The teacher I’d hung out the window awkwardly scrambled back inside. I seized the rag-like figure once more and demanded, “Whose dreamscape is this? That monstrosity isn’t human — it couldn’t possibly construct a dream belonging to a person.”
“Linlin, what are you doing to the teacher?” came a woman’s voice from behind me. I turned to see a slightly rustic-looking middle-aged woman staring at me in disbelief.
“Did I go through all that trouble to send you to school just so you could talk back to your teachers?”
This woman was slender in build, yet I sensed a peculiar familiarity in her unfamiliar face that made me feel rather uneasy.
Seeing I was still thinking it over, the woman grew even more animated, launching into a tearful performance of her woes.
“You have disappointed me terribly.”
“Your academic performance is poor, so what if the teacher had a few words with you? It’s for your own good.”
“Do you have any idea how much it cost to raise you, how much more it cost to send you to school? If you’re not committed to this, drop out and go home to find work.”
“I should never have given birth to you. Do you realise it was all for your sake that I didn’t divorce your father during my postpartum period?”
With my free hand, I grabbed the woman who was speaking, “Another fake mother.”
“What do you mean? Have you become so ungrateful that you no longer recognise your own mother?” The woman made her final desperate struggle in my grasp, while I watched her performance with a blank expression.
“Who are you talking to? If your life is full of complaints, don’t take it out on your children. Adults who dump all their misfortune onto their children are the real useless ones — trash parents.”
In the woman’s terrified pupils, I seemed to glimpse who I was playing in my dream — a boy, of all things.[mfn]I was super confused here, since the teacher used female pronouns to refer to Linlin earlier in the dreamscape in the previous chapter.[/mfn]
The woman I’d labelled a useless parent wept even more bitterly, “You’re just like your father — cut from the same cloth, both of you. Complete psychopaths.”
I sneered coldly, “Yes. That’s precisely why you’re too cowardly to divorce. People like you are utterly useless. If you can’t even control how you choose to live your own life, then why on earth did you have children in the first place? Is it so you can resent them for failing to meet your expectations? Is it the child’s fault that you’ve made such a bloody mess of your own life? Why must children always bear the brunt of your failed adult marriages? Your child is not some rubbish bin for dumping your emotional baggage. If you’re so full of resentment towards life, go and take it out on the child’s father. I don’t have time for cowardly scum like you.”
The dreamscape trembled, as though its master had reacted violently to my words. I paid it no mind, my hands working in rapid succession to smash both the teacher and the fake mother to pieces. Now, no one could speak to me anymore. Within the dream, this moment was the most tranquil and peaceful.
“I don’t care whose dream this is, just don’t try to brainwash me.”
At that moment, the dream shattered and I opened my eyes to find myself lying in the library’s storeroom. The creature lay beside me, its body completely shattered, its death identical to that of the teacher in my dream.
I kicked the lifeless corpse aside, then dragged the creature out of the storeroom. Once I’d tidied up the mess, I intended to return to bed and replenish my SAN points. But when I did, I found my makeshift bed occupied by an unfamiliar boy.
The boy smiled at me, sending a shiver down my spine once more. These bizarre occurrences just keep coming one after another, don’t they? All waiting to appear when my SAN value hasn’t recovered yet.
My reflexes were sharp; I lunged forward, aiming to seize the boy by the throat, only to pass right through his body.
What’s going on? Is he not human?
“Hello, I’m Wu Liang. The dreamscape you just experienced was actually mine. I’m terribly sorry to have frightened you. The dream monsters you slew were, in truth, parts of my own body.”
If I could use my powers now, I would have killed the ghost across from me.
Hold on, what did he say his name was? Wu Liang?
“You’re Wu Liang? You must be the Headmaster’s son.”
Upon hearing my words, Wu Liang nodded. “Yes, Wu Mingda is indeed my father.”
I composed myself and took the boy before me in at a glance. It was he whom I had embodied in my dream just now, and so I took issue with him, “What happened in that dream — was that something you’ve actually been through? You’re awfully weak, aren’t you?”
Wu Liang listened to my reprimand with downcast eyes, acknowledging the validity of my words, “My essence is scattered throughout my body. Everyone who enters the dreamscape handles matters without resorting to such violent solutions as you do. Yet, observing your actions, I admit that perhaps my approach to resolving issues is flawed.”
I locked the storeroom door and sat down firmly on the floor to chat with Wu Liang’s ghost, “How did you manage to resolve it back then?”
“My academic performance had deteriorated significantly at the time. My homeroom teacher summoned my mother for a meeting, suggesting I transfer schools. I recounted what had happened at school to my mother, but she chose to believe the teacher over me. Under the guise of having my best interests at heart, she enrolled me in this reform school run by my father during the summer holidays. Her hope was that after a few months, I would emerge as a well-behaved child who wouldn’t be criticised by teachers, excelled academically, and obeyed my parents.”
“And then? I heard you were bullied at this school too.”
Wu Liang was aggrieved beyond measure, “Yes, I even began to wonder if there was something truly wrong with me. This school isn’t an ordinary institution. Most students endure profound suffering here, where beatings, verbal abuse and personal humiliation are considered normal. After those classmates somehow discovered that Wu Mingda was my father, their attitude towards me changed completely. I became the substitute for their hatred towards my father.”
The audience in the Dragon Kingdom felt rather uneasy at this point, and everyone began suggesting ways for me to help the ghost in the comments. I covered my mouth and chuckled softly, saying, “You really are a useless person, aren’t you?”
Wu Liang, “… You’re right, but not everyone can be like you — able to set aside feelings and over a decade of familial bonds when faced with betrayal by loved ones. It’s even less likely that one could stand completely opposed to their loved ones, facing them with weapons drawn. As a student, one’s heart needs a certain amount of time to prepare psychologically. I’ve shared my thoughts with my father, but he’s solely focused on making money and tells me to ask my mother if I have any questions. My mother, in turn, passes me off to my father. These two people, consumed by mutual resentment, just keep shoving me back and forth. It’s made me increasingly confused about my own existence, more and more unable to make sense of things.”
Here we go again with this nonsense about being prepared or not. When the world’s calamities come gushing forth, has anyone ever been given time to prepare?
“You’ve been saying the same thing to some of the students in the boys’ dormitory. Since you’re so dissatisfied with this place, why not pull off something big together? If possible, we could lure all those parents into the school under the guise of a parents’ meeting, then take them out one by one. Kill them all.”
Wu Liang’s gaze upon me was rather complicated, “Is killing people you dislike the only thing on your mind? What sort of person are you? Besides, I’m a ghost now, and my remains are scattered throughout the school. Unless you retrieve all my body parts, I’ll remain without a physical form.”
I wondered if this might be what they call a side quest?
“If I help you, will you be able to find a way to leave this school?”
Wu Liang replied to me, “After my death, my father struck a bargain with some entity. My body served as the offering. Should the offering be retrieved, the power sealing the school would weaken. At that point, I could lead you to find my father. If you truly are strong enough, then what happens next is your concern.”
“Is the school sealed by some force?”
Wu Liang nodded. “Yes, my father said no one ever leaves this school.”
I immediately thought of the leave certificate. When I mentioned it to Wu Liang, he knew nothing about it, “I’ve never heard of anyone leaving here with a leave certificate, nor have I seen any students leaving this school with one.”
This conflicts with Wang Meng’er’s recollection.
“I met a girl here who, along with me, discovered that many students at the school had written leave certificates, yet no one could recall doing so. She plans to conduct an experiment tonight by writing a leave certificate to see if she can actually leave the school.”
Wu Liang thinks that the experiment is utterly pointless.
“But for the students, behaving well and enduring all manner of unreasonable treatment is precisely to obtain the leave certificate and exit this school. Indeed, for some, the very purpose of their existence now is that leave certificate. If it’s a sham, doesn’t that mean the Headmaster is deceiving those children?”
Wu Liang is under the impression that deception is highly probable, “That man could exploit and deceive even his own family; who wouldn’t be deceived?”
I don’t know how to say it to him either. If I tell him to do things my way, he’ll think I’m being too extreme. On the other hand, he’ll say that people like me are few and far in between, that not everyone is like me. The boy seems to be having a tough time, but once you get to know him a bit through talking, he can crack a joke too.
Following Wu Liang’s instructions, I extracted a blood-soaked skull from the body of the dream monster that had attacked me. This was a part of Wu Liang’s own body. Upon obtaining it, the system alert sounded once more.
【Completed side quest: The hidden treasure within the library has been discovered. The player is steadily drawing nearer to the truth. Unlocked key character: Ghost Wu Liang. Uncovered the Headmaster’s secret. World Exploration Level: 30%】
【Obtaining side quest rewards and upgrading SAN value. Please stand by, Player】
Within seconds, the SAN value on my status bar visibly increased, recovering by more than half, and I instantly felt much more alert.
The system re-issued a side quest.
【Searching for Wu Liang’s body parts – a total of seven bones are scattered throughout the school premises. Currently Located: 1/7】
I lay on the ground, grinning, and asked Wu Liang, “Do you know where the other pieces of your body are?”
Wu Liang nodded. “I have a rough idea of where it is, but it’s mainly hidden by my father.”
I said it was fine, “Just as long as you have a general idea of where it is, I’ll find the rest myself. Do you have any sensitivity to your own body parts?”
“Yes, I can sense it if I get close.”
‘Right, then you’ll be joining me from here on out. No objections, I trust?’ I eyed him tentatively. Should he dare refuse, I’d activate my ability to abduct him. After all, my SAN had recovered, and inflicting contact damage on spirits was no longer an issue.
Wu Liang saw my eyes fixed on him and sighed helplessly, “Can I call you “elder sister”[mfn]Dàjiě. Would you, my dear readers, prefer it if I keep it in the pinyin?[/mfn]? There’s no need to stare at me so menacingly. Even if you hadn’t brought it up, I’d still follow you. After all these years, someone has finally come this far who’s willing to defy my father. Many people fear the rules he laid down. Though following them makes survival possible, it robs one of countless opportunities to uncover the truth.”
“Alright then, if you say so, there’s no issue. I plan to get some sleep. A girl will be coming to the library to see me tomorrow morning – you’ll have to sort things out for me then.”
Wu Liang grew impatient, “Do you take me for a butler or a servant? I’m a ghost — ordinary students would be terrified if they saw me.”
I pointed at myself, “I’m just an ordinary student too.”
Wu Liang eyed the human skin draped over my body, and the dark red school uniform that peeked through beneath the human skin coat. He didn’t see me as an ordinary student. No matter how he looked at me, I resembled a murderous maniac. Had I not been able to communicate and speak smoothly, nobody would have taken such a person as belonging to the righteous side resisting the Headmaster.
After settling in Wu Liang, I fell straight to sleep. In the dead of night, I was woken by loud footsteps outside the door, as though someone were pacing back and forth.
I saw no sign of Wu Liang, then, under the dim moonlight, I tiptoed slowly towards the gate and pressed my ear against it to listen for sounds from outside.
The footsteps continued to echo, leaving one wondering what exactly the person outside was hesitating about. At this late hour, according to the rules, everything within the designated areas – whether it’s the cafeteria, dormitories, or teaching buildings – should have returned to its proper place for the night.
Wu Liang materialised behind me at that moment, whispering softly, “Someone’s here to see you.”
His sudden appearance nearly made me reflexively strangle him. “Where have you been? What was that thing outside the door?”
Translator’s Corner: If you see any grammar/spelling errors, please let me know ~
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