Chapter 138: The Mysterious School, Poker Classes

Chapter 138: The Mysterious School, Poker Classes

Ji Yan's figure moved through the thick fog, and gradually, even the cobblestones beneath his feet became indistinct. His thoughts were slightly disordered. He hadn’t expected that the black box Xu Xin left for him after the Instance ended would turn out to be such a "bomb."

But the abnormality in his body seemed to forbid Ji Yan from letting his mind wander further. As his footsteps continued, his consciousness gradually blurred, his brain sinking like a stone into the sea, uncontrollably slipping into unconsciousness.

In the final moment before passing out, Ji Yan knew—the third Instance had been successfully matched...

......

Rustle, rustle.

An indeterminate amount of time passed before the sound of bustling noise reached his ears.

As a gentle breeze brushed his face, his brows furrowed slightly, and Ji Yan slowly opened his eyes. Bright sunlight pierced his vision.

He woke up on a chair—more accurately, in a classroom.

The classroom was empty, desks and chairs scattered haphazardly. The blackboard on the lectern was cracked on one side, and the broadcast speaker in the corner of the ceiling crackled softly, as if faintly transmitting some indistinct sound.

It was as if this was an abandoned classroom.

Surveying this environment, so drastically different from what he had imagined, Ji Yan’s mind momentarily failed to process it.

Was this the third Instance?

But why was the atmosphere and setting like this?

He stood up and walked to the window, where the curtains fluttered gently.

Outside was a school campus—lush with trees, dense greenery, even sparrows perched on the branches, their cheerful chirping unusually pleasant to the ear.

Everything seemed dreamlike and warm.

But in this horror-filled world, after experiencing two terrifying Instances and growing accustomed to daily bloodshed and terror, Ji Yan found the sunlight filtering through the leaves unbearably harsh and uncomfortable...

It was as if he were a vampire who had lain in a coffin for a hundred years, suddenly exposed to sunlight.

Vitality, greenery, sunlight, gentle breezes—these were not elements of the Supernatural Game at all!

Had there been a bug in the Instance matching? Had he been sent back to the real world?

Had he escaped the Supernatural Game?

Feeling the genuine warmth of the sunlight and the freshness of the breeze, Ji Yan, unwilling to believe it, bit down on his wrist. The sharp pain was undeniably real, confirming that this was no Dream World...

He stepped out of the classroom. The entire corridor was empty, stretching vast and silent.

The soundless environment gave him an inexplicable sense of loneliness, as if abandoned by the entire world.

His crisp footsteps echoed through the hallway as Ji Yan called out a few times, but no one answered.

Descending the stairs and leaving the teaching building, Ji Yan began to explore the school. All the greenery radiated intense vitality, and the sparrows on the branches tilted their heads, their black bead-like eyes curiously observing Ji Yan.

Even the sky was a clear blue with white clouds, devoid of the oppressive gloom that had hung over the apartment and hospital Instances.

After walking around, Ji Yan realized the school was large but completely enclosed.

There was no exit gate—only a perimeter wall separating it from the outside world.

Rubbing his temples, Ji Yan felt an inexplicable dread beneath the seemingly warm and sunny surroundings.

The hairs on his neck had stood on end since entering this Instance and hadn’t settled since...

Just as he was about to head toward the dormitory building, he suddenly noticed something on the grassy ground beneath his feet.

Picking it up, he found it was a student ID.

"Spade Class One, Li Meng."

Spade Class One?

What kind of grade was that?

Ji Yan frowned and flipped over the student ID to examine it. The back of the ID was stained with congealed blood.

Moreover, a note was embedded inside...

Ji Yan extracted the note and unfolded it, his expression involuntarily shifting.

The paper was densely covered in writing—some characters had even pierced through the page, indicating the heightened emotional state of the person who had written them.

The words repeated the same two characters over and over:

"Escape! Escape! Escape!!"

The further down the page, the more distorted the writing became.

By the end, the paper was soaked in blood, presenting a glaring dark red.

"What did the person who wrote this go through?"

"Escape... does this refer to the school?"

This Li Meng was most likely a Player, but unfortunately, the information left behind was too sparse.

This student ID only deepened Ji Yan's conviction that this seemingly warm and lively school concealed horrors and dangers beyond his sight.

Surveying his surroundings again, Ji Yan increasingly felt as though countless eyeballs were lurking in unseen corners, fixated on his every move.

He attempted to trigger his Talent using the student ID, but perhaps because the Instance's plot had yet to fully unfold, even [Omniscient Understanding] couldn't extract any useful information.

Sliding the note back into the ID, Ji Yan could only tuck it into his pocket.

At that moment, a hoarse broadcast echoed throughout the campus.

First came a piercing screech, followed by a slow, mechanical announcement:

"Candidate 444, report to the examination hall [Spade Class One] within ten minutes to take your exam."

The broadcast's voice was synthetic, devoid of any emotion.

Ji Yan's expression shifted as he suddenly remembered something and removed the student ID hanging from his chest.

"Spade Class One, Ji Yan."

"An exam..."

His eyes flickered. It seemed he was about to experience what Li Meng had gone through—though he had no idea what this so-called "exam" entailed.

Using playing cards to classify grade levels and classrooms... What did the different suits represent?

The previous Instance had been themed around the Twelve Zodiac.

This time, it was playing cards.

It seemed the further he progressed, the more bizarrely varied the elements of the Instances became!

Yet Ji Yan was puzzled—why couldn't he see a single other Player in this Instance?

Could it be that this Instance was restricted to just one Player? That would be absurd!

As soon as the broadcast ended, a path eerily materialized before Ji Yan's eyes, clearly guiding him toward the examination hall.

Following the route, Ji Yan traversed the campus and entered the building at the very back.

Here, the classroom doors and windows were all sealed shut, but the muffled sounds of chaotic recitations seeped through. Upon closer listening, however, the dense chorus seemed to be laced with mournful sobs and hoarse cries of terror...

Through the closed windows, shadowy figures could vaguely be seen.

Yet these figures twisted in unnatural poses, pressing against the glass, their nails scraping across the surface...

Ji Yan took one glance before averting his eyes, wisely choosing not to dwell on the other classrooms.

Each classroom here was labeled with a playing card.

Matching his student ID, Ji Yan quickly found his designated examination hall.

But the door was tightly shut—no matter how he twisted the handle, it wouldn't budge.

"Candidate 444?"

Suddenly, a voice spoke from directly behind his head.

Ji Yan turned around and suddenly noticed an unnaturally tall figure standing behind him, its head touching the ceiling, its face obscured by a Red Square Mask.

Its waist was bent at an almost ninety-degree angle, its posture so bizarre that the mask was practically pressed against Ji Yan's face.

Behind the mask, its eyes were entirely black, the Eyeballs filling the sockets with no trace of whites.

"It's me."

Having grown accustomed to bloodshed and horror, Ji Yan nodded calmly.

"You should be grateful. One more minute, and you'd be late."

The figure slowly straightened its posture. "I am the Instructor of Spade Four Class."

"Enter the examination hall. Remember three Rules."

"First, no matter what happens, do not make a sound. The examination hall must remain in absolute silence."

"Second, do not whisper or even exchange glances with other students, or you will be punished for cheating."

"Third, no matter what occurs inside the examination hall, never leave your seat."

"You may now enter."

As the words fell, the exam door clicked open.

At the same time, a shrill bell rang through the hallway. The moment Ji Yan stepped into the classroom, his peripheral vision caught sight of a Writhing Black Mass emerging from the far end of the corridor, surging rapidly toward him...

Ji Yan's expression shifted, and he swiftly slipped inside.

Once inside, the darkness dissipated instantly.

Before him lay a brightly lit classroom, flooded with sunlight.

It was filled with examinees, all of whom raised their heads in unison the moment Ji Yan entered. Countless gazes converged on him, their lips stretching into wide, radiant smiles.

Yet, under the sunlight, those faces—twisted into grins, exposing crimson gums, their facial muscles spasming in forced cheer— Sent an icy dread creeping through Ji Yan's very core...