After saying this, Jiang Rou didn't even glance at the others. She led the members of Group Nine straight toward the corridor.
"What are those women up to?" Lin Tianheng shot a dissatisfied look at their retreating figures. "Brother Mo, what should we do?"
After all, in the last mission, Chen Mo's judgment had played a decisive role in completing the task, which had unconsciously fostered a sense of trust in him from Lin Tianheng and Dai Minghan.
"Going separate ways isn't necessarily a bad thing for us," Chen Mo said after a moment of thought. "In fact, I think we should put even more distance between ourselves and Group Nine."
"Why?" Lin Tianheng scratched his head, a look of surprise on his face. Chen Mo turned and saw Su Mu nodding slightly at him, as if she had arrived at the same conclusion.
"We're still too close to the first floor. Let's talk as we walk!"
That participant from Group Nine had encountered the flashlight ghost right after completing the check-in task. Although they had all run into that ghost earlier when leaving the classroom, and it hadn't posed much of a threat then, this time...
This time, things seemed different.
Using the student card to check in at the red machine was indeed a crucial step to get the hint, but don't forget another point: in paranormal missions, clues and deadly threats often arrive simultaneously.
While the story offers a hint, the danger closes in just as fast!
So he had reason to believe that the girl named Xing Yina was now facing immense danger, and that danger would also descend on Group Nine!
Su Mu might have realized this earlier, which was why she stopped Lin Tianheng from trying and let that girl from Group Nine become the test subject. As for whether this judgment was correct, they'd have to wait and see how things unfolded.
--
"Pant, pant, pant."
Tan Shuyue leaned against the railing, gasping for air. "Sister Jiang Rou, I really can't run anymore. That ghost doesn't seem to be chasing us. Let's take a break."
"You, I always tell you to exercise more. Now you see the consequences, don't you?" Jiang Rou's face showed a mix of worry and helplessness.
"Hehe, isn't Sister Jiang Rou here for me?"
"Alright, don't just stand here. Let's hide in a classroom first." At that moment, Xing Yina, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke up. From the start, she had felt a sense of unease and a racing heart, as if a pair of cold, malicious eyes had been watching her from the shadows!
This feeling made her restless, and she could only mask it slightly by pushing open the door.
This single-structure building had long rows of classrooms on both sides of the corridor. The side near the stairwell had classroom doors, while the other side had glass windows. Xing Yina stepped into the pitch-black classroom and looked out, catching sight of a crescent moon in the sky and the bare flagpole on the playground.
The group entered the classroom, closed the door, and each found a seat. Xing Yina, being meticulous, even carefully checked the desk compartments.
Of course, nothing unusual happened.
"Alright, we're safe now. Xing Yina, can you share the clue you got earlier?" Tan Shuyue asked curiously.
"Yes, I did get an important hint..."
"So that's it. It seems each group of four members, using their own student cards, will each get a password number from the check-in machine. By entering these four password numbers in the correct order into the principal's office desk, you can get the spare key to the school gate."
"That was close. So entering the principal's office requires a student card that's been checked in. Sister Jiang Rou, if we had gone straight to the principal's office, we might have run into danger." Tan Shuyue stuck out her tongue.
"But..." Xing Yina frowned. Even though they were hiding in the classroom, that feeling of being watched persisted.
No, it was... even stronger!
It was as if something was rapidly approaching her!
Xing Yina's face changed color, and she was about to speak when Jiang Rou let out a soft "shh" and made a gesture for everyone to be quiet.
Just then, a dim beam of flashlight light swept across the corridor.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat.
That ghost with the flashlight had appeared again!
How could...
In Xing Yina's perception, the bone-chilling aura had become overwhelmingly intense. At that moment, she also saw a pale, ghastly face appear at the small window of the classroom's back door.
In that instant, Tan Shuyue and Xing Yina, both girls, were nearly scared to death by the ghostly face. Even Liu Yuan was badly shaken. But what was even more terrifying was that, along with the ghostly face, the locked door handle began to rattle and shake, as if a hand was twisting it from outside.
No... not good...
Xing Yina bit her lip, her face drained of all color. She had already sensed the source of that cold feeling and malicious stare—yes, it was from "that thing," the flashlight ghost outside the door.
That ghost had come for her.
"What do we do, Sister Jiang Rou? What do we do..." Tan Shuyue, the most timid, was hiding under a desk, trembling with fear as she whispered. Neither she nor Xing Yina had any decent items on them.
"Don't panic. Didn't we all prepare invisibility talismans?"
Reminded by Jiang Rou, Tan Shuyue remembered. Before this paranormal mission, they had all exchanged for some invisibility talismans. However, this type of talisman-based invisibility item required that you not be exposed to the ghost's line of sight. In other words, you couldn't just vanish right in front of the ghost.
That flashlight ghost had chased them here, probably by tracking their presence. Before it fully entered, they might be able to use the invisibility talismans to block its perception.
With that thought, everyone quickly found hiding spots and stuck the talismans on themselves. At the same time, a soft click sounded as the back door handle, which had been rattling for a while, finally turned.
Rustle, rustle, rustle. A faint sound of footsteps reached their ears. Then, a beam of flashlight light shone into the dark classroom. The dim yellow glow brought no warmth, only a bone-chilling terror.
Tan Shuyue hid under the desk as the yellow light moved across the room, shining directly onto the desk she was under. She herself was concealed in the shadow below.
Even though she knew the invisibility talisman could block the ghost's perception of living people, she still trembled uncontrollably.
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PS, second chapter delivered. Wishing everyone a happy weekend. Please support the author. Thanks to Jiang, Yi Shi Qing Ge Chang An, and the book friend for their tips. Thank you.