Even the Thief Can Live, but Wang Long Must Die

Before they knew it, the group had reached the office for their class.

Even with Wang Long's assurance, taking a route different from the guide made the others' hearts tighten almost imperceptibly.

Just as Wang Long put his hand on the doorknob, the hallway lights abruptly went out. The girl at the back let out a startled cry, then clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she had done.

She cautiously turned toward the classroom. In the darkness, an indistinct figure stood in the doorway, staring intently at them. A bolt of lightning struck immediately afterward, and through the window, she saw every student in the classroom put down their books and stare straight back at her.

"What's that..." The girl's eyes widened, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.

Before she could finish, a cold wind swept past, carrying a faint, sinister laugh. Eyes inside the classroom were watching them.

Lightning repeatedly streaked across the sky, casting the entire school building in flickering light and darkness. In the shifting shadows, the blurry figure in the doorway looked increasingly eerie.

"No, I'm not following you anymore." The girl left the group and ran toward the entrance to her classroom.

She placed greater trust in the existing guide and didn't want to take part in this risky venture.

As before, Wang Long did nothing to stop her. He pushed the office door open.

Three teachers were seated inside. The office was cramped and couldn't possibly accommodate so many people at once.

Through the gaps between the people ahead of him, Fan Daoyi saw what the three teachers looked like: middle-aged, bald, and sporting beer bellies, they looked like textbook deans of discipline.

"Oh, classmate." Wang Long turned around.

Because of the surveillance cameras, he was still doing his best to squeeze out a seemingly friendly smile. His gaze settled pointedly on Fan Daoyi and the taciturn thief beside him. "There isn't room for too many people inside. How about you two wait outside for a bit?"

Fan Daoyi acted as if he hadn't heard. He stood there quietly, his gaze still resting on the three teachers in the office, his thoughts wandering.

Seeing Fan Daoyi remain silent, Wang Long grew increasingly displeased. He raised his voice and repeated himself. "Classmate, this won't take long. Just wait outside for a bit."

He then brought the other students into it, using them to help fan the flames against Fan Daoyi. "If you don't give us an answer, the rest of us can't just keep standing out here."

"Then why should I be the one to wait outside?" Fan Daoyi withdrew his gaze, an almost imperceptible smile curving his lips. "Or do you have a problem with me, Young Master Wang? Are you deliberately targeting me?"

Wang Long looked around for a surveillance camera, but found none. He could only keep up the act. "Of course not. Other classmates can wait outside too."

Once again, he directed the conflict at Fan Daoyi, trying to make him the target of everyone's criticism.

With the hallway so dark and eerie, no one wanted to wait outside, so they all joined Wang Long in trying to persuade Fan Daoyi.

"Classmate, Young Master Wang said it would only be a little while. We'll come straight back out once we're done."

"Yeah, yeah. If you can't wait, you can go back to class first."

The students chimed in, as if Fan Daoyi would be some heinous villain if he refused.

"There are ten minutes left before the first evening self-study period ends." Fan Daoyi seemed to give way. "I'll wait outside for news from you."

As soon as Fan Daoyi finished speaking, relief appeared on the students' faces. A trace of smugness entered Wang Long's eyes. He believed he had won this contest.

He led the students into the office, and with a bang, the door slammed shut.

"Strange. No matter how I think about it, it's strange. Why were they male teachers?" Leaning against the wall, he folded his arms across his chest, gripping his bamboo staff, and tilted his head slightly as he recalled the scene in puzzlement. "And after the door opened, those three only looked away once they saw Wang Long. They didn't step forward and demand to know why he was late, the way they were programmed to."

In this game, the principal was the one and only NPC with self-awareness. All the other NPCs were programs set according to the story template.

They would only follow the plot obediently and didn't know how to adapt at all. Only when they encountered players in different settings would different plot scenarios play out.

For example, in the current scene, a late student who encountered a teacher would be directly questioned, making it harder to get through by using sophistry.

But...

With his back against the wall, he listened closely. Rustling sounds came from inside.

The Wang family... the principal's instructions... get it done...?

The reality was vastly different from the expected plot. Clearly, the only possibility was that the principal had altered the NPCs' programming.

He had told those guys to modify the game's content and difficulty, but he hadn't told them to change the backstory or the core of the story.

Judging by the conversation inside, they had also programmed the NPCs to be on good terms with Wang Long.

Great. They'd opened a back door for someone, and now they'd brought it right in front of him.

His gaze shifted to the silent thief.

Even the thief could live, but Wang Long had to die!

In the dim corner of the hallway, Fan Daoyi slowly stepped forward and approached the thief of his own accord. He extended a hand into the thief's downcast field of vision, pressed his thumb and middle finger together, and snapped them with a crisp sound.

In that instant, an invisible force seemed to ripple through the air. As the snap faded, the unseen red thread at the back of the thief's neck quietly snapped.

"Jiang Lin, do you want to escape the 'dream'?" Fan Daoyi's suggestive words were spoken in a low voice, carrying an irresistible allure.

The thief, Jiang Lin, froze for a moment, and the bewilderment in his eyes gradually faded. He raised his head and looked at the man before him.

His eyes were still vacant, and his voice was dry and hoarse. "Let... let me go... please..."

Every word carried endless pain and pleading. As far as he knew, he was still trapped in the dream, where he had struggled for a long time.

"You don't have to pay the money back." Fan Daoyi guided him with his words, his voice calm. "But since you have sown this cause, you must repay it with an effect. Of course, that effect can't be too perfunctory."

Jiang Lin's heart trembled violently when he heard this, and countless thoughts surfaced in his mind. Finally, he asked, "What... should I do?"

"Substitute." Fan Daoyi uttered the word without further explanation, leaving Jiang Lin to interpret it himself.

Jiang Lin stared blankly at Fan Daoyi, turning the word over and over in his mind.

Substitute? Substitute what? All sorts of possibilities flashed through his mind, but he could never settle on an answer.

Just then, the tightly shut office door suddenly gave a faint creak and reopened.

Every player who came out was smiling, their words full of admiration for Wang Long.

Wang Long stood in the middle of the crowd, wearing a smug smile as he basked in the players' admiration. He didn't forget to shoot Fan Daoyi a provocative glance.

But his action enlightened Jiang Lin, who had been struggling over the word "substitute."

If Jiang Lin had stolen the money out of greed, then wasn't this guy arrogant?

Substitute, substitute... greed and arrogance—that would be an effect that wasn't perfunctory!

His feverish gaze fixed directly on Wang Long.

Hahahaha, that's right, it's him, it's him! He can repay it in my place, he can enter the dream for me! As long as I do that, I can escape the countless nightmares!

An uncontrollable smile of excitement spread across Jiang Lin's face. His chest heaved violently, and his heart beat faster and faster, as though it would burst through his ribs.

Fan Daoyi stood to one side, quietly observing Jiang Lin's turbulent emotions, like a chess player in control of the entire board.

Look, it's this easy to make the two targets fight each other. All it takes is one little hint.

This was only a game, a chess match he had carefully planned. He only needed to nudge a piece gently to turn the two targets against each other.

The corners of Fan Daoyi's lips lifted slightly in response to Wang Long's provocation.

He knew the game had only just begun, and he would decide how it ended.

He hoped they would enjoy themselves.