Forbidden Land – CH 007

After Teacher Liu left, Zhang Chao knew that Li Weihao’s parents would be coming over in the afternoon, so he planned to go study with Bai Qiu until evening. He called Bai Qiu, but her phone was off. He then remembered that Bai Qiu had said her phone had been stolen yesterday.

So he dialed Zhu Xiaoyu’s number, Bai Qiu’s roommate. After she answered, he said, “Xiaoyu, is Bai Qiu there?”

“Bai Qiu?” Zhu Xiaoyu’s voice sounded somewhat unnatural.

Zhang Chao didn’t notice and simply said, “Yes, Bai Qiu said her phone was stolen yesterday, so I had to call you.”

Zhu Xiaoyu didn’t say anything.

Zhang Chao asked curiously, “Xiaoyu, what’s wrong?”

After a long pause, Zhu Xiaoyu said, “By the way, Zhang Chao, we’ve all heard about that. Are you alright?”

Zhang Chao smiled. “I’m fine. I’ve heard that dozens of times today. Hehe, thank you for your concern, Miss Zhu. Of course, I’m fine, being a man.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Zhu Xiaoyu added. “Bai Qiu isn’t here. I don’t know where she went.”

Zhang Chao responded with a slightly disappointed tone, said a few casual words, hung up the phone, and checked his computer again. The post about the girl in an ancient costume on campus that morning had been deleted, and all related content was nowhere to be found. Zhang Chao had no choice but to shut down his computer, pack his bag, and go to study alone.

He went to the School of Medicine library again. It was still midday, the sun was shining brightly, and despite yesterday’s events, the students and teachers on the street were still the same; life hadn’t changed. Those in class were in class, those studying were studying, and the rhythm remained the same.

After an afternoon of studying, he ate lunch and then studied until 11 PM. Only when the security guards started clearing people out and closing the library did he pack his bag and leave.

Outside, he looked up at the School of Medicine’s Teaching Building behind the library, and his mind drifted back to yesterday’s scene. Everything was fine; how could someone suddenly jump off the building and ‘commit suicide’?

He shook his head and walked towards the parking garage below the Teaching Building. The Teaching Building was as dark as ever, the lights already off; only the streetlights remained silently lit.

Before even entering the garage, Zhang Chao looked up, intending to glance at the window from which Li Weihao had jumped. He had barely glanced up when, to his astonishment, he discovered a person standing in the window.

Because it was a window, only the upper body was visible; long hair cascaded down her shoulders, her back was to the window, and she wore a white cloth shirt.

A woman in ancient costume!

Zhang Chao’s first thought was of the woman in ancient costume on campus mentioned in the post.

Then, the strange woman suddenly moved away from the window, and he could no longer see her from below.

Could this woman be related to the feet in yesterday’s surveillance footage?

Zhang Chao was a brave man, having watched too many horror movies, and was even less inclined to believe in such mystical things. Although he was only a little over 1.7 meters tall and rather thin, he was confident that even if he encountered a crazy woman, he could still run away. Determined to find out about those feet, seeing the woman leave the window, he didn’t hesitate and quickly ran up the north staircase of the Teaching Building.

He ran fast but deliberately kept his footsteps low, not wanting the woman to know. However, still somewhat afraid, he would slow down and look around each time he reached a corner before continuing.

In horror movies, the worst thing was running head-on and bumping into the person. Zhang Chao wanted to investigate the woman in an ancient costume, but he never wanted to have any close contact with her.

He didn’t see the woman in an ancient costume along the way. When he reached the sixth floor, he cautiously peeked out. The corridor was empty; not a soul in sight. He carefully looked around, but there was no one there.

He caught his breath, not only because he had run all the way to the sixth floor with his backpack, but mainly because of the unavoidable fear in his heart, which pounded wildly. Outside, the moonlight was silvery, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of his heartbeat. This feeling, this atmosphere, was like stepping into a desolate wilderness in the middle of the night—a sense of loneliness and helplessness welled up within him.

Zhang Chao pondered for a moment, then took a step forward, making only the slightest sound, and walked into the empty corridor. One side of the corridor had windows, and the other side had three large classrooms. The doors to these three classrooms were all iron security doors, tightly locked. Even the windows had burglar bars, with heavy curtains drawn, obscuring everything inside.

Just as he was about to reach the classroom at the very end, suddenly, a faint singing voice drifted over, seemingly a woman’s voice, indistinct and unclear.

Could this be the singing Li Weihao had mentioned yesterday?

His heart tightened.

But the singing only lasted for three to five seconds before disappearing. After that, there was complete silence; no more singing could be heard.

Just as he was filled with curiosity, suddenly, about 20 meters ahead at the other end of the corridor, a white figure moved past silently, like the wind, quickly turning a corner and descending the stairs.

Zhang Chao instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

A woman in ancient costume!