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Earth’s Redemption: Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Spirit Summoning (5)
Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake
How did I end up here, in the last row again?
Is this an illusion, or did someone move me?
Ning Buwen pinched himself hard, grimacing at the pain, but he was still in the classroom.
Zhao Shutong had already started packing her things, preparing to leave.
She knew full well that this annoying student, sitting in the last row today, would certainly die here.
Ning Buwen tried to get up from his seat, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead, completely immobile. Even worse, a strange thought crept into his mind, making him feel like it wouldn’t be so bad to just keep sitting there.
Two thoughts clashed fiercely in his mind—the desire to escape and the desire to stay. Ning Buwen was nearly exhausted just trying to maintain his own willpower.
He couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
If this went on any longer, he wouldn’t even have the will to resist, let alone escape.
Zhao Shutong had finished packing and was about to walk out of the classroom. Soon, this irritating student would disappear.
“I have Dr. Cheng’s journal,” Ning Buwen managed to shout, forcing the words out. “You’ve known him for a long time, haven’t you?”
Ning Buwen was gambling.
He didn’t believe that he had no way out.
After all, this was just a beginner-level game instance. Even if it was supernatural, it shouldn’t be this difficult.
Zhao Shutong had been acting fine before. She had even agreed to switch his seat. Now she wanted to kill him, but only because he had gotten close to Dr. Cheng.
But he had approached Dr. Cheng before, and nothing had happened. The only difference between the two times was that this time, he had read the journal.
Seriously!
Ning Buwen felt like he was cursed with terrible luck.
Even though beauties may have thorns, the snake guarding this one is a bit too venomous.
He hadn’t even done anything yet and was already facing life-or-death danger. If he ever really gained something from this, would he be doomed beyond saving?
Sure enough, after Ning Buwen’s statement, Zhao Shutong’s footsteps immediately stopped.
“Are you looking to die?” Zhao Shutong asked, walking over and looking down at Ning Buwen.
Ning Buwen’s upper body had already collapsed onto the desk.
Lying down like this and sleeping seems incredibly comfortable.
Not having to think about anything…
Wait, no!
How could he be having such thoughts?
“If you take me out of this classroom, I’ll tell you… tell you what’s in the journal,” Ning Buwen forced out in broken sentences. “Otherwise… killing me won’t help you…”
“It needs to feed every day. I can’t save you from its mouth,” Zhao Shutong said calmly, adjusting her glasses.
“You must have a way,” Ning Buwen squeezed out a difficult smile.
Zhao Shutong stared at Ning Buwen for a few seconds, or maybe even a dozen, as his face began to show signs of drifting off to sleep. She turned and left.
…Did I fail?
Ning Buwen’s eyelids felt impossibly heavy.
He was so tired.
He just wanted to sleep.
His back felt cool, and so comfortable.
It was as if he were lying on a bed of cotton, with quietude all around. He didn’t need to think, didn’t need to worry about anything. He could just close his eyes, and all his troubles would disappear…
Suddenly, Ning Buwen’s body was lifted into the air and then slammed heavily onto the ground.
“Ow! What are you… wait, I can move?” Ning Buwen was about to curse, but he quickly realized he seemed to have escaped the danger.
Next to his head were those familiar red high heels.
Thank heavens, I gambled right.
Looks like my luck hasn’t run out after all.
Zhao Shutong had reverted to the same appearance she had when she met Dr. Cheng.
Ning Buwen scrambled to his feet.
“So, you really had a way to save me. That thing in the classroom, what exactly is it…” Ning Buwen caught a glimpse of his previous seat out of the corner of his eye and saw that another student was now sitting there.
The student had a gaping hole in his chest, bleeding profusely, but he was still alive.
“So comfortable…”
The student, whose life force was slowly draining away, wore a serene smile, as if he were in the middle of a beautiful dream, seemingly oblivious to the pain in his body, peacefully closing his eyes.
Likewise, the other students in the back row had similar expressions.
They were shrouded in a thick black fog.
In an instant, the black fog dissipated.
The students who had been sitting there were gone.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, but Ning Buwen found that he couldn’t even remember the names or faces of those students anymore.
“What… what is that thing?” Ning Buwen’s voice trembled. He had known there was something strange in the classroom, something killing students in order of their seats. But to stay safe, he had almost never lingered in the classroom.
Now, witnessing such an eerie scene, even though he had mentally prepared himself, it was still hard to believe.
This… this is even worse than Zhao Shutong.
At least Zhao Shutong looked human, and her method of killing was something he could comprehend.
“Why do you care what it is?” Zhao Shutong sneered. “If you don’t please me, tomorrow you’ll still be sitting there. I can’t steal prey from its mouth, but I can replace you with someone else. Didn’t you try moving another student from their seat the other day? It didn’t work, did it? That’s because you didn’t use the right method. The thing in the classroom is easy to satisfy—just feed it a little every day.”
With that, Zhao Shutong glanced at Ning Buwen again. “You don’t want to become its food, do you?”
Ning Buwen found it remarkable that he could still smile at Zhao Shutong at this moment.
“I was in Dr. Cheng’s office just now. Why did I suddenly end up here?” Ning Buwen asked, changing the subject. “I heard a voice calling my name outside the door earlier. I didn’t respond, and the next thing I knew, I was here.”
“Some voices can’t be ignored just by pretending not to hear them,” Zhao Shutong replied disinterestedly, extending her hand toward Ning Buwen. “The journal?”
“The journal is, of course, in the office,” Ning Buwen carefully avoided provoking her. “I got teleported here suddenly and didn’t have time to bring it. But I did sneak a peek. In it, Dr. Cheng wrote that he felt something was off about this school and wanted to leave.”
“He can’t leave!”
Ning Buwen had only mentioned it casually, trying to gauge Zhao Shutong’s reaction.
That reaction was way too extreme.
“Take me there!” Zhao Shutong commanded. “Get the journal and give it to me.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll lead the way, you come with me,” Ning Buwen immediately complied, quickly stepping out, knowing when to pick his battles.
As they walked, he couldn’t help but try to gather more information.
“Teacher Zhao, with your skills, what’s a simple journal to you? If you like Dr. Cheng, why not just take him for yourself? This school is so strange; there must be something here that can mess with people’s minds. Just now, I almost fell asleep myself.” This was what puzzled Ning Buwen the most at the moment.
It was just a journal. If Zhao Shutong wanted it, it should’ve been easy for her to get.
But not only could she not take it, she had to rely on him to retrieve it. That was very strange.
Moreover, the fact that Zhao Shutong went through all the trouble of moving him from Dr. Cheng’s office to the classroom, and letting the monster in the class kill him, was also very strange.
Take that nameless student Zhao Shutong used to replace him—killing someone was a piece of cake for her.
There had to be a reason why she didn’t choose a simpler method and went to such lengths. The question was, could she not kill him, or was there some reason for which she didn’t dare kill him?
The difference between these two possibilities was huge.
Ning Buwen’s restless mind began stirring again.
He was doing his best to suppress his reckless impulses, but another voice kept echoing in his head: If he wanted to know more, he’d have to take some risks. This wasn’t a game where staying quiet and obedient would guarantee survival.
“Why are you talking so much? As long as you hand over the journal, I can guarantee you’ll live peacefully in this school,” Zhao Shutong didn’t directly answer Ning Buwen’s question, but her attitude revealed something in itself.
“How will you guarantee my survival?” Ning Buwen didn’t push too hard, instead continuing along her line. “All the classmates who performed the ritual with me are dead, and everyone has forgotten them. There’s also that unknown thing in our classroom—it could start a massacre at any moment…”
“If you don’t shut up, you’ll die right now.” Zhao Shutong’s patience was wearing thin. “If you don’t stop talking, I’ll make you shut up my way.”
Ning Buwen immediately fell silent.
This woman will definitely follow through with her threats.
Wait, calling her a woman isn’t right. In fact, she might not even be considered human.
Sigh.
Why does Dr. Cheng always attract such strange people?
The journey to the infirmary wasn’t long, and just before they arrived, Zhao Shutong stopped.
“Go in and bring me the journal.”
“Okay,” Ning Buwen cautiously responded, pushing the door open and walking inside.
“Woof, woof—”
Xiao Xin was scurrying around the office, but upon seeing its owner return, it calmed down a lot. Ning Buwen’s sudden disappearance earlier had clearly left the dog panicked.
Seeing this silly dog in such a state softened Ning Buwen’s heart a little.
Maybe, the more strange things you see, the more you come to appreciate the simple innocence of animals.
At least it genuinely cares about me.
“Aren’t you done yet?” Zhao Shutong’s voice called from outside.
“Almost,” Ning Buwen replied, opening a drawer and picking up the journal.
Of course, he couldn’t just hand it over to Zhao Shutong so easily.
Not only was there a chance she wouldn’t keep her promise, but even if she did, Ning Buwen couldn’t trust her.
Relying on someone else’s conscience to preserve his life was definitely not Ning Buwen’s style.
But with no special abilities to speak of, keeping the journal in his own hands wouldn’t be easy.
He had to think of something.
Wait.
“Teacher Zhao, the journal is in the drawer, but my dog shut it again. I can’t get it open. Can you come in and help me open the drawer?” Ning Buwen called out loudly.
“Open it yourself. Hurry up and bring me the journal,” Zhao Shutong’s voice was cold, and in the dead of night, it carried an eerie chill.
She wasn’t like this a moment ago.
Why?
A person’s tone doesn’t change so easily, especially in just two or three minutes.
A thought flashed through Ning Buwen’s mind, and he felt it was worth testing out.
“Teacher Zhao, I really can’t open it. Can you come in and help me?” Ning Buwen requested again. “The door’s open, you can come in.”
After speaking, his heart was pounding.
He really had a tendency to gamble on the edge of life and death.
If things went wrong, Zhao Shutong might actually come in and kill him.
“…Come outside, find a tool to pry the drawer open with,” Zhao Shutong said from outside.
She still won’t come in?
Is it that she doesn’t want to, or can’t?
Once could be a coincidence, but now that he had made his request so clear and she still wouldn’t enter, there was definitely something wrong.
During the day, she had clearly come in, but now, at night, she couldn’t.
Interesting.
“Teacher Zhao, I can’t get the journal out right now,” Ning Buwen said. “But I’m also really tired. How about I look for it tomorrow? I want to get some sleep.”
“Come out.”
“Teacher Zhao, why won’t you come in?” Ning Buwen asked with a smile. “Even if I can’t get the journal, there are plenty of Dr. Cheng’s personal belongings in here. You like him so much—don’t you want any of them?”
The door was open.
Ning Buwen could clearly see the changes on Zhao Shutong’s face.
If the Zhao Shutong who had walked with him to the infirmary still looked mostly human, now she was barely more than a human shape.
Her face was now covered with all kinds of scratches, and in some of them, dark, decaying flesh could be seen—like something out of a Hollywood horror film. Seeing it up close was enough to give someone a heart attack.
“…Come out,” Zhao Shutong said faintly.
“Teacher Zhao, do you need me to find you a mirror?” Ning Buwen confirmed his guess. “No matter who you call over in your current state, no one would dare come. What a pity I don’t have my phone on me right now; otherwise, I’d take a picture of how you look now and show it to Dr. Cheng. I wonder what he would think?”
Ning Buwen’s words undoubtedly pushed him toward a dead end.
But without doing this, Zhao Shutong wouldn’t change at all.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Shutong’s nails began to grow longer, almost as if they had a life of their own.
In just a few minutes, those nails stretched to nearly a meter long. Just looking at them was enough to chill the heart. Ning Buwen was certain that if one of those nails brushed against him, he would have to go meet King Yama.
However, just as the nails were about to touch the infirmary door, the tips seemed to be burned by something and dared not make contact.
“At night, you no longer look human,” Ning Buwen said, observing Zhao Shutong in front of him. His thoughts had started to take shape.
There’s an old saying: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to fear when ghosts knock on your door.”
The supernatural beings appearing in this instance were very straightforwardly represented by the dead female teacher.
In a scenario where all the characters are women and teachers, it would be too much of a coincidence to claim that this was mere chance. Therefore, there must be a significant connection between them.
Recalling Zhao Shutong’s mention of her sister and the fact that Dr. Cheng looked far too beautiful to be a simple NPC, it seemed like a typical setup for a supernatural scenario.
P.S.: The manual [Ten Common Tropes in Supernatural Scenarios], published by the Legions, is essential reading for many players.
Seeing Zhao Shutong in her half-human, half-monster state looked more like the backlash of some sort of technique.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
“Why did you kill your sister back then? The one who gave me and several other classmates the summoning spell was you, wasn’t it? Is your current state the backlash from the spell, or is it your sister’s revenge?”
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