Wen Jian called.

"Xu Fang, Mingming, if you don't come to class soon, the teacher will have to talk to your parents," he said.

"Don't call me Mingming!" Luo Xiaoming shouted.

Wen Jian laughed on the other end of the phone and said, "Xu Fang, can you hear me? Hurry up and come to school, you owe everyone a meal."

"Why?" Xu Fang asked, puzzled.

"You have to treat us to a meal when you're no longer single! It's a rule!"

"I don't remember there being such a rule in the dormitory, and besides, didn't Xiao Ming treat us a few days ago?"

"Mingming doesn't count, you have to come in person!"

"Fine," Xu Fang thought that this guy just wanted a free meal.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Fang looked at Xiao Ming and asked, "Do you want to go to school?"

"I want to go!" Luo Xiaoming hadn't been back to school since her father took her away from the previous world, and she missed it.

"There might be danger." The probability of being observed at school was much higher than at a hotel.

"I don't talk to strangers, and besides, you'll protect me!" Luo Xiaoming said.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Fang agreed.

Social activities were necessary as long as they could avoid the attacks of the Grim Reaper, unless Luo Xiaoming wanted to hide in a hotel for the rest of her life.

Of course, if they were lucky, they might find a way to lift the curse of the Grim Reaper.

So, Xu Fang and Xiao Ming headed towards the school. Before long, they arrived at the school gate.

Is this the school?

Luo Xiaoming looked around in confusion.

In the previous world, Luo Xiaoming had never been to a hotel or Bomna Restaurant, so she was unfamiliar with those places. But she had been to the school many times, and the surrounding roads were familiar to her. Now, she felt that the area near the school was different from before, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different.

It seems... something is missing?

"Is there something wrong?" Xu Fang noticed Luo Xiaoming's expression.

"I always feel like this place is different from my previous world."

"Different?"

"Not exactly different, many buildings are exactly the same as I remember, but the connection between each building is a bit strange... Ah! I can't explain it clearly!"

"Distance?" Xu Fang suddenly said, "Has the distance changed?"

"Yes, that's the feeling!" Luo Xiaoming suddenly realized and patted Xu Fang's shoulder, "We passed several buildings just now, like the clothing city. It's impossible to walk from the clothing city to the school in just a few minutes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"..."

"What's wrong? Did you find something?"

"I... I suspect that this world is not real..."

Suddenly, Xu Fang had a creepy feeling and turned around abruptly.

"Hey, we've been caught. We were just trying to scare you," Zhou Wenjian sneaked out from the shadow of a tree, laughing mischievously. Fatty and Daya followed behind him.

"How did you guys get here?" Luo Xiaoming just noticed the presence of Wen Jian and the others.

"Oh, Xiao Ming is here too."

"We just finished eating, did you guys eat?" Fatty asked with a smile.

"We're done eating."

"Let's go to class, the teacher is taking attendance today," Daya said.

The group walked towards the classroom. At first, Xu Fang walked side by side with Wen Jian, but gradually, his pace slowed down, intentionally distancing himself from them.

Wen Jian and the others didn't pay attention and continued chatting about gaming topics.

"Xu Fang?" Luo Xiaoming approached Xu Fang.

"I'm fine," Xu Fang shook his head.

Intuition was a strange feeling. It could serve as a reference for one's actions but couldn't be used as a bridge for communication with others. Being suspicious and paranoid wouldn't provide useful information, only panic.

...

Classroom.

Xu Fang and Xiao Ming found a seat at the back of the classroom, while Wen Jian's group dispersed in the front and back.

The teacher took out the attendance list. Naturally, Luo Xiaoming's presence was ignored.

After roll call, class began.

Luo Xiaoming listened for a while and felt a familiar drowsiness. Some teachers just had this magical power during class.

Luo Xiaoming shifted her attention to Xu Fang. She quietly observed Xu Fang's profile and then her gaze moved downward, noticing his empty hand beside him.

She reached out her small hand, opened her fingers, with a longing to hold hands, but hesitated and stopped. She remembered the previous cycle, which she wasn't sure if it was a dream or reality, with that monster who looked just like Xu Fang.

Suddenly, her fingertips were covered with warmth. Luo Xiaoming subconsciously looked over and met Xu Fang's gaze - calm, deep, and composed. In Xiao Ming's eyes, he had countless fascinating qualities - although in everyone else's eyes, Xu Fang was always on the sidelines.

"What are you thinking?" Xu Fang asked.

Xiao Ming blushed slightly and said, "Don't be so intimate, there are people watching."

Wen Jian behind them was like a giant light bulb.

"Do I need to clarify our relationship this time?" he asked.

"Hmph..." Xiao Ming lightly pinched his hand in dissatisfaction.

Last time, taking advantage of the information gap, Xiao Ming firmly took the initiative, making Xu Fang panic and doubt his life. However, a few days later, Xu Fang accepted reality and even started teasing her back.

Just then, Wen Jian moved over from behind and sat on Xu Fang's left side. "Did I interrupt you guys?"

"Still thinking about treating us?" Xu Fang asked.

"No, just bored in class and wanted to chat." Wen Jian smiled and said, "What is that 'reality' and 'world' you mentioned when I saw you at the school gate earlier? What does it mean?"

"What does it have to do with you? Go away and find your big tooth fatty," Luo Xiaoming said to Wen Jian in an annoyed tone. She was very unhappy that Wen Jian disturbed their time together.

"Hey, satisfy your little brother's curiosity," Wen Jian said with a smile on his face. "Is it something secretive? Come on, say that sentence again, please?"

Xu Fang was getting annoyed too. If Wen Jian was just having a normal conversation, it would be fine, but he always asked strange things that made people uncomfortable.

"I said, this world is not real... Alright, bother someone else..." Xu Fang realized he said the wrong thing.

- This world is not real.

Wen Jian's smile disappeared, and he looked at Xu Fang expressionlessly.

The teacher at the podium stopped teaching, put down the book, and stared at Xu Fang coldly.

Da Ya and Fatty turned their heads, staring at Xu Fang with a strange look.

In the large classroom, all the students stopped talking, stopped their actions, and turned their heads to look at Xu Fang.

[He said it.] Wen Jian said calmly.

[He's suspicious.] A student who didn't know them said.

[It's time to eliminate him.] The teacher said.

The faces of these people gradually distorted, becoming ugly and eerie.

A sense of crisis came from all directions.

"Run!" Luo Xiaoming grabbed Xu Fang and rushed towards the door.

Xu Fang realized what was happening and quickly ran out of the classroom with Xiao Ming.

The people in the classroom didn't stop them, they just watched Xu Fang's figure leave coldly.

As they rushed out of the teaching building, Xu Fang and Xiao Ming stood in the sunlight, looking towards the direction of the classroom with a mix of shock and uncertainty. At this moment, they saw an incredibly horrifying scene.

From the first floor to the sixth floor, all the glass windows, all the openings were filled with people. No, it should be called humanoid creatures.

The appearance of those things cannot be described, just a glance makes people feel cold in their hearts.

Those things have no eyes, but Xu Fang knows that they are all watching him!

Damn it, there is definitely something wrong with this world!

"It's them again!" Luo Xiaoming exclaimed in horror. "Xu Fang, we need to leave here quickly."

"Have you seen them? What are they?" Xu Fang asked as he ran towards the school gate.

"I don't know either. I only remember that you turned into that appearance before, and so did your parents..."

"Me? My parents?" Xu Fang had too many questions in his mind, but now was not the time for chatting. He noticed that more and more eyes were looking towards them inside the school.

【You have discovered.】

【You have learned.】

【You have doubted.】

【You shouldn't have known.】

【You should be eliminated.】

【Give up...】

【Come back...】

Vague whispers echoed in Xu Fang's ears, gradually converging into a deep and overwhelming torrent, almost driving him to the brink of collapse.

Xu Fang bit his tongue hard, and with the intense pain and the spread of the bloody taste, his consciousness became slightly clearer. He looked at Xiao Ming and found that she didn't seem to be affected, but was anxiously looking at the fluctuating figures around them. It seemed that the "mental contamination" just now was specifically targeting Xu Fang.

They had to leave here quickly!

"Luo Xiaoming, the main gate is blocked. Let's go this way!" Xu Fang ran towards the back door.

"Okay!"

They climbed over a patch of bushes, ignoring the small wounds caused by thorns on their hands, and ran out of the school along the alleyway of the back door.

The whispers in their ears disappeared.

Were they safe now? Xu Fang didn't know.

The two of them hid at the exit of the alley, looking outside for a while.

Outside the alley, cars were passing by, and pedestrians seemed normal, not like monsters.

"Xu Fang, should we call the police?"

Xu Fang nodded, "I hope these monsters are only confined to the school."

Luo Xiaoming dialed 110, and soon, someone answered the call on the other end.

Luo Xiaoming described what happened inside the school to the police, but after a moment of silence, the person on the phone asked, "Where are you now?"

"I'm..."

"Don't say it!" Xu Fang stopped Xiao Ming. He felt that something was off about the person on the other end of the phone.

【I already know.】

【I see you.】

Several police cars stopped on the opposite side of the alley, and several uniformed... humanoid creatures got out of the cars. They looked at Xiao Ming and Xu Fang with their eerie faces.

The police had arrived, but they were not human. They took out their guns and aimed at Xu Fang.

"Run!!"

Behind them was the school, and in front of them were the monsters. They could only escape to a secluded corner on the side, where there was a green belt with many trees.

Xu Fang didn't go towards the crowd, as he was afraid that those people would also turn into monsters.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Bullets cut through the air, hitting the ground near Xu Fang's feet, splashing small clumps of dirt.

The two of them hid in the woods, but soon, dozens of monsters rushed into the woods and surrounded Xu Fang and Xiao Ming from the east. Some of these monsters were wearing police uniforms, some were pedestrians from the street, and some were students who had chased after them from the school.

The two of them tried to leave the bushes from the south, but as soon as they stepped out, Xu Fang saw more than a dozen police cars parked outside, seemingly waiting for him to show up.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

More than ten people fired their guns simultaneously, bullets densely crisscrossing, covering all the dodging space for Xu Fang and Xiao Ming!

Although they turned around and retreated as soon as possible, how could human speed be faster than bullets?

Only one thought flashed through Xu Fang's mind: he couldn't let Xiao Ming get hurt.

He stood in front of Xiao Ming.

In an instant, Xu Fang felt several forces entering his body, numbness, pain, and a sense of pressure.

Xu Fang knew that he had been shot.

"Xu Fang!" Luo Xiaoming saw this scene and felt angry and sad.

Really, really wanted to fight these monsters.

"Don't stop, run!" Xu Fang endured the pain and squeezed out these words from between his teeth.

"I'll take you with me!" Luo Xiaoming put Xu Fang's arm on her shoulder. They walked towards the depths of the woods. However, the green belt was limited, and soon they reached the edge. Perhaps there were still police cars waiting for them outside.

Xu Fang fell to the ground, his legs lost sensation, difficulty breathing, body getting cold, and consciousness blurred.

At this moment, both he and Xiao Ming were covered in blood, bright red arterial blood and dark red venous blood.

"Xu Fang, hold on..." Luo Xiaoming wanted to bandage Xu Fang with her clothes.

"It's useless, it's too late." Xu Fang's pupils had already started to dilate, and he weakly said, "You go... those monsters might... be after me... leave here while they can't see you..."

Luo Xiaoming's vision became blurry.

Guilt, heartache, or sadness?

Yes, Luo Xiaoming blamed herself for doubting Xu Fang before. Worried that Xu Fang was also a monster. What was there to doubt? The person she trusted the most, the one who took a bullet for her, what was there to doubt?

"If we're going to die, let's die together!"

"Xu Fang..."

"Xu Fang?"

Xu Fang didn't respond.

He had already lost his breath.

The sound of a helicopter's roar came from the sky. Luo Xiaoming raised her head in despair and looked up.

A distorted-faced monster stood in the armed helicopter cabin, holding a machine gun, scanning the woods, searching for Xu Fang and Xiao Ming's traces.

The enemy pursued relentlessly, not even giving time to cry.

Luo Xiaoming had once thought that she had come to a world where no one was hurt, but it was all an illusion.

This world was hell.

Luo Xiaoming carried Xu Fang's body and walked towards the direction away from the helicopter with difficulty.

Blood left a horrifying trail behind them.

The helicopter quickly approached, and the monster raised the machine gun, aiming at Xiao Ming - she had been discovered.

Luo Xiaoming disregarded everything and continued to stumble forward. This was her last struggle.

At this moment, she didn't notice that the bloodstains of Xu Fang on her body and behind her were gradually disappearing, nor did she notice that the weight of the body she was carrying was getting lighter.

The helicopter hovered, and the bullets from the machine gun swept down from above.

Metal, like a storm, tore through the branches and poured down.

...

A miraculous scene happened.

Those bullets were all deflected by some object, penetrating the surrounding soil, not a single one landing on Xiao Ming.

A small, white, four-fingered hand gently rested on Xiao Ming's head.

"Goo... Xiao Ming, thank you... and, I'm still alive."

A soft and familiar voice came to Luo Xiaoming's ears.