Translator: CinderTL
"It's possible," Jiang Cheng replied.
"Mr. Jiang," Shen Mengyun said, her gaze lingering on him, as if still grappling with their earlier conversation. "According to you, what happened to the missing girls?"
"I mean their identities," she clarified, sensing her initial phrasing might be unclear.
Based on Jiang Cheng's earlier remarks, Shen Mengyun realized these girls' disappearances were likely far more complex than mere disappearances. They could hide within corresponding Urban Legends to evade the Stalker Ghost's pursuit.
This suggested they were either entities akin to the ghosts and monsters within Urban Legends, or perhaps manifestations derived from specific Urban Legends.
In any case, she agreed with Jiang Cheng on one point: these missing girls were definitely not human.
At least, not within the conventional definition of "human" as they understood it.
But this time, she received no answer. Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then simply glanced toward the door and said, "Let's go. This place isn't safe."
The two left through the door.
Their escape proceeded smoothly until they had completely climbed out the women's restroom window. Only then did Shen Mengyun finally relax her tense grip on her racing heart.
Just as she was about to continue their conversation, a shadow suddenly flickered out from behind a nearby tree.
The shadow simply watched them, silent, as if confirming their identities.
"Wang Qi," Shen Mengyun recognized the figure.
After about half a minute, both sides had confirmed each other's identities. As Wang Qi approached, Shen Mengyun noticed his disheveled appearance.
His clothes were torn in several places, and patches of white dust clung to his body, likely from scraping against a wall.
Yet Wang Qi's expression remained unchanged, as if unconcerned. He brushed off his clothes while fixing his gaze on Jiang Cheng, grinning and saying, "Mr. Jiang, you've come after all."
"The notebook?" Jiang Cheng tilted his chin, cutting straight to the point.
At the mention of the notebook, Wang Qi's expression finally shifted, as if recalling a recent memory. Staring at the pair, he said in an odd tone, "If the notebook were in my hands, do you think you'd still have a chance to see me?"
Seeing that Wang Qi was alone, Shen Mengyun asked anxiously, "Where's Gao Yan?"
"The Ghost disguised itself as you, Miss Shen, and attacked us in the warehouse. Gao Yan and I got separated. Before we split up, I noticed Gao Yan secretly stuffing the notebook into his clothes." As Wang Qi said this, his gaze toward Shen Mengyun turned strange, and his tone shifted.
Shen Mengyun understood immediately: Wang Qi was questioning how a Ghost could have infiltrated their group when they had picked her up from Dorm 107 and hadn't been separated since.
Jiang Cheng stepped in to explain on Shen Mengyun's behalf. Whether Wang Qi believed him was his own concern.
After all the commotion, dawn gradually broke. One moment, the light was hazy and indistinct; the next, as if the clouds had parted, sunlight streamed down.
As the sky fully brightened, various sounds began to fill the air.
Car horns blared from a distance, while clanging and banging noises echoed from the nearby student dormitories.
The silence had been shattered; Jiangtan University was fully "awake."
This scene deepened their understanding of the place's strangeness.
Worried that standing around would attract trouble, the group decided to return to their dormitory. Fatty and Huai Yi obediently waited in their room.
When they emerged, only Jiang Cheng, Wang Qi, and Shen Mengyun remained. The two men's expressions were somewhat strained.
They knew Gao Yan was likely dead.
Along the way, Jiang Cheng briefly recounted the recent events. When Huai Yi heard that the female corpse found on the abandoned playground didn't match the running shoes in the warehouse, his expression shifted slightly. He quickly recovered, saying, "So those girls weren't students here. That explains why no one in the school remembers them."
"Mm," Jiang Cheng nodded. "Something significant must have happened in the warehouse that night."
"Someone shattered the mirror, as if to terminate some kind of ritual," Huai Yi mused, stroking his chin and tilting his head toward Jiang Cheng.
"Was it Yuan Xiaoyi?" Shen Mengyun instinctively turned to Jiang Cheng. "Could she have been the one who broke the mirror?"
"She was involved, but I don't think she acted alone. Cleaning up the scene and moving those heavy objects used for concealment—that's too much work for one person," Jiang Cheng replied.
"That's easily explained," Wang Qi said casually. "Yuan Xiaoyi conducted the ritual, while someone else cleaned up afterward."
He seemed to have forgotten how utterly humiliated he had been just moments before.
"You're right," Jiang Cheng said, unfazed by Wang Qi's attitude. He was only concerned with the truth.
Yuan Xiaoyi had morning classes, so they agreed to meet later in the grove, hoping she would bring new information.
The current clues were scattered, and further discussion would yield no substantial progress. The group decided to calm down.
"Let's get something to eat first," Fatty suggested weakly.
No matter what happened, food was essential. Besides, Jiangtan University's cafeteria was known for its decent quality.
Before they finished breakfast, Jiang Cheng received a call from Professor Wu.
As Jiang Cheng answered, Fatty, sitting across from him and peeling a tea egg, noticed a change in the Doctor's expression.
After hanging up, Jiang Cheng looked at the group and suddenly announced, "Gao Yan has been found."
"Found?" Shen Mengyun's eyes widened, followed by a sudden sense of foreboding. Subconsciously, she feared Gao Yan's death had been particularly gruesome.
Jiang Cheng stood up, as if in response to her unspoken thought. "Let's go. He's in the school infirmary."
"He's alive?" Huai Yi asked in surprise, clearly sharing Shen Mengyun's initial assumption.
"Not dead yet."
As they stepped into the corridor, before they could even ask which room the school clinic was in, they heard a heated argument in the distance.
Following the sound, they found the clinic door closed. Through the glass window, they could see Gao Yan lying in bed, covered by a white blanket, his head bandaged like a rice dumpling, an IV drip hanging above him.
Two security guards in uniform stood opposite him, arguing fiercely. Both sides seemed to have fiery tempers.
"You are..." Jiang Cheng was listening intently when a voice suddenly came from behind. He turned to see a young woman in a white coat.
The woman looked to be in her early twenties, her face still bearing traces of youthful innocence. She was staring at them with a puzzled expression, clearly the school doctor.
"Hello, senior," Jiang Cheng said. Jiangtan University had its own School of Medicine, and given the woman's age, she was likely a student doing her internship.
(End of the Chapter)
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