Chapter 9 Don't Think About It! (7)

The sudden appearance of the breath was slower and longer than anyone else's. The cold, chilling breath silently spread towards Xiajing. It was as if someone had just crawled out of the abyss and stood quietly at the head of Xiajing's bed. And when that breath suddenly appeared in the quiet bedroom, Xiajing clearly heard - Xujin's breathing became rapid, as if she were being strangled or running thousands of meters, gasping for air and making a very faint whimper in her throat, but there was no movement on the bed, as if she couldn't move at all.Close at hand, Xiajing tried again silently, but she couldn't even move her fingers or lift her eyelids. The appearance of the monster froze everyone's bodies, creating a silence in Xiajing's heart. Xu Jin's breathing became rapid for a few seconds, then suddenly disappeared, leaving only a low trembling in his throat. It was as if he was so afraid that he held his breath, thinking that as long as he did so, he wouldn't be discovered or noticed. However, after a few more seconds, even the faint trembling in his throat completely disappeared....

　　About a minute before and after, there were only three breathing sounds left in the dormitory. Finally, Xia Jing and Song Yang sat up from the bed at the same time. In the dark, they looked around the dormitory but saw no sign of any monsters. The four people's phones were placed by Song Yang in the cabinet at the entrance, but the monster did not move from there to between Xia Jing and Xu Jin's beds; it just suddenly appeared and then disappeared. Song Yang quickly lifted up the quilt and prepared to get out of bed while asking quietly, "How is Xu Jin?" In the darkness, Xia Jing leaned over and gently touched the quiet girl sleeping on that end for a moment of silence before saying, "Her body temperature has already cooled down."Song Yang paused, "So fast?" Xia Jing withdrew her hand, saying, "This result must have been determined by the copy. First aid is meaningless." Song Yang also fell into silence. This wasn't his first encounter with this kind of situation.

About a minute before and after in their dorm room, only three sets of breaths remained. Their bodies finally unfroze - Xia Jing and Song Yang both sat up from their beds at once. In darkness they surveyed their surroundings but found no trace of any monsters present. The four people's cellphones had been placed by Song Yang in a cabinet near the entrance to their room; however, the monster didn't move from there to between where Xia Jing or Xu Jin slept – it simply appeared suddenly then vanished again.

Song Yan swiftly threw back his covers as he prepared to leave his bed, quietly asking "How is Xu Jin?" In the darkness, Xia Jing leaned over and silently touched the still form of the girl sleeping at that end for a moment before stating, "Her body temperature has already cooled down." Song Yang paused. "So fast?" Xia Jing retracted her hand. "This should be the result given by the copy." The copy had defined her death; first aid was meaningless. Song Yang also sank into silence. This wasn't his first encounter with this kind of situation.

　　In some instances, when players encounter danger in the game, it may seem as if their breathing has stopped, but with prompt first aid and official medical supplies, they can still be saved. However, in other instances, once a player's breathing stops, their body temperature will rapidly decrease at an unrealistic speed. This is a clear signal from the game that the person is dead and there is no way to bring them back. Song Yang grabbed his hair. For dungeons rated two stars or higher, players are basically unable to obtain sufficient clues on the first day. Without enough clues, they cannot escape death no matter how they defend themselves. Even if they do obtain sufficient clues, they still cannot prevent death - just like this time in this dungeon when monsters appeared and they couldn't move at all.

However accustomed he was to such deaths, Song Yang's mood was still very complicated. He took a deep breath and got out of bed with his phone. After turning it on, he sent a message to Jia Qing before turning on the flashlight and quietly climbing up to where Xia Jing and others were located using the ladder. He shone the light from the flashlight onto Xu Jin's face for Xia Jing to check as well. Xu Jin looked just like Huang Mo - peacefully asleep with closed eyes and normal complexion and lip color as if she were alive but had already lost her breath and body temperature. Xia Jing checked Xu Jin's neck for any signs of strangulation or marks on her wrists or ankles but found none - no signs of pressure or injury whatsoever. The dungeon still did not provide any clues about their deaths.

"Could it be 'sudden death' again?" Song Yang frowned. The specific cause of Xu Jin's death may have to wait until tomorrow for Wang Yueran's "mother" to inform them before they can know. At this moment, Wang Yueran is still sleeping peacefully. And when she wakes up tomorrow and finds out that her good friend is no longer there, what will her mood be like? Xia Jing and Song Yang fell silent for a moment. Xia Jing asked softly, "After the monster appeared, you couldn't even lift your eyelids, right?" "Yes, but there's something strange," Song Yang said slowly, "the rest of us would be frozen in place by the monster, but the person chosen by the monster shouldn't be affected in the same way as us. The game wouldn't set a completely uncontrollable monster for players." So if the monster didn't suppress or restrain Xu Jin, why didn't she make a single sound throughout? How did she die?.

The exact cause of Xu Jin's death may have to wait until tomorrow for Wang Yueran's "mother" to inform them before they can find out. At this moment, Wang Yueran is still peacefully asleep. And when she wakes up tomorrow and learns that her good friend is no longer there, what will her mood be like? Xia Jing and Song Yang fell silent for a moment. Xia Jing asked softly," After the appearance of the monster, you couldn't even lift your eyelids, right?" "Yes, but it's strange," Song Yang said slowly. "The rest of us would be frozen in place by the monster, but theoretically, the person chosen by the monster should not be affected in the same way as us. The game wouldn't set an entirely uncontrollable monsters." So if monsters did not suppress or restrain Xu Jin, why did she not make any sound throughout? How did she die?

　　Xia Jing pondered for a moment and said, "Without witnessing the entire process with our own eyes, it's difficult for us to judge exactly what happened."

Song Yang nodded quietly. The two fell into silence again. Song Yang's phone buzzed.

Jia Qing sent a message.

Song Yang quickly read it and said, "Jia Qing says they also experienced stiffness and inability to move just now, but it only lasted about a minute. However, all four of them are safe with no casualties."

At that moment, footsteps could be heard outside in the corridor - the sound of the teacher on night duty approaching their room step by step. The footsteps stopped outside their door, and then there was no more sound. Someone outside was eavesdropping on their conversation inside the room. Xia Jing whispered, "Let's talk about this tomorrow." Even at night, despite their efforts to be quiet, NPCs would still notice them. If Xujin's body were taken away immediately by NPCs, they would have difficulty finding more clues. It would be better to wake up early tomorrow morning and carefully investigate before the teachers arrived.

Xia Jing thought for a moment and said, "Without witnessing the entire process ourselves, it is difficult for us to determine exactly what happened."

Song Yang nodded quietly. The two fell into silence again. Song Yang's phone vibrated, and he received a message from Jia Qing. After quickly reading it, Song Yang said, "Jia Qing mentioned that they also experienced stiffness and inability to move just now, but it only lasted about one minute. However, all four of them are safe without any casualties."

At that time, footsteps could be heard from outside in the corridor – those were the sounds of teachers patrolling dormitories at night, getting closer step by step towards here. The footsteps stopped after reaching outside their dormitory door, and suddenly there was no further movement. The person outside was eavesdropping on sounds coming from inside their dormitory room.

Xia Jing whispered, "Let's talk about this tomorrow." Even at night, NPCs will still notice them even though they tried to make as little noise as possible. If Xujin's body is immediately taken away by NPCs, it will be very difficult for them to obtain more clues. It might be better if we get up earlier tomorrow morning before the teachers arrive and carefully explore around. Song Yang took a deep breath, nodded, and gently pulled the blanket covering Xu Jin's body over the girl's face. But he knew that tonight he wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

The next morning, seven people gathered in room 417, and Wang Yueran cried until her eyes were swollen. There were two details that Xia Jing and Song Yang didn't notice last night until it was bright daylight - the color of the bedsheet under Xu Jin had changed. All the bedsheets in the student dormitory were white, and Xia Jing could confirm that Xu Jin's bed was no different from theirs last night. But today, they found that the sheet under Xu Jin had turned beige - a change they hadn't noticed last night when they used their phone flashlights. In addition to this, there was also an old teddy bear hidden under the heavy blanket near Xu Jin's feet. Xia Jing could confirm that this teddy bear wasn't on Xu Jin's bed before she went to sleep."What on earth is going on?" Jia Qing felt a chill down his spine. The inexplicable change in bedsheet color, sudden appearance of a doll, and their calm deceased companion - except for looking peaceful like Huang Mo when she died, everything else seemed completely different!

The faces of everyone present looked grim; Wang Yueran was crying, almost on the verge of collapse. She had known Xu Jin as well as she knew Huang Mo and Liu Yi for a very long time.

　　They have been best friends since high school. In this terrifying world where death is happening everywhere indeed,Wang Yueran never imagined that death would suddenly come to her good friend.And last night when Xu Jin was in danger,she didn't wake up at all! Soon,the teacher came in again with security and medical staff,and drove them away.Just like yesterday,they could only watch their companion's body being carried away,and silently leave the dormitory.Sitting down in the cafeteria again,the atmosphere was no different from yesterday morning.Wang Yueran was still crying,and an old lady patted her back to comfort her.Xia Jing spoke first:"There is something I think may be related to Xu Jin's death."As soon as these words were spoken,all eyes focused on Xia Jing,and Wang Yueran looked up with red eyes staring at him."Last night before bed,Xu Jin suddenly told me about a time when she woke up in the middle of ,nightand saw a figure with green eyes standing byherbed."XiaJinglookedatWangYue ran;amongtheirgroupofsevenpeople,sheknewXuJinbest.

They have been best friends since high school. Indeed, in this terrifying world where death is happening everywhere, Wang Yueran never imagined that it would suddenly come to her great friend. And last night when Xu Jin was in danger, she didn't wake up at all! Soon, the teacher came in again with security and medical staff and drove them away. Just like yesterday they could only watch their companion's body being carried away and silently leave the dormitory. Sitting down in the cafeteria again, the atmosphere was no different from yesterday morning. Wang Yueran was still crying, and an old lady patted her back to comfort her. Xia Jing spoke first: "There is something I think may be related to Xu Jin's death." As soon as these words were spoken, all eyes focused on Xia Jing, and Wang Yueran looked up with red eyes staring at him. "Last night before bed, Xu Jin suddenly told me about a time when she woke up in the middle of the night and saw a figure with green eyes standing by her bed." Xia Jing looked at Wang Yueran; among their group of seven people,she knew Xu Jin best.

　　"Yesterday, when the monster appeared, I couldn't open my eyes to see the specific scene. However, the breath of the monster suddenly appeared between me and Xu Jin's bed." "What do you mean?" Jin Nan's face changed as he aggressively asked, "Are you saying she has seen this monster in reality before?" "How is that possible!" Jia Qing was puzzled. "No, what about the green-eyed figure that Xu Jin saw when she was a child?" Song Yang fell into contemplation.

 Wang Yueran's eyes widened as he obviously had heard about this incident. She said hoarsely, "She mentioned this to me! Xu Jin said that she might have seen a ghost when she was a child. It was during the summer vacation of her third grade in primary school. One night, she suddenly woke up and saw a person with green eyes standing at the head of her bed!" "I asked her what the figure looked like specifically, and she said it was just a dark mass. She could only see the green eyes of the other person, and the whole black shadow had the shape of a person!"

 "That night, there was thunder, and she woke up from the sound of it. However, her grandmother sleeping next to her didn't move at all. She was so scared that she dared not make any noise or even hold her breath. She pushed her grandmother under the blanket, but her grandmother never woke up!"

　　Liu Yi eagerly inquired, "What happened next? How did the black shadow disappear?" Wang Yueran responded, "At that time, she was still young and when she didn't receive a response from her grandmother, she was too scared to move. She pretended to be dead there and her heart condition almost flared up. Later, she fell asleep and the next day when she woke up, of course the black shadow was gone."

　　 Speaking of this, Wang Yueran seemed to remember more details. Wiping away her tears, she quickly added, "Oh yes, there was also a beige bedsheet and a doll! Xu Jin told me that on the night she encountered the ghost, she was sleeping on her grandmother's beige bedsheet with her favorite teddy bear doll. However, after that terrifying experience that night, she became scared whenever she saw those items. Her family decided to keep them instead of throwing them away."

 Several years later, when they moved house and found the bedsheet and doll again, her parents teased her for being scared. With this information, they could almost confirm that Xu Jin's death last night was related to her childhood experience. "But how could the monster in the copy be a real ghost...?" Jia Qing felt like he was close to finding an answer but still couldn't figure it out. Song Yang slowly said, "Whether Xu Jin's experience in elementary school was a dream or seeing a ghost is something we can't determine." Xia Jing calmly stated, "What we can determine is that after hearing about Huang Mo waking up in the middle of the night staring at his roommate, Xu Jin remembered this incident - at that time she felt very scared." Xia Jing looked at Jin Nan...

Following his gaze, everyone also looked at Jin Nan, whose expression turned strange. Fragments of yesterday's information in the classroom, Jin Nan's words at lunch, and the brainwashing from the campus loudspeaker flashed through everyone's minds. An answer finally emerged in everyone's mind, and their faces all changed. Song Yang slowly said, "Don't think about it." - Don't think about it because in this parallel world, everything imagined really will appear before them! At that moment, everyone else took a sharp breath.

　　In this copy, their thoughts and ideas may be the breeding ground for monsters. The difference in the circumstances of Huang Mo and Xu Jin's deaths may be due to the fact that everyone's terrifying fantasies are completely different, resulting in vastly different monsters and death scenes.

　　"Is this school cursed?" "By the way, do you often hear footsteps in the hallway at night?" "In addition to footsteps, there are also cries that I don't know where they come from..." "I've heard that there are ghosts in the small woods behind the school, and many people have encountered them!" "Oh, my roommate once saw a dark shadow staring at their balcony from outside the dormitory building late at night..." "Could it be the night watchman?" "Or maybe there really are ghosts, hahaha..." "...Jin Nan's face turned pale. With a bang, he stood up with his hands on the table."

　　The rest of them also stood up in a hurry, and with an unpleasant expression Liu Yi said, "Let's talk outside." They couldn't stay in an environment full of gossip now. Their minds were out of control, and they couldn't help but start associating when they received information. Xia Jing and Song Yang followed at the end of the line. Song Yang looked at Xia Jing's thoughtful look and asked, "What about you? What are you thinking?" Xia Jing glanced at the campus loudspeaker tied to a nearby tree and said, "I'm wondering if that voice will appear today." Almost as soon as Xia Jing finished speaking, the campus loudspeaker emitted a piercing test tone. Jin Nan and the others covered their ears directly as a rough male voice came from the loudspeaker: "Hello? Hello? Ah, dear students, dear students—"　

"Focus on studying; don't listen, don't watch, don't think!!"

"Focus on studying; don't listen; don't watch; don't think!!"

"Focus on studying; don't listen; don't watch;  don't think!!".

Jin Nan let out a resounding curse: "I'll be damned—" Liu Yi, unable to contain his anger, seized a stone from the ground and forcefully shattered the broadcasting horn on the tree! "Focus on studying, don't listen, don't watch, don't think! Hee hee hee hee—sizzle sizzle sizzle—" The impact distorted the broadcasting horn on the tree. Nevertheless, that coarse and eerie brainwashing sound continued to reverberate throughout the campus, mercilessly taunting them with no means of escape. "It appears that this little monster of a microphone has an inexhaustible ability to regenerate," Song Yang remarked irritably. "Do you suppose that last night's manifestation of players' fantasies could be the main monster in this instance?" Xia Jing shook her head. Song Yang chuckled. It seemed their thoughts were aligned.

- Not necessarily.

Author: For energy!