They had finally found this mysterious principal's office.
Chen Mo walked up to the black door and was about to push it open when another hand reached out from beside him and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.
He turned his head and saw that it was Chen Mingyuan's ghost, or rather, a phantom. After the knocking, a voice came from behind the door: "Come in."
Chen Mo pushed the door open, and Chen Mingyuan's phantom followed him into the principal's office. Inside, rows of gleaming golden plaques hung on the walls, displaying the countless honors the school had earned. In the center was a large desk, behind which a man was hunched over working. When he saw Chen Mingyuan enter, he looked up, adjusted his glasses with his hand, and said, "It's you."
Chen Mingyuan's phantom was about to speak, but the old man raised his hand to stop him: "Your matter, the school is already aware of it. It's a pity, and it pains us, but you know this is a critical time for the school. The school's reputation and future rest on your shoulders, Teacher Chen. We understand your feelings, but you must also consider the school."
"If the police launch a full-scale investigation now, even pointing fingers at the students who are working hard, think about how much turmoil that would cause! Even if nothing unusual is found, a major violent incident on campus would inevitably have a huge impact on the school's reputation and severely disrupt the students' studies and lives. You can't bear that consequence, and neither can the school."
With that, the principal paused. "Teacher Chen, to be honest, after the incident, we conducted a thorough internal investigation right away. The death of the female student surnamed Chen was indeed an accident. Teacher Chen, we all know you're a responsible teacher, but in this matter, the school has made its final decision. Please, don't pursue it any further. Focus on your own work."
"Of course, we've fully considered your situation. You've worked at this school for many years and made many contributions, so the school has decided that after this matter is settled, we'll adjust your position to let you play a role in a more suitable role."
"Teacher Chen, the hopes of so many children rest on you. You can't let them down."
But Chen Jingyue, she was my hope too...
The voice that echoed in his mind felt like Chen Mingyuan's own inner thoughts. Chen Mo couldn't tell whether the school truly regarded Chen Jingyue's death as an accident or was deliberately covering up the truth to control the situation and avoid negative repercussions. In any case, after a heated argument, Chen Mingyuan seemed to choose compromise.
Inside the principal's office, the old man's figure gradually faded, leaving only Chen Mingyuan's ghost, utterly lost and at a loss.
He wanted to hold the school accountable for its management, but in the end, he chose to compromise. He stuck to his duties, hoping to achieve results and gain recognition.
But everything went against his hopes.
He wanted to make amends to his wife and daughter, but it led to Chen Jingyue's death. He chose to compromise with the school, clinging to his last straw, hoping for recognition at work, but in the end, the series of events in Class 3, Grade 3 shattered his hopes.
His life could be described as a string of failures. When he finally learned the truth about the murderer from Xu Meiqian, he lost his last shred of sanity.
In the end, Chen Mingyuan chose suicide, his heart surely filled with endless resentment. He might have resented the unfairness of fate—working diligently, giving his all, yet gaining nothing, even losing his wife and daughter. He might have resented the school for pressuring him to compromise to protect its reputation, which delayed the discovery of Xu Meiqian as the true culprit and prevented the subsequent chain of events.
He might even have resented the students he had poured his heart into. He had devoted himself to achieving results at work, but they let down his efforts and hard work, leaving him with nothing in the end!
Ask yourself, who could endure blow after blow like that?
This resentment formed a powerful grudge, turning him into an inescapable vengeful spirit in the story. At the same time, this grudge even became a curse, dragging the entire Class 3, Grade 3 into an alternate space, turning them into a "ghost class"!
These ghost students were then trapped forever in the classroom of Class 3, Grade 3, becoming a ghost school story on the radio!
"Chen Mingyuan's ghost... no, I should say, the resentment of that man, is truly terrifying."
Dai Minghan reached out to touch the long office desk while sneaking a glance at Chen Mo. He noticed that the unfamiliar face on him had disappeared and quickly said, "Hurry up and get the key to leave this school. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling."
Even though they had uncovered the background story of this mission, Chen Mingyuan's powerful resentment hadn't dissipated. As time passed and the story progressed, the final restrictions on the ghosts were gradually lifting.
"Found it, it's here."
Lin Tianheng called out, fiddling with his fingers a few times before quickly locating the hidden compartment. Then, one by one, they entered the password numbers from the sign-in machine. With a soft click, a small wooden box popped out from the desk drawer, and a black key lay quietly inside.
Lin Tianheng was about to reach for it when Chen Mo stopped him. Dai Minghan lit a spirit-detecting match and brought it close to the small box. The flame showed no reaction, indicating no supernatural influence, so he took the key out of the box.
As his fingers touched the key, a prompt suddenly rang in Dai Minghan's mind. "That's right, this is the spare key that can open the gate."
Lin Tianheng's face lit up with joy. "So, does that mean this mission is complete?"
"Wait..."
Dai Minghan's expression shifted again. "There's another prompt... Damn it!"
When the participant obtains the key, this mission will lift all restrictions on the ghosts.
The prompt in his mind was exactly that sentence!
"When the participant obtains the key, this mission will lift all restrictions on the ghosts?" Chen Mo repeated the words, and seeing Lin Tianheng about to pull the door open and rush out, he quickly called out, "What are you doing?"
"Getting out of this ghost school as fast as possible! Now that we have the key and the ghosts' restrictions are lifted, since we have to fight anyway, let's just go all out! With Brother Minghan's ghost hand, and Brother Su and Brother Mo here, we can just fight our way out!"
"Who's your brother?" Su Mu rarely rolled her eyes, but she quickly wiped the smile off her face and grew solemn.
"From now until the mission ends, all of us will face the most dangerous stretch of this mission. Since we've been through so many missions, I believe most of us carry some special items to repel ghosts. But in a team mission, the ghosts we face will be extremely powerful, even inescapable spirits. Against such ghosts, the effectiveness of exorcism items will be greatly reduced. Don't let your guard down."
"This mission is a high-difficulty team-level mission. Since I brought you all into it, as the host of the seventh program group, I will do my utmost to lead you out of this supernatural world."
"If everyone is ready, then now... let's begin...!"
--- PS, here's the first update. Thanks to the book friends for their support, and congratulations to Future-chan for becoming the sect leader of this book. Let me start with a round of applause!