Chapter 29: The Widow Is the Best Teammate I Have Ever Had!

The school dismissal broadcast echoed through the campus.

Gaoshan High School was plunged into complete silence.

Though struggling to move through the surging sea of security guards, Principal Wang still sneered with contempt, "Who would listen to you? Look at them—do you think they dare to leave?"

The concept of "dismissal" had never existed at Gaoshan High.

From the day they enrolled until the college entrance exam, they were expected to study without pause. Vacations and going home were seen as wastes of valuable study time. This was a cage that imprisoned the freedom of young eagles for three years, preventing them from ever taking flight. The justification was that it would help them fly faster later.

Wu Wang also sneered, "You underestimate their courage. A great man once said that students are like the sun at eight or nine in the morning; the future hope of the world rests upon them."

"Let the bullets fly for a while longer."

As soon as the words left his lips, Principal Wang saw the front doors of the Art Building swing open.

A female student, her uniform stained with splatters of paint, emerged. She cast a sidelong glance at the principal.

"Classmates," she said, her voice calm and steady, "let's go retrieve what belongs to us. Let's go and become who we truly are."

*Tap, tap, tap—tap, tap, tap—*

Behind her, a massive wave of students in uniforms poured out. Their faces held a vitality and passion that the usual students of Gaoshan High had never possessed. Hearing the command from Chen Nan, their class monitor, they cheered and rushed out of the Art Building as if stepping into a new life.

"Charge! School's out!"
"Hahaha! I'm going to keep painting once I'm out!"
"I'm going to write a novel! I'll be an author and earn royalties!"
"You'll starve to death."
"..."

Everyone chatted away, completely disregarding Principal Wang. They played and joked as they bypassed the dark room, ignoring the heavy, deathly stillness within. That was where their corpses lay. That was where their past remained.

[I left school today.]
[I am ready to spread my wings and fly tomorrow.]
[But I died in the past.]
[Yet my ideals still remain in the distance.]
[In the distance, where poetry and art reside.]

The students in the Art Building, who had been kept in the dark, had begun to remember everything the moment they heard the voices of Fatty and Wu Wang on the broadcast. Or rather, from the moment Wu Wang absorbed the eerie aura of the red slit pupils. Even knowing they were already dead, they still wished to bring the youthful spirit of a rising sun to their numb classmates.

As their figures vanished toward the dormitory buildings, the entire Gaoshan High School erupted.

It was like a powder keg ignited by a tiny spark, sweeping away all the gloom. The students collectively chose to be birds singing with all their might, refusing to be lambs led to a silent death.

"Principal Wang, do you understand now? Learning is indeed important, but some things can never be buried forever," Wu Wang’s voice came from the entrance of the Art Building. "How did that saying go again?"

"Some birds are not meant to be caged, for their feathers are dipped in the radiance of freedom!"

***

Because the source of the ring's power had been absorbed by Wu Wang and suppressed by the security guards and the school doctor, Principal Wang, now powerless to resist, smiled hideously.

He cursed the one who had started it all:

"Do you know what you are doing? What if they leave Gaoshan High? They will only wander in an even larger cage! They will suffer more than they do now! I am the one who is right!" His voice sounded frantic and filled with sorrow.

Wu Wang, however, simply shrugged with indifference.

"So what? Who cares? In your eyes, I’m just a madman."

"Madmen don't need reasons for what they do. If you insist on one, it’s probably the same reason Li Er, known as Laozi, wrote the *Tao Te Ching*."

"Because he felt like it."

A second later, he turned and began walking into the distance, leaving the stunned Principal Wang behind.

Liu Yang emerged slowly, dragging two Fatties along with him. Liu Yang said helplessly, "Principal Wang, Student Chu asked me to deliver a grand gift to you."

"He said—it is time for you to face your true self."

With that, he released the Fatties. The two Fatties charged aggressively toward Principal Wang. Just as Liu Yang’s humanity had merged with his corpse when he returned to the Art Building, the Fatties were going to merge with Principal Wang to form his true self—the version of himself he had once abandoned.

"No, no, no! I don't need you! Please, stay away from me!" Principal Wang’s voice turned into a plea, but nothing could stop the Fatties from closing in.

Ultimately, they merged into one.

They became a corpse lying on the ground, tears staining its face. The body was no longer dressed in an expensive suit, and there were no exquisite jewels in its hands. All that remained was a uniform covered in paint. A patch of vibrant red on the uniform looked unnervingly sharp—it was where the blood had stained the fabric.

Meanwhile, as Wu Wang neared the teaching building, he suddenly felt a weight lift from his body. He opened his bulletproof vest and discovered that the uniform he had been wearing underneath had vanished.

He smiled.

That was the human Fatty—or rather, the relic left behind by Wang Zhiyong, who had once escaped the school. Now, it had returned to its owner.

"Yo, Brother Baili, good evening. Why are you lying here? Get up, sleeping isn't allowed here." Wu Wang said, teasing the blood-covered Baili Dao on the ground.

The other man gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Brother Wu, what exactly are you planning to do?" he asked, puzzled.

To his surprise, Wu Wang looked surprised and retorted, "Aren't we supposed to catch the truants? Why fixate on catching them one by one?"

He pointed his finger at the swarm of students at the school gate and laughed, "Look, I’ve orchestrated a 'mass truancy event' for the whole school. Now we can catch them however we want. Do you need me to help you up?"

Baili Dao: "..."

He had to admit, this was a direction he had never considered. But it didn't seem entirely wrong. If he went to catch the students now, he could indeed push his dungeon rewards to an unimaginable height in a very short time.

Unfortunately, he could no longer do it.

"Cough, cough! Brother Wu, I don't think I'm going to make it. You go ahead; it's what you deserve," Baili Dao said with a relieved smile.

His injuries were too severe. Standing up was a luxury, let alone catching students to farm rewards. On the other side, Qing Heqian, without the school doctor to look after him, had likely already died and exited the dungeon. Wu Wang was about to become the sole player left in this dungeon.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Giving up so young? Your future wife is going to be unlucky," Wu Wang said, cracking a bawdy joke as usual. "Alright, I'm off to do the real work."

As he stood up to leave, Baili Dao called out to him, his tone serious. "Brother Wu, honestly, although your behavior and temperament are a bit wild, you are truly the best teammate I've ever met in a dungeon. So I must give you a warning—"

"After you clear the dungeon, watch out for those three 'Freedom' players."

"You are only a Level 1 player. Once you return to reality, you will be nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in their eyes."

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow, a look of sudden realization dawning on him.

So those three guys wanted to prey on him in the real world!

And he was lucky enough to encounter such a treat? Didn't that mean if he acted in self-defense and accidentally used excessive force to take them out, he could weep with joy while looting their gear?

Having figured it out, Wu Wang patted Baili Dao on the shoulder to comfort him. "Thanks for the good news. Don't worry, I'll perform the rites for you properly. I’ve got a homemade Taoist priest certificate."

Baili Dao: "?"

*Big brother, this is a non-lethal dungeon! I'm going to return to reality in a moment, what are you performing rites for, you fake priest!*

Never mind, he probably understood what I meant.

Baili Dao took a deep breath. He slowly faded away on the grass, having exited the dungeon world upon his death.

Wu Wang continued to walk toward the school gate. He didn't capture a single student. Instead, he blended into the crowd and slowly left the school. His silhouette was just like every other student’s—unassuming, yet independent.

[Transmitting out of the dungeon.]
[Congratulations to player 'Survivor' for clearing the Reality-Oriented Team Dungeon—'Truancy Dragon'.]
[Game Rating: Alpha]
[Main Quest Completed.]
[Side Quests 1 & 2 Completed.]
[Hidden Reward Condition Met—Purge Contamination.]
[You have successfully led the entire school to escape; the dungeon reward multiplier has reached its peak!]
[Please claim your rewards promptly.]
[Dungeon Summary: You possess an extreme lack of team awareness; you are fundamentally incapable of empathizing with any students. You felt none of the pressure of learning or the authority of the school leaders, yet you easily scored full marks on the exam. You are essentially a malignant tumor... But none of that matters. You purged the contamination of Gaoshan High and liberated the entire school. Oh, my friend, you are the true hero!]

Wu Wang: "?"

It felt like the system had just insulted him, but there was no concrete proof.

Whatever. Let's see what the rewards are, and then go out to be that "lamb waiting to be slaughtered." He couldn't wait for the chance to act in self-defense!