Chapter 39: 39

Silence felt an intense surge of excitement, though it was not entirely obvious to the crowd.

They were all assembled for a physical test that will determine whether they would leave this place or die here. Some were apprehensive, while others were mournful. Only Shen Jia lingered on the periphery, scanning the vicinity as if searching for someone.

Long Xiao Hui, having noticed Shen Jia's distant gaze, pushed her way through the throng to approach him. "Who are you searching for?" she inquired.

Shen Jia's voice was unemotional as he replied, "Have you seen Liu Xin?"

Upon observing the additional application form for departure that he held, Long Xiao Hui hesitated briefly before responding in a complex tone. "She's already in such a state. Do you still want her to leave with us?"

Moreover, that person was already mentally unhinged. Why take another chance and make things more difficult for them?

Shen Jia remained expressionless as he declared, "I just believe that Zhou Xiao Han was planning to take everyone out."

This included Liu Xin.

Long Xiao Hui looked at him intently and said, "You are exactly as Zhou Xiao Han described you. Only someone like you can understand her. However, I regret to inform you that gal has no intention of leaving," Long Xiao Hui added. "Liu Xin did not appear for the exam. She must believe that this is the most suitable place for her to live," she said, glancing once more at the application form clasped in Shen Jia's hand. This time, she remained silent and walked away quietly.

Shen Jia, contemplating the surplus form, headed towards the vending machine near the school building. Following Zhou Xiao Han's footsteps, he inserted the paper into the machine's exit.

He pondered whether a new group of people would arrive after they left or if Liu Xin would have a change of heart. Either way, Zhou Xiao Han had given them hope, so now Shen Jia concealed it within the confines of the Dark Virtue University.

"Is everyone here already?" asked Silence, who stood at the front. Their pink hoodie stood out in the sunlight, exuding youthful energy.

**

"All students are now asked to confirm the last reference subject," Xu Jin Yi said eagerly, rubbing her fists together as she stood up from the sofa. "The physical test is ready to begin!"

Everyone clutched their application forms and campus cards, listening intently to the last briefing from the Dark Virtue University radio station.

"Ding ding ding ding ~ Attention all hopefuls, this physical test will be administered by all school's authorities, the countdown starts—"

"5,"

"4,"

"3,"

"2,"

"1."

"The examination has begun. Please answer with all your might."

As the last word of the announcement tone fell, the previously clear and sunny atmosphere of Dark Virtue University suddenly changed. Dark clouds piled up in the sky and sunk to the ground, accompanied by frightening flashes of thunder that exploded next to everyone's ears, almost deafening them.

The once slightly lovely flowers and plants withered and fell to the ground, turning the view from bright to grey.

"What are you waiting for? The exam had begun!"

Silence leapt down the tall steps and dashed toward the school gate, urging the remaining 36 people to follow. As they hurried, there was a sudden deafening sound of footsteps behind them, causing the less daring ones to step away in fear while the braver ones looked back and gasped in terror.

"Holy shit...!"

All the ghostly students and teachers lurking in the shadows emerged with their teeth bared and claws extended, charging towards the living students with an insatiable hunger. Some ghost students had half of their heads bitten off, exposing their root-white brains as they swung their long, dangling arms and clawed at the running figures with savage desperation.

Meat! Meat! All that meat!

Their eyes glowed red with primal desire as they looked upon the living as a feast to satisfy their insatiable hunger. This was the biggest buffet party in the whole school, and they were determined to make the most of it.

As the students ran towards the gate, they encountered a muddy area where the flowers and grass had been. Some sank deep into the mire, their feet struggling to break free from the sticky muck.

Despite the danger, they pushed forward with all their might, their hearts beating rapidly as they raced towards the hope of a new life or the jaws of death. The distance between them and the gate was one thousand five hundred meters, and every step felt like a thousand more.

"Help! Oh my God!" The boy's desperate cry went unheard as everyone was preoccupied with saving themselves. A few people tried to help him, but the mud was slippery and made them fall.

The boy looked up and saw the nearest ghoul reveal its dark inside mouth and sharp teeth. Fear swallowed him, and his mind went blank.

"Up!" Suddenly, an upward force lifted him by his armpits, pulling him out of the mud like a turnip. He was hoisted onto someone's shoulder, and they shot off like a rocket.

The ghost's white teeth missed his head, and an angry roar echoed behind them. The boy winced, snapped back to attention, and shivered. Looking down, he saw a patch of tender pink tinged with dark brown sludge.

—— Silence!

The boy almost cried out. Silence was faster than the ghosts chasing them.

Silence, who had been leading the group, had ended up at the back, carrying the boy and keeping everyone at the end of the line.

As they reached an area with impossible amounts of mud, Xu Qin, a former sports major, yelled, "Off to the left!" The group quickly followed, narrowly avoiding the mud.

While a few minor accidents occurred in the panic, the boy ahead held the hand of the girl who had fallen and lent her strength to avoid danger. Another girl ahead of him quickly pulled a different boy behind her out of harm's way, avoiding the ghostly creature's long, rubbery arms.

In the 1500m escape test, an incredible display of solidarity was shown by all the participants.

"Tch, those who cannot help, run forward first!" shouted Xu Jin Yi as she carried a young boy and grabbed a girl who almost swept away with her left arm. Without skipping a beat, she strode forward with the band without any decrease in speed, scanning the area with a pair of dark pupils. Xu Jin Yi was always the first to rush up to help anyone about to fall, including those who were too tired to run and suddenly brain-dead, trying to be lazy. "Resting at this hour? Wake up!" she chided them.

Xu Jin Yi carried the one with no more strength forward while the girl sitting on her shoulder looked dumbfounded at the growing number of people in the "truck."

"Shall I go down?" she asked.

"It's okay," Xu Jin Yi replied as she looked at the inventory panel.

She could still carry! For the first time, Xu Jin Yi would be the one to make it to the end with all the players alive, even if she had 36 NPCs on top of her. She was determined to move forward, and a hint of determination was revealed on her otherwise silent face.

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With a grimace, Xu Jin Yi had already loaded the save file back in time 715 times.

"Go, go, go!" she yelled, urging herself and her NPC teammates forward.

"Undoubtedly, the best video contributor of the year is yours truly, Xu Jin Yi!" She deftly evaded a reaching arm from her left with agility and finesse. She nimbly slid out of the way of an inexplicably moving tree branch before bounding into the air to soar over the rolling ball of the cafeteria manager.

Parkour was her forte, after all.

With her heart pounding, Xu Jin Yi gritted her teeth and swung her arms wildly as she sprinted through the course. Despite only four minutes passing, it felt like an eternity.

"-DING DING DING DING~ The physical test has been completed. Thank you all for taking this classroom exam," blared the Dark Virtue University radio station.

But instead of feeling relieved, a stronger sense of crisis pervaded the air.

Xu Jin Yi pushed a trembling boy forward, "We're almost through. It's only 100 metres. Run!"

While the others sprinted towards the exit, she turned back and charged at the growing horde of ghosts and ghouls!

"Silence!!!"

The first student to make it out of the school gates vanished into thin air, only to be greeted by a message flashing before them:

[You have completed your final exams, grade: Good. You are hereby granted permission to leave the school. (You have left school)]

[You have completed your final exams with a passing grade. You are hereby granted permission to leave the school. (You have left school)]

[You have completed your final examinations with a grade of Good. You are hereby granted permission to leave the school. (You have left school)]

[You have completed your final examinations with a grade of Distinction. You are hereby granted permission to leave the school. (You have left school)]

One by one, the living students disappeared beyond the gates with their applications clutched in their hands. Meanwhile, Ah Ma stood at the entrance, gasping for breath as she anxiously watched the gathering swarm of ghosts and ghouls!

"Where has Silence gone?" Ah Ma wondered, her heart racing as angry ghosts drew closer to the school gates. "I'm sure they haven't left yet, but where are they on the other side?"

Angry hisses and howls rang in her ears as the ghosts drew closer and closer to the school gates.

Gritting her teeth, she finally decided to take a step backwards. If she didn't leave soon, things would turn out bad.

**

Where has Xu Jin Yi gone?

She was on a mission to find NPC [Shen Jia]. Despite her best efforts and multiple saves, two people were always missing from the ending in the 715th backfile: Shen Jia and Liu Xin.

Xu Jin Yi could have given up on these characters for the sake of speedrunning the game, but the new plot had moved her. NPC [Zhou Xiao Han's] death before the game started was a plot kill that couldn't be changed, but what about Shen Jia, who Zhou Xiao Han had high hopes for? One of the two people with hope had to go out, right?

Sighing, Xu Jin Yi searched earnestly for Shen Jia once again. Though she wasn't sure if she could achieve the first pass, the excellent video should help her. After all, this was the survival ending she worked so hard to beat!

Finally, after much searching, Xu Jin Yi saw Shen Jia and breathed a sigh of relief.

Surrounded by a throng of ghosts and monsters, Shen Jia found himself surprisingly unharmed. In fact, of all people, Liu Xin had come to his 'rescue'.

"Stay, Shen Jia," Liu Xin said, her eyes bright and earnest. "You've never made a mistake since you entered this university. Zhou Xiao Han was right about you; you are an honourable person."

Liu Xin extended her hand, her face expectant. "Stay at this university, abide by the rules, and no harm will come to anyone."

Beside Liu Xin stood an unfamiliar ghost teacher, who nodded slowly in agreement.

"Stay..." echoed the ghost students around them, their voices hissing like snakes.

"Stay..."

"Stay..."

"Stay..."

[Shen Jia]'s sanity meter dropped like a roller coaster.

Xu Jin Yi was contemplating how to rescue Shen Jia from the situation when suddenly her VR POV lurched forward – someone had pushed her!

She crashed into Shen Jia's body, narrowly missing him. Xu Jin Yi looked back and saw a face identical to those around her. The person wearing the face had a flash of bright green under their slightly turned-up collar, which appeared to be the reflection of a brooch.

When Xu Jin Yi tried to look closer, the light vanished.

"It's you."

Liu Xin observed the pink hoodie that rushed out and frowned, "You're not out of school yet?"

"After all, my dear schoolmate hasn't gone out yet~."

Xu Jin Yi, who had been looking towards the back, turned back and smiled, "Classmate Shen, come out with me."

Liu Xin stepped forward, her eyes stony, "He won't leave with you. He'll stay with Little Zhou and me at Dark Virtue University together."

Xu Jin Yi shrugged her shoulders.

"That's not up to you."

With that, she seized Shen Jia, who had not yet come to his senses, and hurled him upwards toward the school entrance with all her might.

The dear student Shen soared like a basketball, cutting a beautiful arc in the grey sky before flying above the iron gate.

As he regained his senses, Shen Jia found himself in the sky, wondering how he had ended up there.

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