DSMC Chapter 172.2

[Player has triggered a Side Mission: “The Female Ghost’s Memories”.]

[Mission Details: Please uncover the truth behind the female ghost’s death by jumping from the building.]

[Friendly Reminder: This Side Mission is closely related to the Main Mission. Please complete it within one hour. If the mission is not completed within the specified time, game time will be deducted from the player.]

Yan Jiyun: “……”

The female ghost’s memory incident had become a Side Mission?

What could they possibly accomplish in one hour?

Could they pry the truth out of the female ghost within an hour?

The mission had come at exactly the right time. This was a crucial step toward resolving Teacher Qu’s emotional knot.

The temperature in the classroom began to drop. The fluorescent lights crackled, and Si Hao, who was playing the female ghost, suddenly froze in place. His surgically altered face suddenly twisted into a grotesque expression. He seemed unaccustomed to standing and struggled to twist his neck.

Yan Jiyun: “……” This really was a ghost possessing someone, wasn’t it?

The greasy Director Jiang had deliberately chosen Si Hao to play the female ghost, hadn’t he? The other actors’ faces probably wouldn’t be able to withstand being distorted like this by the female ghost.

Of course, this also led to an important conclusion: Si Hao was not one of the members of Teacher Qu’s personality family. He was merely a tool they could use however they pleased.

Yan Jiyun hadn’t heard the sound of an air conditioner. Su Xiran’s death had merely served as the beginning that revealed the “October 1st” jumping incident. The female ghost was the actual case they needed to resolve, yet for some reason, it had been turned into a Side mission.

The female ghost had finally appeared!

Ever since entering this instance, Yan Jiyun had been constantly on edge, never once daring to let his guard down. He had never been as excited as he was now. He had truly been looking forward to her arrival.

This time, the female ghost had gotten a little smarter. She directly possessed Si Hao, borrowing a male body, which made the whole thing even more eerie.

The female ghost controlled all the players. Using Si Hao’s voice, she said, “From now on, no one is allowed to leave the classroom without my permission!”

One of the players bravely asked her, “What are you trying to do?”

Everyone who had been pulled in to act as temporary extras was a player who had remained behind in this place.

“Si Hao” laughed recklessly. “Of course, I’m going to play a game with you.”

They only had one hour, and they still had to uncover the cause of the female ghost’s death. Being forced to play a game with her on top of that was asking a bit too much.

Lan Mo was fearless as ever and immediately asked her, “What game?”

“Si Hao” giggled. “Truth or Dare. We high school students all loved playing this.”

It had been a long time since Yan Jiyun had played Truth or Dare. These days, when people got together, they usually played murder mystery games or frisbee. The former involved sitting indoors, while the latter was a full-body workout that also tested the team’s ability to cooperate.

At present, aside from the players, there were no other NPCs trapped in this space.

Taking advantage of the female ghost’s distraction, Yan Jiyun quietly turned around and asked Qi Feng, “How are we supposed to uncover the truth from her within one hour?”

Qi Feng said, “She said they used to play Truth or Dare when she was in high school.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “Is it related to her death?”

“Not necessarily.”

Yan Jiyun understood that too. “Then later, when we ask questions, we can guide her into telling us what happened back then?”

“Mm. But we have to be the ones controlling the game.”

Yan Jiyun raised an eyebrow. “If we can’t beat her, then make her join the game.”

Qi Feng had just been about to analyze the pros and cons with him when he saw Yan Jiyun raise his hand and say, “It’ll be more fun if we all play together.”

“Si Hao” turned her twisted face toward Yan Jiyun and said approvingly, “I like your suggestion. It’s more fun when everyone plays together.”

She had an A4 sheet of paper in her hand, which she quickly folded into a paper airplane.

“Si Hao” stood on the podium and curled her lips. “Whoever the paper airplane lands on has to stand up and answer my question.”

Gu Wenzhu said, “Then after answering the question, that person switches places with the person on the podium. They’ll be the next one to throw the paper airplane.”

“Si Hao” said, “That’s a great suggestion. This way, I can play with everyone too.”

She tossed the paper airplane into the air.

Most of the players, who had been forced to remain seated at their desks, silently prayed that the paper airplane wouldn’t land in front of them.

“Si Hao” watched the paper airplane with a sinister expression. She was fully capable of controlling where it landed.

Yan Jiyun deliberately turned around to talk to Qi Feng, making sure she noticed.

Just as the paper airplane was about to land on the head of a player who was already so nervous he was practically trembling, it made a sharp turn, swung in a wide arc, and slid sideways onto Yan Jiyun’s desk.

He put on an expression of pure terror and exaggeratedly clutched the paper airplane. “H-How could it be me?”

The players collectively thought: As expected of the predetermined “first female lead” candidate. This acting is ridiculously over-the-top.

“Si Hao” lifted her pointed chin smugly. “Why couldn’t it be you? Come and answer my question.”

Yan Jiyun deliberately acted terrified out of his mind. “Si Hao” seemed quite pleased by his current timid, barely-daring-to-breathe appearance.

He deliberately asked in fear, “Then what do you want to ask me?”

Gu Wenzhu had just cooperated with him perfectly. As long as Yan Jiyun got the paper airplane into his hands, everything would be easy.

“Si Hao” tilted her head. The angle was so extreme that it looked almost as though her head had folded into her shoulder. Everyone watched in horror as it seemed like her head was about to separate from her shoulder.

Her horror-movie style really hadn’t changed at all.

“Si Hao” asked in an artificially innocent voice, “Do you choose Truth or Dare?”

Yan Jiyun had always had a clear conscience. “Truth.”

Answering a truth question could save them a lot of time.

“Si Hao” said, “Ah, when you were in high school, did you ever think about killing a girl you liked?”

Yan Jiyun said, “No. I didn’t like any girls when I was in high school.”

The question was very clear now.

“Killing a girl you liked” was an important clue.

“Si Hao” looked him up and down, but she couldn’t tell that Yan Jiyun was lying.

Yan Jiyun said, “Now it’s my turn to throw the paper airplane.”

“Si Hao” paused. She had no objections and didn’t realize that control of the game had already fallen into Yan Jiyun’s hands.

The game had only just begun. No one had been punished, so she wasn’t unhappy. She simply wanted to see where the person who looked even more like a high school student than she did would throw the airplane.

Yan Jiyun walked up to the podium and looked around.

“How about we play something a little more exciting? Everyone close your eyes. Whoever the paper airplane lands on, that’s who it is.”

“Si Hao” clapped. “I like your suggestion. You really are exactly my type.”

Yan Jiyun thought to himself, ‘Naturally’. He was doing this precisely to prevent her from controlling the paper airplane’s direction.

Imitating “Si Hao,” he said in an eerie voice, “When it gets dark, close your eyes.”

Changing the rules of the game was really that simple.

“Si Hao” was the fastest one to close her eyes.

Yan Jiyun said, “I’m throwing the airplane now.”

Then he said, “Daybreak. Open your eyes.”

During that brief moment of closing and opening their eyes, the paper airplane landed right in front of “Si Hao.”

Yan Jiyun exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, it actually landed on your desk.”

Just now, “Si Hao” had intended to control the paper airplane and let it drift wherever she wanted. But why had it ultimately landed right in front of her?

None of the other players knew what had happened.

Only Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng knew that this was nothing more than a diversion.

When Yan Jiyun went up to the podium, the paper airplane he took with him wasn’t the one “Si Hao” had folded. It was one Yan Jiyun had secretly folded beforehand using paper taken from a desk drawer.

The real paper airplane had been handed to Qi Feng.

Once Yan Jiyun shouted, “Daybreak. Open your eyes,” Qi Feng immediately threw the paper airplane in front of “Si Hao.” With Qi Feng’s abilities, pulling this off was easy.

It was the result of perfect teamwork.

It also required Qi Feng to trust Yan Jiyun unconditionally, and Yan Jiyun to trust in Qi Feng’s abilities.

The paper airplane in Yan Jiyun’s hand had technically been thrown too, but he had tossed it directly to Qiu Xi, who was sitting closest to the front. Qiu Xi caught it and immediately put it away.

That was the result of team coordination.

There was no way Yan Jiyun could have accomplished this alone.

But now, they had successfully fooled “Si Hao.”

“Si Hao” didn’t suspect anything. The process of closing and opening their eyes had been so brief that she never imagined someone could cheat right under her nose.

Yan Jiyun didn’t give her any time to think. He immediately pressed on and asked, “What was the reason you jumped from the rooftop on October 1st?”

“Si Hao” seemed to have not played a game like this in a very long time. She began thinking about Yan Jiyun’s question.

“Because they said I was too stupid, that I wasn’t as good as—”

Yan Jiyun immediately followed up, “Not as good as what?”

“Si Hao” suddenly remembered something. She stood up from Yan Jiyun’s chair.

“No! Why didn’t you ask whether I chose Truth or Dare?”

Yan Jiyun put on an innocent expression. “Sorry. I was too scared and forgot.”

Only then did “Si Hao” realize that there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.

Her anger surged. She raised a hand and lunged for Yan Jiyun’s neck. But her movements were suddenly restricted — she had completely overlooked Qi Feng sitting behind her.

He was using a rope to choke her, rendering her unable to move.

At that moment, Lan Mo, who was closest to Qi Feng, raised a chair and jammed it against “Si Hao’s” upper body. Shi Yan then wedged another chair against her legs.

The two of them pinned her firmly against the wall.

“Si Hao” bared her teeth at them. “Let me go.”

Yan Jiyun was somewhat exhausted. He sat down on the nearest desk and said, “We only want to know the truth about what happened back then. We won’t hurt you.”

“Si Hao” gave two cold laughs. “You think you can control me?”

The next second, Si Hao’s body suddenly went limp. Lan Mo and Shi Yan immediately threw away the chairs. One of them pulled out a peachwood sword, while the other took out a talisman. Yan Jiyun, meanwhile, pulled the cross from his chest.

Suddenly, all the windows in the classroom flew open.

Gale after gale of wind swept through the room, dragging everyone toward the windows and threatening to blow them outside!

A sinister voice came from somewhere in midair. “As long as you survive for three minutes, I’ll tell you the truth about what happened back then!”

Yan Jiyun clung to the edge of the floor by the steps of the podium. The icy wind whipped painfully against his face.

The female ghost had been provoked into a rage. At this point, there was a good chance they could no longer obtain the truth from her directly. They would have to think of another way.

In his moment of desperation, a name suddenly flashed through Yan Jiyun’s mind. “Su Jingran. It’s been a long time since anyone called you by your name, hasn’t it?”

The violent wind abruptly stopped.

The female ghost, who had been hiding somewhere, suddenly appeared right in front of Yan Jiyun. She almost scared the life out of him.

The female ghost was dressed entirely in white. Her face was still an ashen blue-gray, with only a tiny bit of black in her eyes, the rest was all white.

Even though Yan Jiyun had mentally prepared himself for it, his heart still pounded wildly from the fright.

The female ghost looked him up and down. “You’re different from them.”

Yan Jiyun calmly said, “I am indeed different from them. Look at me, I’m also a high school student. They’re all adults.”

He felt that the female ghost didn’t believe him, so he took off his jacket, revealing the school uniform underneath.

The words “Mingya High School” were still clearly printed on it. The female ghost froze.

She read the words one by one. “Ming… ya… high… school. Are you my classmate?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head.

“No. I’m just an innocent high school student who was caught up in this place. I’m a senior from Mingya High School in a parallel world.”

Even Yan Jiyun himself hadn’t expected his high school student identity to end up being useful for getting closer to the female ghost.

The female ghost waved both hands. In an instant, the entire space contained only her and Yan Jiyun. She seemed to be reminiscing about something. She leaned her head closer to Yan Jiyun, as though she wanted to get a little closer to him.

“Can you tell me what’s special about Mingya High School nowadays?”

Yan Jiyun desperately tried not to let himself be scared unconscious by the female ghost. “Our school specializes in music. My music teacher’s surname is Qu. His name is Qu Wanqiao. I wonder if you know him?”

The female ghost paused. “Qu Wanqiao?”

That name seemed to open the floodgates of her memories.

[Ding! Congratulations, Player, you have triggered the female ghost’s memories. You will enter the female ghost’s memory scene in 3 seconds.]

Yan Jiyun: “……” Can he not go in?