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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2 Story

Everyone knows that places like medical schools, with their morgues, are the easiest to associate with ghosts and things that human science still can't explain. So, in medical schools, students tend to avoid mentioning the word "ghost." At Yijiang University, almost all students visit the morgue in large groups.

"Better to believe it exists than to dismiss it."

"Yiqian, do you believe it?" Lin Yuan seemed intrigued as well.

Belief in ghosts varies from person to person. In medical schools, there's always been a rumor that the morgue is a passage to the underworld, which is why few are willing to go there alone. Whether ghosts truly exist in this world remains unknown.

The morgue at Yijiang University was located at the very back of the campus, and the only way to get there was by passing through a grove of trees.

"I'm afraid you won't believe me, and even I still can't believe it was real," Li Yiqian said, lowering her head.

"What do you mean? Have you actually seen a ghost?" Lin Yuan stood up and sat next to Li Yiqian. "What did it look like? Tell us!"

"It's better not to talk about ghosts—they're too real," Du Xiaonan said, her eyes darting around every corner of the dorm room.

"I don't believe in them, so just treat it as a story," Lin Yuan insisted, unwilling to let go of the chance to hear a "ghost story."

Su Jiner also felt her interest piqued. People often say that places with heavy yin energy are where ghosts gather, and the morgue is a gateway to the underworld. Naturally, medical schools are rife with ghost stories. Humans are contradictory creatures—terrified of ghosts yet fascinated by ghost stories. Although Su Jiner didn't believe in them, ghosts were formless, and claiming she wasn't afraid at all would be a lie. But with nothing else to do at the moment, she might as well listen.

"Actually, I did see something, but I didn't get a clear look. It happened after the college entrance exams. A few classmates and I went out to celebrate, and it happened on our way back. For some reason, the sky was unusually dark that night, almost pitch-black, as if there was a thick, thick fog. It felt oppressive. At first, we thought it was just the weather changing, so we didn't pay much attention. But when we passed through a grove of trees, we suddenly saw a woman walking toward us." Li Yiqian trembled all over, as if reliving that night, her face filled with terror. "No—she wasn't walking. She was floating," she suddenly added, gripping her hands tightly.

"Floating?" Lin Yuan gasped.

"What happened next?" Jiner asked.

"Later, we all thought we'd imagined it. But when we looked again, the woman had vanished."

"Then it must've just been your imagination. Ghosts don't exist—I was just joking," Du Xiaonan said with a forced smile.

"That's what I thought too. We even joked about how no woman would be wandering alone on such a dark night—it had to be our eyes playing tricks. But one of my classmates said, 'If it was just our imagination, how could all of us have seen the same thing?'" Li Yiqian almost smiled, then continued, "Then we saw her a second time. And it was even weirder—she was standing in a tree, watching us."

Wait, that doesn't add up.

"You said earlier that the fog was so thick you could barely see anything. How could you see a woman walking toward you? And the second time, how could you tell she was standing in a tree, watching you?" Su Jiner asked. She had never believed in ghosts and was more convinced that humans were far scarier than any supernatural beings.

"That's what confused me too. And she was wearing a red dress—red like blood. The reason I said she was watching us was that when I saw her the second time, my whole body felt frozen, as if the cold was seeping from my heart." Li Yiqian shivered, her terrified eyes fixed on Jiner.

Knock, knock—

"Who is it?" Lin Yuan reflexively asked.

"Probably someone calling us for military training," Jiner said with a smile.

"Oh, right! I totally forgot."

The first thing freshmen had to do in college was military training. "A healthy body is the foundation of success—only with good health can you study well," the instructor had said on the first day. The training for Su Jiner and her friends on the first day was simple: running on the field, turning left and right, and so on. By the end of the day, they were exhausted. But the next day's training was even more unbearable.

"Tomorrow's training is going to be such a headache!" Du Xiaonan grumbled as she towel-dried her hair, clearly unhappy with the next day's arrangements.

"Yeah! It's not like we're going to live in the wilderness—why do we have to train deep in the mountains?" Lin Yuan pouted, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Su Jiner, typing on her laptop, smiled and said, "Actually, I think it sounds fun."

"Fun? I don't want to go at all. I'm terrified of snakes! Those slimy things are disgusting." Lin Yuan frowned deeply.

"I agree with Jiner."

The next morning at five, the first group of freshmen gathered at the school gate for military training. Dressed in identical uniforms, they stood in neat rows, waiting for the buses to arrive.

Their expressions varied—some excited, some fearful, some indifferent, and some completely blank. Su Jiner and her three friends stood at the back. Lin Yuan clung to Jiner's arm, still complaining about the school's decision, while Li Yiqian and Du Xiaonan stood behind them, discussing precautions for the training.

The buses slowly pulled up to the gate, and the students filed in one by one. There were 30 students in total for this training session. Su Jiner took a seat by the window, with Lin Yuan beside her. Li Yiqian and Du Xiaonan sat in front of them. Soon, the bus was filled with noisy chatter, drowning out even the sound of the engine. Jiner frowned as she looked at the unfamiliar faces—some excited, some resentful—and her thoughts drifted away.

In middle school, because her parents were busy with work, Jiner spent every summer at her grandmother's house in the countryside. Compared to the city, she much preferred the warm, close-knit rural life. She remembered a boy named Qiangzi who would take her to the river every summer to catch fish. His skin was tanned dark by the sun, giving him a healthy glow, unlike the pale, sheltered boys in the city.

Every summer was her happiest time, even if her skin turned a deep tan. She thought it made her look healthier.

In her first year of middle school, Jiner met Qiangzi at her grandmother's house. He was twelve then, a year older than her, but because rural schools started later, he was also in seventh grade. The first time she saw him, he was so shy he couldn't even lift his eyes, stuttering through every sentence.

Remembering that first meeting, Jiner couldn't help but laugh.

"How can you laugh when we're going to such a creepy place for training?" Lin Yuan asked, surprised.

"Oh, I was just thinking about someone."

"Who? Do I know them?"

Jiner shook her head. Though she and Lin Yuan had been close friends since middle school, Lin Yuan had never met Qiangzi from the countryside.

Lin Yuan, momentarily forgetting their destination, pestered Jiner to tell her who this person was. Finally, Jiner relented and said it was someone she knew from the countryside.

Hearing that, Lin Yuan grew even more curious. What kind of person could make the usually reserved Jiner laugh just by remembering them?

The bus rolled forward steadily. The students inside seemed to have forgotten their fears, chatting and joking with their new friends.

"So, what was he like?" Lin Yuan pressed.

Jiner thought for a moment. "A very shy boy."

"A boy!" Lin Yuan gasped dramatically, though she'd already guessed.

Jiner didn't blush. She nodded. "A very interesting boy. The first time I saw him, he was twisting the hem of his shirt, too embarrassed to look at me. His face turned as red as a sunset—I thought maybe I was so scary-looking that I frightened him!"

"No way! Why haven't I ever met someone like that?"

"Right?" Du Xiaonan turned around from the front seat.

"He was really fun. Every time I visited my grandma, he'd take me to the river to catch fish and mudskippers, wrap them in mud, and roast them over a fire."

"Did you actually eat that?"

Jiner shook her head. "Not at first. But he kept saying how delicious it was and convinced me to try. Even my grandma encouraged me. So I did—and it was really good! No fishy taste at all, just really fragrant."

"I never knew you had such adventures, Jiner!" Du Xiaonan said, surprised. In her eyes, Jiner was the kind of delicate city girl who needed protection.

"I loved life in the countryside," Jiner said with a smile. "If I could, I'd live there forever."

"People fight tooth and nail to move to the city, and here you are, preferring some poor rural village," Li Yiqian muttered bitterly.

"Poor? Not at all. I think it's wonderful."

For a moment, Jiner thought she saw a flash of hatred in Li Yiqian's eyes. Though the girl tried to hide it, Jiner noticed. She'd always felt there was something secretive about her.

Not wanting to continue the conversation, Jiner turned to look out the window. The school was no longer in sight. Since the campus was already in a remote location, the training site wasn't far. Yet, from the moment they left, Jiner had felt a growing unease, as if something was wrong—though she couldn't pinpoint what.

Trees began to appear outside the window. They were entering the mountains. The bus windows couldn't be opened, and the air inside grew stifling. Jiner felt like she could barely breathe.

I really want to get off. That was all she could think. The stuffy air was unbearable.

Even though it was already September, the heat was still oppressive. Fortunately, it was early morning, and the sun hadn't risen yet. The sky, which should have been blue, was instead a sickly pale white, adding to the sense of unease.

"Students, we've arrived. Gather your belongings and prepare to disembark," the instructor called from the front.

Looking out at the dense forest, Jiner's sense of foreboding grew stronger. What's wrong? She remained seated, staring at her faint reflection in the window—her face clouded with confusion.

"Jiner, let's go! What are you spacing out for?" Lin Yuan's voice came from behind.

Snapping out of it, Jiner smiled. "Right, let's go."

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