I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 21

Arc 2: 《Deadly High School》 Ch15 — Ch29

Ruan Bai didn't give a damn about Shen Qing Yun's sense of injustice; in fact, she relished in his misery. She had already aligned herself with Gu Bu Chao's faction, which put her at odds with Shen Qing Yun and his cohort.

It wasn't a matter of Shen Qing Yun's character; it was simply a fact of team dynamics that made her his sworn enemy. And, of course, she was more than happy to spring a trap on her foe. But her main concern at the moment was mastering the game's mechanics.

The only thing she knew was about the girl who died in the confinement room and Du Wen Shu's role in the matter. But how much of it was a lie concocted by Shen Qing Yun? How many details had been obscured? She couldn't say for sure.

In addition, one of their female players had already met her demise, but there were no losses on the male players' side last night. So, with a ratio of 1:1, there was no way to rectify the imbalance. Ruan Bai had a vague intuition that this would lead to dire consequences. And, as it turned out, she was absolutely correct.

As soon as they arrived back in the classroom, their stern homeroom teacher delivered some shocking news before they could take their seats.

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The looming class ranking selection was imminent, and Ruan Bai found herself wide awake at the news. Wasn't the major incident due to the imbalance of male and female students related to the class ranking selection? But what did this selection signify? Ruan Bai was disoriented but couldn't show it or communicate with other players.

All the students in the school didn't attend classes in the morning for this selection. Instead, they brought chairs and followed their homeroom teachers to the school playground. They sat according to their class assignments. The seating arrangements appeared intentional, as players sat together, and Ruan Bai found herself seated next to Shen Qing Yun.

The homeroom teacher stood on the podium in front of them with a numb expression, coldly staring at the students below. "The class ranking selection, along with the midterm exam results and the class assignment since the beginning of the school year," the homeroom teacher's voice was hoarse, his tone calm without any fluctuations, "This ranking is related to the honour of every class, and also to the professionalism of the teachers. I hope you will take it seriously." His pitch-black eyes pierced through the students, causing a creepy feeling to arise in them.

Ruan Bai sat stiffly on her seat, feeling cold sweat almost covering her back. Wasn't the class ranking selection the beginning of the disaster for Class 8?! She carefully pondered over Shen Qing Yun's vague words about the girl who died in the detention room yesterday.

'...A surge of class points followed the arrival of the transfer student in Class 9, while a contagious disease struck several girls in Class 8, triggering academic failure and a decrease in their class ranking....'

Wait a minute, if several female students contracted the contagious disease, why did only one perish in the confinement cell? No, it is possible that more than one girl was infected, but she was misled by Shen Qing Yun's remarks into thinking it was only one. She didn't look at the ghastly apparitions and creatures last night; she only saw blood and no human silhouette!

As this realization hit Ruan Bai, a shudder ran down her spine.

Yesterday's count was correct; thirty students were in Class 8.

But ever since Hu Yao, a player, plummeted to her death, only twenty-nine remained!

Ruan Bai's mind raced, and a suspicion started to form –

She feared their in-game personas would embody those infected female students destined to perish in the detention room!

Ruan Bai conjectured that the game operated on two distinct timelines. Every time the school bell tolled, and the teachers and students reappeared, they were instantly transported back to 1988, the year of the catastrophe. They were forced to confront the impending danger. But once classes were over and the school was deserted, they found themselves trapped in the abandoned school where the disaster had already come to pass. They materialized and vanished like the ghosts and monsters that roamed the halls...

These school NPCs were most likely spectral entities, harmless but menacing. Ruan Bai's countenance darkened a tad. She sized up the principal and the Class 8 educators, who flanked her, squinting her eyes.

Despite their inner reluctance, the teachers submitted the first half of the semester's learning progress and class rankings individually.

As time slowly ticked away, Ruan Bai's body grew tenser and tenser. The sky was obscured by a grey blanket of clouds that cloaked the sun, casting the whole school in a blue shade. Finally, the headteacher waved her hand, dismissing the teachers. A glint of satisfaction flickered in her inky eyes, and a queer smile crept onto her unchanging face.

"The results are in," declared the head teacher with a deliberate pace. "Class 1 garnered a total score of 98, Class 2 received 96..."

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Shen Qing Yun's sly smile and ominous gaze toward Ruan Bai did not go unnoticed. It carried a malevolent thrill as if he wished to engrave "you're dead" onto her face with a chisel. Ruan Bai's mind rang alarm bells at sight, unwilling to leave her fate to chance.

"...Class 7 achieved 70 points, Class 8 with 64 points, and Class 9 earned 66 points..." As the head teacher announced the score for Class 9 and prepared to reveal the score for Class 10, Ruan Bai impulsively rose from her seat and viciously slapped Shen Qing Yun, seated beside her!

The head teacher's voice immediately trailed off, silenced by the unexpected commotion. The other students and teachers directed their attention toward the quarrel, observing Ruan Bai trembling as she glared at Shen Qing Yun, who appeared bewildered and guarded.

Her face turned crimson with anger as she pointed at the head teacher on the stage, emphasizing each word with deliberate clarity, "Shen Qing Yun, as a male student, not only did you break the rules and gossip behind everyone's back, but why did you have to stoop so low and insult our head teacher, calling her ugly and repulsive due to her balding head?!"

Shen Qing Yun:!?!

Shen Qing Yun's face contorted with fury as Ruan Bai accused him of wrongdoing. "I didn't do it!" he protested vehemently, his voice rising to a shout. "Stop talking nonsense!"

Ruan Bai regarded him with a disappointed expression. "Brother Qing Yun, you dare to commit the act, yet you lack the courage to own up to it," she chided. "I misjudged you."

"You're slandering me!" Shen Qing Yun seethed, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Enough!" the head teacher interjected sternly, cutting off their bickering. She was a ghost, but ghosts were still bound by human habits. Criticism of her appearance stung her. She glared at Shen Qing Yun. After a moment, she suppressed a smile and cleared her throat. "Class 9, for your insubordination and disturbance of this important occasion, five points will be deducted from your total score. Class 8 will lose two points. The class rankings will be recalculated."

Ruan Bai slumped back into her seat, her fingers curling into fists. She shot Shen Qing Yun a contemptuous look, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She wasn't sure how the scores were tallied, but she knew she had given it her all.

After a recount by several teachers, the new class rankings were announced.

"... Class 7 has scored 70 points, while Class 8 and 9 trail with 64 points each. Classes 8 and 9 currently share the honour of being at the bottom!"

Ruan Bai exhaled deeply as if she had shed a weighty burden. Success was hers at last. Being the sole occupant of the last place was entirely different from sharing it!

Perhaps now, the strict Class 8 teacher would ease up a bit. Ruan Bai vowed to toe the line and avoid slip-ups that might put her in hot water.

The head teacher left the podium with little fanfare, leaving the other students to gather their chairs and shuffle off to their respective classrooms.

Ruan Bai watched the dour Class 9 teachers closely, noticing a flicker of bewilderment beneath their glum countenances. As expected, they, too, must have realized that only Class 8 should have earned the dubious distinction of occupying the lowest rung. But, regardless, both Classes 8 and 9 found themselves at the back of the pack.

As the first bell rang to signal the end of class, the students and teachers vanished, and the players were left in absolute safety.

With the NPC gone, Ruan Bai scurried to the other female players to glean some news.

"I spent the night in the detention room with Brother Qing Yun," Ruan Bai began, taking a page from Gu Bu Zhao's book and trying to exchange information. "It's very dangerous, and you might find yourself there soon. I can tell you all about what goes on in there and how to escape, but I hope you can offer something in return."

Whatever Shen Qing Yun could provide, Ruan Bai knew would only be part of the puzzle. To uncover anything about Class 8 and its victims, she needed to rely on the female players' knowledge.

Ruan Bai didn't attend evening classes yesterday, and she didn't return to the dormitory either. But these seasoned players should have noticed something.

"Okay, we've all been through a lot," the female players nodded in agreement, sensing a newfound respect for Ruan Bai's tenacity. "We discovered some patterns."

Previously, the other female players had previously dismissed Ruan Bai, but now they recognized her as a formidable player. They were eager to share their findings.

"During yesterday's class, we were still being provoked as usual," the short-haired female player explained. "So, during our break time, we previewed and memorized. But because we were provoked too often, we found some patterns."

The female player's gaze shifted from Ruan Bai to the empty seat of the deceased student, Hu Yao. "We now know that certain conditions and restrictions apply when the teacher accuses students of violating school rules." Her voice lowered conspiratorially.

——— Translator's Notes ———

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