Punished by association

A tear slid from the corner of the girl's eye. Her body tipped slightly forward, her white floral dress and black hair forming a beautiful picture as she fell from high above.

The video ended there. Lu Xingchen let out a deep breath and tapped the screen a few times. The anonymous poster's IP address appeared on his phone.

Room 414, girls' dormitory building 4.

Frowning, Lu Xingchen continued working rapidly on his phone.

The next second, unedited mocking laughter came from the phone. "Jump! I don't believe you actually have the guts!"

It was a familiar female voice. The soft voice of girl B from room 414 carried unmistakable malice, chilling anyone who heard it.

No ordinary person would ever have imagined that a girl who looked so delicate, gentle, and well-behaved was secretly the culprit behind the online harassment.

Lu Xingchen rubbed his face and spat out a few curses. "Fuck! Trying to cover your tracks, huh? You sure can fucking put on an act!"

Su Tianle was a little startled. "Xingchen, what's wrong?"

"The truth will come out soon. There's not much time. Let's go to the cafeteria first." Lu Xingchen had seen in the video that Xiao Qian had jumped from the cafeteria rooftop.

The two soon found the area by the cafeteria where sand was piled up. Shining their flashlights around, they found a large amount of discarded caution tape stored in a corner.

Lu Xingchen brushed aside some sand, revealing dark red bloodstains beneath it that had long since dried.

Lu Xingchen straightened and shone his flashlight on the cafeteria building, confirming that it matched the cafeteria in the video. "This is it. This is where Xiao Qian jumped. Let's check the rooftop!"

Two pleasant female voices rang out behind them. "Wait for us!"

Su Tianle waved excitedly. "Jingyi, Anran, come quick! We were just about to head up to the rooftop!"

Standing on either side of him, the two women pinched Su Tianle's cheeks and teased him. "We were wondering why you weren't scared. Turns out you've got an expert with you!"

Lu Xingchen nodded to them in greeting. "Hello. There's not much time. I suspect Xiao Qian might be on the rooftop. We need to get up there right away."

Song Anran, who wore her hair in a neat, short cut, agreed. "Let's head up first. There are less than three minutes left. The mission comes first."

Song Anran: an actress and rising young star whose recent school drama had just become a hit.

Jiang Jingyi: debuted in the center position of a girl group formed through a talent competition. With her outstanding looks and consistently strong professional skills, fans had pronounced her the number one female idol.

Lu Xingchen briefly connected all the clues for the three of them, recounting his discoveries.

When they heard that Xiao Qian had jumped because of online harassment maliciously orchestrated by her roommates, all three covered their mouths in shock.

They soon reached the cafeteria rooftop.

The wooden door leading to the rooftop had been locked by someone inside. Lu Xingchen saw that less than a minute remained for mission two. He had to complete the mission and get the revival card to save Huo Chuyun.

Lu Xingchen told the three to step back, then raised his foot and kicked the wooden door open with lightning speed.

With a loud bang, the wooden door fell flat onto the ground.

Lu Xingchen looked up and saw the same scene as in the video: a girl in a white floral dress, her hair in braids, sitting alone on the edge of the rooftop.

The fierce wind high above battered the girl's white floral dress. She never turned around, gazing fixedly at the stars that seemed close enough to touch.

Just then, a phone abruptly rang. "Ding, ding, ding."

The message read: congratulations to Lu Xingchen, Su Tianle, Jiang Jingyi, and Song Anran on successfully finding Xiao Qian and completing mission two.

As Lu Xingchen was the first team member to reach the rooftop, he could choose one of two utility cards: a revival card or an Amnesty Card.

Revival card: revives any one team member.

Amnesty Card: using this card makes one nearby hunter turn and leave.

Lu Xingchen quickly chose the revival card, turned, and handed it to a staff member. "Revive Huo Chuyun."

As Jiang Jingyi was the second to enter the rooftop, she received the Amnesty Card.

Mission three: successfully save Xiao Qian when three minutes remain. Failure to complete the mission will release twenty hunters to pursue targets across campus.

Xiao Qian seemed to finally notice the commotion behind her. She merely cast them a scornful glance and said, "Are you here to plead for the people at this school?"

"We're not here to plead for them," Lu Xingchen said firmly. "The people at this school do deserve to die. Accomplices are still perpetrators, after all."

Only then did Xiao Qian turn her head, a long-absent smile appearing on her pale face. "You're different. Still, A Kai won't show any mercy."

Everyone exchanged glances. Who was A Kai?

Xiao Qian spoke softly to herself.

"A Kai said everyone who bullied me deserves to die. Everyone at this school was an executioner who helped bring about my death. Under the laws where he comes from, everyone has to be held collectively responsible and punished together. He said he'd get justice for me..."

Sitting on the edge of the rooftop, Xiao Qian swung her feet leisurely and hummed an unknown tune, watching excitedly as the students were trapped at the school gates, unable to escape.

Just then, countless ghostly black shadows surged out of the depths of the night and dragged away the students fleeing across campus, accompanied by agonized screams.

"Help! Don't cut off my nose!"

"No! No! Don't chop off my legs! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

"Aaaah! My eyes! My eyes!"

Xiao Qian clapped excitedly, yet her eyes were red and brimming with tears. "Hahahahaha! Everyone deserves to die! They all have to join me in death!"

In the end, Su Tianle couldn't quite bear it.

"Xiao Qian, I know your roommates were the culprits, but there are innocent people at the school getting caught up in this too. Could you see if A Kai..."

Xiao Qian turned sharply and glared at Su Tianle. "What do you know? You're just like them! As long as your own interests aren't hurt, you stand on the sidelines making glib remarks!"

Frightened, Su Tianle backed away two steps. "S-sorry..."

Xiao Qian was about to say more when a commotion suddenly broke out at the rooftop entrance.

The three girls from room 414 had been dragged onto the rooftop by the black shadows.

Xiao Qian looked at their wretched state. Girl A's eyes had been gouged out, leaving two holes. Girl B's pretty, well-shaped nose had been sliced flat. Girl C's body had been gouged into a bloody mess, without a single patch of intact flesh.

The corners of Xiao Qian's lips curled upward. She couldn't help clutching her stomach and laughing, the tears that had filled her eyes finally spilling down. "Hahahaha! You really do reap what you sow. You deserve to die!"

Girl C was barely breathing. Hearing the familiar voice, she dragged her broken body toward Xiao Qian. "Xiao Qian, is that you? I was wrong. I was wrong. Please forgive me, okay?"

Xiao Qian watched her coldly. "No. You should have known this day would come."

Girl B covered her face in despair. At those words, she shouted angrily, "You bitch! This is all your fault! If you're dead, just stay dead. Instead, you had to crawl back to take revenge on us!"

Xiao Qian smiled viciously. "You'll never have a moment's peace for the rest of your lives! I won't forgive you!"