However, during that time, Xu Youyou had never interacted with anyone. So, from the moment he first started communicating with others until now, it had only been six or seven years in total.
Although Xu Youyou loved to talk and seemed no different from others his age, he was actually a bit different.
For instance, he often spoke without thinking, had a sharp tongue, was occasionally childish or slow to react, showed obvious mood swings, and was highly energetic.
Yet, because of Zheng Mei's dedicated guidance over the years, there were times when he appeared exceptionally reliable.
The reason Zuo Lin'an treated him so well and had so much patience with him was that, besides seeing him as a brother, he also spoiled him like a child.
Of course, this increase in patience only began after he learned about Xu Youyou's past.
Specifically, on the day they filled out the Sin Hunter City Entry Application.
If it had been in the past...
Zuo Lin'an sighed softly to himself, pushing the past out of his mind.
Actually, before they filled out the application form, he had always been quite puzzled.
Xu Youyou was so strong and usually so competitive, so why did he call someone weaker than him like Zuo Lin'an "Brother An"?
He only found out later that Xu Youyou had never actually grown up on the inside.
His mental age was probably only in his early tens.
With Zuo Lin'an's decades of experience from his previous life combined with the eighteen years of this life, why would he hold a grudge against a kid with the mental age of a preteen?
“Didn't our homeroom teacher mention it before?”
“The specters originally set for this dungeon, including our homeroom teacher herself, can't move around freely during the Scarlet Dream. They can only stay in designated areas.”
“But the hundred of us acting as NPCs are different. We can wander wherever we want.”
“When the Scarlet Dream begins, don't just charge forward blindly.”
“Just tail the other specters and observe closely when they chase the players. See which players panic the most, feel the greatest terror, and run the fastest.”
“Those players most likely don't have any trump cards.”
“You can target those easy marks.”
“And once the players scatter, you can go after the ones who end up isolated.”
Xu Youyou's eyes instantly lit up with pleasant surprise.
“Okay!”
The two chatted as they walked, intending to head back to the dormitory since it was getting late. But in the blink of an eye, they spotted several figures in school uniforms on the other side of the soccer field.
They stood there stiffly, their eyes dull and their faces a deathly gray.
Xu Youyou stared at them for a moment before asking in confusion, “They're wearing school uniforms? Isn't school out for break right now? Why are there still students here?”
Even those who, like them, had come to the school to guest star as NPCs were wearing their own clothes. There was something off about the people ahead.
Yet, there was no trace of a specter aura on any of them.
However, Xu Youyou quickly realized something.
In their world, whether they were Specter Masters, specters, or Human-Specter Symbionts like themselves, they were all highly skilled at concealing their specter aura.
So, it was hard to say what was really going on with the people ahead.
Zuo Lin'an stared at them for a few moments before speaking hesitantly, “I seem to recall our school has always had a special class.”
Hearing this, Xu Youyou suddenly remembered that there was indeed such a thing.
“I wouldn't have even remembered if you hadn't brought it up.”
“I heard about it during our freshman year and even went to take a look. But the entire class was completely lifeless, and teachers rarely went to give lessons there.”
“I didn't have much interest in that class, so I forgot about it soon after.”
Zuo Lin'an used to think those students were strange too, but after becoming a dungeon boss, he understood. These people were likely players who had entered the Lingyang First High School dungeon.
Although they were lucky enough to survive, they failed to clear the dungeon and ended up as its puppets.
These puppets were typically used as NPCs when the dungeon opened in the future.
Zuo Lin'an gave Xu Youyou a brief explanation.
Only then did Xu Youyou remember.
“I think the shop sells similar dungeon puppets. Some are expensive, some are cheap. Some require Contribution points, while others can be bought with just money.”
“Given their state, ten thousand yuan would probably be the absolute limit.”
After all, in the shop, a decent, slightly creepier corpse went for fifty thousand.
Zuo Lin'an said, “With all ten dungeon lines fully packed this time, these puppets probably won't have a chance to be used.”
Xu Youyou lost interest in them.
“Let's go, back to the dorm.”
The two didn't linger outside any longer and returned to their dormitory. Upon entering, they were somewhat surprised to find that in their four-person room, only their two beds had belongings on them.
Xu Youyou grinned happily.
“Our homeroom teacher is pretty cool. Only the two of us are staying in this dorm; she didn't arrange for anyone else.”
Zuo Lin'an lay down on his bed.
“Yeah.”
Time ticked away, and night soon fell.
As midnight approached, they all received a notification to gather at the school gate.
Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou headed toward the gate together. They spotted others along the way and even happened to run into An Mu.
An Mu glanced at them.
“You two really get along well. Every time I see you, you're together.”
Zuo Lin'an asked, “What of it?”
An Mu's lips twitched.
“In a moment, the thousand of us will be randomly distributed among the ten dungeon lines, with a hundred people in each. In other words, you two will most likely be separated.”
Zuo Lin'an didn't react much to this.
But Xu Youyou's eyes widened instantly.
Right, how could he have forgotten about that!
Zuo Lin'an said, “We already know what we need to know, and we're clear on what to do. It's fine even if we're not grouped together.”
An Mu raised an eyebrow. “True.”
She had wanted to see Xu Youyou make a fool of himself, but with just a word from Zuo Lin'an, the shocked Xu Youyou immediately regained his composure.
There was no helping it; Xu Youyou was just too childish sometimes. Every time she interacted with him, he reminded her of a spoiled brat from her relatives' family.
It was a real headache.
So, whenever she got the chance, she would try to annoy him.
Everyone walked out of the school gates and found a spot to stand.
Those with acquaintances spoke in hushed tones.
An Mu had her own acquaintances as well and soon bid them goodbye to walk over to the other side.
The clock struck twelve.
Everyone stood on high alert.
Zuo Lin'an suddenly found himself plunged into darkness. The slightly noisy sounds around him faded away, replaced by a cold, desolate silence.
When his vision returned, he discovered that it was daytime.
Oh, wait, no.
It wasn't that it was daytime, but that the dungeon had officially begun.
He was about to raise his hand when he realized he was dragging a suitcase, with a heavy backpack slung over his shoulders—likely filled with books.
【You are about to enter a new grade. The school has decided that students must arrive one week early to undergo final class placements based on their academic performance. Students, please study hard, take responsibility for yourselves, and bring honor to the school.】
Zuo Lin'an was momentarily stunned when he sensed the dungeon prompt.
He hadn't expected that even NPCs would receive prompts!
Rate on N.U.
