Heart disease requires heart medicine. To understand the truth, they must first investigate the cause of the incident. Of course, they could also choose to escape, pretending nothing happened, and move to another dormitory. But would that really ensure safety?
At least, Fang Yuan didn't think so.
Some things in life must be faced; escape isn't the solution. Even if they were temporarily safe, Dormitory 441 would become a lifelong nightmare, recurring throughout her long journey, constantly eroding her confidence and courage, undoubtedly having a significant negative impact on her psychological development.
Therefore, the best solution to the problems in Dormitory 441 is to uncover the truth and solve all the mysteries!
All the strange things point to one target: Cheng Li, the girl who committed suicide by jumping from the building.
Whether her ghost exists or not, the various horror stories surrounding Dormitory 441 have circulated since her suicide.
It's an indisputable fact that she committed suicide by jumping from the building in Girls' Dormitory 441. It's also true that her roommate, Xu Yan, went insane after her death.
To fully investigate the strange happenings in Girls' Dormitory 441, we must first find a breakthrough, and that breakthrough is the cause of Cheng Li's death!
Did Cheng Li really commit suicide?
If so, what was her reason?
To this day, Nanjiang Medical College has yet to offer a clear explanation. This has only fueled the proliferation of various horror stories surrounding Girls' Dormitory 441 within the medical school.
Fang Yuan glanced at the three terrified girls one by one. After a moment's hesitation, she finally expressed her thoughts: "I think all these strange things happening in the dormitory are very likely related to Cheng Li, the girl who committed suicide by jumping from the building here a year ago."
Xu Zhaodi shared the same sentiment. "Yes, I've felt strange ever since I entered Dormitory 441. I keep seeing things I shouldn't be seeing for no apparent reason. Something must be wrong."
Tao Bing'er suddenly blurted out, "But Cheng Li died a long time ago."
Qin Yanping was already terrified, and after hearing Tao Bing'er's words, she was speechless. She nodded repeatedly from behind Fang Yuan.
"That's the problem," Fang Yuan gazed at the sky outside the window, lost in thought. "It's precisely because she's dead that these phenomena are so bizarre, defying common sense."
Tao Bing'er pondered for a moment, then tentatively explained, "Or perhaps it's just a coincidence. We just happened to have the same nightmare about Cheng Li."
She hadn't yet realized that Fang Yuan and Xu Zhaodi had both seen eerie ghostly figures while cleaning during the day.
Fang Yuan smiled wryly. "How could it be such a coincidence? Four people, all having the same nightmare. If I tell anyone about it, will they believe it's just a coincidence?"
"What should I do?" Tao Bing'er spread her hands and said, "I don't know what's going on. Anyway... it feels pretty sinister."
She was much braver than Qin Yanping, but her thinking was a bit too simplistic.
"How about this?" Tao Bing'er's eyes rolled as she came up with another idea. "Why don't we go find an expert to interpret your dreams?"
"Dream interpretation?"
Tao Bing'er became interested. "Yes, I've heard there are many experts who can predict your fate from dreams, and they're surprisingly accurate. Why not give it a try?"
Xu Zhaodi expressed her opinion: "I agree! Let's just treat it as a game."
Qin Yanping nodded repeatedly. "I... I agree..."
Fang Yuan wanted to object. She only had a little over 500 yuan and didn't want to waste it on dream interpretation and fortune-telling. But the three of them were unanimous, and she couldn't object outright. She gently advised: "Well... if we can find a competent expert, we can give it a try. If it's just a charlatan scamming people out there, it's better not to go."
Tao Bing'er was a native of Nanjiang City and was familiar with some of its local customs and attractions. After a moment's thought, she remembered a famous figure: Master Yi.
Master Yi was renowned among the Buddhists in Nanjiang City. It was said that he had been a monk since childhood, possessing profound Buddhist cultivation. His fortune-telling skills were incredibly accurate, almost to the millimeter.
Tao Bing'er suggested, "I know there's a Master Yi in Nanjiang City. He lives in the Shengjin Pagoda, not far from the medical school. He's incredibly accurate. Why don't we go find him?"
Xu Zhaodi and Qin Yanping echoed her sentiments, and Fang Yuan had no choice but to follow the crowd. She specifically asked Su Ya, who had remained silent, "Su Ya, are you coming too?"
"No, I don't believe in that," Su Ya coldly declined.
The four girls woke up, washed, and changed their clothes, preparing to go to the Shengjin Pagoda to see Master Yi interpret their dreams and fortune.
Before leaving, Fang Yuan suddenly heard a strange voice, as if someone were whispering in her ear. The voice was vague, low, and melancholy, as if recounting an ancient and sad story, one filled with deep sorrow and sadness. Fang Yuan's heart was instantly drawn to the sound, and she couldn't help but sink into an inexplicable sadness, like a lonely butterfly after autumn, fluttering among long-withered flowers.
Fang Yuan turned her head and stared blankly at the hallway of Dormitory 441. There was no one there. Su Ya was still washing up in the bathroom. That sound didn't seem like something an ordinary person could make.
"What's wrong, Fang Yuan?"
"I... I heard a strange sound. Didn't you hear it?"
"No?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I didn't hear it either."
"Yeah, I didn't hear it either."
Strange...
The mysterious sound suddenly disappeared after they interrupted it. It was like the sound of rushing water and ticking quartz clocks she had heard in her dreams.
Could it be that what she heard in her dream wasn't an illusion?
Or perhaps, what happened in her dream would be repeated in reality?
"Are you okay, Fang Yuan?" The three of them watched as Fang Yuan's face suddenly turned pale.
Fang Yuan took a few deep breaths and said, "I'm fine."
"I'm glad you're okay. Can we go now?"
"Let's go." Fang Yuan said this, but her feet didn't move. Even though her voice had faded, she still felt a lingering unease, as if she were walking on clouds, her feet unsteady and ready to fall into an abyss at any moment.
What was wrong?
Fang Yuan's eyes once again scanned the entire hall of dormitory 441. Then, her gaze stopped at a closet.
The middle of the hall facing the bedrooms was empty, divided into eight rooms by wooden planks. Each of these closets was allocated to the women living there to store quilts, clothes, and other bulky items. Fang Yuan's gaze rested on closet number 7, her personal closet and the one used by Cheng Li, the woman who attempted suicide. Because she didn't bring much luggage, she hadn't opened closet number 7 yet.
Although she couldn't pinpoint the source of the sound, she had a vague feeling that closet number 7 seemed to be hiding something, waiting to be discovered.
"Wait a moment!"
Fang Yuan quickly ran to closet number 7, found the key, and struggled to open it.
The closet door slowly swung open, sending a choking cloud of dust swirling in her face, accompanied by a strong odor of decay. Fang Yuan coughed twice, and only after the dust settled could she clearly see the contents of closet number 7.
Some books, a computer.
The books were medical school textbooks, piled haphazardly. The computer was an old Great Wall brand. The back of the monitor was charred, and the letters on the keyboard were worn and illegible; it looked quite old.
Fang Yuan reached out to move the monitor, wanting to see if it had all the necessary components. As her slender fingers touched the monitor, a huge electric current numbed her body, nearly knocking her over.
There was actually electricity in that old computer?
It's clearly not connected to a power source, yet there's such a strong current? And it's being conducted from the monitor's frame.
If it's static electricity, it's incredibly high.
"It's from that girl who committed suicide," Su Ya said coldly, walking over at some point before turning back to her bedroom.
What did she mean by that? Was she reminding herself that the previous owner of this computer was dead?
In many rural areas, it's a custom that when someone dies, all their belongings are burned and buried with them. Otherwise, if someone else uses them, they'll be infected with bad luck and face bad luck for the rest of the year.
Fang Yuan speculated that Cheng Li's parents didn't want to be reminded of her by seeing the old computer, so they didn't take it home. But they didn't want to destroy a perfectly good computer, so they just left it here.
Could it be the computer's fault?
Just then, the girls outside the door called her again, growing impatient.
Let's talk about it after she gets back. Fang Yuan closed and locked wardrobe No. 7, responded, and quickly chased after him.