Deep Within the Living-Chapter 60: Outstanding Student

[One Hour Before the Physical Exam]
Administrative Building – Principal's Office
The principal, though in his sixties, maintained a regular exercise regimen and was in fairly good health. Every year during the graduation exams, he would remain on campus to address any unexpected incidents while accompanying the senior students through this pivotal moment in their lives.
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the office door. At this time, it was typically faculty coming to on the exam situation.
“Come in.”
Unexpectedly, the visitor was a relatively unfamiliar face, wearing an outdated version of the school uniform that had long been phased out.
“You are... Gong Xin?”
Though it had been years, the principal immediately recognized the visitor despite the significant change in his physique. The facial features had not changed much.
Gong Xin casually strolled around the office, smiling as he replied,
“My first job after graduation, with a big-name company, terminated my contract after the internship. Since then, I rarely exercised, and my body gradually fell out of shape. I’m surprised you still recognize me, Principal. It’s comforting.”
“Gong Xin, it’s nice to see you again, even after ten years since your graduation. However, this is a critical time for our school's exams, and you really shouldn’t be here. Why don’t we catch up after the exams are over?”
Sensing something amiss, the principal kept his tone steady while subtly moving his right foot toward the hidden switch under his desk.
But his leather shoe didn’t find the switch. Instead, it pressed onto a soft, fleshy object.
“Principal, who is the top student at our school right now? Or better yet, why don’t you just hand me the student roster?”
“I’m sorry, but even I don’t have the authority to disclose student information to outsiders.”
With no way to activate the alarm, the principal quickly drew the handgun from his desk drawer.
Bang!
The shot cleanly pierced through Gong Xin’s head.
Simultaneously, the principal raised his left wrist, which bore a wristband, attempting to contact the Security Task Force. However, campus communications had already been cut off.
Snap!
Gong Xin seized the principal’s wrist, his immense strength shattering the bones with ease.
Unfazed, Gong Xin stood there as if nothing had happened. The bullet wound on his forehead began rapidly regenerating, flesh knitting itself back together.
“As expected of you, Principal. Even at your age, you still have such speed and decisiveness. No wonder you’ve held this position for so long. It’s an honor to have been one of your outstanding students.”
As the principal struggled to free himself from the crushing grip, enduring the excruciating pain in his wrist, he caught sight of something horrifying.
The hand that Gong Xin had grasped was undergoing some kind of
fusion.
The principal’s flesh and blood were being stripped away, flowing into Gong Xin’s body like gelatinous material.
But the principal quickly steadied himself, gritting his teeth through the pain to ask,
“How long has it been, Gong Xin?”
“Over two years, I think.”
“Have you... killed anyone?”
“Not sure. Probably about ten or twenty people. After all, I graduated from No. 4 High School, where you personally called me into your office for a talk. Unfortunately, my temperament doesn’t quite align with today’s societal norms.
It wasn’t until three years ago that I found my true path in life. The
Corners
are where I belong. Tonight, on the campus where I’m most confident, I will complete my final selection.
And you, Principal, will witness this process from inside my body. I hope I’ll still hear your praise then.”
The principal’s face turned pale. “You... you’re going to create a
Seam
! How many fully developed impersonators are there?”
“Yes, a
Seam.
But you should know, Principal, that its appearance here at No. 4 High School means that all four impersonators, myself included, are deeply tied to this place.
In a way, perhaps No. 4 High School itself is the problem.
But don’t worry. I’ll help you clean up the campus. Any teachers or students who aren’t up to standard will become part of me, carrying the school’s will as we explore the Corners.
Who knows? We might even establish a brand-new No. 4 High School deep within the Corners.”
By this point, three-quarters of the principal’s body had already been absorbed into Gong Xin. Even his head was sticking to Gong Xin’s form.
Moments later, the principal’s head completely vanished, and Gong Xin closed his eyes, quietly savoring the moment. It seemed he was absorbing part of the principal’s memories.
“So, the roster is here!” Gong Xin smashed the locked cabinet with a single punch and retrieved the stack of student records from the bottom.
Opening the first page, he saw the top student listed.
“Luo Di...”
On the Track Field
Gong Xin trudged across the field, sweat dripping from him in thick, viscous streams. His body seemed to be undergoing some form of metabolic process.
He rubbed his bulging stomach in a clockwise motion, as if aiding digestion.
“Luo Di, no wonder I couldn’t find you while mingling among the students. Neither the track field nor the sports hall had any trace of you. I wasted so much time.
In the end, I had to locate your class and absorb one of your classmates to find out you left the exam venue before it began. Who could have guessed?
I thought tracking you down would be a hassle, but here you are, delivering yourself to me.”
Luo Di remained silent. Even at a distance of over 100 meters, he could feel the oppressive force emanating from Gong Xin’s body—a visceral threat. This guy was likely even more dangerous than the
Skin Woman
he had encountered before.
Perhaps Mr. Guo had been right: facing someone like this was certain death.
Luo Di glanced toward the track’s exit. The distance was roughly 240 meters. Gong Xin, however, stood only 200 meters away from the same point.
If Luo Di sprinted at full speed, there was a high chance of being intercepted. And even if he reached the exit, he’d still face a relentless chase.
Running wasn’t an option.
“Xiaoying.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll hold him off. You use the opportunity to run to the sports hall and get reinforcements. Tell them there’s only one impersonator on the track field, and Mr. Guo has already left.”
“Luo...”
Xiaoying wanted to protest, to urge Luo Di to run with her. But before she could, Luo Di had already started walking toward Gong Xin, ready to face him alone.
Xiaoying had no better plan. Running would ultimately lead to being caught. Luo Di’s suggestion seemed like the only chance for survival.
Meanwhile, Gong Xin was slightly surprised. This was the first time he had seen a student knowingly approach him, despite being fully aware of his identity.
If the camera panned out, zooming from the edge of the field, the two appeared to be walking toward each other at the same steady pace. They were set to meet at the center of the track field.
As Gong Xin continued excreting metabolic waste through his pores, a strong metallic stench filled the air.
Yet Luo Di remained unfazed, exuding an aura of calm intensity. His stride and icy gaze conveyed an unshakable resolve—eerily reminiscent of a movie serial killer.
As the two were about to meet—
Whoosh!
Xiaoying suddenly darted past them from 50 meters away, her body kept low to the ground as she ran at full speed.
Gong Xin merely glanced in her direction but did not stop her.
“So, that girl running to the sports hall is likely fetching reinforcements, isn’t she?” He smirked. “Let me give you some intel. During the chaos caused by the Seam’s arrival and the student transformations, I killed five P.E. teachers. Using the sports hall’s advantages, I managed to hunt down one more.
Finding reinforcements won’t be easy. Most of them are probably already terrified of me and hiding for their lives. If you can’t even handle the P.E. teachers, facing me is nothing but a death sentence.”
Before his voice had even faded, Gong Xin struck.
From five meters away, his right arm suddenly extended, rapidly mutating as it swung forward.
A grotesque cluster of additional arms sprouted uncontrollably from the surface of his right arm, layering haphazardly atop one another, enlarging and lengthening the limb into a monstrous
arm conglomerate
aimed straight at Luo Di.
The most dangerous part of this attack wasn’t its piercing or blunt force; it was the moment the bizarre flesh made contact. Once touched, Gong Xin’s flesh carried an overwhelming ability to assimilate and absorb its target on a cellular level, granting him absolute dominance over flesh.
The P.E. teachers he had killed were victims of this very ability, succumbing to assimilation due to the chaotic scene and lack of information. Gong Xin’s
Fear Manifestation
was so rare that even the Investigation Bureau classified him as a unique impersonator.
However—
Luo Di didn’t dodge.
Or rather, he understood from watching countless B-grade horror movies that evading such a wide-range attack was nearly impossible. This kind of monstrous growth could easily change its trajectory, enabling biological-level targeting and tracking.
The best solution? A swift and decisive counterattack.
As the massive arm conglomerate closed in, Luo Di drew his blade.
Gripping the hilt with one hand and pressing the blade’s back firmly with the other, he raised the zombie blade vertically in front of him, directly in the path of the incoming attack.
Slash!
The grotesque arm cluster collided head-on with the blade, the immense force of the impact splitting the mutated arm cleanly in two down the middle.
But—
The severed flesh still managed to graze Luo Di’s skin.
Gong Xin’s expression lit up with smug satisfaction as he prepared to initiate assimilation. Yet in an instant, his expression twisted into shock.
His absorption was... blocked. More precisely, it was repelled by a unique layer of skin.
Upon closer inspection, the exposed parts of Luo Di’s body had turned pitch-black, fully zombified.
Not only that, but Luo Di unleashed his full strength, his feet planted firmly on the ground as he pushed forward. With relentless force, he continued slicing along the centerline of the grotesque arm, carving through the flesh with a trail of flying gore.
The massive arm conglomerate was cut in half.
Now half-zombified, Luo Di successfully closed the distance to Gong Xin.
And then—
Something in Luo Di’s hands made Gong Xin feel a deep, primal fear.
The blade in Luo Di’s grasp had transformed.
Ominous black hair floated along the back of the blade.
The blade itself was wrapped in corpse-like skin emanating an eerie Yin energy.
Jagged, horrifying fangs lined the edges of the blade, turning what was once a tool for slashing and stabbing into a serrated structure resembling a chainsaw—perfectly optimized for slicing through flesh.
The Chainsaw Zombie Blade.