Chapter 28: The Venom of the Human Heart

Everyone looked at Yuto Kirigaya in astonishment. He was lying on the ground, his bloodthirsty gaze fixed on Bai Yuliang.

“Bai Yuliang! I’ll make sure you die!”

After declaring this, Yuto Kirigaya began shouting at the entire class, “Everyone, vote for Bai Yuliang with me!”

“You can’t!”

A forceful voice suddenly echoed from the front of the classroom.

Everyone turned to the sound, only to see Qichuan Feng abruptly stand up, her expression filled with indignation.

“Qichuan-san…”

An expression of disbelief appeared on Yuto Kirigaya’s face.

“You… you’re speaking up for Bai Yuliang?”

“You mustn’t vote for him!” Qichuan Feng clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice tinged with anger. “You were the one who made the mistake first. Now you’re completely abusing this rule to vent your personal desires!”

“I made a mistake? I did something wrong!?”

A surge of uncontrollable fury suddenly swelled in Yuto Kirigaya’s heart. He could accept being criticized by others, but he absolutely refused to be criticized by Qichuan Feng.

He had made a fool of himself many times when he pursued Qichuan Feng in the past, and now, he was once again humiliated in front of everyone because of her.

Unacceptable!

“Qichuan Feng, get this straight! Bai Yuliang was the one who struck first! Besides, the reason I’m voting for him is to eliminate a potential tumor from our class!”

Yuto Kirigaya endured the pain of his bleeding backside and stood up, his expression twisted as he spread his arms.

“Think about it, everyone. Teacher Matsui might issue another terrifying assignment like today’s in the future. How dreadful would it be if there was always someone among us harboring ulterior motives!?”

“His attack on me today is proof that he’s revealed his true colors! If he dares to assault a classmate so violently now, won’t he mercilessly strike down a classmate if he gets the chance later? Won’t he mercilessly strike down the entire class?”

“As the saying goes, ‘if not of our kind, their heart must be different.’ Bai Yuliang has a Shenzhouese father. How could someone like him always be with us? It’s impossible to imagine, isn’t it?”

“To stabilize the exterior, one must first pacify the interior. We should seize this opportunity to eliminate the most dangerous person in the class, and that most dangerous person is…”

Yuto Kirigaya pointed abruptly at Bai Yuliang, his expression ferocious.

“Bai Yuliang!”

A moment of silence fell over the classroom. Many students unconsciously turned their gaze towards Bai Yuliang, their expressions unreadable.

While reason told them Yuto Kirigaya was spouting complete nonsense, it had to be said that Yuto Kirigaya was truly adept at exploiting human weaknesses, fully utilizing hatred to gain leverage for himself.

Many couldn’t help but feel a hint of worry and fear towards Bai Yuliang, afraid that, just as Yuto Kirigaya claimed, he was outwardly honest but secretly harbored intentions to harm his classmates.

“Clap… clap… clap… clap…”

No one expected that Bai Yuliang, who had become the class’s target, not only showed no fear but quickly began to applaud.

“Yuto-san, I thought you were just a gigolo, but it turns out your eloquence is quite impressive. No wonder those young girls get completely twisted around your finger. However…”

Bai Yuliang gave him a meaningful smile.

“While you were giving your speech, everyone was listening to you, everyone was hesitating, no one voted… except me!”

Yuto Kirigaya immediately glanced at his phone, his face turning pale.

Teacher Matsui: “One minute is up. Yuto Kirigaya and Bai Yuliang each received one vote.”

“No—” Yuto Kirigaya clutched his hair, his face filled with terror. “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!”

Many who had forgotten to vote also changed color, cursing Yuto Kirigaya for being an asshole who caused them to miss their chance. They rushed forward, beginning to beat him, their ferocity no less than Bai Yuliang’s.

Hmph…

Bai Yuliang quietly watched the disgraceful display, simultaneously awaiting the imminent punishment.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was incredibly bitter.

Despite possessing Daoist techniques and believing he could contend with ghosts and monsters, from his previous life to this one, it was never ghosts that troubled him most, but humans.

Humans know the terror of ghosts, but ghosts understand the venom of the human heart.

Ghosts merely wield their eerie abilities to wreak havoc in an area. But humans, even ordinary ones, can commit crimes far more terrifying than any ghost, sometimes completely oblivious to their own transgressions.

The human heart can be remarkably simple, so simple that a flimsy lie can sway it.

Yet, the human heart can also be incredibly complex, so complex that Bai Yuliang spent half a lifetime studying it without fully understanding.

In a matter of seconds, Bai Yuliang was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

‘My apologies, Qichuan-san. I am unable to continue protecting you.’

‘If my heart holds resentment, perhaps after death, I can transform into a wisp of a Daoist soul and offer you some protection.’

“Yuliang, I never thought you and I would die here.”

Bai Yuliang heard the class president’s voice from behind him, but before he could turn around, his phone emitted a new alert sound.

“Beep beep…”

The anticipated punishment did not materialize. Instead, with a series of notification sounds, Teacher Matsui posted a new message.

[Due to the number of votes not reaching a majority, the [Death Vote] time is extended by ten minutes. Additionally, each student must cast two votes for different classmates.]

Teacher Matsui’s words plunged the class into a new round of panic.

“What! We have to cast two votes? Is killing one person not enough for them?”

“Damn it, it’s all Yuto Kirigaya’s fault, that bastard! If it weren’t for him, would two of us have to die?”

“Originally, not even one of us had to die!”

“Vote for him! Vote for him! Vote for him!”

In just a few seconds, Yuto Kirigaya’s vote count surged by over twenty, far surpassing Bai Yuliang, who was in second place.

“No… don’t! Don’t choose me!”

Yuto Kirigaya desperately hugged the leg of a close friend, pleading bitterly, but the friend kicked him away with a look of disgust.

“Pah! You dog! Just go die!”

“How do we choose the remaining vote?” a student asked helplessly. “It doesn’t feel right to choose anyone, does it!?”

“Vote for him! Vote for him!”

Yuto Kirigaya had just had a tooth kicked out, but he completely disregarded his own pain. Lying on the ground, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared wildly at Bai Yuliang, his face contorted with madness.

“Bai Yuliang, hahahaha! I’ll drag you down with me even if I die, hahahaha! You can go to hell with me! We’ll still be good classmates even as ghosts, hahahaha!”

‘This guy has completely lost his mind.’

“Yuto Kirigaya, shut up!”

No one expected Qichuan Feng to suddenly run to Yuto Kirigaya’s side, raise her foot, and fiercely stomp on his face. The muscles in her white-stockinged calves visibly tensed with the effort.

“You bastard, shut up, shut up, shut up—”

“It’s all because of you, all because of you!”

No one knew why Qichuan Feng suddenly lashed out so violently. Several close female friends quickly rushed to pull her away.

But even though Yuto Kirigaya was no longer speaking, some wavering students anxiously began to vote. In an instant, Bai Yuliang’s vote count increased by several more.

Seeing the situation unfold, Bai Yuliang shook his head helplessly, like a fallen flower. He thought, ‘It seems I won’t be able to overcome this hurdle after all.’

However, in the next moment, an extremely unexpected message appeared in the class group chat!

[Maruta Tsuchiya: Classmates, please vote for me.]