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School ended at eight, with evening self-study sessions.
Because Yang Jian stayed up late reading that story from the forum the night before, he was yawning all day at school, listless and lethargic. Every time he tried to sleep during class, that old man's photo would inadvertently pop into his mind, and in his daze, he could feel that pair of hollow, deathly, startling eyes staring at him from somewhere.
A shiver would then snap him back to alertness.
"Can't sleep again, that photo is really cursed."
"Hey, heh-heh, Yang Jian, lend me your ear," a head leaned in from beside him, belonging to a tall and thin student.
His name was Zhang Wei, and he was Yang Jian's deskmate.
Yang Jian wondered, "Lend you my ear for what?"
"Hey, no playing dumb," Zhang Wei snickered, "You've been yawning all day, you must have done something embarrassing last night."
Zhang Wei patted his shoulder and whispered, "Got any good stuff recently? Share it quick so your brother can enjoy it too."
Yang Jian replied, "Enjoy your own head, I was reading a ghost story on my phone last night, so I went to sleep really late."
"Ghost story? Speaking of ghost stories, did you guys hear about the paranormal incident that happened in a neighborhood in the city a while back?" Another classmate chimed in.
"What paranormal incident?" Yang Jian asked, "I haven't heard about it."
Zhang Wei said, "I've heard about it too. They say that in one night, over twenty people in a residential area hung themselves, their bodies suspended from burglar-proof windows, just like cured meat hanging to dry—so horrifying. I've got a photo here but whether it's real or fake, I don't know."
Having said that, he took out his phone, opened the gallery, and scrolled to a picture.
The photo was taken at dusk, and the poor lighting in the neighborhood made it somewhat blurry. However, one could still make out human silhouettes hanging from the reservation's burglar-proof windows, densely strung in a row. You could vaguely see the ghastly and terrifying faces of the bodies, especially their fear-filled, wide-open eyes, making one wonder what they had gone through before dying.
From afar, the dozens of bodies indeed resembled cured meats hanging out to dry. What was strange, though, was that the bodies' heads were inside the burglar-proof windows, but their bodies dangled below. Given the gaps in the windows, it was impossible for an adult to fit through the spaces.
Moreover, the heads were tilted back in a gruesomely broken posture.
The more one looked at the photo, the more an uneasy fear settled in. This picture, with its capacity to stir emotions, was similar in a strangely harmonious way to the photo of the old man in Yang Jian's phone.
"Damn, where did you get this photo? I couldn't find it," the classmate said.
Zhang Wei boasted, "A friend of mine happened to take it when passing by. The place is sealed off now, and they don't allow people to take photos anymore. If you want it, just call me 'Dad' and I'll give it to you. Also, stop calling me Zhang Wei—I've recently picked out an English name."
"That reminds me, I have an English name too: it's Versace. Remember that, and shout out my English name loud and clear if you see me on the street."
Yang Jian wondered, "We all went through nine years of compulsory education, so why are you guys so outstanding?"
"Yang Jian, we all took cram classes, you can't learn this," Zhang Wei said with pride.
"Speaking of paranormal incidents, I've been hearing a lot about them online lately. It's as if they're real, some are so scary I dare not look. Do you guys think these things are true or fake? It's not like there could actually be ghosts in some places, right?"
A female classmate named Miao Xiaoshan joined in and asked.
Yang Jian said, "Most stories online are fake. Unless I see it with my own eyes, I won't believe there are ghosts in this world. But some things are better to be believed than disbelieved. If you really encounter such things, it's better to stay far away."
"You have a point," Xiao Shan nodded in agreement.
"Everyone be quiet," came a command.
At that moment, Teacher Wang strode into the classroom with a firm voice, "The school has sent a last-minute notice that tonight's self-study session will be replaced with a safety lecture, focusing on student safety awareness. Later, during the lecture, I do not want to hear anyone talking or disrupting the class discipline. Please welcome Mister Zhou Zheng, who will be leading the session. Let's give him a round of applause."
Hmm?
Yang Jian clapped while feeling puzzled. A safety lecture this late?
But when Zhou Zheng stepped into the classroom, Yang Jian's eyelids twitched.
The man named Zhou Zheng was dressed in a grey trench coat, wrapped up tightly, even wearing a mask despite it being a hot day. He had some sort of ID badge hanging at his chest, but what caught attention was his frightening appearance. His face was extremely gaunt, skin stretched over bone to the point where the bone structure and outline were visible—there wasn't an ounce of excess flesh on his face. Because of his extreme thinness, his eyes looked unusually large, bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept in days.
Yet, beneath that gaunt visage, his belly was strangely bulging.
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It bulged like a beer belly full of fat, but people with a beer belly shouldn't be this thin.
Abnormal, bizarrely abnormal, it instilled a sense of unease in people's hearts.
At this moment, Zhou Zheng stood on the podium, exuding an aura of darkness, emaciation, and numbness all over his body, stiff and motionless. His bloodshot eyes moved slightly, resembling two dull, lightless glass beads.
Wherever his gaze fell, all the students felt an inexplicable fear.
Yang Jian subconsciously clenched his fists, his body involuntarily tensing up, not daring to make eye contact, thinking to himself, "This feeling is even stronger than when facing that photo..."
"Students, hello, my name is Zhou Zheng, I am the person in charge of Dachang City, and I'm very pleased to be alive and standing here to lecture you today."
Zhou Zheng finally spoke, his voice dry, hoarse, and grating, like glass scraping across the ground, and when combined with his gaunt face, it was chilling to the bone.
Alive and lecturing here?
Yang Jian felt a chill in his heart, the words sounding rather odd.
Zhou Zheng then picked up a piece of chalk, turned around, and scrawled a sloppy yet unmistakably clear word on the blackboard:
Ghosts!
"Ghost legends have existed since ancient times, not only in the history of our nation but in the histories of countries worldwide. I'm not good with historical knowledge, and I can't specify ancient events, but you get the gist of what I mean," Zhou Zheng's hoarse and grating voice continued, "But now, some things you have to believe. In recent years, paranormal incidents have exploded in number. It's no longer just a one-off event issue. It's gradually evolving into a global catastrophe, and if it isn't brought under control effectively, the future... perhaps the entire world will have no future."
Everyone listening felt somewhat astonished.
How did this safety lecture turn into a ghost story session?
Even boasting about the end of the world.
Not just the students, but Teacher Wang was also taken aback.
"I can't say much about this, and you shouldn't ask. What I'm going to say next, please remember it, students. This safety lecture may save your lives in the future."
Zhou Zheng didn't go on but turned again and wrote another sentence on the blackboard: Ghosts cannot be killed.
"In the near future, you may encounter situations you never want to face, like... bumping into a ghost. While it may be disheartening, remember this sentence: Ghosts cannot be killed. So, even in extreme fear, don't think about fighting that thing to the death, because your life means nothing to those entities. They could kill you as easily as stepping on a few ants, no, even more effortlessly. Perhaps with a blink of an eye or a snap of their fingers, you're gone."
His bloodshot, haggard eyes stared at everyone, speaking this sentence with utmost seriousness, then turned again to write on the blackboard a second sentence.
"The only thing that can deal with ghosts is another ghost."
Zhou Zheng continued, "If ghosts can't be killed, it means the technological power of nations is useless. Bombs, even nuclear weapons, are all ineffective. If in the future, scientists of various countries can't solve 'ghosts', the only method for now is to use a ghost to deal with another ghost. I know you have doubts, even thinking I might be insane, but that's not important. The important thing is to listen and remember these words; you'll need them later."
"Of course, I hope you never need them."
"Yang Jian, what is this guy talking about? I don't understand a word," Zhang Wei whispered from the side.
Yang Jian replied, "I don't quite understand either, but these words make me feel uneasy."
"Could it be that the Earth has mutated? Like it's written in the novels?" asked Zhang Wei.
"It shouldn't be..." Yang Jian hesitated.
Although he had fantasized about the existence of deities and supernatural powers, if these things really existed, it would inevitably cause panic in his heart, for they pose a huge threat to the average person.
On the podium, Zhou Zheng continued, "Since ghosts can't be killed and possess extraordinary abilities, factoring in these two aspects, we can pose a question: How can a regular person survive if targeted by a ghost? This is key, and I hope you remember it, always, and best keep it in mind for a lifetime."
After saying this, he turned back and wrote another sentence: Discern the patterns of ghosts.
"Every being has patterns that can be found, and ghosts are no exception. Research data shows that each ghost has a near-fixed manner of killing and way of moving, similar to a computer program. You press the power button for the computer to run, you click the mouse to open software. Conquer fear, discern the patterns of ghosts, find the loophole; this is the only chance for a person targeted by a ghost to survive."
"Remember, if you are sought out by a ghost, this is the only way you can survive aside from this method. Don't be wishful, those entities are more terrifying than you imagine."
Again, he repeated this last statement with a grave tone.
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