickening his pace to catch up to Wen Jianyan, he tugged on his sleeve and whispered:

“Th-there seems to be someone in the classroom.”

“Might not be human.”

Wen Jianyan didn’t even raise his head, speaking at top speed: “Don’t look. Keep your head down and walk fast.”

Su Cheng’s scalp tingled, and he nodded hastily.

The two continued forward, keeping time with the erratic drumbeat of their racing hearts. Hollow footsteps echoed in the corridor, growing faster and faster.

Soon, that classroom was left far behind.

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