That Horse Wearing a Rose...

Watching Yin Kuang walk away, Zeng Fei and Wei Ming couldn't help but exchange glances, then shook their heads in helpless confusion. Li Shuangmu merely frowned and paid it no mind. Wang Ning, however, offered a subtle smile; he could roughly guess what had Yin Kuang so agitated.

"Sigh! Lifespan, lifespan. Am I any different? How on earth does that damned Headmaster calculate this? Why on earth do I, Wang Ning, only have 27 years of lifespan?!"

Wang Ning grabbed his own hair in frustration, his mood inevitably turning sour.

Truth be told, Wang Ning didn't believe for a second that the "lifespan" attribute set by the Headmaster was for their benefit, to let them live a few more times. On the contrary, in Wang Ning's view, the setting of the "lifespan" attribute fully demonstrated the Headmaster's malice and cruelty!

Why? Why are people sometimes not afraid of death? It is because everyone, especially young people, never dwells on the word "death," nor do they believe they will die anytime soon, so they don't worry about the issue of death at all. But now it's different. Everyone clearly knows their own "lifespan," and every time they die, that lifespan is reduced... Just think about it, that desperate feeling of watching your lifespan dwindle and death drawing ever closer...

It is enough to drive a person insane!!

"Lifespan" is a wolf chasing at your heels. If you don't want to be eaten by the wolf, you must run for your life, flee with everything you have—yet no matter how you run or how you flee, the moment you look back, you find that the vicious wolf is getting closer and closer... As long as you show even a hint of slack, the next moment, you will... die!!

"Hey!" A hand slapped onto Wang Ning's shoulder.

"Ah!!"

Drenched in a cold sweat, Wang Ning jumped away, his left hand instinctively pulling out a blade, ready to slash at the throat of the person who had touched him.

Zeng Fei was startled and quickly asked, "Wang Ning, why are you... sweating so much?"

Wang Ning felt a surge of secret resentment but was helpless to act on it, so he rolled his eyes at Zeng Fei and hissed, "You scared the hell out of me! Do you know that people can be scared to death by other people?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry. I didn't know you were deep in thought. I just saw you covered in sweat and thought something had happened to you."

"...Sigh, I was scared by the exchange prices at the Headmaster's place," Wang Ning said. "Look at those things, are they even meant for humans to exchange? Look at this, Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, it costs a damn 5,000 credits and 1 B-rank evaluation, and you have to comprehend it yourself? And this, the cultivation technique Tao Te Ching is even more insane—20,000 credits and 1 S-rank evaluation. How do I remember the Tao Te Ching outside only costing 5 bucks a copy?!"

As he spoke, as if to vent his anger, Wang Ning slammed the table hard. "In my opinion, the Headmaster is clearly trying to get us killed. Isn't this just playing with us?"

Zeng Fei felt the same way and said, "You're telling me. I just looked at a mecha from Mobile Suit Gundam; it was incredibly cool, but that exchange price... sigh, forget it, the more I talk about it, the more I crave it."

"Right, what did you want with me?" Wang Ning asked.

Zeng Fei wore a bitter expression again and said, "Remember the 'Mary's Blood' from our hidden mission?"

"Yeah, that miraculous blood that can increase the success rate of T-Virus enhancement. What about it?"

Zeng Fei said, "I just checked, and sure enough, there is a T-Virus exchange. You wouldn't believe it, it's divided into five tiers, with success rates of 10%, 15%, all the way up to 39%—it doesn't even go over 40%—and the price doubles with every tier. But the 10% tier costs a full 1,000 credits and 2 F-rank plots. Damn, no wonder the teaching assistant said the Entrance Exam rewards were very generous. Calculated this way, they really are generous, aren't they?"

Wang Ning also put on a distressed look, feeling indignant. "I knew it, T-Virus enhancement is not meant for us. Doesn't that mean we did that hidden mission for nothing!!"

"However, it seems we can trade 'Mary's Blood' to the Headmaster for 2,000 credits and 1 E-rank plot," Zeng Fei added. "It's a small consolation, I suppose. Heh."

"We can actually do that?" Wang Ning's eyes lit up.

He had two vials of "Mary's Blood." If he used one to inject the T-Virus, he would still have one left—provided, of course, he didn't hit that 25% failure rate. Otherwise, he'd be in a miserable spot and would have to use the other vial to neutralize the T-Virus.

"Yeah. I just wanted to tell you. After all this trouble, I guess there's some gain and some loss. I'm heading off. Anyway, the teaching assistant said not to exchange for enhancements for now, and I assume he has his reasons. Since there's nothing else to do, I'm going to go find where the dorms are. Heh, maybe we'll even be roommates."

With that, Zeng Fei waved his hand and left.

"Roommates... I'd rather live alone for the sake of peace and quiet," Wang Ning muttered to himself.

Glancing at Li Shuangmu not far away, Wang Ning thought for a moment, stood up, and left the classroom.

Rushing out of the classroom in a fit of frustration, Yin Kuang stomped down the stairs. It wasn't until he reached the first floor and looked at the eerily quiet campus under the dark red sky that he suddenly realized—this was no longer his old school.

Habit had taken over, and he had subconsciously treated this place like his old high school campus.

Accustomed to the green trees, red flowers, blue skies, and white clouds of his former school, he found it impossible to reconcile the gloomy, sinister tones before him with the memories or the atmosphere implied by the word "campus."

The contrast was simply too immense!

"I suddenly feel that compared to this place, my old school really was heaven."

Looking at the dark clouds in the sky that seemed frozen in place, the dark red glow, the sinister and dark trees near and far, and a pitch-black pond not far away, Yin Kuang suddenly sighed with emotion.

"Is this a campus?"

From this moment on, this question was carved into Yin Kuang's heart, and even the wild winds of time could not weather it away...

In the end, Yin Kuang could only take a deep breath and let it out heavily. "Adapt to this place... since I'm here, I'll adapt... I'll work hard, just like I worked hard at my studies before. Get good grades, get that 'Graduation Certificate' as soon as possible, and then go back safely... go back..."

Clenching his fists, Yin Kuang stepped forward and began to walk.

Although this was indeed his first time here, it was very strange; he felt as if he were very, very familiar with this place, yet it was also completely alien. It was a strange, contradictory feeling.

It was as if Yin Kuang knew the black water lake nearby was called "Spirit Cleansing Lake," yet he didn't know why it was called that; he knew those black trees were called "Shadow Phoenix Trees," and the faint blue fruits on them weren't actually fruits, but the "eyes" of the "Shadow Phoenix Trees"; the teaching building behind him was called the "Soul Slaughter Building," also known as "Slaughterhouse No. 13," located in District 1—a terrifying and bizarre name.

And that dark red building in the distance, vaguely visible like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, seemed to be the "Library," located in District 4...

Looking around, every building, every strange name, every strange shape—Yin Kuang felt he wasn't unfamiliar with any of it. Although he only knew the names and not their specific functions, it seemed that, just as the teaching assistant Xiong Ba had said, the omnipotent "Headmaster" had directly implanted the relevant information into their memories.

It was simply too miraculous!

However, as he walked, Yin Kuang's heart began to tighten.

It wasn't because he was lost, nor was he frightened by the scene before him. It was because, after walking such a long distance, he could no longer see "Slaughterhouse No. 13" when he looked back. He had passed the "Spirit Cleansing Lake," circled around the "Shadow Phoenix Tree" forest, and crossed the "Black Fire Garden," only to discover that in the entire vast campus, there wasn't a single person!?

That's right, other than himself, Yin Kuang hadn't seen a single soul.

It was as if, between heaven and earth, he was the only human being in existence...

Suddenly struck by this thought, Yin Kuang felt an inexplicable panic.

"Hey! Is anyone there?!"

Yin Kuang shouted tentatively, but his voice seemed to vanish before it could travel very far.

"Hey!! Is there anyone?!"

Yin Kuang shouted again, louder this time. Yet, just like before, even though he put more force into his voice, it still failed to carry—Yin Kuang had the distinct feeling that something was suppressing his sound; no matter how loud he yelled, he couldn't project it outward.

Although Yin Kuang knew his "dormitory" was just ahead in the "Dormitory Building 33," that knowledge provided him with absolutely no sense of security.

This wasn't a matter of psychological fortitude. While Yin Kuang was resilient and clever, suppressing his fear and unease for a short while wasn't difficult. But as time dragged on, he couldn't keep it up.

Back in Resident Evil 2, he had suppressed the terror of killing by using self-suggestions like, "The danger is right behind you, you have no time to be afraid," and "Wang Ning is right beside you, stay calm!" But there was no denying that once he truly relaxed his nerves, the memories of those scenes would come flooding back like a tide.

Now, in this eerie, empty, dimly blood-red, and deathly quiet place, he couldn't help but recall the "Entrance Exam" and the hollow, soulless eyes of that man who wanted to die... Yin Kuang's composure gradually, bit by bit, began to crumble.

This place was practically a scene out of a nightmare!

Loneliness and solitude are the most potent poisons in the world, the most terrifying of nightmares!

"Calm down! Yin Kuang, you have to calm down!! Deep breaths, deep breaths... In—out—in—out, there's nothing to be afraid of... You're almost at the dorm, almost there!"

Muttering to himself, Yin Kuang quickened his pace, head down, hurrying forward in a somewhat panicked, aimless scramble.

Whether it was because he was moving too fast or something else, Yin Kuang suddenly felt himself trip over something. It felt furry, yet hard as steel—of course, none of that mattered; what mattered was that Yin Kuang had fallen again!

This fall... am I going to fall back into the past?

In the instant he tumbled, this thought flashed through his mind for no reason.

"Thud!"

And then, Yin Kuang slammed into the ground.

Although there was black grass cushioning the earth, there were also stones of all sizes hidden within, so naturally, Yin Kuang had to endure a moment of sharp pain.

But before he could scramble back up, a massive shadow loomed over him.

At the same time, a blast of hot, fishy stench sprayed onto Yin Kuang's face.

"Hey, kid, are you blind? Walking without looking at the ground, daring to step on this Great One's tail—are you looking to die?"

The voice was rough, like that of a wild beast. Even without intentionally raising its volume, it still made Yin Kuang's chest feel tight and his breathing labored.

Yin Kuang was struck with horror. He slowly raised his head to see a massive wolf head, easily the size of a car, with eyes as large as lanterns hung during the New Year, and rows of jagged, interlocking teeth bared at him.

That hot, fishy stench was being exhaled from two nostrils that looked like black holes.

A giant wolf, and a pure white one at that.

Its snow-white fur was incredibly conspicuous in this environment, though for some reason, it had been lying behind a cluster of low, black trees, doing who knows what.

The strangest thing was that this giant white wolf was wearing a wreath of roses around its ear?!

"Hey! Kid!!"

Seeing Yin Kuang just staring blankly at him without saying a word, the giant white wolf spoke in human tongue, "You little rookie, did your teaching assistant not teach you to be polite to your seniors? Tell me who your teaching assistant is! This Great One is going to teach them how to be a proper assistant!"

"Ah?!" Yin Kuang scrambled to his feet. "You... you..."

"...Forget it." The white wolf suddenly said, "Seeing as you were scared silly by this Great One's heroic posture, I won't make things difficult for you. You, help me take this wreath off my ear, and I'll spare you."

Yin Kuang couldn't quite wrap his head around it, but one thing was clear: this giant wolf considered itself a "senior"!

And according to the teaching assistant, "Senior = untouchable."

So, Yin Kuang nodded hurriedly.

The problem was, the giant wolf's head was so large that, given Yin Kuang's height, he couldn't reach it at all.

"Um... Senior, could you lower your head a bit... it's too high."

The white wolf huffed a few times. "Damn it! To think this Great One has to lower his head for a little sprout like you—damn it, I'll take the loss this time! Next time... you lot just wait, next time I'll definitely finish you off! Making me run around the school wearing a rose wreath, and in wolf form, no less! Hmph, I can't do it myself, so I can't ask someone else to take it off?"

He didn't know what the wolf was grumbling about, but regardless, it lowered its arrogant head and tilted the side with the rose wreath toward Yin Kuang. "Hey, kid, be careful. There's a 'spell' on this wreath. Throw it away as soon as you take it off; don't think it's a toy."

"Ah!? Oh..."

A spell? So what if there was a spell? Yin Kuang still had to obediently take it off.

Otherwise, who knew what would happen if he offended a "senior"?