A farce eased the tense atmosphere a lot.
The lingering stench from the cleaning staff hadn't yet dissipated. Ji Heng and Su Er didn't want to linger in the narrow hallway any longer, so they walked downstairs side by side, talking. Zhang Yi didn't care if he was welcome or not, and followed behind with a shameless face.
On the other side, Liu Wenzhu asked Li Xiao: "I'm going to the cafeteria. Do you need me to bring you some food?"
Li Xiao shook his head and refused.
Liu Wenzhu then left.
Chen Lingfeng's roommate Zheng Gao sneered, "You're playing us for fools. You just want to secretly follow Ji Heng and the others to get information."
Everyone was still able to talk to each other in a friendly manner when the fig leaf was covered, but now it was suddenly removed. Li Xiao smiled coldly: "Didn't you also watch Chen Lingfeng die last night?"
Zheng Gao's expression changed.
"Stop arguing." Someone stepped forward to smooth things over. "Time is running out. Now that we know Principal Dai wants to be the principal, it will be much easier for us to give him an A-level evaluation."
First, he used the double agent incident to threaten the dormitory manager, then used the cleaner's death in exchange for her colleague's evaluation, and finally sold the news to the teachers and the other two principals.
Now that I think about it, collecting the top four doesn't sound that difficult.
However, with only five spots available, no one rushed to grab them, but instead stood still.
"Do you think they're too calm?" Li Xiao frowned, ignoring the internal conflict, and expressed his doubts. "Especially Su Er, who directly told everyone the cause of the cleaner's death."
Anyone would have tried to use this information to gain recognition immediately. It was precisely because of Su Er's inaction yesterday that they didn't dare to act rashly.
Zheng Gao curled his lips and said, "A group of players were almost wiped out before. I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
To be on the safe side, Li Xiao said softly, "Keep a close eye on them. If they go to collect it later, we'll go too."
·
It is a sunny day today and the temperature inside the complex is much lower than outside.
After the morning classes ended, everyone met by chance in the dark corridor.
Li Xiao felt a little embarrassed. After all, he was just copying the other party's actions. Fortunately, Su Er and others did not show any displeasure.
"Group intimidation is likely to cause a backlash," Su Er suggested seriously, "Let's go threaten Principal Dai."
Li Xiao smiled stiffly and pointed to Principal Chen's office at the end: "It's okay, we want to sell the news and befriend Principal Chen."
Su Er nodded, stepped aside and said, "Then you go first."
"…"Isn't that too modest?
Su Er originally had two Jia characters, and he collected them smoothly in a short time, but Ji Heng and Zhang Yi took a little longer.
Once they were sure these few people were actually collecting, the other players really started to pick up the pace. When it came time to submit the forms, they looked at each other warily, like elementary school students scrambling to turn in their papers.
Ji Heng took the initiative to step out and leave the place to the people behind him.
Seeing that even Zhang Yi didn't fight for anything, Liu Wenzhu felt that there was a dangerous place ahead.
Everyone has a herd mentality, and for a while no one was willing to take a step forward.
Su Er sighed and knocked on the door. A voice came from inside saying "Come in."
This was his first time seeing the retiring principal. He had a lot of white hair on his temples and small, narrow eyes. When he saw the forms in Suer's hand, he said gently, "What a good student! You've received all-round recognition after only a few days."
Su Er remained calm and said, "It's all thanks to the good teaching in the reform camp."
The Academic Affairs Office compiled all the information on a form, and the principal decisively wrote "approval" on it with a flourish. He even waved to the players behind him and asked, "Are you here to submit your approval form as well?"
Liu Wenzhu stood in the front and nodded subconsciously.
The principal kindly approved each application and told them to go back and wait for further notice.
Liu Wenzhu quickly asked, "Didn't they say there were only five spots?"
The principal crossed his hands on the desk and smiled oddly: "Don't worry, it's more than enough."
This short sentence makes the person who said it shudder.
As soon as he left the comprehensive building, Zhang Yi wanted to continue to cling to her, but unfortunately he was held by Liu Wenzhu and Li Xiao at the same time. It was not easy for him to shake off the hands of the two girls, so he had to stop.
Seeing the golden thigh walking further and further away, he became anxious and said, "The quotas have been taken. Is there any way for the other students in the reformation camp to survive?"
Liu Wenzhu's eyes flickered, as if he realized something.
Generally speaking, the most threatening NPC in a dungeon is undoubtedly the ghost, but there are exceptions.
In the silence, Li Xiao was the first to regain his composure: "While it's still early, let's find a safe hiding place first."
Accidents always happen faster than planned.
Just after lunch, the dormitory manager informed them that they needed to participate in the afternoon internship activities.
All players, without exception, were taken to the factory for internship. As they boarded the bus, everyone had different expressions. Actually, the route presented a good opportunity to escape, but they were afraid that if they ran away, the camp would rescind their spots, and their efforts would be wasted.
While we were still thinking about countermeasures, the vehicle had already stopped at the factory gate.
The team leader seemed to have discussed this with the factory director and his wife in advance, as they actually came out to greet them personally. The factory director's wife even said meaningfully, "I didn't expect so many outstanding children to come all at once."
The students were quickly assigned to various locations.
Sur was lucky enough to escape the task of cleaning the platform. The team leader selected another player, who was even more cautious than Sur, constantly looking around. The factory director's wife arrived midway through the session, and after a few words, the player showed some reluctance, but ultimately left with her.
Su Er only glanced at it for a moment, then looked away because his eyes met with the director's wife's mid-air. He threw the raw materials into the machine every few seconds, his mind absentmindedly thinking about other things.
Zhang Yi was in the same group as him and also noticed that some players were taken out. He asked about Sur's experience in dealing with the situation yesterday.
"The power went out before she could do anything to me." Su Er said he was helpless. "But the factory director's wife should be a human being."
Once malicious intentions are truly revealed, the only option is to fight violence with violence.
About twenty minutes later, the factory director's wife came back, changed her clothes, and had a bruise on her hand, but the player did not come back with her.
Zhang Yi cursed, "Fuck!", knowing that most of them were dead. He couldn't understand why a player, experienced in dungeons after all, could lose to a seemingly frail woman.
"Hey, I say..."
When I looked up, I saw Suer lip-syncing to Ji Heng in the distance. The latter seemed to understand and nodded and shook his head from time to time.
At this moment, the factory director's wife looked around. Zhang Yi's hands were shaking a little as she muttered to herself, "Don't choose me, don't choose me..."
What you fear will come true. The factory director's wife's gaze finally stopped at them.
At the critical moment, the leading teacher suddenly said, "The principal has instructed that we take the students home early today."
The factory director's wife was immediately dissatisfied: "But they have been here for less than an hour."
Being humiliated in public, the teacher's expression instantly turned gloomy and he stared at her intently.
The factory director's wife pursed her lips into a straight line and finally decided to give in.
The reform camp was a huge place, and she didn't dare to confront it head-on. As compensation for the child's murder, the principal promised to let the students work every day to reduce the cost of factory workers. At the same time, he would bring the students who received the A evaluation here to let her vent her anger.
If you continue to push your luck, I'm afraid the other party won't tolerate it.
When the teacher in charge was counting the number of people, Su Er ran out without any warning and stood next to the factory director's wife: "No, I won't leave! I want to spend more time with her!"
"…"
Su Er looked at the factory director's wife with deep emotion: "You said yesterday that seeing me reminded you of your deceased child! In fact, seeing you reminds me of my deceased mother as well!"
He howled loudly, and the factory director's wife's first reaction was that he was crazy.
Su Er pulled the sleeve of the factory director's wife and turned to look at the teacher leading the team: "Please allow me to stay here for one night and relive the long-lost motherly love."
The leading teacher twitched his lips, but before he could say anything, Ji Heng also stood up and expressed the same idea.
The teacher in charge had been at the reform camp for so many years that he naturally knew what these students were planning. There would undoubtedly be a killing spree at the reform camp tonight, and they wanted to take this opportunity to avoid it.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on his stiff face, as if thinking of something. "I have no objection."
After saying that, he looked at the factory director's wife.
The factory director's wife had no reason to refuse such a gift. She stared at the children as if they were meat on a plate.
Suer's intention was very obvious, not only the teacher in charge but everyone else could see it, and it was difficult to make a decision for a while.
The life and death of the player who was just taken away is uncertain, which shows that the factory director's wife is not a good person either. Moreover, the fact that the teacher in charge agreed to let them go so readily is enough to prove that the factory is very dangerous at night.
If he returned, he might face attacks from many students, but the reform camp was large and there were many places to hide.
On the contrary, this factory is not big, and there seem to be some unknown dangers besides the factory director and his wife. No one knows which option will be better.
The teacher leading the group spoke in a sinister voice: "Is there anyone else who wants to stay and experience the love between mother and child?"
The tone of the last sentence was slightly raised, bringing out a hint of sarcasm.
Everyone looked at each other, and in the end only Liu Wenzhu and Zheng Gao made the same decision. The rest still chose to follow the teacher and take the bus back.
The happiest person was the factory director's wife. The couple treated everyone to a sumptuous dinner. At the dinner table, the factory director's wife once again talked about her son's intelligence and how he died tragically.
"Why aren't you eating?" After reminiscing about the past, the factory director's wife suddenly looked at Suer who didn't move his chopsticks.
"It just reminds me of a painting called 'The Last Supper'."
Both the husband and wife laughed at this sentence.
As the sky gradually darkened, the factory director's wife said she would take them to visit a place.
Walking quietly to the rolling door, the factory director pressed the remote control handle. With a creaking sound, hundreds of iron cages were exposed in front of everyone, and all the cages were filled with ferocious wolfhounds.
Some dogs were not in cages or on chains, and they immediately surrounded the area when they heard the noise.
The combined barking of dogs was no less oppressive than the howling of wolves. The dogs obeyed the factory director's wife, who, with a simple gesture, suppressed the urge to pounce.
Liu Wenzhu's expression changed: "Look there..."
She pointed toward the trough, where she could vaguely see stumps of limbs and shredded fabric, including a badge. Blood stained the teeth of the surrounding wolfhounds, revealing what had happened to the player.
Ignoring everyone's unpleasant expressions, the factory director's wife, with full sense of ceremony, slowly untied the dog's chain: "Don't worry, your friend will have a full meal before setting off... My son was also accidentally killed by a student from the reform camp when he was leaving after dinner..."
Liu Wenzhu tried hard to control the urge to run away, but of course he couldn't run away because he was surrounded by dogs. He immediately regretted it and decided to go back to the reform camp.
Seeing that the remaining dogs were about to be released, Ji Heng suddenly said, "What's the point of letting dogs bite people?"
The factory director's wife slowed down her movements a little.
Ji Heng: "It's getting dark, why not play a game of hide-and-seek?"
The factory director's wife turned her head, chuckled for a moment, and then said, "You don't really think of yourself as a child?"
Ji Heng's expression was cold, but his words were cruel: "Wouldn't it be more fun if we hide first and you let the dogs find us?"
He paused and looked directly into the other person's eyes: "Death is not the most torturous thing. The process of infinitely moving towards death is the most painful."
The factory director's wife's eyes lit up, while the other players' eyes darkened. They could only hope for the best. At least according to Ji Heng, they could buy some time. Otherwise, once the vicious dog was released, they would be torn apart in an instant.
The factory director's wife glanced at her husband, who gave her a twisted smile and said, "Tell them to take off their coats."
Dogs can find people by following their scent, and the purpose of doing so is obvious.
The players left their coats behind one by one with serious faces, and the factory manager took the wolfhound and walked towards the gate to prevent anyone from escaping.
The factory director's wife was left alone, staring at them with a smile.
"Fifteen minutes." After giving the time limit, she clapped her hands. Several wolfhounds that had been surrounding the player walked behind the woman and made way for the exit.
No one noticed that a little girl holding a lantern suddenly appeared from a tree in the distance. She looked at the dark mass of wolfhounds, then held her chin and stared at Suer, who ran a distance away, trying to find a safe place. She smiled and said, "An old dog being chased by hundreds of dogs, it's really karma."