It was almost Zhang Di's turn.
Perhaps driven by an overwhelming desire to survive, Zhang Di got up and charged into the goat-headed man.
He grabbed the mask around the goat-headed man's neck and yanked it off.
"Fuck! Let's see who the fuck you really are, you bastard!"
The goat-headed man's silicone mask fell to the floor.
He did not resist, merely allowing Zhang Di to do as he pleased in silence, like a spectator-a true judge devoid of all human emotion.
When Zhang Di saw what was beneath the mask, he collapsed to the floor, trembling as though he had seen a real demon.
"A ghost... Aaaaah! A ghost!!!"
Beneath the goat-headed man's silicone mask was a goat's face, fitted snugly against his own.
Wounds traced the edges of the face. It had been sewn on, and the stitches looked crude.
The red, swollen wounds had begun to rot. Even the maggots writhing inside them were clearly visible.
The goat man's eyes were no different from a normal person's-dark and still.
A face could be sewn on, but eyes could not.
Everyone present sucked in a sharp breath, horrified by the sight before them.
As Yin Chao watched, he felt a faint ache in his own cheeks.
Just how twisted did someone have to be to accept having a goat's face sewn onto his own?
And judging by the rotting flesh turned outward beneath the stitches, this man had probably peeled off his original face before sewing this one on.
He stared for a while and made out the goat man's status panel.
[Ding, Hell Hunter, S-Rank Ghost, level 30 HP 18,888, stamina 10,000, mental power 100, intelligence 50 Specialty skills: tearing, running]
The goat man approached Zhang Di and strangled him using the same method.
"Zhang Di, guilty of countless evil deeds, backed by powerful connections. Murdered Gao Luyu, murdered Xu Qianqian, forced multiple people to drop out..."
Each statement was brief, yet the recitation still lasted over a minute.
That alone showed just what a rotten bastard Zhang Di was.
The corners of Yin Chao's narrow eyes lifted slightly. Gao Luyu seemed to feature among everyone's crimes.
Not one of the "scapegoats" selected to go onstage survived. Their bodies lay strewn about, each bearing a gruesome expression in death.
The bull-headed man dutifully dragged the bodies away.
Everyone seated in the hall was stunned by this judgment, which bordered on torture and slaughter.
The broadcast continued, "Next, let's change the rules. How about a real battle royale?"
No one in the hall dared to answer.
Finding the lack of response boring, the voice on the broadcast continued, "Starting now, run to your hearts' content! Remember, whatever you do, don't get caught! You'll die."
As soon as the words ended, the black-robed figures in the hall headed toward the back door.
Someone peered around, then stood up in a crouch and asked cautiously, "Does this mean... we can run now?"
After roughly thirty seconds of silence, someone else stood up and said, "The broadcast said this is a battle royale. It probably means exactly what it says. If the black-robed figures catch you, you'll die."
The speaker's voice sounded familiar. It was Moqi Xinzhi.
After speaking, he led his group of four out of the assembly hall.
Only after seeing them leave unharmed did the others follow.
Lin Mu also got up to leave, with Yin Chao, Midnight, and Liang Chen following behind him.
Only after they left the meeting room did the faint smell of blood finally fade completely from their noses.
Outside, it was noon, with the blazing sun directly overhead.
Lin Mu looked up at the glaring sun and said in exasperation, "Could you stop following me?"
Yin Chao tilted his head. "Sure."
Then he simply strode away.
Lin Mu had thought it would take some arguing. He had not expected the other man to leave so readily.
He even kept glancing back in suspicion as he walked, but the other man truly showed no reluctance to leave.
Only once the two sides were out of each other's sight did Liang Chen ask, "Didn't you think he was suspicious? Why let him go?"
Yin Chao looked up at the roof of the classroom building and said casually, "Isn't this a battle royale? Those black-robed figures are all S-Rank Ghosts. If I run into them, I won't be able to handle them."
Then he pointed at the roof. "It should be safer up there. Can you take me up?"
Midnight gave a disdainful snort. "What makes you think we can't handle them either?"
Not wanting to waste words on him, Yin Chao said bluntly, "You can handle one, but what about two? Three? Twelve? This battle royale is for Linmu No. 2 High School, not the players. Remember, Werewolf is still going on."
Midnight had no comeback.
With a dark expression, he grabbed Yin Chao, slung him over his shoulder, and raced toward the classroom building's outer wall.
With thirty thousand stamina, he moved effortlessly between the outdoor air-conditioning units. Yin Chao was as helpless as a chick in his grasp.
By the time they reached the roof, all that bouncing had left Yin Chao pale.
Seeing him suffer put Midnight in a much better mood. He sneered, "Can't even take a little rough handling."
Yin Chao: "..."
He leaned against the wall for a good while to recover. The loudspeakers scattered throughout the campus began blaring an alarm.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
The alarm grew increasingly shrill. Leaning against the rooftop railing, Yin Chao saw black-robed figures emerge from black holes that appeared at random.
Many people had gathered at the school gate, trying to escape. Yet some unknown force sent anyone who climbed onto the locked gate flying back.
As it happened, a black hole appeared not far from the school gate.
The tiger-headed man gradually emerged from it.
The crowd scattered in all directions, screaming. This was beyond anything they could comprehend.
The tiger-headed man charged into the crowd and began killing. Wherever his gaze fell, no one survived. Blood sprayed through the air, and severed limbs littered the ground.
Yin Chao had a clear view from where he stood.
He suddenly remembered that Midnight fainted at the sight of blood, didn't he?
He instinctively glanced over. Midnight seemed highly alert; the instant Yin Chao looked his way, he turned his head and met his eyes.
"What?"
Midnight asked.
Yin Chao shook his head, deciding it was better to keep his mouth shut.
He always felt as though Midnight was hiding some secret. Perhaps a shameful past, perhaps a painful experience.
Whatever it was, this man had held a deep fascination for him from the very first moment they met.
Like a thorned rose-intense and dangerous.
The battle royale went on for a long time, so long that the sun sank in the west and sunset colors filled the sky.
Not a single part of the vast campus remained unstained by blood.
Yin Chao sat slumped on the rooftop floor, drowsy, with Liang Chen sprawled beside him in a thoroughly undignified sleeping posture.
Being young really is great, Yin Chao thought. He can fall asleep the moment he lies down.
[Ding, villager Xu Huo has died at the hands of a ghost. Fourteen players remain: five werewolves, five special roles, four villagers.]
The system's abrupt notification drove away all of Yin Chao's sleepiness.
A player had been killed by a ghost.
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