Forbidden Land – CH 030

After Bai Qiu left, Zhang Chao remained alone in his dorm room, pondering her words.

He checked his phone; it was already 9:30. Zhu Xiaoyu should be back by now. Should he call her again?

If she was already back in her dorm, he’d definitely get a scolding, and asking for trouble wasn’t fun. What if Zhu Xiaoyu, in a fit of anger, anonymously posted on the school forum’s “Heart-to-Heart” section, accusing Zhang Chao, a perverted guy from the Life Sciences Department, of harassing beautiful girls from the Economics Department? That would be devastating.

But what if Zhu Xiaoyu was still in the School of Medicine? What if she ran into that crazy woman?

Thinking this way, Zhang Chao couldn’t help but worry about Zhu Xiaoyu. After all, she was Bai Qiu’s best friend, and the two used to be very close.

After thinking for a while, Zhang Chao finally decided to call Zhu Xiaoyu again. But when the call connected, the phone was switched off.

Zhang Chao hesitated, a bad feeling creeping over him.

What kind of premonition was this?

Could Zhu Xiaoyu become the next Li Weihao?

Bai Qiu seemed to have precognitive abilities; could it really be true?

A sudden urge struck him. Remembering Bai Qiu’s advice not to go alone but to bring Chen Rong, he called her.

The call connected. Zhang Chao said, “Chen Rong, Bai Qiu said Zhu Xiaoyu went to the School of Medicine. She cried and insisted I go find her. I called Zhu Xiaoyu half an hour ago, and she was indeed at the School of Medicine. I just called again, but her phone was off. Do you think I should go?”

Chen Rong, on the other end of the line, seemed surprised. She said, “Bai Qiu asked you to go find Zhu Xiaoyu?… Well, then go ahead. I’ll go with you later.”

Before Zhang Chao could even ask her to come, she agreed.

Zhang Chao said, “Okay, I’ll grab my bicycle right away and head towards Lantian.” He sensed a hint of anxiety in Chen Rong’s voice, so he quickly grabbed an empty backpack, stuffed in a flashlight and a stun gun, and hurried out of the dormitory. He grabbed his bicycle and rode to the entrance of Lantian School, where Chen Rong was already out.

Chen Rong looked anxious and said, “Quick, let’s go!”

Zhang Chao asked curiously, “Why the rush?”

Chen Rong replied, “I don’t know; I just feel something’s unusual.”

Zhang Chao said, “Okay, let’s hurry.”

The two rode their bikes at top speed, arriving at the School of Medicine building in less than five minutes. After parking their bikes, they ran into the library. It was already 10 o’clock, and there were only five or six people in the library; Zhu Xiaoyu was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Chao took out his phone and tried calling again, but it was still switched off. He seemed increasingly uneasy, pointing behind him, and said, “Do you think…could she be in the Teaching Building?”

Chen Rong looked up at the dark Teaching Building, thought for a moment, and said, “Let’s go up and check.”

Zhang Chao took a flashlight out of his bag and said, “Good, luckily I brought my gear.”

The two ran to the bottom of the Teaching Building. Just as they entered the stairwell, Zhang Chao shouted, “Zhu Xiaoyu, Zhu Xiaoyu!”

No one answered. Zhang Chao spread his hands and laughed, “I was afraid that by the time we’ve finished working, Zhu Xiaoyu would have already gone back to her dorm.”

“Wait,” Chen Rong tugged at his sleeve, “Listen.”

Zhang Chao immediately fell silent, only to hear “knock-knock knock-knock,” the same knocking sound every few seconds.

Zhang Chao frowned slightly and said, “It’s that madman again!” He took out a stun gun from his bag, and this time, Chen Rong didn’t stop him. Holding the gun in one hand and a lamp in the other, the two of them went up the stairs together.

The knocking didn’t stop even after they reached the fifth floor.

Zhang Chao hesitated for a moment, then said to Chen Rong, “How about we go to the south staircase first, then go up? That madman definitely won’t be able to escape now.”

Even he was startled when he said this. Going up the south staircase, if the madman was still there, they would only be five or six meters apart after turning a corner.

Some things were terrifying enough when you couldn’t see them clearly. But seeing them clearly was even more terrifying.

Unexpectedly, Chen Rong showed the courage to risk her life for him, saying, “Okay, let’s sneak to the south staircase first, then go up.”

“Ah!” Zhang Chao couldn’t help but admire her courage. “Sneak over there?”

Chen Rong said, “Of course, otherwise, wouldn’t we alert the madman?”

Zhang Chao hesitated, torn between alerting the woman and remaining silent. He desperately wanted to know what was going on with this madwoman, yet he also wished he’d never known. He was truly torn.

But seeing Chen Rong’s resolute expression, he mustered his courage and nodded, and the two quietly made their way down the fifth-floor corridor towards the south staircase.

The knocking from upstairs grew clearer, a monotonous rhythm echoing through the corridor, sending chills down their spines.

At the south staircase, just a few more steps, and they would be face-to-face with the woman in ancient costume. This time, even if she wanted to run, she could only run north towards the corridor; at least this time, he could clearly see her true face.

Thinking this, Zhang Chao felt both excited and, more than anything, terrified.

What if the woman in an ancient costume didn’t run away?

A chill ran down his spine.

It didn’t seem to be the thought itself that caused the chill; why did this inexplicable cold always creep in whenever they came here?

Zhang Chao took a deep breath, shining his flashlight up the stairs. The two slowly ascended, reaching the fifth and a half floor. Zhang Chao glanced at the ground; it was spotless. The worn-out cloth shoes from the floor above were gone; the cleaning lady must have thrown them away.

They turned the corner, shining their flashlight towards the sixth floor.

The knocking continued, seemingly unaffected by their light.

Just as they were about to climb the last few steps, the knocking suddenly stopped. They could faintly hear slow footsteps approaching from above.

The footsteps were incredibly slow, as if they were forever waiting for the next step.

They gasped, exchanging a glance. Chen Rong nodded firmly, but her hand clung tightly to Zhang Chao’s arm; after all, she was a girl, and fear was inevitable.

Zhang Chao gripped the flashlight and stun gun tightly, his mind racing, not daring to relax for a second.

Just two more steps forward, and then two more steps up to the sixth floor.

Just as he and Chen Rong were about to step onto those last few steps, they both stopped, their expressions changing drastically.

Because now they could clearly hear that the slow footsteps weren’t moving away from them but coming directly towards them.