Yuying University
Chapter 514: Graduation Ceremony 5
The whirring sound of the film reel faded, and the darkness before his eyes slowly dissipated.
Wen Jianyan stood in place. The physiological reaction from being cornered by the back view figure had not yet completely subsided. His fingers, hanging by his side, twitched nervously, and his back and forehead were cold with sweat.
He blinked, his eyes taking a long moment to adjust to the sudden change in light.
Wen Jianyan realized he was still in the gymnasium.
However, the “graduation ceremony” had vanished. The banners, the podium, the chairs… everything had been removed. The principal and the students had all disappeared.
This meant he had indeed left reality and entered the movie Thank You, Teacher.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[…]
[Holy crap?? He really got in??]
[Not to be that guy, but it’s the graduation ceremony. How can he still enter a movie at this point? Something’s not right…]
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath.
He knew that Su Cheng must have used his talent to leave him such a clear suggestion.
Thinking of this, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but feel a little defeated. He had thought he could minimize his teammates’ use of their talents, but it was clear…
Compared to the difficulty of an SS-rank instance, an individual’s efforts were so insignificant.
And Orange Candy, as expected of a veteran top-ten anchor, had probably realized from the moment she took on this task that this instance wouldn’t be as simple as it looked. A prophecy-type talent was indispensable, which was why she had specifically sought out a prophet to join the instance.
Wen Jianyan looked outside the gymnasium and was suddenly taken aback.
“…”
The sky outside was a strange, vivid red. The campus was dead silent, devoid of any signs of life. The familiar buildings were submerged in the red light, appearing foreign and distant.
Although Wen Jianyan had never officially written the film appreciation thesis, he had audited the exam before. He knew the process and the rules—but this was clearly not the “normal” campus from the movie’s plot. There was no protagonist, nor were there any mutated corpses that would appear after the protagonist’s disappearance.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[I think I get it now…]
[What do you mean?]
[According to the normal process, the anchor should not be able to enter here at this time. But because of his previous rule-breaking actions, he managed to keep the “exam paper” for another subject while completing one thesis. So he essentially exploited an information gap bug, leaving himself a back door.]
[But the graduation ceremony had already started, the anchor even finished his outstanding graduate speech. His grades can’t be changed anymore. So, even though he entered the movie, there’s no assignment for him to complete, and the previous processes and rules are all invalid.]
[…Holy crap. Thanks for the explanation, master.]
[This livestream should be called ‘Bug First’ instead of ‘Honesty First’ from now on. No matter how solid an instance is, he can always find a few bugs. It’s almost riddled with loopholes!]
Under the red sky outside, the campus was like a silent tomb.
It was less like being inside a movie… and more like being in an unknown, dark forest.
And Wen Jianyan was now standing right in the middle of it.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[But there’s a problem now…]
[What?]
[No movie means no rules, and no three movie-playing chances like before. How is the anchor going to get out later?]
[…]
[Yeah.]
[Good question.]
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan seemed to sense something. He shivered and looked not far away.
A strange change seemed to be occurring in the space nearby.
The already dim light in the gymnasium suddenly grew darker, as if some invisible entity was swallowing the light. And in that darkness, a shadow gradually emerged.
Fading in from light to dark, it slowly solidified.
It was a back view.
A familiar, cold back view.
“!!!”
Holy crap!!!
The hair on Wen Jianyan’s back stood on end, and his whole mood soured.
He had thought that entering the tape would allow him to escape the approaching back view, but he never expected it to follow him in.
Under Wen Jianyan’s horrified gaze, the back view began to move on its own, stepping backward one step at a time, closing the distance between them.
—Again???
Damn it.
Wen Jianyan snapped awake.
He turned and bolted toward the gymnasium exit.
He couldn’t run during the graduation ceremony, but now, how could he possibly just stand there and wait for it to get closer?!
Wen Jianyan didn’t dare to look back. He sprinted out of the gymnasium in one go—thankfully, the back view’s reverse speed wasn’t very fast, at least not fast enough to catch a full-speed Wen Jianyan.
He fled the gymnasium and suddenly felt his foot sink with a “squish,” as if he had stepped on something soft.
Wen Jianyan subconsciously looked down.
The area that should have been the running track was now sticky and blood-red. Each rubber particle had turned into a pin-sized, crimson eyeball. They rolled frantically under his feet, seemingly letting out silent screams.
Just one look made Wen Jianyan’s stomach churn, and he felt as if the foot he had stepped with had become dirty.
It was exactly the same as the scene he had witnessed here when his sanity was low!
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s face turned green, and he violently pulled his foot out.
Behind him, the sound of footsteps followed like a shadow.
That back view was catching up.
This was no time to waste. Wen Jianyan forced himself to look away and, swallowing his nausea, stepped back onto the track. The small eyeballs below let out squishing screams. He pretended not to hear and ran toward the edge of the field with large strides.
Outside the field was the familiar campus. The buildings were submerged in red light. Forget the movie plot or the protagonist… there wasn’t a single person in sight!
Wen Jianyan panted and glanced back.
The sports field behind him was empty.
For some reason, the back view didn’t seem to have followed him.
Wen Jianyan raised a hand and pressed it against his sweaty forehead.
Indeed, he had entered the movie through the tape, but because the timing was wrong, not only did the movie plot not play, but the protagonist was also missing. The rules he was familiar with were useless. To make matters worse, he hadn’t escaped that back view!
For a moment, Wen Jianyan felt trapped.
He shook his head, trying to clear his jumbled thoughts.
He knew too little about this place. So, rather than focusing on these unknown mysteries, it was better to start with what he knew.
So, what did he know here?
Wen Jianyan looked up thoughtfully, his gaze falling on the distance.
Even without the protagonist, this was still “inside the movie,” wasn’t it?
He had previously tasked Suo Suo with entering the movie to find the three documents Richard had hidden in the drainage pipe. However, Suo Suo had only brought him one, which was the construction map that led him to the artificial lake.
Which meant…
Did he finally have a chance to find out what was on the other two papers?
Wen Jianyan’s heart began to pound.
Without further hesitation, he started running toward the dormitory building.
There was no one on campus. Wen Jianyan ran at top speed, churning the cold, stagnant air like a thick pot of porridge.
Soon, the dormitory building appeared before him.
“!”
The moment he pulled the building door open, Wen Jianyan’s pupils couldn’t help but shrink slightly.
The inside of the dormitory was pitch black, the same familiar scene. But, unlike what he had imagined… the lobby wasn’t empty.
On the contrary, it was a bit too crowded.
Countless figures stood motionlessly in the lobby. Some faced Wen Jianyan, others had their backs to him. Their blurred faces were submerged in darkness, and their exposed skin was the ghastly bluish-white of a corpse.
The horde of corpses was a dense, dark mass, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“…”
A wave of coldness washed over him.
The scene was so eerie that anyone who saw it would feel their blood run cold and not dare to approach.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[Holy crap, the hair on my back is standing up.]
[That’s way too many, damn!]
[Let’s just retreat. I wouldn’t go into this creepy place even for a million points…]
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, his fingers tightening on the doorknob. Then, as if he had made a decision, he resolutely stepped inside.
In the “Integrity First” livestream chat, the viewers were stunned by Wen Jianyan’s action.
[?!]
[Holy crap, so brave? That’s not like you!]
The corpses did not move.
The young man moved cautiously through the horde. However, the density of the corpses was too great. No matter how careful Wen Jianyan was, he couldn’t avoid bumping into their shoulders to squeeze through.
But the terrifying corpses seemed completely unaware of Wen Jianyan’s presence, remaining stationary and exuding a sinister chill.
Wen Jianyan glanced sideways at one of the corpses he had just brushed past.
Its face was bluish-white and blurry, its eyes tightly shut, completely silent.
Just as I thought.
Wen Jianyan looked away and quickened his pace.
The essence of the ‘Yuying Comprehensive University’ instance was a morgue.
In unseen places, everyone who died here, whether body or soul, would be trapped forever, becoming a corpse.
But at the same time, it was also a “stomach.”
These corpses were controlled by the power of the earth and slowly digested. The liquid obtained from digestion was then injected into the artificial lake through the “blood vessels” that crisscrossed the entire instance.
So, although the corpses in the dormitory were terrifying, they couldn’t move and wouldn’t harm him.
But even so… Wen Jianyan was still shocked by the sheer number of corpses the dormitory could hold.
Every floor, every dorm room, corridors, stairwells—every conceivable and inconceivable space was packed with corpses, without a single gap.
And the beds had the highest number of corpses.
…No wonder lying on the bed always gave off an incredibly cold feeling.
The thought that he had been sleeping with these corpses for the past few days still made Wen Jianyan shiver uncontrollably, his stomach churning.
He forced himself not to think about it and hurried on.
Finally, after much difficulty, Wen Jianyan arrived at the fifth-floor washroom.
Unexpectedly, the washroom, which should have been as crowded with corpses as the outside, was now completely empty, frighteningly so.
Wen Jianyan squeezed out of the horde of corpses and was finally able to catch his breath.
He glanced at the figures behind him, confirmed they were still dormant, and then quickly walked to the second sink by the window.
Wen Jianyan took a breath, stepped back two steps, then ran forward and kicked hard at the sink!
The sink didn’t move an inch.
“?”
Unconvinced, Wen Jianyan kicked it hard again twice, but the sink, which should have broken easily, remained as if cast from iron, unmovable.
“…”
Wen Jianyan frowned, walked to the sink, and looked down into the pipe below.
Strange, didn’t Suo Suo break the sink to get it?
The pipe was a dark hole, and he couldn’t see anything.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, and as if having made up his mind, slowly reached his hand down.
His slender fingers disappeared into the dark pipe, followed by his wrist, then his forearm—a size that shouldn’t have fit was easily swallowed.
Finally, after Wen Jianyan’s elbow had entered the pipe, his fingers touched a familiar, wet lump.
Swallowing his disgust, Wen Jianyan gripped it firmly with his fingers and slowly began to pull it out.
Suddenly, he paused.
From Wen Jianyan’s current perspective, he could see the crowded corridor outside the washroom. A familiar shiver ran through him.
He held his breath slightly, staring intently into the darkness outside.
In the darkness, something seemed to be moving…
Suddenly, without warning, something inside the drainpipe clamped down hard on Wen Jianyan’s wrist and yanked him down violently!
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard, Wen Jianyan stumbled, his shoulder slamming hard against the edge of the sink, letting out a pained grunt.
In the “Integrity First” livestream chat, all the viewers were startled.
[?!]
[Holy crap, that scared me to death!!]
[Damn, so sudden??]
Wen Jianyan was also frightened by the sudden turn of events. He sucked in a sharp breath and reflexively resisted with all his might, trying to pull his arm out of the pipe.
In the midst of the chaos, he subconsciously glanced outside the washroom again.
“—”
Wen Jianyan’s pupils contracted, his gaze capturing a familiar, eerie figure that made his hair stand on end.
It was the back view that had been chasing him from the gymnasium!!!
Because there were too many obstacles in the form of corpses outside, he hadn’t noticed its presence from the beginning. By the time he realized the back view had appeared, the distance between them was less than five meters.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[Ahhhhhh, when did that thing catch up!]
[You scared me to death! I’m covered in sweat now!]
[Anchor, run, ahhhhh!!!!]
He had to get out of here, fast!
Wen Jianyan clenched his jaw and immediately activated items for [Hate Transfer] and [Strength Enhancement]. Then, with all his might, he yanked his hand out!
Although the instance’s difficulty had been upgraded to SS, the difficulty within the dormitory scene was clearly still at the initial A-rank, even inside the movie.
—Success!
Wen Jianyan’s arm was free. He stumbled back a couple of steps. In his peripheral vision, he saw that the back view had already entered the washroom.
The hair on his back stood on end, but his brain was working at high speed.
There were too many corpses in the dormitory. He couldn’t navigate through them and shake off the back view at the same time…
How to run?
Wen Jianyan turned his head to look at the window, a half-formed idea appearing in his mind.
No choice, he had to try.
He turned, got a running start, and slammed into the window with all his strength!
With a “crash,” glass shards rained down to the floor below.
Wen Jianyan propped one hand on the windowsill, vaulted himself out lightly, and leaped—!
With a “clang,” the young man made a thrilling grab onto the pipes on the dormitory’s outer wall.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[Holy crap!!!]
[Ahhhhh he got it! Nice!]
[Is the anchor planning to climb down the pipes on the outer wall? Like in an action movie…]
[That core strength is insane!]
Wen Jianyan had just slid down one floor when he suddenly shivered and involuntarily looked up.
In the open window, the back view stood motionless, then it slowly began to turn its head—
“!!!”
Wen Jianyan was horrified and abruptly let go.
Then, in a dizzying spin, he slammed heavily onto the ground.
The world went dark for a moment.
It didn’t hurt that much, though.
In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:
[Holy crap!! Hardcore landing!]
[Damn, the fourth floor? He just jumped like that?]
[As expected of an anomalous body. It can take that. A normal person would have been crippled from a jump like that, right?]
Wen Jianyan struggled to his feet and looked up at the fifth floor of the dormitory.
The washroom window was empty.
The back view had disappeared at some point.
But Wen Jianyan knew its disappearance was temporary. It wouldn’t be long before that back view would hauntingly reappear, closing in on him step by step.
However, he had now bought himself some breathing room.
Wen Jianyan shook his head and got up from the ground.
He then noticed that the fabric on his arm, from wrist to elbow, was shredded. The skin underneath was covered in ligature marks, and a cut about twenty centimeters long had been torn open—likely from when he had forcefully pulled his arm from the pipe.
The pale flesh was split open, but not much blood was flowing out, only a little dark red, viscous liquid.
“…”
Wen Jianyan recalled the terrifying moment in the washroom, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.
Although he had entered the movie plot by exploiting a bug, a movie was still a movie, and its essence should be the same.
But strangely, unlike what Suo Suo had described, the sink couldn’t be broken from the outside. He had to reach inside to get the items. However, Wen Jianyan clearly remembered that Suo Suo’s injuries included burns, scrapes, and even bite marks… but no ligature marks similar to his.
“…”
Wen Jianyan clutched his arm and took a slow, deep breath.
Yes. Based on his judgment of Suo Suo’s personality, it was impossible for him to risk his life to retrieve an item from the dormitory when he was already struggling to survive.
But he did it.
Or rather, did he really do it?
Right, what was Suo Suo’s score back then?
61.
A score that just passed the line.
Just like the 59 he almost got, it was a very delicately controlled number, teetering on the edge of danger.
A little looser, and you pass. A little tighter, and you fail.
Deus… as reviravoltas não param