"Hong Ying..." Si XiaoNan also saw the scene and turned pale.
Hong Ying furrowed her brows, walking past the human skins and stepping to the edge of the balcony. She looked out into the distance.
This dormitory building was the furthest one on the entire campus. On the opposite side of the balcony, there was only an undeveloped wasteland with no other buildings. No wonder they dared to hang human skins so blatantly.
But what if someone else came to visit?
With that thought, Hong Ying's expression tightened. She quickly left the dormitory and opened the door to the next room.
On that balcony, four human skins were flapping in the wind...
Next door... next door... and the next one!
Hong Ying checked several nearby rooms in quick succession. Most of the balconies had human skins hanging on them. Some had one, others two, and some even four.
This meant that an enormous number of students on this floor had been turned into monsters!
"Hong Ying Jie, this is a huge problem..." Si XiaoNan stood outside the door, muttering.
"Indeed, it's a problem." Hong Ying sighed deeply, but then her expression shifted, "However, this also implies that the monster has some kind of restriction on how many people it can infect."
"Why?"
"If it truly had infinite infection capabilities, I estimate that in just two nights, it could silently infect the entire floor. But that hasn't happened. We don't know how long it's been active, but it's clear that it's been more than two days, and it's only infected four or five dorms. This means..."
"That there's a limit to how many people it can infect?"
"Possibly. But there's another possibility: its infection ability might have a cooldown period. For example, it might only be able to infect one person per day."
Si XiaoNan's eyes gradually lit up, "That makes sense. If it had unlimited infection, the whole school would already be finished."
"Exactly. So we can deduce a lot from this." Hong Ying continued, following the train of thought.
"From the information QiYe provided, the majority of the infected are boarders, not day students. Day students don't stay in the school overnight, and when they're at school, they mostly travel in groups, making it hard for the monster to quietly infect them."
"And among the infected, there are far more girls than boys. It's not just because girls are easier targets and more likely to be alone, but also because..."
Hong Ying's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to look down the narrow, dimly lit corridor.
"The mythological creature's real body is here."
Si XiaoNan's mouth fell open in surprise, "Hong Ying Jie, how did you figure that out?"
"Hm?" Hong Ying raised an eyebrow, "You think I'm that dumb?"
"Well, yeah. You've always been kind of slow, only using your brain when it's absolutely necessary."
"..."
Hong Ying helplessly looked up at the ceiling, and after a moment, removed her earpiece.
"Alright, I admit it. What I just said was actually from QiYe..."
Si XiaoNan: (?｀∧′)
"He's actually pretty smart."
Hong Ying sighed, "I don't want to admit it, but he does seem to be a little smarter than me."
At that moment, Lin QiYe's voice came through the earpiece:
"Are you sure it's just a little?"
"… Shut up."
"Oh, by the way, I need to warn you." Lin QiYe's tone grew serious. "Just now, I saw a large group of girls heading toward the dormitory building."
Hong Ying's brow furrowed, "Infected ones?"
"The distance is too far, I can't sense them. Be careful."
"Got it."
Hong Ying put the earpiece back on and exchanged a look with Si XiaoNan. The two of them immediately ran toward the direction of the stairs.
At that moment, a group of girls was coming up the stairs, chatting and laughing.
Hong Ying's eyes narrowed, and she pulled Si XiaoNan to a stop. Her gaze grew wary as she observed the girls.
The group of girls noticed the two strangers standing in the hallway and gave them a curious look, whispering among themselves.
"Who are they?" "I don't recognize them. They must be from another class?"
"This floor only has our class, right? Never seen them before!"
"Maybe they're here to look for someone?"
"Yeah, I'll ask them."
A long-haired girl approached politely, "Hi, are you looking for someone?"
Hong Ying smiled, "Yes, I'm looking for Wang Nan from Class 6, but I've forgotten which dorm she's in..."
"Wang Nan?" The long-haired girl tilted her head, "There's no one by that name in Class 6. Are you sure you got the name right?"
"This isn't the senior year dormitory, is it?"
"No, this is the second-year dormitory. The senior year dorms are on the first floor."
"Oh, I see!" Hong Ying scratched her head apologetically, then took Si XiaoNan's hand and cheerfully said, "Sorry to bother you!"
"No problem." The long-haired girl smiled politely.
Hong Ying and Si XiaoNan walked past the long-haired girl and continued toward the stairwell. The other girls in the group stepped aside politely, giving them space.
"That girl is really pretty."
As they passed by, Hong Ying overheard the girls whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with admiration.
"Yeah, her features are so delicate, and her skin is flawless. I'm so jealous."
"That shorter girl behind her is cute too. She's so adorable!"
"So cute… I just want to gobble her up!"
At that moment, as Hong Ying and Si XiaoNan brushed past the group of girls, their eyes suddenly flashed with a hungry, predatory gleam. Their heads snapped open like flower buds, revealing blood-red flesh and jagged teeth!
The corridor, already narrow, became even more congested, with the majority of the space taken up by the girls, leaving little room for Hong Ying and Si XiaoNan to maneuver...
They had no space to dodge!
But just then, a faint smile curved up on Hong Ying's lips. A streak of red light exploded around her!
Boom—!!
Rose-colored flames erupted from around her and Si XiaoNan, spreading in all directions. The overwhelming shockwave sent the monsters flying out of the corridor!
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The flames roared, and the intense heat caused the emergency lights on both sides of the hallway to explode. The entire corridor was plunged into darkness.
Only the flames continued to burn, casting an eerie glow.
And then, a girl with a long box strapped to her back slowly ascended the stairs.
The firelight illuminated her face.
She reached behind her and lightly tapped the long box. A soft hum echoed from within, and a long spear shot out from the side of the box, landing firmly in her hand.
Hong Ying swung the spear lightly, making it dance through the rose-colored flames as she gazed with pride at the terrified monsters in front of her.
"Hmph, I knew you weren't anything good." Hong Ying rested the spear on her shoulder and casually flicked her earpiece.
"I'll see who dares to call me dumb again!"