Translator: Cinder Translations
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The journey was very quiet.
Zhou Taifu, wrapped in borrowed clothes, walked on the right side of the group, occasionally stealing glances at Zhen Jianren beside him.
Zhen Jianren's face was ashen, and he remained silent.
In stark contrast was Jiang Cheng.
He walked at the front, head held high, clearing the path for everyone.
The Fatty followed closely behind him with small, quick steps.
Yu Wen and Zhang Yinyin hung back a bit, keeping their distance.
The former seemed a little better.
The latter's demeanor had changed significantly; the aura of fragility had vanished, replaced by a pair of cold, piercing eyes.
The situation was more complicated than she had anticipated; she couldn't determine how much of Jiang Cheng's narrative was true and how much was fabricated.
But she was certain that the portrait and the ghost must exist in reality.
Especially that ghost's hand.
She still remembered how Zhen Jianren's bravado had evaporated when he heard that the ghost's hand was twice the size of a normal person's.
The arrogance had vanished abruptly, and the fear in his eyes seemed almost tangible.
This was intriguing.
Zhang Yinyin speculated there were two possibilities:
The first was that Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi had somehow gathered information about the female ghost through some unknown means.
Thus, they knew that the ghost's right hand was abnormal.
Of course, they had no intention of sharing such crucial information.
The second, more direct possibility was that they might have seen the ghost.
That was why they were clear about its physical characteristics.
Zhang Yinyin's gaze slowly shifted to the back of Zhen Jianren, her eyes growing even colder.
Could it be... on him?
When the three groups had acted separately, they each received notifications.
At 2 PM, the second rehearsal.
They still needed to be on site for filming.
The location remained unchanged.
The music classroom in Building C.
Now, the group was on their way to Building C.
Among the survivors, only Luo Yi was missing.
According to Zhen Jianren, he had gone alone to the archives to search for clues about the ghost.
Before reaching Building C, they spotted someone in the distance.
The person stood at the entrance of Building C, pacing back and forth, looking quite nervous.
The Fatty, having keen eyesight, was the first to recognize her.
It was a woman.
"You finally made it," the woman said as she approached the group, clearly relieved. She was the rehearsal coordinator they had encountered before.
According to Yu Wen, her name was Feng Lan.
"A friend of yours got into a conflict with the security department," Feng Lan said anxiously. "The person has been detained, and the school is preparing to call the police."
"Luo Yi?"
"I don't know his name," Feng Lan seemed quite worried, hastily explaining the situation while urging them to go upstairs. "He was wearing a hat and had several scars on his forehead."
It was undoubtedly Luo Yi.
Aside from him, all who could still breathe were present.
"What was the argument about?" Zhen Jianren asked, knowing full well the answer.
After all, Luo Yi was on his side, whether as a companion or a shield.
He wouldn't abandon him unless absolutely necessary.
"I'm not clear on the details," Feng Lan replied, her mind evidently elsewhere, "but I heard it was about stealing something. A passing student accidentally discovered it and called the security department."
After saying this, she seemed to hesitate slightly, her tone sounding odd as she added, "They caught him on the 5th floor of Building B. There are only a few empty classrooms piled with old files; no one has been there for years. What could he possibly be doing there?"
No one answered her question.
"Where are they now?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"On the 3rd floor of Building C," Feng Lan said, leading the way without looking back, "Room 304."
Everyone paused.
At this moment, they had arrived at a room on the right side of the corridor.
Even without Feng Lan's words, they could see the sign hanging on the door.
Blue background, white letters.
It read "304."
From the arrangement, it appeared to be an office.
But what was most striking was that it had appeared in the story Yu Wen had told.
Standing there, they could already hear the sounds of an argument coming from inside.
"How many times do I have to repeat myself before you understand?"
Someone was shouting.
There were also sounds of someone banging on a table, followed by the clattering of chairs. The atmosphere was very intense.
Zhen Jianren's expression tightened.
That was definitely Luo Yi's voice.
"You guys should go in and explain," Feng Lan urged from the doorway. "Once the police arrive, things will get complicated."
The people inside seemed to notice someone was there and turned to look at the door.
Inside was indeed an office.
It looked quite old.
A few dark wooden tables were pushed together, capable of accommodating three or four teachers to work simultaneously.
The tables were quite messy, piled with textbooks and teaching materials.
In the corner of the room, a few large cardboard boxes were placed.
It was visible that they contained unopened costumes.
Luo Yi sat behind the desk, on a chair next to the boxes, while three large, muscular middle-aged women either sat or stood.
They all wore expressions of anger and were dressed in security uniforms.
"Teacher Feng, who are these people?" the lead middle-aged woman asked with an unfriendly tone.
"They are photographers hired by the school for the anniversary celebration," Feng Lan quickly introduced. "This gentleman is also one of them. I believe there must be some misunderstanding between you."
"It's just a misunderstanding!" Luo Yi grew more agitated upon seeing someone arrive. "I just needed to use the bathroom. I accidentally ended up there!"
The lead woman scoffed and asked, "With so many bathrooms downstairs, why did you go there?"
"I—"
Inside, the argument was escalating, but strangely, Jiang Cheng and the others outside showed no intention of stepping in to help, not even offering a word of comfort.
To be more precise, they didn't make a single sound.
They simply stood there silently, watching coldly.
"You guys..." Feng Lan frowned, unable to hold back her urge to urge them. "Why aren't you going in to help him?"
The only response was the cold, indifferent gazes from the group.
And the prolonged silence.
Cold sweat trickled down the Fatty's inflated cheeks.
Yet, he dared not move.
The people inside seemed equally surprised by the unfolding scene, as the volume of their argument gradually diminished.
Two groups... separated by a door.
They stared at each other.
Slowly, Jiang Cheng made a move.
He unshouldered his bag, took out a camera, and aimed it at the interior. Before the people inside could react—
"Click!"
He took a picture.
The next second, everyone gathered around, surrounding the camera.
The camera in Jiang Cheng's hand was given to him by the old man from the equipment room, and its functions were now clear.
It could capture ghosts.
The photo developed was very clear, and upon seeing it, everyone's expressions gradually returned to normal.
The Fatty let out a breath of relief, raising his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his face.
The people in the photo looked entirely normal, with nothing bizarre hidden within.
The leading security woman even widened her eyes, seemingly not understanding their motives for doing this.
(End of the Chapter)
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