Xing Yina was dead.
Just like that, right in front of everyone, killed by the ghost teacher.
With Xing Yina's death, the student card she had signed in with vanished from her corpse as well.
In this mission, the first death had finally occurred.
"So, once you sign in at that red machine, you get locked onto by the flashlight ghost. No matter where you run or what concealment道具 you use, you'll still be found."
"This ghost is likely one that's immune to most道具!"
Hearing Jiang Rou's analysis, Liu Yuan and Tan Shuyue were both stunned. Signing in meant being hunted, and the flashlight ghost chasing them was immune to道具. How could this mission possibly be completed? It seemed nearly impossible!
"Sister Jiang Rou, what should we do..."
Tan Shuyue's face immediately showed nervousness and helplessness.
--
"What did you say? The ghost will track and kill participants who signed in?"
Dai Minghan's face also showed surprise.
"In this mission, signing in should grant access to the principal's office, but it also marks you for the ghost to hunt. How to evade the ghost's pursuit while entering the principal's office is likely the hardest part of this mission."
"But... if that's the case, there might still be a way..."
"Still a way?" Lin Tianheng and Dai Minghan said almost in unison.
"That's right, but first, we need to clarify one issue."
"Chen Mo, have you thought of it too?" Su Mu wasn't in a hurry to explain, smiling as if encouraging him.
"This method first requires confirming one thing: what rules does the ghost follow when marking its target?"
"The ghost's marking? Isn't that obvious? Didn't someone just..."
"No, not entirely." Chen Mo shook his head. "Assuming signing in triggers the ghost's pursuit is our惯性思维, but think the other way around: does the ghost mark the person who performed the sign-in, or the person the student card belongs to?"
"What do you mean? Isn't that the same..." Dai Minghan's voice trailed off as a sudden realization hit him, his face turning cold. "I get it!"
"If it's the latter, the situation is completely different! The trap in this team mission lies right here!"
Lin Tianheng scratched his head: "You guys keep going back and forth, and I still don't quite get it."
"It's simple. If the ghost only marks based on the signed-in student card, that's a loophole for participants! In that case, there's another way to complete the sign-in without being marked and hunted."
"That is... using someone else's student card to sign in!"
If you treat the ghost's marking like a仇恨值 mechanism, signing in with another person's student card shifts the ghost's仇恨 onto someone else, but the signed-in card still gains access to the principal's office.
"In other words, to pass this mission, you have to find a way to get someone else's student card!"
"As expected of a team-level mission, it's not that simple!"
Dai Minghan clenched his right fist and slammed it hard against the wall beside him. If they could figure out the mission's completion method, so could the other groups. Was this mission really going to push everyone into a no-holds-barred conflict?
--
Meanwhile, in the classroom of Group Nine.
"Let me think, give me a moment to think."
Jiang Rou didn't immediately voice her thoughts, sighing inwardly. Was there really no other way?
"Stories don't just set traps without offering solutions. There must be clues hidden in this school we haven't found yet, but until we figure out a solution, no one should go near that red machine!"
"Wait..."
At that moment, Liu Yuan, who had been mostly silent, suddenly interrupted the others with an awkward expression.
"Um... I, I have something..."
Maybe because the tension had eased, Liu Yuan suddenly felt a strong urge to pee. He'd hoped talking would distract him, but the feeling only grew stronger, now almost unbearable.
"Just go to the bathroom if you need to. We're not waiting here forever."
"Uh, well..."
In this pitch-black haunted school, Liu Yuan really didn't want to go to the bathroom alone. Bathrooms were classic places for hauntings, and lone characters getting killed in them was a common trope in horror stories and movies.
If there were another male participant in the group, Liu Yuan would beg them to come along, but the other two were women. He couldn't ask a girl to accompany him to the bathroom, but he also couldn't bring himself to relieve himself in the corner of the classroom. Besides, this school had strict rules; doing it in class might break some other rule and trigger some unknown death trap.
"I checked earlier; the bathroom on this floor is right next to this classroom. Liu Yuan, you're not that cowardly, are you?"
Seeing Liu Yuan's fear, Tan Shuyue couldn't help but sneer. After all, this guy was a veteran who'd survived three horror stories. And when Xing Yina was attacked by the ghost, Liu Yuan was the closest but watched silently as she died, which made Tan Shuyue, who was close to Xing Yina, feel a hint of resentment!
"Fine, I'll go... wait for me..."
Liu Yuan could hear the mockery in Tan Shuyue's tone, but back then, being the closest, the flashlight ghost's eerie abilities had instilled a deep fear in him. If the灵隐符 was completely useless against this ghost, how could he be sure his other items would work?
Even in a team, faced with the chasm of life and death, people can be selfish. Liu Yuan didn't think he'd done anything wrong, and with these thoughts swirling, he stepped back into the hallway.
Tan Shuyue hadn't lied; the bathroom on this floor was indeed right next to Classroom 301. Standing before the dark doorway, Liu Yuan swallowed hard, finally unable to resist the urgent need, and walked in nervously.
Unlike the pitch-black hallway lined with classrooms, the bathroom had a faint light from a small square window. A dripping faucet, not fully turned off, steadily dripped water onto the yellowed tiles, creating a rhythmic sound.
This scene was way too much like a horror movie!
Liu Yuan cursed under his breath, grateful he only needed to pee and didn't have to enter those dark stalls. Still, his eyes kept darting toward the row of stalls exuding a terrifying aura.
There, silent and still, no paranormal activity occurred.
--
PS, today's even-numbered day means two updates; another one will be written after lunch. Please keep supporting me, asking for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and legitimate subscriptions. I'm counting on you all~