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墨書 Inktalez
I felt my legs go weak, panic rising within me. If what I dreamed was true, then they would all die.
Just the thought of my best friend and classmate, who I had lived with for four years, dying like that sent my heart racing.
"Lin You! Lin You!" In the distance, Xiaoya was running towards us, breathless.
Lin You supported her. "Don't worry, there's still some time before class starts!"
"It's not that. Have you seen Lin Shan?"
"Lin Shan? No, why?"
"I... I saw a pool of blood on her bed this morning when I got up, and now I can't find her anywhere. I thought about how she didn't return the Spirit of the Plate last night and disconnected from the game. Is something really going to happen?"
Xiaoya's face was pale from running, while Lin You and I were stunned into silence, our faces ashen. Lin You glanced at me nervously, swallowed hard, and said to Xiaoya, "Have you tried calling her? And asking others?"
"I did. Tiantian and the others said they didn't know either. Lin You, should we tell the teacher? What if something really happened to Lin Shan? We—"
"Don't worry just yet. That blood could just be from her period; she might have left because something came up." Lin You paced back and forth for a moment before saying, "Let's look around some more. We'll meet back at the dorm in two hours. If we still can't find her, then we'll tell the teacher."
"Okay, that's all we can do for now. I'll head out."
With that, Xiaoya left us alone.
I couldn't help but connect this situation to the dream I had last night. If Lin Shan's disappearance was indeed related to the Spirit of the Plate incident, then Lin You and Xiaoya would surely be in danger too.
I could no longer care about anything else; the only person on my mind was Jun Chong. He was a ghost, and it would be easy to ask for his help.
"Anxin, where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Chu Fan. I think he might have a solution."
"You’re already relying on him this much?"
A cold voice mixed with an icy tone reached my ears. I blinked and realized Lin You was resting her chin on her hand, and I couldn't quite tell if those words had come from her.
"What did you just say, Xiao You?"
"Me? Nothing," Lin You replied, looking at me in confusion and shaking her head. "I think we should split up and look for clues."
"Okay." I nodded; it seemed like the only option for now. I just hoped that I was overthinking things.
For some reason, perhaps due to that sudden thought that popped into my head, I didn’t go looking for Chu Fan. Instead, I sent him a message asking him to call me after class, then parted ways with Lin You to search for others.
I only knew Lin Shan and the others from when we entered university; we weren't as close as I was with Lin You. Therefore, I didn't know many places she would go. Fortunately, Lin Shan's family lived out of town, so she probably wouldn’t return home casually.
However, after searching for most of the day, there was still no sign of her. I told Lin You that we should head back to school and look again. I also contacted Xiaoya; she suggested I check the dorm first since she would be back soon.
As I glanced at the time, Chu Fan should have been out of class by now, but my phone remained silent.
I picked up my phone to open my contacts, preparing to call him when suddenly a gust of wind blew against my neck, making me shiver. It struck me then—when did I start learning to rely on him?
This kind of situation shouldn't exist. What I need to do is find a way to dissolve the Ghost Marriage, rather than relying on him for everything.
With this thought in mind, I put my phone back in my pocket and prepared to head over to the Girls' Dormitory. I hadn't walked far when, without knowing who the mischievous person was, I stepped on a banana peel that had been carelessly thrown on the ground. My foot slipped, and I fell backward.
The imagined pain was replaced by a soft embrace. When I opened my eyes, I realized someone had caught me. A blinding light shone down from above him, and for a brief moment, I felt as if I had seen him a long time ago.
"Are you okay?"
As I stood upright and shielded my eyes from the sunlight, I was surprised to discover that this man was the one who had helped me when I sought out Peach Branch.
"Thank you. How come you're here?"
He certainly didn't look like a student.
"I am—"
"Anxin." Chu Fan approached from the other side. Upon seeing me in the arms of a stranger, his eyes narrowed instantly, and he spoke in a low voice, "Come here."
It was only then that I realized how intimate my position with the man was. My face flushed as I quickly stepped out of his embrace. "Sorry."
Before I could say another word, Chu Fan pulled me into his arms. He didn't say anything but stared directly at the man.
The man offered no explanation either; he simply crossed his arms over his chest and smiled lightly at me. Even though it was broad daylight and spring had arrived, the air around us suddenly felt very cold.
At that moment, a girl carrying books walked toward the man. "Professor Qi, what a coincidence! What are you doing here? I have a few questions about last class that I'm unclear on. Would it be alright if I took up a bit of your time?"
Facing such a handsome and mature man, the girl appeared soft and sincere, though I couldn't recall any professor at school looking quite like him.
"Let's go."
In contrast to Professor Qi's approachable demeanor, Chu Fan seemed a bit sulky, pulling my hand without saying a word as he led me away.
"Are you angry?"
"No." Chu Fan's expression darkened as he stopped in his tracks, his dark eyes fixed intently on me. "Stay away from that man in the future."
"You misunderstood; I accidentally fell, and he just happened to help me up."
"I know because I saw it."
"If you saw it, then why—"
"Just remember what I said."
I didn't understand why Chu Fan was saying this, but I felt there must be some reason behind it.
At that moment, I noticed a few students suddenly running toward the Girls' Dormitory, shouting something about someone being dead.
A chill ran down my spine as an ominous feeling settled in. "Chu Fan, should we go take a look?"
I pulled Chu Fan along as we raced to the Girls' Dormitory. Normally, boys weren't allowed inside, but the sudden commotion had drawn a crowd of students gathering around.
The scene unfolded beneath Dormitory Building Two, where some girls, unable to bear the sight, covered their mouths and ran off to vomit, their faces pale.
I held Chu Fan's hand, my palms clammy with cold sweat. Even though I hadn't seen anything yet, anxiety gripped me tightly. It wasn't until Chu Fan embraced me, warmth radiating from his hand into my body, that I slowly began to calm down.
"Are you feeling better?"
The spot where Chu Fan held my hand glowed faintly, that gentle light dispelling the chill that had enveloped me.
"Let's go take a look."
Chu Fan pulled me along. At that moment, the police had not yet arrived; only teachers and dormitory staff were trying to disperse the crowd. When I caught my first glimpse of the scene, my stomach churned violently.
The ground was soaked in red blood, splattered everywhere like spilled ketchup. Lin Shan lay on her back, her brain matter splattered outwards, the back of her head caved in. Her body was contorted into an unnatural position, her limbs bent at angles that defied normal anatomy. In her palm, I vaguely saw something red and glimmering, but when I blinked, it vanished.
The most horrifying sight was the large gaping hole in her chest where her heart should have been—an empty void.
"Lin Shan? No! How could this happen?"
The thought of a vibrant life snuffed out like this made my heart ache.
"She was the first."
A hazy voice reached my ears. I looked up in surprise, but most people around were talking and seemed unaware of who had spoken.
"Anxin."
In the crowd, Lin You and Xiaoya received the news and rushed over. Upon seeing Lin Shan's lifeless body, both of them broke down in tears. I noticed Xiaoya's body was trembling violently, clearly terrified.
She cupped her face in her hands, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at Lin Shan's corpse. "It must be the Spirit of the Plate seeking vengeance. I told her not to let go halfway; we would all die."
"Xiaoya, calm down. How many people have played this game? How many have let go halfway? Others are still alive and well. Don't jump to conclusions about everything," Lin You said, her face pale with fear as well. Despite her own terror, she tried to comfort Xiaoya, knowing how close Xiaoya and Lin Shan were; naturally, she felt devastated by this tragedy.
"No, you don't understand! People have died in that classroom before. That night was ominous, and our candle barrier was blown out by the wind. Who knows if what we summoned was really the Spirit of the Plate? Maybe there was a sixth person present besides us five—someone who is a ghost, the one who killed Lin Shan! It has to be that way; it must be!"
"Xiaoya! Xiaoya! Please calm down!"
Xiaoya ignored our pleas, panic overtaking her completely. She shook off Lin You's hand and ran outside. Worried for her safety, Lin You chased after her. I intended to follow as well, but my arm was grabbed by Chu Fan.
"I need to go after Xiaoya."
"Let Lin You handle it alone; come with me."
I hadn't seen Chu Fan since Xiaoya appeared, and I had no idea where he had gone. His words made me instinctively feel he had discovered something important, so I followed him.
By then, the police had arrived and dispersed the onlookers among the students. Chu Fan led me away from prying eyes and into the dormitory.
"Which room is theirs?"
"Are you going?"
"She was killed by a ghost."
My heart sank. "Is it really a ghost?"
"Take me to her dormitory; there might be clues."
"But the police—"
"Don't worry, I've taken care of it. They won't be coming for a while."
Hearing Chu Fan say this put me at ease. After the incident, everyone in the dorm had fled, and I led him to Lin Shan's dormitory door, only to realize I didn't have the key.
"What do we do without a key?"
I turned back to look at Chu Fan, only to find him staring at the door, unmoving. Following his gaze, I was shocked to see red handprints on the door.
To be precise, the entire door was covered in bloody handprints, densely packed as if someone had pressed against it repeatedly.
"What is this?"
Chu Fan remained silent, his hand tracing an arc in the air. The dormitory door opened silently. As I prepared to step inside, I was met with a horrifying sight: the entire room was stained with blood handprints, transforming the once clean and tidy space into a sea of crimson.
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