Chapter 19: Widow, are you a human or a ghost?

"Huff... huff..."

"Brother Baili, how the hell is your stamina so good!" Tu Xingsun was panting heavily, struggling to catch his breath.

Behind them, a swarm of tentacle ghosts was twisting and crawling across the floor in a grotesque pursuit. Despite their bizarre movements, their speed was anything but slow.

This immediately highlighted the fundamental difference between wild players and players from the Bureau of Anomalies.

Having undergone long-term physical training, Baili Dao ran with steady, rapid precision.

In contrast, the little guy was nearly caught and grabbed several times.

"Stop your yapping! We're almost at the office!" Baili Dao led the way from the front.

First floor, second floor, third floor...

Before long, they reached the sixth floor. Baili Dao had long since memorized the layout of this building; the homeroom teachers' offices were located on the floors corresponding to their respective classes.

Seeing the words 【Senior Year Office】 written on the door, joy instantly flashed across their faces.

They were saved! They were about to be saved!

*Creak—*

Before they could even reach for the handle, the iron door of the office made a sound and swung open on its own.

An unfamiliar man walked out from within.

He was pot-bellied, with fat on his face that wobbled with every step. His ten fingers were adorned with various colorful rings, making him look like a bloated nouveau riche.

The only thing that stood out was the bone-chilling ferocity gleaming in his eyes.

Baili Dao and his companion ran straight into the man. The moment their eyes met, they nearly collapsed to their knees.

Because they heard Teacher Yao's voice from inside the office saying

"Principal Wang, please take care on your way out!"

Principal?

This man was the damn principal of the High Mountain Ghost School!

"Teacher Yao, which class are these students from? Don't they know that playing and running in the hallways is prohibited?" Principal Wang's voice was heavy and full of authority.

The image of Shi Gandang's previous dangerous evaluation of the principal instantly flashed through Baili Dao and the other's minds.

And now, there was nowhere left to run.

Then—it's all over!

"Reporting to the Principal! There are some strange things behind us hunting students! They are interfering with our studies!" Baili Dao had a sudden flash of inspiration and bit the bullet to ask for help.

Rules! The Principal must have his own set of behavioral rules!

They hadn't done anything wrong, and their grades were decent.

The Principal wouldn't punish them without reason... right?

Hearing this, Principal Wang frowned and looked toward the stairwell behind them.

Sure enough, he saw a crowd of differently shaped tentacle ghosts crawling toward them; some were even crawling along the ceiling, hanging down as they advanced. The sheer density of them was hair-raising.

"Noisy! The campus is a sacred place! How can I tolerate such messy things causing chaos?" There was a hint of anger in Principal Wang's tone.

Then, he slowly rotated a ring set with a sky-blue gemstone on his index finger.

Everything around them instantly fell silent.

The swarm of tentacle ghosts froze in mid-air as if a pause button had been pressed.

Even a few that had leaped into the air remained suspended, motionless.

The sound of the wind outside the window, the rustling of leaves, and even the flow of the air came to a standstill at that moment.

Only Principal Wang, Teacher Yao, and the two of them, Baili Dao and Tu Xingsun, could move.

Under their terrified gaze, Principal Wang strolled toward the swarm of tentacle ghosts.

"Nothing more than a few appetizers!"

In the next second, he ceased to be human.

His already obese body expanded like a small mountain, nearly filling the entire corridor with his massive frame. His huge palm reached out and grabbed a tentacle ghost.

Compared to this massive physique, the creature was lifted up like a tiny chick.

*Crunch... crunch...*

Principal Wang actually put the tentacle ghost into his mouth and began to chew!

Then, under the pale, trembling gazes of Baili Dao and Tu Xingsun...

That seemingly unstoppable swarm of tentacle ghosts truly became nothing more than appetizers, being eaten clean by Principal Wang, who had transformed into a powerful vengeful spirit.

A moment later, the corridor was quiet.

Principal Wang's physique returned to its original state, with only a trace of crimson remaining at the corners of his mouth to prove what had just happened.

He walked over slowly.

Standing beside Baili Dao, he spoke to Teacher Yao: "Go find out what's happening in the Small Black Room. The appearance of these things indicates that a fish has slipped through the net in there, and they are here looking for it."

As he spoke, his gaze turned ferocious.

He stared intensely into Teacher Yao's panicked eyes and at his trembling legs, threateningly: "Do your job well, Old Yao. Someone has to take responsibility for this accident."

*Gulp—*

Teacher Yao swallowed hard.

He was a smart man.

Principal Wang's meaning was clear: if the true culprit couldn't be found, he would have to bear the responsibility himself.

"Don't... don't worry, Principal Wang. I will handle the two tasks you gave me!" Teacher Yao promised, his teeth chattering.

Seeing this, Principal Wang said nothing more.

He turned to look at Baili Dao and the other, rotated the pale yellow ring on his middle finger, and reached out his fleshy palm to pat Baili Dao's slightly messy hair.

His voice was low: "Chen Baili and Sun Jia, right? Your grades are decent. I hope you maintain them for tomorrow's exam."

In the next second, his tone became serious.

"But I don't want to see any improper thoughts. Students should focus on their studies. Do you understand?"

The two of them nodded like frantic chickens.

Especially Baili Dao, who was terrified that a single moment of dissatisfaction from the man would result in his head being twisted off to be used as a chamber pot.

Who the hell would dare not understand at a time like this!?

God-damned Spiritual Disaster Game!

Was this something they could actually contend with?

At the same time, they both felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, the main quest was just to catch the truant, not to find ways to skip class.

If it had been the latter, they would have been doomed.

"Alright, forget what just happened. Study hard. Only by getting into a prestigious school can you make something of yourself in the future," Principal Wang said with gratification.

As he grinned, one could faintly see bits of tentacle flesh and fragments of school uniform fabric stuck between his teeth.

He rotated the white ring on his ring finger.

*Swish—*

In an instant, the surrounding environment became familiar.

Baili Dao and Tu Xingsun stared at the doors covered in sticky notes and the messy beds around them, momentarily stunned.

"Is this... back in the dormitory?" Tu Xingsun asked in confusion, gasping for air.

Simultaneously, Baili Dao looked out the window.

The sky was dotted with stars.

It was now nighttime.

The two looked at each other.

Time control, vengeful spirit forms, spatial movement...

This Principal Wang was practically invincible in this Ghost School!

*Bang—*

The dormitory door was violently thrown open.

A tall figure rushed in, his expression looking slightly unnatural.

"Hm? You're back?" The two dazed boys looked at Shi Gandang with confusion.

Shi Gandang said tremblingly, "The sky went dark in an instant just now. The school doctor kicked me out, saying I should go back to the dorm to rest. I couldn't stay in the infirmary to look after Sister Qing."

"Then why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Baili Dao raised an eyebrow.

The other replied with a bitter smile, "I actually did. I ran into the Widower. He went to the infirmary to get a certificate stating he was unable to attend class."

Upon hearing this, the two were shocked.

"What! He's still alive!"

"Damn, there's a new player being protected?"

After all, since he was taken to the Small Black Room by Teacher Yao during morning self-study, he hadn't appeared again.

They had simply assumed he had met his end.

But Shi Gandang shook his head in contradiction: "No, I'm not sure if he's still alive."

With that, he described what he had seen—

In the infirmary, Wu Wang had walked in to request a certificate for being unable to attend class normally.

The school doctor performed an examination according to protocol.

The kid actually showed his severed right wrist, saying he couldn't hold a pen to do problems now.

"That school doctor is so stubborn. He actually said that since his eyes can still see, he can still read even if he can't do problems, and refused to issue the certificate," Shi Gandang said helplessly.

The other two also sighed.

Clearly, they had previously considered finding a way to go to the infirmary to get a certificate.

They hadn't expected the school doctor to be so difficult to deal with.

They couldn't exactly gouge out their own eyes to get the certificate, could they?

Thinking of this, Baili Dao's expression suddenly became unnatural as well.

Shi Gandang had said at first that the other person *had* obtained the certificate.

So, he asked with a tremble, "Are you saying he..."

"Yeah, it's exactly what you're thinking. The Widower stuck his fingers into his own eye sockets right in front of me and told the doctor he was blind. The doctor was forced to issue the certificate."

Every time he recalled that scene, Shi Gandang felt his whole body go numb.

Those hollow eye sockets felt as if they were still staring at him.

"As expected, he's no longer human."

Baili Dao sighed.

It seemed the Widower had been killed, and what was currently wearing his skin was likely something from the Small Black Room.

Perhaps it was related to the urban legends as well.

He himself had most likely been teleported back to the real world.

Fortunately, this was a non-lethal type dungeon.

"Right, I also think he's been killed. After all, he's just a newcomer; it's normal for him to lack self-preservation abilities," Shi Gandang said with equal regret.

*Creak—*

Just as he finished speaking, the door opened again.

A familiar figure wearing strange clothes walked in.

The three of them immediately stood on guard as if facing a great enemy.

Wu Wang tilted his head and said with a slight smile

"I heard that after we split up, you've been telling everyone I'm dead?"