Chen Ge stood frozen before the sealed classroom's door, the neatly arranged books and pen on the central table casting an eerie illusion of recent use, his heart pounding with a mix of curiosity and dread. Should I go in and take a closer look? The question gnawed at him, his grip tightening on the multi-purpose mallet, an urge to smash the door open surging within him, desperate to uncover what secrets the papers might hold. The black phone's Sealed Classroom mission description—"There's a classroom at the end of the corridor that's always sealed.
No one ever enters it, but every night, the classroom comes alive with activity"—echoed in his mind, intertwining with the woman's chilling tale of Fan Yu's father and the haunted photo of faceless students. The classroom's pristine state, untouched by the fire that scarred the education block, felt like a deliberate lure, a trap set by whatever haunted Mu Yang High School.
Zhang Ya's crimson presence stirred, her "Yours forever" vow a spectral whisper urging him to act, yet warning that entering now could plunge him into a nightmare before he was ready. Chen Ge's flashlight trembled slightly, its beam flickering across the door, his resolve tested by the looming 11 p.m. deadline and the need to survive until dawn in a place where every shadow seemed alive.
The memory of the school forum's chilling tale surfaced, amplifying Chen Ge's hesitation as he weighed the risks of entering the classroom. Five students had once broken into Mu Yang High School on a dare, choosing this very room to play the Pen Spirit game, a ritual to summon spirits through a moving pen. The post described their terror when two extra figures appeared, unaccounted for, prompting a frantic escape that left furniture toppled in their wake. Yet the classroom before him now was immaculate, the tables and chairs perfectly aligned, the books and pen meticulously placed, contradicting the chaos of their flight.
Could the pen and paper be theirs? Chen Ge wondered, but quickly dismissed the idea—the students' panic would have left no time for such order, and years had passed since that incident. The alternative theories from the forum haunted him: either someone—or something—had rearranged the room after their escape, or the five students had been possessed, their actions no longer their own. The black phone's weight pressed against him, Zhang Ya's mark flaring in his eyes, her sadistic allure pushing him to consider the classroom's role in the Mu Yang High School mission, where Fan Yu's black-and-red drawings might hold the key to unraveling this supernatural puzzle.
Reluctantly, Chen Ge lowered his mallet, deciding to save the sealed classroom for last, its eerie perfection too dangerous to tackle without scouting the other mission locations first. He exited the education block, the rain's relentless patter against his raincoat a grim reminder of the night Fan Yu's parents vanished, their fate tied to this school's cursed grounds. He headed toward the dormitory, a squat, dilapidated building with barely a handful of rooms, its two-story structure dwarfed by the education block's looming presence.
As he circled it, his flashlight caught a faded iron sign, its smudged characters barely legible but suggesting a rule: Second Floor is Female Rooms. No Entry to Males. The restriction felt trivial in the school's abandoned state, yet it added to the eerie atmosphere, hinting at a past where rules still mattered. This place is beyond shabby, Chen Ge thought, the dormitory's decay mirroring the school's overall neglect, its small size a stark contrast to Western Jiujiang's Private Academy. Zhang Ya's crimson presence pulsed, her "Yours forever" vow a chain binding him to the mission's four side missions—Pen Spirit, Fifth Cubicle, Deep Well, and Sealed Classroom—each a potential death trap he needed to navigate before dawn.
As Chen Ge shook rain from his collar, his phone buzzed, the sudden sound jarring in the desolate silence of Mu Yang High School's grounds. The caller ID showed He San, and he answered with a mix of relief and anticipation. "He San?" The intern's voice crackled through, brimming with excitement. "Boss, I gave my senior your number—Gao Ru Xue.
Her father, the criminal psychology lecturer, will call you when he's home." Chen Ge's interest piqued, the prospect of expert insight into Fan Yu's behavior a lifeline for decoding the boy's drawings and their link to the mission. "Thanks," he said, then pressed, "Anything else?" He San's tone shifted, indignation flaring. "Yeah, Qin Guang's livestream just started! He's copying you—hired an actor to play a killer, even mimicked your analysis style. It's a total rip-off!" Chen Ge's lips twitched, amused yet annoyed by the audacity. "Let him try. Watch my livestream later—support me." He San's voice spiked with disbelief. "You're streaming tonight‽" Chen Ge grinned, the idea forming to counter Qin Guang's challenge. "It's been a while, so I'm planning something big." Zhang Ya's presence stirred, her sadistic whispers urging him to use the livestream to bolster his Haunted House, even as the mission's dangers loomed.
He San's excitement erupted, the sound of shuffling footsteps audible as he roused his roommates. "Wake up, guys! Chen Ge's streaming tonight—another dance with death!" The enthusiasm was infectious, but He San's dramatic phrasing made Chen Ge chuckle uneasily, the words too close to the mission's grim reality.
After hanging up, he opened the video-sharing app, where Qin Guang's livestream dominated the front page, its polished production a stark contrast to Chen Ge's raw, solitary efforts. A professional cameraman followed Qin Guang, who focused on clue-hunting and analysis, his team's resources evident in the crisp visuals and seamless edits. With 680,000 views, the livestream dwarfed Chen Ge's modest following, a reminder of the gap in their platforms. If I had that audience, the Haunted House would be packed, he thought, the potential to save New Century Park tantalizing. Qin Guang's success, though imitative, showed a path forward—if Chen Ge could harness such popularity, the platform might back him with similar resources. Zhang Ya's crimson allure pulsed, her "Yours forever" vow a reminder that his livestream, fueled by the black phone's authentic horrors, could outshine Qin Guang's staged spectacle, but only if he survived the night at Mu Yang High School.
Chen Ge stood in the rain-soaked darkness of Mu Yang High School's dormitory, the weight of the Mu Yang High School mission pressing against him, urging caution as his mind flickered to Qin Guang's polished livestream.
Don't get ahead of yourself, Chen Ge—focus on surviving tonight, he chided himself, the black phone's ominous directive—arrive by 11 p.m., survive until dawn—anchoring his thoughts. The temptation to dwell on his rival's success was strong, but the immediate danger of the school's four side missions—Pen Spirit, Fifth Cubicle, Deep Well, and Sealed Classroom—demanded his full attention.
Fan Yu's haunting black-and-red drawings and the woman's eerie tale of the sealed classroom loomed in his mind, each a piece of the puzzle that could mean life or death. He opened his livestream app, but the rural isolation of Mu Yang High School weakened his signal, rendering the video fuzzy with frequent black screens and lag, the chat invisible. My content's real, not staged like Qin Guang's, he thought, drawing confidence from the authenticity of his experiences, even if his production quality paled in comparison. Zhang Ya's crimson presence stirred, her "Yours forever" vow a spectral whisper, urging him to channel his fear into the mission, where survival hinged on confronting the school's supernatural horrors head-on.
Frustrated by the livestream's poor quality and inability to see the chat, Chen Ge gave a brief introduction to Mu Yang High School's haunted history—its crematorium origins, the sealed classroom, and the ghostly rumors—before pocketing his phone to focus on the task at hand. He began his search on the dormitory's first floor, his flashlight sweeping through rooms cluttered with abandoned textbooks, moldy bedding, and scattered trash, remnants of a school left to rot after its closure. The male dorms yielded no clues, their decay mundane, so he climbed the creaking stairs to the second floor, marked by the faded sign prohibiting male entry to the female rooms.
The female dormitory looks no different from the males', he noted, the uniformity of neglect striking him as he moved cautiously, the rain's steady drumbeat outside amplifying the eerie silence within. Each room was a time capsule of abandonment, but the fourth bedroom stopped him cold: four chairs stood in a neat row, a stark contrast to the chaos around them, with several pristine white papers and a ballpoint pen resting on one. The sight sent a chill through him, echoing the sealed classroom's arranged table, hinting at a deliberate, unnatural presence. Zhang Ya's mark flared in his eyes, her sadistic allure pushing him to investigate, even as the mission's deadline loomed, warning that this discovery was no coincidence.
The pristine condition of the paper and pen stood out against the dormitory's decay, their newness suggesting they were placed after the school's closure, a detail that tightened Chen Ge's grip on his mallet. This is the second time I've found paper and a pen, he thought, recalling the sealed classroom's eerie setup.
The rusted lock on the door was a flimsy barrier, falling away with a few shakes, and as he pushed the door open, a wave of moldy air hit him, forcing him to cover his mouth and nose. He stepped closer to the chair, his flashlight illuminating four white papers, each bearing a chilling question in stark black ink: "When will I die?""How will I die?""Who will be the next to die?" The fourth was blank, its emptiness somehow more unsettling. The Pen Spirit game, Chen Ge realized, the forum's tale of the five students who played it in the sealed classroom flashing in his mind. Their terror at the appearance of two extra figures had left chaos, yet this room's order suggested something—or someone—had reset the scene. Zhang Ya's crimson presence pulsed, her "Yours forever" vow a reminder that this game, tied to the Pen Spirit mission, could awaken forces beyond his control, demanding he proceed with utmost caution.
Chen Ge scoured the room for more clues, rifling through decayed bedding and overturned desks, but time had eroded any useful evidence, leaving only the papers and pen as tangible leads. The scientific explanation for the Pen Spirit game surfaced in his mind—muscle tremors from prolonged arm elevation causing the pen to move, a natural reaction, not supernatural. Yet the forum's account and the woman's story of ghostly students defied such logic, suggesting the game could summon something real and dangerous. He placed his phone on the bed, angling it to capture himself and the four chairs, determined to document the Pen Spirit mission for his livestream, however choppy the signal.
I need to complete all four side missions to unlock the full scenario, he resolved, the memory of his Ping An Apartments success—earning Wang Qi's Missing Person Notice through near-perfect completion—spurring him on. Zhang Ya's sadistic whispers urged him forward, her presence a double-edged sword as he closed the bedroom door, the moldy air thickening. He hesitated for four long minutes, the weight of the mission pressing against him, before sitting at the chair, Xiaoxiao's doll tucked in his chest pocket, his right hand gripping the pen, his left clutching the mallet, ready to strike if the game turned deadly.
Steeling himself, Chen Ge recalled the forum's details of the Pen Spirit ritual, his heart pounding as he prepared to begin. He raised his arm, the pen's tip touching the blank fourth paper, his posture rigid as he closed his eyes and chanted: "Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, you are my spirit from my previous life, and I am your spirit in this life. If you are with us, please draw a circle on the paper." The words felt heavy, each syllable resonating in the silent room, the rain's patter outside the only sound. He forced his breathing to steady, his arm suspended, his body immobile, waiting for any sign of movement.
The moldy smell faded, replaced by a cold draft that lifted the papers slightly, an unnatural chill that set his nerves on edge. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open as a sensation gripped his right hand, like an invisible force guiding the pen. His left hand tightened on the mallet, ready to swing at the first sign of danger, his pulse racing as he stared at his hand, the black phone's hum vibrating faintly. Zhang Ya's crimson allure surged, her "Yours forever" vow a warning that the Pen Spirit mission had begun, and the night at Mu Yang High School was about to reveal its darkest secrets, threatening to consume him if he faltered.