Chapter 64: Lu Liangting: My Bank Card Password is…
The corpse behind the mirror was tiny, and you could still vaguely see the not-so-decayed school uniform. From this, it was clear: this corpse was definitely a student from this school.
Who could silently wall her up, hiding her behind the mirror? Zhao Mingyue instinctively thought of the school teachers and the principal, especially the dance teacher.
[Red Dance Shoes]
[Mission Requirements: Enter the Youth Palace’s third-floor dance studio after midnight, find the red dance shoes, wear them, and take them off after sixty seconds.]
[Have you heard? That girl has gone missing. She hasn’t been to class for a long time.]
[Hmph, good riddance! Don’t think just because you climbed into the principal’s bed, you can stay number one forever.]
[But I really think she was training seriously. She goes to the dance studio every night.]
[Pffft, what kind of training needs to happen at night? She wouldn’t dare come during the day when we’re here. It’s only at night, in the quiet, that she risks it. Ugh, you’re such a loser, Juan! Don’t defend her!]
[…]
[Juan, do you smell something foul? It stinks! Could a mouse have died here?]
[Juan! Where are you? There’s someone in the mirror, and she’s smiling at me!]
The mission context made it clear; the principal was the prime suspect. Only he could have the ability to sneak a girl’s corpse into the wall without anyone noticing. All he’d need to do was claim the dance studio needed repairs for a week.
She further deduced that the girl in the mirror must have been bullied often, hence her fear of going to class during the day. Only at night could the principal find an opportunity.
If the mission was accurate, and if this girl went to the dance studio at night for a secret rendezvous with the principal, he wouldn’t normally k*ll her, since under those circumstances, it would be “mutual consent,” unless a disagreement arose—like the principal wanting a freebie.
As Zhao Mingyue pondered this, she thought it all made a fair bit of sense.
Just who was the ghost she had knocked out earlier? Was it the girl behind the mirror?
The flashlight continued to beam onto the corpse in the back of the classroom, and Zhao Mingyue felt a bit intimidated.
She wasn’t really afraid of ghosts anymore, but the thought of pulling the dead girl’s shoes off and wearing them? That was too much to ask!
But then she thought, if she didn’t act fast, her little sister in the shadows would get snatched away by someone else, giving her the motivation she needed.
“For Sister Yu, I must do this!”
Zhao Mingyue gathered her courage internally.
With trembling hands, she reached for the corpse’s feet.
“Just for a moment, I promise I’ll call the cops when I’m out. They’ll take you home and give you closure.”
Quieter than a whisper, she hadn’t even touched the red dance shoes when she froze.
This school couldn’t make any loud noises due to certain reasons, and in the absence of disturbances, it was utterly silent. In such an environment, even the slightest rustle would be amplified.
Apart from her own sounds, she could vaguely hear footsteps coming from downstairs.
It was soft, barely audible—if she didn’t listen closely, she wouldn’t catch it at all.
Zhao Mingyue withdrew her hand and glanced towards the staircase.
It definitely wasn’t Bai Yu. If it wasn’t Bai Yu, no matter who it was, she needed to be cautious.
The footsteps were slowly approaching; the other party was clearly careful and wasn’t rushing in.
Zhao Mingyue was dying to know if it was a human or a ghost.
She tried to slow her breathing, focusing intently.
There could still be ghosts hiding in the studio, and the person coming up the stairs could be anyone.
Time felt like it was stretching on and on.
She was unaware of how long it had been until the footsteps finally reached the stairway to the third floor.
The footsteps were heavy—definitely heavier than those of a ghost, resembling a living person.
Zhao Mingyue raised her magic wand and hid behind the wall, ready to ambush the intruder.
She knew she was weak; whether it was a ghost or a person, she couldn’t take them one-on-one, so a sneak attack was her best bet, and they usually worked out fine.
Zhao Mingyue lowered her gaze and saw a pair of women’s tall boots step into view.
“It’s a living person!”
She was sure she hadn’t seen those shoes before, and who in their right mind would run around here in the middle of the night? Definitely not a harmless bystander.
With her eagle-claw-shaped wand, she swung down hard at the person at the door. The intruder never expected to find someone waiting at the top of the stairs, and before they could react, they were ambushed without a word.
Being just an ordinary person, their reflexes weren’t quick enough.
The hammer struck the person’s shoulder with a solid thud, followed by a muffled groan of pain.
If Lu Liangting had been there, he would immediately recognize the girl coming up the stairs—she was the one who had saved him from Li Nan at Sunshine Apartment.
Her name was Chen Yun, and she went to the same high school as Zhao Mingyue and Lu Liangting.
Back then, she had used the talismans in her hand to eliminate the evil ghost on Li Nan’s back, and Lu Liangting had borrowed her talismans to keep the old principal outside for quite some time.
With a startled step back, Chen Yun clutched her shoulder.
Her left shoulder had taken a hit, hanging weakly; any slight movement sent shooting pains radiating through her, the kind of dull ache you’d get after taking a whack with a blunt object.
Standing at the staircase, wielding the hammer, Zhao Mingyue eyed Chen Yun and felt an odd sense of familiarity—as if she had seen her somewhere before.
Chen Yun looked up in anger, and when she saw that Zhao Mingyue was the one who had injured her, her expression turned even more ominous.
One of her targets this time was Zhao Mingyue.
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“How did this brat survive?” Bai Yu asked, finishing off the old principal without touching Shen Shuyun. Her gaze landed on Lu Liangting.
She puzzled over how he had managed to seal the door.
When she saw the red talisman paper featuring dual-pupil ghostly eyes taped to the door, her frown deepened.
That talisman gave her an odd sense of threat, especially since it had already lost most of its power.
The talisman itself wasn’t important; what mattered was who had given it to Lu Liangting.
Anyone who could create such a thing needed to be eliminated quickly, or else it could cause endless trouble.
A player capable of crafting ghost-hunting artifacts was precisely what countered her.
As for how to find out the answer, Bai Yu decided…
“Lu Liangting.” She suddenly spoke from a short distance away.
Just those three simple words snapped Lu Liangting to attention; he was so excited he almost got a bit jittery.
This was the first time Bai Yu had said his name. Did it mean she was willing to communicate?
This was a crucial step!
“Is there something you need help with?” Lu Liangting hurriedly asked.
“I want to know, who gave you that paper?”
“That talisman? It was a gift from a friend. She’s a good person named Chen Yun. If there’s ever a chance, I could—”
Before he could finish, Bai Yu turned and walked away.
“Chen Yun…”
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Too late, sob sob sob.
