MS Chapter 45

The figure of that Player gradually elongated, then, like a shadow, was sucked into the screen.

During this time, the Player thought about struggling; his hands instantly turned metallic, as if coated in mercury, gripping the floor tightly. The hard granite floor was scratched with several inch-long cracks, yet it still couldn’t prevent him from being pulled in.

The expressions of the Players grew increasingly serious, so much so that many adjusted their sitting postures significantly.

Although the visible difficulty of this instance was high, unlike the few unfortunate souls who were blown up by Lu Qingjia’s schemes yesterday, the rules seemed broad but were actually stricter than yesterday.

The earlier Player, everyone understood the hidden meaning behind his answers. It was likely a debt left over from reality or previous instances.

To be honest, if they were to fight alone, these Players had made significant progress in their abilities compared to before. Even if they returned to the previous instance to face those they owed debts to, they wouldn’t be afraid.

But would the Game create such a grand spectacle just for you to return to past experiences and bully weaklings? Clearly not.

Sure enough, after a while, blood seeped out around the screen.

It was as if the screen and the space inside were a stone mill or a hydraulic press, with the sucked-in Player being squeezed like orange juice, blood gushing out wildly through the gaps.

The Players reacted with relief, while the NPCs were too frightened to look at the screen. The once clean classroom quickly became filled with the stench of blood again.

It seemed Ji Ye would not provide them with a stress-free classroom environment.

Ji Ye sighed with regret: “This student clearly didn’t meet the expectations of the elders.”

He then smiled at everyone: “Students should make wishes within their means. If you, like the previous student, promise to do anything without consideration, the elders might really make demands you cannot bear.”

He continued: “In fact, the previous question was different from last class; it was not a random Q&A.”

“It was that I received several applications here. As the future of society and the hope of the motherland, we certainly cannot ignore the voices of the elderly, young, and weak.”

“Next, the designated answering student for the applicant is Lu Qingjia—” When Ji Ye said this, a hint of vigilance appeared on his face.

He probably realized this guy was cunning and didn’t expect him to fall for it again after there was already an example.

Instead, he might easily summarize the hidden loopholes in the rules and give hints to others.

Lu Qingjia stood up, and as Ji Ye expected, he spoke without a shred of guilt: “I haven’t done anything bad to the elderly or children. Even if the process was unpleasant, the outcome was definitely satisfactory for everyone.”

“Don’t be fooled by my appearance; I actually have a good rapport with the elderly and children. There have even been times when an elder, trusting me completely, handed over all their possessions. Of course, in the end, I also gave them a little lesson to help them realize the dangers of the world, not to trust others easily, to guard their property, and to stay away from traps targeting the elderly.”

The more Lu Qingjia spoke, the better Ji Ye’s expression became. To avoid wasting class time, he summarized: “In short, although it feels a bit embarrassing for me to say this, the fact is that many elderly and young people have benefited from my help, both in the short term and long term.”

“While I wouldn’t dare to call myself a moral benchmark, I can say that I’ve done quite well in terms of respecting the elderly, loving the young, and showing compassion to the weak.”

Not only Ji Ye, but other Players were also shocked by his shamelessness.

Everyone wasn’t lacking in common sense; Ji Ye had mentioned in class yesterday that this guy had scammed lonely elderly people out of their money, and after causing harm, he had even disposed of the elderly victim’s body. He had also killed a middle-aged woman over a trivial disagreement.

Perhaps Lu Qingjia’s impression on everyone was too perverse and cruel, and this morning he had proven that even seemingly harmless Ouyang Bai was not a good person when associated with him.

Most people preferred to believe that he was a pervert who turned black and white upside down, ignoring human ethics.

So they subconsciously thought that all those he harmed were innocent good people.

They just didn’t expect him to lie outright—no, this kind of guy had a powerful perverse logic and didn’t even think harming others was wrong; instead, he felt he was liberating them.

There were indeed types of murderers who justified their actions as helping others, but one couldn’t trust a word from such people.

However, everyone was curious about what would happen next. The first Player to answer the question had now become uncertain of life and death. Although this class didn’t have a strict requirement against lying, since a complaint had been received, it meant the victim had already been exposed by Ji Ye, right?

It was clear that this wasn’t something that could be smoothed over with a few words.

Sure enough, Ji Ye revealed an unpleasant smile and said to Lu Qingjia: “Is that so? The description from Lu Qingjia seems to differ from what I’ve learned.”

“Although the teacher hasn’t strictly required adherence to last class’s rules, I encourage students to actively analyze their mistakes and make amends for their past actions, facing the future with a healthier and better outlook.”

“Since Lu Qingjia’s understanding conflicts with that of the victim, we need to confront this matter.”

As he spoke, a five-member family appeared on the screen: a middle-aged couple, an elderly man and woman, and a child, clearly a three-generation family.

The elderly woman looked a bit shabby, with a bald head, black teeth, and a wrinkled face. The elderly man was also frightening, with a flat face. The middle-aged man was missing an arm but had a friendly appearance that made one let down their guard. The middle-aged woman had a fierce look on her chubby face, while the child looked ordinary.

As soon as the family appeared, they fixed their resentful gazes on Lu Qingjia. Wasn’t this the ghostly old lady and her family from the selection scene?

Before Ji Ye or the Old Ghost Lady’s Family could speak, Lu Qingjia took the initiative.

He greeted them enthusiastically: “Oh! It’s you guys? Long time no see, how have you been?”

If one didn’t look at the Old Ghost Lady’s Family’s resentful expressions, one might think they had some kind of friendship.

There was even someone fawning over him; Ouyang Bai, standing at the edge of the classroom, either genuinely clueless or pretending to be, exclaimed in admiration: “So you’ve made so many friends along the way, as expected of you.”

Everyone: “…”

The Old Ghost Lady’s Family couldn’t take it anymore. She raised a finger like a withered branch, trembling as she pointed at Lu Qingjia: “How have we been? You still have the nerve to ask us how we’ve been?”

Ji Ye said: “Elderly lady, don’t get agitated. You can slowly tell us what you’ve experienced.”

The Old Ghost Lady’s Family seemed to have been doing poorly since then, presenting a disheveled and defeated appearance.

Hearing Ji Ye speak for them, they quickly said: “This disaster uncle has ruined our family.”

“The old lady just asked him to borrow some money for a car, and he tricked her into taking two cigarettes from the store and ran off, causing her to be detained for a whole day and night.”

“I went out to look for my partner, and this disaster uncle knocked me down. Not only did he not take me to the hospital, but he also hit me on the head twice.” The old ghost man stretched his neck to show his flat head: “Now I can’t even pick up garbage without being bullied.”

“Not only that, he pretended to be a kind passerby and called our home, scamming us out of several thousand yuan.”

The middle-aged man said: “I admit that after knowing my parents suffered, I developed a vengeful mindset, but I didn’t get a single cent back; he scammed away tens of thousands, which was all our family’s savings, including my son’s tuition.”

The middle-aged woman added: “I was just at home helping my son with his homework, and that robber broke into our house, not only kidnapping and extorting us but also injuring my husband’s arm. Isn’t that cutting off our family’s livelihood?”

All the Players: “…”

They weren’t new to the Game, so they could tell that this family was likely ghost NPCs from the instance, not living people.

Generally speaking, the strength of ghost NPCs was definitely above the average level of Players in that session. Even if one Player was exceptionally strong and raised the average, the Game would set up a counterbalance to that Player’s presence.

So at least in their respective instances, it was clear that ghosts were not easy to deal with. Most people, even if they wanted to escape the ghosts’ clutches, would already be exhausted.

Even the well-performing Players who could inflict serious injuries or even eliminate ghosts were definitely not the type to toy with them repeatedly.

Even among the Gold-digging players present, who had committed countless evils, none had shown such a leisurely focus on harming others for fun.

Killing was just a matter of hitting the ground; to deliberately make a family suffer so tragically while leaving them alive was truly a perverse character trait.

Ji Ye looked at Lu Qingjia and smiled: “What does Lu Qingjia have to say?”

Lu Qingjia looked at the Old Ghost Lady’s Family, feeling wronged as if he had done a good deed but was being blamed—

“I thought everyone was satisfied with the outcome of our negotiations back then, that we had shaken hands and made peace. Is this how you’ve always viewed me?”

“I’m happy, you idiot. Why don’t you try having your arm taken off and your money robbed?” said the middle-aged man.

Lu Qingjia sighed, shrugging his shoulders to Ji Ye and the Old Ghost Lady’s Family: “Teacher Ji, no matter what you think, I still have a clear conscience.”

“Although I had the old lady detained, smashed the old man’s head, and took off the older brother’s arm, while also robbing their family clean, I know I’m a good person.”

“Pfft—” Someone couldn’t hold back their laughter, thinking, what a good person.

But Lu Qingjia was unfazed, stating seriously: “One cannot only look at the superficial surface of things.”

“In the past, they were just shameless parasites, scamming without any sense of morality, like maggots in the dark corners of society. But after receiving my help, their scamming frequency has drastically decreased. Even if one less person suffers, I can indirectly take some credit, right?”

“They have also paid the price for their previous actions.” He pointed at the family, using Ji Ye’s earlier tone: “As you said, one must face their mistakes, choose to make amends, and then face the future with a better outlook.”

“I helped them achieve that.”

“Moreover, by taking away their ill-gotten gains, I also stripped the old lady of her criminal capabilities, fundamentally cutting off their convenience for committing crimes. You must understand, those who live by crime are used to getting something for nothing, engaging in large transactions, and it’s very hard for them to adjust their mindset. It’s difficult for them to adapt to honest labor for rewards, just like how those deeply trapped in financial traps or gamblers rarely manage to settle down and work again.”

“Although my methods may seem harsh, can you say I was wrong?”

“No, I call this strict assistance.”

As he spoke, he shamelessly smiled at the Old Ghost Lady’s Family: “No need to thank me; seeing you all able to work honestly now brings me great joy.”

Because the Old Ghost Lady’s Family had been brought in temporarily, they were all still wearing sanitation worker vests or blue factory uniforms, looking like they were at work.

The entire classroom fell into silence, lasting for more than ten seconds.

The Old Ghost Lady’s Family stared blankly at Lu Qingjia for a long time before suddenly bursting into tears: “Did you hear that? Did you hear that? This disaster uncle is inhuman…”

They cried, pounding their thighs: “He’s finished speaking, and after ruining our family, he still dares to consider himself a benefactor? Simply shameless.”

They then looked at Ji Ye: “Sir, you said it yourself, one can repay grievances with grievances and revenge with revenge. You must make a decision for us.”

Ji Ye’s forehead also broke out in subtle beads of sweat. To be honest, he was starting to regret it; indeed, playing a word game with such a thick-skinned scammer was simply self-humiliation.

But since things had come to this point, he had to go through with it.

He smiled at Lu Qingjia, saying with a forced grin: “Lu Qingjia, you see, the other party doesn’t seem to appreciate your kindness. The teacher believes your heart is in the right place, but sometimes, well-meaning intentions can also hurt people.”

“Now that it has come to this, why not think of a solution? So that everyone can be happy.”

In short, they had to put on a show, right?

Lu Qingjia’s smile faded, and he stared intently at the Old Ghost Lady’s Family.

The wailing ghostly old lady and her family shivered, recalling the fear of kneeling before this guy, clutching their lives.

He said: “Is that so? It seems that although you’ve stepped onto the right path in life, you still harbor resentment and long for your previous idle, criminal life.”

“It was my fault; when I first arrived, my abilities were limited, and I could only do this much. But now you have a chance to start over, which isn’t a bad thing.”

“If we were to do it again, I could make it even more perfect, completely transforming you inside and out, rather than living well now while still resenting me in your hearts. To be honest, I’m quite disappointed in those who don’t understand gratitude and don’t recognize good intentions.”

As he spoke, Lu Qingjia produced something resembling a baton, which was the Soul Shackles from before.

He struck one hand with the baton, looking at the Old Ghost Lady’s Family with a sinister smile: “Since your previous performance wasn’t perfect, let’s do it again.”

The Old Ghost Lady’s Family had originally been brought in by Ji Ye, and although they harbored immense hatred for Lu Qingjia, the psychological shadow he cast was even greater.

This situation brought back memories of that night for the whole family.

For Ji Ye, who was unaware of the background, Lu Qingjia’s intimidation was even more overwhelming. The little bit of confidence they had just regained immediately crumbled.

“Do it again? We’ve already been through hell; if we do it again, it might cost us our lives.”

So the family quickly waved their hands in terror: “No, no, we’re doing fine now.”

As they spoke, they retreated: “We were just complaining a bit; we have no grievances.”

They even complained to Ji Ye: “I say, sir, it’s not easy for our little family to get by. We’re really scared; we can’t afford to fight anymore. Why do you have to bring up old matters and disturb our lives?”

They cautiously looked at Lu Qingjia: “We still have to go back to work; we can’t let this affect our lives.”

“That’s enough; don’t come any closer, don’t come any closer—”

As they spoke, they fled in a panic.

Ji Ye: “…”

What the hell!

Lu Qingjia regretfully retracted the Soul Shackles: “I thought I could adjust the past and make everything more perfect.”

What kind of pervert could make even resentful ghosts suffer from PTSD?

The Players once again marveled that the path of a pervert to clear the game was indeed different.

After such a commotion, Ji Ye’s authority diminished significantly. Fortunately, a few Players were also preparing to play Lu Qingjia’s game, but the ghosts that appeared next were not so easy to deal with. Their resentment was palpable, and even if they perished together, they would drag others down with them. No trick could stop that.

However, among the two Players, at least they didn’t say too much and tried to choose words that were beneficial to themselves. Although they lost a layer of skin, they at least managed to escape from the screen.

In one class, three Players had died, and at this point, only half the time had passed, leaving everyone feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

Ji Ye smiled and said: “Now it’s time for the puzzle-solving segment.”

“The hint given by the teacher is ‘April 22nd’.” Ji Ye wrote this date on the blackboard.

After finishing, he said: “Just like yesterday, if you solve the puzzle before class ends, you will be scored based on order and contribution. If you fail to solve it, two students will be randomly selected to fail.”

“Well then, the teacher won’t disturb the students’ free play.”

As Ji Ye finished speaking and hadn’t yet left the classroom, students from other classes began to show signs of distress.

Many students, clutching their stomachs in pain, rushed out of the classroom toward the restroom.

Due to the overwhelming number of people needing to use the restroom at once, the facilities on this floor were insufficient, and many were even running up and down the stairs.

At this moment, someone from Class Two also signaled: “Teacher, I have a stomachache; I need to go to the restroom.”

Without waiting for Ji Ye’s consent, they dashed out.

The NPCs were like this, and a few Players also showed signs of discomfort.

However, they were ultimately strong Players, and many had the ability to guard against ambushes, so at most, a few experienced minor discomfort but didn’t lose their composure.

Most Players sat in their seats as if nothing had happened.

At this time, Lu Qingjia took out a notebook, opened it, inserted a USB drive, and logged into several social media platforms popular among students, as well as the campus forum.

He then purposefully clicked on several students’ profiles, scrolling to posts made on April 22nd over the past three years.

Sure enough, that day was blank, but after Lu Qingjia opened the USB drive and compared it slightly, he immediately found the deleted content.

It was actually a very ordinary post—

“Today, the three of us went fishing; it was a lot of fun. I haven’t felt this satisfied in a long time.”

This very ordinary post had been shared by two boys, and the first boy who posted it had left a knowing emoji in their comment section.

Lu Qingjia glanced at the photo in the post, which showed the three of them fishing by a river, with no notable landmarks around, but there was a bridge.

Lu Qingjia asked his deskmate: “Where is this?”

His deskmate pondered for a moment: “I don’t know; I’ve never been there. But why are they posting about fishing?”

He then whispered to Lu Qingjia: “These three guys are pretty twisted; they like to torture and kill small animals and often gather to target stray cats and dogs.”

“Everyone prefers not to play with them.”

Lu Qingjia replied: “I can tell.”

Unbeknownst to his deskmate, Lu Qingjia had to capture the photo of the bridge and use online recognition. Although the bridge wasn’t famous, in this day and age, there were people taking photos everywhere, and it didn’t take long to find it.

Lu Qingjia confirmed the location and then searched for news around the time the three boys posted on April 22nd.

“Homeless man’s shack catches fire; neither the grandfather nor grandson escaped.”

The news report detailed how a grandfather and grandson living in a makeshift shack on the outskirts, relying on scavenging for a living, accidentally ignited a pile of cardboard and plastic bottles inside their home, causing the fire to spread rapidly. The two were taking a nap at the time and couldn’t escape.

There were very few comments below the news, mostly expressing sympathy for the difficult lives of the lonely elderly and young.

The entire process took less than five minutes, and even Ji Ye hadn’t been able to leave due to the collective stomach issues of the students.

His expression changed as he looked at Lu Qingjia, his face showing reluctance, but he still spoke: “Congratulations, Lu Qingjia, for solving the puzzle.”

“Your outstanding performance for the second consecutive time has truly amazed the teacher. Please continue to work hard and strive for early graduation.”

As the other Players received the prompt, they each began to deduce the truth based on the information they had gathered.