1: Chapter 1: Angel Campus (Part 1)

The sky was overcast and shrouded in mist; nothing could be seen clearly beyond a meter away.

"Where is this? What happened?"

"Why is the sky so gloomy?"

"It was a sunny day just a moment ago. Why did it suddenly get foggy?"

"Could we have been chosen by the Floating Life Pagoda?"

"No, I don't want to enter the game. Let me out! Let me out!"

"What's all the noise about? To think they're newbies. How unlucky. Once you're in, the only way to survive is to clear the game."

A burly man with bulging muscles and a fierce expression, a scar running across his left eye, swept an unfriendly gaze over everyone present.

Dammit, this was his third instance, and there were still new players.

Here, the first three instances were beginner ones and relatively simple, but what he feared most was encountering new players—and yet, here they were.

"Oh? I'm really back again." A sweet voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Wow, so many players."

"Oh, that's right. I'm a player now too."

The group heard a soft, delicate voice that seemed to be talking to itself.

Looking toward the source of the sound, they saw a girl walking out of the mist, holding a little red umbrella.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pale complexion. Her small black Western-style dress made her skin appear even fairer. Her long black-and-white hair rested quietly on her shoulders, her eyes curved in a smile, clear and bright.

"Why is there a child too?" It was the burly man again, his brow furrowed as he looked at Qian Ye.

"Waaah, I want to go back."

"I don't want to be in here."

Qian Ye held her umbrella and glanced sideways at the people in front of her. Hmm? Why did the atmosphere feel off?

She looked up at the foggy sky and pursed her lips. Something seemed wrong. The background of romance games was always primarily pink and purple, known for being romantic and sweet. Why was this background so gloomy?

As if answering her confusion, an announcement suddenly appeared in the sky:

Welcome to the current instance of the Eerie Game: Angel Campus.

Basic Information: 1. New semester, new atmosphere. Welcome, new students.

2. The school anniversary celebration is not to be missed.

Everyone present saw the announcement. Those who were still clinging to delusions broke down even further upon seeing this, their cries rising and falling.

On the other hand, Qian Ye was stunned when she saw the announcement. Eerie Game? No, wasn't she supposed to be in a romance game?

Just as she was thinking, Qian Ye heard a "ding," and a transparent panel appeared before her:

[Player: Qian Ye]

Level: 0 (Newbie)

Gold Coins: 0

Points: 0

Skills: None

Items: None

Bound Item: hong ling umbrella

Seeing the hong ling umbrella in the bound item column, Qian Ye's eyebrows twitched slightly. She glanced at the little red umbrella in her hand. "Oh, so its name is red singer. I bound it back in the romance game."

"Heehee, I got it by stabbing ninety-nine couples with it."

Finally, Qian Ye focused her gaze on the last column.

Clear Conditions?

Clear Conditions: To survive, you must either kill the final boss of the instance or choose to reform him. After each round of the game, the winner will receive rewards, and the first clear will grant a special reward.

Qian Ye looked at the display board and smiled sweetly, though a deep malice could be seen in her eyes if one looked closely. Did the Eerie Game think it could stop her from finding a sweet romance?

No! She wanted to experience a sweet romance too! At that thought, a peculiar smile flashed across Qian Ye's face.

Qian Ye observed her surroundings. It was all mist, and she couldn't see anything clearly, but she was able to determine that there were ten players in this instance.

Including her, there were four females and six males. Except for that burly man, the rest were on the younger side.

Was it because the setting was a campus? The thought flashed through Qian Ye's mind.

While she was thinking, she heard the sound of a vehicle slowly starting. Before long, a vehicle broke through the mist and appeared before them.

The vehicle looked extremely dilapidated. Four words could be faintly identified on the body: Angel School Bus.

Those four words were also stained with mottled blood.

No matter how one looked at it, it had nothing to do with "Angel."

The bus stopped in front of them, and the door opened from the inside. Because there were no lights, the interior appeared pitch black. No one among those present moved; they all eyed each other warily.

"Get—on—the—bus. If you don't get on, you'll be late."

"Being late results in punishment, heh heh heh."

A clear voice drifted out from inside. If one listened closely, it seemed to carry a certain anticipation.

As soon as the voice finished, Qian Ye stepped onto the bus. In the faint light, she saw that the driver was a student, clearly wearing a school uniform.

The NPC on the bus stared at Qian Ye with an unfriendly gaze. He hadn't expected someone to dare come up so quickly.

Qian Ye's gaze fell on his school uniform. Her eyebrows arched slightly as she walked up to him. "Hey, cutie, you seem to be a student."

As soon as she said this, the person's expression clearly changed. "Shut up!"

A "slap" sounded particularly crisp in the silent environment.

The child sitting in the driver's seat hadn't expected someone would actually dare to hit him. His face turned hideous as he lunged at Qian Ye.

"So naughty."

A strange smile hung on the corner of Qian Ye's mouth, her tone sounding like she was exasperated with a disobedient child. In the next second, the tip of the umbrella in her hand stabbed directly into him.

Instantly, blood spilled all over the floor. The hideous expression on the child's face hadn't even faded before it turned into shock as he clutched his stomach.

In the next second, his whole body became distorted. He flailed his arms and legs, using all his strength to try and kill the person in front of him.

Qian Ye looked up at his defiant face and followed up with another slap. Instantly, the bus went silent.

"As a student, you should study hard and recite your books well."

She threw something in front of the NPC.

In the next second, Qian Ye leaned closer to the child, smiling sweetly. "If you can't recite it, there will be punishment."

As she spoke, the tip of the umbrella stabbed deeper into his stomach. Looking at the flowing blood, the smile on the corner of Qian Ye's mouth seemed to grow even sweeter.

"Prosperity, democracy, harmony, freedom, equality..."

The bus lurched as the burly man at the door met Qian Ye's gaze.

"Patriotism, dedication..."

Tai Feng paused for a moment, his gaze finally resting on the person on the floor, who was holding a book and reading intently.

Ah, if one ignored the blood spreading in front of him, one would have to praise him: "This child really loves to study."

Tai Feng's eyes were filled with confusion. What had just happened?

He had heard a noise just now, and when he came up, he saw this scene.

He paused for a heartbeat before continuing further into the bus.

"You, hold on a moment."

Tai Feng looked at Qian Ye without speaking. His face was full of ferocity, and the scar on his right cheek looked even more menacing in the dim light.

"Do you know how to drive?"

A moment later, Tai Feng looked down at the steering wheel in his hands. Why did he listen to her?

Through the rearview mirror, he could vaguely see the young girl poking the NPC's wound with the tip of her umbrella every now and then.

Yet the child didn't make a sound, honestly reading the politics book in his hands.

Tai Feng pursed his lips. In an instant, he categorized Qian Ye as someone who was not to be trifled with.

Players generally wouldn't confront NPCs, because one mistake could trigger a death rule.

The players outside also slowly boarded the bus. Seeing the scene inside, some people's faces grew even paler, and they didn't dare to make a sound.

Once everyone was there, the vehicle slowly set off toward its destination, making rhythmic thumping sounds.

"What's that sound the bus is making? It's annoying as hell."

"It's probably because the bus is too old."

"So annoying, it's moving too slowly." A girl couldn't help but complain as she watched the bus move no faster than a person walking.

"Being late results in punishment."

The child on the floor looked at this scene and grinned, his expression full of schadenfreude.

In the next second, the pain in his stomach intensified.

"Still not behaving."

The NPC glared at Qian Ye, but threatened by the umbrella tip against his stomach, he continued to obediently read the book in his hand.