In Virtual Reality

ugh the doors, looking down at the school below.

It was already the end of the day's classes, and quite a few NPCs were roaming around the campus.

Xu Jin Yi whistled: all old faces.

She'd gotten her hands dirty and battled it out with the ghostly kids on the PC side.
It was even more inevitable to do the same on the VR version.

As the game swooped down, quickly weaving through the gaps between NPCs, Xu Jin Yi took the opportunity to see new faces.

The newly added interacting NPCs.

She got more eager, and her sloppy posture was adjusted somewhat to become more appropriate.

Teaching building, laboratory building, playground, canteen ……

The buildings full of campus atmosphere were in full view, and Xu Jin Yi seldom felt so nostalgic.

The viewpoint eventually returned to the front of the dormitory complex.

The game had begun, accompanied by the song of a bird taking flight.

Xu Jin Yi skillfully put the accompanying suitcase across the front of the iron door of the dormitory building.
She promptly ripped out the suitcase's hidden chain while grinning and discovered the [Leave of Absence] stashed inside.

She stowed the items close to her body, repacked the case, and then kicked the silver suitcase into the wall, indenting it with a dry roundhouse kick.

Then……

A proper student should report to class!

Xu Jin Yi was acquainted with the layout of Dark Virtue University's campus.
She explored the school a little more while her [Leave of Absence] was still valid.

Dark Virtue University was now in the daylight; so, to distinguish it, let's name it “Light Virtue University” (Yang-De阳德) during the daytime.

Light Virtue University appeared to be quite warm with its white and blue sky and densely planted magnolia flowerbeds.
The trees' shadow absorbs a significant portion of the heat while birds in the sky whirl around, fussing with their feathers on the branches.

Xu Jin Yi slowly weaves her way along the campus road.

A harsh bell rang, and she remembered the rush from class.

The typical gameplay would have been to walk to the classroom and listen to the lecture, but Xu Jin Yi, who was now on leave, asked: what class? Which class?

She was unconcerned by the bell and even found it noisy.

The university had various buildings, including the teaching building, the dormitory building, the laboratory building, the playground, and the canteen.

The canteen was the closest to the dormitory, so Xu Jin Yi decided to go there today to look.

She grinned meaningfully and mysteriously as she stroked a hard, thin object in her hoodie pocket.

**

“RING RING RING RING—!!!”

The bell rang, nearly piercing the eardrums.
Only after the so-called 'teacher' on the podium had departed did a few students in the classroom stand up.

Their cheeks were pallid as they staggered down the steps, clutching their textbooks with trembling hands.

It was now 11:40pm, and the morning session had ended, with those who had classes scheduled until 2:30pm having to wait until then.

“Shen Jia!” (沈嘉)

“You're going to the canteen?” someone called out to the young boy, waiting for him to turn around.

The tall, clean—cut looking boy nodded.

“Are you sure? That's ……” The boy hesitated, looking around at the ghostly students rushing towards the canteen with them, before ultimately gritting his teeth and advising in hushed tones, “Why don't we simply stay here, Shen Jia? Do you wish to die?”

Shen Jia sighed softly, “Even so, if we don't eat, we shall die of hunger without even receiving a Death Notice.
Besides, if the other students at this university can eat in the cafeteria, so can we.”

“Can they be the same as us? It's not like you're unaware they're ghosts!”

“Xu Qin,” (许勤) Shen Jia gazed into his eyes, “How much longer can we be supported with so little food?”

Xu Qin paused.

“But,” he whispered, “you shouldn't be the first either—”

“Something has to change.” Shen Jia said as he smiled and turned his head to continue walking toward the canteen, his back to Xu Qin.
“Then I'll be the one who eats the crabs first.

**

There were now 38 living students who had enrolled in this bizarre university.

Shen Jia included.

He squeezed the campus one—card in his palm and made his way to the second canteen with a flock of ghost students.

Nine individuals had already been given death notices for minor disciplinary infractions.
Their flesh and blood bled into the soil, trampled by the living and ghosts who remained.

He observed the situation: 50 students, all juniors, had initially come and stayed on campus throughout the summer to study for examinations.
Two months ago, they'd received the admittance notice from 'Dark Virtue University' on their phones.

People in the school dorm tended to stock up on snacks and goods to make their meals.
Because they were frugal with their food, no student had ventured to eat from this haunted school cafeteria until now.

However, without restocking, the food will soon run out.
Rather than witnessing the students argue about the food, Shen Jia went to the canteen to check it out himself.

It wasn't that no students had ever entered this canteen, but they came out wan and lifeless.
They desperately shook their hands when questioned about what they had seen and firmly prevented others from entering.

Shen Jia told them what he had planned to do the previous day and then asked them what they had observed in the canteen.

The two females exchanged glances before taking a long breath and murmuring, “Meat……
all of it is meat.”

“……
Their heads hung in one of the windows.”

— Arrived.

Shen Jia stepped up the four stairs and, after taking a deep breath, reached his hand tensely to lift the rubber door curtain.

——— Translator's Notes ———

Zhou Xiao Han

周晓晗: Zhou = to make a circuit / to circle / circle / circumference / lap / cycle / complete / all / all over / thorough / to help financially / week / weekly; Xiao = dawn / daybreak / to know / to let sb know / to make explicit; Han = before daybreak / dawn about to break / (used in given names); Cycle of down?

Kicked up: 鲤鱼打挺 https://zh.wikihow.com/%E5%81%9A%E9%B2%A4%E9%B1%BC%E6%89%93%E6%8C%BA

Shen Jia

沈嘉: Shen = liquid / to pour; Jia = excellent / auspicious / to praise / to commend; Excellent Liquid?

Xu Qin

许勤: Xu = to allow / to permit / to promise / to praise / somewhat / perhaps; Qin = diligent / industrious / hard-working / frequent / regular / constant / industrious / solicitous