Chapter 23: Am I Mad? No, the World Is

"Buddy, usually I’m the one telling ghost stories to scare people. How did you manage to flip the script on me?"

Wu Wang turned back, feeling helpless. As a madman who could pierce his own temple with a dagger without batting an eye, he was immune to the tedious emotion of fear.

However, he saw nothing when he turned around. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask Liu Yang, "Are you always this humorous?"

But the next second, he noticed Liu Yang’s expression had become incredibly unnatural. His mouth hung open as if he were struggling to find words, and his fingers rose and fell repeatedly.

[What did he see?]

These words appeared on Liu Yang’s forehead.

With the red slit-pupil activated, Wu Wang finally believed him.

"Are you... really unable to see that person? He’s walking toward us; he’s almost right beside you now," Liu Yang said, watching the figure move slowly.

Yet, no matter how wide Wu Wang widened his eyes, he couldn't see anyone in the dim corridor.

After a moment of contemplation, he rolled up his sleeve. His red slit-pupil was exposed, the eerie eye darting around, looking as curious as a baby discovering the world.

As time passed, gradually...

Wu Wang saw it too.

A blurry human silhouette emerged about two or three meters in front of him. As his vision sharpened, a boy around 1.7 meters tall, looking slightly chubby and wearing a Gaoshan High School uniform, was curiously observing the two of them.

His face was round, the kind of chubby kid found in almost every high school class, and his eyes held a hint of timidity.

He asked cautiously, "Are you... new students? Which class are you in?"

"!"

Wu Wang immediately sensed that something was wrong.

The moment this guy spoke, everything around them became brighter and clearer. The corridor, which had been pitch black, was now so bright he could see the stains on the floor tiles. The debris that had been piled up in disarray vanished, replaced by neatly arranged items along the walls.

Most bizarrely, many students were standing on desks, painting pigments onto the walls as if creating some sort of mural. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.

Occasional sounds of playful banter filled the air. Many students were taking pigments to draw on each other's uniforms, sketching youthful, albeit immature, pictures. Some girls were secretly writing the names of their crushes on the left chest of their uniforms, drawing hearts beside them; mischievous boys were painting ghoulish faces on their own cheeks to scare others.

"Damn it! Where the hell did you bring me?"

"Is this even still in the country?"

Wu Wang couldn't help but curse. The situation inside this art building was far more complex than he had imagined!

Normal people appearing in an abnormal place—that was the most abnormal situation of all!

The chubby boy, finally finding the courage to approach, comforted them: "You guys can't remember which class you're in, right? It's fine, we're all like that."

With that, he walked over to a girl who was standing on a desk, on tiptoes, outlining a Totoro pattern on the wall, and whispered, "Class President, we have new students. Could you assign them?"

The girl turned around. Even without makeup, one could tell she was a natural beauty. Her petite, heart-shaped face and cherry lips, which were moist enough to drip water without any lipstick, radiated youthfulness. A smudge of blue paint on her cheek gave her a playful look.

She jumped off the desk with ease.

She extended a hand toward Wu Wang and smiled brightly: "Hello, my name is Chen Nan, the head class president for all the classes in this art building. Come with me; I’ll explain the situation here."

Wu Wang reached out and shook her hand.

"Chu Yuxun, nice to meet you."

The warmth from her palm left him slightly dazed.

Body heat? Are these people real? Are they not ghosts?

No, that’s too hasty. I need to observe more.

The group walked forward side by side. After only a few steps, two boys pushing each other accidentally knocked over a basin of water used for rinsing paint brushes, splashing a large amount of dirty, black-red water directly onto Wu Wang.

Despite his quick reflexes, his abdomen was still soaked in the filthy liquid.

"Li Hua! Wang Ming! Didn't you see there are new students? Both of you, behave!" Chen Nan scolded, tugging at the boys' ears.

"We were wrong, we were wrong! Let go, Sister Chen, our ears are going to be torn off..." the boys pleaded with cheeky smiles.

The chubby boy saw Wu Wang standing there in a daze and stepped forward to comfort him: "Did you get dirty? I have an old uniform; I’ll go get it for you to change into in a bit."

Wu Wang didn't reply.

He simply frowned and wiped the paint stains off his body with his hand, the familiar sensation of pain stimulating his brain and making him exceptionally clear-headed.

He opened his palm.

There were no paint stains—only a palm full of black-red, viscous liquid.

His eyes blurred.

The surrounding environment turned dark once again.

In front of him was a steel pipe the thickness of a finger. Its front end was broken, revealing a jagged, rusty, yet incredibly sharp cross-section. Because he had walked straight into it, the pipe had pierced clean through his abdomen from front to back.

His bulletproof vest had been completely useless; it was clear this wasn't mere physical damage.

The so-called paint stains were his own blood! The black-red color was because his internal organs had also been punctured.

"Cough, cough... Now that's more like it..." A crazed smile appeared on Wu Wang's face.

"A warm, happy class in this haunted school? What a load of nonsense this inner world is!"

He grabbed the steel pipe and pulled it forward, millimeter by millimeter. Every tiny movement tore at the wound in his internal organs, and the feedback from his pain nerves made the veins on his forehead bulge.

*Pfft.*

The pipe was pulled out completely.

The finger-thick wound in his abdomen caused blood to gush out like an open floodgate.

He didn't care in the slightest. Gasping for air, he gripped the steel pipe tightly and slowly aimed the sharp tip at his own temple.

"Second playthrough... initiated!"

*Slash.*

Without a shred of hesitation, Wu Wang pierced his own head. After all, letting the abdominal wound lead to death was far too slow, and it hindered his movement.

Better to cut the Gordian knot!

Die first!

"Huff... ha! Huff... ha!"

The moment he opened his eyes after resurrecting, Wu Wang saw the people around him staring at him with strange expressions.

Looking down, he realized he was furiously scrubbing his face with the basin of dirty water.

His entire face was a mess.

He had even rubbed his skin raw, the force of his scrubbing enough to leave anyone stunned.

"Uh, Student Chu? Do you happen to have, um... a slight mental health issue?" Chen Nan asked cautiously, then immediately added, "Of course, I’m not discriminating against mental illness, just asking out of concern for the safety of other students."

Anyone would find it odd to see someone suddenly freeze mid-stride and then violently start scrubbing their face with a basin of dirty water!

He’d used enough force to almost peel his own skin off!

What normal person would do that to themselves?

"I suppose I am ill," Wu Wang explained, his face smeared with grime, wearing an ugly smile. "But I think—"

"It is your world that has gone mad."