Chapter 48
In the hallway, the monster teacher dangled the curly-haired little cub, his grin stretching almost to his ears.
“Looks like your brother cares about you after all.”
Xing Nuo, held in mid-air, looked at the monster teacher’s creepy smile, then at his brother inside the classroom.
“Big Brother wuv Zaizai.”
Shen Baizhou’s affection for Xing Nuo was evident in his every action.
From the moment he first saw the babbling, barely verbal little cub, he had been captivated by his cuteness.
Whenever Shen Wen wasn’t around, or wasn’t paying attention, Shen Baizhou would poke Xing Nuo’s cheek or tug on his cowlick.
Initially, Xing Nuo couldn’t speak much, only babbling incoherently.
Whenever his brother poked him or tugged his hair, he would pout, tears welling up in his eyes.
Shen Baizhou, having successfully made the little one cry, would then pull his hand back, feigning innocence.
Shen Baizhou, standing at his desk, thought for a moment, then decided he hadn’t been mistaken. He had heard his little brother’s voice.
He stood up, about to go find him.
Just as he reached the middle of the classroom, a sharp, unsettling laugh echoed from the doorway.
“Students, did you miss me?”
The monster teacher reappeared, licking his lips, his gaze sweeping over the students.
Some of the students, disgusted by his gaze, turned away.
The monster teacher, enjoying their fear and helplessness, laughed triumphantly.
“Be afraid! Be very afraid! You’ll all be my lunch soon!”
He held up the little cub, dangling him in front of Shen Baizhou.
“Shen Baizhou, look, your little brother knows you’re here! He insisted on coming to find you!”
He then spread his hands, feigning helplessness.
“You know I’m a helpful teacher. I couldn’t just refuse him!”
A student, seeing Xing Nuo being held captive, gasped.
“You’re disgusting! How can you grab a child like that?!”
“He’s threatening Shen Baizhou! Only Shen Baizhou can defeat him!”
“He’s resorting to dirty tricks! That’s despicable!”
Compared to the creepy monster teacher, the students, although also wary of Shen Baizhou, felt a sense of trust towards him.
After all, they had been classmates for over a month, and besides his obvious academic struggles, Shen Baizhou hadn’t done anything wrong.
But this monster teacher was different, his predatory gaze and obvious hunger for human flesh terrifying them.
The monster teacher, seeing their anger, grinned.
“Good, full of energy! I love students with energy!”
“You students,” he said, his face filled with relish, “are so crunchy and delicious! I’m drooling just thinking about it!”
Xing Nuo’s head ached from the teacher’s laughter. He covered his ears and swung his little feet.
“Big Brother, save Zaizai!”
He looked up at his brother, reaching out his small arm.
Shen Baizhou, ignoring the other students’ gazes, strode towards the door.
He reached out, but the monster teacher dodged, pulling Xing Nuo away.
“What do you think you’re doing?! Disobeying a teacher’s orders?!”
He wasn’t going to let Shen Baizhou take his hostage so easily.
Seeing Shen Baizhou’s expression turning cold, the monster teacher straightened up, a smug look on his face.
“Now you’re scared? I’ll have you know, your little brother is in my hands…hey! Hey!”
Suddenly, his hands were empty.
“Wait, where’s the child?!”
He looked at his empty hands, bewildered, then slowly looked up.
He met Shen Baizhou’s cold gaze.
Shen Baizhou held Xing Nuo, quickly breaking off the small chair that was still attached to his bottom.
Xing Nuo clung to his brother’s neck, nuzzling his chin, his expression pitiful and aggrieved.
His curls drooped, as if he had been greatly wronged.
“Bad teacher grabbed Zaizai!”
Feeling safe in his brother’s arms, Xing Nuo pointed at the monster teacher.
“He bad teacher!”
The monster teacher’s scalp tingled, a chill running down his spine. His barely formed human body started to flicker and dissipate, black smoke seeping out.
He swallowed and took a step back, forcing a smile.
“Haha, just a misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!”
He retreated to the corner by the blackboard, his gaze falling on the PE teacher, who was still acting as a tablecloth on the desk.
Monster teacher: “…”
The PE teacher, seemingly having given up, lay there motionless, watching the monster teacher self-destruct.
Before the monster teacher could say anything, Shen Baizhou spoke.
“Xing Nuo, close your eyes.”
He covered Xing Nuo’s eyes with his hand, not wanting him to see what was about to happen.
The next moment, Xing Nuo heard the monster teacher’s cries of pain.
Despite his eyes being covered, Xing Nuo continued to fidget in his brother’s arms.
“Yay! Big Brother defeated bad teacher!”
He couldn’t see, but he could still offer moral support, clapping his little hands.
“Give Big Brother little red flower!”
Shen Baizhou, withdrawing his foot from the monster teacher’s crumpled form, smiled, his monolid drooping, his eyes soft.
“Okay, and one for Xing Nuo too.”
Xing Nuo giggled, covering his mouth.
“Zaizai bwave too! Outside so dark…children no come out…Zaizai came find Big Brother!”
He continued his story, gesturing with his small hands.
“Bad teacher grabbed Zaizai…Zaizai wun fast…followed firefly…and Xiao Qi…found Big Brother!”
He swung his little feet, his covered eyes crinkling into a smile.
“Big Brother, other children…caught by bad teacher! We go save them!”
Shen Baizhou hummed and carried Xing Nuo out of the classroom, his brow furrowed as he looked at the pitch-black hallway.
Across the way, the multi-story teaching building housed various dungeons on each floor.
In some classrooms, monsters were rampaging, the rooms filled with blood.
In others, players, their eyes red with bloodlust, fought each other, dismembered limbs scattered across the floor, being devoured by the monsters.
Shen Baizhou realized how brave Xing Nuo had been, coming to find him alone.
“It’s okay, Big Brother will take you back to kindergarten.”
He continued to cover Xing Nuo’s eyes as he led him towards the kindergarten dungeon.
In the kindergarten classroom.
After Xing Nuo left, the children, scared by the darkness outside, had returned to their seats, their necks shrinking like frightened quails.
The chubby boy sat there, sniffling, occasionally wiping his nose.
The monster teacher announced the lesson’s content: each child had to sing a nursery rhyme to his satisfaction.
“I’m sure you’ve all learned ‘Little Bunnies.’ I expect to hear beautiful singing!”
He grinned sinisterly, looking at the chubby boy.
“Come on, Chubby, you sing first.”
Even children had an innate sense of danger.
The chubby boy, sensing the monster teacher’s malice, trembled and shook his head vigorously.
“No! Waaaaah!”
The other children joined in, their cries echoing through the small classroom.
But the monster teacher wasn’t moved.
He grabbed the chubby boy by the back of his neck, saliva dripping onto his face, and grinned.
“You won’t sing? Then I’ll eat you first!”
The children, crying, started singing, one by one. Time passed slowly.
The monster teacher stopped them, looking at the clock as it neared the end of class, and laughed maniacally.
“I’m not satisfied with your singing! You’ll all be my meal!”
He reached out, grabbed the chubby boy, and opened his mouth, just as he was kicked to the floor.
Just as the children were losing hope, Xing Nuo, like a little knight, arrived with his Big Brother to save them!
“Wow! Xing Nuo so strong! He defeated the bad teacher!”
“Yay! Yay!”
“Xing Nuo came to save us!”
The children’s eyes were filled with adoration.
Xing Nuo, put down by his brother, ran to the fallen monster teacher and stomped on him with his little feet.
“You grabbed Zaizai! Bad teacher!”
The other children, imitating him, their chairs still attached to their bottoms, waddled over and stomped on the bad teacher.
“Bad man!”
“Beat you up! Beat you up!”
The monster teacher’s face was covered in small footprints. He was about to lash out when he met Shen Baizhou’s cold gaze.
He deflated, looking at the plump, uneaten children, his face contorted in frustration.
“Just you wait!”
The monster teacher, knowing he was outmatched, quickly retreated.
His form vanished from the classroom, his virtual projection returning to his true body through the time rift.
Back in the school dungeon’s office, he cursed Shen Baizhou and Xing Nuo.
The other monster teacher, who had gone to the high school classroom, also returned, looking dazed.
They exchanged glances, tears and blood streaming down their faces.
They discussed how to get revenge.
The principal, his large belly protruding, walked in, frowning at the two monsters, his nostrils flaring.
“You two are useless!”
Just as they were about to explain, the principal raised his hand, silencing them.
“Enough. I’m here to inform you that the core boss of our school dungeon has changed. We’ve been upgraded to an SSS+ level dungeon!”
He puffed out his chest, his face beaming with pride.
“From a small D-level dungeon to one of the few SSS+ level dungeons, it’s been a long journey.”
He sighed dramatically, patted his belly, and led the two monsters to the meeting room.
“Our new boss is here. Remember, don’t anger him!”
The two monsters nodded eagerly and followed the principal.
The door opened, and they saw a familiar face.
