(4/5)
Yuying University
Chapter 434: “Who says it’s impossible?”
Just like the first floor, the corridor on the second floor was also unlit.
Precisely because of this, the few offices that were illuminated looked even more glaring.
The stairwell was deathly silent, the air pressure so heavy it was hard to breathe.
Tian Ye finally squeezed out a sentence:
“Even the student council in the instance has to take night duty… What a damn heartless university.”
Everyone: “…”
Tian Ye weakly added:
“…Just trying to lighten the mood.”
It didn’t seem to work.
“Enough,” Orange Candy rolled her eyes dramatically. “Let’s focus.”
She turned her head to the side where the iron door to the third floor stood tightly locked, a boundless darkness lurking beyond.
Orange Candy, still unwilling to give up, confirmed again:
“So this door—there’s no way to open it except with the key?”
“Correct.”
Hugo leaned against the dark wall, fiddling with an unlit cigarette.
Obviously, that was one of the underlying rules of this administrative building.
To go upstairs, they must obtain the key.
Aside from that specific, old and rusty key, there was no way to open that door.
More importantly, since the offices on the second floor weren’t empty, Orange Candy’s “brute force” methods had to be ruled out—
They couldn’t afford the risk of making noise.
Everyone understood this deep down, but still, hearing Hugo confirm it made their hearts sink.
“Looks like,” Wei Cheng said slowly, “finding the key is our only option.”
“But… isn’t that just too difficult?” Tian Ye looked dejected.
“This floor is huge, and there are so many offices. How do we even know where the key is? What if it’s in a room with people inside? How the hell are we supposed to steal it if the student council members are there?”
No matter how you looked at it, they were faced with an almost hopeless situation.
“One problem at a time,” Orange Candy interrupted him.
She looked at Su Cheng:
“Can you locate the key?”
That was exactly why they needed to bring a Prophet into this instance.
Their team was fully capable of survival without assistance. But to pull crucial information out of thin air? Impossible without a Prophet.
This time, their main objective in entering the instance was to find a specific item, which made the Prophet indispensable.
Su Cheng raised his eyes, casting a fleeting glance into the darkness, as if exchanging looks with the other side. Then he withdrew his gaze and looked at Orange Candy:
“I think I can.”
The Star & Moon Tarot Deck materialized in the air, shimmering with a dark glow between his fingers.
Card after card was drawn, forming a peculiar spread before him. The arrangement wasn’t complex, but it carried an eerie aura, as if it didn’t belong to any known Tarot system.
Soon, the divination was done.
Su Cheng looked up and stated concisely:
“Go forward 47 meters, first office.”
The tarot cards vanished from his palm.
“As for where exactly in the office the key is, I can’t determine that yet.”
There could be many reasons for this.
Perhaps some kind of force was blocking his ability, or maybe it was like stepping into a space governed by entirely different rules. Of course, it could also just be that the distance was still too far.
“But once I’m inside the office, I should be able to figure out the next step,” Su Cheng said, eyes fixed on the dark corridor.
“Good,” Hugo nodded, putting the unlit cigarette between his lips. “Then we proceed as before.”
The corridor was narrow and the space limited. Moving together would be cumbersome. Thus, splitting up—like they did on the previous floor—was their best option.
After a brief discussion, they quickly made a decision.
Wei Cheng, Hugo, Wen Jianyan, and Su Cheng would go retrieve the key.
The others would stay by the stairwell.
Orange Candy leaned against the wall, her expression dark.
Wen Jianyan’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he suddenly spoke:
“We’re counting on you.”
Orange Candy: “?”
“Our ultimate goal might be the principal’s office on the third floor, but leaving the third floor alive with the item is just as important.”
Wen Jianyan smiled faintly at her:
“Not only do we need your backup, but we also need you to ensure our retreat path remains clear and undisturbed. That’s critical… You’re up for it, right?”
Orange Candy rolled her eyes:
“Obviously?”
She seemed noticeably cheered up:
“Now hurry up, all of you. Quick and clean.”
Wen Jianyan:
“Got it, got it.”
Orange Candy’s livestream chat:
[……]
[…Not gonna lie, girl, you’re way too easy to cheer up! Put up a bit more resistance, won’t you?!]
[Damn it, the other side’s got your taming technique down to a science! I’m in pain here!]
After bidding Orange Candy goodbye, the four cautiously moved down the hallway.
To avoid detection, they kept their movements light, and had already activated props to mask their presence and sound before starting. Still, they proceeded with extreme caution.
Soon, they approached the first lit office.
The office door was tightly shut, crimson light spilling from underneath, staining the dark floor like an unhealed wound.
Strangely, the inside was still deathly silent.
Hugo came to a stop.
Though they were prepared, they couldn’t be certain if some other form of “perception” might reveal them.
He gestured to the others:
—I’ll go first. Wait here.
Everyone nodded, holding their breath as they watched him intently.
Hugo moved.
Despite his tall stature, his movements were swift and agile—like a shadow slipping through the dark, silently gliding past the closed office door.
Their hearts were in their throats.
The process took only seconds, but in the pitch-black, those seconds felt stretched into minutes, even hours.
Soon, Hugo stopped in the dark.
He turned back and nodded:
—It’s clear.
They sighed in relief.
Mimicking Hugo’s approach, the group cautiously passed by the lit office, moving slowly but carefully.
One office, two, three…
They silently passed each office, step by step.
Most of the offices were dark and still. A few were lit, but no sounds emerged—only the blood-red glow pooling on the floor.
Wen Jianyan took slow, deep breaths, a cold sweat unknowingly forming on his forehead.
He checked his sanity value:
17.
He wasn’t sure when it dropped by one, but at least it was still manageable.
Hallucinations and auditory distortions buzzed in his ears, but Wen Jianyan had learned to cope with them, maintaining fragile control over his mind.
He mentally counted their steps.
If his calculations were correct, they’d walked over 40 meters already—meaning the key should be in…
Suddenly, Su Cheng beside him stopped and grabbed his arm, halting his steps.
Everyone froze.
Wen Jianyan turned to look at Su Cheng.
Su Cheng gave a small nod.
They’d arrived.
Hugo raised his eyes, scanning the offices ahead in the dark, and asked in a low voice:
“Which one?”
Su Cheng lifted his gaze, his eyes gliding over each tightly shut door until he stopped at one.
Everyone followed his gaze.
Whether their luck was good or bad, the offices in this area were mostly dark and quiet.
Only one office had its light on.
It was the one Su Cheng was looking at.
“That one?” Hugo asked.
Su Cheng nodded.
Everyone felt their hearts sink.
They’d considered this possibility before acting, but they’d still harbored hope—the probability was low, given how many offices were unlit.
Of course, in this Nightmare instance, even the dark, seemingly empty offices were never truly safe—each hid its own dangers.
But now, in typical Nightmare fashion, the worst-case scenario had come to pass.
Just like some paranormal version of Murphy’s Law.
“What if it’s in a room with people inside?”
And that’s exactly what they faced now.
Naturally, they could try reusing their previous trick from skipping class—creating darkness to dull the NPCs’ senses and sneaking in to grab the key.
But the real threat was the unknown.
One door away, and information was already lacking.
No one knew how many student council members were inside, if there were other entities, or how they were positioned.
So even if they repeated the same strategy, without enough intel, the variables were too high—essentially a gamble.
“Maybe… we can lure them out,” Wen Jianyan suddenly said softly.
Everyone froze and turned to look.
In the darkness, the young man’s face was pale, his light-colored irises reflecting the deep red glow.
“There were three rules listed on the notice downstairs.”
His voice was soft:
“Since we’ve already broken two of them, what harm is there in breaking one more?”
Wen Jianyan didn’t spell it out, but everyone present knew exactly what he meant.
“Wait a second, are you serious?” Wei Cheng frowned. “Do you know what this would mean?”
Doing this would definitely make it easier for them to get the key, but there was a reason why everyone had immediately ruled out this option.
Once they went through with it, their movements would no longer be hidden—every lurking danger in the entire building would be awakened.
If before, they only needed to deal with the NPCs in a single room, once they took the key, they would face a frenzied counterattack from the entire building.
“If we really do this, returning the way we came will be almost impossible,” Wei Cheng said gravely. “…Even if we manage it, the price will be enormous.”
Exhausted from their earlier stealth, Wen Jianyan seemed to have depleted all his strength. He leaned against the wall, gasping slightly, then slowly raised his eyes and softly said:
“Who says it’s impossible?”
The hallway was shrouded in darkness, with only a few streaks of blood-red light spilling from the distant offices, staining the ground.
The entire administrative building was immersed in a deathly silence.
Until—
Ding ding ding ding ding!! A shrill metallic bell suddenly rang out, piercing the stillness. The monotonous, grating sound echoed repeatedly in the darkness, sending chills down the spine.
Creak.
The sound of door hinges turning.
One door, two doors, three doors…
Previously shut office doors were being opened from the inside.
Pale, cold-looking students emerged from the rooms, the light illuminating the red armbands on their arms—symbols of the student council.
They twisted their heads stiffly toward the direction of the sound.
Then, without hesitation, they marched toward the source.
At the junction between the first and second floors:
“Whoohoo!”
Orange Candy clutched the still-clanging, battered doorbell with both hands. Her eyes lit up as she saw the pale figures chasing after them.
“They’re coming, they’re coming!”
Her earlier gloom about being excluded from the mission was gone. Excited, she leapt up. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
The group sprinted back toward the first floor, while behind them, a host of pale, eerie faces floated in the air, relentlessly pursuing them like leeches drawn to the scent of blood.
Invisible terror spread.
In the darkness, the confrontation between the supernatural and the living had begun quietly.
As the ringing of the bell faded into the distance, the second-floor hallway grew silent once more.
Inside the dark office, everyone held their breath, watching the crack under the door with bated anxiety, unmoving, waiting tensely.
To avoid unnecessary conflict, they had immediately activated items to protect themselves upon entering the room.
Hugo pressed his hand against the door and gently pushed it open. After confirming there was no danger outside, he turned back to the others. “Come out.”
They quickly left their hiding place.
Though there was no turning back now, just thinking of Wen Jianyan’s plan still made their hearts race.
—The plan was far too bold.
Originally, Orange Candy was supposed to support them at any time and join them in advancing to the third floor after retrieving the key.
But now, as bait, Orange Candy and the others had to immediately draw far away from the second floor once they were spotted.
From here on, the team was completely split.
Only the four of them would retrieve the key and proceed to the third floor, while Orange Candy’s group would stay in the building as long as possible to buy time.
It was hard to say which side faced more danger.
Orange Candy’s team had to deal with the threats across the entire building while stalling time, while Wen Jianyan’s team had to venture alone, without backup, into what might be the most dangerous, terrifying floor.
Yet, they had to admit…
If they wanted both the key and a safe escape, Wen Jianyan’s dangerous proposal might have been the only viable option.
“Let’s go,” Hugo urged. “Time is running out.”
In this plan, timing was everything.
A single misstep could lead to unbearable consequences.
The group jogged quickly toward the office that Su Cheng had foreseen.
The office door stood wide open, its lighting blood-red.
Translucent glass partitions separated cubicles, each with a desk and chair—not much different from an ordinary office.
At a glance, the room was empty.
Su Cheng scanned the area and pointed confidently at a desk furthest from the entrance. “The key is there.”
Everyone’s hearts leapt.
The desk was too far from the door, and the office’s narrow aisles left little room for maneuver.
Worse still, this was information they couldn’t have known until stepping inside.
In other words, had they used stealth items as originally planned, even with the NPCs temporarily stunned, escaping with the key would have been impossible.
—Had they not followed Wen Jianyan’s risky plan, they would’ve been trapped like fish in a barrel.
“Alright.” Hugo’s voice snapped them out of their thoughts.
Sticking to the plan, they moved swiftly.
One stayed at the door to keep watch, while the other three searched the office for the key that could open the iron gate between the second and third floors.
Their coordination was seamless, their movements fast.
Soon, the sound of rummaging echoed through the empty office.
First floor.
No lights.
Every office door was tightly shut. Darkness filled the halls, the shadows deep, with no sign of Orange Candy’s group. Only the piercing dinging echoed through the building.
This was a deadly game of hide and seek.
They had to survive in this horrifying building as long as possible, keeping the student council members away from the upper floors.
At the boundary between the first and second floors, the floor was littered with grey-white ash.
This was the ash Hugo had scattered before ascending.
Now, though, the ash was disturbed by the chase, leaving smudges and footprints everywhere.
The area was deserted.
Suddenly, without warning, a greyish footprint appeared amidst the ashes.
No figure was visible, yet the footprints kept forming.
Step by step, they advanced toward the staircase.
With every step, the ash thinned until it vanished entirely.
It was heading to the second floor.
Meanwhile, inside the second-floor office—
Hugo yanked open drawer after drawer until, in the last one, a rusty iron key clattered out, striking the wood with a heavy thunk.
Found it.
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
But just as Hugo grabbed the key, a footstep echoed outside the door.
All their breaths hitched.
Someone was here!
But… how?
Wasn’t the noise Orange Candy’s team made supposed to lure them all away? Why was there a straggler?
Clack, clack, clack.
Steady footsteps echoed, growing louder, drawing nearer.
In the “Integrity First” livestream chat:
[AAAAAAH I can’t breathe!]
[Now I get why no one unlocks this zone. Even if they did, no one would survive it!]
[Huh? Am I the only one who thinks it’s fine? Listen, it’s just one set of footsteps. With the anchor’s team, they can totally fight one NPC, right?]
[Are you stupid? Didn’t you notice what’s weird about the footsteps?]
[What’s weird?]
[First, it’s coming from the opposite direction they entered. Second, listen closely—don’t those steps sound like high heels?]
[Wait, you mean…]
Outside the stream, the team exchanged glances, seeing the shock and dread in each other’s eyes.
In mere seconds, they confirmed from the direction and the crisp sound—the newcomer wasn’t a student council member.
It was a teacher.
In the Yuying Comprehensive University instance, every identity symbolized an unbreachable class divide. Against a student council member, they might stand a chance, but a teacher…
The difficulty spiked to a level they couldn’t handle.
Clack.
The high heels paused, seemingly checking an empty office.
Two more doors and they’d reach them.
“Over here, quick,” Hugo commanded immediately.
His voice was low and tense—rare for him.
Everyone rushed to stand with him.
Fssh.
A faint metallic sound, and a spark flared—Hugo lit the cigarette at his lips.
A cloud of grey-white smoke billowed, expanding like a living thing, shrouding them and cutting off all traces—sight, breath, presence.
This wasn’t something an ordinary item could achieve.
Wen Jianyan glanced over at Hugo, noting the ash, the ever-present cigarettes…
It wasn’t hard to guess—this was Hugo’s innate ability, just like Flower and Fruit were his own.
But right now, it wasn’t their focus.
Because the footsteps resumed, drawing closer.
High heels tapping against the floor echoed hollowly on the second floor, each step like a hammer to the chest, suffocating them.
Closer.
Clack, clack.
No walls between them anymore.
The sound stopped.
Their hearts raced painfully, blood seemingly running backward.
They silently prayed.
Please… please keep walking…
But—
“Don’t bother hiding.”
A cold female voice pierced the air, soft but chilling to the bones.
“Come out.”
Everyone’s pupils contracted.
Even Hugo froze.
“Impossible,” he muttered. He knew his smoke could perfectly conceal them—talking normally inside wouldn’t be detected.
“Are you sure?” Wei Cheng paled. “She really seems to know we’re here.”
Clack, clack.
The high heels resumed—but this time, they drew nearer, not away, entering the office, closing in.
“You’ve broken at least three school rules coming here,” the voice said evenly. “Don’t make me drag you out.”
“Or you’ll face more than just expulsion.”
Step by step, the heels approached.
“…Give me the key,” Wen Jianyan suddenly said.
“…What?” Hugo was startled.
“I said—”
Wen Jianyan stared at Hugo, repeating:
“Give me the key.”
His voice was weak but firm, enunciated clearly.
After a pause, Hugo handed him the rusty iron key.
Wen Jianyan grabbed it.
The footsteps were nearly upon them.
Then, he did something no one expected.
He stepped out, leaving the safety of the smoke.
“Wait—” Hugo started, but Wen Jianyan was already gone.
Clack.
The footsteps stopped.
Under the flickering, red-tinged lights, two figures faced each other.
Wen Jianyan—and the teacher, only steps away.
Her blood-red lips, nails, dress, and heels gleamed under the light, her face pale as a mask.
Wen Jianyan’s back was soaked with sweat, his fingers trembling from tension.
—Hugo’s ability couldn’t have failed.
Abilities stem from the soul, unaffected by the Nightmare’s signal. Especially those of a top-ten anchor.
Only someone like Wen Jianyan, who’d fought through multiple Nightmare layers, could be certain.
Then what went wrong?
He recalled: the footsteps started the moment the key was found.
And the teacher had always said “you,” never “you all.”
His fingers clenched, the key biting into his palm.
Meaning—Hugo’s power worked. The teacher didn’t see them. But finding the key triggered her awareness that someone was there.
The woman’s eyes were bottomless pits.
Wen Jianyan felt a deep chill—not from sanity loss but pure, primal fear.
His hair stood on end.
“Good evening, teacher.”
He spoke slowly.
Under the red lights, his face was deathly pale, his low sanity robbing him of any trace of warmth.
On his right arm, the red student council armband was bright as blood.
“I’m the student union member who was assigned to guard the key, teacher. May I assist you with anything?”
