However, what Jiang Cheng did next shattered Fatty’s understanding of the man. He looked at the bloody face calmly. He patted Zhen Jianren’s hand. “I know you’re still alive. You have a pulse.” Jiang Cheng was very persuasive. Zhen Jianren was not as agitated as before.
“Let go of me first. Let me check your wounds,” Jiang Cheng added.
Zhen Jianren breathed uneasily. It was unclear whether it was from pain or from what Jiang Cheng said. In any case, he slowly let go of Jiang Cheng’s wrist. The two bloody hollows looked at Jiang Cheng as if placing all of his hope on Jiang Cheng.
However, as his hand left Jiang Cheng, Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng very serenely undo the camera bag around his waist. Then, he wound the strap several times around his hand. Fatty had no idea what Jiang Cheng was doing… Until Jiang Cheng waved the bag like a mace. With Fatty looking on in shock, he smashed the bag right into Zhen Jianren’s face!
The unprepared Zhen Jianren wobbled. He was smacked back into the box. His high nose bridge collapsed. Blood poured out again. Jiang Cheng ran to close the lid back on. He turned around to shout at Fatty, “Run!”
Before Fatty could react, Jiang Cheng had already reached the door. Just as Jiang Cheng raised his feet to kick the door down, a sound entered their ears.
The sound was soft. It was strangely captivating.
Jiang Cheng put down his leg.
Drum beats? No. Fatty processed it in his mind. This was heavier than the drum. However, he was not familiar with musical instruments and could not identify them.
The tempo picked up. Every beat landed on his heart. He swallowed subconsciously. The quick rhythm became clearer and clearer. The last thud shook Fatty awake. Even Jiang Cheng’s body trembled involuntarily.
The two of them raised their heads simultaneously. Complicated emotions crossed their eyes. This last thud… was different from the earlier sounds. This sounded like… it came from right behind them!
Fatty turned around slowly. A dark red curtain hung on the wall that was several metres away from him. Clearly, the thing that made the sound… was hiding behind the curtain.
His pupils danced around.
Was it Chen Yao? Or was it… Something like Zhen Jianren? He couldn’t even tell what Zhen Jianren was anymore.
The strongest sense of oppression dried Fatty’s throat. He didn’t move as if he had surrendered.
On the other hand, Jiang Cheng darted forward to pull the curtain back.
Fatty widened his eyes. It was a giant mirror. However, the thing that truly caught his attention was the reflection in the mirror. It was a woman standing on tiptoe. Even though they could only see her back, it was clear that the woman had perfect grace and control of her body. The woman stood in a place that resembled a dance studio. Her posture was straight, but she stood facing away from the mirror. Under the dim light, she was perfectly still.
“It’s Chen Yao…” Fatty said.
The appearance of the ghost caused Fatty’s mind to go blank. The image in the mirror showed the music classroom before it was modified. By then, the mirror had lost its normal uses. Instead, it became the medium to connect two different spaces and times.
The time outside the mirror was the present. The time inside the mirror was ten years ago.
As time passed, Fatty slowly picked up other details inside the mirror. There were more than one ‘people’ inside the mirror. Several shadows stood around. They worshipped Chen Yao, who stood in the middle.
Light poured out of the mirror. It was not strong. It was as weak as the light from a mini flashlight. Through this weak light, Fatty could see several people in guard uniforms and two students standing among the mass of shadows. His eyes slowly moved. From left to right, until he saw a man’s face.
The mini flashlight landed beside his feet.
Like the other victims, his eyes looked up strangely. Something above his head must have caught his attention right before he died. Clearly, he was not merely frightened to death. His death was brutal. Everyone in the mirror… had lost their jaws and tongues. Blood splattered before their chest, creating a bloody feast.
Even though this was not the first time he saw a dead body, having so many corpses appear in such a ritualistic manner still gripped Fatty in fear. He could barely breathe. As feelings returned to his feet, Fatty moved towards Jiang Cheng robotically. He felt safer around Jiang Cheng.
“Doctor!” Fatty was about to seek aid from Jiang Cheng when the latter rewarded him with a slap to the face. Jiang Cheng had such control of his force that right before the palm reached Fatty’s face, it moved to cover his mouth so that Fatty wouldn’t make any sound.
Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with fear. He had no idea what he did wrong.
Was he not supposed to go over to Jiang Cheng?
He realised Jiang Cheng’s eyes were wandering around the mirror. And… he noticed seriousness on Doctor’s face. This truly frightened Fatty. In his mind, Doctor was someone who would always handle the situation cavalierly. Sometimes, he’d make jokes about the ghosts or the victims.
Fatty immediately turned back to the mirror. Instantly, his face dropped.
The centre of the mirror… was empty.
Through Jiang Cheng’s expression, Fatty knew that even Jiang Cheng had no idea where Chen Yao had gone.
What was scarier than the ghost appearing? It was the ghost disappearing…
You’d have no idea where they might reappear next.
The strongest fear… came from the unknown.
The two turned at the same time because they heard a strange friction sound coming from behind them.
It sounded like a rope straining under the weight of its object.