Li Ang kept his composure. He casually pulled ordinary sunglasses and the almond-colored eyeballs that could see through illusions from his pocket. As he donned the sunglasses, he deftly pressed the eyeballs into his eye sockets.
The moment he bent his knees and leaned forward, he silently thought 'Accept' and began to sprint down the corridor.
From inside the classroom, Wang Congshan hurried out, shouting, "Hey! Where are you going? Class is about to start."
"Nature calls!" Li Ang didn't even turn his head.
The task description didn't specify a particular time limit, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The task was to 'Slay the possessing wraith within the Experimental High School.' In other words, if the possessing wraith left the confines of the Experimental High School, would that be considered mission failure?
Or rather, once the possessing wraith left the grounds of the Experimental High School, it might bring about consequences as dire as mission failure...
Behind his sunglasses, the almond-colored eyeballs swept across rows of classroom windows, quickly scanning each person.
Nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye.
Li Ang reached the ground floor, where quite a few people were leaning against the railings in the side corridor.
He took a deep breath and, with a full-bodied voice, shouted at the entire building, "I am Zhang Wuji, Lord of Ming Jue! If my fellow Martial World companions upstairs trust me, then leap down, and I'll catch you using Qiankun Movement!"
Regrettably, in an age where trust between individuals runs thin, no one jumped down. Instead, many people poked their heads over the railings, their mocking laughter directed downwards.
No one was found.
Li Ang calmly withdrew his gaze. This was normal, after all. Experimental High School had nearly 2,000 students, 150 teaching staff, and covered an area of 40,000 square meters. It boasted teaching buildings, a comprehensive building, a science and technology building, a cafeteria, dormitories, and all necessary amenities.
Even with the help of the unusual eyeballs, searching one by one was still too inefficient.
After a moment of thought, Li Ang dashed toward the school's astronomical observatory.
The rooftop of the observatory was the highest point of the school, allowing a bird's-eye view of the entire campus. Li Ang stood at the edge of the rooftop, pulling out a pocket telescope with a magnification of more than 12x.
Surveying the campus, everything looked normal except for one thing: a mottled blur near the entrance to the underground parking lot, slowly moving towards it.
Found you.
Li Ang put down the telescope.
「————」
Footsteps echoed in the deserted underground parking lot as "Shi Qingsong" walked slowly.
His pace was sluggish. He tiptoed like a ballet dancer, shuffling forward awkwardly.
The rubber soles of his sneakers made a grating squeak against the glossy sealed concrete floor, reverberating through the parking lot.
He took out his car keys and pressed the fob button repeatedly, aiming it around.
He didn't know which car belonged to Shi Qingsong, but the car keys did.
BEEP. BEEP.
A silver sedan responded, its headlights flashing twice.
"Shi Qingsong" cracked a smile, the exaggerated grin looking somewhat eerie under the dim lights.
Just as he reached the car and was about to pull open the door, a pair of hands grasped his wrist.
"Teacher Shi!"
Panting heavily, Li Ang gripped Shi Qingsong's wrist tightly and said urgently, "I've finally found you!"
"...." Shi Qingsong looked stiffly at Li Ang, barely mustering a smile, and said, "Ah... it's you. Is there something you need from me?"
He tried to shake off Li Ang's hands, but the latter's grip was astonishingly strong, like a vise. He struggled for some time but couldn't break free. Instead, his own wrist felt like it was about to dislocate.
"Teacher Shi, I've encountered a very troubling issue recently. You are my homeroom teacher, my mentor, my guiding light, and I hope you can help me clear up my doubts."
Homeroom teacher? Is he one of *my* students?
Shi Qingsong nodded slightly, coughed twice, and put on the air of a teacher. "Go ahead."
"It was like this. Yesterday afternoon, I was taking a nap at home when suddenly there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, I saw Sister Zhao from the apartment across the hall, standing at my door in her nightgown.
"She was crying her eyes out, tears streaming down her face.
"I asked her what was wrong, and she told me through her tears that her husband was no good! She hoped that I, being young and strong, could help solve her family's problem…"
Li Ang paused, then said earnestly to Shi Qingsong, "Teacher Shi, what do you think I should do?"
I think you should splash some urine on your face and wake yourself up.
Shi Qingsong's expression became even more rigid. He said woodenly, "Hmm... student, I don't really have any good advice on this matter. You're almost eighteen; you need to have your own ideas. I'm in a rush now, could you please step aside..."
Before Shi Qingsong could finish, Li Ang slapped his thigh and sighed, "Ah, back then, smelling Sister Zhao's perfume, my heart pounded wildly. I was so tempted, I just followed her into her home."
Hey, hey, hey, young man, are you even listening to me? Why are you starting to fantasize now? Show some respect! I'm your teacher, after all!
"After going into her home, guess what?"
"...What?" Shi Qingsong asked with an expressionless face.
Li Ang shook his head and sighed, "I tutored her son all night with his elementary school homework. Sister Zhao wasn't wrong. Her husband truly is hopeless—he couldn't even solve elementary school math word problems."
"...."
I think you're messing with me.
A vein bulged on Shi Qingsong's forehead. He said stiffly, "I see... Student, I really am in a hurry. Could you please let me pass?"
"That won't do. Besides that issue, I have other questions for you."
Li Ang said seriously, "Seeing Sister Zhao and her husband so affectionate made me feel the loneliness of being single. So, I went to the temple, sincerely knelt before a statue, and proposed. But the statue remained motionless, firmly rejecting me."
??
"Since then, I've been down in the dumps, often feeling overwhelmed. I'd go to the supermarket and squeeze instant noodles, shrimp crackers, potato chips, oranges... and even elderly grandpas and grandmas with brittle bones."
???
"They were very satisfied with my massage technique and raised funds to make a 'Gynecological Saint Hand' banner to hang on the wall at my place."
By this point, Shi Qingsong knew Li Ang was completely messing with him.
His face darkened. His palms drooped, fingers curling like chicken claws. His nails rapidly grew longer, covered with a ghostly blue fluorescence that shone ominously under the light.
"Student... will you... step aside?"
Li Ang also dropped his smile. Still gripping Shi Qingsong's wrist, he spoke softly, "No need to pretend anymore. I already disabled the surveillance cameras in the parking lot on my way here."
He took off his sunglasses, revealing the almond-colored pupil in his left eye.
In his sight, a wraith in a construction worker's uniform clung to Shi Qingsong's back. The two were pressed tightly together: Shi Qingsong's back to the wraith's chest, arm to arm, his very soles pressed against the wraith's tiptoes.