Hearing the praise from his own system, Yu Deng puffed out his chest and snorted at the main system, "Did you hear that? Tongtong praised me. Stop being paranoid."
The main system’s electronic hum hesitated for a few seconds.
System 01's voice remained very calm:【Yes, the host is doing well. The main system does not need to harbor unnecessary doubts about the host.】
The main system still seemed a bit suspicious, but with System 01 covering for him, it didn't notice anything odd. The main system ultimately gave up investigating Yu Deng's thoughts.
【...Alright. But Player Yu Deng, please be aware that you need to complete the special task as soon as possible. If you only complete the main task but fail the special task, you will still be considered a failure.】
"Oh... I got it."
Seeing that the main system had fallen silent and seemed to no longer be monitoring him, Yu Deng finally relaxed.
【Host, don't worry. I have already blocked some signals for you, so the main system can no longer spy on your thoughts. You can proceed with your plan in peace.】
"Eh? Really? That's great! Thank you, Tongtong, you're amazing."
Yu Deng complimented the system softly a few times and then returned his focus to finding a solution for the instance, calmly thinking about his plan to clear it.
Though he had a goal now, all he had were vague ideas. Yu Deng steeled himself and tried hard to sort out the key details.
First, he needed to complete both his main and special tasks. Once he was sure he could clear the instance, he could then do some damage to the instance. Otherwise, he might fail the task, and he definitely didn’t want to die…
Yu Deng counted on his fingers, solidifying his rough plan, and began to focus on how to crack the main task.
The main task required him to rank in the top three of the final exam to leave. He didn’t want to stay here for two months, so the most important condition was to have the final exam happen earlier. In other words, he needed to change the scheduled time for the exam, or... change the teachers’ and students' perception of time?
Yu Deng felt a slight headache and, bearing the dizzy feeling, slowly started to piece together his thoughts.
He recalled the ringing sounds from the nightmare he had earlier, lifting his head to look at the teaching building in the distance. He vaguely saw a giant clock embedded at the center of the top floor, and the clock's base was connected to the school bell, with each bell ringing from this electric bell.
The clock was a tool for showing time, and the bell was a sign to guide students' schedules... So could he use this clock?
【Ding. Congratulations, Player Yu Deng, for discovering a hidden rule: The students of Guihuai High School are always the same group of people, repeating the most profound year of their lives. Here, time is eternal and can be altered. When the collective consciousness realizes that time has changed, the time within the instance will shift accordingly.】
Just as he thought!
It was like how the NPCs believed his sprained ankle couldn't heal instantly, so he had to wait almost a week before fully recovering. In this school, made of distorted things, teachers and students were controlled by terrible rules, struggling in the food chain, and their perception maintained the rules, repeatedly becoming monsters.
So, as long as he made the teachers and students believe the final exam was ahead of schedule, he could take the exam earlier!
Yu Deng discovered the key to breaking the deadlock, his eyes growing brighter.
He was so smart! He really figured out a way!
The issue with the exam time had a solution now. Now, let him think about how to rank in the top three and dismantle the instance!
[Wow, I heard the instance hint! Baby is so awesome!]
[Although Baby is a little silly, he's really optimistic and working hard to clear the instance.]
[Today's wife isn’t silly, she’s a smart baby!]
[Watching Baby grow from the first instance, when Baby knew nothing, to now slowly learning to find clues and clear instances, I’m proud of Baby.]
[But... has Deng Deng used all his wisdom just to clear the instance? He’s always being tricked by bad men, wuhuhu.]
Yu Deng’s live stream quietly climbed to the top of the live stream recommendations, with many viewers licking their screens while analyzing the plot and setting of the instance.
Yu Deng was completely unaware of this. While he was deep in thought, he was surrounded by his task targets as they left the self-reflection room.
He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice a step beneath his feet and nearly missed it. "Huh?"
Zhuang Lin, taking advantage of his athletic background, quickly moved ahead of the other two and reached out to steady Yu Deng.
Zhuang Lin pulled Yu Deng into his arms, trying to block the other two from seeing. "Baby, what are you thinking so intently about?"
Lu Yan was a second slower and didn’t manage to catch Yu Deng. He lowered his hand casually. "Deng Deng, your sprained ankle just healed. Be careful."
Yu Deng shook his head, lifted his leg and swung it a few times, realizing he wasn’t injured, before answering Zhuang Lin’s question. "I was thinking about something very important."
Yu Deng said this as he looked at the others one by one.
If he wanted to complete his tasks and create some disruption, he might need his task targets' help.
Yu Deng added seriously, "It’s related to all of you too."
"Hmm? It’s related to us too? What is it?" Lin Qinxu cooperatively asked.
"I haven’t figured out how to tell you all yet."
Yu Deng’s head was dizzy, and he hadn’t decided how to get them to help. He raised his chin and said, "Anyway, I’ll tell you all once I’ve figured it out."
The others naturally agreed.
When they left the secluded building and approached the teaching building, Yu Deng finally heard clearly what the broadcast had been saying earlier.
The speaker, whether a student or teacher from the broadcast station, spoke in a flat tone, devoid of any emotion.
"Starting today, all students at Guihuai High School are required to attend class on Saturdays and Sundays. No more day students allowed. A half-day holiday at the end of the month… Morning reading time will be at 4:30 AM. School will end at 6 PM. Evening study time will start at 6:30 PM… Each class break will be changed to three minutes…”
"Starting today, all students must not keep long hair. Hair length cannot exceed two centimeters… Close relationships between boys and girls are prohibited… No electronic products allowed. Any violations will result in…”
"Top ten students in the grade may use hot water, and meal times will be extended by ten minutes… Students at the bottom of the monthly exam rankings cannot have dinner and must go to the self-reflection room…”