Transfer Students

On the second day after arriving on Dead Silent Island, I went to the "school" mentioned on the data card. This decision might be too bold, but since I found a way to retrieve the offerings from the art gallery instance, I definitely had to go and see this huge building, the "school," which was right in front of me and so close at hand, as soon as possible.

"Because the buildings on the island aren't arranged from the periphery to the center according to difficulty, those dungeons generally don't require high combat strength. In the art gallery dungeon, the final wave of monsters can be avoided in advance through analysis. I think the so-called large-scale building dungeons are at most a bit longer and the puzzles a bit more difficult, but there won't be any deaths due to illness."

Before they could exchange more than a few words on the way, they were all convinced by Yu Xing's twisted logic... no, it was his genuine suggestion.

Building an advantage in the early stages is the most important thing. Moreover, this architectural style is very suitable for Zhao Mou and Wen Qinghuai. There is no place more suitable for them to perform than the school.

Secondly, workplaces and detective agencies are also possibilities.

As for the remaining Yu Xing, Zhao Yijiu, Qu Xuanqing, they still have something to rely on, so they can be carefree.

Soon, they followed the path that Qu Xuanqing and Huang Bai had taken the night before, because although they had stumbled upon the location of the school, they did not know where to enter the school.

Therefore, based on that alley and the location of the gate you saw at the time, you need to wander around the buildings on Dead Silent Island a bit more, even if it takes half a day, you still have to start the instance legitimately from the gate.

Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu's entry into the art museum midway through was somewhat of a plot hole; it was only because the exhibition was a mixed bag that they didn't get into trouble because of their identities.

Schools are different. That school was clearly a middle school with a fixed student body. It would be quick to notice if a class had an extra student or even if the gatekeeper was different. If Yu Xing hadn't climbed back over the alley wall and had instead wandered in directly, he would probably be reincarnated by now.

"I understand the reasoning, but why not bring in more people?" Qu Xuanqing shook the spinal cane in her hand, her voice low. She walked to the first turning point she had passed yesterday. Following her sense of direction, she should be going this way to get closer to the school.

The group is now walking on the streets of Dead Silent Island. Unlike in the dungeon where they can make a lot of noise, they have to be careful of the wandering ghosts on the road and by the roadside at all times.

Speaking of which, for those who love to roam, the streets of Dead Silent Island might be even scarier than the dungeons, because they've deduced that sound will attract nearby ghosts. Just like in zombie movies, even if they roam freely and dodge one wave of ghosts, the sound they make during their escape will attract another.

This leads to a less-than-pleasant vicious cycle.

Furthermore, the monsters outside the dungeon buildings will attack directly. They have no rules to restrain them, nor are they controlled by any plague NPCs. Therefore, the conclusion that it is safe to avoid exploring the buildings is a mistake. The dangers inside and outside the buildings are just different in type, and it is hard to say which side is simpler.

Yu Xing also lowered her voice. "Speaking of school, what comes to mind?"

Qu Xuanqing subconsciously replied, "Exam."

Heaven help you, even the female demon in the deduction Yugi couldn't escape going to school and taking exams when she was younger.

"I see, I understand now." Wen Qinghuai had the same question, but after hearing Yu Xing's question and Qu Xuanqing's answer, he instantly understood. "The school scenario will likely involve topics like exams and bullying. Putting the latter aside, the fewer participants in the former, the better."

If the rankings are used to determine the survival spots, then a competition where only 10 out of 100 people survive—10 real players competing against 90 NPCs—is definitely better than 50 real players competing against 50 NPCs.

Even if it has nothing to do with exams, in a scenario set in a school, there's no reason why having more people means better results.

"..." Zhao Yijiu's breath hitched. "What will I do if there's an exam?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Xing, Qu Xuanqing, and Wen Qinghuai all looked at him with strange expressions.

"You didn't actually take any exams, did you?" Wen Qinghuai's voice was slightly muffled beneath his mask. As a data-driven and tactical analyst, he had reviewed the information on this unique junior from the Zhao family and knew that the young man had been secretly trained by the Zhao family from a young age... or rather, subjected to a kind of torture-like, hands-off upbringing. Perhaps he really hadn't attended school?

Zhao Mou explained on behalf of his younger brother, "Before he came of age, he rarely left the Zhao family's... that house. Later, I tutored him little by little, until he reached the level of a senior in high school, and then I stopped. After all, I needed to master more information related to deduction and ghosts, and time was of the essence."

The implication is that while they had never attended school, they were not illiterate and had never taken any exams.

"Ha, your family is ruthless, locking a child up from a young age and not letting her see anyone?" Wen Qinghuai exclaimed in surprise. He circled around Zhao Yijiu, whose cheeks were slightly flushed and who seemed a little ashamed about the topic, and said with a hint of amazement, "It's amazing that her personality didn't turn out badly."

Of course, he was only referring to morality and values. As for whether he's grown up crooked, judging from that gloomy, ghostly aura, he's definitely a little crooked...

Zhao Mou said calmly, "That's the main family; we're a branch, so of course we don't have any say. We can only fight for it ourselves."

The conversation became somewhat awkward. Zhao Mou's attitude clearly showed his dissatisfaction with the main family, clearly distinguishing between the main family and his branches, and his hatred for the main family was so undisguised.

Qu Xuanqing was unaware of this connection. She hadn't paid much attention to her teammates' family matters, only knowing that in the past, members of the Zhao family had overestimated themselves and tried to gather information about her through some unscrupulous means, which she had managed to exploit in her simulations to become a cross between them.

Perhaps that person didn't hold any important position in the Zhao family. After that incident, the Zhao family not only didn't blame her for it, but they also treated her with much more respect. That attitude made her, who didn't have much patience and had a rather ruthless personality, even more disgusted with them.

"It's fortunate you're not from the same clan," Qu Xuanqing Xianqing said with a hint of disdain on his handsome face, "Otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been so polite to you."

Zhao Mou: "..." That's fortunate indeed. Tsk, he and his brother were almost about to lose the Great Witch's friendship.

"Ha, same family." Yu Xing repeated with a smile, then met Zhao Mou's gaze meaningfully, "Whether we'll have this same family name in the future is uncertain, isn't it?"

"Who knows?" Zhao Mou shook his head. He had already revealed his ambition to overthrow his family to Yu Xing, but he was still far from achieving it.

Yu Xing then changed the subject. "But seriously, Brother Jiu, you just haven't taken any exams, it's not like you haven't studied high school material. Even if there are exams, it's not a big deal, they're not difficult. You can ask your brother if you don't believe me."

Qu Xuanqing's forehead veins throbbed. She met Yu Xing and Zhu Yan when she was a teenager and learned a lot from them. Later, her biological parents took her to another city. In order not to expose too much, she went to school obediently and pretended to be a good student for several years.

The price she paid was that she studied so hard she went bald just to keep her grades in the upper-middle range of her grade. She felt she wasn't suited for studying.

So many years have passed since she graduated from high school, and her knowledge... has become fragmented, like a corpse that was tried to be properly preserved in a coffin but was still dried out by the wind.

Now, what does Yu Xing mean by using the tone of "learning is not difficult at all" to convey this message to Zhao Mou? Does this 28-year-old man still remember what he learned in school?

Zhao Mou genuinely didn't have this problem. He had always been a good student, and exams were just a few days' appearance on the honor roll. He also had a good memory, and his long-standing study habits had broadened his knowledge base and deepened his understanding of fundamental concepts. However, he was acutely aware of the terrifying gaze emanating from the "big witch" beside him, and his scalp tightened. Nevertheless, he offered Zhao Yijiu a solution. "If things really come to a head, I can give you a last-minute tutoring session, like highlighting the key points. No problem."

Zhao Yijiu reluctantly accepted the plan, and the redness on the tips of his ears gradually faded. He used to not care what others thought of him, but now that he had friends, he began to care a little about his unique growth trajectory.

He glanced at Yu Xing discreetly and found that the other's expression remained unchanged.

That's true, Yu Xing probably isn't someone who cares about these things.

Yu Xing had no idea what he was thinking. If he could hear him, he would probably laugh at himself, since he hadn't even completed a single year of the nine-year compulsory education system.

They explored the route, discussing the possibility of a school replica along the way. Wen Qinghuai listened while drawing his own paper map. Along the way, they took several detours to avoid suddenly appearing ghosts and unexpected dead ends, but firmly headed towards the school gate in the general direction.

Fortunately, there were no strange or special rules about the island's terrain. The school wasn't far from their hotel, and after some wandering, the five of them successfully arrived at the school gate at noon.

There are many dungeon buildings along the way, but they didn't enter them. Dungeon buildings are passive; as long as they don't touch them or actively enter them, the dungeons won't come to them.

"The school looks so empty." Standing at the school gate, the black fence with its medieval style did not block their view of the inside. The school was very British in style, with buildings that were tall and scattered like castles, beautiful and solemn, covered with greenery, and covering a large area. Yu Xing immediately saw the lawn on the far left that connected to the wall of the alley.

The building was beautiful, but from the outside, it was deserted and eerily quiet. Even the dust and cobwebs on the brick walls looked desolate and conspicuous. The small house next to the gate was also empty, and even this place that looked like a guardhouse was deserted. If they wanted to get in, they would probably have to climb over the wall.

"We still need to use a VPN," Zhao Yijiu muttered expressionlessly.

Yu Xing immediately retorted, "That's different. Climbing over walls elsewhere just means the instance hasn't reacted yet, but climbing over the main gate is like striking the brick to open the instance. This is perfectly legitimate."

A building that appears lifeless from the outside will surely come alive again once inside, thanks to the presence of the dungeon.

They began to figure out how to get into the school. Wen Qinghuai searched for the mechanism on the door, wanting to try if there was a special way to awaken the copy. Yu Xing was already considering where to start climbing over the lock, since he didn't have any wire on him to open it.

On the way, he also spotted a large mirror standing next to the school fence from a tricky angle.

Does this mean the experience tester might also come through the mirror? Yu Xing glanced at it and turned away. There was nothing she could do to stop it, so she decided to let nature take its course.

Five minutes later, Wen Qinghuai's eyes lit up. "Come and see, there's something in the crack between the bricks."

He actually found it?

Yu Xing was eager to climb over the wall, couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He and the others went over to look at the brick seams.

The bricks of the school's outer wall are a dark brown, a somber color left by the erosion of time. The grout lines are no longer as clear as when it was first built, and are covered with dust. It's quite remarkable that Wen Qinghuai was able to find a small note inside such a place.

The note was barely visible unless you looked closely. Wen Qinghuai carefully pinched the top of the note with the tip of her fingernail and gently pulled it out little by little.

The very top, like the stone bricks, was stained with a gray color. The further you pulled, the more obvious the white of the paper strip became. Although the paper strip had some pits and bumps, as if it had been squeezed by bricks and gnawed by insects, it unfolded very smoothly when it was fully pulled out.

For a moment, Wen Qinghuai, holding the note, felt it was a little hot to the touch, but the feeling disappeared the next moment. He didn't take it as an illusion, but as proof of activating the copy. The words on the note also corroborated his guess.

On a hot, rainy day, St. Johnis Middle School welcomed five transfer students. No one knew why these students had transferred there so soon after the midterms; everyone was curious.

Wen Qinghuai read the words on it softly: five transfer students, which matched their number exactly.

In a daze, the street's presence became less and less noticeable, the surrounding air gradually rose and became somewhat stuffy, and the sound of rain gradually approached from afar, as if I had been suddenly drawn into this scene.

Yu Xing stood still, his senses of touch, hearing, and sight drawing him into the instance without any warning.

Besides the sound of rain, he could vaguely hear the laughter of strangers. The dilapidated school seemed to be reborn at this moment, as if it had traveled back in time from the distant reality to an unknown past.

During this process, everyone was in a daze. When the daze subsided like the tide, they suddenly realized that there was another person in front of them.

It was a plump gentleman in a suit and a small top hat. He looked at them with a smile and said, "Welcome to St. Johnis Middle School, transfer students."