I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 25

Arc 2: 《Deadly High School》 Ch15 — Ch29

Upon the realization, Ruan Bai's heart plummeted. She swiftly jumped backwards, evading the ghost's attack with nimble grace. She kicked downwards with her right foot in one swift motion, delivering a forceful blow that kicked the ghost's head away.

The ghost let out a deafening scream, and the rope violently shook, tossing the spirit to the other end of the room. Seizing the opportunity, Ruan Bai swiftly retreated a few steps and hid by the wall.

"Squeak...crack..."

The ceiling quivered, emitting a high-pitched, ear-piercing sound. Ruan Bai held her breath; her ears perked up to the sound of the rope's sway, trying to discern the ghost's location.

Her hair was drenched in sweat, her clothes stained with blood, and a salty tang clung to the air, but she paid no heed. Her sole focus was locating the ghost, predicting its next move, and neutralizing it.

The rope creaked and groaned, and Ruan Bai's fingers tightly gripped the knife handle, her back stiff with tension. Like a vigilant cheetah, she lay in wait, ready to pounce and strike with deadly precision.

"Squeak...squeak...hmm..."

"Squeak...crack..."

With keen senses and cat-like reflexes, Ruan Bai leapt out of the shadows, deftly slicing through the rope with a single swift motion. The ghost plummeted to the ground.

With a muffled thud, Ruan Bai and the ghost collided with the ground. She quickly rolled away, supporting her aching and exhausted body, and scrambled to distance herself from the spirit. As she anticipated, the ghost's legs were bound tightly with a rope, rendering it immobile and writhing in agony on the ground. For now, she knew she was safe.

After confirming her temporary respite, Ruan Bai collapsed onto the ground and rested momentarily. It wasn't until then that she noticed a pungent stench emanating from her body, and she appeared drenched in blood. After pondering for a moment, she bartered with the system for a lamp and flicked it on.

Previously, Ruan Bai refrained from turning on the light to avoid sudden blindness and impeded movement in the darkness. But now, she could finally examine her surroundings.

As the glaring beam illuminated the space, Ruan Bai squinted and struggled to adjust to the brilliant light. What she saw before she astonished her! The room was a basement, scarcely larger than a solitary detention room. Its walls were adorned with densely packed paper, intricately etched with cryptic runes.

The attacker who had just pounced on her was a teenager sporting a Fourth Middle School uniform, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen. Her legs were tightly bound by ropes, her clothes smeared with blood stains and dirt, and her unkempt hair obscured her face. She struggled to crawl on the ground, emitting a series of resentful roars. Meanwhile, four other girls hung upside down from the ceiling pillars, their seven orifices blocked and their bodies riddled with neat knife wounds. Blood trickled from their injuries drop by drop, forming a slowly flowing trail of blood on the ground.

As Ruan Bai beheld the gruesome sight before her, her heart raced in terror, even though she had half-expected it. The macabre display resembled a sacrificial ritual performed by a sinister cult. Clearly, the school had problems, and the situation was far more complicated than just a few girls being brutally murdered.

The corrosiveness of their blood, which had been so potent the night before, had now weakened. Ruan Bai speculated that the change might have been due to the death of a male player, resulting in an equal male-to-female ratio.

Only the players remained alive while all the teachers and students of the school had perished. As a result, the male-to-female ratio should be based solely on the players and not the NPC that was an extra in Class 9.

Ruan Bai suddenly realized that she had inadvertently deceived Shen Qing Yun again. The newcomer no longer needed to wear a dress, which made her ponder about the female player who carelessly died on the first day. They might have uncovered the situation earlier if she had survived, and Ruan Bai would have gleaned more information. Nonetheless, she arrived on time and made significant progress in the mission despite sustaining injuries.

As she ruminated, Ruan Bai stood up cautiously and scrutinized the girl on the ground with a discerning eye. The hanging girls lay in a deep slumber, unresponsive to the world around them. But the girl who attacked her had her left leg free. It seemed like the rope had snapped inexplicably, causing her to wake up. She gradually regained consciousness and swung back and forth through the remaining cord tethered to her right leg.

Ruan Bai recollected the scent of blood that emanated from the previous night, prompting her to inspect the ghost. She peered closely at the face shrouded by the girl's unkempt hair. Indeed, the eyes, ears, and mouth appeared obstructed, but one nostril was only partially plugged, and the other was unblocked. Perhaps it was the open nostril that awakened her. But where did the object blocking her nose go?

With her eyes narrowed, Ruan Bai scoured the bloodstained earth carefully, seeking something that could have blocked her nostrils. Eventually, she spotted a small ball in a corner that emitted a distinct vermilion scent. It resembled a pill stained with blood. Adjacent to the pill lay a piece of paper inscribed with the sentence: "Dieu est pardonné parce qu’il n’existe pas."

The paper was fragile and had yellowed with age. Whoever had penned the sentence had done so with great force, with the ink piercing the paper. Ruan Bai had been entirely ignorant of foreign languages in the past, and she couldn't make heads or tails of the sentence. However, she learned bits and pieces of various languages due to her curiosity and Gu Bu Chao's coercion when she left the mermaid village. At the very least, she could recognize which language the sentence belonged to – French. Furthermore, this was a famous quote from "The Red and the Black": "God forgives because God does not exist."

Out of nostalgia for the first game world, Ruan Bai sought Du Wen Shu's favourite book, "The Red and the Black," and discovered the sentence. When she recognized the sentence on the paper, something within her sprang to life instantly! She hurried over to observe the cut rope at the ankle of the ghost lying on the ground.

The cut ends of the two ropes were clean and pristine, without frayed strands caused by pulling and rubbing. However, the one on the left had clearly been severed for some time, now tainted with dust and blood. On the other hand, Ruan Bai had just cut the right rope, her handiwork visible on its smooth edge.

Comparing the two severed ends, Ruan Bai confirmed her inner suspicion. Indeed, this girl's awakening was not accidental. Her rope had been deliberately cut in two. However, perhaps the person who helped her had encountered an accident, leaving one rope intact so she could still move around in the basement.

All the clues gradually merged in Ruan Bai's mind, forming an obvious and straightforward path. Without any surprise, the person who cut the rope and took away the little pill blocking her nose was none other than Du Wen Shu.

Ruan Bai knew that this girl and the four others above her existed as ghosts and monsters rather than being treated with dignity before they died. She readily suspected that after being abused to death, they turned into vengeful spirits and sought revenge within the school.

As a result, the teachers called upon a cunning master to capture their souls, sealing off their seven orifices, putting them into a deep sleep, and locking them in this room.

Somehow, Du Wen Shu found this basement and saw this situation. Out of pity for them, he took out the little pill and wrote down these condemning words, leaving them in a corner.

The reasoning was plain to see as to why he only severed one rope. Upon awakening, the ghost would undoubtedly be incensed. However, with one rope cut, it could attack while in motion, catching Du Wen Shu off guard.

Recalling the earlier file, it was stated that Du Wen Shu had taken a six-month hiatus from school due to severe injuries. Ruan Bai suspected that the five girls' predicament might be linked to him, but after some contemplation, she discarded the notion; he had no reason to commit such a heinous act.

While in Mermaid Village, Gu Bu Zhao informed Ruan Bai that in Du Wen Shu's diary, he had a keen fascination with paranormal activities. This preoccupation led him to investigate the relationship between the mermaids and their deities, ultimately resulting in his demise at the hands of the mermaid goddess.

What had been his state of mind during those investigations? And what was the significance of these details within the game's framework? Ruan Bai was at a loss.

The ghost on the floor continued to writhe slowly. Its vindictive glare remained fixed upon Ruan Bai as it futilely attempted to grab her.

Ruan Bai retrieved the tiny pill and cautiously approached the ghost. Seizing its hand, she promptly forced the medicine into its nostrils.

At the very moment when her nostrils were obstructed, the force of the ghost abruptly dissipated, causing her body to collapse lifelessly onto the ground. Observing the female apparition motionless, Ruan Bai gave her a kick to confirm she wasn't faking it. Once reassured, she let out a sigh of relief. She readied herself to seek a chance to descend to the lower floor to continue her investigation. Rampant malaria plaguing the school, the trapped NPCs, and the mysterious origin of the school's regulations remained a mystery. She couldn't afford to waste any further time here.

However, as she took a few steps forward, the previously mute system suddenly inundated her with a barrage of inquiries. 【Host, don't you feel any pity for that hapless and vulnerable girl lying there?】

Ruan Bai: "......"

Wait, what did the system mean by that? She was seized with a foreboding sensation while the system's voice dripped with sleazy satisfaction. "【Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've been awarded a random mission: rescue the stranded girl and liberate her from this infernal confinement!】

【Given the mission's simplicity, you'll receive a reward of 400 points. I trust you'll take it seriously and complete it!】."

Ruan Bai: "......This is supposed to be a simple mission, but what the hell!?"

——— Translator's Notes ———

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