Fang Yuan decided to ask in chronological order, so she could keep her mind clear and avoid being confused by the chaotic horrors.
"On our first day in girls' dormitory 441, Xu Zhaodi and I both saw a ghost. She saw a man, and I saw a woman. What's going on?"
He Jianhui teased, "So you saw a ghost the moment you entered girls' dormitory 441? And ghosts of different genders? You're truly blessed! How come you haven't been possessed by those spirits?"
"If you don't want to answer, forget it. There's no need for me to waste my time here." Fang Yuan hesitated, wanting to leave.
He Jianhui seemed reluctant to let Fang Yuan go. "Don't worry, let me think about it. I don't know how you saw the ghost, but I can give you a rough explanation. Well, it should be like this. What you saw was definitely an illusion."
"Hallucination?"
"Yes, it was. At that time, there was a very strange object in girls' dormitory 441, and it caused the two of you to hallucinate."
"Why did only Xu Zhaodi and I experience this hallucination? And at the same time?"
"Like I said, that object is very strange. It emits radiation that affects the human nervous system. Perhaps the time you saw the ghost was when its radiation was strongest, and you happened to be standing in a very suitable place to receive it. As for the different genders of the ghosts you saw, that's easy to explain. The devil is born in the heart, and hallucinations vary from person to person."
He Jianhui's explanation, while a bit far-fetched, was not unbelievable. Xu Zhaodi was plain in appearance, but she had always longed for a handsome man to like her. Fang Yuan, on her own, could not let go of her hatred for her mother. Now that I think about it, the hallucinations were simply the result of their deeply distorted emotions.
"Due to that object, we both had nightmares on our first night?"
"That's right. You've just arrived and haven't adapted to the radiation yet, so the sensations are more intense. As a result, the stimulation you experienced during the day is more pronounced during your sleep and dreams. You should know that diodes in physics amplify signals, and the radiation from this object can act similarly, amplifying people's deepest fears."
Now that I think about it, the old janitor's sudden illness was likely due to his body's inability to adapt to the radiation emitted by that object. The giant rat's body may have mutated and grown due to the radiation, while the black cat's brain mutated and its intelligence increased, making it empathetic and attempting to imitate human speech. It seems that both the giant rat and the black cat are addicted to radiation and unwilling to leave Girls' Dorm 441.
As for the girls who previously lived in Girls' Dorm 441, the radiation left them mentally hazy and exhausted, leading to declining academic performance, frequent illness, and increased risk of accidents. A dragon gives birth to nine sons, each one unique. The same event, happening to different people, can produce vastly different results.
"What exactly is this thing?"
He Jianhui smiled. "It's a piece of jade, very precious jade. I guarantee you've never seen such beautiful jade in your life."
Fang Yuan had heard that jade is a very unique object, and Chinese jade culture dates back thousands of years. Many people believe that jade is a spiritual treasure, and a fine piece of jade pendant can bring good luck and ward off misfortune. According to the elders, every piece of jade houses a soul.
"Can you take it out and show it to me?"
"Sorry, it's not with me right now."
"Didn't you say there was radiation? I asked Teacher Qin Yue to check the dormitory, and no radiation was found."
"That's because the jade was no longer in your dormitory when Qin Yue went to check it out."
"When did you take it? Where exactly was it hidden in the dormitory?"
"You forgot. One night, I invited all of you girls to go to the movies with Qin Yue, and that's when I took it. As for where the jade is hidden, I think you'll figure it out after a little thought, since you're so smart."
Fang Yuan remembered the night she was trapped in the Red Mansion again. It seemed that her being trapped there was also his plan. Wan Hai was just a pawn. He trapped her simply to take the jade.
Thinking about it this way, Xu Yan's first feign of madness wasn't intended to kill him, but rather to scare him unconscious, obtain his keys, and search for the jade in girls' dormitory 441. No wonder she didn't actually murder him when she had the chance. She simply wanted to scare Fang Yuan unconscious, but she didn't expect Fang Yuan's resilience to be beyond her imagination, and so her plan failed.
"I see. Is the jade hidden in Cheng Li's old computer?"
"That's right. That computer has always been in closet number 7, and only you can get it out."
Besides storing clothes, closets are more importantly used to store cash and passbooks. Therefore, they are designed to be very sturdy and impossible to open without a key.
"How did Cheng Li die?"
"Cheng Li obtained the jade, but had no idea what it was supposed to do. Instead, it drove her insane, leading her to commit suicide out of love. Didn't Wan Hai tell you the details? He wasn't lying. It was Wan Hai who contacted Cheng Li via QQ, but she always mistook him for someone else, the one she was dying for. As for the person she was dying for, it wasn't Li Rong or Tang Tianyu. It was a figment of her imagination, influenced by the jade."
No wonder Cheng Li later became obsessed with metaphysics. She vaguely knew the blood jade had some special uses, but she couldn't find the means to use them, ultimately harming herself.
"What about Xu Yan? How did she die?"
"Xu Yan? Of course she committed suicide. Weren't you there?"
"I only know that Xu Yan seemed to go mad afterward."
"That's enough. You just need to know that she went mad. Does a mad person need a reason to commit suicide?"
"Why did Xu Yan suddenly go mad?"
"That's because she met me later. By then, I had the jade, so I used it as an experiment. It turned out to be really effective."
"Experiment?"
"Yes, the jade There's a magical effect that, if used correctly, can quickly put someone into a hypnotic state. At that point, they'll do whatever you tell them to do.
"What about Wanhai? Why did he commit suicide? Did you force him?"
"Wanhai had to die. He killed Li Rong, and his reputation was ruined. He had no choice but to die. If he didn't die, he'd spend decades in prison. What was the point of living? Furthermore, his family would become the relatives of a murderer, forever humiliated. If he died, all would be settled, and no one would question his past. He Besides, he also knew that if he died, I would at least send some money to his family. He came from the mountains, very poor, and his biggest dream was to rise to prominence. For money, he'd sacrifice everything, even his best friends. Do you think such a person deserves death?"
"What about Tang Tianyu? Did you drive him crazy, just like Xu Yan? Why does he go so crazy when he hears the word 'blood'?"
He Jianhui smiled. "Do you know what that jade is called?"
"What's it called?"
"It's called blood jade. Tang Tianyu not only knew that Cheng Li had a unique blood jade... He also knew that the blood jade had some special properties. However, he was skeptical and unclear about its specific purpose. Naturally, I couldn't let him reveal the secret of the blood jade's existence, so I had to drive him mad. He was already feeling guilty about the deaths of Cheng Li and Li Rong, so I simply accelerated his madness. While he was hypnotized, I emphasized that he couldn't mention the word 'blood jade,' implying that it was a monstrous beast, so that he would flee frantically at the mere mention of the word 'blood.'
He Jianhui looked smug, as if he had created a magnificent work of art, yet no one had ever appreciated it. Now, with Fang Yuan here, he treated her like an art enthusiast, showcasing his unique skills to her.
Fang Yuan suppressed the urge to nauseate and looked coldly at He Jianhui, her whole body trembling with anger. "Now that you've obtained the blood jade and silenced everyone who knew about it, why aren't you satisfied? Why are you even trying to murder the girls in our dormitory?"
"You're wrong. I never murdered any of the girls in your dormitory. I did this all for one person."
"For whom?"
"For you!" He Jianhui pointed at Fang Yuan, a half-smile still lingering.