The Trigger

"How... how could this happen? I thought it would only turn people into zombies. How did it... mutate?" Wang Ning stared, his eyes wide with horror.

Xiong Ba was taken aback for a moment, then accepted it. "This is 'University'! And this is only the simplest 'Entrance Exam' in 'Freshman Year'! There are infinite possibilities, opportunities, and risks in 'University.' Rookies, I hope you've learned a little by now. So I have to kill him! Otherwise, you'd all be willing to bet ten years of your lives on him. If he mutates into a Licker, even I might not be able to handle him."

As he spoke, he raised his gun to shoot Wei Ming.

"Don't!" Yin Kuang gripped Xiong Ba's gun tightly. "You can't do this! He's still alive! And isn't there a chance he could get a T-Virus Enhancement instead of mutating? As long as he hasn't changed yet, there's still hope, isn't there?!"

Xiong Ba sneered. "How naive! A one percent chance, and you think he'll get that lucky? Don't forget, the odds of mutating into a powerful zombie are far higher than the odds of getting a T-Virus Enhancement. You can't even calculate such simple probabilities? And you've got seven points in intelligence!"

Xiong Ba had the special skill Wolf Scent. As a second-year student, he'd already gained a special effect that increased his Perception by twenty points. He also had the rare skill Scout, which gave him a chance to see the basic stats of anyone weaker than him, though he couldn't see their skills or equipment. So, right now, he could potentially see everyone's stats.

Yin Kuang still refused to give up. "But there's still hope! Even if the odds are low, there's a chance he'll succeed. Can you be certain he won't get the enhancement? You said it yourself: 'University' has infinite possibilities."

"Kid!" Xiong Ba said. "I've faced more danger than you've eaten meals. You have no say in front of me. And if I didn't like you, your defiance alone would give me more than enough reason to throw you to the zombies. 'Respect your seniors' has always been the first rule for surviving in 'University.' Do you understand?"

Wei Ming struggled to tug at Yin Kuang and shook his head. "Forget it. It's only ten years of my life. It's really no big deal. If I die, I die. I've lived long enough to taste everything there is... except death! It's just a shame I'm going to fail this Entrance Exam."

Yin Kuang gave a bitter smile. He didn't know whether to admire Wei Ming's acceptance or his ability to joke about his own short life. But since Wei Ming had said so himself, there was nothing more he could say.

Li Shuangmu patted Yin Kuang on the shoulder and sighed. "In that case, we'll respect your choice. Don't worry. When we get back, we'll share some of our Study Points with you." Li Shuangmu felt a little guilty. If he'd checked the gun sooner, Wei Ming wouldn't have been bitten by the zombie.

"Heh... then I... thank... Aah!! It hurts... It hurts so much...!"

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and Wei Ming's head burst apart like a watermelon, splattering the ground with sticky, black blood.

"One student has died. Teaching Assistant Xiong Ba loses one point from his Comprehensive Evaluation!"

Xiong Ba gave a faint, bitter smile. "You bunch of losers have really gotten me into a mess."

Li Shuangmu looked sorrowfully at Wei Ming's headless corpse. "Senior... you'd already realized that man was suspicious, hadn't you?"

"I had," Xiong Ba said.

Ignoring the angry, wary looks around him, Xiong Ba said, "Rookies, remember your place, and remember mine. You're Rookie Students, and I'm a Teaching Assistant. My job is only to help you complete a certain number of missions and familiarize you with the rules of 'University.' I'm not here to protect a bunch of weaklings like you."

"To be honest, I regret taking this Teaching Assistant job. Your class is ridiculously incompetent. Last year, when I was in your shoes, I was already fighting my way through swarms of bugs in Starship Troopers! Meanwhile, you start blaming everyone and everything after the tiniest setback." Xiong Ba looked utterly contemptuous. "One last reminder: the first rule for surviving in 'University' is to respect your seniors. You think every senior will be as easygoing as me? Don't make me laugh. All right, enough talking. Let's go."

Just as everyone was about to leave, a timid voice spoke up. "W-wait."

Qian Qianqian said, "Look... this came from... from his clothes..."

Everyone looked over. It was a photograph of a dog, stained with blood. The man Qian Qianqian meant was the zombie Li Shuangmu had shot in the head.

"What's so special about that? It's just a dog," Liu Xiatian said. He wanted nothing more than to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.

Qian Qianqian hurriedly said, "N-no. There's... a Hidden Mission..."

"A Hidden Mission?!"

Xiong Ba snatched the photograph from her, and a prompt immediately appeared.

"You have obtained a special item: Photo of Guide Dog Mary."

"You have triggered a Hidden Mission: Save Guide Dog Mary."

"Mission Description: Mike the blind man and his guide dog have gone missing. They share a close bond. Poor Mary could be in danger at any moment. Please, kind person, help find the lovely Guide Dog Mary. God will bless everyone with a kind heart."

"Mission Requirements: Find and rescue Guide Dog Mary within one hour."

"Mission Reward: ???"

"Failure Penalty: None."

"Accept? Yes\No."

Xiong Ba gave a strange smile. "I don't know whether to say your luck is incredibly good or that it's completely rotten."

"What is it?" Li Shuangmu asked. "What happened? Is there something special about the photo?"

"And what about that Hidden Mission?" Wang Ning asked.

Xiong Ba glanced around, then nodded toward a patch of shadow nearby. "Let's go somewhere out of sight. I'll explain there."

Once everyone had gathered in the shadows, Xiong Ba explained, "Hidden Missions are one of several known special missions in 'University's' Scenario Assessments. The special missions include Hidden Missions, VIP Missions, Area Missions, Revenge Missions, and Part-time Missions. I won't get into the others. Hidden Missions are special missions triggered by unexpected events. In theory, any event could trigger one, but they're very rare. They all have one thing in common: the rewards are unknown, and the penalties vary in severity. Completing one might make you rich overnight, or leave you penniless. They're usually very difficult, and may even trigger a whole chain of missions. Basically, they're a high-risk gamble with unknown returns. Giving one up is a shame, since they're so rare, but accepting one comes with huge risks. It's a real dilemma. That's why I don't know whether to call you lucky or unlucky. Fortunately, this Hidden Mission has no failure penalty. I guess that's to make things easier for rookies like you."

Everyone mulled over Xiong Ba's words, then summed them up in one sentence.

"Not worth the effort, but too good to pass up!" Wang Ning said.

"That's not entirely right, but you could put it that way. It's definitely a gamble." Xiong Ba said, "Of course, as I've told you, I'm only a Teaching Assistant. I have no right to interfere with your missions. It's your choice. Discuss it among yourselves: accept or refuse." Then he folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

If not for the Headmaster's restrictions, he would have preferred to wander around and enjoy this ridiculously easy Entrance Exam. Of course, it was only a passing thought. He knew that if he got involved in the Entrance Exam mission, the Headmaster would immediately raise its difficulty. As a result, he might not get any benefit at all and would lose six points from his Comprehensive Evaluation for nothing. If the difficulty went up, not one of these rookies would survive.

Besides, the Headmaster might hold him responsible and give him some kind of "reward." Then Xiong Ba would really be left with nothing but tears.

Of course, if he played his cards right, a Teaching Assistant could still reap considerable benefits during the Entrance Exam.