After the hidden quest was triggered, news of the deaths of the other two teammates arrived simultaneously.

Compared to Zhen Tao, Lu Bai seemed to find relief quickly.

As for Zhen Tao, although his life value hadn't hit zero, the severe loss of spirit turned him directly into a dungeon monster!

This seemed even more unbearable than death!

Looking at the man beside him, Zhao Yi curiously asked, "You've lived at this high school for three months, haven't you encountered anything terrifying?"

Li Sheng gave a bitter smile. "How could I not have?"

"Though I don't know how you got in here, I can tell you haven't been here long."

"The dangers of this high school far exceed your imagination!"

"Most of the people you've seen in the school... aren't alive!"

As his words fell, Yang Linlin nearly jumped out of her skin!

Earlier in the day, Zhao Yi had already told them that they might be the only four living people in this high school, and back then, they thought Zhao Yi was joking!

Now she realized Zhao Yi was telling the truth!

"Rockridge High School is trapped in a terrifying cycle of curses, repeating every seven days."

"These zombie-like people on campus will all die within seven days, then be reborn, only to repeat the cycle of death again!"

"The further the curse progresses, the more terrifying things will happen!"

"I once saw with my own eyes, on the seventh day of a previous cycle, all the teachers and students carrying their bloody heads, patrolling every corner of the school..."

"If they find you..."

At this point, Li Sheng shuddered involuntarily.

Clearly, the experience had left a deep psychological impact on him!

He was unwilling to recall or describe it further.

"Then... how did you manage to hide safely?"

Yang Linlin asked with a hint of urgency.

Since this man had survived three months in this high school, helping them survive seven days should be no problem!

Li Sheng patted the sofa beneath him.

"Well—"

"I escaped to the water tower at that time and accidentally discovered this basement, which is how I survived!"

Hearing this, Yang Linlin excitedly grabbed Zhao Yi's arm!

"I got it!"

"The water tower must be a hidden safe zone. As long as we stay here and don't wander around, we can survive the seven days!"

Zhao Yi's face showed no sign of joy.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Sigh..."

Seeing Yang Linlin's jubilant expression, Li Sheng couldn't help but sigh.

"Miss Yang, things might be more complicated than you think."

The smile on Yang Linlin's face gradually faded.

"What... do you mean?"

Li Sheng looked troubled.

"The power of the school's curse is expanding!"

"Previously, the water tower was indeed safe; the specters outside would ignore this area, not even glancing at the water tower..."

"But later, they began to linger outside the water tower, even knocking on the door to see if anyone was inside, and eventually... they forcibly entered the water tower, searching everything here..."

"On the seventh day of the last cycle, I was hiding in the basement and almost got exposed..."

"So I suspect the curse's power has spread here. If we hide in the basement again during this cycle, I'm afraid..."

Li Sheng suddenly stopped talking.

Footsteps above them had started again at some point, and this time... they were even more frequent!

The three of them were on edge!

Even the viewers in the live streaming room felt incredibly tense!

They held their breath, not daring to make a sound!

Clearly, there was more than one specter upstairs!

If they were exposed, they'd be sitting ducks, doomed to die!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, there were thuds from above!

It seemed a clever specter was checking the ground!

A chill ran down their spines, reaching the top of their heads!

Zhao Yi's mind raced, and he quickly moved a ladder from the pile of junk behind him, then stood on it, using his back to support their entrance!

Seeing this, Yang Linlin and Li Sheng understood what Zhao Yi intended to do, and they carefully stepped forward to help stabilize Zhao Yi's body!

The sound of tapping on a special brick, whether connected or not, was completely different!

The specter was still suspicious, not yet certain there was a secret room below.

As long as they handled it properly, they could completely avoid the specter's inspection!

Before long, Zhao Yi felt tapping on his back!

The specter was strong, and even through a thick brick, the force from above made their muscles spasm!

They gritted their teeth, holding on tightly, not daring to relax for a moment!

After tapping for a while and confirming there was no issue, the specter moved on to tap elsewhere.

Only then did the two relax, and Zhao Yi immediately gestured to them, prompting Yang Linlin and Li Sheng to continue holding Zhao Yi's legs tightly!

Sure enough, after a while, the specter returned to the same spot, stomping heavily!

The intense force made the legs of the two below tremble.

Finally, the specter seemed to confirm there was no issue, stopped probing, and left the water tower for another location.

Yang Linlin and Li Sheng collapsed to the ground, their bodies weak!

"See, I told you, the water tower is no longer safe..."

Li Sheng's face was full of worry.

"To survive this cycle of the curse, we either find another shelter or... break the curse!"

Zhao Yi glanced at him nonchalantly, saying nothing.

But Yang Linlin's eyes lit up at his words.

"Break the curse?"

"You know how to break the curse?"

Li Sheng was silent for a long time.

"I know the method, but it's extremely difficult to execute!"

"I can't do it alone; I need help!"

Yang Linlin said, "We can help you!"

Li Sheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded resolutely after a while.

"Alright!"

"I'll trust you this once. After all, dragging it out any longer is a dead end!"

"Might as well take a gamble!"

"...Based on our previous research and investigation, I can now confirm that the cycle of curses at this high school began with a student."

As he finished speaking, Yang Linlin instinctively blurted out:

"Chen Qiong?"

Li Sheng looked at the two in surprise.

"You know?"

Zhao Yi replied, "Not much, just that Chen Qiong's mother had an accident at Rockridge High School..."

Li Sheng sighed, rubbing his head.

"That's right."

"It's a long story."

"Chen Qiong was originally from a poor family in the city. Life was manageable until his father was buried in a mining accident back home. The mine owner, fearing criminal charges, fled abroad with the money, leaving no compensation. Life became increasingly difficult for his family, with only a disabled seamstress mother left. Fortunately, Chen Qiong was a diligent student, always excelling academically. He not only got into the best high school in the city—Rockridge High School—but also received a substantial scholarship for his top ranking."

"This place should have been the cradle of his dreams, but then something unexpected happened..."

"To stimulate student competition, Rockridge High School held exams twice a month, determining seating arrangements for the following week based on results. Chen Qiong, with his outstanding grades, always sat at the front near the podium, leaving other top students from all over the place trailing behind!"

"Besides, there was another student in their class, a girl named Zhang Ya, who was both academically excellent and beautiful."

"She consistently ranked second in the class and was Chen Qiong's deskmate... You know how it is with high schoolers, full of youthful vigor, hormones running high. Spending so much time together, Chen Qiong fell madly in love with Zhang Ya."

"It could have been a perfect match, but then a transfer student named Pang Xiao arrived, the son of the Mayor. Despite always ranking last in tests, he also took a liking to Zhang Ya and directly had the homeroom teacher, Liang Ming, switch his seat with Chen Qiong's."

"Liang Ming, of course, didn't dare refuse his request."

"So suddenly, the top student was sitting in the last seat, while the last-ranked student took the top seat."

"Every weekly test result, those glaring perfect scores, seemed to slap Chen Qiong in the face!"

"He knew his family was poor and couldn't compete with Pang Xiao, so he endured... But one day, he saw Pang Xiao slip his hand into Zhang Ya's clothes during class, and Zhang Ya didn't dare resist. That was the last straw for his anger."

"He secretly bribed some classmates from similarly poor backgrounds with his scholarship money, and one night, they covered their faces with scarves and dragged Pang Xiao into a small grove to beat him up!"

"However, the school's surveillance caught it all, and after severe questioning from the grade director, one student finally cracked under pressure and exposed Chen Qiong."

"As a result... Chen Qiong was expelled."

"Afterward, Chen Qiong's mother came to Rockridge High School, found his homeroom teacher Liang Ming, and knelt in his office, begging for mercy. But Liang Ming couldn't care less. In the end, during a scuffle, Liang Ming accidentally pushed Chen Qiong's mother, Ren Fang, from the building. She landed headfirst, her brains splattered everywhere..."

"You can probably guess what happened next. Chen Qiong's mother died from her injuries, but the incident was covered up by the school and the Mayor's office..."

"The situation was too deep for anyone to intervene. Days later, Chen Qiong snuck into the school alone, hacked his homeroom teacher Liang Ming to death with a cleaver, and then escaped the school's security pursuit, disappearing without a trace..."

At this point, Li Sheng paused, looking at the two who were listening intently, and lowered his voice.

"That's the official story."

"But in reality... Chen Qiong never ran away..."

"He... died in the school."