The frame of the dried corpse behind the mirror was very small. Through the remnants of the school uniform that hadn’t completely rotted away on its body, one could tell that this corpse definitely belonged to a student of this school.
Who could have quietly sealed her inside the wall, hidden behind the mirror? Zhao Mingyue instinctively thought of the school’s teachers and the principal, especially the dance teacher.
[Red Dancing Shoes]
[Quest Requirement: After midnight, enter the third-floor dance studio of the Children’s Palace, locate the red dancing shoes and put them on, remove them after sixty seconds.]
[Did you hear? That one went missing. Hasn’t come to class for a long time.]
[Hmph, not coming? Good riddance. Don’t think that just because you climbed into the principal’s bed, you can keep the top spot forever.]
[But I think she really was training hard. She went to the dance studio every night.]
[Tch, when can’t she practice? Why does it have to be at night? She doesn’t dare come during the day when we’re here, because only in the dead of night does she have her chance, right? What a slut. Juan, don’t defend her.]
[……]
[Juan, do you smell something stinky? It’s so foul. Did a rat die in here somewhere?]
[Juan! Where are you? There’s someone in the mirror! She smiled at me!]
From the quest information, it was evident that the principal’s suspicion was the greatest. Only he had the ability to seal a girl’s corpse into the wall silently and discreetly. He’d only need to say a single word: the dance studio requires maintenance, closed for a week.
She also analyzed that the girl in the mirror was probably frequently bullied, which was why she didn’t dare go to the studio during the day and had to go at night. And it was precisely because she went at night that the principal had his opportunity.
If it was indeed as the quest information suggested—that the girl went to the dance studio at night for a secret affair with the principal—then under normal circumstances, the principal wouldn’t kill her. Because, to some extent, it was “consensual.” Unless a conflict arose, such as the principal trying to get what he wanted without offering anything in return.
Zhao Mingyue felt her analysis up to this point made a lot of sense.
What she didn’t know was whether the ghost she had just beaten to death was actually the girl behind the mirror.
The flashlight beam continued to shine on the dried corpse at the back of the classroom. Zhao Mingyue felt a shiver of revulsion.
She wasn’t really afraid of ghostly monsters anymore. But to pull the death-shoes off a corpse and then wear them… well, that was a bit beyond what she could stomach.
But then she reconsidered. If she didn’t put in the effort now, the little sister in the shadows would be snatched away by someone else. Instantly, motivation surged through her.
“For Little Sister Yu, I’ll go all out!”
Zhao Mingyue mustered her courage internally.
Her slightly trembling hand reached towards the dried corpse’s foot.
“It’s just wearing it for a moment. Don’t worry, after I get out, I’ll call the police and have the officers take you home, give you justice.”
Murmuring softly, just before her hand touched the red dancing shoes, Zhao Mingyue’s movement paused.
For certain reasons, this school couldn’t produce loud noises. Without human interference, the entire school was completely silent. Therefore, in this environment, any slight rustle was greatly amplified.
At this moment, besides her own voice, she could faintly hear the sound of footsteps coming from downstairs.
Very light, not obvious at all. If she hadn’t listened carefully, she wouldn’t have noticed them at all.
Zhao Mingyue withdrew her hand, her gaze turning to the stairwell entrance.
It definitely couldn’t be Bai Yu at this time. Since it wasn’t Bai Yu, no matter who was approaching, she had to be on guard.
The footsteps were slowly drawing closer. The other party was clearly also a cautious character, not immediately charging up.
Zhao Mingyue desperately wanted to know if the approaching entity was human or ghost.
She tried her best to slow her breathing, her concentration heightened to the extreme.
There might still be ghostly monsters hiding in the dance studio. And the thing coming up the stairs outside—who knew if it was human or ghost?
Time seemed to slow to a crawl in that moment.
She didn’t know how long passed before the footsteps finally reached the stairwell entrance on the third floor.
These footsteps were heavy, at least heavier compared to a ghostly monster’s. They sounded more like a living person’s.
Zhao Mingyue raised the magic staff in her hands, hiding behind the wall, waiting to deliver a head-on strike to the newcomer.
She knew her own strength was weak. Whether it was a ghostly monster or a human, she was no match in a direct confrontation. She could only ambush them like this, and the results were often surprisingly effective.
Zhao Mingyue’s gaze shifted downwards. She first saw a woman’s long boot step inside.
“It’s a living person!”
She was certain she had never seen this boot before. And anyone who would come running here in the middle of the night couldn’t possibly be an innocent bystander.
The magic staff, shaped like a pickaxe, swung fiercely towards the person entering the doorway. The other party hadn’t expected someone to be hiding right at the third-floor stairwell entrance, let alone to launch a shameless sneak attack without a word.
After all, she was still an ordinary person; her reaction speed wasn’t that fast.
Zhao Mingyue’s hammer-strike landed squarely on the other’s shoulder, producing a dull thud, followed immediately by a pained grunt.
If Lu Liangting were standing here right now, he would definitely recognize the person who had come up.
This young girl was the very person who had saved him from Li Nan back at Sunshine Apartment. Her name was Chen Yun. She attended the same high school as Zhao Mingyue and Lu Liangting.
Back then, she had used the talisman in her hand to eliminate the Fierce Ghost on Li Nan’s back. Lu Liangting had also borrowed her talisman to keep the Old Dean locked outside his door for a long time.
Chen Yun stumbled back two steps, clutching her shoulder with one hand.
Her left shoulder had been struck. It hung limply, useless. Even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain, the kind of dull, throbbing ache from a blunt-force impact.
Standing at the stairwell, gripping the hammer-like staff with both hands, Zhao Mingyue stared at Chen Yun. She felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
Chen Yun looked up angrily. Upon discovering that the person who had injured her was actually Zhao Mingyue, her expression became even more resentful.
One of her objectives for coming here this time was Zhao Mingyue.
“How did that kid survive?” After devouring the Old Dean, Bai Yu did not kill Shen Shuyun. Her gaze fell upon Lu Liangting.
There was one thing she didn’t understand: how had Lu Liangting managed to barricade that door?
When her eyes landed on a red-based paper talisman stuck near the doorway, painted with a double-pupiled ghost eye, her brow furrowed.
This paper talisman gave her an inexplicable sense of threat. And that was even after most of its power had been consumed.
The talisman itself wasn’t important. What was important was who had given this thing to Lu Liangting.
Anyone capable of creating such an item specifically targeting ghostly monsters had to be eliminated as soon as possible, or they would be a source of endless trouble.
A game participant who could craft tools specifically designed to counter ghostly monsters was the perfect counter to her.
As for how to get the answer to her question, Bai Yu’s choice was…
“Lu Liangting.” Standing not far from him, she suddenly spoke.
Just three simple words. Lu Liangting immediately perked up. He was so excited that he even felt a bit nervous.
This was the first time Bai Yu had spoken his name. Did this mean she was open to communication?
This was the most crucial step of all!
“Is there something you need help with?” Lu Liangting quickly asked.
“I want to know, who gave you that paper?”
“Oh, you mean this talisman? It was a gift from a friend of mine. She’s a good person, named Chen Yun. If there’s a chance in the future…”
Before Lu Liangting could finish speaking, Bai Yu turned and left.
“Chen Yun…”
…
…
