Chapter Summaries

Che Quan forced the principal to investigate Chang Jianfeng and the bullies, then searched campus for Jiang Cong as his skin hunger symptoms returned. He found Jiang Cong outside the principal’s office and followed him into a dark room.

• Che Quan reported Chang Jianfeng to the principal, who reviewed surveillance and caught Chang Jianfeng abusing a student and Miao Rouning, Yuan Zhou, and the others bullying another girl.
• The principal interrupted class, condemned the offenders, and took them to the meeting room while Qiao Qiao felt briefly satisfied but remained wary.
• Che Quan warned Chen Yuxiang to remember her role in the instance, then hurried out to search for Jiang Cong as his symptoms flared.
• Che Quan found Jiang Cong leaving the principal’s office and ordered him to come along.
• Jiang Cong led Che Quan into a pitch-black room, then took his wrist and gently pulled him close.

Che Quan’s skin hunger syndrome intensified during his struggle with Jiang Cong, and Jiang Cong revealed that the encounter was being livestreamed, provoking Che Quan to attack him. After pinning Che Quan and releasing him, Jiang Cong offered to make a bet, leaving Che Quan’s response unknown.

• Che Quan resisted Jiang Cong’s embrace as his skin hunger symptoms worsened and he suspected the syndrome would demand increasingly intimate contact.
• Jiang Cong told Che Quan that their struggle was being livestreamed, enraging Che Quan and triggering a warning from the Instance System about his mental power.
• Che Quan broke free and attacked Jiang Cong, but Jiang Cong evaded him and eventually pinned him after Che Quan made a mistake.
• Jiang Cong told Che Quan to find him in the principal’s office if he needed anything, then explained his role in the instance and why Qiao Qiao held a grudge against him.
• Jiang Cong released Che Quan and asked if he wanted to make a bet.

Che Quan pressured the principal to reveal the lenient punishments for Teacher Chang and the students who bullied their classmates. Suspecting Jiang Cong had influenced the decision, Che Quan left the chapter with his hostility toward him intensifying.

• Che Quan agreed to Jiang Cong’s wager that the loser would submit to the winner’s condition or give up his life.
• Che Quan returned to Class (4), where Ning Dantong discreetly told him and Chen Yuxiang to meet her on the rooftop during lunch break.
• Che Quan confronted the principal about the disciplinary action and used a fruit knife to pressure him into explaining the punishments.
• The principal defended the lenient penalties by citing Teacher Chang’s experience, the students’ upcoming exams, and their apologies.
• Che Quan asked whether Jiang Cong had told the principal to go easy on the offenders, and the principal’s reaction confirmed his suspicion.

Che Quan concluded that Qiao Qiao’s revenge required more than getting her tormentors expelled, and he joined Chen Yuxiang and Ning Dantong in plotting to frighten them. Their first scare left Miao Rouning terrified after blood appeared in her dorm and Ying Jiajia’s old student ID turned up beneath her pillow.

• Che Quan left the principal’s office after confirming the principal had covered up the investigation, then went to the rooftop to think.
• Ning Dantong told Che Quan and Chen Yuxiang that Miao Rouning planned to gang up on Che Quan and spread obscene photos of Qiao Qiao.
• Ning Dantong explained that the school instance had no connection to the outside world, so they would have to handle the revenge within the school.
• Che Quan suggested using Ying Jiajia’s story to frighten Miao Rouning and the others, and Ning Dantong and Chen Yuxiang began planning a ghost scare.
• That night, blood appeared on Miao Rouning’s bunk, and the discovery of Ying Jiajia’s old student ID beneath her pillow left her terrified.

Miao Rouning blamed Qiao Qiao for the haunting tricks, while Ning Dantong used Ying Jiajia’s death to deepen her fear and suspicions. Meanwhile, Che Quan’s skin hunger worsened, and the livestream viewers developed increasingly explicit theories about his dark meetings with Jiang Cong.

• Miao Rouning discovered Ying Jiajia’s bloodied student ID beneath her pillow and vowed to find whoever was tormenting her.
• Chen Yuxiang and Ning Dantong secretly celebrated their plan’s success as Miao Rouning began suspecting everyone in her dorm.
• Ning Dantong told Miao Rouning that Ying Jiajia was dead and hinted that strange events had also occurred in Teacher Chang’s room.
• Miao Rouning dismissed the ghost rumors and insisted Qiao Qiao was behind the tricks, while Ning Dantong concealed where she had learned about Ying Jiajia’s death.
• Che Quan visited Jiang Cong in the principal’s office to relieve his skin hunger, but his worsening condition required more contact than before.
• Livestream viewers speculated that Che Quan and Jiang Cong were fighting over who would take the top position during their dark encounters.

Che Quan endured a severe bout of skin hunger syndrome in the Little Black Room, where Jiang Cong soothed him while teasing and fighting with him. After Che Quan left, Jiang Cong reflected on their past and recalled the first time they met, when a young, destitute Jiang Cong tried to beg from him.

• Che Quan became weak and feverish from skin hunger syndrome, and Jiang Cong held him in the Little Black Room.
• Jiang Cong touched Che Quan’s fangs, easing his symptoms, and the two fought after Che Quan recovered some strength.
• Che Quan recovered from the syndrome, left the room, and angrily rejected Jiang Cong’s suggestion about their next encounter.
• Jiang Cong revealed that Che Quan was his elder brother by age, though they were not related, and remembered meeting him as a child.
• Young Jiang Cong, begging for money to treat his sick mother, encountered young Che Quan’s carriage in the snow and tried to ask for help.

Jiang Cong recalled how Che Quan’s childhood kindness sparked his obsessive love, while Che Quan recovered from his skin hunger syndrome and returned to his dorm. Miao Rouning and Chang Jianfeng suffered terrifying attacks orchestrated by Chen Yuxiang, Ning Dantong, and Che Quan, leaving Qiao Qiao relieved but worried about what they might do next.

• Jiang Cong remembered how young Che Quan gave him a money pouch and ruby, saving his family and inspiring his secret, obsessive love.
• Che Quan returned to his solitary dorm room after recovering from skin hunger syndrome and expected the others to make their move.
• Miao Rouning found razor blades hidden in her duvet, blamed Ying Jiajia’s ghost, and fainted after seeing Chang Jianfeng’s eerie smile.
• Chen Yuxiang and Ning Dantong were revealed to have planted the blades, while Che Quan used his vampire abilities to trap Chang Jianfeng in terror.
• Qiao Qiao heard rumors about Miao Rouning and Chang Jianfeng, focused on her studies, grew closer to Chen Chen, and worried they might target her, Chen Chen, or Che Quan.

Qiao Qiao learned that Chang Jianfeng and Miao Rouning had been removed from school after their crimes came to light, while Che Quan, Chen Yuxiang, and Ning Dantong concluded they might have to suffer tragic endings themselves to escape. During the break at Qiao Qiao’s home, her parents favored Ning Dantong, prompting Qiao Qiao to accuse her cousin of bullying her.

• Chen Yuxiang told Qiao Qiao that Chang Jianfeng had turned himself in and confessed to abusing girls and taking bribes, including covering up Miao Rouning’s bullying of Ying Jiajia.
• Chang Jianfeng and Miao Rouning disappeared from school, and Chen Yuxiang stayed close to Qiao Qiao to support and protect her.
• After the blackboard showed 53 days until the exam, Ning Dantong asked Che Quan and Chen Yuxiang for help with the coming conflict at Qiao Qiao’s home.
• Che Quan said they had to die inside the scenario to get out alive, and Ning Dantong reasoned that they might need to receive the kind of tragic ending that would satisfy Qiao Qiao’s revenge.
• During the break, Qiao Qiao’s parents gave mangoes to Ning Dantong and scolded Qiao Qiao for asking to share, and Qiao Qiao angrily accused her cousin of bullying her at school.

Ning Dantong admitted to Qiao Qiao’s parents that she had bullied and burned Qiao Qiao, then went to apologize to Qiao Qiao. She tried to burn her own palm to show she would take responsibility, frightening Qiao Qiao into trying to stop her.

• Qiao Qiao rejected Ning Dantong’s offer of mango and accused her of bullying and injuring her, revealing burn scars on her neck.
• Ning Dantong knelt before Qiao Qiao’s parents and confessed that she had smoked, arranged for Qiao Qiao to be beaten, and burned her with cigarette butts.
• Qiao Qiao’s mother checked her injuries, and Qiao Qiao ran back to her room in tears.
• Ning Dantong followed Qiao Qiao and apologized, saying she did not expect forgiveness and would take the hurt she caused upon herself.
• Ning Dantong held a lighter flame against her palm, and Qiao Qiao screamed and tried to stop her.

After Miao Rouning threatened Qiao Qiao, Chen Yuxiang protected her from an attacker hired to assault her, and Miao Rouning was exposed as the culprit. The next morning, the exam countdown and their surroundings had changed, leaving Chen Yuxiang unsure whether the exam was about to begin or had already ended.

• Qiao's Father told Ning Dantong she could no longer live with the Qiao Family, and Ning Dantong accepted the decision.
• Miao Rouning confronted Qiao Qiao at school, accused her of setting her up, and stormed away.
• On the way to the graduation photos, Chen Yuxiang and Qiao Qiao encountered a man with a dagger who tried to abduct Qiao Qiao.
• Chen Yuxiang struck the attacker in the eye with a stone while Qiao Qiao ran for help, and teachers, students, and security guards subdued him.
• The attacker identified Miao Rouning as the person who hired him, and Miao Rouning's father came under investigation.
• The next morning, the countdown had vanished and Chen Yuxiang could see only Che Quan, who studied the blackboard without answering her question about the exam.

Che Quan discovered that the empty school was an instance where the students faced a choice between burning and jumping, then went to the principal’s office and found Jiang Cong had set the fire. When Che Quan’s skin hunger syndrome intensified, Jiang Cong’s touch—and finally a kiss—soothed it, leaving Che Quan stunned.

• Chen Yuxiang, Ning Dantong, and Che Quan found their classroom and the school empty, while two passing girls said the principal had killed himself after being exposed for bribery and cover-ups.
• Chen Yuxiang discovered that the stairwell was on fire, and Che Quan told her and Ning Dantong to choose between burning to death and jumping.
• Che Quan went to the principal’s office, found no body, and confirmed his theory that nobody would really die in the scene.
• Che Quan met Jiang Cong, who carried an unlit Molotov cocktail, and entered the Little Black Room with him as the skin hunger syndrome countdown ended.
• Jiang Cong held Che Quan from behind, then turned him around and kissed him, calming the syndrome and leaving Che Quan wide-eyed with shock.

Che Quan and Jiang Cong’s confrontation ended with Che Quan stabbing Jiang Cong before the livestream went black. The players awoke in the haunted villa, learned the instance had cleared with everyone alive, and left after Jiang Cong showed Qiao Qiao a changed graduation photo.

• Che Quan shoved Jiang Cong away, then handed him the Molotov cocktail and ordered him to light it.
• As the flames illuminated the room, Che Quan stabbed Jiang Cong in the heart, and the livestream went black before restarting on the villa’s third floor.
• Chang Jianfeng, Miao Rouning, Yuan Zhou, Ning Dantong, and Chen Yuxiang awoke, then Che Quan and Jiang Cong woke and avoided acknowledging each other.
• Che Quan told the monster resembling Qiao Qiao that their game could end, and Jiang Cong showed it a graduation photo depicting Qiao Qiao and Chen Yuxiang together.
• The haunted villa dissolved, and the surviving players found themselves outside its gates, where the housekeeper welcomed them back.

Che Quan and the others cleared [Haunting], and Che Quan learned that Jiang Cong had earned first place by burning down the school. After the players were transported to different locations, Che Quan found himself in a strange city beneath a curved barrier and an enormous shadow.

• Che Quan and the other players followed the flower-lined trail through the glowing doorway and cleared [Haunting].
• Che Quan checked his Inventory and received 1,500 points, Boss's Diary, a Bloodstained Silver Dagger, and a "Best Newcomer" badge.
• The Instance System told Che Quan that Jiang Cong had scored 100, while Che Quan scored 99.99 because Jiang Cong's fire had better fulfilled Qiao Qiao's wish.
• Che Quan entered a new scene alone after the players were transported to different places.
• Che Quan surveyed a city of glass towers, crumbling buildings, bright avenues, and dark alleys, then looked up at an enormous shadow moving beneath a translucent barrier.

Che Quan entered the player world, bought a digital beginner’s guide, and reported Jiang Cong before searching for a place to stay. After rejecting several accommodations, he caught Jiang Cong’s scent near an expensive district of private courtyards.

• Che Quan ignored a man who asked about the Watcher and entered the Northern Player Reception Center.
• Che Quan bought the digital beginner’s guide and filed a complaint and report against Jiang Cong.
• Che Quan rejected the rundown housing area and paid a salesperson to take him somewhere more suitable.
• Che Quan rejected several luxury hotels because their smells bothered him, then ordered the salesperson to find him a private courtyard residence.
• Che Quan caught a faint trace of Jiang Cong’s scent nearby.

Che Quan rented a luxurious residence, then auctioned his lifesaving [Boss's Diary] to raise points to buy it. He blocked Jiang Cong from bidding, but Jiang Cong bypassed the restriction with a forty-million-point offer and completed the purchase.

• Che Quan paid 900 points for a furnished residence and prepared it for sleep in total darkness.
• After his rental expired, Che Quan learned the residence cost 36,800,000 points and listed [Boss's Diary] in an auction.
• Che Quan blocked the arriving Jiang Cong from bidding in his livestream auction.
• Jiang Cong offered forty million points, triggering the transaction system to lift the restriction and complete the sale.
• The auction viewers reacted with shock and speculated about Jiang Cong's motives, while Che Quan stared at the completed transaction in disbelief.

Che Quan left Jiang Cong’s courtyard after rejecting his attempts to persuade him to stay, then entered a new escape instance where his body had become frail. He found a frightened girl beside a pool of human blood, just as two police officers arrived.

• Che Quan rejected Jiang Cong’s repeated friend requests and left the courtyard despite Jiang Cong’s messages asking him to stay.
• Che Quan received notice that he would enter another instance and arrived in an old Chinese-style stairwell.
• Che Quan noticed that his body had become physically weak and struggled to descend the stairs.
• Che Quan found a frightened girl beside a large pool of human blood outside the building.
• A police car arrived, and two officers approached Che Quan and the girl.

Che Quan entered the Murder Apartment instance as a frail young man with congenital heart disease, where a woman’s apparent suicide and a missing resident hinted at danger in Building 4. After settling into Apartment 201 and buying supplies, he encountered the black fog marking the instance’s boundary and heard the shopkeeper call out to him.

• Police warned Che Quan and Xuan Shuhui about a missing woman, then a woman fell from the building and died in front of them.
• The Instance System activated and revealed that Che Quan lived alone in Apartment 201, while a murderer and a pervert threatened the residents.
• Xuan Shuhui introduced herself and offered help from Apartment 302, but Che Quan ignored her and entered his dark apartment.
• Che Quan opened the curtains and windows, found medication for his heart condition, and decided to go buy supplies.
• Che Quan bought provisions and fresh meat, noticed black fog beyond the convenience store, and heard the shopkeeper urgently call to him.

Che Quan returned to the apartment building, met a neighbor who asked about a woman who had jumped, and endured strange disturbances as night fell. In his bedroom, Jiang Cong appeared behind him with a dagger and teased him about being the pervert’s “cherished darling.”

• Uncle Zhang gave Che Quan milk tea and said he had known Che Quan’s parents and family for years.
• Che Quan returned to the building, where a heavily concealed man from across the hall asked whether the woman who jumped had lived in 302.
• After Che Quan ate, someone pounded on his door, and he later thought he heard a person in the building die.
• Jiang Cong crept up behind Che Quan in his bedroom with a dagger and asked whether Che Quan considered himself the pervert’s cherished darling.

Che Quan learned that the dead woman lived in 302, the missing woman lived in 301, and the person who reported both incidents lived in the building. The next morning, he found Uncle Zhang murdered on the fifth floor beside a severed leg covered in ice crystals.

• Che Quan disarmed Jiang Cong and nearly killed him, but stopped when police knocked at the door.
• Yuan Rong and Wu Yi questioned Che Quan and told him Kang He had lived in 302 and the missing woman in 301.
• Che Quan learned that the same woman had reported both incidents and that she lived in the building.
• After the officers left, Che Quan found his bedroom empty and went to sleep while Jiang Cong crushed a miniature camera beside his bed.
• The next morning, Che Quan followed residents and police upstairs, where he saw Uncle Zhang dead beside a severed leg with ice crystals on its shoe.

Che Quan questioned the residents of Building 4 after Zhang Bei was murdered and learned that Yu Yan, Fu Na’s missing college friend, might have been dismembered. He assessed the residents as he considered the instance’s hidden murderer and pervert, convinced the challenge would be easy.

• Che Quan learned from Wen Ping that Zhang Bei owned the convenience store and had drunkenly pounded on his door the previous night.
• Xuan Shuhui suggested that the residents introduce themselves, and Che Quan memorized their names and rooms.
• Che Quan told the group he had found a young woman’s leg on the sixth floor, and Fu Na recognized the rose-pink high heel as Yu Yan’s.
• Cui Tang bluntly suggested that Yu Yan might have been dismembered, leaving Fu Na distraught.
• Che Quan reviewed the residents and concluded that he needed to identify and kill the instance’s murderer and pervert.