Chapter 14: The Final Lesson

Tired!
So tired!
Exhausted beyond measure!
An ordinary person, fighting at full strength, would collapse after three minutes; even a well-trained athlete could barely last seven.
But Bai Ming had been fighting for forty minutes straight.
Even with the Bloodline Resilience, his muscles trembled, and every breath felt like a blade cutting through his lungs.
Unlike before, the student spirits no longer fought back; he could attack freely, even find moments to catch his breath.
Yet now, he had to pursue and kill the remaining eight teachers while guarding against their revival and surprise attacks.
Run, chase, kill.
No rest, no pause.
His nerves had to remain taut, activating Cowardly Scoundrel the instant an attack came.
He had to constantly plan his route; once surrounded, there would be no room even to dodge with Cowardly Scoundrel.
“Give her back to me! Give me back my daughter!”
Squelch—!
Bai Ming’s staff pierced through Teacher Wang’s throat again, sending him back to revive.
A cold sneer curled within him.
Crying out so pitifully, as if acting in some tragic play.
But he had no strength left to mock aloud, only able to think it in his mind while desperately regulating his breath, fearing that one missed inhale would bring him down for good.
Bai Xiaozhi couldn’t help him.
She was a spirit; merely resisting the rules exhausted her completely, leaving no energy to support him.
Fortunately, as a spirit, she did not require Bai Ming’s protection or distraction.
“You should go. The last teacher, it’s unnecessary,” Bai Xiaozhi’s voice trembled, as if she would break into tears at any moment.
She dared not pull Bai Ming back, afraid that entangling with him would waste his energy, yet did not want him to die—so she stood helpless.
“I’ve grown up. I no longer resent the past.”
How could she not resent it?
Time is no eraser; it is a blunt knife that grinds pain into tiny grains of sand embedded deep within flesh and blood, becoming part of the body itself.
People only learn to coexist with their scars like a crooked tree, carrying wounds as they continue to grow.
But the scars remain forever, aching faintly on gloomy, rainy days.
If that is the case, it’s not so bad.
The future is boundless; as long as growth continues, the small tree will one day become a towering giant.
The old scars become insignificant, and the pain is but a path once traveled.
But—
Bai Xiaozhi had no future!
The moment Bai Xiaozhi’s tracksuit was stained with a red hue from a bullet, Bai Ming instantly understood—she was someone without a future.
She was already dead, trapped in the past.
Having experienced poverty alleviation work, Bai Ming had seen too many helpless situations, but back then, with the power of “Impossible,” nothing was unsolvable.
No matter how difficult, there was always hope for the future.

But now, he could change nothing, could do nothing.
He could not alter Bai Xiaozhi’s fate, no matter what.
So he was furious—so furious that Bai Xiaozhi could sense it.
You have no future; I won’t let your past leave regrets anymore.
He never spoke these words because he could not catch his breath.
But he would prove it through action.
At the end of the corridor, three teachers approached.
The first hunched over, limbs twisted backward like a broken spider, silently crawling on the ceiling.
The second’s skin melted, dripping like wax, revealing writhing flesh beneath.
The third wore a sharp suit, face normal, but his chest cavity split vertically, dozens of pale arms thrashing wildly inside the hollow torso.
Kill—!
Bai Ming’s knuckles cracked sharply; the steel staff tore through the air with a shrill whistle.
The hunched creature on the ceiling suddenly launched downward, its joint-bent limbs striking like blades.
Sparks flew as steel clashed with flesh blades; Bai Ming twisted, driving the staff’s end deep into the creature’s sunken abdomen.
Splat—!
Thick black blood splattered on the wall.
At the same time, the second creature’s fleshy tendrils reached for his ankle.
Cowardly Scoundrel!
Bai Ming’s figure blurred suddenly, sliding sideways like a ghost, the staff stabbing into the tendrils, leveraging off the floor with a fierce push.
Whoosh—!
He flipped into the air, spinning the staff half a turn, aiming straight for the third creature!
The pale arms flailing wildly suddenly lengthened, transforming into countless afterimages rushing toward Bai Ming.
Bang! Bang! Bang—!
The steel staff danced wildly, the cracking of bones and muffled sounds of flesh being torn filled the air; broken fingers and flesh fragments scattered, tracing arcs through the air.
Then, the suited creature’s chest was pierced by a heavy blow; its spine snapped with a “crack,” the entire body blasted into the air, bending in half mid-flight.
The torn chest still housed arms clawing desperately at empty air, but they eventually fell weakly.
Whoosh—!
Finally, Bai Ming reversed the staff, the steel blade cleaving through the second creature’s body like a guillotine.
One strike! Two strikes! Three strikes!
The writhing flesh burst apart, sticky chunks splattered like raindrops, painting a crimson swamp on the floor.
[After continuous battle, the player has partially unlocked weapon specialization: “Staff.”]
Bai Ming had no time to heed the system’s prompt. Gasping heavily, he pressed on, stepping over severed limbs and chunks of flesh, searching for the last teacher.
Found!
Fourth floor, third classroom.
The last teacher still appeared human.
But he was not alone.
Seven twisted spirits accompanied him.
Teacher Wang stood at the front, a slow smile creeping at the corner of his mouth, laughter squeezing out of his throat.
“Good daughter, come back.”
“As for you, rule-breaker, today you must die.”
So it was a trap!
Seven?
No, eight!
Reinforcements behind the enemy.
The classroom was narrow, the foes numerous; thirty centimeters of space to dodge was barely enough. Who knew how many times Cowardly Scoundrel could activate?
Bai Xiaozhi’s sobbing rose, the same sound Bai Ming heard outside the wall on the first day.
Regret?
Probably regret.
Regretting neglecting training before joining the Twilight Game, ending up like this.
Foolish?
Was she a fool?
Of course foolish.
A wise person would have, while possessing “Impossible,” simply said, “I don’t eat beef,” and run wild in the real world—living luxuriously with fine cars, beauties, and debauchery.
But—
This is me!
Foolish and regretful me!
[Player afflicted by Bai Xiaozhi’s curse.]
[Detected partial acquisition of weapon specialization: “Staff.”]
[Player gains temporary cursed talent: Bloodline Weapon Specialization “Staff.”]
[Bloodline Weapon Specialization “Staff” (E-): True mastery of the staff is not in striking the enemy, but in making blood resonate between flesh and bone. When using staff-type weapons, your damage increases by 4, but each successful hit causes you to suffer bleeding damage equal to 10% of your total health that cannot be reduced.]
[Curse duration: 24 hours.]
[Note: 1 point of damage equals the damage effect provided by 2 points of Strength attribute.]
[Note: This talent has been added to the player’s exclusive talent list.]
Only ten strikes’ worth of strength?
Enough.
If it’s not enough, it must be enough!
After all, who the hell wants to die!
[As the curser, Bai Xiaozhi voluntarily shares the bleeding damage penalty caused by Bloodline Weapon Specialization “Staff.”]
Good!
Since you dare to resist, I will fight to the end with you.
You mend regrets, I embrace the future!
Bai Xiaozhi, let me take you to your final lesson—
Kill!