Chapter 52: She’s Back
In situations like this, typically, anyone would be facing a definite d*ath trap. Even our protagonist, Lu Liangting, would bite the dust—there are just too many ghosts, and they are a bunch of cunning little creeps.
Since he’s at a task site comparable in difficulty to Sunshine Apartments, a dead-end scenario should be off the table.
Even if he isn’t beside Zhao Mingyue, she should have at least a slim chance of survival.
With that thought, Bai Yu decided against revealing herself to wipe out all those little ghosts; instead, she nudged Zhao Mingyue to just go ahead and complete the task, no need for worrying.
Zhao Mingyue, unable to see the ghosts, marched straight to the bed in the right corner.
Luckily enough, there was a wooden board on that bed to sleep on, though cleanliness was clearly a lost cause—the bed was covered in black carbon soot and a thick layer of dust.
As Zhao Mingyue hesitated, she suddenly noticed countless bl**d threads gathering on the bed, intertwining like a spider’s web, isolating the dust like it was a boss battle.
“Thank you, Sister Yu!” Zhao Mingyue realized what was happening. Bai Yu was helping her out!
With Bai Yu’s help, she didn’t waste another second. She flopped onto the bed, took a deep breath, and shut her eyes.
This action made the little ghosts in the dorm seem to see something horrifying and race towards the door, not daring to linger for even a second.
Bai Yu knew these little ghosts weren’t afraid of her; they were scared of something else.
Lying on the bed in Room 404, Zhao Mingyue began mentally counting.
Just ten seconds passed; it went by in a flash.
The task’s name was Bottom—if nothing unpredictable happened, the demons would be lying beneath the bed. So as long as she didn’t peek under the bed, she just had to keep her eyes closed no matter what noises came from below.
Zhao Mingyue started counting down. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she felt like time had slowed significantly. By the time she reached five, her consciousness began to drift into an odd haze, and the fear she had just suppressed surged up again.
She felt a strange sensation, almost as if another person’s memories had invaded her mind.
As her count reached ten seconds, she tried to open her eyes, but despite her efforts, they wouldn’t budge. Her entire body felt out of her control, unable to perform even the tiniest movement of her fingers.
Desperate, she wanted to call Bai Yu for help, but not a peep escaped her lips.
It was like her mind was awake while her body decided to go into total lockdown.
“I’ve discovered her secret. She wants to poison the principal—she found out about me! Wait, I recognize her. Didn’t she d*e?”
“I can’t be wrong, it’s her, it has to be her…”
“She’s back! She’s come for revenge!”
“I need to tell the principal! No, wait, if I go, I’m definitely dead; she’s in the classroom!”
“I must escape! With so many people around, without me, she won’t notice.”
In her hazy consciousness, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t distinguish whether another person’s memories had latched onto her thoughts or if she just heard that person’s voice. Regardless, why did it feel like she had transformed into that student, the fear she felt was somehow intertwined with hers?
Zhao Mingyue clearly had her eyes shut, but she seemed to be peering into Room 404 through someone else’s eyes—more specifically, 404 before it became a haunted horror show.
The walls were still pristine white, kids’ laughter echoed from the playground outside, everything so vividly real.
In the dorm, there was no one else—just “him.”
Seizing the moment, “he” rummaged through a cupboard and pulled out a notebook, starting to scribble away.
Zhao Mingyue strained to read the content, but no matter how closely she looked, the handwriting was unintelligible. This world felt so real yet utterly surreal.
After writing, “he” took off his shoes and sat on his bed.
The very same bed where Zhao Mingyue was now lying.
“He” snuggled under the covers, hesitating whether to tell everyone about a certain incident, but was terrified that one of his dormmates was really that creepy guy in disguise.
Time passed, but who knew how long had really gone by? Roommates were getting up for class, oblivious to “his” still-lurking presence.
“Did that guy leave?”
“Should have. If she’s out for revenge, all her enemies are in class; that would make sense.”
“So quiet… is there really no one in the dorm?”
“Guess not.”
As “he” was talking to himself, Zhao Mingyue distinctly heard another person’s breath—not from below, but from above.
Intermittently, faintly.
‘Don’t lift the covers, don’t lift them, no!’
She wanted to warn him, but no sound escaped her lips, helplessly watching her perspective lift the covers…
…
Suddenly, Zhao Mingyue’s eyes sprang open, and without a moment’s hesitation, she leaped off the bed.
Her gaze was somewhat vacant, her chest heaving, her complexion paler than a ghost, and her palms sweating profusely.
She finally understood why this task was called Bottom.
The ghost wasn’t underneath the bed at all!
Instead, she was!
You see, this bed was a bunk bed, and for the upper bunk, the bottom was the lower bunk.
“What did you see?” Bai Yu asked.
“I saw a disfigured face—and eyes, they were, like, right there!” Zhao Mingyue pointed at the upper bunk.
That ghost had been peeking at her from the slats of the upper bed.
Those eyes were ten times scarier than Little Ghost Xiao Lian!
“By the way, Sister Yu, how long did I sleep?”
“Ten seconds.”
“Ten—ten seconds!?” Zhao Mingyue frowned. In that memory, at least an hour had passed.
As she spoke, Zhao Mingyue rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was her imagination, but she felt like she was getting used to the darkness.
Her cellphone in her pocket vibrated. She pulled it out, glancing to discover it was her reward.
【Night Vision +1】
【Willpower +1】
Stuffing her phone away, she wasn’t in the mood to contemplate rewards. Instead, she hurriedly recounted the events to Bai Yu.
Bai Yu listened, falling into silence.
“A ghost out for revenge…”
·
·
Meanwhile, Lu Liangting arrived at the location right on time.
This time he wasn’t alone. Beside him stood a girl with long, wavy hair.
Notably, this girl wasn’t his cousin or any other relative.
She was… a classmate.
As for how he met this girl, that’s a long story, starting one sunny morning when he arrived in class to find his desk covered in red paint hearts with a butcher kn*fe stabbed through the middle.
Yes, you guessed it, this was the handiwork of the girl right beside him.
“I’m here for something important. I don’t care what you’re here for, just don’t follow me once we go in,” Lu Liangting said, glancing at the girl, only to find her frozen in place.
Her eyes were glued to the school gate, her body trembling uncontrollably.
“What the…”
·
·
Though he was a bit late, four-thirty is still four-thirty!
