Translator: Cinder Translations
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At the moment, there was no better solution, so in the end, Yu Wen stepped forward and found the woman responsible for coordinating.
The woman looked a little embarrassed but then very tactfully told everyone that the men's restroom on this floor was out of service for some reason. She added, "If you don't mind..."
At this point, Long Tao's face grew even more grim. The sudden sharp pain in his stomach felt like it was being twisted by a knife.
He probably wouldn't mind at this point.
As the woman spoke, she was about to lead Long Tao to the restroom.
Yu Wen instructed Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin, who was hiding nearby, to go with them.
Although Zhou Taifu was extremely reluctant, he didn't dare to offend Yu Wen, so he had no choice but to follow with a sour face, looking as if he was about to cry.
Zhang Yinyin, still timid as always, followed behind like a little tail.
Not long after...
The final chorus began.
The girls from the three classes were rearranged and stood interspersed on the choir stage.
Their singing was at times soft and melodious, at times powerful and strong. Under the guidance of the conductor, the choir gradually reached its climax.
"Click! Click! Click!"
The sharp sound of high heels striking the marble floor echoed.
The woman walked quickly. On one hand, she was worried about Long Tao, and on the other, she needed to get back to supervise the rehearsal.
After all, if anything went wrong, she would be held responsible.
After turning a corner, the woman stopped and quickly pointed ahead, saying, "Just walk straight ahead, and you'll reach the restroom. It's quite isolated, so not many people come here."
She turned around, looked at Long Tao, and said, "With your friends outside, you can relax."
"Thank you, thank you."
"I have things to attend to, so I won't wait for you." The woman waved goodbye and left.
As she walked, she glanced at her phone, as if there was something urgent.
After the woman left, the atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.
Zhou Taifu, already unhappy, started urging Long Tao to hurry up.
"Okay, I'll go in now."
Long Tao had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped. He turned around with a pleading expression and said, "Please wait for me outside. Don't leave before I come out."
"Got it, got it." Zhou Taifu waved his hand impatiently.
Only then did Long Tao continue running forward.
The restroom was farther than he expected, located at the end of the corridor on the left.
He turned and shouted toward Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin, "Come closer and wait for me outside the door!"
"Got it, just hurry up!"
From the other end of the hallway came a slightly muffled response, probably Zhou Taifu's voice, full of impatience.
Hearing their reply, Long Tao's nerves eased a bit.
On his left was the women's restroom.
That was his real destination.
He let out a deep breath.
"Anyone there?"
After a moment, there was no response. It was as quiet as death inside.
Just as he was about to step into the restroom, his right eyelid suddenly twitched unexpectedly, stopping him in his tracks.
A scene from a horror movie he had seen years ago flashed in his mind.
He had long forgotten the name of the movie, but one scene was etched into his memory.
In the film, the female protagonist, following her companion's advice, entered a restroom, only to be killed by a female ghost that had lost its lower body and crawled with its forelimbs. Her eyes were gouged out.
Her death was horrifying.
In his own interpretation, nightmares were nothing more than horror films where they were the chosen protagonists.
So...
He slowly backed away and turned to look behind him.
Across from him was the men's restroom.
The men's restroom clearly hadn't been used in a long time. The light blue iron door was half-open, rust spots showing in places.
He turned back. In contrast, the women's restroom looked far better. The door was wide open, and white tiles lined the floor.
From where he stood, he could even see a clean sink.
In the corner on the right was a thoughtfully placed bottle of hand soap.
A large mirror reflected soft light.
This overly harmonious scene made him feel uneasy.
After a moment of contemplation, Long Tao turned and pushed open the iron door of the men's restroom.
The door's hinges let out a long, piercing creak. Once inside, he quickly found a stall and squatted down.
After finishing his business, feeling relieved, he pulled up his pants and prepared to leave.
But before he could push open the stall door, he heard a strange sound.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound wasn't loud, nor did it seem very close. Long Tao looked up in confusion, staring at the slightly yellowed ceiling.
It seemed to be coming from upstairs. He listened carefully for a few seconds and noticed that the sound wasn't chaotic but carried a certain rhythm.
The rhythm was strange, almost hypnotic, and Long Tao found his legs unconsciously tapping along.
Drums?
No, Long Tao thought quickly.
The sound was heavier than a drumbeat, but he wasn't familiar with musical instruments, so he couldn't identify it.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
The rhythm grew faster, each beat pounding in sync with Long Tao's heartbeat.
He swallowed nervously.
The rapid tapping grew clearer and more intense until finally, with a loud *thud*—
The noise jolted Long Tao awake.
This last sound was different from all the previous ones. It came from across the hall.
The women's restroom!!
Was someone playing music in the restroom? No, how could anyone be playing music in there? Could it be that thing?!
That thing was in the women's restroom?
He couldn't even bring himself to say the word.
*Knock... knock... knock.*
The quick tapping resumed.
It soon stopped right outside the men's restroom door.
By this point, Long Tao was trembling with fear. Suddenly, he realized something.
The building he was in, Section C, only had four floors.
So, where had that thing outside come from?
And where were Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin, who were supposed to be waiting for him outside the restroom?
(End of the Chapter)
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