The hand from the desk drawer slowly extended toward Zheng Zihao, reaching for his waist...
Just then, perhaps due to a sudden intuition or an unconscious act, Zheng Zihao inexplicably reached into his pocket, as if wanting to confirm whether he had lost the precious item during the frantic escape moments ago.
Immediately after, his expression shifted dramatically, and his entire body froze stiff.
Why did his touch land on something ice-cold, like the hand of some creature, reaching into his pocket.
In the pitch-black classroom, where did this hand come from?
In an instant, Zheng Zihao felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, too afraid to look down, terrified that if he did, he would see a ghastly pale ghost face!
How could this be... how could a ghost emerge from the desk drawer!
What did this ghost want? Was it planning to kill him without anyone noticing?
What should he do... what could he do...
That icy hand remained still at his waist. Zheng Zihao's body was rigid, cold sweat soaking his back, while Pan Long, Song Ze, and the others beside him seemed completely unaware, still chatting idly.
Look at me...
Look over here!
There's a ghost here!
Zheng Zihao's heart screamed in despair, wild thoughts surging in his mind. He wanted to roar recklessly and dash out of the classroom without a care, but he couldn't do that. The ghostly hand was only coiled around his waist, seemingly not yet triggering the final killing intent. He was terrified, terrified that if he made a sound, he would be torn apart by the vengeful ghost emerging from the desk drawer!
He had seen such a scene before. In the first mission, right before his eyes, a participant who had been alive just minutes ago was brutally dismembered by a vengeful ghost, a gruesome sight.
Pan Long! Song Ze! Aren't you both veterans! Why can't you see! Use your items to save me!
In his pocket, he still carried a few ghost-repelling talismans, but in this team mission, low-level talismans had very limited effectiveness, so he dared not try them lightly.
A few dozen seconds felt like an eternity to Zheng Zihao. Sweat, unnoticed, soaked his clothes. Extreme fear numbed his senses.
Finally, Zhou Chuhan, who had been discussing something with Pan Long, seemed to notice something. He turned to look at Zheng Zihao, then showed a slightly surprised expression.
"Zheng Zihao, what's wrong with you? Why is your face so pale?"
You...
Zheng Zihao's expression stiffened. He had expected the other to immediately spot the ghost from the desk drawer, but Zhou Chuhan's reaction suggested he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
At Zhou Chuhan's words, Pan Long also turned around, equally surprised. "Zheng Zihao, what are you up to now?"
What am I up to! You ask what I'm up to! There's a ghost on me!
Zheng Zihao's heart nearly roared. Could none of these people see the ghost clinging to him!
If that were the case, it was truly terrifying!
His mind couldn't stop racing with wild thoughts. Yes, he had heard in the horror story group and from other participants during missions that some invisible ghosts couldn't be seen with ordinary methods. So...
At that moment, Zheng Zihao finally broke. He couldn't bear the immense pressure anymore. Realizing he couldn't get help from the other participants, he had no choice but to make a desperate gamble.
The stake was his own life!
"What am I up to! There's a ghost on me! Can't you see it!"
With that, Zheng Zihao abruptly stood up and, as fast as he could, pulled the ghost-repelling talisman from his pocket!
The talisman didn't ignite. Zhou Chuhan and Song Ze stared at Zheng Zihao in bewilderment, as if looking at someone mentally unstable.
Finally, even Pan Long couldn't hold back. "What are you doing?"
"I... I..." Zheng Zihao was utterly distraught. He didn't understand why the ghost-repelling talisman, which had a keen sensitivity to spirits, hadn't burned.
He looked down at his waist, but there was no ghostly hand or face.
Yet, the icy touch and the spine-chilling sensation from before were absolutely real!
"Wait... just now! There really was a ghost crawling out of the desk drawer...!"
"Zheng Zihao, are you too nervous?" Song Ze eyed him suspiciously, while Pan Long cautiously leaned over to peer into the desk drawer.
There was nothing inside, of course...
"Strange..."
Pan Long didn't think Zheng Zihao was making things up; there was no need for that, and he didn't believe Zheng Zihao was so tense he couldn't tell reality from illusion.
For Zheng Zihao to be that panicked, it was very likely that a ghost had indeed crawled out of the desk drawer and onto him, but for some unknown reason, it hadn't killed him and had instead vanished eerily.
Flashlight ghost, desk drawer ghost...
In this eerie campus, at least two ghosts, or two types of ghosts, were now known to exist. As for whether there were other types, Pan Long thought it was highly possible!
The flashlight ghost, of unknown identity, patrolled between teaching buildings. Once spotted, as long as one avoided its flashlight beam for a certain time, it could be evaded. It seemed easy to deal with. But the desk drawer ghost...
Did this ghost fear being seen? Would it disappear if someone saw it?
This mission seemed simple—just leave school after class—but in reality, it was very complex, filled with elusive strangeness.
"Could it be that this invisible ghost has possessed Zheng Zihao..."
"No." Song Ze was cut off by Zhou Chuhan, who pulled out a silver object and wiped it over his eyelids. "There's no ghost possessing Zheng Zihao. I'm sure of it."
That slender silver leaf was also a ghost-detecting auxiliary item, similar to ox-eye tears. But unlike the limited-use ox-eye tears, this silver leaf was clearly a reusable item.
It was one of the items Zhou Chuhan had brought into this team mission.
Hearing Zhou Chuhan confirm that Zheng Zihao wasn't possessed, Pan Long and Song Ze breathed a sigh of relief. Though the situation was suspicious, one thing was certain: they had to leave this haunted classroom immediately!
Gently opening the classroom door a crack, confirming no flashlight ghost was outside, the group crept out. Zheng Zihao, at the back, seemed to remember something. His expression tightened slightly, and he reached into his pocket again.
Earlier, he had suddenly felt a premonition and wanted to check his student card, but the icy touch of the desk drawer ghost had scared him so much he almost forgot. Now, he recalled it.
But when he reached into his pocket to pull out the student card, he froze abruptly.
The pocket was empty.
His student card had vanished without a trace!
-- PS: Let me explain. I'm busy this month, so I'll temporarily alternate updates: odd-numbered days get one chapter, even-numbered days get two. You won't blame me, right?