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墨書 Inktalez
Ruan Hongmei looked at Cheng He, who was sitting on the ground crying, and impatiently said, "What are you crying about? What kind of big man sits on the ground crying like that?"
Cheng He shot her a glare, then stood up and brushed off the dust from his clothes, preparing to leave.
"Hey! You still haven't told us what your relationship is with that murderer!" Ruan Hongmei called out as he was about to walk away.
Cheng He stopped, turned around to look at them, and a strange smile crept onto his lips. "I don't know anything, don't come asking me."
"You—" Ruan Hongmei pointed at his retreating figure in frustration.
"Forget it, his acting skills are pretty good. He knows we have no evidence, and just hearing me say it won't convince the police. So we still need to find more evidence."
Su Jin'er said with some concern. She had guessed who the Killer was but didn't know how to make him confess.
The group walked out of the classroom, which was originally meant for students to study in. However, for some reason, students were unwilling to come here and preferred to go further away to other study rooms.
"By the way, Hongmei, can you help me ask the teacher for a leave tomorrow? I want to visit my grandmother," Chu Feifan said.
Both Chu Feifan and Ruan Hongmei understood that her visit to her grandmother had another purpose, so Ruan Hongmei nodded without saying anything.
Chu Feifan glanced at her as if wanting to say something but couldn't find the words. Su Jin'er smiled and said, "Are you trying to say you want to go with me?"
Chu Feifan quickly nodded and looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would agree.
After thinking for a moment, Su Jin'er finally nodded.
Back in the dormitory, they each packed their belongings. Ruan Hongmei watched the busy Su Jin'er and pouted, saying, "I really want to go too! Even though my grandparents are also from the countryside, I've never been to a rural area."
Su Jin'er looked at her in surprise. "You've never been to the countryside?"
"Yeah! After my dad settled down in the city, he brought my grandparents here, so we've always lived in the city."
"Won't your grandparents feel bored?"
"How could they? My grandmother is very happy! She goes out to play with some old folks she knows every day, either dancing or practicing Tai Chi. She's living quite comfortably!"
"Sigh—if only my grandmother could be like your grandparents," Su Jin'er couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Anyway, it's nice to have the family together," Ruan Hongmei said as she stood up and sat on Su Jin'er's bed, propping herself up with her hands while looking at her.
"Yeah! It's a pity my grandmother is too stubborn," Su Jin'er said helplessly.
"When are you guys leaving?" Ruan Hongmei suddenly changed the subject and asked.
"We're leaving tomorrow morning. By the way, what's the date today?"
"Today is the 15th! What's up?"
Su Jin'er shrugged and said, "The 20th is my grandfather's death anniversary, so I can go back to pay my respects."
"Are you going for five days then?" Ruan Hongmei sat up in surprise, holding up five fingers.
"Maybe! I haven't been back in a long time. I want to go see her; my grandmother is getting old and is all alone in the countryside. I suddenly miss her a lot."
Su Jin'er smiled shyly.
"Well then!" Ruan Hongmei weakly lowered her hand and lay back down, saying, "Sigh! You're leaving me all alone here."
Suddenly, she sat up again: "By the way, hasn't Zuo Yi gone missing? Aren't you guys looking for him anymore?"
Su Jin'er slapped her forehead and said, "How could I forget about him!"
Then, she took out her phone and called Chu Feifan, telling him it would be better for her to go alone and for him to stay behind to look for Zuo Yi. After a moment of silence, Chu Feifan replied, "I'll go with you! Let Captain Xing handle the search for Zuo Yi. I just called him."
Su Jin'er thought for a moment and agreed.
That evening, they had dinner together. The weather remained gloomy after the rain, with puddles still on the ground, so there weren't many people on campus. Although it was spring, the wind felt chilly against their skin. They strolled around the campus but still couldn't find any sign of Zuo Yi.
Su Jin'er blinked and said, "I want to check the basement of the Old Laboratory tonight."
Ruan Hongmei, who was already quite curious, became even more excited at the mention of the feared Old Laboratory, especially since it had been the site of a death. She nodded eagerly.
"Alright!" Chu Feifan hesitated for a moment; although he felt uneasy about it, he still agreed.
Not knowing if there were lights in the basement, they each returned to their dorms to grab flashlights or other lighting tools before meeting up downstairs in the girls' dormitory.
Upon arriving at the Old Laboratory, it was still dark and cold. Although Su Jin'er had been there many times before, the chill still made her shiver. Ruan Hongmei, who had never been there, tightened her clothes and shivered as well. The outside sky hadn't completely darkened yet, but it seemed that light couldn't penetrate into the Old Laboratory; the hall was shrouded in darkness.
"This place is really cold! I wish my grandfather were here," Ruan Hongmei pouted. When she was younger, her grandfather taught her some simple exorcism techniques, but she never learned them well due to her playful nature. Later on, she even mocked her grandfather for being superstitious until she encountered something real herself; only then did she believe that perhaps ghosts truly existed in this world—it's just that people couldn't see them.
"Why? Can your grandfather make this place warm?" Chu Feifan asked in confusion.
"Even if he can't warm it up, he wouldn't let it be this cold! He can exorcise spirits."
Ruan Hongmei's casual remark immediately dampened the atmosphere. The group fell silent, seemingly avoiding this sensitive topic. Deep down, they all understood that belief brings existence while disbelief leads to absence. However, despite thinking this way, they still felt a chill run down their spines; who knew what might be lurking in the darkness?
Su Jin'er pressed a button from memory and pushed it down firmly. The wall began to move slowly, revealing a dark entrance.
Ruan Hongmei's curiosity peaked as she saw the door; her teeth began to chatter as she trembled and asked, "Are we really going in?"
Su Jin'er nodded. She remembered everything she had seen in her dream clearly—the details were vivid in her mind, even the sound of Xiaomei's clothes tearing echoed clearly in her ears.
They walked down the stairs and stood at the corner. Su Jin'er shone her flashlight on a corner below; she was sitting there, listening to everything happening inside. Although she knew it was just a dream, the feeling of guilt still weighed heavily on her.
"Jin'er, what's wrong? Why aren't you moving?" Chu Feifan asked as he supported her shoulder.
Su Jin'er, with a pale face, forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. Let's go down!"
The basement was square-shaped, covered in dust. In one corner at the back, some clutter was piled up, but there was nothing else.
"There's nothing here," Ruan Hongmei said as she shone her flashlight on the cluttered corner.
Chu Feifan illuminated the surrounding corners with his flashlight. Just as he was about to shine it on the fourth corner, Ruan Hongmei suddenly knocked his flashlight away.
"What are you doing?" Chu Feifan frowned.
"My grandfather said that when you first enter a room, you shouldn't shine your light around; it could lead to irreversible consequences, especially in a house where someone has died. Although I haven't learned everything my grandfather taught me, I can sense that this house is filled with heavy yin energy. I think the woman who died here hasn't left."
Ruan Hongmei's words made Su Jin'er's heart skip a beat. The person who died in this room was Xiao Mei. Could her vengeful spirit really still be here? She had died so tragically; her resentment must be strong.
Seeing Su Jin'er's suddenly pale face, Ruan Hongmei asked, "Jin'er, do you know who died here?"
Su Jin'er stiffened, looking at Ruan Hongmei. She did know, but could she say it?
"Jin'er, I know you don't believe in demons, but please trust me. If you know something, tell me. Otherwise, if we get entangled with the vengeful spirit here, none of us will survive."
Hearing how serious Ruan Hongmei sounded made Su Jin'er even more unsure about whether to speak up. Was Xiao Mei's story true? What if it was just a rumor?
"Since there's nothing here, let's leave first," Chu Feifan said as he wrapped his arm around Su Jin'er's shoulders. He understood what she was afraid of; he knew about that woman’s story too. However, he felt that since it happened over seventy years ago, there was no need to dwell on it.
Ruan Hongmei shook her head helplessly; perhaps she really had some unspoken secrets.
Thinking this way, she stopped asking further questions. The group emerged from the basement empty-handed, and just as they were about to leave, a sudden "thud" echoed from below, as if something had fallen.
They looked down in fear, but due to the distance, they could see nothing. With no other choice, they descended again.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, they stood in the room. A wooden board that had been leaning against the wall was now inexplicably on the floor. According to their memory, although the board was leaning against the wall, it should not have fallen without external force, yet there it lay before them.
"How is this possible?" Su Jin'er said incredulously as she stared at the board.
"Who?" Ruan Hongmei's flashlight flickered suddenly, and she shouted.
Chu Feifan immediately rushed toward the stairway but found no one after exiting the Old Laboratory.
"Did you see it wrong?" Chu Feifan returned and asked Ruan Hongmei.
"No, I felt someone blow on my neck, and when I turned around, I saw a shadow darting up the stairs at an incredible speed—faster than a human."
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees instantly due to Ruan Hongmei's words. The group exchanged glances; since only Ruan Hongmei had seen it, they assumed it was just her illusion.
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