Yu Deng finished what he wanted to say, took a step back, and looked at the crowd in front of him.
Yu Deng actually didn't know the names of his classmates in the class, nor did he recognize the other students in the school. After all, during this time, his attention had been focused on how to clear the instances, on his several mission targets.
But that didn't mean that all the students in Guihuai High School didn't have names. Each of them had a name, each of them should have their own story.
"...This instance should be torn down," Yu Deng muttered. "This is too much."
The crowd beneath the stage fell into a moment of silence, and then a loud voice rang out.
—If you don't like it, then end it.
Such a repressive and distorted environment should have never continued to exist. Bound by rules, transformed by abnormal forces, struggling in a nightmare... but someone will always wake up.
One by one, the students stood up. Their expressions shifted from numbness to painful agony, but it was as if they had come back to life.
[Wow, this is so shocking... I have goosebumps, who gets it?]
[Yes, it's the first time I've been moved by the experience of NPCs, and I'm so excited for them to have a different ending. I'm in tears.]
[That's right! The best thing is the little baby Yu Deng who leads them to end the nightmare!!!]
[Ah, my wife, be careful! The instance is super dangerous now! There are so many monsters behind you!]
The environment in the auditorium had completely changed. A strange fog filled the air, and the light was so dim that people could barely see.
The surrounding buildings began to twist, and the teachers and students who had been assimilated were howling and attacking the living beings around them. Lu Yan and the others, who had originally been standing beside Yu Deng on the stage, quickly scattered around him to deal with the monsters after the change occurred.
Yu Deng clenched his fists, standing at the front of the stage, deeply worried. Everyone was crowded in the auditorium; wasn't that a bit dangerous? It could easily lead to a stampede.
"Be careful!"
Suddenly, Yu Deng heard a sharp sound from the air. Lin Qinxu caught him around the waist and dodged a shadow that suddenly lunged out.
Zhuang Lin and Lu Yan were standing a bit farther away, but seeing the worry on Yu Deng's face, they quickly understood what he meant.
In the next moment, to Yu Deng's stunned gaze, they actually tore through the twisted walls of the auditorium with their bare hands. The students, guided by them, ran out of the auditorium, and soon, the auditorium collapsed into ruins.
The entire Guihuai High School was swallowed by darkness, transforming into a monster that devoured people.
Stacks of exam papers and practice books fell from the air, and scornful reprimands filled the air… It had become a shared nightmare of the teachers and students of Guihuai High School.
Whether it was the terrifying teachers or the students who mutated because they couldn't get good grades, they were all part of the nightmare that trapped them.
[Beep, beep, warning! Warning! There is a severe energy fluctuation in the instance! Player Yu Deng, please be alert, the difficulty of the instance has increased!]
[Host, don't be afraid.] System 01's voice was calm. [You have many items and skills.]
Yu Deng stared at the horrifying scene in front of him, his face pale, and nervously pulled out a paper figurine. After Little Red and Little Green hit the ground, they immediately began punching the surrounding monsters, standing by Yu Deng's side like protectors.
The ground trembled, turning into a swamp, and one could easily sink into it if they weren't careful.
The instance clearly knew who posed the greatest threat to Guihuai High School—it was Yu Deng, who had rallied everyone to awaken and resist, along with the few bosses born from the instance, now rebelling alongside him.
Most of the monsters' attacks were aimed directly at them. However, compared to Yu Deng, Lu Yan, Zhuang Lin, and Lin Qinxu had it a bit worse.
Some invisible force was tightening around them, restricting their movements, but no one cared. Their actions didn't stop for a moment as they swiftly slashed down the mutated monsters. Crimson blood seeped from their skin, and their eyes were dark, with blood on their clothes—whether it was their own or the monsters', it was unclear.
These three were clearly individuals with different personalities, ages, and appearances, but their eyes held the same obsession and indifference, as if they didn't care about the restrictions or the injuries they sustained.
...Like madmen.
Yu Deng watched them from afar, stunned for a few seconds, then finally realized that his special mission targets were usually hidden bosses.
As a boss, directly confronting the instance that originated from him would surely lead to restrictions, even a backlash, right?
His special mission targets from the previous two instances had also been restricted to some extent.
"Baby, come over here, it's dangerous," Zhuang Lin didn't hesitate to break the strange existence beside him, urgently calling out to Yu Deng.
Yu Deng hesitated for a moment, shaking his head.
After the shock, his back broke into a cold sweat, and his calves trembled uncontrollably, but he still bravely stood firm.
He used all of his skills at once. The bat wings of the vampire clan slowly spread open, and Yu Deng flew in front of them.
"Doesn't it hurt? If you're being restricted, then don't move recklessly…"
Yu Deng flapped his wings, a little proud.
"I, I'm amazing too, you know."
He was someone who had many skills and items!
Lin Qinxu's throat felt dry, and the obsession in his eyes deepened: "…Mm, Yu Deng is the most amazing."
Not just these few, almost all the teachers and students looked at Yu Deng.
Behind the beautiful school flower, a pair of black bat wings spread out, and a faint black mist swirled around him.
The black wings behind Yu Deng diminished his pure and innocent appearance, adding an air of mystery and allure. In some mythological legends, black wings were even a symbol of demons.
But his bloodline crown sparkled brighter than the jewels on it, his eyes even more dazzling.
To the teachers and students of Guihuai High School, he wasn't a demon, he was a god who broke through the darkness.
…
However, at this moment, Yu Deng, fully armed, was still somewhat different from what the NPCs had imagined.
When he flew up just now, he felt as if an invisible bat wing had brushed past him, the black mist tangled around his legs, and the wolf-fur sweater hidden under his school uniform seemed to scratch him.
Yu Deng: "? That's strange."
But he didn't have the energy to think about what was going on. Taking advantage of the remaining time on his skill, he used the black mist cage to trap the monsters, clumsily throwing the power of the skill at them.
[Baby is so cute even when fighting, hahaha.]
[Baby: No skills, just pure strength.]
[What's wrong with strength? Baby has so many skills, they're meant to be used! Just use sheer power and miracles happen!]
Many teachers, including his homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, had transformed into strange forms, but they stood in front of the students, confronting the short, chubby leader who had spoken at the initial meeting.
The scene became chaotic.
Yu Deng flew lightly in the air, using his skills to beat down the monsters.
[Beep... Beep! Data error detected in the instance! Data error detected in the instance!]
While Yu Deng was fighting the monsters, the warning sound in his ears never stopped, likely because a large number of monsters in the instance had been killed, but Yu Deng didn't pay it any attention.
It wasn't clear who started the fire, but the campus, filled with pain, quickly began to burn.
Yu Deng hovered in the air, looking down at the burning campus.
Clumsily using his skills and the power of his items, he destroyed the last building that had not been damaged, the one hiding the introspection room, bringing it down.
Let everything disappear into the flames.
...
The chaos lasted for about an hour.
All the mutated monsters were cut down, the flames raged, and the buildings in the campus collapsed into ruins. The teachers and students of Guihuai High School looked at the ruins, unable to hold back tears. They felt as though they had just woken from a long, painful nightmare.
The tightly closed school gates quietly opened, leading to true freedom and liberation. The awakened teachers and students looked at Yu Deng. Some of the braver ones, like the beheaded guys from the dorm next door to Yu Deng, approached him to greet and thank him. Others silently watched him before gradually leaving the campus.
Principal Tang patted Yu Deng on the shoulder and followed the students out of the school.
Of course, not everyone could leave. The students addicted to bullying or the school leaders who had been fully assimilated by the rules had transformed into monsters and disappeared completely into the flames.
Yu Deng didn't know where the NPCs who could leave the instance would go, but at least they wouldn't remain trapped in such a painful prison.
In the end, only his few mission targets remained, standing beside him with unrestrained bloodlust and violent energy.
"...It's almost over, baby."
Yu Deng had folded his bat wings, wobbling as he landed on the ground. He looked at these few guys, feeling influenced by their emotions: "Mm..."
The surrounding scene became blurry, like the boundary between nightmare and reality.
This instance was coming to an end.
Yu Deng pressed his lips together, raised his hand, and the light golden lines reappeared, completing the interrupted contract with them.
[Ding. Player Yu Deng's special mission has been completed.]
Before Yu Deng and his few mission targets could say anything, everything went black. When he opened his eyes again, his mission targets had disappeared.
Was this... leaving the instance?
The flames slowly extinguished, revealing the true campus hidden beneath the nightmare.
Yu Deng did not cause any further destruction to the real Guihuai High School.
After all, this high school wasn't at fault, right? It had carried the memories of students over the years and nurtured many talented individuals. The problem wasn't with the school itself but with the overly strict management system. The real mistake was turning it into an endless world of the instance.
The school wasn't at fault, and neither was the act of studying and striving.
If it weren't for the intervention of the instance, they might have recognized the problem sooner, corrected their course in time, and maybe such a tragedy wouldn't have occurred.
In any case, now that the instance had been destroyed, everything had finally come to an end.
[...]The main system's signal was intercepted, and by the time it realized something was wrong, the instance had already been thoroughly altered. The main system's electronic voice trembled with anger, [Player Yu Deng, why did you destroy the instance?]
Yu Deng argued with the main system, "I was only fighting those monsters, okay? It was the students of Guihuai High who started it! I... I thought it was part of the instance plot."
He pointed at the beautiful campus, "And look, the school is fine! I didn't destroy anything."
Main System: [...]
But the instance wasn't about this high school; it was about the one that had been destroyed!!
And if it weren't for the top student and campus belle Yu Deng tearing up the ranking list and giving a speech to those NPCs, they would never have rebelled!
Yu Deng maintained an innocent expression and didn't hear anything further from the main system. After a while of futile rage, the main system left, trailing a bunch of error codes. Yu Deng stood in the quiet, empty campus for a moment.
He had destroyed the instance, completed the main and special missions, so he should be able to leave the instance, right?
[Ding... Ding... Data anomaly detected, data being checked... Player Yu Deng is experiencing abnormal stasis...]
Yu Deng: "???" What? Why am I stuck?
He stood there, warily glancing around.
[Host...]The electronic voice of System 01 seemed to come from a distant place. [There is a small issue with the instance you are in, and it is being repaired.]
"Eh? What should I do?"
[Don't worry, there are no longer any threats to your safety in the instance... You just need to stay a little longer. Don't be afraid.]
With the system's reassurance, Yu Deng felt a bit more at ease.
Hadn't he been stuck in an instance before? Right, it was the first mansion instance, where his deceased husband had kept him stuck for a while.
But what was going on now? Where were the others?
Yu Deng wandered through the spacious and peaceful school path, with a light breeze rustling the green leaves of the trees.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps deliberately echoed from behind. Yu Deng turned around and was enveloped in a fragrant embrace.
"Deng Deng."
Yu Deng looked up and saw Lu Yan, dressed in a blue-and-white school uniform. He was completely free of any battle marks—no blood, no wounds, his uniform clean and neat.
"Eh, are you the only one?" Yu Deng leaned forward and looked behind Lu Yan. "Where are Zhuang Lin and Dr. Lin? Did they disappear?"
Lu Yan seemed a bit displeased but still answered Yu Deng's question: "Them? They can't die. Don't worry, Deng Deng."
Those two rivals, tsk. Maybe they would find Yu Deng soon.
Yu Deng tilted his head, "Hmm?"
"I finally found you before them. Can you not talk about them?" Lu Yan whispered, "Or... Are you leaving?"
Yu Deng gasped, nodding, "I, I'm not from here, you know."
"So, you're leaving now... Deng Deng, you still haven't given me a reward." Lu Yan wrapped his arms around Yu Deng's waist, murmuring, "You promised to give me a reward, and that you would give me a chance..."
Lu Yan still had that cool and scholarly demeanor, but his eyes were filled with a dark, hungry emotion, like a wolf unsatisfied with its meal.
Yu Deng thought for a moment and then remembered the promise he had made about a reward. Oh, that's what he meant.
"A reward... huh?"
Yu Deng was lifted into Lu Yan's arms, and they quickly returned to the dorm. The room number was the same as the one he had stayed in during the instance, and the bed was intact, with neatly arranged bedding.
Lu Yan laid Yu Deng on the bed: "Can I claim my reward, Deng Deng?"
Yu Deng frowned and thought for a few seconds before nodding: "Alright... You, you can't go too far."
He was still a man of his word.
Lu Yan looked at him for a few seconds before lowering his head and capturing those soft lips, sucking them with increasing familiarity.
Lu Yan's hands weren't idle either, tracing down Yu Deng's spine, making the little school flower, who suffered from skin hunger, tremble uncontrollably.
Heat spread from his tailbone upwards, tinging Yu Deng's cheeks with a faint blush.
He was kissed into a daze, able only to unconsciously call out the other's name: "Lu Yan...?"
He was so hot... His skin tingled from being touched, and he couldn't help but feel a strange desire.
Lu Yan had long since abandoned his initial coldness and resistance towards Yu Deng. He pecked at Yu Deng's lips, reaching out to caress the delicate skin under his palm.
"Deng Deng... Baby."
The cheap school uniform was unknowingly unbuttoned, scattered on the narrow bed, some even falling to the floor.
Lu Yan was clearly such a refined and introverted good student, but the muscles under his neat uniform were flowing and tight, even that part was exceptionally ferocious.
Yu Deng looked at Lu Yan's handsome face, then at other places, shrinking back.
This action undoubtedly stimulated Lu Yan's already tense nerves.
Lu Yan raised his hand, grabbed Yu Deng's wrist, and held him firmly in his arms.
"Deng Deng, don't go."
The young man lowered his eyes, stubbornly saying: "You said you'd reward me."
...
Yu Deng was hot and dizzy, coaxed by the top student, his long legs parted, his snow-white flesh trembling uncontrollably.
He had swallowed something so big...
Yu Deng's eyes were already wet with tears, his misty eyes full of accusation.
His back was slightly arched, his skin beaded with sweat, his sweet and soft fragrance becoming increasingly fragrant.
Lu Yan lowered his head and sniffed, his expression infatuated: "Deng Deng, I love your scent."
Yu Deng couldn't focus on what Lu Yan was saying at all.
He only knew that he was having a hard time swallowing.
His hand gripped the sheet, his fluffy black hair was messy, his long, white neck tilted back, occasionally letting out a few whimpers.
"...Lu Yan, Lu Yan, you're a bad guy!"
He looked so refined, yet he was so unreasonable, bumping into him so hard...
"Deng Deng, where did your wings go? I want to touch them." Lu Yan stroked Yu Deng's smooth back, speaking softly, "Deng Deng who can fly is so amazing, and his wings are so beautiful."
Yu Deng instantly recalled the feeling of his little wings being pinched, and he shivered violently.
"No, don't touch my wings... And they can't come out now!"
"Deng Deng, don't move." Lu Yan was a little regretful, gently biting his earlobe, "This is a dormitory, I can't guarantee the quality of the bed."
Yu Deng froze, some unforgettable memories flooding his mind, struggling to control his trembling.
A smile appeared in Lu Yan's eyes.
No matter how pitiful a dog pretends to be, its nature is to bully others.
Lu Yan, in this matter, showed his morbid and possessive desire to the fullest.
He grasped Yu Deng's trembling, plump, white leg, coaxing softly: "Deng Deng, lift your legs."
"...Hmm."
All of Yu Deng's senses were occupied by Lu Yan, he was pulled back and forth, like a small boat swaying in the waves.
High school students have a lot of energy, Yu Deng didn't know how long it had been, but he felt like it had been a long time, his tear-blurred eyes finally refocused.
Yu Deng trembled, his eyes red as he cursed: "Bad guy... You're so bad!"
He could feel the white frost slowly melting, dripping down a little, making him uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I'm a bad guy."
Lu Yan didn't get angry when he was scolded, he just thought Yu Deng's voice was nice, and the way he scolded him and his expression were so cute.
"Deng Deng, I've been trapped by this anomaly for three years." Lu Yan held Yu Deng in his arms, "It's been miserable, hasn't it?"
What was even more miserable was that Lu Yan didn't know if he would be able to see Yu Deng again after he left.
This made him feel anxious, even the satisfaction he had just felt faded a little.
Yu Deng's attention was diverted, forgetting to scold the bad dog. He followed Lu Yan's train of thought and pondered for a moment.
It seems like it was really miserable, being a high school senior for three years... That said, Lu Yan could be considered his senior.
Lu Yan closed his eyes, burying his face in Yu Deng's neck, pleading: "So Deng Deng, can you talk to me a little longer? Call me a few more times, okay?"
He never expected Yu Deng to say sweet nothings to him, he just wanted to hear Yu Deng talk to him more, scold him, command him, anything.
The person who had just made Yu Deng cry now seemed so humble.
Yu Deng's fair and beautiful face was still flushed, his lips were swollen, but his eyes were still pure and bright.
"Hmm... Maybe we can see each other again." Yu Deng's voice was still choked with tears, hoarse and soft, his tail drawn out. He thought for a few seconds, then softly called out.
"Senior."