Around 10 AM, Yun City was already bustling with people. Mu Miao’s soul was significantly stronger than that of an average human, and he wasn’t afraid of the sunlight.
He stood boldly in the sunlight, his gaze scanning the ground, leaving the ghosts hiding in the shade of the trees and under eaves stunned.
001 asked, puzzled, 【What are you looking for?】
Mu Miao called out "Mimi," peering into the stacked cardboard boxes in the alley. 【I'm looking for a cat. Pei Nuo had a stray cat nearby. When he was killed, the cat jumped in to save him, but now it’s gone. I want to find it.】
It was an ordinary orange cat, likely abandoned by its mother while searching for food. By the time Pei Nuo found it, the little creature was barely alive, its fur dirty and matted.
Perhaps having not seen its mother for too long, even when Pei Nuo mimicked the cat's sounds, the little one would struggle to lift its head, meowing back in response.
【Pei Nuo didn’t have a home and couldn’t care for it. Now that I’m a wandering ghost, if I adopt it, at least it won’t be a stray anymore.】
Mu Miao didn’t miss any corners, mimicking the cat's meows. “Meow meow~ Meow, where are you? Meow meow.”
“Meow~”
A delicate sound came from behind him. Mu Miao's eyes lit up with excitement as he turned to see the orange kitten wagging its tail, sitting behind him.
Mu Miao immediately recognized it as the cat he was looking for, joyfully floating over to scoop it up, rubbing his cheek against its head. “Mimi, give me a hug.”
The little cat was obedient, licking Mu Miao's chin with its tongue and nuzzling against him. “Meow~”
Satisfied, Mu Miao kissed its head and said, “When we were alive, I couldn't take care of you. Now that we’re both dead, let me take care of you, okay? Even though I’m a wandering ghost, I won’t let you be a stray cat anymore.”
The little cat nodded in acknowledgment, purring contentedly.
Mu Miao smiled widely, but as he glanced at the kitten’s sunken belly, sadness surged up within him.
He sat on the steps, placing the kitten on his lap, his hand resting on its abdomen as a faint green glow infused into the kitten's body, healing its wounds.
Most injuries sustained in life carry over to the soul. As the reincarnation god, Mu Miao was most familiar with soul bodies, and healing them was one of his strongest abilities.
Upon entering this body, he had already healed the knife wound on his chest. Now, seeing the terrifying wound on the kitten’s belly, he was suddenly transported back to that fateful night in the alley.
Pei Nuo had been pinned to the ground, a knife plunged into his heart, while only a kitten had approached, its little body arched, breathless as it tried to save him.
But this kitten, only a few months old, was no match for a human. It was kicked away, its soft back broken, leaving both the person and the cat discarded in that desolate alley, their lives fading with time.
Mu Miao felt Pei Nuo’s despair acutely. Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling down from his lashes and landing on the kitten's fur.
“Meow~”
The kitten looked at him with its clear eyes, struggling to reach out with its tiny paw to comfort Mu Miao, as if to say not to be sad.
“Be good, don’t move.” Mu Miao wiped his tears away and held the kitten still. “You still have wounds. You’ll be better soon, and it won’t hurt anymore.”
The kitten trusted him completely, lying back to expose its white belly.
Soon, the kitten's wounds faded, its soul becoming much stronger and its fur smooth and shiny, like a little plush toy.
Mu Miao held it, gently stroking its fur, smiling. “You feel much better now, right?”
The kitten wrapped its forelimbs around his neck, its hind feet resting on Mu Miao's arm, softly purring. “Meow meow~”
The kitten hadn’t gained intelligence yet, and its actions were purely instinctual. Mu Miao couldn't discern any deeper meaning from its monotonous meows, but one thing was clear: it was happy.
While Mu Miao was immersed in petting the cat, the NPC prompt for the instance sounded in his ear.
【Ding ding~ The instance "West Private High School" is starting. NPCs are in place, players are in place.】
【Instance difficulty: A-level.】
【Number of players: Ten
A-level players: Three
B-level players: Two
C-level players: Five】
【Instance introduction: West Private High School is the most prestigious high school in Yun City, widely praised for cultivating elite talents. Every student admitted is either a wealthy heir or a genius.】
【However, the number of missing students from West Private High School is consistently high, and the reasons for their deaths are mysterious. Furthermore, at midnight, the dance studio lights illuminate again, with students in romantic ballet costumes dancing ethereally in the classroom.】
【Task: Investigate the truth behind West Private High School and stay alive.】
Mu Miao sighed. “Time to start working again.” He floated toward West Private High School, and as they got closer, the kitten began to fidget, nudging its head against Mu Miao’s embrace.
Mu Miao knew they were nearing the place of their deaths, and the fear of being killed was inevitable. He comforted the kitten by kissing its forehead, whispering to it, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you. If I find the person who killed us, I’ll avenge us.”
The kitten, enveloped in Mu Miao's aura, relaxed, its ears twitching. “Meow~”
Don’t be afraid; I’ll protect you!
Mu Miao ruffled its ears. “It’s nothing, just a very annoying acquaintance.”
“Which acquaintance?”
Mu Miao pointed at Pei Qingye. “Him.”
His response was instinctive, and then a question mark slowly appeared on his forehead. Mu Miao stiffly turned his head to see Yin Jingnan standing beside him, arms crossed, watching the group of players.
Mu Miao gasped. “Y-you’re here too?”
Does that mean this world is about to end again?!
Yin Jingnan wore the West Private High School uniform, her silver hair braided into two plaits, adorned with a brown flower hairpin.
She mimicked Mu Miao’s speech, “Y-you tell me, how could I be here?”
Mu Miao pouted, ready to cry. 【001, didn’t you say we wouldn’t go to a world that’s about to end or has already ended? You lied to me!】
001 was also speechless. 【I didn’t lie to you! This world is thriving; who knows how this girl suddenly showed up here.】
Yin Jingnan was accompanied by a frail-looking boy with phoenix-like eyes, feigning black pupils with a hint of gold. “Jingnan, don’t scare Mu Miao.”
Mu Miao's face lit up with joy upon seeing him, and he excitedly lunged at him. “Yin Lin, where have you been these days? I didn’t see you when I went back last time.”
Yin Lin had been raised by Yin Jingnan since childhood. Though not related by blood, their bond was strong.
Yin Lin smiled, ruffling his hair. “Brother Xiran wanted us to experience a human child’s school life, so he sent us to this world for the college entrance exam.”
Mu Miao had a bad feeling creeping in; he pointed at the school. “You guys aren’t going to school here, are you?”
Yin Jingnan clearly despised the idea of attending school. “Yeah, there’s no choice. Xiran insisted. He even asked that idiot Qu Linxi, who said this school was the best.”
Mu Miao realized that being assigned to this school for a mission indicated something was off. He looked at Yin Jingnan and Yin Lin, unsure whether to voice his suspicions.
001 was furious. 【Don’t say anything! Given Yin Jingnan’s temperament, if you do, we’re all dead. That bastard Qu Linxi is only good at causing trouble and dragging others down. Damn him!】
Mu Miao wholeheartedly agreed. When Yin Jingnan threw a tantrum, she didn’t care if you were innocent. Anyone within her range would face her wrath, even passing dogs would get slapped.
With Lin Anqu in front and Yin Jingnan behind, Mu Miao felt trapped, hugging his kitten pitifully.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t look for trouble; trouble wouldn’t let him go. Yin Jingnan’s blue eyes fixed on him. “By the way, what are you doing here?”
Mu Miao swallowed hard, his gaze wandering uncertainly. “Uh…”
Yin Jingnan’s expression sharpened, revealing two small dimples as she smiled. “Don’t lie to me, little Mu Miao. You know the consequences.”
Mu Miao was on the verge of tears, mentally calling for 001.
Yin Jingnan stepped closer, face to face with him. “Are you calling for 001? Perfect. Call him out. I haven’t seen him in a long time; we can catch up…”
But her expression didn’t seem like a friendly reunion; it felt more like a challenge.
If 001 had a heart, it would have leaped into his throat. 【Say I’m not here!】
Mu Miao echoed 001's words, and Yin Jingnan expressed her disappointment, seeing Mu Miao's head sink in shame. She didn’t press further, letting him do his thing as long as it didn’t affect her college entrance exams.
Yin Lin and Yin Jingnan found Mu Miao’s soul state unremarkable. 【No】 could freely change its appearance, and there were far stranger things than Mu Miao.
Having avoided one crisis, Mu Miao sighed in relief as he followed the two into West Private High School. The teacher responsible for welcoming transfer students also emerged, leading the players inside.
Mu Miao stayed hidden behind Yin Lin, fearing he’d be discovered by the other players.
Yin Jingnan and Yin Lin were both dance majors, and they were at school today for training, while the players were arranged by the system to attend senior year for remedial classes.
Mu Miao recalled that Pei Qingye was also a senior, but this senior had skipped class today to find a Taoist priest and was likely still at the crematorium.
Suddenly, a voice called out, “Hey! Isn’t that Jingnan and Xiao Lin?”
The director of education smiled warmly, greeting them. “You’re training today, right? That’s great. Make sure to practice hard.”
Yin Jingnan and Yin Lin replied in unison, “Hello, Director Wang.”
Meanwhile, Mu Miao’s attention was entirely on the man beside Director Wang. Song Qi, dressed in casual attire, looked at him through his glasses, his deep-set eyes fixed on him. “You’re back?”
Director Wang paused, surprised. “Professor Song, do you know these siblings?”
Yin Jingnan’s face darkened. “...We’re aunt and nephew.”
Mu Miao was shocked, realizing Song Qi was having another episode. He pulled Yin Lin aside, whispering, “This guy has some mental issues. Help him out by saying you know him. Otherwise, it'll be too embarrassing.”
Song Qi’s gaze remained on Mu Miao. After work yesterday, he immediately consulted a psychologist, undergoing a series of tests, concluding that he did not have hysteria.
This could only mean… the person in front of him was indeed a ghost.
Author's Note:
Song Qi: I have a problem? No, I’m about to get a wife.
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Prohibit Certain Players from Contacting the Dungeon NPC!
Roman d'amourThe main god, Mu Miao, was miserable, he couldn't even afford to eat, he had no choice, he had to listen to his brother and go to the various copies to play a variety of NPCs that blocked the players. In the fallen copies, all kinds of fierce and ho...
