Two students had died in two consecutive days, their deaths both gruesome and bizarre. The entire campus was blanketed in fear; teachers and students alike were on edge, dreading what might come next.
As police cars drove into the campus, the once sunny sky suddenly darkened. A fierce wind swept through, thunder rumbled, and torrential rain poured down in an instant. Standing under the eaves, I stared at the eerie weather, a chill creeping up my spine. Was this strange change brought on by the unjust deaths of Li Dezhi and Liu Yan, as if heaven itself was enraged?
In the classroom, none of the students were in the mood for lessons. Everyone crowded by the windows, watching the police moving around in the rain. The seven of us, however, stayed seated, each looking uneasy. Liu Yan's death was indirectly tied to us—if what happened last night came to light, none of us would escape the police's scrutiny.
But by noon, the police had already taken Liu Yan's body away without questioning any of us. Though relieved, we were also puzzled: why hadn't anyone come to investigate our whereabouts last night? Could someone be secretly covering for us?
At lunchtime, while the other students headed to the cafeteria, the seven of us remained in the classroom. The atmosphere was thick with tension. Xiao Ying sat quietly to one side, while the others glared at me with hostility.
Zhu Wantao was the first to break the silence. He jabbed a finger at me, anger blazing in his eyes.
"Wang Lin, why did you interfere last night and ruin Master Wu Long's ritual? Liu Yan died because of you! You're the murderer!"
The self-proclaimed "Queen Bee" chimed in immediately.
"Yeah! You're the murderer! You should be handed over to the police and sentenced to death!" Her arrogant, pig-headed face made me want to punch her.
Zhang Shaoyu sneered.
"Don't pretend, Wang Lin. You clearly have ulterior motives, trying to get us all killed. I bet you're Feng Lan's boyfriend!"
Liu Bin shot me a glance, his tone a mix of frustration and resignation.
"I don't even want to say anything to you. But since we're roommates, I'll spare you a harsh word."
Even Xiao Xiang, who had been silent, stared at me with cold indifference. Her unspoken disapproval hurt more than their words.
Their accusations made my whole body go cold, as if a heavy weight had been placed on my chest. Despite this, I forced myself to explain.
"I was only trying to help everyone. I thought Master Wu Long's ritual was problematic…"
"Who do you think you are?" Zhang Shaoyu scoffed.
"A miserable loser playing the role of a spirit expert?"
"Him? Please, I'm a Taoist priest from Maoshan compared to him!" the Queen Bee taunted, her tone dripping with mockery.
"Bro," Liu Bin sighed, "you spend all day looking up weird stuff online, but that's just for fun. Now, look at the mess you've caused—someone's dead!"
They took turns tearing into me, each remark more cutting than the last. I couldn't even get a word in. Xiao Ying watched in silence, her gaze tinged with a hint of apology, but she didn't speak up to defend me.
Finally, Xiao Xiang broke her silence.
"My boyfriend called earlier. He said Master Wu Long got injured last night and is in the hospital now. Before he left, he took care of things for us. He reburied Feng Lan's body and set up an Eight-Coffin Spirit Suppression Array. For now, Feng Lan and the ghost fetus shouldn't act recklessly. But there's still a chance of more deaths, so everyone needs to stay vigilant."
At the mention of the ghost fetus potentially killing again, everyone fell silent, their faces pale with fear.
At that moment, Dead Girl's icy voice echoed in my mind.
"Eight-Coffin Spirit Suppression Array? That can only trap ghosts, not ghost fetuses. Completely useless."
My heart sank. Wu Long's so-called solution might have plunged us into even greater danger. But before I could say anything, Xiao Xiang's frosty gaze cut into me like a knife.
I tried to steer the conversation.
"Xiao Xiang, why didn't you leave campus with your boyfriend last night?"
She lowered her head, refusing to answer. Her cold indifference stung.
Thankfully, Xiao Ying stepped in.
"It's because Master Wu Long needed seven people to complete the ritual. That's why she stayed behind."
I forced a bitter smile.
"Xiao Xiang, you should leave campus. Go spend some time with your boyfriend. The ghost fetus is bound to kill one person every night. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Xiao Xiang lifted her head, her gaze icy.
"My business is none of your concern. Stay out of it!" With that, she stood up and left the classroom. The Queen Bee followed, shooting me a venomous glare on her way out.
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. Even at her coldest, Xiao Xiang had never been so cruel. For the first time, I felt utterly rejected.
Zhang Shaoyu smirked smugly.
"You can chase after Xiao Xiang all you want, but stop scaring us with your lame horror stories." He, too, walked out.
Liu Bin patted my shoulder.
"Bro, your flirting skills are seriously off. Work on that."
"Shut up and get lost!" I snapped, anger boiling over.
"Alright, alright, I'm out." Liu Bin shrugged and turned to Xiao Ying.
"Hey, Xiao Ying, want to grab lunch together? No point sticking around with this idiot."
Xiao Ying smiled politely.
"Sorry, I already made plans to have lunch with Wang Lin."
Liu Bin froze, looking back and forth between us in shock before shrugging and leaving.
Now it was just Xiao Ying and me in the classroom. Her words caught me completely off guard.
"Sorry, I didn't tell you in advance." She smiled warmly.
"You saved me twice. I wanted to treat you to lunch. Do you have time?"
So it was just to say thanks... I scratched my head awkwardly.
"My mind's all over the place with this ghost fetus stuff. Maybe another time."
She nodded lightly and stood up.
"Alright, another time then. Don't stress yourself out too much."
With a wave, she left. Watching her disappear through the door, my thoughts were a tangled mess. I wanted to call out to her, to urge her to leave campus as soon as possible. But in the end, I said nothing.
Dead Girl's voice rang out in my mind, cold and mocking.
"They don't believe you. Let them die. But your girl and that Zhu idiot have already been marked by the ghost fetus. After midnight tonight, they're as good as dead."
A heavy darkness descended over me, as if the world had been swallowed whole.