Translator: CinderTL
With only three rooms available, the group decided to assign roommates before distributing the rooms.
Fatty Huai Yi from Jiang Cheng naturally took a room to himself. Among the remaining members, whose relationships seemed rather complicated, they ultimately decided to separate the men and women. The middle-aged men, Wang Qi and Wen Liangshan, would share a room, while Shen Mengyun would room with another woman.
During this process, everyone briefly introduced themselves. Jiang Cheng learned that the middle-aged man's name was Gao Yan, and Shen Mengyun's roommate was Shi Xiaoya.
Next came the room assignments. To ensure fairness, each group sent a representative: Jiang Cheng, Gao Yan, and Shen Mengyun stood together.
Jiang Cheng held out his hand, palm up, revealing three keys. The room numbers were hidden on the underside, making the keys appear identical.
"You choose first," Jiang Cheng said nonchalantly, "to avoid any accusations of cheating."
Shen Mengyun shot him a sharp glance, the memory of his lingering stares still fresh in her mind. Jiang Cheng remained unfazed, his expression completely open and unbothered.
In the end, Gao Yan selected the key for room 318, Shen Mengyun chose room 107, leaving the intermediate room 229 unclaimed.
When Shen Mengyun realized she had chosen room 107, her brow furrowed slightly. Her teammate, Shi Xiaoya, was far less composed, her face pale with anxiety.
Jiang Cheng dangled the key to room 229, raising an eyebrow at Shen Mengyun. "Miss Shen, if you're afraid, we can switch rooms."
Those words seemed to solidify Shen Mengyun's resolve. She pocketed her key and met Jiang Cheng's gaze. "Thank you for the offer, but it won't be necessary."
"Now that everyone has their rooms, we should discuss our plans for tonight," Gao Yan said, his steady voice reassuring in the tense atmosphere.
"I suggest we postpone investigating the swimming pool and library for now," Shen Mengyun proposed. "Let's check out the abandoned warehouse Yuan Xiaoyi mentioned first. We might find some clues there."
This plan had already been agreed upon. Without any leads, rushing into a known supernatural hotspot like the swimming pool would be suicidal, not investigative.
"Miss Shen makes an excellent point. I second the motion," Jiang Cheng said, raising his hand.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's gesture, Fatty and Huai Yi, who were standing behind him, immediately followed suit, as if to rally support for him.
"Alright, then," Gao Yan announced, surveying the group. "We'll meet outside the dormitory at 9 PM tonight."
Jiang Cheng rubbed his chin. "Nine o'clock is too early. Let's make it ten." He glanced pointedly at the gatekeeper's room, making it clear he was worried the old man wouldn't be sound asleep yet.
"Brother Jiang is right," Gao Yan said with an air of authority and impressive composure. "My oversight. Ten o'clock it is. We'll move together as a group."
"Agreed."
"No objections here."
Before they dispersed, Gao Yan cautioned them to be extra careful about making noise when they left later that night. "Who knows what might happen if we wake the gatekeeper?"
With that, the group split up.
Only Shen Mengyun and Shi Xiaoya, who shared room 107, remained behind.
As Fatty and Huai Yi walked down the dimly lit, deserted corridor, Fatty's eyes darted around. The paint on the walls was peeling badly, and large patches of black mold clung to the lower sections, as if soaked in some unknown liquid. A peculiar, musty odor permeated the air.
"Doctor," Fatty leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Look at how badly this paint is peeling. This building must be at least twenty or thirty years old. Anyone would believe it's condemned. But the rest of the school facilities look brand new. Why would they keep this old place around?"
Seemingly infected by the eerie atmosphere, Huai Yi also grew uneasy. He glanced around nervously and said, "Could there be some kind of story behind it?"
Since parting ways with Gao Yan and Shen Mengyun, Jiang Cheng seemed like a different person, his focus sharpened and his mental state more alert. "Don't scare yourselves," he muttered. "We'll figure out if there's a problem."
"Right," the others replied.
Their room was located near the end of the corridor, a quiet corner. The overhead light, like the one by the main gate, was an old-fashioned bulb casting a yellowish glow. Several were burned out, leaving the area dimly lit.
The end of the corridor was shrouded in darkness, or rather, a hazy obscurity. As they ventured deeper, it felt as if they were stepping into the gaping maw of a monster.
Standing before Room 229, Jiang Cheng scrutinized the door. It looked like it hadn't been opened in quite some time, a fine layer of dust lining the cracks.
The weathered wooden door was coated in once-white paint, now yellowed with age. A small glass window, positioned at roughly neck height, offered a glimpse into the pitch-black interior.
No one dared press their face close to the glass, fearing a sudden glimpse of a Ghost Face lurking within.
Jiang Cheng retrieved the key and unlocked the door. As it swung open, a wave of stale, musty air rushed out, assaulting their senses.
Jiang Cheng switched on his phone's flashlight and located the light switch by the door. After a few flickers, the room's lights finally came on.
It was a double dormitory, a bit dated but adequately equipped. Two beds stood against opposite walls, each accompanied by a desk and chair. A sturdy wooden wardrobe stood not far from the door, its construction looking quite solid.
Perhaps influenced by the female student's earlier story, Fatty's expression visibly tightened upon seeing the wardrobe. To ease his friend's unease, Jiang Cheng quickly scanned the room for any immediate issues before striding to the wardrobe and yanking its door open.
Instantly, a figure appeared inside.
"Goddamn it!" Huai Yi muttered under his breath. "Who the hell glues a full-length mirror to the back of a wardrobe door? Are they out of their mind?"
The open door positioned the mirror perfectly to reflect Huai Yi's startled face. He stalked away from the doorway, glaring at his reflection. The discomfort lingered until Jiang Cheng closed the wardrobe door.
Fatty and Huai Yi continued their inspection of the room. Fatty crouched by one of the beds, meticulously tapping the surrounding walls, as if searching for hidden compartments.
Huai Yi rummaged through one of the drawers and pulled out several magazines. "Heh heh," he chuckled, flipping through them with a lewd grin. "Looks like the previous occupant got lonely at night."
The magazines were filled with photos of scantily clad blondes, a type that didn't interest Jiang Cheng. After a quick glance, he tossed them back.
"Holy crap! What the hell is this?!" Huai Yi, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed reading, exclaimed in bewilderment. A poster had slipped out of the magazine. Eagerly unfolding it, he discovered it featured a close-up of a muscular black man's torso.
The man's dark muscles glistened, and he flashed a toothy grin, giving the camera a knowing smirk.
(End of the Chapter)
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