### Chapter 55: Old Friends
The sc*m Game had her help participant 652 recover her memories, but Bai Yu could only confirm that 652 was one of the players—who exactly, she had no idea. Of course, whoever it was, they qualified as her “old friend,” as long as they weren’t one of the few troublemakers.
Upon seeing that monster’s face at the doorway, a familiar figure flickered in Bai Yu’s mind.
This gal went by the nickname “Ghost Face”—or “Beast Face” for some, not because of her ability but due to her horrifyingly mangled visage, which was her most distinctive feature.
In the sc*m Game, no one wanted to reveal their real names, and no one knew each other’s codenames. Over time, after traversing many task worlds, players inevitably had some interactions, leading to them dubbing each other based on striking attributes. Before long, these nicknames spread like wildfire.
Bai Yu hadn’t interacted much with Ghost Face. All she knew was that the other had powers linked to flames and toxins and was notorious for her merciless tendencies.
Of course, everyone who had made it this far in the game was dangerous in their own right.
As for why Ghost Face looked like that outside, well, she’d find out shortly.
In the fourth-floor corridor, Ghost Face was about to leave—she hadn’t spotted Zhao Mingyue here, and she had heard noises from the canteen. She intended to catch “that little thing” over there.
Just as she turned around, a small silhouette caught her eye.
“Hiss… I’ve found you…” Ghost Face’s voice was hoarse and low, but it reached Bai Yu’s ears where she stood at the staircase, whispering like a haunting breeze.
In the corridor was Ghost Face, towering at about two-and-a-half meters tall, her body skeletal and frail, her neck unnaturally long—like a giraffe in a horror movie. Just imagine encountering this creature in a silent, dimly lit corridor after midnight!
Bai Yu, however, looked calm and steely as she stepped toward Ghost Face, her right hand raised and bl**d threads swirling in her palm, forming a long, bl**d-red blade.
The long kn*fe resembled a Tang sword, its edge straight and sharp, around 1.2 meters long. But since this was made of bl**d threads, its overall color was crimson, with glimmers of torrents swirling along the blade.
Back in the Sunlight Apartment, Bai Yu had rarely used this kn*fe, opting instead for bare-knuckle brawls—no need for it and fearing the early exposure of her identity were her reasons.
“Ghost Face, have you found your memories here?”
Holding the blade at a slant toward the ground, Bai Yu spoke softly.
The gaunt monster had already raised its grease-stained hands. At the sound of Bai Yu’s words, it hesitated for a second, and then its claw, wrapped in dark fog, lunged down.
Bai Yu sidestepped, her expression unfazed; the ghostly claw nearly grazed her as it thudded down, the tangible black resentment ruffling her bangs.
With pitch-black eyes devoid of whites, tinged with a hint of red, Bai Yu made her move. As the ghost claw swept horizontally, she flipped her kn*fe upwards. With a swift motion, the monster’s arm was severed.
“Not Ghost Face—no, it should be her, but just not the real body…”
As this thought crossed her mind, the creature’s other hand lunged at her. Bai Yu casually sliced off the monster’s hand; in the expanding black fog, the blade flashed and severed its legs, sending its body tumbling forward uncontrollably.
Clang!
With the kn*fe upright, it split through the monster’s body, the bl**d threads devouring its dark essence entirely.
This spindly creature was nothing more than your average ghost—maybe a bit tougher, but nothing compared to Little Ghost Xiao Lian from the Sunlight Apartment.
Such strength clearly couldn’t belong to a final boss in any task zone. Bai Yu had a daring hypothesis forming in her mind; she glanced towards the canteen and, sure enough, spotted four or five creatures, either too tall or too short, scurrying by.
“Unless we find the original, these resentful spirits will never be cleared out.”
“No wonder Mingyue couldn’t lure them out before; it’s because the real 652 hasn’t shown up, so these resentful spirits haven’t awakened.”
Bai Yu had a glimmer of understanding, though it still wasn’t whole.
That monster she had just killed was more than just a mere clone. It could absorb ghosts to strengthen itself, which solidified her suspicion that what she just fought was a ghost, not just a fraction of some power.
So, the question came—these spirits clearly weren’t 652’s resentful memories.
What were they, and why did they all sport her face?
To uncover the connection between these ghosts and 652, she’d have to locate the original first.
Bai Yu vanished from sight, slipping into Zhao Mingyue’s shadow.
At that moment, Zhao Mingyue was still hiding behind the door, completely oblivious to the chaos outside, until she heard Bai Yu’s voice resonate in her mind.
“That thing’s been taken care of.”
“Taken care of!?”
Zhao Mingyue blinked, opened the door a smidge, and, lo and behold, saw nothing.
“What happened out there?”
“Just an old friend.”
“Do you have friends here?”
“Yep, and now we need to find her. Once we do, most of our problems will be solved.” Bai Yu thought for a moment, deciding to tell Zhao Mingyue the key points while withholding certain details about the sc*m Game and the task itself. As for Ghost Face? Just an “old friend,” like she said.
Zhao Mingyue lingered on the corridor outside, not rushing to leave.
After digesting Bai Yu’s explanation, she was quiet for a spell.
“Sister Yu, I think if your friend is the culprit and has returned for some reason, we can easily find her by going to the principal’s office. She’s probably there.”
“And what about those ghosts you mentioned? Could they be brought here by your friend, just like us?”
Zhao Mingyue’s words sparked a lightbulb moment for Bai Yu. Clearly, this task wasn’t ordinary—those spirits didn’t have to originate from the school; they could very well have been dragged in from outside.
“Let’s go to the principal’s office.”
Zhao Mingyue nodded, trying her best to avoid making noise. To keep her safe, Bai Yu decided not to hide within her shadow anymore and materialized beside her.
It became apparent that if they stayed silent, they could dodge most troubles.
Whether it was because the monster’s return or not, the little ghosts around the school grew eerily quiet.
Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue smoothly followed the cement path to the teaching building behind the dormitory.
The principal’s office was on the third floor of the teaching building. As Bai Yu arrived, she spotted chains pulled apart on the ground and the door to the principal’s office ajar.
“You wait outside.”
Bai Yu stepped forward, yanking the door to the principal’s office open.
Inside, an extraordinarily cute young girl with delicate features suddenly turned around.
“Ghost Face, have you found your memories?”
