Yuying University
Chapter 493: Wen Jianyan: “…Hi?
After a long while, Wen Jianyan finally recovered. He removed the hand that was propping him up against the wall and shakily straightened his body.
His face was pale, and he looked utterly exhausted.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[…]
[…]
[…I take back what I just said. You brat hasn’t improved one bit!!!]
[So many masters in the top ten of Nightmare, which one is as disappointing as you! You’re making me so angry!]
Wen Jianyan raised a hand to wipe his face and slowly took a deep breath, finally managing to pull himself out of the extreme state of fear and tension from just moments ago.
Regardless, he had already done everything he could. As for what his teammates did next, he had no way of intervening anymore.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from behind him.
The sound was very soft, like footsteps, and seemed to be mixed with the slight creak of metal.
“?!”
Wen Jianyan was startled. He subconsciously twisted his head and glanced in the direction the sound came from.
Under the strange, dark red sky, the buildings behind him appeared exceptionally gloomy. The doors and windows were all pitch-black voids, instilling a sense of dread.
That sound… it seemed to be coming from within the building.
Wen Jianyan paused.
…This sound, it’s a bit familiar?
Following the sound, Wen Jianyan cautiously walked into the teaching building.
Soon, he passed through the main hall and entered a corridor.
The classroom doors on both sides were tightly shut, with not a single sound coming from within. The lighting here was even dimmer than outside the building, and the atmosphere was increasingly unsettling.
Wen Jianyan looked around, searching for the source of the sound.
However, ever since he entered the teaching building, the sound seemed to have vanished, never to appear again.
“…”
Wen Jianyan stood in place, frowning.
Soon, as if he had thought of something, he tiptoed to the back door of one of the classrooms. He carefully pushed the door open a crack with his fingertips and peered inside—
What met his eyes was a very familiar scene.
The classroom was pitch-black. Behind the neatly arranged desks sat rows of cold, stiff figures, motionless in the darkness like corpses.
The air was filled with the cold, fishy smell of soil.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s heart sank.
He had guessed correctly.
Many previous clues now seemed to connect.
It appeared that the last time he had disguised himself as a chef, he had been brought here by members of the Student Union.
If the timeline was pushed back even further, during his first physical education class, the blood-red running track he had accidentally stepped on should also belong to this place.
From this, it seemed that in this instance, the concept of a “mirror image” wasn’t actually accurate.
The two spatial forms of the ‘Yuying Comprehensive University’ did not seem to have clear boundaries like in other instances. Instead, they were like two ropes twisted together into a braid, intersecting at multiple points. The Student Union members were able to move freely between the two states of the school.
As for the club members…
Wen Jianyan wasn’t sure yet.
After all, he had only interacted with club members within the normal instance so far and had not seen them in the mirror image.
Just as Wen Jianyan was lost in thought, footsteps and the sound of rolling metal wheels suddenly came from behind him without warning. The sound wasn’t loud, but in the empty, deathly silent corridor, it was as clear as a thunderclap.
Wen Jianyan jumped in fright.
Almost as a reflex, he pushed open the back door of the classroom in front of him and slipped inside like a fish.
His back was pressed tightly against the wall, his heart pounding.
Through the wall, Wen Jianyan could hear the footsteps and the sound of the rolling cart in the corridor, which seemed to be approaching his current location.
Calm down, calm down.
Wen Jianyan took deep breaths.
After calming down, he turned sideways again and carefully pulled the door open a tiny crack.
In the dim light, Wen Jianyan could vaguely see two cold figures standing in the depths of the corridor. One of them seemed to be pushing a small, black metal cart.
Wen Jianyan’s heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough.
Everything matched his previous speculations.
Soon, the cart stopped in front of one of the classrooms.
One of the figures bent down and took something from the cart. Then, the two figures entered the classroom one after the other.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[? I remember it was the chef who went inside to sprinkle soil before, while the Student Union members waited outside, right? Why are they acting together now?]
[Uh… could it be that the anchor’s previous backstabbing of the Student Union member left them with some psychological trauma?]
[…]
[Damn, that’s actually possible.]
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan felt a chill down his spine.
As if realizing something, he whipped his head around to look behind him.
The classroom was pitch-black. For this very reason, the pale faces were all the more glaring. The corpses’ bodies were still sitting upright, but their heads had, at some point, twisted backward, seemingly looking in Wen Jianyan’s direction.
“!!!”
The hair on Wen Jianyan’s back stood on end.
This was not an unfamiliar experience for him.
In this world, there were countless dead people.
Whether in the classrooms of the teaching building, beneath the blood-red track on the sports field, or under the stairs of the administration building, all were composed of countless human corpses. They were not completely dead, but merely unable to move under the power of the soil.
However, once a certain condition was met…
Or a certain rule was broken, or they simply sensed the presence of a living person, they would awaken and display terrifying aggression.
Clearly, the classroom Wen Jianyan had accidentally entered had not yet been sprinkled with soil. That was why the corpses in the classroom had been activated after he entered.
Besides that…
Wen Jianyan realized something even worse.
Since this classroom had not yet been sprinkled with soil, it meant… the classroom he was currently in was the Student Union members’ next destination.
If he didn’t leave immediately, he would be a turtle in a jar, trapped!
Outside the corridor, the sound of rolling metal wheels started again, heading in this direction.
That rumbling sound was like wheels crushing his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
The light in the corridor had been too dim just now, he hadn’t seen clearly. The classroom he was in shouldn’t be the very next one, right…
It shouldn’t be, right!!!
Cold sweat beaded on Wen Jianyan’s back, his fingers clenched tightly. His stomach, which had just settled, cramped up again.
In the dark classroom behind him, the faces twisted at an even greater angle, almost completely separating from their shoulders.
Outside the classroom, the sound of the cart grew closer.
Wen Jianyan: “…”
Damn it, I feel like throwing up again.
Just as Wen Jianyan’s nerves were stretched to their limit, the sound of the cart stopped some distance from his classroom door.
Then came the creak of a door opening and the sound of footsteps.
“…?”
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Wen Jianyan cautiously pushed the door open with his fingertips and looked out.
—The unattended cart was parked not far away, not pushed right up to his classroom door.
In that instant, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank heavens, it seemed his previous judgment was correct. There was indeed another classroom between them.
There was no time to lose. Before the corpses in the classroom fully awakened, Wen Jianyan darted out of the dark classroom as fast as he could and then sprinted with all his might toward the main entrance of the teaching building—but, just as he took a step, as if he suddenly thought of something, he turned his head to look back.
In the corridor, the unattended cart stood silently.
An unattended… cart.
“…”
A look of struggle appeared on Wen Jianyan’s face, as if he was in the midst of an intense internal battle.
Finally, he gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind.
The next second, Wen Jianyan spun around and, like an arrow released from a bow, shot towards the nearby cart.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[?!]
[Wait, wait… the anchor isn’t going to—]
As if to confirm the viewers’ speculations, Wen Jianyan dashed toward the cart parked at the classroom entrance.
But contrary to his expectations, the surface of the cart was clean, and the bags from his memory were not there.
Wen Jianyan’s heart tightened.
This meant their trip was nearing its end; the soil in the cart had already been used up.
Could it be that this life-risking adventure was going to be for nothing?
No, no way.
If he hadn’t been prepared to act from the start, that would be one thing. But to have taken action and still not get the desired result?
Absolutely not!
Wen Jianyan steeled himself, squatted down in front of the cart, and expertly fumbled for the cabinet below. Then, he quickly pulled the cabinet door open—a familiar sweet, fishy smell assaulted his nostrils. An earthenware jar inside was half-full, and within the thick, dark-red liquid, the faint shape of a chef’s uniform could be seen floating up and down.
After being corroded and devoured by the power of the soil, the chef would disintegrate into such clots of blood upon reaching the limit, to be collected in the jar beneath the cart.
And right next to the jar were several familiar cloth bags.
They were heavy inside; they should be full of soil.
Wen Jianyan’s eyes lit up, and he reached out a hand.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and looked up—
—and came face to face with the Student Union members who were just exiting the classroom.
“…”
In an instant, the air fell deathly silent, and time seemed to freeze.
Wen Jianyan: “…Hi?”
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[Ahhh!]
[Ahhhhhhhh!]
[This is so stressful, and you’re greeting them?! Wen Jianyan, is there something wrong with you?]
Wen Jianyan’s greeting broke the silence. The others seemed to snap out of their daze, their eyes fixed on the young man squatting by the cart not far away. They strode forward to chase him at top speed. Although they didn’t say a word, their cold, venomous gazes looked as if they wanted to tear him alive.
In matters like these, Wen Jianyan had no other virtues except for his quick reflexes.
He shot up, gave the cart a hard shove in the direction of the Student Union members.
The cart careened forward crookedly. The door of the cabinet underneath was open, and the heavy jar inside wobbled, then crashed to the ground with a “clang”. The dark-red blood clots immediately splattered across the floor.
…Hiss.
Wen Jianyan’s face contorted.
Staring at the dark-red liquid on the ground, the Student Union member seemed stunned. The next second, a strange sound erupted from its throat, like anger, yet also like fear. The wail, completely inhuman, shattered the silence and sent a chill down the spine.
Wen Jianyan jolted and turned to run.
Even so, he didn’t forget the purpose of his trip. As he ran, he stuffed the cloth bag into his shirt.
Only after he had bolted a good distance away did the angry footsteps of his pursuer follow, half a beat too late.
Under the dark sky, an inexplicably bizarre scene unfolded.
A young man clutching a cloth bag ran wildly in front, while a grim-faced Student Union member chased fiercely from behind.
In extreme situations, people can always tap into some potential, just like now.
Wen Jianyan ran with all his might, bursting forth with unprecedented speed. The familiar campus buildings flew past him.
As he ran, he stole a glance backward.
Behind him, the ghostly figure was still in hot pursuit. Due to the poor visibility, its face was somewhat blurry, but the armband on its sleeve was still bright and glaring.
He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but even though he was running fast enough, the distance between them seemed to be even smaller than before.
“?!”
Wen Jianyan shivered, and his pace, which had slowed due to fatigue, quickened once more.
Ahhh!
It had to be said, Wen Jianyan was starting to regret it a little now.
If he had known he would be chased for half a mile like this, he definitely wouldn’t have been so impulsive just now… at least he would have hesitated for a few more seconds!
However…
Wen Jianyan blinked, clearing a drop of sweat that was about to fall into his eye, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
He really hadn’t expected the Student Union member to chase him so desperately—in his original prediction, the other party shouldn’t have been so persistent. Was it for some special reason?
Just as Wen Jianyan was lost in thought, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
The sound of footsteps chasing him from behind seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
“.”
Wen Jianyan paused, subconsciously slowing down and turning to look behind him again.
It was empty behind him.
The figure that had been chasing him like a ghost had vanished at some point. The open area was deathly silent; Wen Jianyan could only hear the frantic beating of his own heart and his own ragged, harsh breaths from the mad dash.
“?”
Wen Jianyan stood there panting, staring in confusion at the space behind him, his brows slightly furrowed.
Strange.
If the Student Union member had given up earlier, he could understand. But to have chased him this far, only to just let him go…??
Wen Jianyan couldn’t quite figure it out.
As he was caught in suspicion, Wen Jianyan’s ears suddenly caught a faint sound—not far, seeming to come from just ahead of him.
The sound was very strange, like something sticky slithering along the ground, crawling forward slowly. It inexplicably made one’s hair stand on end and a chill run down the spine.
“…”
As if realizing something, Wen Jianyan, his face pale, slowly turned his head, frame by frame, to look in front of him.
Under the dark red firmament, the visibility was extremely low. He could barely see the few buildings in front of him; the areas further away were all hidden in endless darkness.
And in that darkness, something strange seemed to be squirming.
The thing was enormous, almost as tall as the buildings, making its passage between them look somewhat difficult.
As the thing got closer, Wen Jianyan gradually saw its full form.
It was hard to describe what this thing was.
It was like a bloated, giant worm, without a head or tail, without hands or feet, but its body was covered with human-sized mouths.
Those mouths opened and closed, the upper and lower rows of teeth clashing against each other, making a chattering sound that made one’s scalp tingle.
It was getting closer.
Wen Jianyan stood rooted to the spot, staring in horror at the “creature” that was beyond human imagination, so terrifying it could almost pollute the minds of those who looked at it.
He felt cold all over, but his feet felt as if they had taken root, unable to move an inch. He could only watch as it approached, bit by bit.
As the distance shortened drastically, the details on the “creature’s” body became clearer.
Only then did Wen Jianyan discover with horror that within the red membrane that encased it, the worm’s body was actually made of countless pale, crowded human limbs.
Arms, thighs, calves, torsos, heads.
Countless human bodies overlapped each other within the membrane, soaking in a viscous, dark-red liquid, squirming along with the creature’s advance, making a sickeningly strange sound.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[Ahhh!]
[Ahhhhhhhhhhh!]
[What is this thing? I’m gonna puke!]
[Wait, look! The anchor’s SAN value is fluctuating; it’s dropped more than ten points in the blink of an eye!]
[Damn, it’s true. This is bad, it seems this thing drains your SAN just by looking at it!]
[Ahhh, the anchor doesn’t seem to have noticed. What do we do!]
While the viewers were frantic, Wen Jianyan was still staring at the “creature” not far away.
At its top, a blood-red fleshy tube was connected. The tube was sticky and wet, swaying slightly as the “creature” advanced, as if it were alive.
Wen Jianyan’s gaze followed the blood-red tube, watching it extend upward until it disappeared into the dark sky above.
His vision suddenly blurred for a moment.
Speaking of which… why would the sky appear a different color when it’s the same space?
Is it because its color keeps changing?
No.
That’s not right.
Wen Jianyan stared deeply into the firmament above, his gaze growing more dazed.
—The sky was supposed to be black.
The reason it appeared this color was because it was densely covered with countless blood-red fleshy tubes. The red, fleshy pipes shrouded the entire campus sky, extending in all directions, endlessly transporting something.
“……….”
Wen Jianyan’s breath hitched.
At the end of the first academic year at ‘Yuying Comprehensive University’, they had skipped the ideological and moral education class. On their way to the administration building, they were constantly attacked by unknown, unobservable monsters. Wen Jianyan, in a state of extremely low SAN and unable to move, had been able to see the existence of those “things,” which was how he guided his teammates out of the danger zone and successfully into the administration building.
However, as his low SAN state was resolved, under his body’s self-protection mechanism, Wen Jianyan had also forgotten that memory.
And now, the moment Wen Jianyan saw the true appearance of the sky, the forgotten images resurfaced without any warning.
Chaotic images flooded back into his mind.
He remembered.
Everything he had seen, heard, and perceived back then reappeared vividly before his eyes, crashing over him like a tide, engulfing him.
When the darkness arrived, the campus was filled with precisely these kinds of “creatures.”
They came from the darkness, moving silently, greedily devouring everything.
And the reason those who were attacked vanished without a trace was actually very simple—they were just eaten.
【Ding! Instance Exploration Rate 88%. Reward Points: 200,000】
“Congratulations on once again breaking the exploration record for Yuying Comprehensive University. You have made history…”
But Wen Jianyan seemed not to hear it.
In the darkness, the young man’s face was deathly pale, his eyes staring blankly into the distance, as if his soul had been snatched away.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[Ahhh, the anchor’s SAN value is near the critical point again!]
[Fuck, fuck, fuck, anchor, wake up!!]
[Sigh, it’s no use. The erosion effect of this thing is too strong. The last time the anchor saw it, in a sense, he was protected by his own low SAN state—after all, he didn’t know if what he was seeing was real or fake, which lessened the degree of pollution, and then he forgot about it directly, which was actually quite lucky. But this time his mind is completely clear… The good thing is that he can finally understand what he’s seeing, but the bad thing is that he’s been polluted very thoroughly. In my experience, under these circumstances, it’s basically impossible for the anchor to wake up on his own.]
[If he were with his teammates now, it would be fine…sigh, unfortunately, he’s not.]
“…Ugh!”
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan bent over without warning.
He clutched his chest with one hand, his expression a mix of shock and anger, and a morbid flush appeared on his pale cheeks.
But because of this, his dazed gaze, which had been fixed on the monster in the distance, was broken.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[?]
[?!]
[Holy crap, how did the anchor wake up?!]
[I don’t know? I really can’t tell…]
Wen Jianyan pressed one hand on his left chest, tightly gripping the cold tentacle under his shirt, forcing it away from his skin.
He gritted his teeth, his breath coming in short gasps, a flush of shame and anger spreading to his earlobes.
…Damn it.
That bite was way too hard.
However, even though Wen Jianyan was angry enough to want to kill a Wu Zhu to vent, he knew now was not the time to focus on this.
He kept his eyes lowered, and without looking at the “creature”, he abruptly spun around and dodged behind a nearby building.
Soon, Wen Jianyan’s back was against a cold wall.
Not far behind him, the sticky, slithering sound continued, moving bit by bit into the distance until it could no longer be heard.
As the sound faded, the taut string in Wen Jianyan’s body finally relaxed. His knees went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
It’s gone…
Wen Jianyan pressed his sweaty forehead against the back of his hand and let out a long, trembling breath.
That was just too close. He really hadn’t expected to run into something so terrifying without any warning… and he certainly hadn’t expected it to trigger his memories of what happened in the first academic year.
Wen Jianyan glanced at the upper right corner.
—His SAN value was less than 10.
But strangely, normally when his SAN value dropped to this level, he would be tormented by hallucinations and auditory illusions to the point of being almost unable to move. This time, however, apart from feeling a little dizzy, Wen Jianyan had no other major reaction.
Wen Jianyan wiped his face and shook his head.
He didn’t think this was a good thing.
The side effects of a low SAN value wouldn’t diminish for no reason… This might indicate that his assimilation with the instance was very deep, so deep that even the SAN value system was failing.
And this was likely related to the side effects of the badge as well.
The “creature” not attacking him just now was probably for this reason, too.
Wen Jianyan pushed himself up against the wall and shakily stood up.
He looked up at the dark red sky in front of him and took a deep breath.
However, it wasn’t all bad news.
First, there was this extra bag of soil—although he had no specific use for it yet, Wen Jianyan was well aware of how terrifying this stuff was. It was always good to have it on hand for emergencies.
Second, there was the overturned jar of liquid—although Wen Jianyan didn’t know what the Student Union was collecting it for, as long as it was something the instance wanted to collect, interrupting it was definitely the right move.
Of course, there was one last thing—
Wen Jianyan lifted his collar and glanced down.
On his chest, the blood-red badge imprint had grown deeper. The black tentacle that had been coiled on top had been forcefully torn off, away from where it shouldn’t have been.
Perhaps because the tentacle had been trying to cling on tightly, the light-colored skin underneath had been sucked until it was congested and red, swollen softly. A bright red bite mark was deeply imprinted on the skin of his chest, looking overly conspicuous on his fair skin.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth.
He expressionlessly released his hand, and his collar fell back into place.
The shirt covered the swollen area. The rough fabric rubbed against that small patch of skin, making it hot and itchy, and it was even more unbearable when he moved.
He hadn’t felt it when the tentacle was covering it, but now, even if he forced himself not to pay attention, he couldn’t completely ignore it.
Wen Jianyan’s expression was grim as he fiercely tightened his fingers.
…”Jī!”
A faint sound came from his palm.
Damn it, you dog thing, I should just crush you.
After confirming that the Student Union member hadn’t followed and that the terrifying behemoth hadn’t returned, Wen Jianyan left his temporary hiding place.
He thought for a moment and quickly decided on his next destination.
This didn’t require much hesitation.
After all, the reason Wen Jianyan had tried so hard to find a way back into the mirror was for this very purpose.
—He had to find Orange Candy, who had been swapped into the mirror.
After setting his next objective, Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, turned, and walked toward the administration building.
Along the way, he nearly ran into those “worms” wandering the campus several times, but Wen Jianyan managed to avoid them in the nick of time.
Finally, he arrived at the administration building without any mishaps.
The familiar three-story building stood under the dark red sky, its main entrance tightly closed. Through the dusty glass door, the hall inside was indistinct.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, then walked forward and raised his hand to push the door.
Strangely, the door that should have been tightly shut swung open under his push.
Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but be startled.
He had to remember, when he was inside the administration building before, he was completely unable to leave.
He had already prepared for the possibility of being denied entry and having to find another way, but he never expected… to just get in like this?
Wen Jianyan looked up at the hall before him.
Everything was exactly as he remembered.
The light was dim, everything was grey, and a huge, black mirror stood in the center of the hall. The security room to the side was deathly silent, without a single sound.
Wen Jianyan’s fingers, hanging by his side, twitched, but he managed to restrain himself.
Using the dead man’s eyeballs here costs 20 SAN points each time.
He didn’t have enough SAN points left.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and stepped into the administration building’s hall.
However, unlike in his memory…
Even though he entered the administration building without an appointment, there was still no movement from the security room. Not only were there no malicious attacks like before, but there wasn’t even the normal “inquiry” from the instance.
“?”
Wen Jianyan glanced towards the security room, somewhat bewildered.
It wasn’t that he was eager to encounter danger; it was just too quiet now.
So quiet that it was even a little unsettling.
Wen Jianyan shook his head, trying to clear the strange thoughts from his mind—standing here in limbo was not a solution.
No matter what, he had to go inside first.
Wen Jianyan lightened his steps and walked into the administration building cautiously, his heart in his throat. His senses were heightened to the extreme in his tense state; any slight disturbance could make him jump.
However, nothing happened by the time he reached the first-floor corridor.
Whether in the hall or the security room, everything was perfectly peaceful, with no movement at all.
…Could it be that he was actually lucky this time?
As Wen Jianyan pondered uncertainly, he turned to walk towards the stairwell. But just as he turned the corner, he was caught off guard by a door opening right in front of him.
The timing was perfect, not a second too soon or too late, putting Wen Jianyan face to face with the several people behind the door, with absolutely no time lag in between.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[Hahaha, the anchor’s luck is insane!]
[Ahhh, what a coincidence, I can’t take it!]
Wen Jianyan: “…”
Ahhhhh, I freaking knew it!!!!
Under a strong sense of crisis, he quickly reached for his pocket.
Since the soil was effective against Student Union members, it should be the same for other NPCs.
Although there were four of them, he might not be completely without a chance of survival—
However, halfway through reaching, Wen Jianyan realized something was wrong.
The people behind the door were just staring at him, their expressions grim, seemingly hating him immensely. But strangely, they didn’t take any action. It was almost like…
Fear?
Wen Jianyan was always extremely sensitive in these kinds of situations.
He almost immediately noticed the subtlety in their attitude.
Wen Jianyan paused and tentatively withdrew his hand.
“…” The other party remained silent, standing motionless at the door, but their expressions grew even more grim.
Wen Jianyan turned his head and looked at the room they had come out of—a few small words were written on it: [Club Activity Room]
He seemed to realize something, looked at the NPCs in front of him again, and asked probingly:
“Are you club members?”
The other party replied dryly: “Yes.”
Wen Jianyan leaned forward, his fingertips lightly tapping the spot on his chest where the badge should be, his voice drawing out the last syllable:
“Speaking of which, I seem to be the club president, eh—”
Why he could easily enter the administration building without being hassled by the security guard, why the whole process was so simple and peaceful, without any of the previous life-threatening dangers, all seemed to be answered now.
Wen Jianyan tilted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face:
“So, according to the rules, doesn’t that make me your boss?”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, which glinted with a strange light, and asked with a grin:
“—I can make you do whatever I want, right?”
The club members: “………………”
Staring at the smug villain not far away, after a long while, they unwillingly squeezed out a single word from between their teeth:
“Yes.”
Must feel great to have power a bit after being chased and hurt over and over.