Yan Xing raised the corners of her pale lips, lowering her voice with a hint of surprise, "So my Lucky Card was you."
Su Cheng wasn't surprised. "Is this your skill?"
"No, that's not it." Yan Xing was unusually happy to see Su Cheng and didn't mind saying more.
"This is a divination technique I was already familiar with before coming to the apartment."
She continued, "You must have just arrived today, right? There wasn't a teacher surnamed Su here before noon."
Su Cheng nodded. "That's right, I can tell you how I got here. In return, you'll need to provide information of equal value."
Yan Xing's smile deepened. "Not bad. I've already spotted a hint of what's to come in this dungeon's main questline."
"This news should carry enough weight."
A note from the author:
none
Chapter 71
Su Cheng caught the key point in Yan Xing's words and realized that the main plot had not yet been triggered.
Then another thought occurred to me, "The main quest involves dangerous tasks; you'll need teammates."
No wonder Yan Xing was so happy to see her; that's the real reason.
Just as she could provide Su Cheng with information about the dungeon, Su Cheng could also help her in her time of need when she desperately needed teammates.
The two benefited from each other's actions.
"You're really perceptive," Yan Xing remarked. She needed a teammate with sufficient strength right now, and the more capable Su Cheng, the happier she would be.
Since they shared the same goal, Yan Xing immediately shared the clues she knew, "Did you see the student fall to their death today? This is the second one; the last one was just yesterday."
"According to my investigation, their deaths were related to a Soul Summoning game performed in the music room; the spirits of the music room were responsible for their deaths."
"I can sense the eerie magnetic field hidden in the music room; it's something I can't handle alone."
I've already completed one random quest, but something feels off about the music room.
Yan Xing said with certainty, "It's definitely related to the main storyline. You'd better trust my intuition!"
"Furthermore, you should have sensed that there is a pollution mentality at this school. When you enter the school, you are given an identity."
Although I don't know why we are both students and you are a teacher, once you have that identity, you will be corrupted until you forget yourself.
Yan Xing sounded a bit annoyed as she spoke. Her consciousness kept disconnecting, and if she stayed here any longer, she would eventually succumb to it too.
"I was thinking about finding a team yesterday, but throughout high school, I couldn't find anyone else who could resist distractions. You're the first contestant who seems completely unaffected."
Su Cheng recalled the scene when she first came to high school, and the occasional unfamiliar knowledge that came with it; she was not entirely unaffected.
"It's not just the high school that's been infected by this strange contamination; the entire town is."
Yan Xing raised his voice slightly in surprise, "A town?"
She stepped out of the green belt and pointed to the tall teaching building ahead, "Tell me as we walk."
I plan to go to the music room tonight to find the main storyline.
Su Cheng 'Yan Xing eyes swept over her pale lips, and she understood why she was in such a hurry.
Mental intrusion may leave the other party with little time to stall.
The two ran quickly toward the music room. Su Cheng had excellent lung capacity; while running, she could still breathe steadily and whisper how she got here from the hospital instance.
Yan Xing's gaze towards her grew increasingly complex, with admiration dominating. " Lucky Card really sent me a great teammate."
I love Lucky Card.
The music room was on the third floor of Building 2, and the two of them tiptoed up the stairs.
The surveillance cameras installed in the stairwell were temporarily interfered with by Yan Xing using props.
There's a strange situation at Golden Leaf High School: there are security cameras installed in the stairwells, but for some reason, there aren't any in the classrooms.
The music room was locked, and just as Su Cheng took out the Omnipotent Key, Yan Xing pulled out a wire.
The two exchanged a glance and ultimately chose the Omnipotent Key that Su Cheng had, which they were certain could open the door.
The moment they pushed open the door, a cloud of dust rushed in, choking them so much that they coughed lightly and covered their mouths and noses.
How can there be so much dust?
The music room is just like a regular classroom, with neatly arranged desks and chairs under the podium and Black Piano on the podium.
As they were observing, an unseen force pushed them from behind, and as they stepped into the classroom, the door behind them suddenly closed.
The two seemed frozen in place, unable to move for a moment.
"Ta-da~ Ta-da~"
In the dark classroom, the piano keys on the podium pressed down by themselves, playing a lively tune that broke the silence.
From Su Cheng's perspective, the seat in front of the piano was not empty; instead, a girl with black hair and a red dress was sitting there.
She was completely absorbed in the music, her slender fingers dancing nimbly across the black and white keys. Her long black hair was tied up with a red knot, revealing half of her fair and flawless profile. Her dark red velvet dress made her look like an elegant young woman from ancient Europe.
Su Cheng glanced at Yan Xing, who was staring intently at the piano, wondering if she, like Su Cheng, could also see the red-dressed female ghost.
Suddenly, several piano keys were pressed down hard at the same time, making a "thump--" sound.
The girl abruptly turned her head; her eyes were hollow and sunken, her ashen face contorted, and her blood-red lips parted to unleash a rough, furious roar.
"Who let you in?!"
With this ghostly howl, the tables and chairs trembled and floated in mid-air. As they crashed down on the two, the surrounding environment shifted.
The female ghost and the Yan Xing disappeared at the same time. Su Cheng sat at her desk, with melodious music playing from the radio in her ears, surrounded by a carefully decorated girl's bedroom.
She spread out her slender, pale fingers and looked down at the white floral dress she was wearing.
The girl in the makeup mirror looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, but her eyes were remarkably calm.
This isn't her body, it's the body of the piano ghost.
The piano-playing ghost, perhaps due to a series of murders or other reasons, though only at the level of Vengeful Ghost, possesses formidable strength.
It was able to block the connection between Mu Ling and her, and the jade pendant did not launch an attack on it.
Su Cheng recited the Qi Drawing Mental Technique and felt a faint warmth deep within her body, as if she were breaking through some kind of constraint.
She felt slightly relieved; being able to draw upon her Qi meant she wasn't completely controlled.
Su Cheng turned her head and looked around the entire bedroom.
The bed and the grand piano placed against the wall take up the space, and with the wardrobe and table placed against the wall, the room feels cramped, leaving only a narrow passageway for one person to walk through.
Her gaze returned to the table, where only the alarm clock and the open piano sheet music were visible.
Turning to the homepage, the holder's name is written: Song Yating.
This is the name of the female ghost.
Su Cheng quickly flipped through the sheet music and found a note in the inner compartment that listed detailed study times.
She opened the drawer, searching for items like notebooks that contained a wealth of useful information.
But instead of a notebook, there was a stack of newspapers.
This stack of newspapers contains more than a dozen sheets, some yellowed and old, others still brand new.
The time span is from 2235 to 2238.
Su Cheng started flipping through the pages from the bottom, starting with number 2235.
#To commemorate the discovery of a golden Yezi from underground, Putian Town was renamed Golden Leaf Town #
#Through investment from Kangye Medical Company, the first pharmaceutical factory will be built in Golden Leaf Town, located in the western suburbs#
#The first green tablet sold by Golden Leaf Pharmaceutical Factory has been warmly received; residents from all walks of life should buy it!#
#Golden Leaf Town is known as a town of order, where there is no violence, no harm, and everything is happy and beautiful#
#Birth Rate in Crisis! The birth rate in Golden Leaf Town has hit a new low. Childbearing is the responsibility of every resident. Starting today, Golden Leaf Town is fully implementing its assisted reproductive policies.#
#Every resident must abide by the rules; the rules allow us to escape chaos and usher in a new life.#
#Those who attempt to trigger the rules will be severely punished. If townspeople experience hallucinations, insomnia, excitement, fear, or other mental health issues, they can try the new drug from Golden Leaf Pharmaceutical Factory —White Tablets.#
#Golden Leaf Pharmaceutical Factory Faces Trust Crisis! Town Residents Question Whether the Drugs Have a Lasting Effect.#
#Golden Leaf Town has launched an excellent offspring cultivation program. Parents, please actively eliminate inferior offspring! Actively encourage childbirth!#
#Remember every rule around you; they are the most mysterious things. Accept them, and everything will become perfect.#
Su Cheng read through all the key information, as if she could see through the words the strange power that could corrupt cognition and the series of changes it brought to Golden Leaf Town.
Fear and excitement have become mental problems? They are simply normal human emotions that people often experience and should have.
The pressure to have children has become so intense that it's linked to responsibility and morality; if a child isn't good enough, parents are advised to have another child and start over...
And it was repeatedly mentioned that the "rules" must be followed.
Su Cheng put the newspaper back, and her fingertips suddenly touched a texture that didn't belong to the wooden board. She immediately took out all the books from the drawer.
There was a piece of white paper taped to the bottom of the drawer. The writing on it was a bit messy, indicating that the person who wrote it was in a state of mental turmoil.
1. Follow the rules at home, don't refuse any of your parents' requests, and be the best and most considerate child.
2. Obey school rules, listen to teachers, and strive to be the best student.
3. Definitely do not let a younger brother or sister be born!!
4. There is no way out of Golden Leaf Town. Believe that you can only stay here and do not try to escape.
5. Don't tell anyone about the puppy or the toothbrush, and don't take medicine unless absolutely necessary!
6. Always lock the bedroom door when you leave, and never let your parents see my drawers!
Su Cheng frowned deeply. Did Song Yating write these? What exactly did these words mean...?
Before she could think about it, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and a calm female voice came from behind it. " Tingting, come out for dinner."
Su Cheng immediately stuffed the newspapers and books back into the drawer, replying, "Coming."