Translator: Cinder Translations
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Creak—
There was the sound of a door being pushed open, coming from the first stall.
Long Tao covered his mouth, not daring to make the slightest sound.
The bathroom wasn't big—only five stalls in total.
Each stall wasn't very high; if someone stood on tiptoe, they could see into the neighboring one.
Long Tao was hiding in the fourth stall.
Thud. Thud.
Creak—
Creak—
The second door, and then the third door, were opened one after another.
The eerie sound finally stopped outside his stall.
Time seemed to freeze.
Just as Long Tao made up his mind to rush out the moment the thing opened his door...
The door next to him suddenly opened—it was the door to the innermost stall. The old hinges screeched, the sound piercing to the bone.
That thing gave up on his stall.
Then, a few seconds later, the thudding sound began again.
The thing left the bathroom, and the eerie drum-like footsteps gradually faded.
Gone?
Really gone?!
The feeling of surviving such a brush with death was indescribable.
Long Tao's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Half a minute later, he forced himself to stand.
It had nothing to do with courage—it was fear that the thing might come back.
He leaned against the door, listening carefully for any sound.
Then he quietly pushed open the stall door.
The bathroom was silent and empty.
Long Tao couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He quickly but quietly walked toward the exit.
He walked on his toes, barely making any noise.
Closer.
Closer...
Just as he was about to step out of the bathroom, a chilling, absurd sensation swept over him, sending a shiver down his spine.
He had never felt anything like it.
Almost instinctively, he turned to look behind him.
His neck turned slowly, like a rusted screw.
Whoosh—
Behind him, it was empty. Nothing was there.
No one.
Certainly not the terrifying ghost he had imagined.
But just as he breathed a sigh of relief and looked back forward, he caught a glimpse of the bathroom mirror out of the corner of his eye.
The next second, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
The mirror in the men's bathroom was dusty, and one corner was cracked.
The spider-web-like cracks spread across most of the mirror.
It was clearly abandoned.
But none of that mattered to Long Tao anymore. His pupils contracted sharply, and the corners of his eyes twitched violently, as if they were about to tear apart in the next moment.
Through the reflection in the mirror, he saw a pair of legs suspended above his head!
A chilling wind blew through the enclosed space from who knows where, and those legs gently swayed with it.
Creak—
Creak—
Long Tao, trembling, mechanically tilted his head upward. What met his gaze were a pair of blood-red, hateful eyes.
The eyes were hidden beneath thick black hair, like a blade piercing his soul.
Long Tao opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out.
His mouth kept widening, even beyond what a normal person could manage. The corners of his mouth began to tear, and fresh blood spurted out.
With a final snap, everything fell into silence.
A drop of blood splattered onto those lifeless, wide-open eyes.
Slowly, like cinnabar ink, it spread.
---
"What's taking him so long?" Zhou Taifu glanced back at the hallway, grumbling in frustration. "It's been forever and not a single sound."
Zhang Yinyin hesitated for a moment before responding, "Maybe things went really bad." She paused, then muttered to herself, "But it has been an awfully long time."
The word "bad" sent a terrible feeling creeping over Zhou Taifu. He stubbed out his cigarette and frowned, suddenly feeling like the hallway behind him had grown darker and deeper.
"How long has he been gone?"
"I don't know," Zhang Yinyin's voice still sounded fragile, "but it must be over 10 minutes by now."
Ten minutes...
Zhou Taifu's face darkened.
He turned and started walking toward the music room.
Zhang Yinyin, startled by his sudden movement, quickly asked, "Mr. Zhou, where are you going?"
"I'm going to get help." Zhou Taifu didn't even look back. "You stay here!"
"I... I can't!" Zhang Yinyin, realizing something was wrong, stuck close to Zhou Taifu like a shadow.
The atmosphere grew heavier, and the two of them quickened their pace, soon breaking into a run.
It felt as if whoever was left behind would be in grave danger.
---
Rehearsal had just ended, and Jiang Cheng and the others were packing up.
Zhou Taifu, unused to physical exertion, was already out of breath after just a short run.
In the end, it was Zhang Yinyin who explained what had happened.
"You didn't check on him?" Luo Yi asked.
It was a pointless question.
After all, no one expected something supernatural to happen in broad daylight, especially in a place filled with people.
"Don't panic," Jiang Cheng stepped forward. "We don't know anything for sure yet."
Even though Jiang Cheng said this, he himself felt that Long Tao's chances were slim.
"Do you know where the bathroom is?" Yu Wen asked.
"Yes."
At this point, Zhou Taifu glanced toward the side of the choir stand, weakly asking, "Should we bring that woman along?"
He was referring to the liaison woman.
Zhou Taifu's idea was to have her go in first.
If Long Tao was fine, great. But if something was wrong, they could remain safely outside.
"Heh." Zhen Jianren, who had been silent until now, crossed his arms and sneered. "I advise against it. In this world, it's better not to complicate things."
For once, Jiang Cheng, Yu Wen, and Zhen Jianren all agreed on how to handle this situation.
After speaking, the group quietly moved toward the door.
They hadn't gotten far when the liaison woman ran over, directly asking, "Where's your friend?"
Everyone fell silent.
The woman's face gradually changed, becoming more tense. Strands of hair, damp with sweat, clung to her forehead and cheeks. "Something didn't happen to him, did it?"
Hearing this, Yu Wen and the others' expressions darkened. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Cheng suddenly interjected, "No, he wasn't feeling well, so he left early."
"Oh, okay." The woman's pale face slowly regained color, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
---
After she left, the group headed straight for the bathroom where Long Tao had gone.
With each step, their expressions grew darker. Even Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin, who had been there before, sensed something was terribly wrong.
(End of the Chapter)
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