Artifact Report

Chapter 335 Dual Perspectives: Pet School
Jin Xueli stood at the entrance of the building, looked up, and actually counted five floors.

Most of the windows were lit up, appearing as bright white squares floating in the darkness.

Through the windows bathed in white light, one could occasionally see some figures: some slowly wandering around the classroom, and others standing in front of a large blackboard.

Some people pressed their faces against the windows, pounding the glass with their fists and shaking their arms, seemingly trying to attract the attention of people outside the building—and Jin Xueli was indeed drawn to that person's gaze.

However, the person was standing in front of the window with their back to the light, and their face and figure were completely dark. It was impossible to tell whether they were a resident or what they wanted to do.

Jin Xueli could only see a small part of the hall and stairs across a sidewalk.

However, the surrounding area was empty and quiet, and for a while, no one or any residents could be seen.

She had been worried that it would be difficult to run into her English teacher; but now that she saw that the night school was such a big building, it probably wouldn't be easy to run into her even if she wanted to.

Jin Xueli turned around and glanced back.

Perhaps it was because she had just been frightened at the convenience store, and the lingering fear was still there, like a feather swaying in mid-air, making her nerves tremble—she couldn't help but be a little paranoid.

Did the shop assistant already follow the scent?

On the way here, I kept feeling like there was something behind me in the distance.

Jin Xueli's flashlight beam pierced the darkness several times, but she still couldn't see anything.

She became a little distressed.

The original solution is already in hand... Should I go to night school and hide for six hours before coming out, or should I take the risk and continue walking in the nest until I reach that tall building that will allow me to go home?
The building that Jin Xueli jumped from when she got home was one she had carefully selected after suffering several losses and nearly losing her life. The interior of the building was practically "safe"—a rarity in the nest.

But carefully selecting a building where she could safely return home meant that her home location was fixed. Jin Xueli couldn't choose a nearby building; no matter how far away it was, she had to walk step by step through the dark night in her lair.

What if I get caught up with by a shop assistant right after leaving university?
If I go in, who knows what traps might be hidden in night school?
Neither option is very good...

Her hair suddenly stood on end, and she quickly turned around—but the flashlight beam still only illuminated a street with no expression on its face.

Nobody's here... is nobody here?
No, don't stand so openly on the street. It feels unsettling, like you're not wearing any clothes.

Go to the building entrance and look inside. As long as you don't step inside, you should be fine.

Jin Xueli was even a little envious of the shop assistants at this moment; they had faces in front, behind, left, and right, and could take care of any danger in any direction. How great was that? Unlike her, her neck was already sore from twisting back and forth just a few steps to the building entrance.

She was extremely cautious, not only refraining from stepping inside, but also carefully pulling her hair back to ensure that not a single strand entered the building's perimeter, lest she trigger a trap.

However, all her caution was in vain; she immediately noticed a promotional sign standing at the bottom of the lobby stairs.

—Welcome to Rose Ridge—

With an open and enthusiastic spirit, our school welcomes individuals of all ages who are eager to learn and wish to further their education to visit and learn more. We encourage you to interact with our faculty and staff. We are confident that we can provide you with the most valuable and life-changing learning experience.

Therefore, we have specially created the following identities—

Visitors: No formal enrollment is required for entry. We will provide a brief introduction to the curriculum and teaching staff, and student assistants will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Even if you need time to think it over and can't enroll immediately, don't feel pressured!
Visitors are free to come and go as long as they leave the school within 30 minutes, without facing the restrictions imposed on students. (Only one visit is allowed per 24 hours, and each person can only visit a maximum of three times.)

Visitors who decide to switch to student status at the end of the 30-minute time limit will receive a surprise welcome gift!

In addition, if you are—

Applicant:
The text on the sign suddenly turned into twisted ink blots, without a single human word. Clearly, "applicants" did not include humans, so Rose Ridge Community College had no intention of using human language to write out the details.

Jin Xueli squeezed her eyes shut, using her eyelids to push away the ink-like blobs that seemed to be stuck to her gaze, before skipping over the "applicant" section and continuing to read.

Student: Please consult the assistant for details.

Teachers: This school does not allow the exploitation of students; please keep this in mind. At the very least, it does not allow the exploitation of students who have completed their coursework properly. Furthermore, please do not use lies, traps, deception, coercion, or any other methods outside the scope of teaching on students or visitors.

They even wrote the last paragraph out in human language... just to put people at ease.

Jin Xueli had no intention of enrolling in school—she couldn't think of anyone who would complain that life was too mundane and would voluntarily enroll.

If she's a visitor, she can only stay at the university for thirty minutes... and then what?

The lair is fraught with danger, full of irony and surprises; no one knows which seemingly rational and logical decision will bring about their demise.

For example, regarding the decision to "stay at the university for thirty minutes," Kim Seolli could imagine two possible consequences: First, the shop assistant couldn't find her nearby and continued walking further away, so she could go home once the thirty minutes were up—which would naturally be the best outcome.

Second, the shop assistant waited outside the university for thirty minutes, and as soon as she went out, she was caught red-handed.

What should we do?
Those significant events that can change the course of one's life, when traced back to their roots, often originate from a single unintentional, even insignificant, choice.

At this moment, Jin Xueli simply called out into the room, "Hello, is anyone home?"
Brianna pushed her upper body back into Jacqueline's body, securing it firmly, before finally letting out a breath that had been tightly held in her chest.

That's great, nothing went wrong with this body.

Perhaps because they had only recently died, they had neither decayed nor given birth to any inhabitants.

Although she had deliberately chosen a secluded spot and placed Jacqueline high up on a tree branch, how could she be at ease with that?

Accidents and risks are called accidents and risks because no matter how one imagines them, one cannot foresee their occurrence—so until she rushed back to Jacqueline's side, she remained on edge, fearing that the tree would be empty by the time she returned.

...Of course she couldn't go to see Shirley Kim wearing Jacqueline.

Anyone who glances behind Jacqueline's feet will find Brianna's long, endless body still dragging on the ground.

Once Jin Xueli sees it, she will know that Jacqueline has been killed by the residents, and she will naturally become wary and suspicious of her—at that point, it will be even more difficult to get her to take off her disguise.

"Seriously, how could you just leave my uniform here like that..."

Brianna finally stood up again and walked out of the community park on Jacqueline's two feet. The convenience store clerk was not far away, grumbling as he picked up his vest from the ground.

Hearing the noise, the shop assistant straightened up, and his face met Brianna's for a moment.

"You can transform?"

As it spoke, the teeth that grew from its lips wobbled and trembled. "What, planning to continue getting in my way after you transform? But you're so weak, so incredibly weak, barely better than a human."

Because I am a person, I am a person, I am not a resident, I am not...

Brianna took a deep breath.

"Hasn't that girl already disappeared?" she said, trying to remain calm. "You can't keep following her, can you?"

Hopefully, Kim Seol-ri did listen to her and found a safe place to hide—even if there are risks there, the chance of survival is still greater than being hunted down by the residents.

“They’ve gone quite far,” the clerk said, still with his back to her, his vest on. “Logically speaking, I’ve already driven that hunter out of the gas station, so I don’t necessarily need revenge…”

Brianna held her breath and waited for a moment.

"But I must take revenge, absolutely, absolutely! This is my vow, a promise I made. I will kill the one who killed me, and then you dare to look down on me!"

“Alright,” Brianna interrupted impatiently, “I’m not looking down on you.”

The convenience store clerk paused, then nodded suspiciously: "It's none of your business to look down on us."

“Go ahead,” Brianna waved her hand. “Go ahead and track her down. I won’t get in your way.”

She suffered countless injuries while holding off the shop assistant, and even now, despite wearing Jacqueline's body, her nose and mouth still reek of a thick, sticky, raw blood.

Semi-inhabitants do not bleed like humans.

What flowed from her body were the memories and pain of every injury and bleeding she had experienced since childhood, all superimposed together, burned by countless old flames, her nerves jumping in time.

Aside from the painful smell of memories emanating from her own wounds, she could smell nothing else and couldn't find Jin Xueli's whereabouts.

Since the convenience store clerk wouldn't give up, it made things convenient for her; she could go with her to find Kim Seol-ri.

Before she made up her mind to see Kim Selena, Brianna was still able to maintain her rationality.

But now she couldn't bear it, she couldn't stand it, not even for a second, no, she didn't want to, she couldn't bear it, she didn't want Jin Xueli out of her sight for even a second, she wanted to watch her, watch her, keep watching her, keep looking.
Until Kim Seol-ri's face appeared in the mirror in front of Brianna.

Until Kim Sulli's face was reflected in Morandow's pupils.

"That hunter is so cunning."

The convenience store clerk's voice abruptly interrupted the countless scenes swirling in her mind: Morando's soft chuckle, Morando sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her, Morando biting his lower lip... After cutting through the night, smog, and dust, she finally saw that icy, free blue sky again—she could finally breathe again—

“…What?” Brianna slowly snapped out of her reverie from the distant future.

"I went to ask,"

The shop assistant seemed to have completely forgiven Brianna for her previous interference, as if automatically assuming that she shared the same goal in trying to find Shirley Kim. She pointed to the building behind her and said, "She's enrolled."

Brianna looked at it for a few seconds.

Brianna turned her head and looked at the entrance of Rose Ridge Community College for a few seconds, not quite reacting yet.

...That bastard Jin Xueli got into school?
(End of this chapter)