Forbidden Land – CH 037

The next day at noon, Zhang Chao found Chen Rong to have lunch together and told her about what he had found in the dormitory the night before.

Chen Rong looked surprised and asked, “The talisman and the paper figure, do you still have them?”

Zhang Chao replied, “They are in my bag. I came to you because I wanted you to take a look and see if these things can really cast a curse.” He took the talisman and the small paper figure made of gold paper out of his bag and placed them in front of Chen Rong.

Chen Rong picked them up and examined them carefully. “The idea of ​​casting curses does exist in our village, but whether it’s actually true, I’m not entirely sure. However, these three paper talismans don’t seem like they are a curse.”

“Oh?” Zhang Chao asked curiously, “What are they for?”

Chen Rong said, “They look like they were obtained from a temple, meant to protect people.”

Zhang Chao shook his head in disbelief. “That’s impossible. Who would be so kind as to go to a temple to get these for me? Even if they did, they wouldn’t secretly stick the talisman under my bed and hide the paper figure in an unused drawer. They should have told me directly. By the way, since this person could stick the talismans under my bed and hide the paper figure in my drawer, then he… he must have a key to my bedroom.”

Chen Rong said, “A key? Then why didn’t he steal your things?”

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Zhang Chao said, “Only a thief would steal my things. This person just wants to harm me.”

Chen Rong said, “Perhaps it really is something obtained from a temple. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

Zhang Chao shook his head. “Maybe what I’ve seen and heard at the School of Medicine lately is either that person’s doing, or there really is such a thing as a curse, causing me to hallucinate.”

Chen Rong shook her head incredulously. “I still think the curse theory is too unreliable. What era are we living in? If such curses worked, they would have been exposed long ago, and science would have studied them long ago.”

Zhang Chao said, “Some things science can’t explain. Anyway, one thing is certain: someone wants to harm me. Looking through my dorm room window at midnight, placing the small coffin and the cloth shoes in the library toilet—it’s probably all the same person. But seeing the woman in an ancient costume at the School of Medicine and hearing the woman singing opera, I really can’t understand what’s going on. Bai Qiu heard it and went crazy; Li Weihao heard it and jumped off a building. Next, could it be…me?”

The moment he uttered those words, even he was startled, his face turning pale.

Chen Rong quickly said, “Please don’t think like that. At worst, you just can’t go to the School of Medicine, okay?”

Zhang Chao sighed slowly, pondered for a moment, and said, “Someone else has my dorm key? That’s a real ticking time bomb!”

Chen Rong said, “Think about it, who else has your dorm key?”

Zhang Chao said, “Two classmates who changed majors before returned their dorm keys to the dorm manager a long time ago. After Li Weihao’s incident, his family settled all his belongings with the school. Besides me, only the dorm manager should have it. But the dorm manager is an uncle; he definitely wouldn’t do something so pointless.”

Chen Rong frowned slightly.

Zhang Chao continued, “I’m certain the dorm incident was done by someone, but based on what I’ve seen and heard at the School of Medicine, I really can’t imagine how someone could do it. Anyway, it’s daytime now. Let’s go to the School of Medicine and see what’s hidden in that room, shall we?”

Chen Rong thought for a moment, nodded, and said, “Alright, if you don’t figure out what’s in that room, I’m sure you’ll keep thinking about it.”

After finishing their meal, the two rode their bikes to the School of Medicine together. After parking their bikes, they went up to the Teaching Building.

It was broad daylight, and a few students were studying or conducting experiments inside the building. Cars, bicycles, and pedestrians passed by on the street below, but there wasn’t a trace of eeriness or horror. The lighting was bright, and the entire building was well-lit; the atmosphere was completely different during the day compared to at night.

Zhang Chao understood a principle: the key wasn’t day or night, but simply the number of people. When there were many people, there was a natural “human touch,” and as long as the surrounding “human touch” was strong, all the darkness and terror would dissipate.

The two went straight to the sixth floor. There were no classrooms, only three storage rooms. In the daytime, these three rooms looked perfectly normal. The only difference was that the other two rooms had ordinary iron security doors, while the third security door was wider and heavier and locked with an iron chain.

Chen Rong smiled: “With the door closed, we can’t see what’s inside. But it doesn’t seem like anything special, does it?”

Zhang Chao nodded, pacing back and forth in the sixth-floor corridor. These three rooms were perfectly normal; the sounds of knocking and women singing opera were unimaginable by today’s standards.

Just then, a girl came up the north staircase. Chen Rong greeted her, “Su Jingjing, you’re here?”

The girl named Su Jingjing smiled and went to greet Chen Rong, glancing at Zhang Chao beside her. “Chen Rong, what are you doing here? Is this your boyfriend?”

Chen Rong smiled, not denying it. Zhang Chao smiled awkwardly at Su Jingjing.

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Chen Rong introduced them: “This is Su Jingjing, my high school classmate. We both got into Zhejiang University. She’s in the School of Medicine, graduating last year. This is Zhang Chao, my friend.”

Su Jingjing smiled and nodded to Zhang Chao.

Chen Rong said, “I heard you stayed on to work at the university?”

Su Jingjing confirmed it. “Yes, I manage cadaver specimens and such at the School of Medicine for student experiments.”

Zhang Chao immediately became excited and couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Su, do you manage these storage rooms?”

“Senior?” Su Jingjing was somewhat surprised and said, “You’re younger than Chen Rong?” She clearly hadn’t expected Chen Rong’s “boyfriend” to be younger than her.

Chen Rong pulled Su Jingjing aside, and the two chatted for a few moments with smiles.

Zhang Chao thought to himself, “Could she really be saying I’m her boyfriend?” But it didn’t matter; others would only be envious of him having a PhD student as a girlfriend.

After a few more laughs, Su Jingjing said, “You asked if I manage these storage rooms; would you like to go in and take a look?”

Zhang Chao quickly replied, “Of course!”

Chen Rong smiled and said, “Is it convenient for you? He’s never been to the School of Medicine before, and he’s never seen a cadaver before, so he’d like to take a look.”

Su Jingjing smiled mischievously and said, “Of course, taking a look is fine, but you aren’t a medical student, hehe. Have you eaten yet?”

Zhang Chao honestly replied, “I’ve already eaten. Senior Sister wanted me to broaden my horizons, so we’ll treat her to dinner tonight.”

Su Jingjing shook her head with a smile, “No need for dinner. I asked if you’d eaten so you could be mentally prepared and not throw up later. I don’t want to clean up the storage room if you make a mess.”

Zhang Chao boasted, saying, “Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I have a very strong mentality. I just want to see just how terrifying School of Medicine human experimentation really is, haha.”

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Su Jingjing smiled and said, “Alright, since you’re so curious, I’ll grant your wish for Chen Rong’s sake.”