(2/5)
Yuying University
Chapter 397: As expected of you!
The university students filed out of the lecture hall one after another.
Wen Jianyan carried his bag with one hand, tilting his head as he chatted animatedly with the female student walking beside him.
It took only a few casual words for him to skillfully extract all the information he wanted.
The girl with the ponytail was named Chu Chu. Although she and Richard weren’t officially a couple yet, it seemed like they were in a flirtatious trial stage. She wasn’t exactly sure why Richard had left so abruptly just now, but she did know that he had been acting strangely for some time already.
“When did it start?” Chu Chu frowned, looking thoughtful. “Maybe about a week ago?”
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but he suddenly started acting really weird, kind of paranoid. Like he hadn’t been sleeping for a long time. He’d fall asleep as soon as class started. I asked him what was going on, but he wouldn’t say…”
She looked at Wen Jianyan, pressing him with a trace of desperation in her voice: “You’re his roommate—do you really not know what’s going on?”
Wen Jianyan shook his head, looking slightly regretful. “Sorry, a week ago I hit the back of my head playing basketball and ended up in the hospital. Had a concussion and stayed for a few days. I just got back the day before yesterday, so I haven’t been in the dorm much…”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:
[…Now this is what they mean by lying without blinking. You didn’t even hesitate, huh?]
[Wow.]
[Legend.]
Chu Chu sighed. “Alright, I guess.”
Wen Jianyan asked, “Aside from that, did you notice anything else off in the past week? Any details at all. Doesn’t matter how small.”
“Details…” Chu Chu paused, like something had occurred to her.
“He’s only been drinking bottled water. Does that count?”
Wen Jianyan blinked. “Only bottled water?”
“Yeah.” Chu Chu nodded firmly. “He never used to be like that, but lately—for some reason—he completely stopped drinking the water from the school fountains. He only drinks bottled water from the small supermarket.”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes.
“Wait—just now you said he opened a water bottle before running off?”
“Yeah,” Chu Chu flicked her ponytail. “That was my bottle. He’d just finished playing basketball and forgot to buy water, so I gave him mine.”
Wen Jianyan looked thoughtful.
In the distance, someone shouted,
“Chu Chu!”
Chu Chu seemed to suddenly realize that most people around them had already left. “Ah, that’s my friend calling me.”
She lowered her gaze and glanced at the bag in Wen Jianyan’s hand, still looking slightly uneasy. “Then…”
“Don’t worry.”
Wen Jianyan seemed to see right through her concern. He lifted the bag and winked with a smile. “I’ll protect it with my life.”
His exaggerated statement made the girl laugh.
“Alright then, see you! And make sure Richard returns my water bottle next time you see him!”
Wen Jianyan watched her leave.
His smile faded. With a quick turn, he ducked into a nearby corner, placed the bag on the windowsill, and, with practiced hands, unzipped it.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:
[?]
[Ten seconds ago: ‘I’ll protect it with my life.’ Now: rifling through it.]
[I’m dying—classic Wen Jianyan!]
The contents of the bag were fairly typical: a few thick textbooks, a couple of half-used pens, sweat-dampened wristbands from basketball—nothing out of the ordinary for a college guy.
But soon enough, Wen Jianyan found something.
A bottle of mineral water.
The seal had been broken, though none of the water had been drunk.
The sunlight refracted off the surface of the water, casting scattered reflections.
“…”
Wen Jianyan squinted at the bottle.
Based on his earlier conversation with Chu Chu, it seemed that Richard was afraid of something in the school’s tap water, which was why he’d switched exclusively to bottled water. So why, when he already had an unopened bottle in his bag, would he drink Chu Chu’s instead?
He put the bottle back in the bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked deeper into the hallway.
Class had ended some time ago. Most of the students had already left. The hallway, once bustling, now felt eerily empty, with only a few stragglers still wandering around.
“BANG!”
A loud crash echoed from the end of the hallway, like something heavy had been violently smashed. The sound reverberated through the quiet midday corridor, sending a chill through the air.
“?!”
Wen Jianyan jumped and turned toward the source of the sound.
It seemed to be coming from… the men’s restroom?
At that moment—
The men’s bathroom was in total chaos.
A black sink was tipped sideways, broken pipes sprayed water into the air, and a solid marble slab had snapped down the middle, covered in cracks.
A scar-faced man was lying on the floor, blood pouring from the unscarred side of his face. He screamed as his legs flailed, dragging trails through the wet floor.
No one had expected it—the one who looked like a little girl had struck with such cruelty and ruthlessness. Stepping down with a crazed, sweet smile still on their face:
“Open your mouth. Now!”
They’d pulled something out.
Several people rushed forward to save their teammate, but before they could get far, they were blocked by others.
A striking woman with crimson thorn tattoos and bright cyan hair stood in front of them, her eyes cold:
“If you don’t want to die, back off.”
Tension filled the air, ready to explode.
Just then—
The sound of a toilet flushing came from a closed stall.
Everyone froze.
Even Orange Candy stopped trying to force open the scar-faced man’s mouth and turned toward the sound.
“Creak—”
The stall door slowly opened.
A buzz-cut young man appeared in the doorway.
His face was pale and waxy, with deep, dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
It was the protagonist of the film Brave Richard.
Richard.
The large restroom fell silent.
As he took in the chaotic scene before him, Richard’s eyes widened. Then, a hoarse scream ripped from his throat:
“AAAAHHHHHHH—!”
He turned and stumbled, running straight for the exit.
“Hey, wait—!”
Yun Bilan, who had been guarding the door, reached out to grab him.
But something strange happened.
Her hand passed right through Richard’s arm, like it was air.
“?!”
Wait—what was going on?
The group exchanged stunned glances.
Within seconds, Richard had rushed past the crowd and was sprinting wildly down the hallway.
None of them had time to think—
“After him!”
The man they were chasing was the protagonist of the movie, which meant the entire plot revolved around him. In that case, he was undoubtedly the key to breaking the situation. No matter what, they couldn’t let him get away.
Even Orange Candy didn’t have time to lose her temper anymore.
She kicked the scar-faced man away in disgust and also dashed out of the men’s restroom.
Richard stumbled through the hallway, running frantically.
Suddenly, he crashed into someone unexpectedly.
“Hey, man, are you okay?” the person asked, holding onto his shoulder with concern.
Richard shook his head dazedly, pulled himself free from the man’s grip, and buried his head as he ran forward again, quickly disappearing from sight.
“Damn it, what’s going on? We can’t catch up to him at all!”
Soon, a group of people came chasing from behind, panting heavily.
Orange Candy’s gaze fell on the man Richard had just bumped into, and she froze slightly.
Clean outfit, light-colored eyes, a gentle and harmless smile.
Who else could it be but Wen Jianyan?
“Hey, how’s it going?” Wen Jianyan had a bag slung over one shoulder and greeted the teammates in front of him casually.
While the others stared at Wen Jianyan in surprise, the bloodied scar-faced man and the rest of his team didn’t stop. They continued to chase after Richard:
“Don’t let him get away!”
Soon, they had disappeared down the hallway, still in pursuit.
Wen Jianyan glanced over his shoulder at the corridor, then stepped forward a bit and peeked into the chaos of the men’s restroom. He gave a long, drawn-out whistle:
“Wow, things are getting interesting on your end.”
Yun Bilan frowned as she looked at him, her gaze lingering on the shoulder and arm that had touched Richard, as if trying to figure out what had just happened.
“Richard’s bag?” Orange Candy’s gaze shifted to Wen Jianyan’s shoulder and she raised an eyebrow.
Wen Jianyan grinned and nodded:
“Correct. Sharp eyes.”
“How about your side? Did you find anything useful?” Wen Jianyan asked.
Orange Candy pouted and muttered, a little disgruntled:
“Damn that idiot who suddenly jumped out…”
“……”
Thinking about how that “idiot” had just been pinned to the floor in such a sorry state, a few people’s brows twitched.
Well, that was on the captain for going berserk so suddenly!
However, as teammates who had long been dragged into dungeons by Orange Candy, they knew her temper all too well. Even if they were mentally roasting her, they didn’t dare say anything aloud. Instead, they all looked off in the same direction.
“Still, even if we catch up, it probably won’t help much.”
Su Cheng spoke up from the side.
He hadn’t participated in the chase and saw things more clearly than anyone.
“From the beginning, we’ve never been able to catch him. Just now, I saw Yun Bilan’s hand pass straight through his body.”
Su Cheng furrowed his brow slightly. “I originally suspected it was because we were just spectators in a movie currently playing, so we couldn’t interfere with its plot. But…”
His gaze fell on Wen Jianyan, brows tightening.
“You just touched him, didn’t you?”
A person who couldn’t be touched—someone inside a movie—yet a teammate had just physically touched him…
That was more than a little strange.
“Ah…”
Wen Jianyan froze slightly, as if realizing something.
“I think it might be related to something I did earlier.”
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and checked the identity card within.
Sure enough, the contents had changed.
[Identity Card]
Name: Wen Jianyan
Age: 18
Identity: Freshman at Yuying Comprehensive University (Richard’s new roommate)
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:
[??? You can do that?!]
[Damn, this is the first time I’ve seen someone trick an irrelevant side character into believing something so thoroughly that the movie itself accepts him as part of it—and then lets him interact with the otherwise untouchable protagonist…]
[I’ve watched this dungeon before. Normally, when a streamer chooses the brave Richard, they just chase after him when he stands up. But to actually stop him before class, lie through your teeth and claim to be his roommate, then steal his bag? That’s a first.]
[You know what’s craziest? He did all that instinctively.]
[He’s just used to lying!]
After Wen Jianyan’s explanation, Su Cheng fell silent: “……”
His silent, accusatory gaze fell on Wen Jianyan, as if saying:
You’ve done this to me before, haven’t you?
“……”
Wen Jianyan’s eyes shifted guiltily, looking away.
“Ahem, anyway,” he cleared his throat and said, “I chatted with Richard’s deskmate earlier in the classroom and picked up some useful info.”
Then, Wen Jianyan briefly summarized the information he had obtained.
The people around him fell into thoughtful silence.
“No wonder he ran when he saw us.” Orange Candy narrowed her eyes and said slowly, “It wasn’t because he was afraid of a group fight—it was the water on the ground that scared him.”
Orange Candy’s Livestream Chatroom:
[Hold on, you call that a group fight…]
[That was you beating the crap out of someone solo!]
Everyone suddenly looked like they understood.
Earlier, when Orange Candy was—uh, fighting—with the scar-faced man, they’d accidentally smashed the sink, causing the tap water to spray everywhere and soak the floor.
So, when Richard came out and saw the scene, that’s why he looked so terrified and fled in panic.
“Brave Richard, huh…” Orange Candy crossed her arms and spat disdainfully, “More like cowardly Richard.”
“What a pity.”
Yun Bilan’s gaze landed on the far end of the hallway, her eyes narrowing.
“We didn’t manage to stop him.”
“Oh, speaking of which!”
Wen Jianyan suddenly remembered something. He took out a small wallet from his pocket.
“When I bumped into him just now, I, uh… happened to lift this.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:
[……]
[……]
[I’m so sick of saying ‘as expected of you’ at this point.]
Everyone froze for a second, then looked over excitedly.
There wasn’t much in the wallet.
A few bucks, a student ID, a library card, and some ticket stubs.
Wen Jianyan perked up.
From these, he should be able to deduce where Richard had been a week ago.
He read the contents carefully.
There wasn’t much on the library card—clearly, Richard wasn’t much of a reader.
But among the wrinkled ticket stubs, Wen Jianyan quickly found a clue.
Apparently, a week ago, Richard had gone to the school gymnasium.
So?
Still unclear…
Wen Jianyan ran through the entire campus map of Yuying Comprehensive University in his mind but didn’t find any leads.
Maybe he’d have to go there himself this coming Tuesday to figure it out.
“Which stall was the one Richard vomited in just now?” Wen Jianyan asked.
“What for?” Orange Candy looked puzzled. “I already checked—nothing inside.”
Wen Jianyan: “I want to take a look.”
Orange Candy pointed to a stall: “Third from the left.”
Under Yin Jiuke’s guidance, Wen Jianyan arrived at the place where Richard had just vomited.
Due to the school’s narrow architecture, the stall itself was cramped. The filthy walls were covered in graffiti and small advertisements, and the lighting was dim.
His gaze landed to the side.
There, placed neatly, was a small pink cup with strawberries printed on it.
This was probably the same cup Richard had snatched from Chuchu back in the classroom.
Wen Jianyan picked up the cup and looked inside.
Empty.
Whatever had been in it was now completely gone.
He screwed the lid back on and put it into his backpack.
Suddenly, something flickered at the edge of his vision.
Something was wriggling.
“……”
Wen Jianyan froze and looked toward the faint movement.
Inside the toilet bowl, deep within the filthy, yellowed drain, countless white maggots were slowly writhing, making wet, nauseating sounds. Among them, a clump of wet, knotted hair was faintly visible.
“!!!”
His breath hitched.
Above his head, his blue SAN value took a small hit.
Just then, Wei Cheng’s anxious voice called from outside the door:
“Hey, I think we need to go.”
Orange Candy’s voice followed:
“Hurry up—this place is starting to melt!”
Wen Jianyan forced himself to tear his eyes away from the maggots in the drain and dragged himself out of his spiraling thoughts. He turned and quickly left the men’s restroom.
Outside the restroom, the far end of the hallway was gradually turning white—
Like film burning up, being slowly pulled out from a projector.
Everyone’s expression turned grim.
“It looks like we can’t stay too long in a single scene,” Orange Candy said. “If you linger too long and don’t leave, you might get erased—just like the film itself.”
Yin Jiuke narrowed his eyes. “Go.”
Tian Ye blinked. “Go? Go where?”
“The abandoned school,” Orange Candy rolled her eyes. “Obviously in the direction Richard disappeared.”
After all, in this movie, Richard was the protagonist, so the camera would keep following him. If they didn’t want to be swallowed up by the void, the best plan was to follow the protagonist.
The group rushed out of the corridor.
Outside, sunlight poured down brightly. In the distance behind the teaching building was a grassy field, with a sign standing in the middle:
【KEEP OFF THE GRASS】
It was midday, and a few students were scattered about the lawn. The campus appeared calm and quiet.
But the moment they stepped out of the corridor, the bright sunlight vanished abruptly.
In its place was a clammy, sticky coldness.
It was a pitch-black hallway.
Everyone blinked and stood frozen in the middle, as if they hadn’t processed the change.
Wen Jianyan glanced around and said:
“The boys’ dormitory.”
The others froze too, then quickly recognized where they were.
The dark, aging hallway. The tightly shut dorm doors. Everything felt so familiar.
Yes, this was definitely the boys’ dormitory.
Only… compared to the building they were staying in, this hallway was much newer, with fewer wall cracks and graffiti.
From up ahead came faint noises—someone was moving.
“Let’s go check it out,” Orange Candy said.
The others nodded and quickened their pace toward the sound.
Soon, a few familiar figures appeared before them.
Leading the group was the man with the scarred face.
The blood on his face had been cleaned off, but his nose was still crooked, and his lips were swollen—he looked battered.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, he turned around.
The moment his eyes landed on Orange Candy, the scarred man’s face instantly tensed up.
Orange Candy, however, looked unfazed, as if she’d completely forgotten what had just happened. She was still smiling cheerfully.
“……What happened?” Yin Jiuke peeked his head out and asked.
As Orange Candy took a step forward, the scarred man instinctively stepped back.
He gave a dry chuckle. “See for yourselves. It was already like this when we got here.”
The water room, designated for washing up, stood open. The sound of water splashing echoed within the large, empty space.
Wen Jianyan stepped up and looked inside.
The lights were bright in the water room. Every faucet had been turned on, and the water poured down noisily. Dirty water overflowed from the clogged sinks, flooding the entire room.
In the center of the water room lay a boy with a buzz cut.
He held a hose, which had been shoved straight down his throat. His belly bulged grotesquely, swollen to a nearly translucent state by the gurgling water rushing in. His bloodied, hollow eyes stared straight up at the ceiling.
Bright red liquid spread across the floor.
Nearby, a pair of eyeballs—dug out forcefully by fingers, with optic nerves still attached—had rolled to one side, bobbing in the rising water.
It was Richard.
He was dead.
Judging by the scene, it looked like he had gouged out his own eyes first, then shoved the hose down his throat and drowned himself with the thing he feared most—water—swelling his gut until he died.
The group stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
…So this was the meaning of the title Brave Richard?
And here came the real question:
The movie had only just begun, and the protagonist was already dead.
What now?
