Thank you @Mareux for the Kofi.
Yuying University
Chapter 479: You sold the person out directly
Unknowingly, the entire morning and noon had passed.
The sun had already begun its westward descent. The light, which hadn’t been bright to begin with, now became even more distant and faint. It offered no warmth when it fell on the body; instead, it carried a chill that seemed to seep into the bone.
After confirming their safety, they stopped at the entrance of the cafeteria.
“So… what do we do next?”
Tian Ye asked, sounding somewhat hesitant.
It was true that they had successfully tricked the Mason and obtained the graduation certificates from right under his nose.
The problem was, their purpose for entering the administrative building this time wasn’t just to find the graduation certificates.
Strictly speaking, the graduation certificates were just a bonus. Their real objective was to enter the wardrobe in the vice-principal’s office on the third floor, and through it, find the real principal’s office.
However, due to the Mason’s unexpected appearance, their original plan had been forced to a halt.
“Also, there are less than five hours until the Ideological and Moral Education class…” Tian Ye said, “Are we still going this time?”
As they delved deeper into the “Yuying Comprehensive University” instance, the danger level of this class had been gradually exposed.
Under the dual supervision of the vice-principal and the student council, anyone who attended this class would be forced to take an “oath.”
The more oaths they took, the harder it would be for them to leave this instance.
However, during the Ideological and Moral Education class, the entire campus outside the lecture hall would turn into an extremely dangerous and terrifying hunting ground.
Back when the instance was only A-rank, they had nearly been forced into a desperate situation. Now that the instance’s difficulty had risen to SS-rank, the threat was likely even more unimaginable.
“Of course, it would be best if we didn’t have to go.”
Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and said.
Theoretically, it was possible.
But they had to, within these four hours, find the principal’s office, obtain the item inside, figure out how to use the graduation certificates, and use the certificates to leave the instance.
It was difficult…
But not entirely impossible.
“Doesn’t that mean we have to go back to the administrative building again?”
Su Cheng frowned and asked.
They had just escaped from the administrative building, and now they had to go back so soon?
“What about the Mason?” Evidently, Wei Cheng had the same concern. “Won’t he be lying in wait for us?”
They had just tricked the man. Their “cooperation” was, so to speak, not even cold in its grave. If they met now, a direct confrontation would be almost unavoidable.
Orange Candy tilted her head with a grin and said:
“So what if he is? Are we supposed to be afraid of him?”
As her previous state of weakness disappeared, Orange Candy became energetic and lively again, full of fighting spirit at the mention of a brawl.
“…”
Well, that was indeed a problem.
Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
A few seconds later, he seemed to think of something and looked up. “It doesn’t matter if he is.”
He blinked, a slight smile playing on his lips:
“Let him come.”
“?”
The others were all stunned. Even Orange Candy showed a skeptical expression.
That didn’t sound like Wen Jianyan’s usual style of doing things.
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Whoa, did this kid take the wrong medicine? Why is he being so confrontational this time?]
[My god, the sun must be rising from the west. The anchor is actually not being a coward for once!!]
[Truly moving, this is moving heaven and earth!]
Facing the suspicious gazes of the others, Wen Jianyan nonchalantly took out his phone, scrolled through his contact list, quickly found a number, and dialed it.
“Beep… beep… beep…”
After a few rings, the call was connected.
“Uh… hello?”
A hesitant voice sounded.
“Hey, it’s me,” Wen Jianyan greeted him with great familiarity. “The one who saved your life earlier. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”
Zhao Ze: “…”
I wish I could.
Wen Jianyan said with a grin, “Anyway, I need you to do me a small favor.”
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[…]
[So that’s why you brought up saving his life the moment you saw him! This was your goal!]
[…You’re quite the expert at moral blackmail, kid.]
Zhao Ze: “…Go on.”
Wen Jianyan: “Gather all the sophomores you’ve ever met, exchanged contact info with, know, or don’t know—preferably those who bought intel from me before. As long as you can contact them, call them all to the cafeteria entrance.”
“Tell them I have new intelligence to provide.”
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[?]
[??]
[What is he planning to do?]
Soon, Wen Jianyan called Brother Hu and A-Bao again, repeating the same request.
After hanging up, he turned to his other teammates:
“What about you guys? Do you have contact info for any sophomore roommates or anything? Call them over.”
The others exchanged a glance, shrugged, and also took out their phones.
Soon, in less than ten minutes, sophomores gradually gathered at the cafeteria entrance.
It had to be said, the number was far smaller than Wen Jianyan had imagined.
Evidently, after the instance’s difficulty rose to SS-rank, the danger level of the events they experienced had also soared. The number of sophomores had been greatly reduced. While those who had survived this school year all looked exhausted, as if they had endured great torment, their eyes were all alert and sharp.
Brother Hu, A-Bao, and Zhao Ze stood among them.
“Ahem!”
Wen Jianyan took a step forward and cleared his throat with a composed expression.
“Everyone should still remember me, right? Near the end of the last school year, it was right here that I provided everyone with intelligence on the location of the lecture hall.”
Of course, it wasn’t for free.
It was precisely because of the groundwork laid by that last successful transaction that, even now, people would still make the trip for the possibility of new intelligence.
“This time, I will once again provide you with similar intelligence,”
Wen Jianyan said slowly.
“But what’s different is, this time I don’t need any points in return.”
“…!”
Although it was well-hidden, an uncontrollable astonishment appeared on everyone’s faces.
“The instance has progressed to this stage. I believe everyone has a rough understanding of the current situation.”
Wen Jianyan said,
“After the end of the first school year, the instance mutated, and the difficulty was upgraded from the original A-rank to SS-rank. More hidden areas appeared, and the instance opened up again, allowing freshmen to enter.”
“However… there’s one thing you might not know.”
Wen Jianyan paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.
“Just like us, the freshmen also have a ‘Mission.’ And their mission is very simple… to hunt sophomores, obtain our student IDs, and gain the same academic progress as us.”
“However, I believe that among you, some may have already learned of this.”
Wen Jianyan smiled slightly.
His voice was soft, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
“For example, Yao Liang, Wu Qing, Jiang Shu…”
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[?]
[“Wait a minute, the names of these people are…”]
[HOLY CRAP!!! I remember now, aren’t these the names on the student IDs the Mason showed the anchor earlier!! The anchor actually memorized all of them???]
[Ah, this kid… you’ve been planning this for that long?]
As the names were read out one by one, a commotion gradually started in the crowd.
Some people’s expressions clearly wavered:
“Wait, how did you know—”
Watching this scene, Wen Jianyan smiled silently.
Clearly, he had succeeded.
This was precisely why he had asked everyone he knew to call everyone they knew, to get as many people here as possible.
After all, frankly speaking, the anchors who could survive from the first school year to the second had already been sifted through, and their numbers were not large by any means.
And the number of student IDs Mason and his group held was not small; it was a significant percentage even among the entire sophomore class.
The more people he could gather, the greater the chance there would be a teammate of a victim among them…
And the names on the student IDs were not the anchors’ chosen handles, but their real [Given Names]. Therefore, the moment he spoke the deceased’s real name, he had already proven the authenticity of the information he possessed.
—Of course, even if his luck was so bad that he didn’t encounter a single one, Wen Jianyan was glib enough to promptly produce a second narrative.
“What I know is that among the anchors who are now ‘freshmen,’ organized hunting parties have already appeared.”
The young man stood not far away, his light-colored eyes glinting slightly under the dim sky, his expression solemn.
“They are terrifyingly strong and ruthless. And I was almost killed by them,”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and said slowly.
“And as I was on the brink of death, the other party even took out his trophies to show off in front of me—showing off how many anchors had died at his hands. It was only through this opportunity that I was barely able to escape with my life.”
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[?]
[???]
[Kid, can you say that again while looking at the Mason, who you tricked from beginning to end??]
[Ahahaha, I’m dying of laughter. The Mason himself probably never imagined that even without showing up, he could be used as a tool. Every last bit of his residual value is being squeezed dry!]
Looking at the crowd, which was clearly stunned, Wen Jianyan sighed and said:
“So you see, the reason I’m providing this intelligence for free is not because I want to do charity, but because it concerns the interests and safety of every single one of us.”
This statement was three parts false and seven parts true, and words are often hardest to discern when truth and lies are mixed.
What’s more, he had such an affable and handsome face. While saying this, his expression was so helpless and sincere that even if someone truly doubted his words, they would probably feel guilty for their own overthinking.
Even the old victim, Zhao Ze, was fooled again.
He took a step forward and couldn’t help but ask:
“Then… what do we do next?”
Good question!
Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up in his heart.
He didn’t let it show on his face, simply continuing, “The person leading them is a high-level anchor, of medium height, with a pale face and plain, indistinct features, as if cast from wax. I urge everyone to be wary of anyone with similar characteristics in the future.”
“Do not approach them, and do not believe a single word they say.”
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[…]
[Damn, you just sold him out completely!!]
[Hahahahahahahahahaha! Mason: I curse your eight generations of ancestors.]
“And,” Wen Jianyan’s tone shifted, “I believe everyone should still remember that on the last day of the second school year, we must go to the administrative building to handle the advancement procedures. If we don’t complete it…”
The crowd exchanged glances.
Clearly, they all remembered this.
“—If I were them, I would choose to use this opportunity to wait at the administrative building and ambush us.”
Wen Jianyan blinked and smiled faintly.
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[…]
[………………]
[The only rabbit they’re waiting for is you!]
Thus, under Wen Jianyan’s alarmist and misleading persuasion, almost all the sophomore anchors present accepted his suggestion without objection, deciding to head to the administrative building together.
Indeed, for a high-level anchor, human-sea tactics might not always be useful.
But in this situation, it definitely would be.
The difference in numbers was too vast, and they had Orange Candy on their side, so the power gap wasn’t that large. The administrative building was also nearby. So, as long as Wen Jianyan and his group blended into the crowd, even if the Mason and his people were truly lying in wait nearby, they would absolutely not show themselves.
That would be too unwise.
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[Alright, I get it now. I see why the anchor was being uncharacteristically tough earlier… Tough my ass! Aren’t you still being a coward from start to finish!]
And so, after gathering a group of people, Wen Jianyan smoothly arrived at the entrance of the administrative building once again.
As expected, the journey was unobstructed, and they encountered no attacks.
After arriving at the entrance, Wen Jianyan even feigned telling the others to wait at the door while he went ahead first, pushing open the door and entering the lobby of the administrative building.
The lobby was gloomy and cold, the smell of blood from last time still not completely dissipated.
Wen Jianyan looked towards the security office.
Inside the security office sat a dark, motionless, and terrifying figure.
It was the security guard.
Seeing this, Wen Jianyan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Since the security guard was back in his proper place, it meant the Mason and his group had likely left the building.
From within the security office came a flat, emotionless, and cold voice—the same as the previous times.
“Do you have an appointment?”
Wen Jianyan steadied himself and tentatively said, “We’re here to handle the school advancement procedures.”
Following that, the air fell into a long silence.
Just as Wen Jianyan was growing nervous, a pale, bluish-white hand slowly extended from under the dark window, with a scarlet registration book pressed beneath it.
“…”
Seeing this, Wen Jianyan’s tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly, and he let out a long breath.
It really worked.
After all, going to the administrative building to complete the advancement procedures on the last day of the school year was part of the basic information that existed from the start of the instance. Based on this, the possibility of getting a green light was very high.
He turned and pushed open the door of the administrative building, saying to the other anchors waiting outside:
“It’s okay, you can come in.”
At Wen Jianyan’s signal, the group filed into the lobby and completed the registration at the security office window.
The pale, bluish-white hand extended once more, taking the registration book back.
Then, that familiar, ghostly voice sounded from the darkness:
“The advancement office is on the second floor of the administrative building.”
Although this was information Wen Jianyan and his group already knew, it might not be the case for the others.
The group exchanged glances, nodded, and cautiously headed towards the second floor.
As they passed by, Wen Jianyan cast a glance at the giant mirror in the center of the lobby. The grimy mirror reflected the blurry figures of the crowd.
—Now is not the time, there are too many people.
Wen Jianyan retracted his gaze and followed the crowd towards the second floor.
They were not in the mirror world now. The doors on the second floor had a strong isolating effect. As long as they didn’t do anything too out of line, they generally wouldn’t attract the attention of the student council.
Soon, the group arrived at the door of the advancement office.
Different from his memory, this time, the door to the advancement office was wide open, allowing the reddish light from within to flow out eerily, painting the corridor floor.
“…”
Staring at the familiar scene before him, Wen Jianyan’s heart pounded. He silently took a step back.
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[LMAO, you’re not going to be the first one this time, are you?]
[I think he’s afraid of being torn apart by the advancement teacher—and there’s a high probability of that happening.]
However, the others did not notice Wen Jianyan’s small movement.
After cautiously observing and weighing their options at the door for a moment, one anchor took the lead and walked in.
Wen Jianyan pressed himself against the wall, poked his head out, and peeked inside.
The entire advancement office was bathed in a cold, red light. And at the far end of the office, the familiar female teacher in red sat upright behind her desk with a dark expression. The desk was piled high with a thick stack of files that almost buried her.
The first anchor to enter the advancement office walked forward step by step. The red-clothed female teacher raised her eyes, her chilling gaze landing on him.
Watching the brave warrior stop in front of the desk, Wen Jianyan’s heart also rose slightly, and he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for him.
However, the imagined danger and terror did not occur.
After doing something unknown, the anchor who had entered first turned around and left the office, completely intact and unharmed.
“How was it?”
Looking at the nervously waiting crowd, he said:
“Don’t worry, it’s done.”
With the first person having tried, the remaining anchors grew bolder. They formed a long line at the door of the advancement office, entering one by one to handle their advancement procedures.
Wen Jianyan also quickly got in line.
The line moved at a decent pace. Before long, Wen Jianyan was at the very front.
He carefully shuffled into the office, one step at a time.
The moment she saw who had entered, the red-clothed female teacher’s expression immediately worsened. Her already unpleasant face was now as ferocious as a demon’s. Her dark, empty eyes stared fixedly at Wen Jianyan as he shuffled before her, as if she wanted to flay him alive with her gaze alone.
Wen Jianyan stood still, trembling with fear.
“…G-good day, teacher?”
He swallowed and said cautiously, “I… I’m here for my advancement procedure.”
“…………”
The red-clothed female teacher’s expression became even more terrifying.
Wen Jianyan’s face was grim. Just as he thought he was about to pay the price for his previous actions, the red-clothed female teacher in front of him finally moved.
She slowly took a piece of paper from the thick stack of files and asked, her expression blank and her voice chillingly cold:
“Name and student ID number.”
Wen Jianyan felt as if he had been granted a pardon.
As if afraid she would go back on her word, he rattled off the required information like a machine gun.
The female teacher lowered her head, picked up a fountain pen with pale, bluish-white fingers tipped with scarlet nail polish, and began to sign the document in her hand. Ink the same color as her nails flowed from the pen’s nib, drawing characters on the paper.
As the words appeared, the color of the teacher’s nails seemed to dim slightly.
Soon, she put down the pen.
“Alright—”
The first word had just left her mouth when Wen Jianyan shot out like a rabbit, disappearing from the office doorway in a flash.
The female teacher: “…”
Her pale, bluish-white fingers, holding the fountain pen, slowly tightened, and a few veins popped out on the back of her hand.
Inside the “Integrity First” live room chat:
[…]
[Every time I think the anchor has pissed someone off to the absolute limit, he always proves that my imagination is too narrow.]
[You really have no idea what ‘it’s better to resolve grievances than to let them fester’ means, do you??]
After fleeing the office, Wen Jianyan leaned against the wall and slowly let out a breath.
The familiar system notification echoed in his ears.
[Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for completing the main quest of the second school year. You are about to officially become a junior at Yuying Comprehensive University!]
And within a minute after that, the rest of his group also completed their advancement procedures.
Orange Candy came up to him and jutted out her chin.
“Let’s go?”
She gave him a look.
Wen Jianyan had now recovered from his earlier guilt and panic and immediately understood.
He glanced at the other anchors still in line, and after confirming that no one was paying attention to them, he nodded and followed Orange Candy back the way they came.
Soon, they were once again in the lobby of the administrative building’s first floor.
All the other anchors who had completed the procedure had already left—after all, they had no reason to linger in this place of trouble, did they?
So, at this moment, only Wen Jianyan’s group remained in the first-floor lobby.
People were still trickling down from the second floor, passing through the lobby to leave the building, but that was not something Wen Jianyan and his group needed to worry about.
They stood in front of the mirror, ensuring their reflections were always visible, and then pretended to be discussing something in low voices, waiting quietly.
Orange Candy asked in a whisper, “Speaking of which, how long do we have to wait?”
Wen Jianyan: “Less than ten minutes, I think.”
Last time, the club members had interfered, so he didn’t have time to note the specific duration, but he still knew the rough time frame.
“However, there’s another way to judge.”
Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and added.
—He had used this method to judge the timing to enter the mirror before.
“Once our reflections in the mirror become clear, it means we can go in.”
Of course, it also meant that danger was about to appear.
Orange Candy nodded.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Suddenly, Tian Ye, who was closest to the mirror, let out a low gasp. “It’s true… my reflection is getting clearer!!”
“!”
The rest of the group was startled and turned to look at the giant mirror in the lobby.
On the dusty, grimy surface of the giant mirror, their own faces were clearly and vividly reflected, changing expressions along with their own. It was inexplicably and exceptionally bizarre.
“Wait a minute,” Orange Candy frowned. She strode forward, leaned in, and examined her own reflection.
“Why is my face still blurry?”
Wen Jianyan slowly walked forward and stood beside Orange Candy.
Staring at his own blurry face in the mirror, his voice deepened slightly. “…Mine too.”
He was right.
While everyone else’s expressions were overly clear, their two faces looked as if they were covered by a layer of shadow and dust, still very blurry, like they had been pixelated. They looked completely out of place.
Su Cheng was taken aback, then suddenly reacted:
“Wait, could it be because of before—”
“It’s highly likely.”
Wen Jianyan’s expression darkened slightly.
They had to remember, the fundamental reason they could enter the mirror world was that the mirror created a reflection based on them and tried to invade the real world, which was why it let them in.
If the other’s faces were also blurry, there could be other possibilities. But if only his and Orange Candy’s reflections couldn’t appear, it could only mean one thing…
Their two mirror images had already broken free from the mirror’s constraints and entered the real world.
“The Mason didn’t notice?” Tian Ye frowned.
Wen Jianyan: “Impossible.”
He didn’t believe the Mason wouldn’t have noticed that those two were ghosts in disguise. After all, he had left enough clues at the time, and the Mason’s strength was far beyond that.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and said slowly:
“He did it on purpose.”
He really hadn’t expected the Mason to be so insane as to, even after seeing through the identities of those two “people,” still lead them away from the mirror…
“Then what do we do next?”
It had to be said, the current situation was extremely tricky.
Two mirror monsters that looked exactly like Wen Jianyan and Orange Candy had been released from their seal. But beyond that, they knew nothing. It was like a time bomb set to go off at an unknown time. They only knew it existed, but they didn’t know when it would detonate, let alone what the consequences would be…
Not to mention the Mason’s involvement.
The more crucial point was that the path to the principal’s office was too unknown. No one knew what was behind that door.
And Wen Jianyan was the intellectual core of the entire team, while Orange Candy was the martial core. If only one was missing, it would still be manageable. But with both of them unable to enter the mirror, it was equivalent to cutting off their team’s arms and legs, almost completely crippling their chances of re-entering the mirror world and finding the principal’s office through the path behind the vice-principal’s office.
“…”
Wen Jianyan clenched his jaw, his eyes flickering, complex emotions rising and falling within them.
What now?
Sending only half the team in was equivalent to suicide. Were they supposed to go find the Mason again now and take out the two escaped mirror images?
Putting aside whether the Mason would cooperate and the difficulty of such an action, more importantly, Wen Jianyan wasn’t even sure if, assuming they got lucky and completed this series of operations, it would actually mean the mirror’s gate would open to them again…
If it didn’t, all their efforts would have been for nothing.
He lowered his head and glanced at the time.
There were three hours left until the Ideological and Moral Education class.
This school year was about to end.
They had clearly solved most of the mysteries and even found the path to the principal’s office, but the bridge to get there had been forcibly cut…
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, feeling a sense of frustration.
“Mmm…”
Suddenly, a lazy little girl’s voice came from behind him:
“It’s not like there aren’t other ways.”
Wen Jianyan was startled and turned to look.
Beside him, Orange Candy was looking up at him, two old, yellowed pieces of paper held between her slender white fingers.
“Since we can’t go from above, let’s go from below—you said before that the path below connects to a warehouse, right?”
“There are four paths down there in total, right?”
“One in the cafeteria, one in the principal’s and vice-principal’s offices… doesn’t that still leave two others?”
Orange Candy tilted her head and shook the papers in her hand.
In the faint light, the blurry words on them could be seen.
[Library Borrowing Slips]
She asked with a grin, “How about it? Wanna give it a try?”
