Chapter 14: Do You Even Know What Absolute Defense Is?

“Speaking of which, where is your school uniform? Don't you dare lose the key to the dungeon; it's your identity credential. Only when you wear it are you a student of Gaoshan High School. Once you take it off, you're an intruder.” Qing Heyi suddenly realized the issue.

This guy had already come to class, so why was he still wearing military combat gear?

Wait a minute...

Could it be that this was the reason he was sent to the Black Room?

“Oh, I’m wearing it underneath like underwear. Want to take a look?” As he spoke, Wu Wang prepared to unzip his fly.

Terrified, Qing Heyi shook her head repeatedly.

“There’s absolutely no need. I’m leaving; I only requested ten minutes to go to the infirmary.” At this, she let out a helpless sigh. “This damn school even regulates the time for seeing a doctor! Unless the school doctor issues a certificate on the spot stating that you are unable to attend class normally, any other reason is considered a violation of school rules.”

“Hmm?”

Hearing this, Wu Wang’s eyebrows twitched.

He suddenly thought of a way to get the school doctor to issue him a certificate.

Of course, he could only implement this after finishing his time in the Black Room.

Time was running out.

Although Old Man Yao said he could just return before class ended, his current role was a student after all; he couldn't truly act recklessly and wait until the very last second to return.

Most importantly—

Wu Wang felt extremely uncomfortable in his own skin right now.

“Then I’ll head back too. See you at mealtime.”

Ever since he had made eye contact with Mr. Ke from below and a "red-eye disease" had grown on his wrist, Wu Wang's five senses had become abnormally acute.

Especially regarding visual perception; even if someone was secretly staring at him on a busy street, he could immediately sense the discomfort.

However, from the moment he left the classroom...

A certain eerie sense of being watched had never disappeared. Something was constantly spying on him!

Moreover, the longer it lasted, the more pronounced this sensation became. He suspected that if he stayed away from the classroom for more than a certain amount of time, something bad would happen.

After bidding farewell to Qing Heyi, Wu Wang returned to the classroom at top speed.

Teacher Yao was still standing at the podium, watching the students during self-study with a cold gaze. He said nothing when Wu Wang returned, merely tilting his head slightly to signal him to go down and sit.

Returning to his seat.

Baili Dao quietly shuffled over.

To be honest, he didn't really want to have much contact with this psychotic newbie, but he was simply too curious about certain things to not seek answers.

“Hey, where did this transcript actually come from? Do you know what your score was on the last test?” Baili Dao's tone became somewhat serious.

He had taken to heart the threat Teacher Yao made before they left.

Taking advantage of Wu Wang's absence, he had found his own score on the transcript—

【Chen Baili: 90 points】【Rank: 5】

This name was his identity within the dungeon.

Based on Teacher Yao's previous threat, would there be some kind of punishment if his grades dropped?

There was a test tomorrow, and Baili Dao felt a bit uncertain; after all, no one knew what kind of content this eerie school would test.

“First of all, I stole this notebook from inside the podium. Secondly, my name isn't 'Hey,' it's Chu Yuxun!”

Wu Wang said with a straight face.

Baili Dao’s face was covered in black lines.

When was this guy going to stop acting crazy?

But in the next second, he saw Wu Wang point to the very top of the transcript, and his pupils suddenly contracted violently—

【Chu Yuxun: 100 points】【Rank: 1】

Fuck! His name really was Chu Yuxun!

Immediately after, Baili Dao's expression turned worried, and his gaze toward Wu Wang was filled with pity.

First in the class!

If he wasn't number one after tomorrow's exam, Teacher Yao would most likely use it as an excuse to make trouble.

It seemed they were about to lose a companion...

Oh, wait, he should survive the Black Room first before worrying about tomorrow's exam.

*Ring ring~ Ring ring~*

The bell for the end of morning self-study rang.

As if he had been waiting for a long time, Teacher Yao suddenly stood up, baring his slightly yellowed teeth in a grin, and pointed out a name in a sinister tone: “Chu Yuxun, come with me. I look forward to seeing you study diligently in the future and becoming a pillar of society.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

He wasn't worried that Wu Wang wouldn't follow.

After all, not following would be considered defying a teacher. The consequences of being disrespectful to one's mentor were far worse than going to the Black Room!

Before long, the two arrived at the Black Room.

Standing at the door, Teacher Yao pulled an access card from his breast pocket, swiped it by the door, and easily pulled the door open.

Inside was as black as ink, so dark one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.

Before Wu Wang could enter, Teacher Yao cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the room: “Student Chu Yuxun! Due to eccentric clothing that does not comply with the student code of conduct, Class Teacher Yao Qing suggests assisted correction!”

The Black Room seemed very spacious; his raspy voice echoed several times.

About five seconds later, the sound of rustling footsteps came from within—dense and frequent enough to be irritating, sounding like many people shuffling their shoes across the floor.

A moment later, three figures appeared at the doorway.

Their positioning was very subtle. Using the light from outside, Wu Wang could only see three pairs of worn-out canvas shoes and blurry, slightly reddened school trousers; their upper bodies were completely lost in the shadows, making them unrecognizable.

Seeing them appear, Teacher Yao's tone became slightly tense, and he offered a forced smile: “What a hassle. I'll leave this fellow to you. I'll come to collect him in one hour—if he can still come out.”

There was no reply from the other side.

Teacher Yao turned his head to look at Wu Wang, his tone instantly turning cold: “Go in. Just do whatever the people inside tell you to do.”

With that, he turned and left directly.

Wu Wang shrugged and strode inside.

He would deal with whatever came his way!

*Boom—*

Just as he stepped into the Black Room, the door behind him slammed shut with a thunderous crash. Judging by the sound and the thickness and weight of the door, it would likely be impossible to force it open with human strength.

The temperature inside was very low, and the air was filled with a nauseating, rotten stench. In the pitch darkness, even his own breathing and heartbeat could be heard clearly.

Dead silence, darkness, the unknown.

Anxiety was fully stirred up at this moment; an ordinary person would likely have started trembling by now.

*Tap—*

Suddenly, a pair of hands, cold to the bone, rested on Wu Wang's shoulders, and a mouth exhaling freezing breath pressed close to his left ear.

A voice, as raspy as if a steel bar were stuck in a throat, sounded intermittently: “You... must... play a game... with us.”

A second equally raspy voice sounded from the right: “I represent... your interest in clothing... he represents... your parents...”

“And I... am your friend...” A third voice appeared in front of Wu Wang: “The three of us will hide in the corners of the room. You must catch us.”

“Whoever is caught... disappears...”

“You must catch one person within one hour! Otherwise, everything we represent will vanish entirely!”

With that, the three voices vanished simultaneously.

The cold sensation on his shoulders also disappeared without a trace, as if nothing had happened at all.

Hearing this, Wu Wang understood.

This Black Room was a place for processing "trash."

Processing everything unrelated to studying.

He also understood why those students were so terrified of entering the Black Room; because there truly were certain things whose disappearance was more terrifying than death.

Compared to an interest in clothing, catching a parent or a friend would be truly unacceptable to an ordinary person.

Wu Wang had no doubt that the ghosts in here could affect people in the outside world.

According to how Qing Heyi described the changes in those who entered the Black Room, the things selected were likely truly erased by the vengeful spirits!

And there were probably more than just these three types of things; after all, there were too many things a person could care about.

So far, only two options that an ordinary person would care about had appeared, plus one option specified by Teacher Yao.

If he entered more often, the options would likely become more customized, specifically targeting the entrant.

No wonder those who entered many times became like studying machines; it was because everything they cared about had vanished, leaving only the goal of studying deeply ingrained in their minds.

*Swish—*

He bent down and pulled a dagger from the inside of his combat boot, twirling it casually in the darkness.

“Catch you? No, no, no. Whoever I catch, I'm going to slice them into pieces~”

Wu Wang wanted to see if the ghosts in this Black Room had any connection to the corpses thrown in here.

As for the consequences...

“Parents? Sorry, my parents passed away five years ago. I'm an orphan.”

“Friends? Also sorry, I don't currently have any friends. I do, however, have plenty of people who want to kill me.”

“Do you even understand what absolute defense means?”