Shi Yu frowned and scolded him. "How could you be so careless? Director Wu told us to keep them safe."
Chi He lowered his eyes and submissively promised it wouldn't happen again, but Nan Yue didn't believe a word of his nonsense.
Jiang Xi Cheng also noticed the issue with the curriculum schedules. Although the order was different, comparing the shared classes revealed the true sequence.
That meant only the class times on one's own schedule could be absolutely trusted.
"Why would they do this? What's the point? Everyone will find out as soon as they compare them."
Zhao Zhenzhen felt it was a bit redundant. As a life teacher, she didn't have to teach classes anyway, so she didn't even care much about her own schedule.
However, the expressions of Jiang Xi Cheng, Nan Yue, and the others were quite grim.
Nan Yue understood perfectly what this implied. It meant that if someone's schedule was lost or compromised, they would have to rely on others to determine their class times.
But... could they be trusted?
While Chi He wasn't sincere, hid clues, and feigned ignorance, he at least seemed too lazy to personally harm anyone so far.
But what about the others?
Nan Yue had seen scavengers who would lure their teammates to their deaths for no reason at all.
In a team mission, once relationships fractured and trust vanished, the difficulty of the mission would skyrocket.
The others were still discussing the schedules. It was unclear if they had realized this yet, and no one spoke up, perhaps unwilling to shatter that thin veil of pretense.
Of course, there were clever ones among them, as well as those who realized the problem as they spoke. They silently tucked their schedules away.
Because of a single thin sheet of paper, a small crack appeared in the once harmonious team.
The evening was free time, with bedtime set for 22:00. The scavengers split into small groups.
Bai La La greeted Nan Yue and scurried off on her own.
Gu Xiang Kai and his two companions huddled together. Zhu Xi Ning's expression was uneasy.
"I have a very bad feeling about this school."
Gu Xiang Kai was somewhat dismissive. "This is a mission. The map is only so big, so of course it feels uncomfortable."
Zhu Xi Ning shook her head. "It's different. Everything in this school makes me feel uneasy."
Zhu Xi Ning emphasized once more, "Everything, and everyone."
Gu Xiang Kai's face grew serious. "Could everyone here be a ghost?"
Nan Yue pondered for a moment, feeling that this line of thought wasn't quite right.
"If everyone were a ghost, it would mean we have to follow everyone's rules, but there are clear contradictions in the rules we've seen."
"I'm still leaning toward the idea that one side among the teachers, the students, and the person writing the blood messages is malevolent and needs to be guarded against."
Nan Yue tapped her finger lightly on the table. "And don't forget, there's still a hidden Person in Charge who hasn't appeared yet."
To leave this place, they needed the approval of that Person in Charge.
Gu Xiang Kai shared a dormitory with Xu Yuan and Chi He. Xu Yuan was a cheerful, sunny young man who seemed willing to look after the seemingly shy Chi He.
Gu Xiang Kai, who knew Chi He's true nature, had a face twisted into a sour grimace.
He was a bit intimidated by this eccentric person, but Chi He seemed to enjoy teasing him and had even requested to stay in the same room.
"Watch out for Chi He."
Nan Yue wasn't afraid of Chi He playing dirty—he wasn't the type to stab someone in the back—but she feared he would hide clues he found, increasing the mission's difficulty.
"You trust him that much? What if he's actually a psychopath who enjoys killing everyone for fun?"
Gu Xiang Kai grumbled. He was genuinely afraid of such strange people.
Nan Yue lowered her gaze. "Do you remember the Top 50 list Cuckoo gave us? Rank 23 is named He."
Gu Xiang Kai's eyes widened. "What? You think it's this kid?"
Thinking about it, Chi He's abilities were undeniable, but the Top 50...
"There is very little information on He. We only know he's male, eccentric, and that everyone who provides clues about him describes him differently."
"Doesn't that sound like him?"
In Everpeace Apartments, Chi He played the role of a sweet, thoughtful boy. In this mission, he was a shy newcomer.
Nan Yue guessed that Cuckoo had his own criteria for judgment; otherwise, with such varying descriptions, no one would know it was the same person.
"Regardless of whether it's him, we definitely need to be careful. But if it is He, at least he won't hurt people, or he would have been marked."
After all, that was the most useful part of that data.
In reality, not many of those who climbed into the Top 50 were truly malicious. Nan Yue remembered only one or two.
Director Wu and the other two teachers didn't come out that evening. The children's laughter and chatter in the school grew louder. Many children even approached the new teachers, wanting to play.
Nan Yue was surrounded by several children asking for stories.
After some thought, Nan Yue told them the story of Snow White. She had heard it was a product of the mission worlds, but the teachers at the training academy had told it to them when they were very young.
Li Xue'er, who had naturally climbed into Nan Yue's lap, looked up at her after the story finished.
"Why would the prince want to kiss a corpse?"
Nan Yue was speechless. That was a good question.
"Yeah, Snow White was so lucky. She managed to survive even though the queen hated her."
The children listening to the story all lowered their heads, their expressions turning somber. Nan Yue said a few words to lighten the mood.
"What happened to the previous teachers at this school?"
The children all chimed in at once. There used to be over a dozen teachers, but they gradually left. Director Wu and the others couldn't manage such a large school alone, so they recruited more.
"In my memory, the teachers have changed four or five times already."
Li Xue'er sighed with a feigned depth of character. "Teacher, you won't leave, will you?"
Nan Yue stroked her hair but didn't answer. Setting aside the fact that it was impossible for her not to leave, this was a mission, and she couldn't just promise an NPC anything.
"Have you ever seen the Person in Charge of the school?"
Li Xue'er shook her head. "No. Only Director Wu knows about the Person in Charge."
Nan Yue nodded and didn't ask further.
As it approached 22:00, the children began to wash up on their own. This was when the life teachers were needed, as some children were young and lacked self-care skills.
There were restrooms on both sides of the corridor, but with so many children, one side would fill up, and they would crowd into the restroom near the teachers' dormitory on the other side.
Jiang Xi Cheng and the others had never cared for children before and were as frantic as if they were in a battle.
Nan Yue watched for a while before walking to Director Wu's door and knocking.
"Who is it!"
Director Wu's voice sounded strange, different from her forceful tone during the day.
"I'm the new teacher, Nan Yue. I noticed you haven't appeared all evening and wanted to ask if you're alright?"
Creak.
The door opened a crack, and Director Wu's face appeared in the gap. Nan Yue frowned. The room seemed to be unlit, and the other two teachers were nowhere to be seen.
"I'm perfectly fine! You newcomers should do more work and don't come looking for us if there's no reason!"
Rate on N.U.
