Chapter 81: Mingyue, Everyone’s Waiting for You
An eerie silence enveloped the campus.
The students, who perfectly understood there was a murderer on the loose but were still itching for some drama, all collectively gawked at Zhao Mingyue standing in the middle. They were utterly dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago, they were wondering if Zhao Mingyue might meet an unfortunate end, considering how the murderer had moves that made Jackie Chan look like a beginner. The average person wouldn’t stand a chance—one wrong move and they’d be gone in a flash!
And how could a delicate girl like Zhao Mingyue possibly be up to the task?
However, rather than the gruesome bloodbath they had imagined, Zhao Mingyue was standing tall, having just sliced off one of the murderer’s hands!
If that red-haired woman was the hero of an action film, then was Zhao Mingyue the ultimate villain?
Her skills surpassed even the protagonist’s!?
The boys secretly crushing on Zhao Mingyue swallowed hard, their feelings—previously buried deep within—now buried even deeper.
They were terrified of pissing her off, fearing she might turn around and knock them out cold!
All in all, Zhao Mingyue’s pure and sweet exterior probably hid a heart of a beast. They had never seen an elbow strike that could send a person flying three to four meters!
But let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact that Zhao Mingyue moved so fast and smoothly that her skirt didn’t even budge during that backflip!
Forget gravity—what a show-off!
Not caring about the whispers around her, Zhao Mingyue looked down at the severed hand on the ground, overwhelmed with a sense of dread.
It wasn’t the bloody hand that horrified her but the red-haired killer herself. She never thought a day would come when someone would brazenly commit m*rder at her school. After taking down fellow students and teachers, the murderer now had her in sight.
“Is what’s inside me a ghost?” she wondered, trying to steady herself.
“No, it’s much more powerful than a ghost.”
Bai Yu’s voice came through, her tone serious. “It’s likely some form of an evil god, or possibly a level stronger. If I’m not mistaken, it’s definitely the deity worshiped in your village.”
“I couldn’t sense its existence in your body until I just entered you. This thing is currently in a deep slumber, buried very deep.”
“If left unchecked, it will eventually wake up.”
“At that point, it might invade your consciousness or even consume your soul.”
Bai Yu had dealt with many evil presences sleeping within hosts. Such hosts typically had two paths: either defeat the entity inside and become stronger, or be devoured, with their awareness and soul entirely taken over.
In her experience, the latter scenario usually ended with the original host disappearing, becoming mere sustenance for the entity.
Out of all the hosts she’d encountered, the cases of success were scarce—maybe one in ten, and that one was often a freak, capable of using a spear to subdue an entire race.
At the time, she questioned that evil god’s sanity—of all the people, why pick a cold-blooded killer?
“Do I face that kind of danger?” Zhao Mingyue hesitated to ask.
“Yes,” Bai Yu continued, explaining, “Because this thing resides within you, every similar host has dealt with this. So even if you discover it early on, it’s often too late. You only have three options.”
“Get killed, become powerful enough to repel it, or trace it back to the source and deal with it there.”
“Don’t overthink it; leave it to me. Just prepare yourself mentally.”
Bai Yu’s main purpose in telling Zhao Mingyue all this was to ensure she was ready. Bai Yu believed she could manage her emotions; Zhao Mingyue had never been one to wallow in despair.
All Zhao Mingyue had to do was remain optimistic, leaving the rest to Bai Yu.
“I got it.”
Zhao Mingyue replied sweetly, feeling less troubled. She didn’t have many thoughts about the situation. Mentally prepared? She had been long before this. Now she chose to trust Bai Yu.
She realized, rather than fearing the entity, she might as well put her faith in Bai Yu. She had no idea how powerful it was, but she certainly knew Bai Yu was solid.
During this distraction, a few male teachers dashed over, wielding riot shields.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, really. Totally unscathed,” Zhao Mingyue replied, her smile a bit awkward as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.
While it was true that she wasn’t physically hurt, that would soon change once word spread about this incident throughout the school.
“On the topic of how a high school girl unarmed manages to fend off an armed assailant and decapitate one of their hands…”
Today, her image was about to do a complete 180.
Maybe she would be celebrated by the whole school, or perhaps she’d face some backlash.
Whatever the outcome, a trip to the police station was definitely in her future.
Exhausted. Really exhausted.
With the teachers keeping a safe distance of more than two meters while fussing over her, Zhao Mingyue sighed internally. “Bai Yu, do you know that red-haired assailant? Is she your old friend?”
The killer’s moves were unreal; she could only think of Bai Yu’s “old friends.”
“Yes.”
“Those old friends of yours are just… Is that why the girls around Lu Liangting are also like this!?”
“Of course, at least in temper and personality; their strength might vary.”
“Yikes… that’s even scarier.”
If their strengths were similar but personalities were wildly different, that would be manageable. But what if their tempers were identical!?
How on earth did Lu Liangting make it out alive?
That he wasn’t taken apart piece by piece was already surprising.
So many of those “sweet and kind” girls were after him.
The logical conclusion would be: “I want the left hand, you get the head, she takes the right leg, and the heart? That belongs to me.” Only in such a way could things be “fairly distributed,” right? It certainly fit their character profiles.
Within five minutes, the police arrived.
The police station was not too far, so they reached within eight minutes after receiving the call.
“Oh no, it’s disastrous! Looks like we won’t have classes today. Let’s head to the police station,” Zhao Mingyue said, feeling a wave of helplessness as two officers approached her.
“Does this count as self-defense? I mean, I did chop off someone’s hand. Am I going to jail?”
“No, unlikely. If all goes well, you might even get some cash.”
“Cash?”
“As a little hero for saving all the teachers and students, of course, there’s money involved,” Bai Yu reassured Zhao Mingyue. For her, cash was number one—especially free money.
As soon as Zhao Mingyue heard that, her gloomy face brightened. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Really, really?”
“……”
“Hello, student. I’m an officer from the Tianchang City Jinjiang District Police Station. Here’s my badge. We might need to take some time to talk but don’t worry; I’ll have a chat with your teacher.” The young officer stepped forward, displaying his credentials.
He looked at Zhao Mingyue, noting her youthful and slightly delicate appearance. The two officers exchanged glances, somewhat incredulous.
They had just heard from the teachers about the situation, which mentioned that this girl had fiercely repelled the assailant with violent actions.
This perpetrator was no ordinary criminal—one blow took down even the school’s security. Yet, this unarmed girl managed to tackle them!
“Rest assured, your actions definitely count as heroism. We’re not here to arrest you; we’re here to take you back and ensure your safety. That assailant might come back,” another officer comforted her, gesturing for the female officer nearby to join.
So, right before the eyes of all the students and teachers, Zhao Mingyue was led away.
No handcuffs. She hopped straight into the police car.
Inside the police car, Zhao Mingyue sat in the back, cupping her cheeks in disbelief.
The female officer in the front passenger seat turned around, smiling. “Don’t be scared. By the way, do you have your relatives’ phone number? I can reach out for you.”
“Sorry, I don’t.”
“None?”
“Yeah, my parents passed away years ago, and my sister is missing. Um… my guardian should be my uncle, but I haven’t seen him in three years and don’t know how to contact him,” Zhao Mingyue answered honestly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, young lady. What’s your name?”
“Zhao Mingyue.”
“Alright, Mingyue, when we get there, don’t be scared. We’ll ask you some questions, and you just answer truthfully. When we’re done, I’ll make sure you get home safely. Given that assailant’s nature, they might come back for revenge,” the officer added, warmth in her voice.
“My name is Li Xin. You can reach out to me in case something happens. When you’re home alone, ensure all doors and windows are locked, and only open to someone after confirming their identity.”
“Okay.” Zhao Mingyue felt a warmth in her heart from the stranger’s concern.
Upon reaching the police station, she answered a few questions regarding the situation, embellishing a bit of her account for the sake of flair, completing her task.
“Bai Yu, do you think that killer will really come back for me?”
“Yeah.”
“Yikes, what do we…?”
“Just take precautions. I’ll handle everything.”
“Got it.”
When she returned home, it was already eleven o’clock. Zhao Mingyue flopped onto the couch, checking her phone filled with new messages from classmates checking on her well-being, including one from Lu Liangting.
Scanning through the messages and replying, she suddenly frowned.
“Bai Yu, look.”
She handed the phone to Bai Yu, showing her a text from an unknown number—a photo taken in front of her house with a message: “When you open the door, do you prefer using your left hand or right?”
“That’s creepy.” Bai Yu shut off the phone.
“Is it that red-haired woman?” Zhao Mingyue glanced at the front door.
“Not sure.”
Taking the phone back, Zhao Mingyue continued scrolling. Not only did she see her classmates’ messages, but there were also texts from certain relatives, as if the whole world had discovered she had single-handedly chased away an armed assailant within mere hours.
She got another phone call from an unknown number.
“Should I answer?”
“Go ahead,” Bai Yu said, rising.
Zhao Mingyue nodded, tapping the screen lightly.
“Bzzz, bzzz…” On the other end, something was happening, producing a series of garbled sounds that were annoying.
“Hello?” Zhao Mingyue turned down the volume, attempting to speak.
The static continued until, right as she finished her sentence, it suddenly cleared, replaced by a low, hoarse voice belonging to a middle-aged man.
“Mingyue.”
Just those two words were drawn out, lacking any inflection—almost monotonous.
“You can come back now; everyone’s waiting for you.”
His pacing was slow, resonating like a cold whisper from beyond the grave, casting a chill into the air.
“Is this you, Uncle?” Zhao Mingyue recognized the voice slightly; it felt akin to the uncle she hadn’t seen in ages.
Just as she voiced her question, the man on the other end appeared to be jolted, his demeanor shifting from lifelessness to rage.
“Your grandma’s 80th birthday is in two days; you must come back!”
“Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.”
With that, the line filled with static once more, and three seconds later, the call ended abruptly.
The conversation had left an eerie impression on Zhao Mingyue, staring blankly at her phone.
She glanced at Bai Yu, then back at her device.
“In two days… should we go?” Zhao Mingyue felt apprehensive, fully aware Bai Yu had been itching to investigate.
“Let’s go.”
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