Chen Ge's eyes remained fixed on Fan Yu's aunt, his mind racing to process her chilling revelations as he pressed further, "Then what was your brother's response?" His voice was steady, but beneath it lay a growing unease, the weight of the night's discoveries pressing heavily on him. He expected that a man like Fan Yu's father, already unhinged and tormented by paranoia, would react drastically when faced with such a threat. The toilet's dim light cast harsh shadows across the aunt's face, her expression a complex mix of regret and defiance as she prepared to answer. The fifth cubicle loomed behind her, its dark presence a constant reminder of the school's haunted history, amplifying the tension in the air. Chen Ge's grip on the mallet tightened, his instincts urging him to stay alert as he awaited her response, knowing it would bring him closer to the truth of the tragedy that had unfolded at Mu Yang High School.
Fan Yu's aunt hesitated, her gaze distant as she relived that pivotal moment. "Weirdly enough, after her threat, my brother calmed down," she said, her voice trembling with the weight of memory. "He considered it for a whole afternoon before relenting to her demand." Her expression was complicated, a mix of sorrow and suspicion, as if she were piecing together the events in hindsight. "In retrospect, he was probably figuring out a way to kill her instead of considering the divorce." The revelation sent a chill through Chen Ge, the cold calculation of her brother's actions painting a vivid picture of a man driven to madness. The toilet's oppressive silence seemed to pulse with the gravity of her words, the dripping of her raincoat adding a rhythmic undercurrent to the confession. Chen Ge's mind churned, the image of a seemingly calm decision masking a murderous intent unsettling him deeply.
Her story continued, each word heavy with the weight of that fateful day. "Things went as planned for my brother," she said, her voice low and strained. "It was raining cats and dogs the day that he locked Fan Yu up in his office and returned home alone. When we discovered that Fan Yu was not home, we assumed the boy had gone missing, so all of us went out to go searching for him. My brother led his wife to Mu Yang High School." The details painted a grim picture, the rain-soaked night a backdrop to a calculated act of violence. The toilet's cold tiles seemed to absorb her words, the fifth cubicle's shadow looming larger as if it, too, remembered that night. Chen Ge's heart raced, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place—the school, the well, the murder—all tied to the horrors he had uncovered in the sealed classroom and beyond.
The aunt's voice wavered as she recounted her own role in the tragedy. "When I returned home at 9 pm, none of them were there. I was worried, so I also headed for Mu Yang High School to go look for them," she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. The memory seemed to pain her, each word a struggle as she relived the moment she stepped into the school's shadowed grounds. The toilet's oppressive atmosphere pressed down, the fifth cubicle's dark energy seeming to pulse in response to her confession. Chen Ge imagined her wandering the rain-soaked campus, her heart pounding with worry, only to stumble upon a scene that would change her life forever. The weight of her story was palpable, each detail bringing him closer to the heart of the mystery that had consumed Fan Yu's family.
Her voice dropped to a whisper as she described the horrific scene she encountered. "There was an old well on the hill behind the school," she said, her words slow and deliberate. "A few days before that, there had been a landslide caused by heavy rain, and the well had been buried. When I arrived, my brother was clearing the soil around the well." The image was chilling, the thought of a man frantically digging in the rain to uncover a buried well sending a shiver down Chen Ge's spine. The toilet's dim light cast eerie shadows, the fifth cubicle's presence amplifying the horror of her story. Chen Ge's mind flashed to Fan Yu's drawing of the well, the red figures climbing out, and he realized the significance of that image now—the well was not just a legend but the site of a brutal crime.
The aunt's confession grew more harrowing as she continued. "I didn't see my sister-in-law at first," she said, her voice trembling with the weight of what she had witnessed. "I called my brother's name as I walked closer, and when I did, I saw her body stuck at the mouth of the well." The revelation hit Chen Ge like a physical blow, the image of the woman's lifeless form trapped in the well's dark maw vivid in his mind. The toilet's silence seemed to deepen, the fifth cubicle's shadow stretching as if to envelop them both. The aunt's words painted a scene of unimaginable horror, her brother's descent into madness culminating in a brutal act of murder. Chen Ge's heart pounded, the reality of the crime sinking in as he grappled with the implications of her story.
Her voice broke as she recounted the moment that defined her fate. "I really didn't expect him to do something like that; he was such a gentle soul normally, and he really did love his wife," she said, her words laced with disbelief and sorrow. "I realized then that my brother had lost his mind. Ever since he brought home that photo and said that he was haunted, I should have known that was the case." The mention of the photo sent a jolt through Chen Ge, his mind flashing to the group photo Fan Yu's aunt had shown him, its eerie faces now tied to her brother's paranoia. The toilet's oppressive atmosphere seemed to close in, the fifth cubicle's dark energy pulsing as if feeding on the tragedy she described. Chen Ge's grip on the mallet tightened, his mind racing to connect the dots between the photo, the well, and the murder.
The aunt's confession took a darker turn as she revealed the impossible choice she faced. "After I stumbled across the murder, I was given two choices," she said, her voice hollow with regret. "One was to help him cover up the body, and the other was to die." The starkness of her words chilled Chen Ge, the reality of her predicament sinking in. The toilet's cold tiles seemed to absorb her despair, the fifth cubicle's shadow looming larger as if bearing witness to her complicity. Chen Ge imagined her standing in the rain, confronted by her brother's madness, forced to choose between her own survival and becoming an accomplice to a horrific crime. The weight of that moment was palpable, her story a testament to the desperation that had driven her to such a terrible decision.
Her voice trembled as she described her actions. "To save myself, I had no choice but to listen to him," she said, her eyes filled with anguish. "As he ordered, I left some wounds on my sister-in-law's body and then helped him dig the well open." The confession was gut-wrenching, each word a painful admission of her role in the cover-up. The toilet's oppressive silence seemed to amplify her guilt, the fifth cubicle's dark presence a constant reminder of the school's haunted legacy. Chen Ge's heart ached for the sister-in-law, her life ended so brutally, but he also felt a flicker of pity for the aunt, trapped by her brother's madness and her own fear. The well, now a symbol of death, loomed large in his mind, its connection to Fan Yu's drawing undeniable.
Leaning against the wall, Fan Yu's aunt's eyes brimmed with regret, her body slumped as if the weight of her actions had finally broken her. "I knew I had become an accomplice," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "but the scarier thing was that I didn't know when my brother would dispose of me. He definitely would not leave any witnesses alive. Perhaps after burying my sister-in-law, he would also toss me inside the well." The fear in her words was palpable, her realization of her own vulnerability chilling. The toilet's dim light cast her face in stark relief, highlighting the torment etched into her features. Chen Ge's mind raced, the image of the well—buried, then uncovered—taking on a new, sinister significance as the site of not just one murder but a potential second.
Chen Ge's voice was sharp as he pieced together her story. "So, you took the initiative and killed him first?" he asked, his tone a mix of accusation and understanding. From his perspective, the entire family was steeped in abnormality—Fan Yu's father, a Peeping Tom who had driven a girl to suicide; his wife, who used his crimes as leverage rather than reporting them; and now the aunt, complicit in murder to save herself. The toilet's oppressive atmosphere seemed to pulse with the weight of their dysfunction, the fifth cubicle's shadow a silent witness to the tragedy. Chen Ge's mind churned, the aunt's confession revealing a web of guilt and desperation that had ensnared them all, with Fan Yu caught in the center of their twisted legacy.
The aunt's eyes flashed with a mix of defiance and desperation as she responded, "If I did not kill him, I would have been killed. And after killing him, I became Fan Yu's only family, and I did not need to share him with anyone else again." The last sentence struck Chen Ge as the most truthful thing she had said all night, her voice raw with a possessive love that chilled him. The toilet's cold tiles seemed to absorb her words, the fifth cubicle's dark energy pulsing as if acknowledging her twisted devotion. Chen Ge's heart sank, the realization that her actions were driven not just by survival but by a warped need to claim Fan Yu as her own. The drawing, the well, the murders—all of it pointed to a woman whose grief had twisted into something dangerous, her love for Fan Yu a dark reflection of her loss.
Chen Ge's voice was firm but measured as he countered, "But Fan Yu is not even your child to begin with." He believed only half of her story, the lack of witnesses from three years ago making it impossible to verify her claims. The toilet's oppressive silence seemed to mock the uncertainty, the fifth cubicle's shadow looming as if guarding the secrets of that night. Chen Ge's mind raced, weighing her words against the evidence he had uncovered—the notes, the carvings, the drawing. The aunt's confession was compelling, but gaps remained, and her attempt to stab him suggested she was still hiding something. He stood his ground, the mallet and knife in his hands, determined to keep her contained until he could unravel the full truth.
The aunt's face contorted with fervor, green veins bulging as she shouted, "You're wrong! My children have possessed Fan Yu's body, and that is why he is familiar with my children's habits! Fan Yu is not only my brother's child but also my children!" Her voice was shrill, her lips bleeding from the intensity of her claim, as if the truth of her belief had consumed her. The toilet's dim light highlighted the madness in her eyes, her conviction terrifying in its intensity. Chen Ge's heart pounded, the realization that her grief for her lost children had driven her to see Fan Yu as their vessel chilling him to the core. The fifth cubicle's shadow seemed to pulse, as if the spirits within were stirred by her outburst, their presence a constant undercurrent in the confrontation.
Seeing her in this frenzied state, Chen Ge decided not to push her further, recognizing the danger of provoking someone so unhinged. Her claim that her brother was crazy rang hollow when he considered her own behavior—her mind had likely snapped after the car accident that claimed her husband and children, her grief twisting into a delusional love for Fan Yu. The toilet's oppressive atmosphere seemed to close in, the fifth cubicle's dark energy amplifying the tragedy of her descent into madness. Chen Ge's pity for her was tempered by caution, her attempt to stab him a reminder of her volatility. He needed to keep her contained, but he also needed to understand how her actions tied to the school's haunting, the well, and the ghosts that Fan Yu's drawings had revealed.
As he stood over the distraught woman, Chen Ge's mind drifted to the mission description from the black phone: Everyone has a deep well inside their heart where shameful and unknowable secrets stay buried. The words resonated now, their meaning clearer in light of the aunt's confession. The well was not just a physical place but a metaphor for the secrets that had consumed this family—the father's crimes, the mother's threats, the aunt's complicity, and Fan Yu's haunting visions. The toilet's silence seemed to pulse with the weight of those secrets, the fifth cubicle's shadow a testament to the darkness that lingered in Mu Yang High School. Chen Ge's resolve hardened, his determination to uncover the full truth unshaken, even as the specter of the school's ghosts loomed ever closer.
Chen Ge's voice was firm as he demanded, "Get up, show me to the well where your brother's body was dumped." His tone was unyielding, the weight of the night's revelations fueling his determination to uncover every detail of the tragedy that had unfolded at Mu Yang High School. The toilet's dim light cast harsh shadows across Fan Yu's aunt's face, her expression a mix of fear and defiance as she slumped against the wall. The fifth cubicle loomed behind her, its dark presence a constant reminder of the school's haunted legacy. Chen Ge's grip on the mallet remained steady, his mind racing with the need to locate the well—the site of the murders that had shattered Fan Yu's family. The oppressive atmosphere of the toilet seemed to pulse with the gravity of his demand, urging her to reveal the final piece of the puzzle.
Fan Yu's aunt's hands trembled as she pulled nervously at her hair, her voice shaking as she responded, "The well has already disappeared. After my brother shoved my sister-in-law down the well, I pushed him in. He broke his fall on top of my sister-in-law's body. He screamed and cursed from inside the well, but no one could hear him because of the heavy rain." Her words painted a vivid, horrific picture, the image of her brother's desperate cries muffled by the storm chilling Chen Ge to the core. "I filled the well up with soil, and three years have passed since then. I don't even know where to start to look for the well." Her arms shook uncontrollably, her eyes darting as if the memory itself was clawing at her sanity. The toilet's cold tiles seemed to absorb her anguish, the fifth cubicle's shadow looming larger as her confession unfolded.
Chen Ge's tone remained steady, masking the turmoil in his mind. "You only need to give me a general area," he said, his voice calm but insistent, refusing to let her evade the truth. The simplicity of his request elicited a violent reaction from the aunt, her body tensing as if struck by an invisible force. Her eyes widened, her face contorting with a mix of fear and fury as she shouted, "No one will be able to find them!" The words were raw, laced with a desperation that cut through the toilet's oppressive silence. The memory of her actions seemed to slice into her heart like a knife, her expression twisting into something feral, almost unrecognizable. The fifth cubicle's dark energy pulsed, as if the spirits within were feeding on her torment, amplifying the tension that hung heavy in the air.
Her voice rose to a fevered pitch, her words dripping with a possessive intensity. "I will raise Fan Yu alone; I will give him all the love he needs!" she declared, her eyes blazing with a delusional fervor. The statement chilled Chen Ge, revealing the depth of her obsession with the boy she saw as a vessel for her lost children. The toilet's shadows seemed to deepen, the fifth cubicle's presence a silent witness to her twisted devotion. Chen Ge's heart sank as he realized the extent of her selfishness, her love for Fan Yu rooted not in care for him but in her own need to fill the void left by her family's death. The dripping of her raincoat punctuated her outburst, each drop a reminder of the rain-soaked night that had sealed the fate of Fan Yu's parents.
Chen Ge's voice was sharp as he countered, "If you really love Fan Yu, you wouldn't have done this. Your love benefits only yourself; it's incredibly selfish." His words were a direct challenge, cutting through her delusions with brutal clarity. He recalled his visit to the Haunted House, where Fan Yu had gravitated toward him, a stranger, rather than his aunt, a clear sign of their strained relationship. The boy's discomfort around her spoke volumes, his silence a testament to the trauma she had inflicted. The toilet's oppressive atmosphere seemed to close in, the fifth cubicle's shadow pulsing as if acknowledging the truth of his words. Chen Ge's mind flashed to the boy's drawings, the red figures in the black house, and he shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to Fan Yu if he hadn't intervened, the boy's innocence at risk of being consumed by his aunt's madness.
He pressed further, his tone heavy with accusation. "You said that the period after your family's accident was the darkest moment of your life. It was Fan Yu who came to you with comfort by offering you the drawings of your children. He helped you out of sincerity, but you killed his father." The words were a condemnation, each one striking at the heart of her guilt. Chen Ge's mind returned to the small house filled with red figures in Fan Yu's drawings, a chilling vision of the spirits that haunted the boy. If he hadn't stepped in, Fan Yu might have been drawn deeper into his aunt's twisted world, his life spiraling toward a darker, crueler fate. The toilet's cold tiles seemed to absorb the weight of his accusation, the fifth cubicle's dark energy amplifying the tragedy of a boy caught in the crossfire of his family's sins.
Chen Ge's voice softened slightly, but his resolve remained firm. "You should be glad that Fan Yu is still a child," he said, his words laced with a mix of pity and warning. The boy's youth had likely spared him from fully understanding the horrors he had witnessed, but Chen Ge knew the truth was buried deep in Fan Yu's mind. The boy's drawings of the well, his search for "heaven" within it, suggested he had seen everything—the murder, the cover-up, his aunt's betrayal. Facing the punishment of the law would be a mercy for both Fan Yu and his aunt, a chance to break the cycle of trauma that had ensnared them. The toilet's oppressive silence seemed to agree, the fifth cubicle's shadow looming as if urging closure to this tragic tale. Chen Ge's heart ached for the boy, his innocence a fragile light in the darkness of Mu Yang High School.
"It's time to give this tragedy its closure," Chen Ge said, his voice resolute as he ended the livestream that had captured the night's harrowing events. He had already called the police, his decision made the moment the aunt's paring knife hit the floor. As for the kind of punishment she would face, Chen Ge had no clear idea—murder, conspiracy, and attempted assault painted a grim picture, but the law would decide her fate. The toilet's dim light cast long shadows, the fifth cubicle's presence a constant reminder of the school's haunted legacy. Chen Ge's mind raced, piecing together the final threads of the mystery—the notes, the carvings, the drawings, and now the aunt's confession—all pointing to a tragedy rooted in betrayal and madness. He stood firm, ready to hand her over to justice, determined to free Fan Yu from her destructive influence.
Chen Ge's voice was steady but heavy with judgment as he continued, "The boy is forced to live with the killer of his parents. No wonder his psychological development is so stunted; you are the cause of his symptoms." The accusation was blunt, laying bare the damage her actions had inflicted on Fan Yu. The boy's withdrawn nature, his eerie drawings, his fear of his aunt—all of it stemmed from the trauma of witnessing her crimes. The toilet's oppressive atmosphere seemed to pulse with the weight of his words, the fifth cubicle's shadow stretching as if to envelop the aunt in her guilt. Her vehement head-shaking and trembling lips were a futile denial, her body tensing as if to flee from the truth. Before Chen Ge could react, she bolted toward the toilet door, her raincoat flapping as she ran, desperation driving her to escape.
"Stop struggling," Chen Ge called out, his voice firm as he followed close behind, his mallet ready in case she tried something reckless. He couldn't let her escape, not after everything she had admitted. The toilet's dim light faded as they moved into the corridor, the school's oppressive silence swallowing them whole. The aunt's footsteps echoed, her pace frantic as she descended to the first floor, Chen Ge trailing just behind. His heart pounded, his senses alert for any sign of danger—human or supernatural. The school's shadows seemed to shift, the memory of the sealed classroom and its ghostly presence lingering in his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that the night's horrors weren't over, that Mu Yang High School still held secrets waiting to be uncovered.
As they passed the sealed classroom, Fan Yu's aunt suddenly stumbled, her body collapsing to the floor with a sharp cry. She lay there for a long moment, unmoving, as if an invisible force had yanked her leg out from under her. The incident was bizarre, the corridor's silence amplifying the strangeness of her fall. Chen Ge's pulse quickened, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. The sealed classroom's door loomed to his left, its dark presence a constant threat, its rumors of ghostly activity now vivid in his mind. The aunt's collapse felt like more than a simple trip—had something reached out from the classroom, something tied to the spirits that haunted its walls? The air grew heavier, the school's oppressive atmosphere closing in as Chen Ge hesitated, wary of what lay ahead.
Chen Ge stopped several meters behind her, his back pressed against the opposite wall as he kept his distance from the sealed classroom. Fan Yu's aunt remained crumpled at the door, her breathing ragged, her body trembling as if gripped by fear. His apprehension about the classroom surged, the memory of the ghostly arm and the carvings etched into his mind. The corridor's dim light cast eerie shadows, the classroom's door seeming to pulse with a life of its own. Chen Ge leaned forward, peering cautiously into the room, his flashlight beam cutting through the darkness. It was after midnight, the hour when the classroom was said to come alive. His heart stopped as he saw it—the empty classroom was no longer empty, filled with spectral students, their forms indistinct but undeniable, and at the lectern stood an old, rotund man, his presence chillingly real.