Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Jiang Li stepped forward with her right leg, crossing over the crumbling earthen wall.
Hidden behind the wall was a winding staircase.
Before entering the staircase, Jiang Li looked at a yellowed, curled Note posted on the earthen wall.
[Safe Stairway Passage Rules]
[1. The sound of crying is often heard in the stairwell. If you hear crying, do not ask questions, do not pay it any mind, and do not look back.]
[2. If you see an old woman looking for her daughter in the stairwell, you must tell her to go to the top floor Balcony of the building at all costs.]
[3. There are 12 steps on each flight of stairs; be careful not to miss a step.]
[4. Unused items are often placed in the bamboo baskets by the floor entrances. When necessary, please select appropriate items to carry with you; you may use them without concern.]
Jiang Li committed the rules to memory, took a deep breath, and stepped into the stairwell with a solemn expression.
The direction Jiang Li was currently heading was Basement Floor 1.
As she descended, Jiang Li carefully counted the twelve steps.
After turning two corners and traversing three flights of stairs, a Red Door appeared in the stairwell.
Above the Red Door, a floor indicator displayed “B1.”
Could this Red Door be the “key door” for the time-space transition?
Jiang Li glanced at the bamboo basket by the door.
Inside were a fully charged mobile phone, a widened and thickened Transparent Umbrella, a Glass Bottle Filled with Black Smoke, two Syringes with Potion, and a Special Attractant.
Jiang Li recalled the short video she had seen of Basement Floor 1.
In the video, Classmate Jiang-who looked to be only in her teens and was wearing a school uniform-was leading three or five lackeys. They were pouring a bucket of foul, dirty water over the top of a Toilet stall.
The dirty water in the bucket was specifically used for rinsing mops.
Mops used to clean a Toilet inevitably collected filthy excrement.
Standing on a chair, Classmate Jiang gleefully poured the dirty water from the bucket, aiming it at the head of Han Xueping, who was locked inside the Toilet stall.
“You freak! You’re ugly and fat, and that birthmark is hideous! This dirty water suits you perfectly, hahahaha!” Classmate Jiang laughed uproariously.
Han Xueping cried out, pounding on the Toilet door.
Unfortunately, Han Xueping’s show of weakness only made Classmate Jiang even more excited.
“Are you ready? Three, two, one-happy Water Splashing Festival! Ahahaha…”
Mocking laughter echoed throughout the Toilet.
Han Xueping curled her body into a ball as the dirty water drenched her completely from head to toe.
Tears welled in her eyes and, unable to hold them back, fell to the floor, mingling with the filth.
In that brief ten-second video, everyone was laughing except for Han Xueping, who was crying.
Jiang Li thought of Ms. Jiang, who was trapped on the basement floor.
The reason foul water mixed with mop threads constantly poured from the head of the guest, Ms. Jiang, on Basement Floor 1 was that it was a punishment.
It was a punishment inflicted upon Classmate Jiang by Han Xueping, who had transformed into an Aberration.
Remembering Han Xueping’s ordeal, a flicker of pity arose in Jiang Li’s heart.
She looked at the items in the bamboo basket and ultimately chose the Transparent Umbrella.
Before pushing open the Red Door to Basement Floor 1, Jiang Li gripped the Time-Space Converter. Once she was mentally prepared, she pushed the door open and entered.
The moment she stepped through the Red Door, Jiang Li quickly pressed the red button on the Converter.
Time and Space… shifted.
Jiang Li arrived in the Parallel Space-Time of the Toilet stall where Han Xueping was trapped.
Almost at the exact instant she entered the Parallel Space-Time, Jiang Li immediately snapped open the Transparent Umbrella, holding it over herself and Han Xueping.
Outside the stall, Classmate Jiang’s cheering continued.
However, the dirty water falling toward Han Xueping’s head was swiftly blocked by Jiang Li’s umbrella.
Han Xueping squeezed her eyes shut in terror, her shoulders instinctively tensing.
The expected chill of the dirty water did not hit her.
Han Xueping tentatively opened her eyes. What she saw was Jiang Li, descending like a guardian deity.
Han Xueping looked at Jiang Li in shock, then glanced up at the Transparent Umbrella above her head-
The aggrieved tears in her eyes instantly overflowed, streaming down her face in a torrent.
Perhaps in other Parallel Space-Times, the bullied Han Xueping had also been waiting for a savior.
The Han Xuepings of those other timelines never got their wish.
But the Han Xueping of this timeline… finally saw Jiang Li arrive.
After the dirty water poured down from above, the bucket and the small ladle inside it came crashing down as well.
Fortunately, Jiang Li used her umbrella to block them, so the bucket didn’t cause any injuries.
The bucket hit the ground, clattering against the door panel and the floor tiles.
Jiang Li checked to make sure no more water was coming from above before placing the umbrella into Han Xueping’s hands.
“Don’t be afraid.” Jiang Li reached out, intending to pat Han Xueping’s head.
Han Xueping’s arm instinctively flew up to shield her face.
It was the look of someone who was used to being beaten.
Jiang Li’s eyes flickered for a moment, and in the end, she only rested her hand gently on the girl’s shoulder.
A second later, Jiang Li picked up the dirty bucket and the ladle nearby and began scooping water from the Toilet’s squatting pan.
Inside the Toilet stall, Han Xueping did not cry.
The lack of sobbing actually made Classmate Jiang outside grow impatient.
Classmate Jiang stepped down from her chair and kicked the Toilet door twice with a loud bang, spitting as she shouted:
“Cry! Why aren’t you crying?! Did you die in there?!”
Classmate Jiang cursed as she kicked, her words becoming increasingly foul.
Red Infant looked at Han Xueping with pity and used his Aberration Power to temporarily block Han Xueping’s hearing.
Jiang Li scooped up nearly half a bucket of Toilet water, thick with filth and grime.
Then, she dropped the ladle and kicked the stall door open.
At the same moment the door swung wide, Jiang Li hoisted the bucket of filthy water and threw it with all her might.
The stench-ridden Toilet water splashed entirely over Classmate Jiang, who was standing a meter away.
“Ah!!” Classmate Jiang shrieked. Some of the foul water got into her mouth, leaving her stunned and pale with shock.
She caught the scent of the stench on her body and gagged several times in succession.
“…You, who the hell are you?! How dare you splash me!!”
Drenched and disheveled, Classmate Jiang glared at Jiang Li.
Jiang Li flipped the bucket over and slammed it down onto Classmate Jiang’s head, then clapped her hands clean. “I’m the one who splashed you. Happy Songkran.”
Because the ensuing events involved excessive violence, the Live Streaming Room’s screen went black immediately.
Classmate Jiang’s lackeys were paralyzed with fear.
They all huddled to the side, terrified of drawing fire upon themselves.
Jiang Li was a woman of few words and ruthless action.
Finally, after Classmate Jiang was beaten to the ground, wailing, Jiang Li stepped on her chest.
Jiang Li crouched down and said:
“Listen closely. Han Xueping is under my protection. You show her some damn respect from now on.”
Leaving those words behind, Jiang Li gave her a few more hard kicks before grabbing the stunned Han Xueping and turning to leave.
As Jiang Li led Han Xueping in School Uniform away…
In the adjacent Toilet stall, a thin girl with straight bangs wearing an Elevator Attendant’s uniform peeked out with both Eyes.
The Elevator Attendant watched Jiang Li’s retreating back, her crimson Eyes finally unable to hold back tears.
In the open space in front of the Toilet, Classmate Jiang was helped up by her friends.
The students were grumbling and cursing, saying they would tell the teacher and that “since she dared to find help, we’re definitely going to kill that bitch Han Xueping.”
As the Elevator Attendant listened to their foul language, her tearful Eyes gradually turned blood-red.
Two seconds later, the Elevator Attendant pushed open the stall door and rushed out from the Toilet.
Her face was covered in blood, and brain matter oozed from the top of her head.
Her limbs were twisted at grotesque angles, and a strange, whimpering sound escaped her throat.
She crawled along the ground, slithering toward Classmate Jiang’s group like a shadow.
The Elevator Attendant had died from a fall.
This was the Aberration form she took at the moment of her death.
The moment Classmate Jiang saw the monster, her pupils dilated instantly.
“Ah!! A Specter, there’s a Specter… Don’t come over here! Aaaaah!!”
The Elevator Attendant lunged at Classmate Jiang, her claws tearing her to pieces bit by bit, splashing blood all over the walls.