"I don't want to," Ding Qiaoyu said, suppressing his anger, his voice soft, "He's not worth it."
Jing Minghe sighed helplessly, "Let's go quickly. It's getting dark, and your good students are still waiting for you."
Upon hearing this, Tong Zheng and Wan Zuo both exclaimed in surprise, "Are they those thirty-two students?"
"Not thirty-two, but thirty-one," Jing Minghe's gaze suddenly turned cold, "One is missing."
One missing?
Tong Zheng and Wan Zuo simultaneously looked at the person Jing Minghe was holding. It was this person who had said to them yesterday, "Not a single one can be missing."
And now, Jing Minghe had specifically mentioned "one missing," implying that the condition "not a single one can be missing" was absolutely not to be ignored, even if it wasn't the main objective.
Ding Qiaoyu put away the photo himself and disappeared again.
Jing Minghe and the others continued walking towards the sports field.
It felt like no significant time had passed, yet the sky's color deepened, and darkness gradually descended. The scenery before them, surprisingly, didn't blur; instead, it became even clearer.
The moment they crossed the sports field, Tong Zheng and Wan Zuo couldn't help but shiver, not from fear, but from the cold.
"Why is it so cold?" Wan Zuo couldn't help but ask.
No one answered his question. Driven by curiosity, he continued to walk, unable to stop himself from looking around.
He didn't know what season it was. The plants, which appeared to be of the same species, had lush foliage in some areas, while others were reduced to bare branches and fallen leaves.
The surroundings were eerily silent. Not a single insect chirped or bird sang, not even the sound of the wind could be heard.
So, where was this bone-chilling cold coming from?
Wan Zuo pondered with confusion but dared not dwell on it, quickly averting his gaze.
The instant he shifted his sight, his eyes swept over Tong Zheng, whom he was supporting.
No, he wasn't sure if the person he was supporting was still Tong Zheng.
Tong Zheng was slightly taller than him, but with his injury, Tong Zheng walked with a slight stoop, so from the corner of his eye, he should have appeared about the same height.
However, the person beside him now was noticeably much taller.
Such a height made Wan Zuo recall someone: the male student who had come to pick up Jing Minghe for class that morning.
Although he and Tong Zheng were still in the room at the time, when Jing Minghe turned back to speak, his angle allowed him to see that male student. He remembered that male student was even taller than the over-six-foot Jing Minghe.
Considering the possibility, Wan Zuo suppressed the urge to let go immediately.
To be able to replace Tong Zheng so silently, this male student was definitely not a normal NPC; he was a ghost, one hundred percent.
He couldn't be sure what kind of attack he would face if he let go. At the very least, he wasn't being attacked currently, so he could only choose to maintain the current state.
Wan Zuo didn't dare to look at the person he was supporting. After hesitating, he raised his eyes to look ahead.
As expected, Jing Minghe was nowhere to be seen in front of them.
Wan Zuo's heart ached. He had only observed his surroundings for a moment, and how had things suddenly turned out like this? When he had spoken earlier, Jing Minghe had clearly been walking ahead.
What should I do? What am I supposed to do?
Wan Zuo forced himself to remain calm. Even though nothing had happened yet, and the person beside him hadn't tried to kill him after walking for so long.
But he knew that life and death could change in an instant. When the person beside him made a move, he might not have the strength to resist.
The cold continued to seep in, causing a dense layer of cold sweat to appear on his forehead. His hands, however, dared not make any wrong moves. Even though his trembling body was beyond his control.
...
Jing Minghe stopped, pushed the person he was holding to the ground, and stepped on him.
Before them lay densely packed tombstones, standing side by side. The tombstones had no names, but they bore photographs. Upon closer inspection, each photograph showed the same expression: terror.
The photos on the tombstones looked as if they had been taken in the moment just before the people died.
"These..." Tong Zheng leaned closer to look. Although the expression of extreme fear distorted the faces in the photos, it was still possible to tell that the people were young. He guessed, "Could these be those students? How could..."
As he spoke, Tong Zheng turned to look at Wan Zuo, who was supporting him. The moment he turned, he froze. Beside him, there was no sign of Wan Zuo.
"Minghe!" Tong Zheng called out softly, "Wan Zuo is gone."
Jing Minghe heard Tong Zheng's voice and looked back, his brow furrowing slightly. "It seems we are looking for not one, but two people now."
"Strange," Tong Zheng walked to Jing Minghe's side, enduring the intense pain from his injuries. "I clearly felt someone supporting me all along. When did Wan Zuo disappear?"
Jing Minghe shrugged and spoke in the direction behind Tong Zheng, "Ding Qiaoyu, you can come out."
As Jing Minghe finished speaking, Ding Qiaoyu appeared with a swish. Tong Zheng quickly asked, "Teacher Ding, do you know when our other companion disappeared? Who took him away?"
Ding Qiaoyu shook his head. Jing Minghe explained, "No need to ask him. If he knew, we wouldn't have to complete the mission."
"Then Wan Zuo..." Tong Zheng paused before saying, "He's not in trouble, is he?"
Jing Minghe sighed softly, "I don't know. I hope he can hold on until we find him."
"Find?" Tong Zheng asked doubtfully, "How do we find him? Where do we look?"
"Since we're here," Jing Minghe said, squatting down, "of course, we look here."
After Jing Minghe's explanation, Tong Zheng felt even more bewildered.
Just as he was about to ask for clarification, he saw Jing Minghe staring down at the old man with the young head.
"Friend, it must be uncomfortable to have an old man's head on top of yours, right?" Jing Minghe looked back at Ding Qiaoyu, "Even if you can evade Teacher Ding's retribution, this half-dead state probably isn't easy to endure."
More than just uncomfortable, Tong Zheng couldn't help but think to himself. However, despite his discomfort, his combat power was formidable; hitting people really hurt.
"Answer obediently," Jing Minghe's foot pressed down harder, "Where did you bury the old man's body? And that brat, did he tell you this method to avoid Ding Qiaoyu's revenge? Is he here? Is he right beside us, just in another dimension?"
After hearing Jing Minghe's words, Tong Zheng couldn't help but widen his eyes.
What was all this? Since entering this instance, he hadn't found any clues at all. Where did Jing Minghe get all this information?
Ding Qiaoyu finally couldn't contain himself and shot towards Jing Minghe, looking down at the person under Jing Minghe's foot. He asked with resentment in his voice, "Where is he? Tell me!"