Forbidden Land – CH 121

Zhang Chao arrived at the School of Medicine as quickly as possible, parked his bike, and stood once again in front of the building he hadn’t visited in a long time.

It was May 10th, the sixth day of the fourth lunar month. The moon was barely visible in the sky, making the light even dimmer.

Every time he came here, he felt a chill in the air, and this time was no exception.

He looked up at the rows of deserted glass windows above; no one was standing there.

Zhang Chao took a deep breath. Remembering that Chen Rong was always by his side, his fear lessened somewhat. Now that Chen Rong was gone, he felt a deep sense of loss and oppression.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the south side of the Teaching Building, took a step, and went straight up the stairs.

Could ghosts, jiangshis, or mountain demons really exist?

Even if they did, these things were frightening. As long as you had courage, there was nothing to be afraid of!

Thinking this way, his fear of the unknown lessened somewhat.

Upon reaching the second floor, he listened intently but heard neither knocking nor opera singing.

He continued upwards, walking slowly.

He had forgotten his flashlight, and the moonlight was dim. In the quiet school building, he deliberately made his footsteps very light.

He reached the fifth floor without hearing any unusual sounds.

He paused for a moment, then decided to continue to the sixth floor. He reached the bottom of the stairs and took another step.

“Tap…” “Tap…”

He only took one step before stopping.

Wait a minute, something was wrong!

Why were there two footsteps?

The first one was his own footstep.

Then whose was the second one?

A sudden chill ran through him. He didn’t dare turn around immediately, but instead slowly scanned his side out of the corner of his eye.

No one there? Had he misheard?

Zhang Chao hesitated for a moment, then took another step.

“Tap…” “Tap…”

A suffocating feeling gripped his entire body.

This, this, this couldn’t be a mistake.

There really was someone behind him!

Zhang Chao whirled around, and a pale face met his gaze just a meter away!

“Ahh!” he cried out involuntarily, then stumbled back a few steps, sitting down on the stairs, his voice trembling. “How… how is it you again!”

It was that girl in black again, dressed entirely in black, and this time her face was clearly covered in thick white powder, looking exactly like a corpse.

The girl in black stared coldly at him and said, “That’s what I should be asking you! Why is it you again?”

Zhang Chao knew she was human. He gasped for breath, trying to calm himself, and said, “You…you’re from the Qiushi Society!”

The girl in black narrowed her eyes and said coldly, “You took my notebook. What else do you know? Speak!” Her shout was aggressive and intimidating, echoing throughout the Teaching Building.

Zhang Chao, now isolated and helpless, had long lost the audacity he once displayed in forcibly seizing the notebook. Looking at her, he stammered, “You…you want to capture the woman in ancient costume.”

The girl in black said, “How much else do you know about the Quishi Society?”

Zhang Chao hurriedly replied, “I…I only know what’s in the notebook.”

The girl in black stared into his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and said, “Your eyes tell me you’re lying. What else do you know?”

Zhang Chao was at a loss for words, saying, “Your…the school song has…it has another interpretation. You…you are good people.”

The girl in black pursed her lips and said, “The notebook mentions the school song, but it isn’t detailed at all. How did you know the interpretation of the school song?”

Zhang Chao stammered, “I…a friend of mine knows…knows a senior member of your society; he…he told me.”

The girl in black snapped, “Your friend isn’t a member of the Quishi Society?”

Zhang Chao nodded. “No, he just knows a senior member of the Quishi Society. They lived together in the cowshed in the 1960s, and he heard…heard it.”

The girl in black said, “Then, do you, or he, know what we do?”

Zhang Chao said, “You…you study feng shui and metaphysics, but…you also secretly protect the school’s interests.”

The girl in black continued coldly, “Did he mention the School of Medicine?”

Zhang Chao honestly answered, “Yes, yes, the School of Medicine…there’s something dirty here.”

The girl in black snorted coldly, “Then you must know what’s in the third classroom upstairs!”

Zhang Chao stammered, “Back then…back then, a mummified corpse was dug up and put in there.”

The girl in black shook her head, saying, “It seems you still won’t tell the truth.” She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a gleaming knife, pointing it at Zhang Chao, saying, “If you won’t tell the truth, then I won’t be polite to you.”

When Zhang Chao saw her pull out a knife, as an ordinary person, he had never actually seen someone point a knife at him in real life. He panicked immediately, then thought it was just a bluff; who would dare to openly kill someone? Feigning courage, he said, “Don’t try to scare me. I’ve seen this kind of thing countless times. Using a knife to kill? Hmph, do you think the police are useless?”

The girl in black shook her head with a cold laugh, saying, “You are too naive. Don’t use a student’s mindset to judge people in society. Let me tell you the truth: I’m not a student here at all.” Saying this, she held the knife directly to his face.

A gleaming knife was pointed at him. If this were a TV show, you’d probably think a knife was nothing. But in real life, if someone pointed a knife at you, wouldn’t you be afraid?

Zhang Chao looked at her with conflicted eyes, unsure if she would act impulsively. His mind raced, and he gritted his teeth. He thought that if he grabbed this woman’s hand, she definitely wouldn’t be able to resist. This was a corner of the stairs, out of the camera’s view, but if he pulled her into the hallway, the image of her holding a knife would be captured on camera, and then he could definitely call the police to arrest her.

Thinking this, he hardened his heart, reached out his right hand, grabbed her wrist, stood up, and was about to push her off the stairs. Unexpectedly, the woman in black punched him in the face with her other hand, then broke free and kicked him. Although Zhang Chao was standing on a higher step, the woman’s leg actually hit him directly in the head.

The kick sent him sprawling back down the stairs, his head feeling a little dizzy.

A professional would have immediately recognized that this girl had practiced some kind of free-fighting and that several men wouldn’t stand a chance against her in a fight. Unfortunately, Zhang Chao hadn’t considered this, much less that someone with such skill could take him down in a single move, someone he’d previously robbed of a notebook.

Zhang Chao was dizzy from her kick and felt a throbbing pain from her punch to the face. He only thought that this woman was truly formidable when she went berserk, and now that she was armed, he dared not resist.

The girl continued, “Tell me, besides the mummies, what else do you know about that classroom upstairs?”

Zhang Chao stammered, “The woman singing opera.”

The girl snorted, “Don’t give me that nonsense. I’m asking you, do you know what’s in that classroom?”

Zhang Chao said, “No…nothing but mummies? What else could it be?”

The girl stared at him coldly for a long time without speaking.

Just then, another voice suddenly rang out. “Xiao Wang, forget it. I think he’s just an ordinary student. He’s probably only following you by chance; he really doesn’t know anything.”

A man walked out of the fifth-floor corridor. He wasn’t tall, but he had regular features and was quite handsome. He looked to be under thirty, a rather charismatic man. However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that he was also dressed entirely in black, and his face was covered in a thick layer of white powder.