As it turned out, being an "auditor" did come with some immunities.
While Suo Suo was being chased all over by the living dead, Wen Jianyan was able to stand still and carefully finish reading the letter in his hand.
Wen Jianyan lowered his head, quickly reading through the letter.
In truth, for someone whose exploration rate was now nearing one hundred percent… this letter didn't actually contain much new information.
Its true value was in filling in the blanks.
Previously, Wen Jianyan had roughly pieced together the general timeline of events, but there were still unexplained gaps between several key points.
And now, these minor details were being filled in.
"…"
Wen Jianyan's gaze fell to the very bottom of the letter.
[Goodbye]
The strokes of those two words were so deliberate, straight and proper. Even though the paper was wrinkled from being soaked with tears, one could still see the writer's self-destructive finality.
Wen Jianyan's fingers couldn't help but tighten slightly.
Just then, Suo Suo's panicked scream came from nearby:
"Big Shot!! Are you done reading yet!!"
His voice yanked Wen Jianyan from his thoughts. He quickly folded the letter and stuffed it back into his pocket. "Finished."
Suo Suo, still being chased by the horde, gasped a sigh of relief. "In that case, let's hurry and go—"
But before he could finish, Wen Jianyan cut him off:
"We're not going after Wang Ni anymore."
Suo Suo froze, almost doubting his ears. "Huh?"
Not go after the protagonist?
But without the protagonist, these living dead wouldn't disappear!
Wen Jianyan said decisively, "We're going to the boys' dormitory."
Suo Suo: "........."
So you really don't care if I live or die, do you?!
As unwilling as he was, without Wen Jianyan's guidance, Suo Suo had no idea where the protagonist was now. So, he had to painfully agree to Wen Jianyan's suggestion, leaving the cafeteria with him and heading for the student dorms.
The two of them sprinted all the way.
Soon, the gray walls of the dormitory building appeared not far away.
Wen Jianyan slowed his pace slightly. He turned to Suo Suo. "Wait for me a second."
Hearing this, Suo Suo instinctively glanced back, his scalp tingling.
Because the protagonist was never nearby, every student they had encountered along the way had turned into a living corpse.
The number of zombies chasing them had now doubled from before, a vast, dense horde.
Looking at the terrifying number of living dead, Suo Suo broke down. "Wait? B-b-big shot, are you serious? How am I supposed to wait??"
"Just run circles around the building," Wen Jianyan said without even looking at him, walking straight into the boys' dorm and tossing a sentence over his shoulder. "I believe in you."
Suo Suo: "…"
Ahhhhhhh!!
He swore, to this day, his biggest regret was ever getting involved with this guy!
Wen Jianyan left Suo Suo behind and walked quickly to the dormitory entrance.
Since the "candidate" was nearby, the people who should have been normal students were now living dead with stiff faces and a cold aura. They gathered at the entrance, their pale faces pressed against the glass door, staring at him from the darkness with empty eye sockets.
Wen Jianyan reached out and pulled the door open.
The living dead swarmed out. They ignored Wen Jianyan, who was right there, and all chased after Suo Suo, who was running laps around the dormitory in the distance.
In the "Integrity First" live room:
[Damn.]
[Hahahahahaha Suo Suo: I fucking thank you.]
After all the living dead in the dormitory had run out, Wen Jianyan turned and looked inside.
It was empty, and the furnishings were no different from his memory.
His heart began to beat a little faster.
Indeed, the contents of that letter were mostly things Wen Jianyan already knew.
But it wasn't completely devoid of new information.
The letter mentioned a key item:
[A diary].
This immediately jogged Wen Jianyan's memory.
He remembered that they had indeed found a diary in Richard's dormitory… It wasn't a collectible item, and its contents were unreadable, like some useless distraction in the instance.
Sound familiar?
—These characteristics were exactly the same as the letter from the cafeteria.
So, working backward, if the letter here could be read, then the contents of that diary should be readable too.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and stepped into the dormitory building.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the familiar blanking effect washed over him again, like a tide swallowing everything in his sight.
However, due to the building's size, this time he had much more time than before.
Wen Jianyan looked up, his gaze directed towards the location from his memory. His vision passed through the rapidly paling walls and floor, and soon, his eyes landed on the area above him.
The familiar red glow appeared in his field of vision.
However, contrary to his expectations, this time, there were two sources of the red glow.
"…" Wen Jianyan was stunned.
One was located in the center of the dormitory building, and the other… was at the far end of the building.
Two distinct, unmistakable spots.
As he stood there in a daze, the wave of blankness surged before his eyes.
Wen Jianyan knew he couldn't stay any longer, so he had to retreat quickly.
When he left the dormitory building, everything inside the entrance returned to normal.
He stood at the door, panting slightly, seemingly not yet recovered from the shock.
…There were two.
This explained a lot of questions.
Wang Ni's letter said she had put everything she found inside the diary and mailed it.
However, Wen Jianyan clearly remembered that the diary they had found in Richard's dorm had nothing tucked inside it.
This meant that in Richard's dorm, there were actually two key "information carriers": one was the [diary], and the other was the [item tucked inside the diary]. Wen Jianyan and his group had only found one—and they couldn't be blamed. After all, these "information carriers" weren't hidden items, and not only were there no hints, the text on them was also illegible.
And at that time, Richard's dorm was a mess. Even if they had seen that "carrier," they probably wouldn't have been able to distinguish it from the pile of junk on the floor.
Behind him came Suo Suo's panting, desperate voice:
"Big Shot! A-are you done yet!"
Wen Jianyan came back to his senses. "Done."
He caught up with Suo Suo, who was being chased by the living dead and running laps around the dorm. Running alongside him, he gave a concise order: "Next, I need you to go into the dormitory building, to the fifth floor, room 504."
His own room number had been 404, and Richard's dorm was directly above his.
"There are two things inside you need to get. The first is a diary. If I remember correctly, it should be in the duvet cover of the lower bunk on the left as you enter."
"As for the second thing…"
Wen Jianyan paused subtly.
"I don't know what it is exactly. It could be a piece of paper, a drawing, or maybe a card, something that could be tucked into a diary."
Suo Suo: "…"
"I-isn't that a bit too vague?" Suo Suo asked tactfully.
"It should be in the washroom," Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly.
Richard had died in the washroom, but the item probably wasn't on his body. After all, Orange Candy had been the one to search the body. If the item had been on the corpse, even if the text was unreadable, she wouldn't have missed it completely.
So where was it?
Wen Jianyan froze, as if he had thought of something.
He said slowly, "It might be near the second sink by the window, and possibly stuffed in the drain."
There was Richard's bloody handprint on the second sink by the window.
And the drain was clogged with hair.
As Wen Jianyan mentally organized all the details, connecting them into a clear line, his speaking speed gradually increased.
"But it won't be stuffed too shallowly—I once tried to dig it out with a toothbrush but found nothing—so you'd better find some sharp tool, cut the pipe underneath, and search carefully."
As they talked, the two had already completed a lap around the dormitory, and the building's entrance appeared not far away again.
"By the way," Wen Jianyan said as if he had just remembered something, "this, this, and this, for you."
Suo Suo fumbled to catch a handful of seed-like things from the other's hand. "W-what are these?"
Wen Jianyan: "Large-scale arson tools."
Suo Suo trembled, almost dropping them.
"The living dead in the dormitory have been cleared out," or rather, they've been let out and are currently chasing them, but that was a minor detail, "but it's a semi-enclosed space inside. The ones chasing you now will definitely follow you in. These fire seeds are for you. If you use them properly, you should be able to get out safely."
Suo Suo held the fire seeds, looking at Wen Jianyan with a dazed expression.
What?
Could it be that you're actually a good person?
"Alright, you can go in now."
Wen Jianyan patted Suo Suo's shoulder and smiled. "Remember, two of them."
Under the sun, his eyes were dark, cold but sincere. "If anything is missing, I'm afraid you'll just have to go back in again."
Suo Suo: "…"
I take it back.
After giving all the instructions, Wen Jianyan gradually slowed his pace.
He watched as Suo Suo sped up, sprinting towards the dormitory building. Just before entering, a wall of crimson flames erupted, forming a fire barrier. The living dead, who couldn't feel pain, seemed to fear the flames and stopped in their tracks, letting out piercing screeches. By the time the flames died down, Suo Suo's back had disappeared.
Wen Jianyan stood where he was, slowly letting out a long breath. His palms were slightly sweaty.
The information he had given was definitely the most correct and comprehensive. However, as an "auditor," although he wouldn't be attacked by the instance, he also couldn't participate in the official actions.
Wen Jianyan had done all he could. The rest was up to fate.
He hoped that Suo Suo was clever enough to find the items and get out of the dormitory alive.
Wen Jianyan's eyes were downcast, his mind somewhat absent.
From under his sleeve, a cold, snake-like darkness seemed to sense his unease. It silently crept into his palm, rubbing against it, then sneakily wound its way between his fingers, seeming to have a particular obsession with the gesture of intertwined fingers.
Wen Jianyan: "…"
He stood motionless, letting the little dark snake swim into his palm, and then—
His fingers clenched with unexpected force.
A faint cry of pain came from below.
Fishing expedition, great success.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, his mood seemingly improving considerably.
The wait, when one couldn't participate in the action, was long and boring, but Wen Jianyan had found some ways to entertain himself.
Finally, after a long wait, there was movement from the dormitory door again. Through the door, he could vaguely see a sudden flash of fire from inside.
Wen Jianyan instantly perked up. He turned his head and stared fixedly at the dormitory entrance, holding his breath slightly, and silently counted down in his mind.
Ten, nine, eight…
When he counted to four, the dormitory door was violently thrown open from the inside. A figure covered in soot stumbled out. His face was blackened, and fresh bloodstains were on his body. He had clearly been through a very harsh battle.
It was Suo Suo.
The moment he rushed out, the living dead followed right behind.
Suo Suo screamed, "Ahhhhh, go, go, go!"
Wen Jianyan stood still. "Did you get the items?"
"You motherfucker…" Suo Suo couldn't be bothered with etiquette now. Cursing loudly, he threw the things in his hand at Wen Jianyan. "Of course I got them!"
He gritted his teeth. "Can we go find the protagonist now!!"
"Of course!"
Wen Jianyan tucked the items into his clothes and waved with a concerned expression. "This way, follow me!"
Suo Suo: "…"
Fuck you. His fists were clenched.
Wen Jianyan led Suo Suo on a mad dash, and they soon arrived near the library. Just as they got there, they saw a male student walking out of the library in a daze—
It was Richard.
Once they got closer, the terrifying number of living dead was no longer a threat.
The cold aura receded from their bodies. Normal faces appeared under the sun, looking no different from ordinary college students.
Thank heavens…
Finally, a chance to rest.
Suo Suo gradually slowed his pace, gasping for breath. Sweat mixed with blood ran down his face, leaving white streaks on his blackened skin.
He had been in Nightmare for so long and had been through many chase scenes, but one that lasted this long and was this difficult was rare—
Especially with the person next to him who wasn't being attacked, watching the show while forcing him to do things, which had raised the difficulty of this chase to a level he didn't even want to recall.
Wen Jianyan entered the password and, with some tension, opened the diary.
Sure enough, just as he had guessed…
The contents, which had once been gibberish and random code, were now normal, readable text.
Wen Jianyan held the diary, feeling a layer of hot sweat on his back.
—He was right.
Indeed, this [Information] wasn't useless, but could only be read under specific conditions.
Like now.
Wen Jianyan's eyes lowered to read.
He soon discovered that although it was a single diary, it contained two different styles of handwriting.
Sometimes delicate, sometimes neat.
One part seemed to be written by a girl, then it would quickly switch back to a boy's.
It seemed it didn't belong solely to Richard or Wang Ni, but was more like a small notebook they shared, writing together.
The first half was rather unremarkable.
The delicate handwriting would complain about small conflicts with roommates; the neat handwriting would complain about the counselor's poor management methods. They shared their daily lives, never writing anything that crossed the line into romantic ambiguity. It was as reserved and implicit as a chat between friends, yet with an intimacy and understanding that far surpassed ordinary friendship.
It was their little world for sharing secrets.
Like two shy little animals, secretly approaching each other, neither daring to say or do anything, only daring to sniff with their noses, quietly and carefully huddling together.
Wen Jianyan scanned through these daily sharings, a dozen lines at a time, searching for any content possibly related to the instance.
Soon, he found a few traces.
■ Year ■ Month ■ Day
Neat handwriting.
After sharing some daily trivialities, a paragraph was brought up.
[I heard the new principal is planning to expand our school and build a gym, the kind with a swimming pool. For that alone, I support his appointment. I just don't know why he wants to change our school's name. Nothing has changed, and the old name sounded better.]
■ Year ■ Month ■ Day
Delicate handwriting.
This time, the content was very short.
To be precise, only a line and a half.
[I don't really like this principal.]
As if with some reservation, the line below was crossed out.
Wen Jianyan could only barely make out three words from the crossed-out content: [I once heard…]
Beyond that, the rest was blurred and unclear.
■ Year ■ Month ■ Day
Neat handwriting.
[Don't worry, we're graduating soon anyway. He won't be able to affect us for much longer.
I have a basketball game next week. Do you want to come and watch?]
"…"
Wen Jianyan's gaze paused for a moment on these seemingly ordinary few lines, then he continued to flip through the pages quickly.
Many pages in the diary had been torn out, leaving only a few bare stubs.
He soon stopped again.
■ Year ■ Month ■ Day
Neat handwriting.
[I heard the gym is about to be completed and should be open next week. It's a pity we're leaving school soon, probably won't get to use it. The younger students are lucky.]
[Are you free tomorrow? Meet me at the entrance of the teaching building in the afternoon.]
This time, Wen Jianyan's gaze lingered a little longer.
—This should be the content written the day before they went to the gym.
And from this day on, everything changed.
He continued to flip.
Further on, there were large blank spaces, no more handwriting. After all… what happened in the following week was too terrifying. Such diary exchanges would naturally come to an abrupt end.
But, was that all?
Wen Jianyan flipped through the pages rapidly. After a dozen or twenty blank pages, suddenly, new handwriting appeared.
What should have been delicate, neat script was now crooked and chaotic, slanting across the center of the page.
[I'm returning the diary to you. Don't send it to me again.]
Cold, without a trace of emotion.
"…"
Wen Jianyan's gaze paused for a few seconds, then he slowly turned to the next page.
This time, it was Richard's handwriting.
Crossed out, rewritten, smeared, in the end, only two or three lines remained.
I now know what you sent me tucked in the diary. I finally know why you never liked our new principal…
I saw you at school, but the look in your eyes was different.
Because you're already gone, aren't you?]
Below the question mark was a deep ink dot, as if the pen had paused there for a long, long time.
[All your previous thoughts were correct. I finally understand now. I know what you were planning to do. I will continue, but…]
The text that followed was blotted out.
[That day at the swimming pool, I was going to confess. I wanted to ask if you would be with]—
The writer didn't continue. After the word "with," there was a large blank space.
Perhaps he didn't want to, or perhaps he didn't dare.
Wen Jianyan paused, then continued to flip.
One page, two pages, three pages… all blank.
Wen Jianyan looked thoughtful.
Similar to the letter, the diary didn't contain much new information—after all, for Wen Jianyan, with his current exploration rate, there wasn't much new information to be found—
The most important function of this diary was [completion] and [connection].
Up to now, the broken timeline was finally completely sorted out, and many previous questions had finally found their answers.
For example…
Why the two of them had suddenly decided, on a whim, to go to the unopened gym.
Because they were about to graduate. They were about to leave this school, and young people always want to find a romantic, meaningful place to confess… so naive.
More importantly, based on the contents of this diary, Wen Jianyan was now certain that the mysterious principal had played a much larger role than he had imagined.
For some reason, Wang Ni seemed to have learned some rumors about the principal's past through some channel and had always been wary of him. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Wang Ni was able to find clues—whether they were related to the truth or to how to solve the instance.
She had known how to end it all, but Richard had failed.
No, that wasn't accurate.
Strictly speaking, Richard hadn't failed; he had only half-succeeded.
He had successfully stopped the conspiracy, but he hadn't completely destroyed it.
Based on Wen Jianyan's previous experience with instances, all the instances in Nightmare were "unfinished products."
They were unfinished conspiracies, seeds waiting to sprout, ongoing plans.
—In other words, if Richard had succeeded, the [Yuying Comprehensive University] instance would never have existed in the first place.
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan's movements paused.
Without realizing it, he had flipped to the last page of the diary.
And on this page, there was something written.
[I'm sorry]
Three large words.
The handwriting had become frantic and sorrowful, so forceful that it had torn through the paper, even leaving an imprint on the back cover of the diary.
[I couldn't, I couldn't just let you die like that.
Everyone was right, I'm not as good as you.
I'm not as strong, upright, or brave as you… I'm a coward, so I can't let you die. I'm sorry, I can't, I'm sorry.]
The handwriting became more and more chaotic, until it was almost illegible.
[I broke our promise, I'm sorry]
The contents of the diary ended here.
In the "Integrity First" live room:
[Wait? Wait? 'Save you'?? What does that mean?]
[Give me a second, I need to process this.]
[Holy shit! I just realized, do you guys remember before when the anchor was in the illusion with the fake Hugo?—At the end of that illusion, Richard and Wang Ni were kissing by the pool!!!]
[Uh, I remember, what about it?]
[That illusion was a normal plot with all the supernatural elements removed!! If the one kissing Richard was the mirror image, the anchor wouldn't have seen her—just like in the lecture hall, Richard's side was blank.]
[!!!]
[Holy shit, so the one kissing Richard back then was the real Wang Ni?!]
Wen Jianyan stared at the heart-wrenching "I'm sorry"s, his breathing slightly quickened.
He now finally understood why Richard was the last one to die.
Why he hadn't perished in the fire, but his body was found in the washroom.
And why, even though he had already found a way to destroy the entire nightmare, this school still remained as a instance.
Because Richard wanted too much.
So the fire only burned down one gym and didn't destroy the entire campus. So, the seeds of evil had a chance to be preserved by Nightmare.
And the [Yuying Comprehensive University] instance came into existence.
[Ding! instance Exploration Rate 96%. Reward points: 100,000]
"Congratulations on once again breaking the exploration record for [Yuying Comprehensive University]. You have made history…"
But Wen Jianyan had no interest in his newly refreshed exploration rate. His gaze lingered on the words "save you" for a long time, his breathing slightly quickened.
How did Wang Ni die?
Replaced by a mirror image.
And Richard had succeeded. He had successfully brought back the person who had been replaced by a mirror image—although he too had died a tragic death in the end, that wasn't Wen Jianyan's concern right now.
Right now, he only cared about one thing:
If Wang Ni, whose abdomen had been cut open, could be saved, then what about…
Orange Candy.
Someone replaced by a mirror image could be brought back.
And Richard knew how to do it.
Wen Jianyan felt his heart begin to pound in his chest.
He put away the diary and took out the second item Suo Suo had retrieved.
It was a crumpled roll of paper, folded tightly into a small square, damp and reeking of a musty, rotten smell, with a lot of dark, dirty hair tangled around it.
This was the real main event.
The evidence Wang Ni had obtained, and the method to save someone from a mirror image, were most likely in here.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then held a corner of it with his fingers and carefully, patiently, began to unfold it.
As black droplets of water dripped down, the rolled-up paper slowly unfurled.
The moment the paper was unfolded, Wen Jianyan looked at it with almost desperate urgency.
"…"
Wen Jianyan froze.
Not far away, Suo Suo had been keeping an eye on Wen Jianyan's movements. He couldn't help but ask, "What's inside?"
Wen Jianyan didn't answer immediately. He flipped through the pages in his hand, looking them over repeatedly. After a long while, he finally looked up, his brow slightly furrowed, and confirmed with Suo Suo:
"This is what you found in the second sink by the window in the washroom?"
Suo Suo was puzzled. "Yes."
Wen Jianyan held up the item in his hand and pressed on:
"Was this the only thing in there?"
"Of course." Seeming to sense the implication in Wen Jianyan's words, Suo Suo looked offended. "You don't think I'd fake something in a place like this, do you?"
"…"
Wen Jianyan's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.
The other was not a person of high principles; he had known this from the start.
But…
He wasn't talking this time.
"So, what's going on?"
Suo Suo sensed something was wrong from Wen Jianyan's unusual attitude. He frowned and leaned over to look at the crumpled, damp roll of paper in Wen Jianyan's hand.
It was a few sheets of paper stacked together, of different shades and sizes. The edges were jagged and uneven, as if torn from different books. The surfaces were densely covered with text.
However, all this text was composed of strange, unreadable symbols, arranged like gibberish on the paper, with no meaning at all.
This time, even Suo Suo was stunned:
"…How could this be?"
Hadn't the letter from before become readable text?
Suo Suo hurriedly looked at Wen Jianyan, trying to explain:
"Uh, big shot, I really did as you said—"
"Mm, I know."
Wen Jianyan nodded calmly, stopping him.
Compared to just now, his attitude seemed a little too calm.
Suo Suo looked at him suspiciously, not quite understanding why Wen Jianyan seemed so unfazed—hard-won information turning into useless wastepaper should not have elicited such a placid reaction from anyone.
"You… why is it like this?"
Suo Suo asked tentatively.
"More or less."
Wen Jianyan folded the papers back up and put them in his pocket.
He looked at Suo Suo. "Have you noticed that the two pieces of information that could be read have one thing in common?"
Suo Suo was blank. "…What?"
Wen Jianyan's gaze was deep. He said, word by word, "We have both seen the original."
"!" Suo Suo was startled, as if he had realized something. His eyes slowly widened. "Ah, that seems to be the case—"
Actually, back at the cafeteria entrance, Wen Jianyan had already had his suspicions.
If the originals of the "letter" and the "diary" were hidden in the graduation thesis process, then how were the anchors, without an "auditor" participating, supposed to find these few small, fixed items in such a vast map?
Purely by luck? That would be too imprecise.
And now, Wen Jianyan was finally beginning to understand the rule.
Only those who had obtained the original of this "information" in the instance, during the process of completing the graduation thesis, could obtain the decrypted content.
Those who had found the original had, in fact, already received a "hint."
Just like Suo Suo in the cafeteria before, even if Wen Jianyan hadn't told him what to look for, just by marking out a general area, he was still able to find it with the fastest speed.
And those who hadn't found the original, even if they stumbled upon this information by accident during the graduation thesis process, they wouldn't be able to decipher its contents because they hadn't completed the prerequisite task.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
Suo Suo asked.
Wen Jianyan: "Very simple."
He looked up, his gaze falling on the back of the protagonist in the distance, and said softly:
"Go out, get the original first, then we'll talk."
With Wen Jianyan's help, Suo Suo completed the "Q&A" much faster than last time.
As darkness fell, he once again returned to that empty movie theater.
"Second round of playback has ended. Will you answer?"
Suo Suo composed himself. "No."
"Begin the third round of playback?"
"No."
As he spoke, his vision went black. The next second, everything around him dissipated in an instant. In its place was the black and red sky above, the cold, towering gym behind him, and the icy, blood-soaked running track.
…He was out.
Suo Suo let out a slow, deep breath. The nerves that had been constantly on edge finally relaxed. He began to feel his hands and feet go numb.
Beside him, Wen Jianyan checked his pockets.
The letter and the diary were both brought out, but the few sheets of paper that had been stuffed in the drainpipe were gone from his pocket—it seemed that only items that had an "original" could be brought out of the graduation thesis exam room.
But that didn't matter.
After all, Wen Jianyan now knew how to solve it.
He took out his phone and glanced at the chat window, frowning slightly.
—Hugo and the others still hadn't replied.
By all rights, they should have been out by now.
Was there a delay somewhere?
Wen Jianyan shook his head, put his phone back in his pocket, and turned to Suo Suo.
"Let's go, to the men's dorm."
Suo Suo sat on the steps, his face a mess of black and white. He hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when he heard those words that made his vision go dark.
"…"
So the person being chased around by zombies earlier wasn't you, huh?!
He sighed in despair, but in the end, he resignedly stood up and followed Wen Jianyan's pace.
Under Wen Jianyan's lead, the two of them left the gym. Stopping and starting just as they had on the way there, they soon arrived at the student dormitory again.
He looked up at the familiar building in front of him, a hint of lament in his eyes.
To think that in the end, he would come back here.
Wen Jianyan looked away, walked towards the dormitory entrance, and reached for the door—
"Hiss!"
He frowned and quickly pulled his hand back.
Suo Suo was startled. "What's wrong?"
Wen Jianyan looked down at his slightly singed fingertips and winced.
"… An anchor has set up defenses here."
And more than one.
He had shot himself in the foot.
He had advised Chen Cheng and the others to come here to complete their graduation thesis, and to prevent monsters or NPCs from invading, they would definitely set up defenses around the area.
If Wen Jianyan were an anchor, this might not have affected him too much.
But the problem was…
Compared to a human, he was now closer to an alienated being, the very type they were defending against.
"Then what do we do?" Suo Suo's eyes suddenly lit up. "How about, just like last time, I go in for you—"
That way he might be able to run…
"No need."
Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and refused.
He blinked, a thoughtful expression on his face. "To be honest… I actually have a backup plan."
Although when he had left it…
He had never imagined it would be used like this.
Fourth floor, room 404.
The room was pitch black, a faint smell of decay lingering in the air.
At the edge of the lower bunk, the bedding against the wall suddenly moved.
And moved again.
The next second, a small bear sticker laboriously crawled up from underneath, wobbled to its feet, and silently clenched its fist.
—Success!
__
Author's Note:
Diary: Chapter 401
Drainpipe: Chapter 398
Bear Sticker: Chapter 414
Movie protagonists kissing in the world where the supernatural disappeared: Chapter 461