Who left their last words here?

Chapter 135 The Successor, Bai Zhou!

What are potent nutrients?

"And what is the final piece of the puzzle?"

A grand consciousness swept across the entire campus, the gray mist boiling like scalding water, and the incomprehensible words cast an ominous shadow over everyone's hearts.

"nourishment……?"

Upon hearing those words, Commander Han, who had just landed, turned deathly pale, his already weak face instantly turning ashen.

Could it be that the rays released by the [Blazing Sun Amulet] have become nourishment for the revival of some mysterious being?

"Is it a coincidence? Or did someone predict that I would be wearing this [Blazing Sun Amulet]?"

His expression was one of disbelief:

"In the entire Tinghai City, there are no more than five people who know that the black box I'm carrying this time contains the [Blazing Sun Amulet]!"

"Even if there are corresponding records at the Special Administration Headquarters and the Department of Law, there should be absolutely no possibility of leakage!"

"Besides, it was the deputy commander who transferred me to the battlefield. Surely he wouldn't be a mole... What's going on here!"

Commander Han was somewhat confused.

Always overconfident in his abilities, he even took everyone with him when escaping the school building, and didn't abandon the "Explorer" trio.

But the reality now tells him an extremely cruel truth, which is—

He himself stepped into the trap of some being, handing over the last piece of the puzzle with his own hands.

If the disaster spreads from here, he will become the greatest sinner!

"Help, help!"

Exclamations arose from afar.

On the teaching building, a dense crowd of people huddled at the rapidly narrowing opening, desperately reaching out their hands.

Their fingertips had grasped the free air outside, but their bodies were tightly bound by twisted red snakes.

—Upon closer inspection, those were not red snakes at all, but rather raw, bloody flesh that had been skinned!
Those severed limbs embedded in the wall, which were originally hanging limply and swaying in the wind, now seemed to come alive, ferocious and powerful, full of vitality and enthusiasm.

So enthusiastic... These arms, with their sticky, slippery feel, precisely wrapped around the ankles, waists, and necks of the extraordinary individuals, their strength astonishing.

"I...I can't breathe..."

An extraordinary individual was pinned against the wall, a bluish-purple, rotting severed leg lying across his eyes, and behind him was the outside sky.

It's right in front of me...

He struggled desperately, his spirit erupting, but more and more limbs crawled up from the ground, covering his body like a dense reed bed.

Countless hands, big and small, whole and broken, caressed, explored, scratched and tore at his body.

Prolonged lack of oxygen caused him to hallucinate; his eyes bulged out like those of a dying fish.

In the final moments of his life, he recalled the oath he took when he joined FZDC, the image of Commander Han patting him on the shoulder to commend him, and his family and past experiences.

"command……"

The hand was too weak to lift, and was then pressed down by countless arms surrounding it.

Countless arms, like a dense spider web, completely covered him, turning him into a human cocoon.

He finally lost consciousness:

"Didn't you say you were going to take me back?"

It's not just him.

Everyone is like this.

Many extraordinary individuals who saw a glimmer of hope for escape were cut off halfway through their journey. Some had even climbed halfway out of the cave entrance before being pinned down by a swarm of dense arms.

They were squeezed and covered, as if entangled in a spider web, or like insects solidified in amber.

A scene of purgatory unfolded on the fourth floor of the teaching building; even the cruelest poetic tragedy could not adequately describe the utter despair of that moment.

The survivors who managed to escape stood on the ground, looking up at the burning fourth-floor entrance with complicated expressions, listening to the cries and wails of their former comrades who had shared life and death with them.

In their eyes, there was lingering fear, hatred, and terror...

"Do not……"

Commander Han stumbled on the spot.

"It's not just about providing the puzzle pieces—I haven't been able to get them out of there yet!"

"I...didn't do anything!"

Thinking this, a mix of emotions welled up inside him, and he felt a rush of blood to his head. Commander Han's vision went black, and he fell backward.

But he soon opened his eyes again, and what came into view was a silver-white mask covered in rust and bloodstains.

"Commander Han, we can't do without you here."

The Rusty Silver Knight channeled spiritual energy into his body to heal it, and said in a low, concerned voice:
"Things are already bad enough, you have to pull yourself together and clean up the mess!"

His chaotic spirituality was gradually straightened out, and as Commander Han took a bottle of medicine, his body, which had been contaminated by the teaching building, was slowly purified.

He regained his ability to speak, though his voice was somewhat hoarse when he spoke:
"Save them..."

His hoarse voice was almost pleading, and his gaze was fixed on the fourth floor of the teaching building in the distance, which looked like a living hell.

"……it is good!"

The Rusty Silver Knight nodded, turned around, and leaped into the air.

"Swish!"

However, several vines suddenly appeared, blocking his path and forcibly pulling him back.

"Do not act rashly, lest you be defeated one by one!"

The voice of 【Emerald Flame】was heavy and cold, her long hair fluttering with the emerald flames, revealing that her heart was far from calm as her voice suggested.

“But!” The Rusty Silver Knight wanted to say something, but when he met the icy gaze of the Emerald Flame, he hesitated and stopped.

He knew that what [Emerald Flame] said made a lot of sense, but his own professional ethics and life principles made it impossible for him to remain indifferent to those people's cries for help.

Thinking this, the square face hidden behind the visor of the [Rusty Silver Knight] showed signs of struggle.

What choice should he make?
"……fortunately."

"Luckily, we all escaped."

Standing at the back of the crowd, girl number 9 touched her cheeks, chest, and waist, looking relieved to have survived a close call.

He suddenly felt that the ground beneath his feet and the surrounding mist were not as terrifying or frightening as he had imagined; in fact, they seemed somewhat kind and welcoming.

—Of course, this is in comparison to the cannibalistic school building.

Fortunately, as explorers, the first secret skill they learned in their lives was closely related to "escape".

For example, Girl No. 9's Level 1 Secret Skill in the Explorer Path is called Tomb Escape!
—A fast escape technique similar to advanced parkour, which requires occasionally exploring ancient tombs and actively triggering tomb mechanisms to gain experience in mastering secret techniques.

Finally, the three looked at each other and couldn't help but sigh:

"...It's so good to be alive!"

Admittedly, no one can say for sure what terrible things might happen next.

But at least...

They have lived longer than others.

—As long as you're alive, there's still hope!

"correct--"

The chubby boy, number 32, hesitated, then shivered.

"When I activated the [Slip Away with Oil] technique, I don't know if I saw it wrong... but it seems like Senior Zhou escaped with us too?"

Upon hearing this, the other two stopped talking abruptly.

They quickly looked around, but couldn't see the figure in the school uniform at all.

……

Meanwhile, Emerald Flame was still talking to Rusty Silver Knight.

Out of the corner of her eye, [Emerald Flame] suddenly noticed Deputy Director Liu beside her, and her expression changed slightly:

"Folding knife!"

"Buzz buzz!!"

The scarlet folding knife in Deputy Director Liu's hand suddenly burst into a bewitching red glow, and even its shape changed.

The strange, blood-red metal seemed to sense the bloody heat emanating from the giant furnace in the teaching building, vibrating in response as if it were being reforged into a flowing liquid.

The liquid resembled putrid blood, deep red and dark, yet possessed the viscosity characteristic of molten metal, eventually coalescing into the shape of an ancient key.

"The folding knife... turned into a key?"

[Sword of Winter] paused for a moment, his mind flashing with many ideas, from which he captured some chilling inspiration.

"Buzz!"

The next instant, the Blood Key flew out of the dazed Deputy Director Liu's hand, its sharp edge slicing through his palm.

As a thin line of blood spurted through the air, the ancient, scarlet key shot out, hurtling straight toward the building.

"Stop him!"

[Rusty Silver Knight] and [Emerald Flame] reached out to grab it, but the key vanished in an instant, appearing out of thin air in the distance, causing them to miss their target.

"really!"

[Sword of Winter] Suddenly, all the doubts I had before became clear.

This folding knife, or rather this key, is the key to the principal's mysterious appearances in front of everyone!
This secret realm has a unique structure, like a maze. From the beginning, only the surface has been revealed to outsiders, but there are "secret rooms" beneath the surface. Only a key can connect to the deeper "secret rooms" inside Dream Realization Middle School, allowing access to the second or even third level of reality.

From the perspective of those on the surface, the person holding the key appears to be no different from someone traversing space.

The principal wasn't traversing the space; he only used the key to "open the door" during battles!
but--

"A small secret realm divided into three levels?"

[The Sword of Winter] whispered:
"Can this still be called a 'small' secret realm? How many years has it been since Tinghai has produced something like this?"

"What exactly is hidden deep within?!"

Thinking of this, [Sword of Winter] frowned, and a chill emanated from his body.

He flicked his fingers twice, and deep blue ice crystals gathered at his fingertips, slowly extending.

"Was all of this part of the principal's plan?"

It is said that the true King of Lust even possesses an ultimate form that merges with the small secret realm, allowing his strength to increase explosively.

But that should absolutely not be a realm that a "quasi-king of lust" could touch!

"It seems that behind this potential King of Lust, there might be another King of Lust!"

"Is that 'Senior Zhou'? But it's clearly a woman's voice speaking..."

With a few soft "humming" sounds, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and the deep blue Ice Soul Longsword once again materialized in the hand of the [Winter Sword].

A thin layer of frost settled over his face once more. [Winter's Sword] turned to look at Commander Han beside him, whose face was pale and who appeared extremely weak:

"Commander Han, contact headquarters immediately and report the situation here."

"The few of us... are probably not enough!"

As he spoke, he looked at [Emerald Flame] and the others:
"There's no escaping it; it's time to use the black box."

"We have to give it our all!"

[Emerald Flame] and [Rusty Silver Knight] exchanged a glance, then nodded solemnly, each pulling out a black box from their person.

However, [Emerald Flame] hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering, and her complex gaze turned to the Ice Soul Longsword in [Winter's Sword]'s hand:

"If you keep using this, you'll get into trouble."

"You will lose your emotions, even..."

[Emerald Flame]'s voice was very low, and it faded away the more she spoke.

[Sword of Winter] paused for a moment, then said coldly, "Do we have any other options now?"

Upon hearing this, Emerald Flame and Rusty Silver Knight were speechless, their gazes intentionally or unintentionally drifting to Deputy Director Liu, who appeared dazed beside them, a chill running down their spines.

At the time when Deputy Director Liu was most needed, he unexpectedly ran into trouble.

But the three extraordinary individuals with titles knew what this meant.

There are some things that these level 6 extraordinary beings cannot perceive, but for those above level 6, they are the most deadly poison!

This only further illustrates just how terrifying the "thing" hidden deep within the teaching building truly is!
"Crash..."

Before the Sword of Winter could even strike the teaching building.

Amid the tremors that spread throughout the campus, the sound of papers turning suddenly came from all directions through the mist.

The sound waves surged one after another, relentlessly closing in on the crowd:

"what sound?"

The three individuals with extraordinary titles turned and looked around.

The fog gradually thinned, and the scenery of the school came into view.

School rules, walls displaying poor students, slogans... in every corner of the school, in places that used to have written words, all have now undergone a chilling transformation.

All the school rules and photos have turned into pages of yellowed paper.

Upon closer inspection, one discovers that these papers are covered with all sorts of words, seemingly expressing the wishes of the deceased:
"I want to be a scientist... I want to be a bird and fly away."

"Next time, I'm sure I can get into the top fifty in the grade!"

"Don't look at me, please don't look at me anymore..."

"My parents are doing this for my own good, so I should listen to them."

"The red bow is so pretty."

"I just want to sleep for a little while, just a little while..."

"Mom, I will become the person you want me to be... Love you, Mom, see you tomorrow."

"..."

The walls were covered with a dense array of yellowed papers, swaying in the wind from all directions, yet giving off an incredibly heavy feeling.

They rustled in the wind, the dense sound unsettling, the fluttering yellow paper resembling talismans, making one feel as if they were at the scene of a ritual, or even in a Taoist temple.

At this moment, [Emerald Flame] paused for a moment, then muttered to itself:

"An altar? A sacred site?"

"clatter!"

Footsteps suddenly rang out from the depths of the mist, drawing everyone's wary gazes:
"You may not know this."

"Someone once died here."

"—Many people."

A stiff voice rang out, as if the person was still not used to their vocal cords.

A student with a youthful face but a stiff expression, dressed in a neat school uniform, slowly appeared before the crowd.

Despite the tremors in the school and the gruesome, mangled building not far behind him, the student remained remarkably calm.

His demeanor was gentlemanly and refined, carrying a strong shadow that was both familiar and terrifying to many:

"……headmaster?"

【Emerald Flame】 frowned, looking at him with a puzzled expression, but her tone was quite certain.

"You are indeed not dead!"

The student, however, gave an irrelevant answer, continuing to ramble on in a way that left everyone completely bewildered:

"Everything here is closely related to them."

"And I am them, or rather... a part of them."

After saying that, he slowly turned around and looked at the teaching building.

His eyes held a cold hatred, but behind that hatred lay an inescapable fear.

The flames of revenge burned in his indifferent eyes, but soon they subsided into calm:

"The ceremony has begun."

“You’ve all guessed wrong about one thing… I am not the master of this place, nor did I summon anything there!”

"Just as there is more than one ritual enveloping this place—everything that is happening now is only partly driven by me."

It seems there's more than one person pushing!
The principal spoke expressionlessly, while the thin, short student stood calmly in the thin mist, facing the crowd who looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

He did indeed use the key to continuously "open doors," traversing space and battling several titled extraordinary beings.

but……

"The key has always been in my possession."

"But the deepest seal, locked with layers of massive locks, was not opened by me."

"On the contrary—"

He spoke softly, his gaze tinged with reminiscence:

“I am the gatekeeper. This is the mission that brought me into this world, and it is also the shackle that binds me.”

"The key is a folding knife, but it is not a folding knife."

“I myself am part of the key.”

"But I've had this idea for a long time..."

He raised his head and looked up at the mist, like a prisoner in a cage sadly gazing at a bird in flight:

"I don't want to live as a gatekeeper."

"I don't want to be tied to that thing anymore..."

As he spoke, he turned his head with a complicated look towards a direction shrouded in mist.

Everyone didn't know why.

But a white cat with a black surname, which was hiding there spying on the place, suddenly felt a chill.

"?"

Is he looking at me?

Then, everyone, including Bai Zhou, heard a soft whisper:

"Therefore, I need to use a ritual to select a specific person."

"To be precise, it's about choosing a successor!"

The campus continued to tremble, and the teaching buildings continued to emit waves of heat. The "principal's" imposing aura suddenly erupted, and the boiling spirituality suffocated many extraordinary individuals, leaving them breathless.

After thinking for a moment, he added another sentence:

"—Inherit everything from me!"

(End of this chapter)