Chapter 7: Fear Spreads (Please...)

"Hey, it's just a red envelope game, you..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Gang jammed his chopsticks directly into his own eyes. Appearing oblivious to the pain, he muttered, "I deserve to die!"

As the words left his lips, he grabbed another chopstick and drove it deep into his other eye. This time, the force was immense; the chopstick pierced through to the back of his skull, killing him instantly.

"Thud!" Xiao Gang’s head slumped onto the table, lifeless.

"Ah..."

A shriek tore through the cafeteria. Students eating nearby witnessed the scene and immediately vomited the food they had just swallowed.

"Ugh... Is he crazy? Is this person insane?" a girl screamed.

"Call the police, quickly!"

"Sob... why did Xiao Gang just die like that?"

Zhang Xiaofan, Su Qianqian, and Lin Rou exchanged glances, the horror evident in each other's eyes.

Su Qianqian whispered, "Xiaofan, could it be that his death has something to do with that red envelope group..."

"I'll go check."

Suppressing his nausea, Zhang Xiaofan walked over to the girls who had been eating with Xiao Gang. "Were you playing some kind of red envelope game last night?"

The girl sobbed, "Yes. The class monitor told us to grab red envelopes, and whoever grabbed the most wasn't allowed to eat lunch... sob..."

"And your friend grabbed the most?" Zhang Xiaofan looked at the deceased.

"Yes... he was so foolish. Why would he suddenly do this..." the girl cried.

After asking his questions, Zhang Xiaofan returned to his seat. His expression was grim. "That class has also been targeted by the red envelope group."

"What?" Lin Rou was stunned. "If you fail the task... you die?"

Zhang Xiaofan nodded. "The ghost behind this seems to be getting impatient, likely because the number of deaths has been decreasing lately."

Su Qianqian turned pale. "Why, why is this happening?"

"Let's go back. We should discuss this in class," Zhang Xiaofan said.

The three left the cafeteria. As they exited, Zhang Xiaofan saw the same police officers and coroners from before arriving. They were the exact same people, entering the cafeteria with expressionless faces.

***

Zhang Xiaofan stopped paying attention. It was easy to see that this victim's class had also been ensnared by the red envelope group.

Back in the classroom, many students were already talking about the incident in the cafeteria.

"Did you hear? The victim also failed his task and committed suicide, exactly like the time Bao Lei died."

"My friend is in their class. They are first-years. They grabbed two hundred yuan in red envelopes last night; it's identical to what we experienced."

"Could it be that Bao Lei started another group and pulled that class in to play?"

The students speculated wildly. Zhang Xiaofan walked onto the podium and said, "It’s clear that class is experiencing the same thing as us. Anyone who knows students from that class should reach out to them. We need to find a way to escape this game together."

At this point, it was the only option. The students agreed.

What they didn't know was that Zhang Xiaofan actually felt relieved that others had joined the red envelope group. It meant the pressure on them would ease, and the ghost wouldn't be focused solely on them.

Zhang Xiaofan had never been a saint looking to save the world. His mindset was simple: as long as the people around him were fine, he didn't really care about the fate of others.

While the students were busy discussing the events in the first-year class, Wang Hu had arranged to meet a third-year girl named Guo Xiaomei. She was a well-known socialite, obsessed with money; as long as she was paid, she didn't care who she was with.

They arrived at a hotel. After Wang Hu tossed a stack of cash at her, he tackled her onto the bed. It was clearly not their first time. Knowing Wang Hu’s temper, Guo Xiaomei was about to perform her usual tricks, but Wang Hu stopped her. "No tricks today. Just lie there. You only need to last half an hour."

"Brother Hu, what kind of joke is that? You don't need me to use that technique?" Guo Xiaomei said coyly.

"Stop with the nonsense. Just be obedient, and I'll buy you another bag."

Hearing this, Guo Xiaomei nodded happily and lay down.

Wang Hu began. After taking a pill and struggling for half an hour, he finally let out a sigh of relief. The task was complete.

"Xiaomei, are there any other girls in your third-year class who do this kind of work?" Wang Hu asked while smoking.

Guo Xiaomei pouted playfully, "What, you haven't had enough?"

"As long as you can find them for me, I'll pay ten thousand per person. I need seven more. It doesn't matter if they're ugly," Wang Hu said.

Guo Xiaomei’s eyes lit up. "There are a few. I'll introduce them to you."

She quickly made some calls, chatting happily with her friends and even mentioning a fifty-fifty split. Wang Hu felt a sense of contempt but said nothing.

Soon, four girls arrived. To be honest, they were incredibly unattractive—two had huge buckteeth, one had a face full of pockmarks, and another had a pungent case of bromhidrosis.

"Brother Hu..." the four girls lunged at him with familiarity.

***

Wang Hu stepped back. "Let's talk properly, don't touch me. I'm asking you, are you all in the third-year class?"

The four girls nodded repeatedly and, following Wang Hu's instructions, produced their student IDs.

Wang Hu inspected them carefully, then nodded with satisfaction. "Good! Let's get to work! Even if it kills me, I have to finish!"

...

By the time Wang Hu left the hotel that evening, his legs were like jelly. He had been exhausted after Guo Xiaomei, but he had bitten the bullet and finished with one more, until he could no longer stand.

In desperation, he had taken Viagra and finally managed to get through the other three girls. By the end, he was completely drained.

"I, Wang Hu, swear that after this, I will never touch a woman again!"

Wang Hu was left with deep psychological trauma.

Just as he reached the school gate, one of his lackeys called him.

"Brother Hu, it's us." The lackey, who was also forced to complete the game tasks, spoke up.

Wang Hu frowned. "What is it?"

"We've caught several girls. We're at the school's basketball court," the lackey said excitedly.

Wang Hu replied with delight, "Well done, I'm on my way."

He still needed three more third-year girls to complete his task and escape the game. Excited, he hurried to the basketball court, but his expression hardened as he arrived.

Something was wrong.

The basketball court was a public area. Why would these three idiots bring girls here? Furthermore, how could these three have the ability to catch anyone? It was impossible!

He scanned his surroundings. The area was deserted and the lights were off, save for the faint glow from the distant lounge.

Wang Hu took a deep breath and walked inside. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, followed by a laugh.

"Brother Hu~~ It's the middle of the night, what brings you here to play..."