Screams and Silencers

"Holy crap!" Liu Dezhu was so scared that he almost knocked over the bookshelf while backing up.

In the dead of night, in a dim and eerie environment, a strange mask appears when you turn around.

This feeling is terrifying.

It felt like experiencing a horror movie firsthand.

At this moment, Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao emerged from the shadows of the bookshelf.

Liu Dezhu realized that these three had suddenly released him in the middle of the night just to tease him.

He said with great distress, "You three are really going too far!"

"Stop talking nonsense, that's all the use you have," Lin Xiaoxiao said, carrying Liu Dezhu back to the solitary confinement cell.

Ye Wan then said to Qing Chen, "There has been great progress in the details, but the training time was too rushed, so it wasn't done very well."

Qing Chen listened attentively.

Ye Wan continued, "The most important thing about a sneak attack is to not be discovered. When you first approached Liu Dezhu, you were in a hurry. There were subtle changes in the air and sound in the corridor. Liu Dezhu himself couldn't notice them, but his body would warn him."

"Then, when the target moved quickly, you lost control of your breathing and footsteps. The sound was as loud as a drum to me, and even Liu Dezhu noticed it. If it had been a well-trained soldier, you would be dead."

"Yes, I will continue to work hard," Qing Chen, his bare feet touching the ground.

The biggest secret to eliminating footsteps lies in mastering the exertion and release of force in one's steps. However, his own shoes were too cheap, and the rubber on the soles was too hard, so no matter how he tried to control them, he couldn't succeed.

Ye Wan reminded her, "You haven't studied for long enough, so you can only walk silently. Remember, don't run. You can't even eliminate the sound of your footsteps when you run yet."

"Okay, I've got it," Qing Chen said.

Ye Wan glanced at his feet. "According to you, we'll be in the mountains after we return. If you haven't hiked barefoot before, your feet will probably be a bloody mess overnight."

Qing Chen shook his head. "That's not important, the injury will heal sooner or later."

"Being tough on yourself is a good thing, but you should buy a suitable pair of shoes as soon as this is over," Ye Wan said. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Actually, the most important lesson for me in this battle was the art of surprise attacks. Why was it taught last?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

"Ambush is not a simple virtual game where the enemy is like an NPC standing there dumbly letting you kill them. After you kill them all, you will most likely be discovered when you kill the second one," Ye Wan said.

"Next, the remaining three people will know of your existence and will use every means to kill you. You will have no choice but to fight them head-on, and that will be the most dangerous moment."

"When the enemy is unaware of your existence, it's easiest to ambush and kill the first two, so I teach you to conceal your presence for the shortest time. Then, when their comrades discover you, you're in the most danger, so I teach you to engage in direct combat for the longest time."

"But," Qing Chen suddenly said, "I don't intend to trade my life for someone else's. If it's too dangerous, I might give up."

"I support you on this point," Ye Wan said. "In this world, your own life is the most important. It's not worth risking your life just to save a proxy and your classmate. But you have to understand, if you can control your courage, then it's not courage. Sometimes, you only understand your choices when you really face a situation."

Ye Wan continued, "The boss once said that you have a fierce spirit in your bones, just like how you dared to challenge the boss to a chess game on your first day here. That's something that belongs to you, something you can't forget or erase. Remember that game of Four Bandits Capturing the King with the boss? Once a pawn has crossed the river, it's not that it doesn't want to turn back, but that it can't."

Qing Chen seemed to be deep in thought.

At this moment, Ye Wan moved a chair from the adjacent reading area and placed it in front of Qing Chen. Qing Chen asked curiously, "What's this for?"

Ye Wan thought for a moment and said, "You'll understand in a little while... no, in two days."

Ye Wan said, "There's one more thing the boss didn't say, so I'll take the liberty of saying it for him."

"What did you say?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

Ye Wan smiled and said, "Come back alive."

Countdown 00:05:00.

The final five minutes.

Qing Chen calmly approached Liu Dezhu and asked, "Repeat the two things I told you."

Liu Dezhu said in a panic, "First, when we get back, tell all the students to escape. Second, if we can't escape, try to find out who was taken away by the thugs alone before."

"Hmm, have you recalled any details these past two days? Like who was constantly checking their phone and sending messages, or who went to the bathroom in the middle of the day?" Qing Chen asked.

Liu Dezhu replied weakly, "They all went to the toilet, and if they were looking at their phones, they probably did it quite a few times... Boss, I was just focused on playing games at the time, I really didn't notice."

Qing Chen sighed, realizing that if he had a better option, he wouldn't have let this guy be his agent.

"Remember, the criminals will definitely want to know your secret. But you must understand one thing: the moment they find out your secret, that's when you die."

Qing Chen continued coldly, "Your mistake this time is unforgivable. When I return next time, I will help you to understand this cruel world again. Of course, we'll talk about it after you survive."

After saying that, he glanced at the time on his arm.

Countdown, 00:00:01.

Return.

In the darkness, the sound of drums and laughter could be heard.

The time that had been fragmented and paused in that Outer World finally began to beat again.

One second it was a dimly lit solitary confinement room, the next second the world was bathed in the orange-red light of the campfire, and the light and shadow were rapidly flickering.

Liu Dezhu opened his eyes wide, looking at the bonfire in front of him and the cheering crowd around him, feeling somewhat disoriented.

Darkness and light are separate, as are tension and joy.

Even Liu Dezhu himself seemed to have become estranged from those smiling classmates.

It seemed as if someone in his mind was warning him: Danger!

Remembering Qing Chen's words, he immediately stood up and roared, "Run! Everyone run! It's dangerous!"

However, the scene of everyone scattering and fleeing that he had imagined did not occur; instead, everyone just stared at him blankly.

The students couldn't understand why Liu Dezhu, who had been laughing and talking just a moment ago, suddenly looked flustered and fearful.

Only Hu Xiaoniu was the first to react, because for the students, time was continuous and coherent.

But for these Time Walker, two days had already passed in the Inner World.

Therefore, Liu Dezhu did not issue the warning without reason, but rather because he had experienced some special events in the Inner World!

Hu Xiaoniu stood up and asked, "Brother Liu, what happened?"

As Liu Dezhu pushed past his classmates, he said, "If we don't leave now, it'll be too late. There are thugs trying to surround this place. Fine, fine, if you won't leave, I will!"

However, even though he had explained it so clearly, the students still looked confused.

Hu Xiaoniu's expression changed, and he gave Zhang Tianzhen a wink before quickly following Liu Dezhu.

However, just as they reached the courtyard gate, two middle-aged men in police uniforms asked, "Excuse me, students, where are you headed looking so flustered?"

Upon seeing the police uniform, Liu Dezhu was overjoyed. "Officer, there are criminals around here!"

Two middle-aged men in police uniforms exchanged a glance, then drew pistols from their waists and stepped forward, pressing them against Liu Dezhu and Hu Xiaoniu's chests. One of them chuckled softly, "Are there any criminals? I don't see any."

The other man coldly stared at Hu Xiaoniu: "If you ask for help, I'll shoot you dead. Go back!"

Hu Xiaoniu stared blankly down at the pistol pressed against his chest.

The gun has a silencer!