Translator: CinderTL
Behind the plastic-covered wall lay a massive mirror. Peeking through a lifted corner of the plastic, Liang Shan saw his own dusty reflection staring back.
Fatty, standing closer, reacted strangely the moment he saw the mirror. He had encountered a similar scene during another mission, and the memory had left a profound impression on him.
"Found it," Wang Qi announced in his distinctive voice, pulling a dark crimson wooden box from beneath a window.
The box was small, about the size of a jewelry box, but surprisingly heavy. Closer inspection revealed intricate, subtle patterns etched into the wood. When the flashlight beam swept across it, the patterns seemed to ripple like water, creating an uncanny effect.
Opening the box confirmed their suspicions: inside were seven eyeballs. Wang Qi carefully extracted one for closer examination.
Though made of glass, the craftsmanship was remarkably lifelike, causing them to startle when the box was first opened. The longer they stared, the more they had the unsettling sensation that the eyes were alive, scrutinizing them in return.
Gao Yan gazed at the remaining eyeballs in the box and murmured, "Seven eyes for seven of us. Looks like we're each meant to take one."
The words had barely left his mouth when a loud thud echoed behind them. A wooden table leg had snapped, sending the scattered items on its surface tumbling to the floor.
"This place is too eerie," Liang Shan said, still shaken by the mirror incident and now startled by the broken table. He seemed completely unnerved. "Let's get out of here as soon as possible."
"Wait," Shen Mengyun interjected suddenly. She pulled another glass eye from the wooden box, examined it closely, and asked, "Can you see any difference between these two eyes?"
Both eyes were oval-shaped, but upon closer inspection, Wang Qi noticed that the left corner of the eye in his hand was slightly raised, while the right corner of the eye in Shen Mengyun's hand was similarly elevated.
"One's a left eye, the other's a right eye," Jiang Cheng observed.
Fatty blinked in confusion. "How can eyes even be left and right?" he blurted out.
After counting, they found three left eyes and four right eyes in the box.
This revelation puzzled the group. Initially, they had assumed the game would be simple: they merely needed to guess which of Meng Yumian's clenched hands held an eye. They would then place their own glass eye in front of the hand they were betting on. If they guessed correctly, Meng Yumian would move on to the next person. If they guessed wrong, they would have to forfeit one of their own eyes.
The glass eyeballs were merely markers; there was no inherent need to distinguish between left and right.
But now, it seemed this game was far more complex than it appeared.
"Could it be...?" Gao Yan began, "Remember when Meng Yumian died? She was still clutching an eyeball in her hand. Maybe this rock-paper-scissors game is just a smokescreen. The real question is: which eye did she have left—her left or her right?"
As this theory took root, the group's gaze shifted toward the box of glass eyeballs.
If this were true, their fates had been sealed the moment they chose their eyeballs.
For example, if Meng Yumian had been holding her left eyeball, only the three who selected left eyeballs would survive. Conversely, if she had been holding her right eyeball, the four who chose right eyeballs would live.
Those who picked the wrong eyeballs would be marked for death from the moment Meng Yumian found them. Their eyes would be gouged out, and they would meet a gruesome end.
Of course, avoiding Meng Yumian altogether would be ideal, but escaping the clutches of a fierce ghost was no easy feat.
"Mr. Jiang, you really don't remember which eye Meng Yumian lost in the story?" Wang Qi tossed his eyeball back into the box, tilting his head toward Jiang Cheng with a teasing glint in his eyes.
"I asked Yuan Xiaoyi, but she said she doesn't remember," Jiang Cheng replied.
"In that case, you can choose first," Wang Qi said, holding out the wooden box with his usual irritating smirk.
Jiang Cheng didn't even glance inside. He casually picked out an eyeball.
Before Fatty could even see whether Jiang Cheng had taken a left or right eye, Wang Qi and Gao Yan swiftly reached into the box and each grabbed a glass eyeball.
By the time Fatty reacted, only right eyeballs remained.
With no choice left, the remaining survivors each took a right eye. Liang Shan stared at his right eyeball, looking like he was about to burst into tears.
Huai Yi, annoyed by Liang Shan's distress, was about to teach him a lesson when Jiang Cheng shook his head slightly, signaling him to back down.
With the eyeballs distributed, the next step was to decide on hiding places. The group agreed to split up to maximize the Ghost's confusion and buy more time.
Aside from the sports field itself, several potential hiding spots were nearby: the restroom in the northwest corner, the small grove of trees to the south, the unfinished building, the grandstand, the clock tower, and the equipment room—a place no one would likely choose.
"I'll take the clock tower. You all can pick freely," Wang Qi said with a dismissive wave before turning and walking away.
"I spotted a mud pit on the way here," Gao Yan said. "I can hide there." With that, he left, clearly aware that he wasn't welcome.
Once they were gone, Shen Mengyun exhaled and turned to Jiang Cheng. "Mr. Jiang—"
Before she could finish, Jiang Cheng picked up the eyeball in his hand and calmly said, "If you want, we can trade."
This time, Shen Mengyun was taken aback. After a moment, she shook her head. "I trust you, Mr. Jiang, but that's not what I wanted to say. I want to go to the grove."
"It's the crime scene," she explained. "I want to see if I can find Meng Yumian's missing eyeball before anyone else and put an end to this urban legend."
"The chances are slim, and the risks are high," Jiang Cheng cautioned objectively. "Be extra careful."
"Yes, you too," Shen Mengyun replied. As she reached the gate, she suddenly stopped, turned her head, and added, "Don't trust Gao Yan. He's unreliable. And there's something strange about Wang Qi too—something odd about him."
After Shen Mengyun left, only Jiang Cheng, Lin, and Liang Shan remained.
Jiang Cheng raised his chin. "Don't stand on ceremony. You go first."
He wanted to add that it wouldn't matter anyway—they'd be found no matter where they hid—but he thought better of it.
Fatty chose the grandstand, Huai Yi the abandoned building, leaving only the restroom in the northwest corner and the equipment room beneath their feet.
Of course, there was also the open sports field.
The equipment room looked particularly unsettling, so they immediately ruled it out. It was clear Liang Shan wanted the restroom; it wasn't ideal, but at least it was better than being chased by ghosts across the rain-soaked field.
But if Liang Shan chose it, Jiang Cheng would be the one forced to flee through the downpour.
In other words, even if Liang Shan wanted the restroom, would Jiang Cheng and his two companions agree?
"The restroom's yours," Jiang Cheng said, pocketing the eyeball. "I owe you one. Consider it repaid."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1146. [+4]
🔑Early Access at $1.
💥Translated (6) Series, (4.6K+) Chapters, (6.7M+) Words.