After the beam of the flashlight swept over, the dark ghostly figure suddenly accelerated, moving along the corridor toward the four of them.
"Not good! It's spotted us!"
At the same time, Song Ze let out a startled cry. Before anyone else could react, he dashed quickly toward the entrance. But just then, the glass doors on both sides of the hall slid shut slowly, as if driven by an invisible force.
"No way... we can't get out! Upstairs!"
Pan Long bellowed, his burly frame bursting with explosive power as he charged up the stairs, taking the lead. The complex was a square-shaped building, so even though the flashlight ghost had found them, it couldn't close in immediately. Of course, these people also had various tools to deal with ghosts, but since the mission was just starting, it was best to conserve those resources if possible.
Pan Long led the way, bounding up to the second floor in a few strides, but still feeling unsafe, he kept climbing. After ascending dozens of steps, he finally stopped on the fifth floor. He didn't go higher because above were only the sixth floor and the rooftop, both sealed off with iron grilles. If the ghost trapped them up there, they'd have no one to call for help.
"Don't stand in the hallway! Hide first!"
Because of the square layout, standing on one side meant you could easily see the corridor on the opposite side. Without finding a place to conceal themselves, they'd still be easy to spot.
Pan Long's eyes swept around and spotted several classrooms nearby. Though this building was called a complex, aside from the administrative areas on the first and second floors, the upper levels were still teaching zones with many multi-purpose rooms. After a brief thought, he chose a classroom close to the stairwell and slipped inside. Song Ze, Zhou Chuhan, and Zheng Zihao quickly followed, locking the door behind them.
In the pitch-black classroom, the group barely dared to breathe. Before long, they heard a series of pattering footsteps from the stairwell next door. The sound grew louder, clearly heading toward their classroom.
Then, a beam of white flashlight light flickered past the small window on the front door.
Zheng Zihao's nerves were stretched to the breaking point. Unlike Pan Long and Song Ze, he was only a semi-novice who had been through just one horror story. His arsenal consisted of a pitiful few ghost-repelling talismans. If a ghost attacked and his life hung in the balance, he didn't think these teammates would waste precious lifesaving items to save him.
Please, don't let it find us!
The moment he thought this, he noticed that, somehow, a pale human face had appeared at the small window of the back door, peering into the classroom through the narrow opening.
In that instant, a wave of terror surged through him, making every hair on his body stand on end!
Many people might recall a school-age nightmare: while slacking off between classes, turning around to see the homeroom teacher's spying face through that back-door window. It was a childhood horror for countless students.
But now, the face at that back-door window was a hundred times more terrifying than any teacher from those days.
Because it was a ghost's face!
Overwhelmed by shock, Zheng Zihao nearly screamed, but in that split second, a large hand clamped over his mouth like lightning, shoving him down under a desk!
That hand, of course, belonged to Pan Long. His face was taut with veins bulging, seething with anger. If he'd let that scream out, the consequences would have been unthinkable!
Fortunately, the ghostly face at the back-door window seemed not to notice anything unusual. After a moment, it vanished from the window, and the flashlight beam shifted elsewhere.
*Smack!* A slap landed on Zheng Zihao's face. "You idiot! Trying to get us all killed?!"
Zheng Zihao gasped, clutching his stinging right cheek. Growing up, he'd been sheltered by his business-owning parents and praised by teachers, respected as a top student among his peers. But in this eerie radio station, everything he'd prided himself on meant nothing, completely shattering his worldview and outlook on life.
Still, he had no retort. After all, if Pan Long hadn't acted quickly to stop his scream, the four of them would have been discovered by that flashlight-wielding ghost, and survival would have been far from certain.
"Forget it, Long Ge. Zihao's only been in the station a short while."
To Zheng Zihao's surprise, it was Zhou Chuhan who spoke up for him this time. Though his mental fortitude was weak, he wasn't stupid. He knew he had to rely on these more experienced participants to have any hope of surviving. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his head and muttered an apology.
"Don't say sorry. Next time, you won't even have the chance to apologize!"
"Yes, Pan Long Ge."
Sensing the ghost had truly left, Pan Long finally relaxed, wiping sweat from his brow as he stared at the back window, frowning in thought.
What exactly was that flashlight-patroting ghost?
Unfortunately, the sudden encounter had thrown them into panic, and they'd all fled without getting a clear look at the ghost's appearance. Pan Long silently cursed his own lack of foresight. In supernatural missions, blindly hiding and running often didn't solve problems; instead, one needed courage and careful observation to identify the ghost's identity and deal with it specifically.
Compared to Pan Long, Song Ze and Zheng Zihao weren't thinking that far ahead. Zheng Zihao, especially, was still recovering from the immense fear, feeling somewhat drained. None of them immediately suggested returning to the first-floor hall. Instead, they sat together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
I'm so unlucky. To run into such a high-mortality team mission on only my second horror story. And I have to survive at least eight more—eight whole times! How could I possibly make it?
Maybe because the silence was too oppressive, after a while, Zheng Zihao couldn't help but let his mind wander into dark thoughts. It wasn't entirely his fault for being weak-willed; the contrast between his past life and this terrifying radio station was too stark. In just a month or two, he'd endured two horror stories, one of which was a special team mission. His psyche was truly buckling under the strain.
Will I... die in this mission?
That chilling thought made him fidget restlessly, but he didn't notice that, in the dark desk hole he was leaning against, a white object had appeared, slowly creeping outward.
It was a hand—a ghostly hand emerging from the desk hole. Then, a pale, bluish face revealed itself from within the darkness.
A ghost hand and a ghost face slowly extended from the desk hole, yet Zheng Zihao, with his back to the desk, remained completely unaware!
--- PS, second chapter delivered, a bit earlier than expected.