In Virtual Reality 27 ☆ Death Notice (11/25)

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Our student Xu Jin Yi made the most of her previous gaming experience as she opened the door to the Principal's office in just 2 seconds. Let's give her a round of applause!

Xu Jin Yi strode confidently into the office. As expected, just like there are no dogs in hotdogs, the headmaster was nowhere to be found in the office of Dark Virtue University's headmaster.

In the PC game, when the protagonist finishes their first year, they were presented with a choice: either [Leave Dark Virtue University] or [Enter Dark Virtue University's second year].

As mentioned earlier, despite the repeated claims by the game's production team that Death Notice 2.0 was in the works, the sophomore version of the game has yet to see the light of day. Consequently, players who chose to play the game on PC were only left with the decision to [Leave Dark Virtue University] at the end of their first year.

The game's production team pigeonholed* the game several times, promising a new version of Death Notice, but all in vain. As a result, none of the ambiguities, dark threads, Easter eggs, and other settings that the team had meticulously crafted were ever filled in by the 2.0 version. Instead, these unresolved mysteries became a part of Death Notice's legacy.

One of these enigmatic settings was the 'president of the University of Virtue who is never in his office', a character that continues to perplex players and remains shrouded in mystery.

Who exactly was the Principal of Dark Virtue University, and what purpose did the school serve? Why was the Principal never in their office, and how could the game's protagonist freely enter and leave the headmaster's office after deciphering the mystery?

Gamers, plagued by one puzzle after another, flock to the official comment section daily to bully officials into releasing a second instalment. The official development team of "Death Note" responded with the same statement: it's in progress.

Not long ago, Xu Jin Yi visited the official website's comment section and found the same familiar response. However, she couldn't help but notice the words 'I pigeonholed, I pigeonholed' hidden between the lines.

While the second instalment had yet to be released, she discovered that the VR version of the game was already available. Though she was somewhat disappointed, at least there was a game to play. Moreover, she found that Death Notice had been remastered, much like Scream Haunted House!

Let's momentarily forgive the official development team.

As Xu Jin Yi delved deeper into her thoughts, her feet moved, and she made her way behind the desk. On the desk, there sat a solid black notebook with a distinctive heaviness, bound in dark red antique wood, and beside it lay a high-end pen in a covered box.

An antique desk lamp that could pass for a decorative piece was also present beside a bottle of dark blue-to-black ink. Xu Jin Yi gently twitched her nose - this was just a game so that she couldn't smell the ink.

Nonetheless, she was sure that a high-quality ink like this should have a slightly fresh scent. Don't ask Xu Jin Yi how she knows; she was the one who had her PC game protagonist drink the entire bottle of ink until he died.

At the time, Xu Jin Yi controlled the protagonist and chose to drink the ink in one go.

The protagonist even smacked his lips and commented on the metallic fragrance before the game suddenly ended with a "GAME OVER."

Xu Jin Yi: ......

Who poisons their own ink?

Xu Jin Yi was now examining the description of the ink bottle that was exclusive to the Principal's office. Her expression betrayed her awe of the discovery.

The text box revealed that the bottle of ink in front of her was the headmaster's exclusive ink for Dark Virtue University, with the headmaster's seal used in conjunction with the ink. Xu Jin Yi then reached out to move the ink bottle closer for a better look.

As for the seal, it was located inside the drawer. Later, Xu Jin Yi planned to find a piece of white paper within the office and use the ink to write a request for the dining hall's dining window. After that, she would stamp the document with the headmaster's seal.

While it's normal for a stamp to be accompanied by the principal's signature, this matter was another unsolved mystery that the developer team was always putting off addressing in the second part of the game without any logical reason.

Xu Jin Yi searched the office and eventually found a stack of white paper on the bookshelves flanking the desk. She filled the pen with ink from the bottle she had found earlier and began to write her application on the form slightly askew.

[Application for Contracting a Dining Hall Window]

Hello to the principal of Dark Virtue University.

I am a junior student at our university, Silent. After consulting with my counsellor, Mr Sophora, I hereby submit an application to request the operation of the cafeteria dining window...]

The words spilled out from Xu Jin Yi's pen, filling the thin sheet of paper with her scribbles.

Using British English, improving language and sentence flow without changing sentence count:

As she finally settled down to write the application, Xu Jin Yi licked her lips impatiently. The play in the cafeteria had left her wholly exhilarated. With the pen cap closed, she looked down at the drawer to find the seal.

However, her attention was drawn to a delicate red and white combination padlock locked to the drawer. Xu Jin Yi froze, staring wide-eyed at the small lock. She wondered whether the game's PC version had a similar combination lock or if her previous Death Notice experience was useless in this VR version.

Frowning, Xu Jin Yi grasped the little lock with her hand and pulled it back. To her relief, the drawer opened without any trouble.

Xu Jin Yi: "......"

The lock was just hanging on the handle! It was locked, but not completely. The person who set the lock had some intelligence but not enough. Xu Jin Yi was left speechless for the first time. However, her attention was soon diverted from the little lock when she discovered that the mahogany drawer did not contain the seal she needed.

The seal of the principal of Dark Virtue University was missing!

In an instant, Xu Jin Yi's mind flashed through countless plot fragments and intrigue. Finally, she looked towards the closed door of the rector's office, her eyes sharpening. However, there was no movement. Was the missing seal a new quest?

'Great, just what I need,' Xu Jin Yi thought, feeling like she was about to die from frustration. She slammed the drawer shut and looked at the lengthy application that had been sprawled out, determined not to let it go to waste.

Remembering that Vice Principal Little Zhou, her helpful and amiable assistant, was studying in the library, Xu Jin Yi decided to visit her.

Xu Jin Yi was in a bit of a predicament and thought of seeking help from the vice-principal. So, she grabbed the application form and made her way down to the library study area, feeling pleased with the plan.

The library in the laboratory building occupied the fourth and fifth floors, so Xu Jin Yi made her way to the fifth floor to find Little Zhou. As she stood in the long, winding corridor, she peered through the grey-tinted glass windows of the library, glimpsing at the rows of bookshelves and the ethereal NPCs studying inside. But the glass wasn't entirely transparent, and she couldn't be sure if Little Zhou was there.

She pondered whether to enter and look for her, but before she could decide, a ghostly voice spoke from behind her: "Excuse me, Senior, may I ask what you're doing?"

Xu Jin Yi: "......"

She turned her head and saw the student she had been hoping to find - Little Zhou. The other student still held her textbook, with a black pen clipped to it, as if she had been studying and had just come out for a moment.

The reason for her 'sudden' appearance was the hoodie student.

Xu Jin Yi paused for a moment, then smiled and explained her situation. "I went to the office, but the principal was not there. I wrote an application form, and I was hoping you could help by giving it to the principal and getting it stamped."

Zhou took the thin paper and looked at the large, crooked handwriting sprawled across it for a long moment before speaking. "Senior, you have more time than I do."

Xu Jin Yi replied with a sense of duty, "I have devoted my youth to Dark Virtue University!"

She still had to shoot the admissions promotional video. How could she have time to find the non-existent headmaster?

"I believe you, Little Zhou! After all, you're the most reliable vice principal on our Dark Virtue University student council," Xu Jin Yi uttered with ease, flaunting her gift for words.

However, Little Zhou, who was usually dependable, now felt like throwing the application at the hoodie-wearing student's head to snap him out of his daze. In the end, it was the last bit of sanity she had left that stopped her from entertaining such disrespectful thoughts about her seniors.

Little Zhou held the application with a sullen gaze for a long time before reluctantly agreeing to it. She shot a disgruntled look at the hoodie-wearing student in front of her, almost wanting to write "hurry up and go" in bold letters on his face.

Xu Jin Yi couldn't care less about Little Zhou's feelings. To her, if she genuinely cared, how could she have managed to get all achievements of Death Notice?

So she pretended not to notice Little Zhou's increasingly rigid fake smile and instead craned her neck towards the library's interior with keen interest. "Is this where you were studying, Little Zhou? Well, I have nothing better to do, so I'll come and enjoy the library with you," she declared.

With her foot poised to move towards the library, Xu Jin Yi was abruptly halted by a classmate of Little Zhou's who had grabbed her hoodie.

With a stoic expression, Little Zhou looked back at the confused classmate and said, "Senior, I'm studying on the fourth floor." With those words, Little Zhou let go of Xu Jin Yi's hoodie and headed to the stairs.

Xu Jin Yi raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as Little Zhou walked away, heading down the stairwell. 'If you were studying on the fourth floor, why did you come to the fifth floor to find me? Was it some kind of telepathy?" she wondered.

Despite her confusion, Xu Jin Yi's curiosity was piqued as she watched Little Zhou disappear down the stairs and out of sight. She cast a brief glance at the grey-tinted glass of the fifth-floor library and made up her mind to pursue her classmate.

**

The library on the fourth floor bore a striking resemblance to the fifth-floor library, with the exception of a vending machine placed in the corner of the interior. The machine dispensed classic functional drinks often consumed by the PC side to restore their health points (HP). However, Xu Jin Yi, who was already in good health, wasn't particularly interested in them.

Compared to the fifth-floor study area, which multiple ghost students haunted, the fourth-floor study area was relatively calm, with just one "ghost" in the form of Little Zhou. Xu Jin Yi followed her classmate to a study table and watched as she sat down and began to read, saying nothing.

Xu Jin Yi had expected some kind of drama or excitement to unfold, but she found herself bored and disinterested. She followed Little Zhou with great enthusiasm, only to sit idly by, with nothing to do but watch her classmate study.

Once Little Zhou had settled into her study session, she remained focused and paid no attention to Xu Jin Yi. Trapped in the library's quiet, Xu Jin Yi had no choice but to occupy herself with her mobile phone, unable to speak or make any noise.

The library's lighting was dim and grey, casting a gloomy atmosphere. Not so old as the flashing frequency of the paper man's shop, but not much brighter either. Xu Jin Yi knew that it was a characteristic of the library, but it didn't stop her from planning to complain about it during the day. She felt that it was not in line with the standards of Dark Virtue University and that it needed to be rectified.

After spending an indeterminate amount of time fiddling with her phone, Little Zhou finally closed her textbook and got up to leave. "I'm heading back to the dorm, senior. Goodbye," she said.

Xu Jin Yi looked up in confusion. "What? You're leaving already?"

Little Zhou said, "Senior, it's already one in the morning."

Little Zhou continued seeing the dumbfounded expression on Xu Jin Yi's face, "I came from the study just now and informed the hostess aunt about my lateness, senior."

Xu Jin Yi replied, "Don't worry about it, I'm sleeping in the library tonight."

Not only was there a curfew in place, but Xu Jin Yi wasn't even assigned a dormitory. Although she never stayed in the dormitory obediently in the game, she still had suitcases and needed a place to store them.

And now, Teacher Sophora owes her a dormitory!

Little Zhou left the library while Xu Jin Yi sat on a bench in the study area, letting out a yawn. There was no need to rush, so she saved her game progress before removing her VR glasses.

**

Outside the window, darkness had fallen.

Xu Jin Yi touched her phone on the coffee table, and upon opening it, she saw that it was 1:30. "Good lord," she muttered to herself, "it's like Death Notice has made me play obsessively!"

The living room was silent, and Xu Jin Yi got up, fumbling to turn on the bathroom light switch. As she looked into the mirror, she saw a girl with a pale and haggard appearance staring back at her. It was probably due to the sudden disruption in her biological clock after a long period of healthy rest that the after-effects of staying up late were so apparent.

Despite her haggard face, Xu Jin Yi's spirits were still high. Warm water poured down from the tap, wetting her fingers. She washed her face, but she looked even more worn out in the mirror.

Xu Jin Yi: "......"

'Sleep, sleep,' she thought, 'if you don't get some rest now, you'll be a mess tomorrow at dinner. With my current state, people might mistake me for a zombie from the end of the world!'

Within a few moments, Xu Jin Yi had packed up and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes.

"............"

But sleep eluded her.

At three in the morning, Xu Jin Yi lay on her bed with her eyes open, feeling restless. She realized that even if she fell asleep now, she would probably still have nightmares.

Since it was already early in the morning, she couldn't sleep anyway. She might as well do something else instead. Xu Jin Yi made up her mind and catapulted herself out of bed, heading straight for the living room.

"Let's play some games first!" she decided.

**

Once again, Xu Jin Yi returned to the library, getting up from her seat and heading downstairs. She had nothing else to do, so she figured she might as well indulge in a little "nighttime visit to Dark Virtue University" action.

As she exited the lab building and stood still, she wondered if she should try playing the VR version of the game with some friends. After considering it for a moment, she pulled out her phone and searched for her only contact.

A clear and pleasant phone ring broke the silent clearing, and after about thirty seconds, someone finally picked up on the other end. "Silent student, if I may remind you, it's Ling, morning, two o'clock!" Teacher Sophora's voice dripped with resentment, and there was a slight crackling sound on the other end of the line, likely the ghostly face's sharp teeth stirring.

Xu Jin Yi spoke quickly, trying to ignore the interruption. "Teacher Sophora, did you forget something?"

"Sh! What! Something!" came the sharp reply.

"Teacher Sophora, please don't be angry. Do you remember who was responsible for arranging my dormitory?" Xu Jin Yi asked in a calm tone.

The ghostly visage on the other end of the line fell silent for a moment before responding with a laugh. "Ah ha ha ha, good evening, my student Silence. As for your dormitory, didn't the teacher mention it to you earlier today?"

"No~."

The ghostly face scowled, but its tone softened. "I see. Well, I did arrange for you to stay in Shen's dormitory. You do remember, the boy from this morning, right?"

Xu Jin Yi understood. The dormitory assignments for the PC side of Death Notice were randomized, but this time she had been placed in Shen Jia's room. The ghostly figure on the other end of the line did not want to see her more than needed but rather hoped that Shen Jia and his roommates could assist Xu Jin Yi in acclimating to her new living quarters.

Xu Jin Yi chuckled softly. "Certainly, Teacher Sophora."

"But, I'm currently outside and it's past curfew, so I don't dare to return to the dormitory. What should I do?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

There was a sinister laugh from the other end of the phone. "I'll speak to the dormitory supervisor. It should be alright for you to return and get some rest."

With that, the ghostly voice abruptly ended the call.

**

In the wee hours of the morning, Xu Qin rose groggily from his bed in the 412 dormitories of the 3rd male dormitory, stumbling towards the bathroom. As he returned to his bed, he was startled by a sudden yet gentle knocking at the door.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Though the knocking was not particularly loud, it was insistent enough to rouse Xu Qin's curiosity. Shen Jia and Peng Jia Lang were still sound asleep, completely unaware of the disturbance.

Xu Qin hesitated, but the knocking outside the door abruptly ceased. After what felt like an eternity, he convinced himself that he had imagined the whole thing and was about to settle back into bed when the knocking resumed, even louder than before.

The dormitory was soon filled with restless knock echoes, and Shen Jia emerged from his bunk, still half-asleep, and asked in confusion, "What's going on? What's that noise?"

Xu Qin replied hushedly, "It sounds like something is knocking at the door."

This woke Shen Jia up wholly.

As the knocking grew more forceful, even Peng Jia Lang, fast asleep, was awakened by the commotion. The three roommates exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do next.

"Let me check the peephole," Xu Qin suggested, to which Shen Jia replied hesitantly, "Hmm... okay. Just be careful, alright?"

"Got it," Xu Qin replied as he tiptoed towards the door. However, as he reached for the peephole, the knocking abruptly ceased. Taking a deep breath, he slowly approached the peephole, only to find nothing outside the door. Puzzled, he turned to Shen Jia and reported, "There doesn't seem to be anything outside..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a strong but pallid hand reached in through the window beside the door and yanked it open with a loud creak. Xu Qin's heart leapt into his throat, and he instinctively grabbed an object beside him for protection. As the window swung open, the trio caught a glimpse of a flash of bright pink.

"Good evening, junior~" a voice called out through the open window. "Interested in exploring Dark Virtue University with me at night~?" Hoodie, with a mobile phone in hand, peeked through the window. The phone screen displayed a crudely drawn dog's head holding a rose. Its brightness was up to the maximum.

——— Translator's Notes ———

*“被放鸽子”、“放别人鸽子”

Breaking appointments is also known as "releasing pigeons". According to legend, communication was underdeveloped in ancient times, there was no QQ or WeChat, and the only way to communicate was by flying pigeons to send letters. One day, the two agreed to trust each other at that time, but one of them only released the pigeons and did not write a letter, and the other said why you only released the pigeons and did not fulfill your promise. So there is a saying of "letting the pigeons go".

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