MS Chapter 43

In an instant, the six Gold-digging players exploded into six blossoms of blood, their faces filled with extreme disbelief and resentment.

The classroom was just that small, and with six explosions happening simultaneously, the scene was honestly quite spectacular, strongly stimulating the senses of everyone present.

The few NPCs outside the players were so shocked that they fainted right onto their desks. However, since class had truly ended, they were not forcibly awakened by the rules, giving them at least a chance to escape.

But the classroom fell into a dead silence, with no one reacting for a good several dozen seconds.

To be honest, even though they realized the instance difficulty of this round was exceptionally high and that players could die at any moment, the fact that everyone had relaxed their guard, only to suddenly witness a player die and take six others with him, was chilling.

This made the remaining players look at Lu Qingjia with a sense of eerie vigilance.

Many of them even unconsciously broke out in cold sweat on their foreheads and temples, while Ji Ye’s emotions were the opposite of everyone else’s.

He seemed quite satisfied with the outcome, gazing dreamily at the pools of blood that had erupted simultaneously, and finally said, “Classmates, remember to keep the classroom clean when you leave. We need to maintain tidiness before class tomorrow.”

“What’s going on?” one player asked. “Did you do this? Did you play tricks with the timing to make everyone let their guard down?”

Ji Ye shrugged: “Teachers don’t do such things. I’m a person with a strong sense of time. This was just an accident for me, but I chose not to say it out loud.”

He shook his head again: “Actually, that’s not quite right. I did hint at it, but unfortunately, not many understood. Sometimes, I feel quite helpless with students of dull wit.”

“What did you hint at?” a player asked, exasperated.

Another player, who was much calmer, replied, “He hinted twice.”

“Once was when the class bell rang, and there was nothing else to discuss, yet he still lingered in the classroom, indicating that it wasn’t time to leave yet.”

“The second time was his reminder that ‘during the time from the end of this class until the start of class tomorrow, you can move freely on campus.’ Pay attention to the wording. If class had already ended, why not just say ‘from now until class tomorrow’? Why emphasize ‘the end of this class’? That suggests this class isn’t over yet.”

“I felt something was off at that time, thinking it was a time trap set by Teacher Ji, but I didn’t expect it was you—” the other player looked at Lu Qingjia.

“We were all deceived by the projector and the screen, which are rule-based items that Player Abilities cannot influence, and we didn’t think to control other seemingly inconspicuous items.”

“Also, that class bell, even if it can’t be controlled, couldn’t it be faked?”

As he spoke, the player walked to the top left corner of the classroom where the speaker was located, and surprisingly tore off a mini speaker from beside the sound system, which was only the size of a fingertip, showing that the Bluetooth signal was on, likely connected to Lu Qingjia’s phone.

As long as he wanted, he could control it to play a bell sound at any time. That class bell was very ordinary and could be downloaded from the internet easily.

Using the same method, he could install it in the corridor of this floor and the two surrounding classrooms, easily deceiving everyone without raising suspicion.

Lu Qingjia smiled: “Can you return that to me? It’s not a treasure, but it was bought with real money.”

The other player placed the mini speaker on Lu Qingjia’s desk and looked at him deeply: “I concede.”

But even after he had taken out six Gold-digging players in one breath, it still didn’t make the Hunter Players think he was on their side.

When dealing with Gold-digging players, who were desperate and reckless, vigilance and caution were qualities that every Hunter Player possessed.

One of the Hunter Players spoke up: “Brother Lu, quite the bold move. But did you look down on those guys, or were you just having fun killing them?”

Lu Qingjia took back the mini speaker, the dexterity of his hair and the manipulation of the liquid containing his blood made it easy for him to pull off some small tricks.

At the start of class, the blood of the unfortunate soul who exploded first had already splattered everywhere, and one player had used an umbrella to shield himself, causing even more blood to splatter onto the podium and the walls.

Lu Qingjia pricked his finger with a needle, letting a drop or two of blood fall in. In a classroom filled with the smell of blood, it was like dropping a droplet of water into the ocean.

Using the subspace within the blood, although the space created by two drops was small, it was enough to hide something the size of a fingertip and a strand of hair.

While everyone was focused on being vigilant, completing the task, and scheming against each other, the speaker was placed in a dead corner next to the sound system, and the hair slipped into the clock.

As the class reached its climax, the atmosphere was tense and anxious, and the perception of time was particularly dull, Lu Qingjia slowly manipulated the clock’s hands to move a little faster.

Not much, just three to five minutes, and then he waited for those who wanted to use him as cannon fodder to take the bait.

Hearing this, Lu Qingjia raised his eyelids and asked with a smile, “What’s the difference?”

The other player’s expression darkened, becoming even more unpleasant.

A Gold-digging player, who looked quite imposing, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, walking over to Lu Qingjia, grabbing his collar.

This Gold-digging player was incredibly strong; Lu Qingjia, who was already among the taller and more robust types among men, appeared small in front of him.

He was definitely over two meters tall, with muscles bulging, his arms thicker than some people’s waists, looking like a champion bodybuilder from the West.

With a sneer, he was about to recklessly deal with this cunning little guy.

However, before he could start, a sharp pain shot through his hand the moment he grabbed Lu Qingjia’s collar, causing him to instinctively let go.

He discovered that two of his fingers were now just stumps, as the severing had happened so quickly that he could even see the neatly cut bone and pink flesh, with blood gushing out after a while.

A surgical knife appeared in Lu Qingjia’s hand, and with a flick of his finger, he smiled and said, “Can you not touch me with your hairy, sweaty hands? For someone with a cleanliness obsession, that’s torture.”

The other player didn’t scream or shout despite the grotesque appearance of his severed fingers, seemingly not feeling the pain. If it weren’t for the cold sweat on his forehead, it was clear that this player had survived countless bloody battles to get to where he was.

Instead, a strange look crossed his face. With his physical strength, although this cunning little guy was also fit, he clearly couldn’t match him in strength. Logically, a surgical knife shouldn’t be able to sever his fingers so easily, even if the other’s speed was above his.

The muscular man wanted to test it further when Ji Ye warned, “Did you forget the teacher’s reminder? Even if class is over, you must follow school rules, and the rules don’t allow attacking classmates.”

He then said to the muscular man, “Considering this is your first offense, I’ll have you stay in the detention room until class tomorrow.”

He glanced at Lu Qingjia: “Although it was in self-defense, the school also doesn’t allow carrying controlled knives.”

Lu Qingjia twirled the surgical knife in his hand; the action had been so quick that there was even no blood on the blade.

He smiled at Ji Ye: “This doesn’t count as a controlled knife, teacher. I just carry it for peeling apples.”

Ji Ye gave a cold smile, not expecting to catch Lu Qingjia on such a trivial matter.

He urged the muscular man, “Alright, Zhang San, you can leave the classroom now.”

The muscular Zhang San sneered at Lu Qingjia: “Pretty boy, you’ve saved your life.”

Lu Qingjia shook his head: “No, it’s you who saved your life.”

As he spoke, a bulge suddenly appeared on the muscular man’s arm, startling him. He quickly used his hand as a knife to cut through the skin, but found nothing.

He looked at Lu Qingjia in horror: “What did you do?”

Lu Qingjia replied, “I originally wanted to eliminate you under the pretext of forced retaliation, but the teacher emphasized the rules too quickly. What a pity.”

Zhang San’s eyes finally filled with vigilance, not just the initial suspicion of his cunningness, but now he had lost confidence in his absolute physical dominance.

Although he hadn’t had the chance to show his abilities, the other party had already set a trap first, and he hadn’t even noticed before the other had acted.

Zhang San picked up the two severed fingers from the ground and pressed them against his hand. Before long, the stumps quickly reacted and scabbed over, looking as if they had healed significantly, and the arm he had cut open returned to normal.

This showed the terrifying physical capabilities of the other party. If it were a straightforward contest of physical combat abilities, Lu Qingjia would likely not stand a chance.

Zhang San was taken to the detention room, which he knew was not a good place, but it probably wouldn’t cost him his life.

The remaining players grew increasingly vigilant towards Lu Qingjia, and for a moment, no one left the classroom after class ended.

Lu Qingjia chuckled softly, hoisting the NPC who had fainted on the desk and leaving the classroom, with Ouyang Bai following suit.

This guy was desperately flattering him from behind: “Wow~~, so this is your style of clearing levels? So cool! I didn’t know you had this side to your personality! I thought you would try to rally everyone and become the leader of this level. I never realized you were so aggressive before.”

“Why didn’t you rally them? With your skills, it should be a matter of a few words, right? Why not? Have you turned rebellious after being a good boy for too long in the game?”

Lu Qingjia casually tossed the NPC onto a bed in the dormitory and, while heading to the cafeteria with Ouyang Bai, said, “Isn’t that obvious? In real life, interpersonal relationships take years to develop.”

“To create a comfortable daily environment for myself, I need to be able to control the atmosphere around me, ensuring I can adjust according to my needs at any time. Being overly aggressive will invite resentment, so I use emotional intelligence and social skills to form a circle centered around myself, as much as possible to steer it according to my will, to enhance the quality of my mental environment. This effort is hardly a hassle.”

“But after a few days of intersection, we’ll part ways, each with our own hidden agendas, even harboring malice towards you. What’s the point of putting on a facade?”

After all, Lu Qingjia was just an Intermediate Level Game newcomer. Even if he had quite good overall abilities among his peers, he didn’t have an absolute advantage among the players present.

There were those with greater strength, wealthier backgrounds, and more abilities than him. Just as the game intended, his advantages in the beginner stage had vanished. The power dynamics here were too complex; without an overwhelming advantage, even if one stood out, it would be superficial and meaningless.

Ouyang Bai gasped: “Wow, so you’re such a realistic person? But it makes sense. Senior Jingjing told me not to get too emotionally invested in you. She said you’re the kind of person who seems nice to everyone, as if you have no conflicts with anyone.”

“But a person can’t be without their own likes and dislikes. Treating everyone the same means that no one is special in your heart.”

“Of course, I’m not saying you’re bad. Senior also said it’s natural for someone like you to be popular, but those who genuinely open their hearts to you, thinking you consider them your best friends, are rather pitiful.”

“Senior Jingjing?” Lu Qingjia was taken aback. “Is she the senior from our club in her fourth year?”

“Yeah! Now she’s a host at a TV station, quite impressive.”

Lu Qingjia smiled and nodded: “She is indeed impressive. If these are truly her thoughts, then she’s a perceptive and intelligent woman.”

“You’re strange, not getting angry when someone says that about you?” Ouyang Bai asked.

“Because it’s the truth,” Lu Qingjia replied. “Speaking of which, since such a wonderful woman knows you well and took the risk of offending others to remind you, how did you end up being disliked in the game?”

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Bai almost cried: “I don’t know! I just cleared instances all the way through. At first, I found it quite scary, but over time, I built up my courage.”

“Maybe I was just lucky, breezing through without much trouble. Is that why people are jealous of me? I know when everyone is working hard, someone who has good luck and gets by easily can be quite resented, but it doesn’t mean I should be ostracized like this, right?”

After all, most of the students in the school came from wealthy and powerful backgrounds, and the cafeteria served exquisite dishes that tasted great.

At this moment, the students controlled within the school were mostly stimulated, having seen many people explode into meat paste, so naturally, not many had an appetite, and the cafeteria had only a few people.

Lu Qingjia and Ouyang Bai got their meals and casually found a seat by the window. Lu Qingjia then said, “Anyway, you can’t be like others. I even helped you draw cards. My luck is innate, and with your skills, you shouldn’t need to be jealous of me.”

Lu Qingjia laughed: “You really overestimate me as an Intermediate Level Player.”

Ouyang Bai shook his head, pointing to his eyes: “I can see it. The ability I gained in the ultimate cultivation instance is to see the heavenly secrets. If you can keep living, you will eventually become our companion.”

Lu Qingjia’s heart stirred: “The premise is that I have to survive until then, right?”

Ouyang Bai frowned: “Talking to someone like you is pointless. But don’t worry, the death line can be avoided, as long as I—”

“Impossible.” Lu Qingjia shook his head, decisively saying, “If, as you say, I could become a player of your level, then the trials fate has set for me are definitely not something you can influence. Otherwise, what right would I have to stand on equal footing with you?”

Perhaps Zhong Ye had previously stopped him from entering the game because he had foreseen the uncertainty of his fate, something even he couldn’t change.

Zhong Ye’s mindset was not as pure as Ouyang Bai’s, and the direction of the abilities he possessed was different. He might not see things as clearly as Ouyang Bai, but someone of his level could still calculate whether the situation could be controlled.

Lu Qingjia couldn’t help but smile, a mix of playful and reckless distortion.

It seemed that his enemies were likely much more troublesome than he had imagined.

Ouyang Bai rubbed his arms: “When you smile like that, you look like a bad guy.”

Lu Qingjia: “…”

At this moment, players began to trickle into the cafeteria. Ouyang Bai, feeling a sense of familial affection towards Lu Qingjia, didn’t pay much attention to others.

He only noticed a few people looking over, and he turned to them with a bright smile.

The few people were taken aback, muttering something before lowering their heads to eat.

After leaving the cafeteria, the two strolled around the school to digest their food and then found the office, hoping to gather more information about the school.

However, it was clear they weren’t the only ones with that idea. Many players were acting independently, but the office was guarded by the surviving Teacher Du, who stated that students were not allowed to enter without permission.

The NPCs from other classes had also become targets for the players.

Some pretended to comfort, some threatened and lured, and some directly used their abilities, all trying to gather as many clues as possible before the next class.

Since they had to follow school rules, unless there was a way to secretly eliminate each other, they were temporarily left staring at each other.

Moreover, with six Gold-digging players blown up by Lu Qingjia, the balance had severely tilted, and the remaining Gold-digging players lay low.

Lu Qingjia found a decent double room in the dormitory to settle in, and Ouyang Bai squeezed in, claiming he would tell him the secrets to clearing levels.

However, after listening for more than two hours, Lu Qingjia summarized it in one word—“European,” which made him want to hit someone.

In the middle of the night, feeling a chill, Lu Qingjia opened his eyes—

The Class Flower, who had been dragged into the curtain during the day, was floating in mid-air, her hair brushing against Lu Qingjia’s face, her eyes staring directly at him. Lu Qingjia almost made eye contact with her the moment he opened his eyes.

At this moment, the Class Flower’s face was pale, her aura cold, and she wore a strange smile: “So you just wanted to get rid of me quickly.”

“Giggling… it’s so cold down here, I’m so lonely by myself. Come down and keep me company~~”

Lu Qingjia sighed, sat up, and said to the floating Class Flower: “Can you change your position? You might not have realized it, but gravity still affects ghosts. The way you’re floating face down makes your face look funny, with all the flesh gathering around your nose. It really doesn’t look pretty.”

“Really!” Lu Qingjia emphasized.

The Class Flower’s expression changed drastically, and she quickly turned to stand upright, though her feet were still floating. But this way, the terrifying atmosphere was completely gone.

For this scoundrel she was infatuated with, the Class Flower truly couldn’t let go even in death. She looked at him with a mournful gaze—

“You told me to die, and I did. All those words about caring for me were lies.”

With a strange smile, she said, “How miserable it is now. Staying here every day is torture for you. Why not come with me?”

Lu Qingjia replied, “Not at all. It may be torture for you, but I’m having a great time. Such an interesting course has just begun; how could I not participate?”

“Do you think I’m asking for your opinion?” the Class Flower said ominously.

Lu Qingjia shook his head, stroking her hair, which appeared especially dark after her death: “Why do you always like to talk to yourself?”

“Always doing things you think are for me, then getting self-satisfied. But think back, have I ever explicitly or implicitly suggested you do that?”

“You clearly only need to do this, yet you insist on making unnecessary efforts. What I admire are girls who are beautiful inside and out, and you clearly don’t meet the standard.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding air turned cold, and the Class Flower’s long hair danced wildly.

Then Lu Qingjia continued, “Of course, facing the consequences of one’s mistakes with elegance when the end comes is also captivating.”

Saying this, he revealed an appreciative smile: “Your calm acceptance of death is indeed charming. Not all beauties have the courage to bid farewell to the world at the most beautiful moment.”

“Look at you now, enchanting and beautiful, with a depth and charm that didn’t exist when you were alive, and this charm will be forever frozen. I’m almost captivated by you.”

“Really?” The Class Flower’s face flushed. Having pursued him desperately in life and now receiving a turn of feelings after death made her forget where she was, her entire ghostly form dizzy with joy and vanity.

Lu Qingjia smiled: “Of course it’s true. I never deceive girls.”

“So, to repay such a beautiful girl’s favor, as a man, I also have my pride and vanity. I don’t want to end up as a powerless figure controlled by others. I will break through the situation and stand until the end, letting Ji Ye see me in a state of exasperation and helplessness.”

He looked at the Class Flower gently: “I believe that such a version of me is worthy of your favor. Don’t you think so?”