Jiang Liyue knew nothing of this; she remembered she was currently in an Ghastly Game Game Context, where a moment's inattention could cost her life.
Thus, she ignored her seemingly timid desk-mate in front and began checking the exam paper in her hand.
[Xingfu No. 1 High School Transfer Student Entrance Placement Exam]
An adult's nightmare is likely waking up to find themselves back in an exam hall, feeling that sense of despair when they can't answer a single question.
Wait, nobody told her that entering an Ghastly Game required taking an exam!
Fortunately, Jiang Liyue was a top student before entering the entertainment industry. Although she hadn't touched high school knowledge for several years, handling one exam shouldn't be a problem.
She checked the paper with confidence, but her hand, ready to write, froze when she saw the questions.
[Question: Which part of the human body has the tastiest meat?]
[a. Brain, b. Thigh, c. Arm, d. Heart]
[How to identify a human hiding among ghosts?]
[a. Scent, b. Appearance, c. Actions, d. Gaze]
Jiang Liyue looked at the exam paper, unable to start, feeling a bit speechless. Was this test even serious?
[Such simple questions, let me answer, let me answer!]
[So there's even a choice of parts? Isn't that just personal preference? I think thigh meat is the most tender and delicious.]
[The one above clearly hasn't eaten any. If you had, you definitely wouldn't say that; thigh meat is tough as a rock.]
[You're actually getting picky while eating a 9.9 yuan Ghost Group-buy Meal.]
[Shut up, person above. I feel sick, suspected Ghost Group-buy Meal poisoning.]
[There are so many new players in this classroom; they start getting scared as soon as they see the questions.]
[My waifu isn't afraid. Waifu is so calm. Can the livestream focus the camera on waifu more? Don't make me look for her in the corner of the screen!]
Jiang Liyue was indeed quite calm. Following her exam habits from her school days, she didn't start answering immediately after filling in her name; instead, she scanned the entire paper.
Fortunately, the paper was entirely multiple-choice questions, which explained why the exam time was only thirty minutes.
Jiang Liyue silently recited the mnemonic: 'Three short, one long, pick the longest; if you really can't decide, pick C.'
But when she reached the third question, a faint cold breeze suddenly brushed past her ear.
A greasy, disgusting gaze seemed to be staring intently at her.
She instinctively wanted to turn her head but stopped just as she was about to move, lowering her head to continue the exam.
That gaze gradually became even colder. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, and the candle shadows flickered.
Because she had moved the candle to a position below her chin, Jiang Liyue easily blocked the wind from both sides with her arms.
Then she calmly continued answering the subsequent questions.
But not everyone was as cautious as Jiang Liyue.
The man sitting closest to the window was still answering his questions when a gust of wind came from somewhere.
The moment the white candle on the desk was extinguished by the wind, it was as if some restriction had been broken.
A rotting, foul-smelling face appeared before the man. He let out a scream of terror and slumped weakly in his seat.
That rotting face continued to swell, splitting its mouth to reveal rows of white teeth, biting off his head in one gulp.
The crunching sound of chewing was exceptionally clear in the silent classroom; almost everyone looked toward the sound.
[As expected of an a-level dungeon, they start eating just ten minutes in. Unlike that D-level Game Context I watched yesterday, which dawdled until the last day to take the first bite.]
[It's my favorite mukbang segment again. This Deluxe Ghost Set Meal in my hand tastes even better now.]
[Where did this hillbilly come from, eating so inelegantly?]
[Hahaha, then I'll wait for you to chase players with a knife and fork in the next Game Context. Remember to stream it for us!]
Jiang Liyue looked up just in time to see the disgusting scene of the male player's head being bitten off.
Since the candle on the man's desk had gone out, there was only faint light from other directions. A headless body could be seen, blood dripping drip-drop onto the floor.
And a dark shadow was squatting on the man's desk, munching away.
The girl sitting closest to the man who was eaten had blood splashed all over her face. She covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound, her whole body trembling and eyes filled with tears.
The Female Teacher, who had been sitting at the front of the podium, stood up and walked clack-clack-clack to where the remaining body was. She frowned with a hint of disgust: "Eating the head first again, making such a mess. Clean it up after the exam."
"Alright, everyone else, continue with your exam." The Female Teacher's neck twisted an unnatural 180 degrees, her greedy eyes scanning everyone in the classroom.
After finishing her malicious warning, the Female Teacher dragged the headless corpse all the way back to the podium.
The same crunching sound of chewing began to emanate from the podium, but no one dared look up.
A nauseating smell of blood filled the classroom. Aside from the tooth-aching chewing sounds from the podium, it was terrifyingly silent.
The classroom seemed to have grown even colder.
Jiang Liyue rubbed her arms, flipped the exam paper back to the first question, and changed her original choice of C to A.
Judging by what that Female Teacher said, it seemed the brain was indeed tastier.
Brains are indeed tasty... Jiang Liyue swallowed. Her mind was full of spicy rabbit heads, chopped chili fish heads, braised lion's head meatballs... Although she hadn't felt hungry since entering the game, the burning sensation in her stomach from before entering was still there. She really wanted to eat something now.
Remembering she was still in a game, Jiang Liyue quickly dismissed those messy thoughts.
Good, she had gotten one question right now.
Jiang Liyue thought optimistically; at least she definitely wouldn't get a zero now.
Next, Jiang Liyue continued with the remaining questions, but the ghosts around her never stopped.
From time to time, they would blow air into her ear, tug at her hair, and several times, a pale face would suddenly appear in front of her.
To be honest, they didn't seem like life-threatening entities but more like annoying male classmates from her school days.
Jiang Liyue guessed she wasn't the only one experiencing this, as she occasionally heard screams from others in the classroom, followed by the same chewing sounds as before.
However, Jiang Liyue didn't cast another glance.
She had noticed that the chewing sounds were becoming more frequent, meaning more and more people were losing their lives.
Even though everyone was more alert than at the start, this only proved that the ghosts were becoming increasingly dangerous as time passed.
The viewers in the livestream were also watching with great excitement.
[I'm salivating. Do the entities in Game Contexts really live such a good life?]
[This Game Context is lucky. In some Game Contexts, you have to act out a whole scene before you can even get a bite.]
Among the screen full of "I'm hungry" comments, a few different ones were mixed in: [Wait, is that trash taking advantage of my waifu? I've seen it deliberately get close to her neck several times.]
[I noticed too! Staring at that beautiful little human with such a disgusting gaze. How despicable!]
However, because the livestream camera was mostly focused on the bloody feeding scenes, few viewers noticed this detail.
After finishing all the questions in one go, just as a pale face floated before her eyes again, Jiang Liyue suddenly raised her hand: "Teacher!"
A clear female voice rang out in the empty classroom. Not only the Female Teacher, but everyone else also turned to look at her.
When they saw her ghostly face illuminated from below by the candle, they all uttered a "holy crap" in their hearts, just like the student in front of her had.
Because Jiang Liyue spoke up, the livestream camera finally focused entirely on her.
[What? There's actually such a cute player in the classroom? How did I not notice earlier?]
[Heavens, how can this human look so cute? She's my destined waifu!]
[Wait, why did waifu suddenly call the teacher? Don't get eaten! I can't bear to watch.]
[Probably not. I noticed her expression is quite calm. Maybe she has a plan.]
[I haven't seen a stream of this Game Context before. Just asking, can you really raise your hand to call the teacher during the exam?]
The ghosts in the livestream began to worry, while the Female Teacher on the podium, who had been full of gloom, suddenly relaxed her expression slightly when she saw Jiang Liyue: "What is it, student?"
However, that stiff, pale face trying to make a friendly expression looked terrifying no matter how you viewed it.
Especially since the Female Teacher had just eaten someone; blood and bits of meat still hung from the corners of her mouth. When she grinned, her long tongue dripped blood as she walked toward her step by step.
Jiang Liyue, however, acted as if the other party were just an ordinary teacher. She smiled obediently at her, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents, making people instinctively feel well-disposed toward her: "Teacher, I'd like to hand in my paper early."
"H-hand in your paper early?" The Female Teacher seemed not to have expected her to say this; her expression froze for a moment.
"Yes." Jiang Liyue nodded with certainty. "Look, Teacher, I've finished my exam and even checked it twice."
The Female Teacher took her exam paper, leaving a red handprint on the page, and nodded with considerable satisfaction: "What a truly obedient student."
In those hollow eyes, one could actually see a hint of maternal affection.
Jiang Liyue guessed this was likely the effect of the "Ghost-Beloved Aura."
[So the little human is also a top student. Beautiful, kind-hearted, and excellent in character and learning. Does waifu have any flaws?]
[I know. She's lacking me.]
"Teacher, can I leave now?" Jiang Liyue asked.
"Can, just go to the Academic Affairs Office at eleven o'clock to get your placement results." The Female Teacher explained the details clearly. "Don't go to the wrong place; it's the Academic Affairs Office on the first floor."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher." Jiang Liyue looked like a perfect student, gazing warmly at the terrifying Female Teacher. "I really hope I can be assigned to your class."
The Female Teacher became even happier. The rotting skin on her face smiled so much that the flesh sagged. "Alright, go on out."
Jiang Liyue seemed not to notice, praising her with a smile: "Teacher, you look so beautiful when you smile. You should smile more in the future!"
"R-really?" The Female Teacher touched her face in surprise.
"Of course." Jiang Liyue nodded with certainty, her tone so sincere it didn't seem forced at all.
Meanwhile, the other players in the classroom who were secretly watching fell silent as they looked at the Female Teacher's gruesome face, which revealed a bloody maw when she smiled.
It turned out the reason they weren't liked by the ghosts was that they didn't know how to lie with a straight face...