Chapter 5: The Unspeakable Task

Seeing the content on their phones, everyone was stunned. It was unfathomable that Teacher Matsui’s punishment was real, that it had actually resulted in a boy’s death.

And now, this new task demanded a girl strip her clothes in front of everyone!

It was utterly lewd and violent!

Ishihara Naomi was another popular girl in the class. With her sweet looks and graceful figure, rumors even suggested talent scouts were interested in recruiting her for a group akin to AKB48.

Therefore, the moment she saw the task’s requirement, her face turned ghastly pale with fright.

“Teacher Matsui, you’re not joking, are you?” a classmate messaged.

[Teacher Matsui: The task has been assigned. It must be completed, or you will suffer the same consequences as Asakura-kun! (Serious)]

Seeing the message, Ishihara Naomi clutched her head in terror, screaming, “No… absolutely not! I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!”

One of her close friends retorted angrily, “Teacher Matsui! Stop these cruel pranks! How can you make students do such a thing? If I report this to the school, you’ll be fired!”

[Teacher Matsui: You can try.]

A classmate immediately called the school contact. However, upon hearing it concerned Teacher Matsui, the person on the other end promptly hung up.

When they dialed again, there was no intention of answering.

“How could this happen…?” Ishihara Naomi was on the verge of a breakdown. “Someone… please tell me this is a dream!”

Her voice was filled with terror, as if she were about to burst into tears. The surrounding students, one by one, cast frightened glances around them.

Witnessing this, Ishihara Naomi began to cry even more intensely, her sobs echoing with utter helplessness.

Despite the comfort offered by her classmates, it had no effect. After all, everyone in that classroom was just as terrified as she was.

Every face was etched with expressions of profound anxiety and fear.

“Leave the group… I’m leaving the group!”

“Exactly, I’m not doing the assignment!”

“What kind of rotten assignment is this?!”

The students left messages in the class group one after another.

[Teacher Matsui: No leaving the group! No abandoning the assignment! Otherwise, death by a thousand cuts! (Serious)]

“Damn that Matsui! Who the hell do you think you are?! I’m the group owner, I’ll kick you out right now, what can you do?!” one of the administrators furiously messaged.

[Teacher Matsui: You can try.]

His simple words, however, revealed a bone-chilling coldness. Everyone felt as though they could see his ruthless face.

Upon seeing the messages in the group, the students appeared utterly distraught. Their helpless gazes intertwined, only to make them feel even more lost.

In that moment, an unspeakable dread enveloped the entire classroom.

It was as if everyone had inadvertently fallen into a trap.

The group owner, a classmate, hesitated for a long time. Ultimately, they did not dare to kick Teacher Matsui out.

Moments later, Ishihara Naomi slowly rose to her feet, her eyes swollen red from crying, clear tear tracks still visible on her cheeks.

She walked slowly towards the podium. Her close friends tried to hold her back but failed.

Everyone seemed to guess what she was about to do and fell silent.

“I… I really don’t want to die… Wuwuwu…”

Ishihara Naomi trembled as she stood on the podium, slowly taking off her jacket, followed by her shirt, revealing her pure white underwear and smooth skin.

Her skin was indeed flawless, and her figure exceptional, making it no wonder she had attracted the attention of talent scouts.

“Hey! All you boys, look down!”

Ichinose Yuki shouted loudly.

“Are you really going to watch?!”

[Teacher Matsui: No looking down, or the assignment will not be considered complete! If the assignment isn’t completed, you will be punished!]

As Teacher Matsui’s words appeared, the expressions on the faces of the students in the class varied wildly.

Although most displayed expressions of furious indignation, Bai Yuliang still caught a glimpse of excitement in the eyes of a few boys.

‘Alas, human nature…’

“I… I really don’t want to die… I must… complete the assignment…”

Ishihara Naomi tightly closed her eyes, then, in front of everyone, slowly removed her remaining clothes.

When she finally shed her last shred of modesty, fully exposed, everyone’s expressions became incredibly complex.

Despite their varied thoughts moments before, witnessing the dignity of a peer being utterly trampled evoked a sense of shared sorrow, much like a fox feeling grief for a dying rabbit.

As soon as the ‘task completed’ message was sent, several girls hurriedly and clumsily draped clothes over Ishihara Naomi, who was by then weeping uncontrollably.

Watching the girl’s tears fall in large drops on the stage, Bai Yuliang couldn’t help but clench his fists.

He felt an absurd sensation of being toyed with, as if some unknown force had deliberately placed him there, only to manipulate him. This feeling deeply unsettled him. He loathed it, for it brought back memories of being tormented by demons and evil spirits long ago…

[Teacher Matsui: Very good. Although the process was a bit convoluted, Ishihara-kun successfully completed the assignment.]

[Teacher Matsui: That’s all for today. The next assignment will be issued tomorrow. I hope all students study hard, strive for improvement every day, and aim to be excellent students!]

“Wait, who exactly are you? Are you really Teacher Matsui?”

Bai Yuliang sent a message in the group.

Teacher Matsui did not respond. Perhaps he disdained answering his question entirely, as his avatar quietly turned gray.

Police arrived at the school shortly after. Coincidentally, perhaps, not a single student passed by outside the classroom while Teacher Matsui was speaking.

The class was suspended for a day due to Asakura Mirai’s death, and everyone present was required to cooperate with the police investigation.

At the police station, everyone’s faces were grim, and many girls were huddled together, crying.

Bai Yuliang paid close attention to Qichuan Feng, the little loli. Despite her efforts to appear calm, her trembling legs clearly betrayed her deep fear.

Soon after, Bai Yuliang was called into an interrogation room.

The interrogation room was dimly lit, with only a single high-wattage white desk lamp providing illumination.

An older, bearded police officer and a noticeably younger one sat on the left. Bai Yuliang obediently took a seat opposite them.

The term ‘police officer’ seemed somewhat similar to the ‘constables’ of the Central Plains. Although Bai Yuliang couldn’t decipher the insignia on their shoulders, the older officer kindly introduced himself.

“I am Kurasu Masahiko, section chief of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Criminal Investigation Division One. You can just call me Officer Kurasu.”

The older officer pointed to himself, then to the younger officer beside him.

“This is my assistant, Nishijima Makoto. You can call him Officer Nishijima.”

“Oh, yes, yes, good day, officers.”

Bai Yuliang felt a certain apprehension toward professions like constables; he had been quite intimidated by them back in the Central Plains.

However, he couldn’t help but ask, “Um, excuse me, what exactly is a section chief?”

“Hmm? From Shenzhou…?”

Officer Kurasu glanced at the documents in front of him, then at Bai Yuliang.

“Well… how about this: have you ever watched *Detective Conan*?”

“Ah, my mother… my mom really likes it. I’ve watched bits of it occasionally. It’s about a man pretending to be a kid to chase girls… uh, no, it’s about solving murders.”

Officer Kurasu nodded. “I’m essentially Inspector Megure, and my assistant is like Officer Takagi.”

“Oh, I see now.”

Bai Yuliang nodded, half understanding. “You’re the head constable, and he’s your assistant.”

“Alright, now it’s my turn to ask the questions.”

Officer Kurasu set down the documents and asked calmly, “Your classmate died in front of you today. How do you feel about that?”

“How should I put it…?”

Despite the officer’s normal expression, Bai Yuliang felt a shiver run down his spine.

“I was very scared. The blood was gushing out, it was truly terrifying.”

“Do you know? The first few boys who came in here cried immediately. You’re very calm.”

“Hmph, they’re grown men, still crying? What cowards.”

“Isn’t it normal for seventeen or eighteen-year-olds to cry when they see a classmate they spend every day with die?”

“Hmph, these kinds of things, I…”

Bai Yuliang was about to say ‘this Daoist has seen too many of these things,’ but realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected himself. “I wanted to cry like them too, but what’s the point of crying?”

“You’re right, what’s the point of crying? Crying also takes time, after all.”

Officer Kurasu smiled, but his face, etched with fatigue, made his smile somewhat unsettling.

He then asked Bai Yuliang a few more simple questions. After the latter answered honestly, the interrogation concluded.

As he walked out of the interrogation room, Bai Yuliang couldn’t help but glance back at the old police officer. He had a strange feeling that the man seemed somewhat unnatural.

Or rather, this police officer seemed to have anticipated this bizarre incident long ago.