Chapter 96: The Charmed Copper Coin
On the road near University City, Zhang Shan drove Luxianbei towards Huacheng University.
The journey was silent.
Perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was awkwardly quiet, Luxianbei could not help but break the silence, “Uncle, why aren’t you telling a story this time? Don’t you have any new stories recently?”
“…” Zhang Shan held back his desire to tell a story for a while and said in a deep voice, “I don’t want to.”
“Uh… Is that so?” Luxianbei paused, then meekly said, “How about I tell you one?”
As soon as Luxianbei finished speaking, Zhang Shan’s mouth twitched noticeably, and his mood suddenly became very complicated.
Should I listen or not?
If I listen, I can adapt it and tell it to the audience later, but it might also lead to terrible consequences.
Such a hard decision!
While Zhang Shan was thinking, he could see Gate Two of Huacheng University ahead through the windshield.
Seeing this, he felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly changed the subject, “We’re almost there; let’s save the story for next time!”
Luxianbei glanced outside the window, worried about Professor Ma’s safety, and did not continue the conversation. She slightly nodded and said, “Mm, let’s talk about it next time.”
“By the way, Uncle, don’t stop at Gate Two; let’s go to Gate Four instead?”
At this time, entering or exiting the school through other gates would inevitably lead to being questioned by campus security; if they found the kitchen kn*fe hidden on me, it would be troublesome.
Going through Gate Four could not only avoid scrutiny but also bring us closer to the College of Arts and Literature Experimental Building, saving time. Although there was a possibility of encountering urban legends, it was just a possibility.
Gu Qiqi had gone there so many times without encountering anything, why should I be the one? Luxianbei thought.
Upon hearing Luxianbei mention Gate Four, Uncle Zhang Shan’s body stiffened, and he abruptly slammed the brakes. His hands trembled uncontrollably on the steering wheel, and cold sweat dampened his temples.
Gate Four of Huacheng University?
That place is haunted, isn’t it? How dare she suggest taking that route to school at a time like this?
Zhang Shan thought, glancing in the rearview mirror. He almost jumped out of his seat.
The back seat was empty; there was no sign of any girl!
Zhang Shan shuddered, secretly cursing, I can’t be mistaken; she’s definitely an urban legend!
Just then, Luxianbei, who had fallen to the floor, rubbed her forehead, got up, expressionless, and said with a mournful tone, “Uncle, is something wrong? I’m in a hurry; don’t stop!”
“…”
After an awkward silence, Zhang Shan replied, “Nothing.” He silently started the car, driving towards Huacheng University and Gate Four.
……
Special Text Content Research Room.
In a dark bathroom, a strong stench lingered, as if several highly decayed corpses were hidden in invisible places.
“Creak—Creak—!”
As if sensing something terrifying was about to happen, the nocturnal creatures in the dark were agitated. They crawled out from their hiding spots and quickly fled the bathroom.
Professor Ma had been cornered by the window, his fear intensifying. He felt his legs weaken and could barely maintain his balance, so he leaned against the wall and slowly sat down.
He had no space to retreat, only able to watch as the outline of a hand approached him from the darkness.
It seemed that at any moment, that foul-smelling bloody hand would touch his face.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a furry sensation on the back of his hand.
A mouse had run across the back of Professor Ma’s hand, as if playing a malicious joke on him.
The sudden strange sensation caused him to uncontrollably let out a scream.
“Ah—!”
After the scream, his aimless searching arm immediately locked onto its position, reaching through the darkness directly towards him.
The overwhelming stench rushed in; although he knew he had nowhere to retreat, his survival instinct still urged him to attempt to back away.
In his panic, his hand pressed against something, furry and wriggling, seemingly a mouse. He froze for a moment, a wave of nausea washing over him.
Just as he prepared to withdraw his hand, that arm was already less than half a meter away from him.
Perhaps due to reaching the peak of fear and turning it into rage.
Professor Ma’s face darkened, and feeling a need to vent, he grabbed the mouse and threw it towards that arm.
“Creak—!”
The thrown mouse flew through the air, only to be grasped tightly in that arm’s hand the next instant.
The next moment, a sight appeared before Professor Ma that caused him to mentally collapse.
After grabbing the mouse, that arm quickly retreated back to the sink.
Previously, he would never have believed that a mouse significantly larger than his palm could be dragged into a drain hole no bigger than an eyeball.
But now, this absurd and bizarre scene was unfolding right before his eyes.
“Creak—Creak—!”
The mouse screeched in terror, struggling continuously, but it could not prevent the tragedy from happening.
In front of the drain, that arm pulled it down slowly, inch by inch, like a venomous snake devouring its prey.
Finally, accompanied by a piercing scream, it was forcefully dragged into the dark sewer.
Although the mouse that was dragged into the sewer was completely mashed, it did not d*e immediately; its screams could still be heard traveling down the pipe.
The sounds grew more distant, continuing for some time before completely vanishing.
Professor Ma stared intently at that sink, which had brought him tremendous fear, finally rolling and crawling to his feet, rushing towards the bathroom door.
At that moment, as if under a delusion, he heard a sound outside, like heavy objects being dragged, intermittently, as if trying to avoid detection.
When Professor Ma grasped the bathroom doorknob, trying to push the door open to escape this damned place, he was horrified to discover that something was blocking the door from the outside.
Professor Ma froze for a moment, recalling the subtle sound of something heavy being dragged moments ago, his entire body filled with chill.
Was it that person hiding in the research room?
Did they use something to block the bathroom door!?
The divination results from the copper coin were as accurate as ever.
The bathroom was so small, he was bound to be caught by those hands sooner or later.
Leaving the bathroom would mean facing the person hidden in the research room.
Whether moving forward or backward, it was fraught with danger.
At that moment, Professor Ma’s emotions finally collapsed, and he began to pound on the door with all his might. He turned to look at the drain, noticing that water was bubbling up again.
“Help! Someone! Help! Someone! Help!” His voice was hoarse, and the water from the drain was increasing, overflowing from the sink and accumulating a thin layer at his feet.
Suddenly.
“Splash—!” A sound of water erupted at his feet, and a pale arm reached out from underneath the thin surface of the water, gripping Professor Ma’s ankle tightly.
He struggled desperately, but the arm felt as solid as an iron column, leaving him unable to resist.
In that moment, the scene of the mouse being dragged into the sewer flashed in his mind, and his face turned ashen.
He felt he would soon be dragged into the dark sewer, to accompany that mouse, and like that mouse, influenced by the power of urban legends, he would not d*e immediately but be tortured in that extremely narrow, dark, and damp place for quite a while before finally perishing.
As this thought crossed his mind, his expression turned vacant, as if sinking into a strange mental state. He stopped struggling, his body stiffening as he fell to the ground, allowing the arm to drag him towards the sink across the slippery floor.
“Ding—!” A crisp sound rang out in the darkness.
The moment Professor Ma fell, the copper coin in his coat pocket slipped out, falling to the ground, rolling a short distance, and stopping in front of him.
Hearing the sound of the coin hitting the ground, he wearily opened his eyes to take a glance, and then saw the front side of the copper coin.
Yes, the front side, this time it’s doom.
Looking at the coin, Professor Ma sighed sadly in his heart and slowly closed his eyes.
In the darkness, he seemed to see his wife, whom he had been with for decades, respecting each other and living in love like newlyweds.
He missed her nagging a bit…
……
“Ding—!”
The crisp sound of the coin rang in his ears again. Professor Ma frowned slightly but did not open his eyes.
“Ding—ding—ding—!”
The sound of the coin rang continuously in his ears, as if expressing an urgent tone. Finally, Professor Ma could not help but open his eyes to take another look at the coin, and his face immediately changed.
In the darkness, that ancient copper coin, polished to a shine, seemed to be manipulated by invisible hands, bouncing continuously on the ground.
Every time it jumped, it rolled three complete turns in midair, then displayed its reverse side before him.
After staring at the coin for two seconds, Professor Ma suddenly realized something, his mouth twitching, and finally couldn’t help but curse loudly.
“d*mn it! Can’t you just get it right once?!”
Professor Ma suddenly felt that he gained a new understanding of the term “changing fortunes.”
Hope for life was reignited. Seeing himself getting closer to the sink, Professor Ma gritted his teeth and, enduring the pain throughout his body, struggled to grasp the doorframe of the bathroom stall, stumbling back to his feet. He pressed one foot against the wall and yelled for help.
“Help! Help!”
“I’m in the bathroom! Someone, hurry!”
“Help… huh?”
After yelling a few times, Professor Ma suddenly felt the pulling force of the arm behind him lessen significantly. He tried to struggle a bit, and the arm unexpectedly loosened its grip, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. Immediately, he heard a sound from outside, like someone rummaging through drawers.
The next moment, the bathroom door swung open, accompanied by a wave of heat, and a petite figure rushed in.
“Professor, are you okay? I’m here to save you!” Luxianbei shouted.
Professor Ma, “…”
Looking at Luxianbei, one hand covering his eyes as if afraid to see something terrifying, and the other wielding the kitchen kn*fe wildly, Professor Ma felt a chill run down his spine, instinctively drawing back.
For now, it was fine, but if you accidentally hit me with that kn*fe, it would be a different story, thought Professor Ma.
