Got into... University!?

Yin Kuang had been accepted into university—the nationally renowned Jingxia University!

Even deep within the mountains where communication was notoriously poor, this news relied on word-of-mouth to cross the rugged terrain in a remarkably short time, spreading to every corner of Liulong Village. From the elders leaning on their canes to the toddlers just learning to babble, everyone knew of this joyous event.

Truly, the ancestors had accumulated merit and blessings! Truly, the Divine Dragon had manifested its spirit! Liulong Village had actually produced a real, bona fide top scholar!

Suddenly, something called "joy" swirled over the sky of Liulong Village—just like the persistent legend: a miraculous Divine Dragon circling above the mountains, shielding and protecting the people within.

Before long, a bright red EMS package, emblazoned with the athletic figure of a hurdle champion, was delivered into the hands of the village's top scholar, Yin Kuang.

The surroundings were filled with the deafening sound of gongs, drums, and boisterous celebration.

"Pop—pop-pop-pop—"

Two five-thousand-count strings of firecrackers detonated in the courtyard before Yin Kuang's house. Red paper rained through the sky, and wisps of white smoke shrouded Yin Kuang's still-youthful, bewildered expression, his thin frame flickering in and out of the haze.

"He really is a Star of Literature descended to earth!"

The Yin Clan's eldest and most senior member, Second Great-Uncle, stroked his sparse, graying goatee, his face blooming into a smile like a chrysanthemum. "That little fish-child who was only this big back then has really made something of himself today."

"Who's to say he hasn't?"

"Exactly..."

No one was more delighted, moved, or excited than Yin Kuang's parents.

Upon hearing the news of his son's success, Father Yin had abandoned his hoe mid-meal, tossed it aside, and grabbed Mother Yin—who was still covered in the mud of the fields—by the hand. With wind at his heels, he scrambled over Dragon Ridge Mountain to return home. He had wailed and hollered in a frenzy, completely shedding his usual image of a stern father. At this moment, he was even more high-spirited; not only had he changed into the clothes he usually reserved for the Lunar New Year, but he had also broken precedent by snatching hair wax from their neighbor, Yin Facai, to slick down his bird's-nest hair until it shone.

Moving among friends and relatives, Father Yin responded to their congratulations with ease, feeling as if he had suddenly shed twenty years of age.

As for the top scholar Yin Kuang, he was instead forgotten by the people—some excited, some jealous or envious—standing to the side, blankly clutching the bright red EMS package. His bright eyes held no trace of excitement or joy. It was as if the scholar who had been accepted into one of the nation's top universities wasn't him at all.

In his eyes, the hurdle champion's brilliant smile and the festive red EMS packaging looked more detestable the longer he stared at them.

Everyone remained immersed in the joy brought by the college entrance exam results. They set off firecrackers with abandon; once they finished at Yin Kuang's gate, they moved to the village chief's house, then to the ancestral hall, and finally to the graves of Yin Kuang's late grandparents... The crackling of firecrackers continued from noon until eight in the evening, never once ceasing.

Then came the banquet.

Father Yin's proud, hearty laughter echoed throughout the basin where Liulong Village sat, lasting until deep into the night.

When the banquet ended and the guests had departed, Yin Kuang approached his mother. "Mom..."

Yin Kuang seemed to summon immense courage, yet he dared not look at his mother's wrinkled face. Though only in her early forties, Mother Yin already looked like an old woman. Her slightly hunched back was currently supporting not only the drunken Father Yin but the entire household as well.

"He's made it, he's really made it! A top scholar, hahahaha!" Father Yin shouted like a madman.

Mother Yin laboriously laid the drunken Father Yin onto the bed and covered him with a quilt before stroking Yin Kuang's cheek. "My son, good, good..."

Having said only those two words, Mother Yin's dim, yellowing eyes grew moist. Lacking much education, she seemed unable to say anything other than "good." As she spoke, she wiped her face with her apron, seemingly not wanting her son to see her crying.

"Actually..."

"Actually, I don't want to go to university!"

Yin Kuang desperately wanted to say these words. However, when he saw his mother's expression—filled with relief and on the verge of tears—his open mouth could not produce a sound.

He truly did not want to attend university, he really didn't, not even the prestigious North Xia University. The reason was simple and realistic: there was no money!

A family of five, parents farming, three children in school—such expenses had already bent his parents' backs. Now, university tuition would add even more weight to their shoulders, a burden that was heavy, so very heavy.

Yin Kuang loathed schools; he wished he could destroy every single one of them! In his eyes, schools were "skin-flayers," peeling the skin off his family layer by layer! Every payment—tuition, uniform fees, meal costs, dormitory fees—felt to Yin Kuang like his parents' blood being drained and their skin being stripped away. That was why he hated schools!

Yet, he was a filial son. Even though he loathed every school, in order not to let his parents feel sorrow or disappointment, and for the sake of every drop of blood-and-sweat money they paid, he had to study hard—very hard, even harder. Only when he saw his parents' faces light up with smiles at the bright red "100" on his report card did he feel he had a clear conscience.

But this time, Yin Kuang had truly had enough!

The massive cost of university was enough to crush this fragile home, leaving it without a moment to breathe for the rest of its days!

He wanted to say, "I don't want to go to university; I want to go work, and I will cover my sister's tuition."

But... when truly facing his mother's wrinkled face, Yin Kuang could not bring himself to say it. He dared not imagine what his mother would do if he actually said such things. Would she be angry, indifferent, disappointed, or heartbroken? No matter which it was, it was not what Yin Kuang wanted to see—absolutely not!

"What's wrong, son?" Mother Yin asked with concern, seeing him silent and thinking he was unwell.

"No... nothing." Yin Kuang's eyes flickered. "Mom, I want to use the summer break to go to the county and work to earn my tuition."

Mother Yin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, whatever you say. Mom will follow your lead." She knew Yin Kuang was a sensible child with his own ideas, and she knew that since she had never been to school and lacked education, she should naturally defer to her precious son.

"You're tired too, go get some rest. Mom still has to look after your father."

Yin Kuang left his parents' room. But he knew his mother wouldn't be able to rest tonight. His drunken father might jump up and start acting out at any moment, and his mother would have to watch over him all night long.

Two days later, Yin Kuang stood on the peak of Dragon Tail Mountain.

Looking out over Liulong Village, nestled in the basin surrounded by hills, Yin Kuang felt no overwhelming emotion. This was just a habitual action before leaving the village. Then, he pressed his palms together and spoke silently toward Dragon Head Mountain, which vaguely resembled a rising dragon's head: "Liulong... Liulong... if a miraculous Divine Dragon truly exists, please protect my father, my mother, and my sister..."

A gust of wind blew through, swirling in the basin, accompanied by the faint sound of a low roar...

Two months later, Yin Kuang, tanned as black as charcoal by the sun, stood at the gate of North Xia University in the capital of the Republic. The campus, with its gates resembling those of an ancient mansion, red bricks, green tiles, and upturned eaves, seemed to speak of a certain sacred solemnity.

The mighty stone lions on either side were lifelike. At first glance, they seemed merely imposing in form, but for some reason, upon his first look, Yin Kuang felt with absolute clarity that the two stone lions had come to life. Their originally solemn and majestic exteriors turned terrifying and ferocious, their manes bristling upright. They opened their blood-red maws, let out a lion's roar, and lunged toward Yin Kuang...

Their gaping maws revealed pale tongues and deep, dark throats, their sharp teeth glinting with a cold light, as if they were about to swallow him whole!

Ah!!

Yin Kuang screamed in terror, falling backward onto the ground, his whole body trembling, drenched in sweat as if he had been pulled from water, looking utterly disheveled.

At this moment, top scholars from all over the country were gathered outside the gates of North Xia. Many were still immersed in the excitement of being admitted. Others stood with heads held high, faces full of pride and arrogance, preparing to enter this nationally renowned institution.

However, a sudden, terrified scream startled everyone at the school gate. Even the security guards were alarmed, rushing out to investigate what had happened.

But when they saw Yin Kuang sitting slumped under a stone lion, trembling and staring at the statue with a face full of horror, they couldn't help but show expressions of confusion, disdain, mockery, or indifference. Some even whispered and giggled, "Look, there's a country bumpkin over there..."

"What a coward, a grown man afraid of a stone lion..."

"Seriously... how did North Xia University admit someone like this? Making a fool of himself at the gate on the very first day, how embarrassing..."

"Forget it, watch your tongue. What does it have to do with us?"

"..."

As expected of security guards at a prestigious university—and men who had recently retired from a special forces unit—Gang Ge pushed through the crowd and helped Yin Kuang up. "Student, are you alright? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Yin Kuang knew he had made a massive fool of himself and had no desire to linger at the gate. He shook his head and said, "Thank you, I'm fine." Then, not daring to look at the stone lions or the other students, he lowered his head and rushed toward the entrance of North Xia.

"Wait a second!"

Just as he was about to step through the gate, someone stepped out and blocked his path. "This student, I doubt whether you are actually a student admitted to North Xia this year. After all, every year many people try to sneak in during the freshman intake, using various methods to deceive inexperienced students. To ensure the safety of our students' property, we do not allow those with ulterior motives to slip into the campus. This is the duty of the Discipline Committee, so please cooperate. Show me your admission letter."

The boy's voice was loud, and many people nearby heard him. Immediately, the crowd began to whisper, casting strange looks at Yin Kuang.

Yin Kuang felt his blood boil.

The tall, handsome boy before him might truly be doing his job, preventing suspicious individuals from entering the campus by checking his admission letter. However, the condescending posture he took, looking at Yin Kuang as if he were a criminal, truly stung Yin Kuang's pride!

Yin Kuang had never been one to be bullied. A child from a mountain village might possess the diligence and simplicity of mountain folk, but he also lacked none of the wildness and unyielding spirit the mountains had instilled in him. Thus, Yin Kuang never looked for trouble, but he was never afraid of it either.

He glared bitterly at the tall, handsome boy, hiding his deep-seated inferiority within his heart while his eyes swept over the boy's name tag, memorizing it.

Gu Zeji.

His hands, however, did not falter. He pulled a beautifully mounted card, which exuded a rich scholarly scent, from his old backpack and slapped it against the handsome boy's chest.

Faced with Yin Kuang's attitude, Gu Zeji frowned tightly. He opened the admission letter, examined every detail meticulously, and even called the admissions office to verify it before finally returning it to Yin Kuang. "Student Yin, welcome to North Xia University. I hope you enjoy your studies and life here."

Yin Kuang took the admission letter, ignored Gu Zeji's slightly narrowed eyes, and walked past him.

He reached the gate, lifted his foot, and stepped over the threshold of North Xia...

Yet, eerily, the foot that had already crossed the threshold inexplicably tripped over the doorframe. Yin Kuang's frail body lost its balance and pitched forward!

The next moment, Yin Kuang's vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

He did not know how much time had passed before Yin Kuang slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he did upon waking wasn't to wonder what had happened or why he had fainted; he hurriedly felt his chest. Only when he felt the object tucked into the inner layer of his clothes did he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness!"

That was money earned through two months of grueling labor, along with all his savings from the past few years—a total of 15,000 yuan. To Yin Kuang, this money was more than just tuition and living expenses; in a sense, it was even more important than his life. It was the proof of his independence, a testament that he no longer needed to rely on his family and could support himself, and perhaps even earn tuition for his two younger sisters.

Therefore, the symbolic meaning of this money far outweighed its purchasing power.

After confirming his money was still there, Yin Kuang began to ponder his situation, slowly rising to his feet to look around.

One look was all it took for Yin Kuang's eyes to widen in shock and disbelief.

What did he see?!

He saw many people—a great many people.

Of course, a large crowd wouldn't be enough to leave him dumbfounded, as the Republic was never short on people; he had seen crowds larger than this before. But the strange thing was that these people were all lying on the ground, unconscious for some unknown reason. Some were prone, some supine, some straight, some curled; some were even lying on top of others. The scene looked like a photo he had seen online where a group of foreigners, protesting a government policy, simply went to a plaza and lay down to express their dissatisfaction.

The scene before him was so similar to that picture!

"What is going on!?"

Yin Kuang's usually active brain stalled for a moment.

He looked at the surrounding environment: the sky was not a clear blue, but an eerie, dark red. Masses of black clouds hung in the air, connected together, and only through certain gaps in the clouds could one see that dark red sky. The black clouds were static; the entire expanse of clouds remained perfectly still, giving the impression of a cold-toned painting—a realistic painting.

Oppressive. It was incredibly oppressive. Both physically and mentally, Yin Kuang felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation that made it hard to breathe.

All around him were buildings, some tall, some short, some cylindrical, some square. These were ordinary modern-style structures, but the peculiarity lay in their color: they were all painted in a uniform dark red. In stark contrast to these dark red buildings were the trees planted around them, which were not the vibrant green of living trees, but a dark, ashen gray. It was as if they weren't trees at all, but clusters of black shadows.

Furthermore, those ashen trees were laden with glowing blue fruits—let's call them fruits. The ghostly blue light flickered on and off, like blinking stars.

Bizarre, eerie, and gloomy!

Yin Kuang felt as if he were in a nightmare. In his experience, such a scene could only exist in a nightmare. He suddenly wanted to pinch himself to see if it hurt.

"Hey, buddy, where is this?"

While Yin Kuang was stunned, others began to wake up one after another. Like Yin Kuang, they were all lost and bewildered. Some screamed in terror, some cried, and some cursed in anger. In an instant, the previously silent playground became noisy.

The person who asked Yin Kuang was someone who had woken up shortly after him.

Yin Kuang looked at him. He was a youth of similar age, equally handsome and tall, dressed in designer clothes, but his expression was relatively sincere—at least not annoying. So, he replied, "I don't know either. I was here as soon as I woke up. Could it be... that this is the 'North Xia University' I was admitted to!?"

The handsome youth's eyes widened. "Here? North Xia!? No, this is definitely not North Xia. I've been there, and it's completely different. Besides, do you think the nationally renowned North Xia would look this gloomy and terrifying?"

"Huh? Why is something so hot!" the youth suddenly exclaimed, hurriedly pulling a card from his pocket. It was an admission letter.

Almost simultaneously, Yin Kuang felt his own hand burn. He picked it up and saw that it was the North Xia admission letter he had been holding—but now, this letter, which had been full of a scholarly aura, had changed. Its main color was now dark red, with eerie patterns traced in black. If not for the words "North Xia University" still on it, he would have thought his letter had been swapped.

"Look, there's writing on it!!" a strange voice suddenly rang out.

"It's true... there's writing! A ghost!!"

Yin Kuang was horrified. He opened the admission letter and saw a scene that made his hair stand on end.

A flame ignited on the letter, and the dancing fire began to move across the paper, burning a scorched trail that read—

Welcome to, Horror High School!