MS Chapter 46

Lu Qingjia nodded in acknowledgment and admitted straightforwardly.

He said, “Since noon yesterday, apart from those of us who are used to such scenes, the students have hardly eaten anything.”

“At this age, they are naturally in a phase of rapid metabolism and strong appetite. Moreover, Teacher Ji should have made certain adjustments to the students’ physical and mental stress levels to ensure that no student would miss classes due to physical or mental reasons.”

To be honest, witnessing so many people explode into a spray of blood in one day is enough to leave many with psychological scars for a long time, causing them to feel dazed, fearful, or even go insane.

However, the explosion at the school gate, along with the demonstration of the first class as a warning, meant that every student had seen the scene of flesh and blood flying up close, even having warm blood and bits of flesh splattered on their faces and bodies.

Although they all acted like startled birds, they still managed to stay alert and attend the entire class. Even if they fainted, they would wake up in less than a minute, not delaying the class at all.

If one were to say that over a hundred boys and girls were all naturally mentally tough and had great stress resistance, Lu Qingjia certainly wouldn’t believe it.

After a night of rest, the students’ mental states had been adjusted to a level where they could attend class normally. Most of the students who had not eaten for nearly 20 hours naturally wouldn’t miss breakfast.

The Player who asked Lu Qingjia said, “You received the topic from Teacher Ji in advance and timed the message to the students just as the cafeteria opened.”

“You revealed some hints about the topic, and after yesterday’s so-called puzzle-solving activity, everyone knows that this segment is merely Teacher Ji exposing the hidden sins committed by the students.”

“If any student has committed crimes related to the topic, they would naturally be too preoccupied with the threat to their lives to think about breakfast, instead hiding in their dorms to clean up any potential evidence.”

Lu Qingjia nodded, “Teacher Ji can give me the topic, but she cannot provide me with the puzzle’s surface, because the former encourages students to learn actively, while the latter would violate the principle of fair competition. After all, the speed and contribution in solving puzzles are tied to rewards.”

“However, the topic itself already gives us some insight. The emphasis on respecting the elderly and loving the young indicates that the subjects are the elderly and children. Since there are neither in this high school, the timing of the incident likely did not occur at school but during the students’ private time.”

“Since it is private time and may involve direct criminal activity—let’s be honest, with Teacher Ji’s capabilities, it probably isn’t a matter of life and death significant enough to be included in class. Therefore, under this premise, the perpetrators should not be flaunting their actions like what happened in the last class, making it widely known.”

“This is a more private secret, likely known only to the criminals. Thus, the efficiency of ordinary screening methods can be imagined.”

Especially for them, who were essentially clueless outsiders.

At this moment, not only the Player who had just asked the question but also two other Players reacted: “You narrowed down your initial screening based on which students did not go to the cafeteria for breakfast but hid in their dorms to clean up clues.”

“But I remember you didn’t go to the cafeteria either. How do you know exactly who has or hasn’t left their dorms? This includes statistics on the girls.”

Lu Qingjia replied nonchalantly, “Oh, well, I just set up a camera at the boys’ dorm entrance and had my deskmate keep an eye on the cafeteria.”

“As for the girls’ dorm, I had someone help me keep watch.” He raised his hands and said to the female classmates present, “I absolutely did not mean to pry? I only gathered statistics on those who didn’t eat, nothing more.”

A female Player coldly remarked, “A person who can stealthily set up speakers and cameras saying this has no credibility.”

“Who did you ask to keep watch?” the female Player said, “Don’t treat us like fools. Since you know students are an important source of clues, we wouldn’t just sit idly by. We’ve been observing the behavior of all the girls in the dorm.”

“But we haven’t noticed anyone keeping track or spying.”

Lu Qingjia sighed helplessly and had to reveal his informant: “It was Miss Class Flower, who died yesterday.”

“…What?” The Players looked at him in disbelief, trying to find signs of him boasting on his face.

But it was impossible; this con artist had perfected the art of lying with his eyes wide open. Even when he sent six people to their deaths, he showed no signs of a flaw. The few Gold-digging players who had made it this far were certainly sensitive to malice and schemes; they would have noticed any hint of something being off.

However, they only realized they had stepped into a trap at the last moment before their deaths, indicating that trying to find something from this con artist’s face was futile.

But the hints from Ji Ye yesterday, along with the ongoing hatred directed at Lu Qingjia, made it clear that those students had pointed out Lu Qingjia as the culprit who exposed them before they died, their malice evident.

The possibility of those students turning into vengeful spirits and seeking out Lu Qingjia at night was indeed quite high.

Upon hearing this, Ji Ye on the podium first showed interest: “Has Class Flower already approached Lu Qingjia? Then the other few must have done the same.”

“They made mistakes in life but have accepted their due punishment. The teacher hopes they will become better people after death and start anew. As an important catalyst for their rebirth, Lu Qingjia, I’m sure those classmates must be deeply grateful to you and reluctant to part with you, right?”

The sarcasm and schadenfreude in those words were evident to anyone, but Lu Qingjia smiled and said, “What the teacher said is true. Just thinking about how they can shed their sins and be reborn brings me immense comfort.”

“Indeed, Class Flower came to find me last night. We had a heartfelt conversation for a long time. She has come to deeply understand her mistakes, realizing that a girl’s beauty is not just about maintaining her appearance but also about cultivating her inner self.”

“She regrets everything and wants to do something to make up for her wrongs. Besides wanting to kill the other three boys who are still obsessed and thinking about seeking revenge on the living, she also agrees with Teacher Ji’s approach of exposing the unearthing sins to the public, ensuring that those who caused harm receive their due punishment.”

“So I said I couldn’t pry into the girls’ dorm; she happily offered to help.”

The Players: “…”

Damn, this scumbag really refreshes their worldview every day.

After everything that happened, she was pulled into the screen yesterday and even heard your disdainful voice.

In just one night, she couldn’t escape this scumbag’s grasp, selling herself while happily counting the money.

Many Players looked at Lu Qingjia, their hearts filled with doubt, and some whispered to each other: “This guy, when he gets serious, at least manages to juggle thirty boats without capsizing.”

“Be confident, just add a zero at the back, or at least a one at the front.”

Those students were clearly the perpetrators, yet now they sounded somewhat pitiful.

Lu Qingjia continued, “Of course, merely counting those who didn’t eat still leaves a large screening range. However, since the breakfast cafeteria is only open for half an hour, this delay means that the perpetrators selected for public punishment by Teacher Ji are unlikely to have had time to eat breakfast.”

“Sixteen students responded to my text message. Aside from the perpetrators, the other students likely realized this and cleaned up any clues that could lead to their potential punishment.”

“When Teacher Ji presents the puzzle, the screening range will be further narrowed. When all the students rush to the bathroom due to stomach issues, among those sixteen who didn’t eat the enhanced breakfast and won’t feel unwell, we can once again confirm the timing and lock them in.”

As he spoke, Lu Qingjia turned his laptop around, displaying several surveillance videos from classrooms, where three boys were seen logging into various social media platforms one after another, checking for any missed spots.

Lu Qingjia said, “While they know what they have done, no student has a perfect counter-surveillance logic. Under the pressure of exposure and the threat of death, unless they are naturally strong-willed and absolutely confident criminal geniuses, they will show varying degrees of panic and suspicion, uncertain about their current situation. Even if they have deleted all clues, they will still be paranoid about what they might have missed.”

“The frequency of their posts isn’t low, and most are publicly visible. Even if they delete the source, what if someone has shared it? What if someone has taken a screenshot? When the clues are narrowed down to a specific time, it becomes hard for them to resist confirming, which lightens my workload.”

He smiled and added, “Of course, even if they remain still, with a dozen or so suspects on specific dates, the screening work isn’t too large.”

“On the contrary, the heavy workload falls on my deskmate, who spent most of the night helping me organize this information, only to have the results snatched away and ended up with an upset stomach from an unsatisfactory breakfast. He’s really had a tough time.”

Although the work certainly wasn’t done by him alone, recording the social media activity of over a hundred students in one night and preparing other materials was definitely not a one-person job.

Lu Qingjia had given him some money to hire a few people online to help out. Fortunately, while they couldn’t go out, they could still connect with the outside world, as long as they couldn’t send out distress signals.

Parents, police, and the families of the deceased teachers seemed indifferent to the fact that everyone should have been on holiday yesterday but had not come out today, which was quite interesting.

Ji Ye smiled with a hint of malice: “Even the people helping you aren’t on your suspect exclusion list?”

Lu Qingjia replied, “Of course, even I myself am not on the exclusion list.”

After all, his current role, while set by the game, appeared to be a real person with his own social circle, pursuing his own girls, and having many admirers, making him a part of this sordid school.

No one could be certain that after the puzzle was solved in class, the perpetrator would be themselves.

The other Players felt a weight in their hearts upon hearing his words.

This wasn’t something no one had thought of; indeed, if the answer to the puzzle turned out to be themselves, would they Players also be dragged into the screen, forever unable to escape the instance?

Thinking carefully, this instance was truly fraught with pitfalls.

At this moment, most of the students who had rushed to the bathroom returned, each looking somewhat pale.

Strangely, however, they did not seem to have repeated diarrhea, as if they had controlled it well, even the timing—

Ji Ye’s expression suddenly changed: “No, this is too coincidental. How can you guarantee that shortly after I pose the question, everyone collectively reacts, freeing up the classroom for you to observe the reactions of those dozen or so people?”

Ji Ye hadn’t even left the classroom, and the answer was cracked. Initially, he hadn’t thought of this aspect, suspecting that the commotion caused by the students was Lu Qingjia’s doing, but he hadn’t yet doubted the timing, thinking it was just a coincidence.

But now that he thought about it, it was indeed too coincidental.

Lu Qingjia turned to look at Ji Ye, suddenly smiling: “Because I control the pace of the class. Otherwise, why do you think I’ve been dragging this out for so long, Teacher?”

The other Players also changed their expressions. It wasn’t surprising that the other party had a way to precisely control the timing of the outbreak; what couldn’t be found in a game? Such a level of control could be achieved through supernatural instances, technological instances, or using item abilities.

It might not be useful against Players, but it was more than enough for ordinary students.

However, if the timing of the drug’s effect was consciously controlled in the classroom, that would be terrifying.

This indicated that at least on a preliminary level, Lu Qingjia had seized control of the class from Ji Ye, and even if it was just a test, it held significant meaning.

Sure enough, Ji Ye’s face turned extremely ugly upon hearing this, even somewhat twisted, losing the calm demeanor he had maintained all along.

Lu Qingjia propped his elbows on the desk, looking at Ji Ye on the podium, who, despite sitting, seemed to be looking down from a height.

He looked at Ji Ye and said, “What’s wrong, Teacher Ji? Why does your face suddenly look so bad? Are you angry that the control of the class has been taken away?”

“But as I understand it, if it’s free play within the topic, students performing efficiently due to adequate preparation should make the teacher feel a sense of loss of presence, which a good teacher should find gratifying, not show such a terrifying expression.”

“Teacher, are you suddenly feeling unwell? Or did you think of something unhappy?”

Ji Ye forced a smile that looked more painful than anything, staring deeply at Lu Qingjia: “No, the teacher is just pleased to have such an insightful student.”

Lu Qingjia: “Is that so? That’s good. So what are you waiting for, Teacher? Announce the results of the assignment?”

Ji Ye, unable to do anything, found that Lu Qingjia had completely disrupted his usual pleasure. He snapped his fingers, and just like yesterday, three boys were pulled out by an invisible force.

When the three boys were pulled out of the classroom, their expressions were a mix of disbelief, confusion, and terror.

They had been so meticulous, believing they had cleared all possible clues, filled with hope that they could escape punishment. If the random selection didn’t fall on them, they would have turned the page.

An eighteen out of one chance, how could it possibly land on them? They truly believed or hoped so.

But how much time had passed? Everyone was still rushing to the bathroom, completely uninterested in class, let alone uncovering the truth.

The chaos in the classroom made them genuinely think they had survived the class time.

The feeling of being plunged into an abyss after holding onto hope was unparalleled. When the three were pulled to the entrance of Class Two, they saw the students in Class Two sitting almost in perfect order.

Ji Ye clapped his hands: “Congratulations to Lu Qingjia for successfully answering again. Everyone, applaud.”

The classroom echoed with sparse applause, and they thought to themselves that Ji Ye had truly been angered by that con artist to the point of losing his composure.

Indeed, Lu Qingjia wore a calm expression, glancing at the three boys who looked at him with resentment.

He said to Ji Ye, “Thank you, Teacher Ji, for providing me with leverage.”

“Class Flower has gained significant strength after devouring the others, and with these three, it might lead to a qualitative leap. This way, my influence—oh no, describing girls like that is a bit inappropriate.”

“This way, my support becomes even stronger. Although the teacher seems strict with me, I didn’t expect you to think of me in every way. I’m truly touched.”

Ji Ye’s face turned pale, twisted as he said, “No need to thank me.”

But Lu Qingjia didn’t stop provoking: “These students who have already been punished, even Teacher Ji cannot exert any control over them, right?”

“Thank you for making me realize this.”

If he could still control the souls of these students after their deaths, they certainly wouldn’t be in the current situation, nor would they deliberately guide the dying to resent Lu Qingjia, but would simply command them.

Of course, he wouldn’t face any attacks from ghosts, as his attitude and the words he spoke conveyed not a fear of any Player or potential ghost attacks due to his mastery of powerful force, but rather confidence in his identity and existence, akin to the sense of superiority and control that someone holding a game controller outside the screen would feel.

This was also why Lu Qingjia’s attempt to seize control of the class made Ji Ye react so out of character.

Lu Qingjia had long had his suspicions, but he was merely verifying them cautiously, bit by bit.

Ji Ye knew that ordinary tactics were ineffective against Lu Qingjia, so he vented his anger on the three boys.

The three were pulled into the screen, and the screen vividly displayed everything that had happened.

These three individuals had a natural sadistic tendency, and later discovered through some local enthusiast forums and groups that they were classmates, leading to a perfect match.

All three came from wealthy families, but they didn’t care for anything else; they loved gathering to find various small animals to torture.

From initially torturing pets to hunting stray animals on the streets, and eventually stealing others’ pets, the more they played, the more thrilling it became.

Finally, one day, animals no longer satisfied their increasingly indulgent depravity. They didn’t know who first said it during a chat, but everyone fell silent after that.

However, that statement took root, and long after, they cautiously proposed to give it a try.

The three weren’t foolish; they knew that if they were exposed for killing their own kind, even if their age could spare them from death, it would be enough to ruin their futures and exclude them from mainstream social circles.

So they chose targets who were alone and vulnerable, knowing that even if they died, no one would care.

Initially, they aimed at homeless beggars, but due to the city’s prosperity, their activity range was limited. The beggars they encountered were often in bustling areas and had no fixed residence, making it easy for city cameras to catch on.

For their first crime, they were very cautious, ultimately abandoning the busy streets and choosing to go to the outskirts, where they indeed found some homeless people living in makeshift shelters or tents.

They were too afraid to approach those who were too clustered, but a pair of elderly and young people living in a remote area came into their sights.

They monitored them for a while, learning their daily routines, noting that both the elderly and the child had a habit of taking afternoon naps.

They procured ether and snuck into what couldn’t even be called a house. The shelter’s door was just a piece of iron that couldn’t close properly, lacking even a latch.

The elderly and the child were at the bottom of society, feeling that they had nothing of value to be coveted.

But they didn’t know that, in the eyes of some, their nothingness still held potential value.

Exchanging their lives for a moment of pleasure for the other party.

The few of them drugged the elderly and the child, igniting a fire and spilling it onto the garbage, watching as the two burned to death.

They even recorded it through the door crack, enjoying the sight of the grandfather and grandson struggling as they woke up from the flames.

This was a satisfaction that could not be compared to anything before; the three were eager to show off something.

So they went to a nearby river where they could fish, took photos, and posted updates, subtly expressing their satisfaction, with the other two naturally sharing in silence.

This was the entirety of the incident; it was their first time killing someone, and fearing that an autopsy would reveal clues, they dared not take any actions.

They even planned to wait until summer vacation to carefully plot their next move, of course, this time they couldn’t kill so quickly.

If the school had successfully gone on holiday yesterday, perhaps someone would have already made it onto the list of these demons.

However, the outcome of this video was different from yesterday; yesterday it seemed to merely reveal the truth.