Corpse-Scented Noble House

Chen Nan and the Little Fatty led the way, explaining everything about the building as they walked.

Still, Wu Wang couldn't shake the feeling—was it just his imagination, or were they quietly putting distance between them?

"That's the gist of the situation."

Chen Nan offered a helpless, wry smile.

According to her, students periodically appeared out of thin air in the Art Building. She and the Little Fatty were the same; they had just arrived earlier than the others.

Typically, these newcomers only remembered their names and the fact that they were students at Gao Shan High School. All other memories were gone.

To prevent panic, Chen Nan had suggested they form a "class" to support one another.

As a natural leader, she had taken on the role of head class monitor. Now, any student could go to her with conflicts or emergencies.

"Hopefully, the teachers and students outside will find us quickly once they notice we're gone."

Chen Nan smiled comfortingly.

"But hey, at least we don't have classes here," she added. "Everyone just has to have fun. The Art Building has all sorts of art and music supplies!"

They had even been discussing a new project, painting graffiti on every wall in the building. It was a chance for everyone to let their imaginations run wild.

"So you were the first one to arrive?" Wu Wang asked.

Chen Nan shook her head and pointed to the boy beside her.

"He was. I was the second. When I got here, Little Fatty was so scared he was squatting under a desk, trembling."

"Sister Chen... don't expose my embarrassing past," the Little Fatty mumbled, scratching his head.

His timidity was no secret. In fact, everyone in the Art Building knew, which was why they always had him greet new arrivals. It was meant to train his courage and social skills.

Their conversation brought them to a large classroom.

The room was filled with shelves of paint. The desks had been dismantled, their wooden tops tied together in pairs to form simple bedframes. Mattresses sewn from curtains and other fabrics were laid on top.

"The conditions are limited, so please don't mind."

Chen Nan smiled and patted Wu Wang's shoulder.

"From now on, you'll live in this classroom. Li Yang lives here too. Since you already know each other, you can look out for one another."

That casual gesture, that single sentence, was all it took. A clue clicked into place for Wu Wang.

He frowned.

"You... know his name is Li Yang?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

If he remembered correctly, no one had mentioned Li Yang's name since they entered the Art Building. Wu Wang had mentioned Chu Yuxun, but Li Yang himself hadn't said a word, still lost in a daze.

The question clearly baffled Chen Nan.

"Of course I know," she said, confused. "He was the student who appeared right before you. You're the newest arrival. You two are only a day apart."

After speaking, she lightly thumped Li Yang's chest.

"And you, kid," she said peevishly. "Where were you hiding all day? I didn't see a trace of you."

Li Yang stared at her, utterly bewildered.

Who the hell is this girl? he thought. Do I even know her? Why is she getting so handsy?

He opened his mouth to ask, but Wu Wang stopped him.

"It's nothing. You guys go on with your business."

Wu Wang flashed a brilliant smile.

"This kid just woke up and is still a bit dazed. I'll get his bed sorted out."

Although Wu Wang seemed to be in his right mind, Chen Nan was still worried. She pulled Li Yang aside.

"Keep an eye on him," she whispered. "Don't let him hurt himself again."

Li Yang was completely lost.

Why is she acting like she knows me so well?

Before he could say a word, Chen Nan finished her warning and left the classroom with the Little Fatty.

The moment they left, the smile vanished from Wu Wang's face.

He had seen through the charade. He understood the truth of the Art Building.

"Heh." Wu Wang's voice was sharp with sarcasm. "Gao Shan High School really is a 'Corpse-Scented Noble House'."

Chen Nan, the Little Fatty, all the students here... they were already dead. They just didn't remember it.

He had felt a sense of wrongness from the start.

Now he knew why. This place was too normal.

The Gao Shan High School outside was full of living people, yet it was lifeless and oppressive.

The Art Building, however, was full of the dead, yet it overflowed with youthful vitality.

The students who appeared here were the ones who had died because of the Little Black Room. It didn't matter if they died inside it or jumped from a building later. The result was the same.

Here, their stolen humanity and youth were restored. They had forgotten they were dead, living in a self-deceiving fantasy of a warm, welcoming school.

It all made sense now. The corpses of dead students were thrown into the real Little Black Room to be processed.

Those corpses became the walking dead, lifeless and compliant, easy for the ghost school to control.

The ghosts in the classrooms, on the other hand, were lingering obsessions. They were nothing more than learning machines. That was why they belonged to no faction. Anyone who hindered their studies would summon the tentacle ghost.

"Principal Wang," Wu Wang grinned, a crazed look in his eyes. "It seems you're not so invincible after all."

He leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.

"You're afraid. You're afraid something in this Art Building will destroy the school you've built outside, aren't you?"

His gaze fell on Li Yang.

Bringing him here, an unintentional move, had been exactly the right one.

The living corpse returning to this place meant that Li Yang's two halves had merged. He was a complete "person" again. He was a student with the ability to think for himself, not just a machine that only knew how to study.

This was what Principal Wang feared.

He was terrified that a student, restored to their true self, would uncover the secrets hidden within the Art Building.

"Li Yang, come take a walk with me," Wu Wang suggested, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Where to?"

Wu Wang gave a creepy smile.

"Let's go check out the 'forbidden places' in this building. That's where the real fun is."

Li Yang fell silent.

He didn't fully understand, but he was pretty sure that translated to, Let's go get ourselves killed.

"Can I refuse?"

"Only if you can persuade me."

Wu Wang pulled the dagger named "Tangniu" from his military boot and twirled it with a flourish. His message was clear. Under normal circumstances, Wu Wang was a reasonable person.

But right now, reason was in his hand.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of Wu Wang's hand.

He glanced down. In his flourishing gesture with the dagger, he had knocked over a can of paint from a nearby shelf.

His entire hand was stained crimson.

The familiar color, the familiar pain...

"If it were anyone else, this Instance would be a real head-scratcher," Wu Wang scoffed. "But sorry, you got me today."

A dizzy spell hit him. His vision blurred, showing him a dilapidated classroom piled with junk.

His previous action in the other reality had a terrible consequence here. A row of rusty nails on a shelf had pierced straight through his palm, a dense and bloody cluster.

From outside the classroom came the sound of rustling footsteps, followed by that strange "heh heh" laughter from before.

It was clear now. The steel pipe, the nails... they were all connected to the ghost in the real Art Building.

Without a change in expression, Wu Wang pulled the rusty nails from his hand one by one. Then, he placed his dagger against his heart and plunged it in without hesitation.

【Undying】!

He was instantly revived, back in peak condition.

Wu Wang cracked his neck, his vision clearing. He was back in the warm and tidy classroom.

He finally understood the rules of this place.

Events in this dream-like building corresponded to the real one through symbolic objects. As long as he avoided getting stained by red paint here, he would remain safe in the other reality.

Get stained, and a fatal injury would follow.

"Let's go court death... oh, I mean, let's go find those forbidden places, Li Yang. Don't be afraid."

Wu Wang clapped his shoulder again.

"I'll teach you the essence of courage. The worst that can happen is death."

He grinned.

"A five-day limit? Completely unnecessary! Let me show you how an undying man speedruns a supernatural game!"