I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 28

Arc 2: 《Deadly High School》 Ch15 — Ch29

Shen Qing Yun quivered with fear, his nerves frayed by Ruan Bai's steely demeanour. "I'll tell you everything," he stammered, desperate to appease her. "But I swear, I've already told you everything I know."

It wasn't entirely his fault. Even if he possessed a photographic memory, there was only so much he could glean from the school's labyrinthine corridors. Ruan Bai had deployed charm and coercion to extract every morsel of intel from him. She even uncovered the tidbits he had tried to conceal. Now, he had nothing left to offer.

Ruan Bai sensed his sincerity but felt no less frustrated. They were both trapped in the tiny room, surrounded by the grim spectre of death. Among their motley crew, Shen Qing Yun was the only one who had gained access to the principal's office. Moreover, he had a habit of destroying sensitive information after reading it. It left her no choice but to rely on him.

"I need to know about the school's rules and regulations," Ruan Bai said, her voice low and urgent. "And the student who transferred to your Class 9. Du Wen Shu. Why did he take a six-month leave? And how did he end up here?"

She fixed him with a penetrating stare, daring him to lie or hold back. "You must know something."

Shen Qing Yun hesitated, but Ruan Bai's unwavering gaze broke him. "I know a little," he admitted. "I found the principal's diary. It mentioned that Du Wen Shu was expelled from his previous school for misconduct."

After Ruan Bai posed her question, he promptly replied without a moment's pause, "If I recall correctly, the reputable schools in the city had no interest in him. Only the rural schools accepted his parents' money and allowed him to enrol. To make matters worse, his parents wanted to teach him a lesson, so they sent him to the austere Fourth High School. Later, he took a half-year leave of absence due to a serious injury, and then, there was no word about him."

Did Du Wen Shu decide to attend a lower-tier school after getting expelled? Upon hearing Shen Qing Yun's words, Ruan Bai pondered deeply. For some inexplicable reason, she felt something wasn't right. Du Wen Shu appeared to be the cause of all the chaos. His arrival stirred up deep-seated grudges in the school and triggered immense turmoil. His background couldn't be so straightforward.

"I'm not too familiar with the school's regulations, but I know about that student," Shen Qing Yun said cautiously, his gaze fixed on Ruan Bai. "What happened to him? Is he someone significant?"

Back then, he was preoccupied with the girls in Class 8 and only glanced over the information without paying much attention. If Ruan Bai wasn't content with his answer, he would be in trouble!

Ruan Bai didn't respond but persisted with her questioning, "Are you certain that's all? Is there any detail that you've overlooked or deem insignificant?"

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She wouldn't miss any peculiar details, and if possible, Ruan Bai wanted to investigate everything exhaustively. When Ruan Bai inquired again, she had already braced herself for the possibility of not receiving any information.

Shen Qing Yun paused, taking in Ren Bai's intimidating presence before pondering for a while and divulging a crucial detail. "There might be something related to this student, but I'm not entirely sure if it's what you're looking for," he began. "Du Yu seems to be in a constant trance. The principal was hesitant to admit him to the school due to rumours, but his friend convinced him to relent."

Ren Bai's ears perked up at the mention of Du Yu, the name Du Wen Shu used before changing it. If her suspicions were correct, the principal's so-called friend could only be Master Li.

With this realization, Ren Bai's mind cleared, and all the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. Du Wen Shu's previous punishment was linked to Master Li.

The abnormal atmosphere in the Fourth Middle School had already taken root before he arrived. All it needed was a trigger point to set off the tragedy.

With the increasing number of malaria patients in the area, Master Li knew the time was ripe for action. He brought Du Wen Shu to the school, being well-versed in the school's reward and punishment system, as he founded the rules.

He foresaw the situation once Du Wen Shu joined. Five girls were eventually tortured to death. As a result, they transformed into vengeful spirits that caused a widespread malaria outbreak. Master Li arrived too late and used this as an excuse to extract blood from the school's staff, imprisoning their souls here.

It's not hard to imagine how Du Wen Shu stumbled upon the basement. Ruan Bai believes that he must have been born with some otherworldly ability that set him apart from others, giving rise to rumours about him being "mystical." One day, he happened upon the girls trapped in the basement. Upon discovering their plight, he made it his mission to free them. Sadly, the girls had become evil spirits and were no longer human. They reacted to Du Wen Shu with hostility and aggression, determined to hurt him.

【Congratulations, host, you have successfully revealed the secret of Fourth High School, and your game mission progress is now at 50%!】 The system's congratulatory voice chimed in as Ruan Bai pieced together the situation.

Upon hearing the system's voice, Ruan Bai's eyes narrowed as a thought surfaced from the depths of her mind. She glanced at the female ghosts lying motionless on the ground, then turned her attention to the shadows that loomed ominously outside. Tentatively, she addressed the system: 'System, didn't you assign me a mission to save the girls trapped in the basement?'

【Yes, host,】 the system replied, somewhat perplexed. 【but you only brought out one of them, leaving four poor girls behind.】 The system had long been displeased with Ruan Bai's lackadaisical approach to her duties, and upon hearing her question, it issued a warning: 【Remember to complete the mission quickly, or there will be punishment for failure!】

...What poor girls? They were clearly four malevolent spirits!

Ruan Bai was at a loss for words but didn't see the point in arguing with the system about it.

'They're so pitiful. I can't just leave them there,' Ruan Bai argued. 'But you know I'm playing a survival game, and it's not convenient to have them with me, especially with so many people outside trying to capture us.' She blinked and bargained with the system: 'Can you increase the reward a bit, like 400 points for each ghost? How about that?'

Upon hearing this, the system contemplated for a moment and surprisingly agreed! However, considering Ruan Bai's situation, it added a condition: 【All five girls must emerge from the basement and be carried by you for it to count.】

Ruan Bai saw that the system had agreed and swiftly replied, "No problem!"

Five ghosts were worth a whopping 2000 points, and she had earned them! Ruan Bai did this because she realized that the five female ghosts in the basement were likely the key to the players' escape success.

The so-called Master Li had not trapped them for no reason. Furthermore, the only person who survived and came out of Fourth Middle School was Du Wen Shu, who had broken the seal of the female ghosts. How could Master Li let him go under normal circumstances? This was no coincidence, especially when Ruan Bai witnessed the fear of the female ghosts towards the ghostly figures outside. If this whole school were compared to a grand illusion, then these five ghosts were undoubtedly the "eyes" of the illusion. Similarly, the energy source of the place that imprisoned thousands of ghosts must be linked to them.

The game provided each player with a fair opportunity.

In the last few days, male players had it easy, effortlessly gathering information. Female players were punished repeatedly by their teacher and couldn't pick any intel. It seemed like an unfair deal on the surface. Still, in reality, the game had presented the detention room right at the doorstep of the female players, opening up an opportunity for them to uncover more profound truths.

Ruan Bai didn't know how to escape the predicament, but she believed that as long as she could bring all five female ghosts out, she would have a chance to figure things out. She squatted down, recalled, and felt her way towards the basement entrance. With a flick of her finger, she quickly pulled open the door.

Before the gaze of all the players, a pitch-black hole loomed before her. Without hesitation, Ruan Bai leapt and plunged straight into it. A few minutes later, she emerged again before the others, struggling to stick her head out from the entrance of the basement, her arm fumbling on the floor.

Then, her entire body crawled out from the basement with one hard tug. However, unlike when she entered, a strange rope was now tied around Ruan Bai's waist! After she came out, she pulled on the rope and drew out the other end. To their surprise, four female ghosts were tied together in a row!

The gruesome scene before them was a horror show - a chain of grotesque creatures bound together, bloodied and ferocious. But Ruan Bai's casual demeanour and the ease with which she dragged them along made them appear as a mere string of sausages. The crowd was stunned into silence, unable to fathom how anyone could bind such terrifying monsters to themselves and still be considered human.

Undeterred by their incredulous stares, Ruan Bai eagerly turned to the system, her eyes brimming with expectation. 'All four of them are out now; shouldn't I get my points?' she asked, her voice tinged with excitement. Since her last quest, when she carried a female ghost out of the basement, Ruan Bai had felt her limit creeping lower and lower.

But what was the fuss about ghosts anyway? They wouldn't hurt anyone, and money was what truly mattered! Although her posture was unsightly and the female ghosts being dragged along looked strange, she had brought them all out, meeting the system's requirements.

【... Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. 2000 points have been issued,】 intoned the system's mechanical voice, which had remained unchanged for millennia. Yet, it unexpectedly paused momentarily when announcing the mission's completion, as if the system hadn't foreseen this type of ghost/monster situation.

Ruan Bai smirked, convinced that the system wouldn't issue similar missions in the next two worlds. But her attention quickly shifted to the players' side, knowing that points could be traded.

"Bai Ruan Ruan, what do you want to do?" a player asked, their voice trembling with fear and confusion as they looked at each other with trepidation.

They lacked the full scope of Ruan Bai's knowledge, but after enduring so much, they could hazard a guess at what was happening. What was Ruan Bai's motive in bringing up these ghosts? To help them, perhaps?

"These five female ghosts were once innocent girls, mercilessly tortured by their classmates in Class 8. They've been entombed in the basement ever since," Ruan Bai spoke with a measured tone, uncertain of how the others would react. She gestured towards the ghost figures behind her and explained, "These poor souls lost their freedom, and their lives were marked by untold misery. Even in death, their suffering continues. It's truly heartrending. I couldn't bear to leave them there, so I brought them out." Her voice wavered with emotion, and a tear escaped her eye.

Player: "..."

Heartrending? Couldn't bear to leave them there? Are you sure you're not mixing up your words?

Under the players' eerie scrutiny, Ruan Bai, after putting up a facade of innocence, wiped her tears and got straight to the point, "I've discovered that these female ghosts can withstand attacks from other ghosts, but be careful not to let the pills inside their seven apertures escape." She smiled gently, "You don't have to thank me. Two hundred points each, cash only, no haggling." She paused before adding, "If you want to know the secrets of Fourth Middle School, it'll cost you an extra hundred points."

Other players: "..."

Life was indeed like a game, just as the ancients had said!

While some players struggled for their lives in the escape game, others discovered a lucrative opportunity to do business! Clearing an A-level difficulty world would earn ordinary players at least 1000 points, making Ruan Bai's offer, though cringe-worthy, too tempting to pass up.

Especially for those injured players, their lives were owed to Ruan Bai.

And so, with one hand on money and the other on goods, Ruan Bai gleefully pocketed an additional 1200 points.

In the remaining time, the players each clung to an evil spirit and broke free from the confinement room. Perhaps because they had perished from malaria caused by the female ghost, the spirits outside cowered before these five deadly apparitions. By passing through them, the players survived and even made their way to the cafeteria for a hearty meal.

But the game would not allow players much reprieve. Surviving at the mercy of female ghosts was not a sustainable solution. They had to devise a way to truly solve the school's dilemma.

——— Translator's Notes ———

The phrase "Life is like a game" (人生如（游）戲) is a popular saying in Chinese culture that means life is unpredictable and full of surprises.

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