Chapter 20: Congratulations on Clearing the Stage

This time, I was even more disoriented. One hand pressed against my nose, the other cradling the back of my head, my whole body curled up on the floor. I had no idea how much time passed before someone helped me to my feet.

I shook my head, but the pain in both my nose and the back of my skull made everything I saw double and slow. The world was a blur.

Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!

Just then, my phone vibrated again. I fished it out and, despite the blurred vision, could make out the message displayed.

[Five minutes remaining...]

A while later, the double vision faded, and the pain in my head and nose brought me sharply back to my senses.

I ran to the chubby boy's side, helped him up, and grabbed the list from his hand, discovering only an X marked between Liu Yuxi and Pang Fuming. At that moment, Pang Fuming was still swinging a stool at Liu Yuxi, who desperately dodged, scrambling under a desk for shelter.

The other classmates, intimidated by Pang Fuming's wild attacks, dared not approach. Those two had lost all control.

Right then, Liu Yuxi's words echoed in my mind: "I treat you as a brother, but you treat me as a fool!"

Is this what happiness looks like?

My phone vibrated again.

[Three minutes remaining...]

No time to hesitate. I quickly typed "Liu Yuxi" into my phone and sent the message.

Just then, Pang Fuming kicked the desk aside, stripping Liu Yuxi of his cover. The fury etched across Pang Fuming's face, his bloodshot eyes, and the relentless force behind the stool left no doubt—he would not hold back.

Suddenly, a dazzling figure appeared.

I knew instantly it was Teacher Chen Bing.

Her slender hand reached out and caught the stool as it came crashing down, stopping Pang Fuming in his tracks.

Seeing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. The moment I relaxed, pain surged through my head, darkness swarmed my vision, and I fainted.

What happened after that, I cannot say. But I saw Teacher Chen Bing prevent a tragedy.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself on a vast battlefield.

Corpses and remains littered the ground, blood soaking the earth and painting the sky red. The stench of gore made it hard to breathe; the horror of the scene and the suffocating air left me trembling.

Not far from me stood pillars stretching from earth to sky, their colossal forms spinning endlessly. One, two, three... countless pillars.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and my body rocked with it. One pillar stopped spinning and cracked.

Boom!

It collapsed, and the others followed, crashing down in a deafening avalanche. The earth shook as if it were the end of the world.

As I struggled to keep my footing, a massive shadow loomed overhead.

I looked up, despair in my eyes, as the pillar fell toward me.

"No—!"

---

I squeezed my eyes shut, reached out, hoping to push back the falling pillar.

But the moment my hand stretched forward, I felt a soft, pleasant sensation in my palm.

Softness?

I snapped my eyes open. Instead of that horrifying battlefield, I saw a snow-white ceiling—and an alluring, faintly blushing face.

Huff!

I drew a deep breath. It was a dream!

But thinking back to the softness in my palm, could it be...

Teacher Chen Bing smiled gently at the corner of her mouth, speaking to me with extraordinary tenderness, "Well, little rascal, you managed to grope me even in your sleep. Were you dreaming something you shouldn’t? Shouting ‘No’? What, you don’t want me?"

She pointed to her own prominent figure, and I was mortified.

"Teacher, please don’t misunderstand, I really was just dreaming!"

"Of course I know you were dreaming, but can’t you dream something less disgusting?" Her gentle voice vanished, replaced by sudden sternness.

Startled by her abrupt change, I hurried to explain, "It really was just a dream! Touching you was purely accidental, honestly, an accident!"

She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and sat beside me.

Seeing her silent, I finally took in my surroundings. I realized I was in a hospital.

"Why am I in a hospital?" I asked in surprise.

Teacher Chen Bing glared at me fiercely, "How dare you even ask! I sacrificed a lot to help you with your investigation, and you end up causing such trouble, making me get scolded on my very first day. Luckily, my looks saved me!"

"Sacrifice?" Could it be...

I looked at her, unable to believe she was that kind of person.

"Take back that disgusting look, or I’ll dig out your eyes. The sacrifice I mentioned isn’t what you think!"

Seeing her fuming, I couldn’t help but smile.

But back to the main point—did I clear the game?

I asked, "Teacher, where’s my phone?"

She replied coolly, "Before you worry about your phone, tell me what happened—why did Liu Yuxi and Pang Fuming fight? And what were you and Zhang Wenhui up to?"

"Teacher, I’ll explain later. Can you give me my phone first?" I sat up, the pain in my head reawakening.

"Your head hurts?"

"Never mind that—my phone, please!"

She grew serious, saying, "Your phone has been confiscated."

"Confiscated? Why?"

She did not answer, only frowned and gave me a strange look.

"You suspect me?" I realized what her look meant.

"Tong Yang, do you know how long you’ve been unconscious?" she asked in return.

I shook my head.

"Twelve hours."

"What?! That long? Why?"

"Do you remember injuring the back of your head yesterday?"

"I remember. Why?"

I touched the lingering pain, thinking how could I not remember?

Her next words stunned me.

She said, when I collapsed yesterday, my head struck the steps by the podium and bled profusely.

Normally, I should have died.

Yet not only did I survive, I recovered completely overnight.

---

When I heard her explanation, I thought she must be joking. It was impossible.

But when she showed me a CT scan of my skull, I believed.

The image clearly displayed a crack—the violent impact had fractured my skull. No exaggeration, the break was enough to split my head.

Why? Why did this happen?

Lost in thought, Teacher Chen Bing spoke again, "I don’t suspect you, but it’s too incredible not to ask. Looking at your confusion, you probably don’t know either."

Indeed, it was unbelievable. But a possibility occurred to me—the person behind the text messages saved me, refusing to let me die.

I wondered, was I the only one? Or were there others?

"Teacher, I have a question. Please answer honestly."

Chen Bing hesitated, then nodded.

"Besides me, are there others in other schools like me?"

"Yes, and that’s what’s strange. Every school has these bizarre incidents, exactly like yours. The only difference is, you’re an orphan, and everything before age eleven is a blank—no birth certificate, nothing."

I wasn’t surprised she investigated so thoroughly; Ye Xinran had already found these things.

But what she said—that other schools had similar cases—felt like... selection? If I cleared the game, perhaps I passed a test?

If so, what are they selecting us for?

I asked Teacher Chen Bing, "Don’t you think this is a selection? As if they’re choosing participants, and I’m one of them."

She nodded, "We thought of that long ago. I told you before, there’s likely some organization behind all this. But your case is unprecedented, so I need to report it."

She stood to leave.

I stopped her, "Teacher, my phone!"

Without looking back, she said, "Your phone isn’t with me—your aunt has it."

My aunt? That made sense. After twelve hours unconscious, she must be worried sick.

As soon as Teacher Chen Bing left, my aunt and uncle rushed in.

"Tong Yang, are you alright? You nearly scared me to death!" My aunt gripped my hand tightly, her eyes red—she must have kept vigil all night.

My own eyes grew red. My only relatives, I had made them worry.

"I’m fine," I choked.

My uncle stood nearby, breathing out in relief. He handed me my phone and sternly said, "Tong Yang, school is for learning, not for causing trouble. Never do this again. Your aunt watched over you all night!"

I nodded vigorously, accepting the phone.

My aunt added, "As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters."

Perhaps that’s what family is—only they care for you like this.

After a few words, seeing my aunt was tired, I asked my uncle to take her home.

Once they left, I immediately checked my phone.

[Congratulations on clearing the game! Due to player death, you are granted a rebirth as your completion reward!]

Cleared the game!

The reward for clearing it was... resurrection?!

In other words, I actually died yesterday, but because I cleared the game, I was revived as a reward.

That explained my overnight recovery.

But then, another message appeared—one that plunged me into despair.