Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The door to the mailroom on the first floor slowly slid open. The elderly Dorm Superintendent stepped out, a long strand of saliva dripping from his charred-black chin. “Dinner time… Dinner time.”

The surviving streamers in the dormitory were all jolted awake. Among those who had turned into Ghosts was No. 11. The streamers from Room 304 next door fled out in disheveled clothes, with No. 11, now a blackened Ghost, following right behind them.

Ghost No. 11 was terrifyingly fast. In almost an instant, he caught up to the slowest streamer. Just as the man thought he was done for, Ghost No. 11 swept past him and grabbed the streamer in front of him instead.

“So fragrant. Such a fragrant smell.”

Ghost No. 11’s voice was high and shrill, threaded with a strange laugh as he tore streamer No. 10 in half on the spot.

Like a watermelon smashed open, blood mixed with shredded flesh sprayed everywhere. The man seemed to have gone stupid. He stood frozen where he was, slowly raising a hand to touch the small piece of minced meat stuck to his face…

“Aaaah!!!”

-Now this is exciting!

-The Live Stream Room finally reconnected. I thought he wasn’t streaming anymore.

-Gambling Ghost: Maybe he already finished everything he needed to do. (sleazy grin.jpg)

-A word for the guy above: mind your own business, or you’re gonna get what’s coming.

-Sadako: My gege is pure and innocent. Stop spreading dirt on him.

-Gambling Ghost: You can never wake someone who’s pretending to sleep… Oh, no, I mean a Ghost.

-Sadako: I just got out of prison. Don’t mess with me.

-Gambling Ghost: We clearly have nothing to say to each other.

-Sadako: If we have nothing to say, then stop beeping. What, you think you’re a pager?

-Isn’t karma here already? (dog head.jpg)

-Gambling Ghost, Sadako: Fight warning!

When No. 19 opened his eyes again, he appeared at the entrance to the school building. Strangely enough, the school that had once looked brand-new had turned old and dilapidated overnight.

The towering trees planted around the school building had all become dry, withered branches, without the slightest trace of life.

Even the ground was charred black, as if… as if it had just gone through a fire.

Before long, another person appeared beside him.

It was No. 23!

Compared to No. 19, he showed no surprise at appearing in front of the school building. His expression was odd and carried a trace of grievance. The first thing he said when he saw No. 19 was, “Am I really that ugly?”

No. 19: “…Not really.”

Just a little below average?

On a ten-point scale, he could at least get a four.

But why was a grown man so hung up on his looks?

What time did he think it was?!

As more and more people were thrown back, everyone gathered together and recovered a tiny bit of a sense of safety.

Only a tiny bit.

No one knew what had happened to the Instance, or why an Aberration Source no one had ever heard of would suddenly appear.

Just then, many streamers ran out from the direction of the dormitory, their faces deathly pale. Behind them followed two charred-black Ghosts, all claws and teeth, their bodies covered in vivid red.

Blood. That was blood!

Before those streamers could reach them, the group scattered in a rush and charged into the school building behind them.

After the uproar faded, the hallway fell silent again. Two figures walked over at an unhurried pace.

One of them was holding a long chain in his hand, dragging Ghost No. 14 along the ground like a stiff, dead dog. The body left a long, blurred shadow across the floor.

In the ink-black night, if someone gave him a tall hat to go with it, people would believe he was a soul-reaping emissary of the underworld.

Qiao Yu stared at the silver-white chain while trying hard to sniff the air. Still uneasy, he asked, “How long does one shot of that last?”
Shang Yan shrugged. “No idea. For ordinary people, a few days. But you… I can’t say.”

He still didn’t understand how Qiao Xiaoyu’s body was constructed. And after discovering something as bizarre as the guy borrowing a corpse to come back to life, he’d already investigated the original body’s owner.

What was strange was that this person named “Qiao Yu” had a completely blank past. Aside from a death registration, there was nothing else at all.

He was starting to wonder if he’d somehow stumbled onto a real spy by sheer dumb luck.

While Shang Yan stood there in a daze, lost in thought, Qiao Yu took out the Small Wire he always carried with him and picked open the door to the first-floor mailroom.

The creak of the opening door interrupted Shang Yan’s thoughts. He tugged the chain in his hand and dragged Ghost No. 14 after Qiao Yu.

The mailroom was very quiet. Aside from a bed, a desk, and a simple wardrobe, there was nothing else inside.

Qiao Yu went straight to his target, pulled open the drawer under the desk, and accurately pinched out two thin slips of paper.

[August 2022 Pay Slip]

Position: Dorm Superintendent — Base Salary: 3,000 — Full Attendance: 500 — Meal Allowance: 100

Total: 3,600 yuan

[September 2022 Pay Slip]

Position: Dorm Superintendent — Base Salary: 3,000 — Full Attendance: 500 — Meal Allowance — 96,500

Total: 100,000 yuan

“Fuck!” Qiao Yu’s hand trembled slightly as he held the pay slip. Shamefully, he was tempted. “Is this school still hiring Dorm Superintendents?”

Shang Yan glanced at him, snatched the pay slip away, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash. “Be good. We don’t want money from unknown sources.”

Tears welled in Qiao Yu’s eyes. “You can’t blame me. They’re just offering way too much!”

Shang Yan: “……”

Qiao Yu was practically dragged out of the dormitory building by Shang Yan.

That’s right. One man dragging two.

One ghost, and one thing that was half human, half ghost.

By the time they reached the teaching building, there was already no one around. Faintly, they could hear several abrupt, terrified screams.

Qiao Yu strode inside. There were still traces of blood on the floor, not yet dried by time.

Suddenly, a dark figure shot out from around the corner.

Just as Shang Yan instinctively raised the silver chain to protect him, that dark figure comically leaned backward, shoes scraping hard against the floor, and barely managed to stop one meter away from Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu tilted his head. “Head Teacher Liu, are you… giving up academics for dance and just vibing now?”

Head Teacher Liu: “……”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. When did your arms get untied? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”

Head Teacher Liu: “……….”

“I probably didn’t perform well during evening self-study earlier. Sorry about that. How about we battle again? I promise, this time I’ll tie you a knot you’ll never undo for the rest of your life. How’s that?”

Head Teacher Liu was so frightened by his words that she hiccupped, then turned and ran. Her high heels clicked rapidly, as if they might pierce straight through the floor at any moment.

Seeing this, Shang Yan couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh, and his tense body instantly relaxed.

-Daily question: Is the streamer a demon?

-I don’t know if the streamer is a demon, but he’s even more demonic than one.

-My mom asked me why I’m kneeling while watching the stream.

-Because the streamer is too damn skilled! 999…

“Qiao Yu?”

Just then, a familiar voice came from the direction of the women’s restroom on the first floor. Luo Yunmeng poked her head out, looking at him with pleasant surprise. Behind her was No. 16!

Qiao Yu instantly perked up.

“Learning to go into the women’s restroom at such a young age? You’re really taking this whole baby act for granted, huh?”

No. 16: ??

No, seriously, why was this guy so petty?!