Why Are the Psychos Obsessed with a Mere NPC?

A chill ran up her spine. Cold air seemed to seep out from all around.

Xu Jianjuan shut off the main valve. When she entered, the water in the incubation room was already deep enough to submerge her knees.

"Jian Yu, are you in there?"

The water slowly drained out the door, quickly triggering the drainage system to activate.

The track lighting flickered on, and a large black umbrella in the corner caught Xu Jianjuan’s eye.

Looking at the person curled up on the sofa, she let out a sigh of relief.

’This is so much better than what happened to me in my past life. At least her clothes aren’t wet.’

The umbrella was wedged in a gap. Xu Jianjuan pulled it free and set it aside.

’Why is there so much blood?’

Xu Jianjuan’s expression shifted slightly. ’How large must the wound be?’

She gently patted Jian Yu’s face. "Jian Yu, wake up."

"Cold," Jian Yu mumbled, shrinking into the blanket, her consciousness hazy.

It was early autumn, not yet the cold season.

The chill in Room 177 came entirely from the icy water discharged by the refrigeration unit.

Based on the flow rate, another two hours of this would have brought the water right up to Jian Yu’s neck.

’Maybe because she’d been bottling up her anger for so long, Xu Shaoqing had been even more ruthless this time, using icy water.’

Xu Jianjuan touched the edge of the blanket. It was damp and cold, clearly saturated by the frigid air.

She opened her waterproof backpack.

Experienced as she was, she also had an umbrella and a blanket inside.

"Don’t take my blanket." Jian Yu felt a tug and curled into a miserable little ball.

Xu Jianjuan paused and reached out to feel her forehead.

’She’s delirious with fever.’

She slipped one arm under Jian Yu’s knees, bent down, and lifted her into a princess carry.

She carried her out of the incubation room and placed her on the hoverchair outside.

Xu Jianjuan fed her two fever reducers, then reached up to undo the gauze on her arm.

’Huh? Where’s the wound?’

Xu Jianjuan squinted, only noticing the dozen or so tiny puncture wounds after a few seconds of observation.

’This is bad. The bleeding doesn’t seem to be stopping.’

Just as she was about to take her to the school infirmary, Xu Shaoqing initiated a voice comm.

"They’re on their way over. What should I do? Have you seen Xuzhou? Did he clean up properly?"

Xu Jianjuan didn’t answer. She pressed down on the bleeding wound and continued to bandage it.

Remembering that Ling Yanzhi and his group were on their way, she re-wrapped the blood-stained gauze around the wound.

"I’m talking to you! Are you mute or deaf? If you weren’t the closest one, I wouldn’t have bothered to call you."

Xu Shaoqing was extremely irritable, her tone as high-and-mighty as ever.

"I thought they found a new target and wouldn’t bother with her anymore! They haven’t paid her any mind for almost a week. Why are they suddenly making a fuss about the incubation room?"

"Sister Shaoying, I haven’t found Teacher Xu yet." Xu Jianjuan covered Jian Yu with the blanket.

She stared at Jian Yu for a few moments, frowned, then quickly turned and left.

"Sister Shaoying, who told you they were done with Jian Yu? I suspect they’re trying to set you up, deliberately misleading you into going after her. I suggest you—"

"This is none of your business! I told you, I don’t need your input when I’m doing something!" Xu Shaoqing cut her off, not understanding her attempt to sow discord.

’Xuzhou isn’t in the incubation room, and he’s not in the staff lounge. Where could he have gone?’

Xu Shaoqing’s tone was sour. "The keycard I gave you also works for the incubation rooms."

She commanded, "Forget about finding Xuzhou. I don’t care where you are. Get to the basement level right now and find a way to shut that special admission student up for good!"

Xu Jianjuan stopped in her tracks. "Shut her up? How? Sister Shaoying, I don’t have any money to pay her off."

"Who said anything about money? I told you to take care of her! Don’t let her run her mouth in front of Sheng Yue!" Something seemed to occur to Xu Shaoqing.

She suddenly changed her tune. "Wait, never mind. You don’t need to go."

’With Xuzhou gone, that means no one is watching Jian Yu. After two hours, she might have already frozen to death.’

’I just don’t know how much of those two hours has passed.’

’She had hinted that Xuzhou should teach her a lesson, but she never told him to kill someone.’

’If something happened and the academy investigated, she could just pin it on Xuzhou, right?’

The comm was cut unilaterally.

Xu Jianjuan could guess what she was thinking and didn’t plan to get involved.

’Since when did people like Ling Yanzhi ever care about evidence?’

To avoid running into them, Xu Jianjuan hurried through the corridor, used the keycard from Xu Shaoqing, and quickly left the basement level.

Just as she left, Xi Yu and the others arrived.

"What’s wrong with you guys?"

Although Duan Feiye had followed them, he didn’t know anything.

"We were right in the middle of our research. What are we doing here?"

"Cut the crap," Pei Yin said, retracting his hawk wings and gesturing for him to look at the dark expressions on Xi Yu and Ling Yanzhi’s faces.

He had a gut feeling this was about Jian Yu.

’Because Sheng Yue hadn’t come with them.’

During this period, Sheng Yue had been avoiding Jian Yu, even skipping Professor Lin’s class.

If Duan Feiye hadn’t brought back some good news, who knows how much longer Sheng Yue would have stayed hidden away, sulking.

Just as Pei Yin was grumbling to himself, a white shadow flashed by.

"She’s in Room 177." Sheng Yue’s breathing was ragged for a moment.

"The surveillance cameras are malfunctioning, but based on—"

Before he could finish, Xi Yu and Ling Yanzhi both disappeared.

Pei Yin poked Sheng Yue’s shoulder with his finger. "Look up."

"..." Sheng Yue raised his eyes and pursed his lips.

"How interesting." Duan Feiye laughed out loud.

He looked at the sign for Room 177 in front of him and stepped inside.

"Babe!"

The single, trembling word from Xi Yu made Pei Yin, who was still outside the door, stumble in shock.

The cry jolted Sheng Yue, and his heart skipped a beat.

Pei Yin quickened his pace, the silver ornaments on his clothes JINGLING.

"Move aside." Sheng Yue grabbed his shoulder, pushed him to the side, and moved past him.

With quick reflexes, Duan Feiye reached out and steadied Pei Yin.

His tone held a hint of instigation. "They’re really something else."

Pei Yin shook him off. "You’re in my way."

Duan Feiye, inexplicably rebuffed, just shrugged.

"Pei Yin, get over here!" Sheng Yue’s voice was no longer calm.

Duan Feiye moved closer, looking thoughtful, and finally saw the special admission student Pei Yin had been talking about nonstop.

’Prettier than in the photos. She looks so docile. Her features have a cool detachment that could easily stir a man’s pity and protective instincts.’

’She’s in a miserable state, though.’

Her long, fair arm was wrapped in gauze dark with bloodstains, and the wound beneath was still slowly seeping blood.

A visible trail of blood trickled down her pale, slender arm. Her face had a translucent pallor, and her light pink lips were devoid of color.

The sight was heart-wrenching.

For a moment, everyone’s breathing became ragged.

"Who did this?" Pei Yin snapped back to his senses after two seconds.

His expression was dark, his spiritual power faintly fluctuating.

"Babe, be good. Let go now." Ling Yanzhi had no choice but to forcefully pry her hands away to replace the two outer blankets.

His eyes were cold as he shoved Xi Yu’s head aside. "To the school infirmary."

Unwilling to give up, Xi Yu leaned over her again. "Babe’s bleeding."

’"Babe" this and "babe" that, spoken so easily.’ Duan Feiye was a little stunned, watching them with a look of astonishment.

Pei Yin squeezed past and slapped Xi Yu on the head.

The slap was hard, and it was unclear if it was motivated by malicious revenge.

"Still calling her ’Babe’? If you want to murder your precious ’babe,’ you should have said so!"

He pressed down on Xi Yu’s head. "Get out of the way. Your healing ability doesn’t work on her. Ling Yanzhi already tried."

"It doesn’t work? How could it not work?" Xi Yu froze, his expression panicked.