“Streamer, should I send my wolf-head rocket now or later?”
It was the first time Zuo Si had encountered a boss who asked the Streamer for advice on sending gifts; this was too polite. He quickly replied, “Let’s wait until later; we haven’t reached our destination yet.”
“Streamer, what’s the theme for today?”
“Today’s theme is middle school, the Crying Middle School! It’s definitely going to be more thrilling than last time!”
“Then… will Ge Hong still participate?”
“Yes, but her role isn’t significant this time; she’ll be playing my companion.”
“Phew… as long as she’s human, I’m just afraid she’s not human.”
“Uh… she’s still playing a ghost this time.”
“……”
Zuo Si chatted casually with the viewers in the live stream, but he didn’t forget to observe his surroundings.
The moonlight was bright tonight, and in the distance, he could already see the dilapidated middle school, which gave off an eerie feeling at first glance.
The night wind blew in gusts, causing the curtains in the classrooms to flutter out the windows, dancing in the wind like gray soul shadows, creating a truly bizarre scene.
The teaching building was a six-story structure, and aside from it, there was only a cafeteria located in the southwest corner of the teaching building. The playground was large but consisted entirely of dirt and stones. Only one basketball court had a concrete surface that was usable.
Suddenly, not far from Zuo Si, a gray figure moved quickly through the grass. It looked like a woman, running fast, making it impossible to see her face.
Zuo Si’s heart immediately raced; could he have encountered something dirty so soon? He instinctively tightened his grip on the blade and tucked his phone into his pocket. There could be no accidents before entering the school; he had to enter smoothly!
Zuo Si watched the gray figure run away, intending to breathe a sigh of relief, but that unsettling feeling in his heart did not diminish at all. He felt like a prey being watched by a fierce beast, ready to be torn apart at any moment.
This pressure didn’t seem to come from the school… but from his surroundings.
Zuo Si couldn’t help but stop, scanning the area, but all he saw were patches of wasteland and dark alleys…
‘Could it be? Behind me?’
Once this thought exploded in his mind, he couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild…
‘Could it be that something has been following me since I got out of the car?’
‘Is it possible that the gray figure ran away because it saw something terrifying…?’
Not daring to glance back, Zuo Si couldn’t find peace… He gripped the blade in his hand again, slowly turning his body.
His peripheral vision kept shifting back…
When he caught sight of a dark red figure, his heart seemed to stop beating.
Standing behind him was actually a pregnant woman in a dark red spaghetti strap dress…!!
She had been following closely behind Zuo Si with her head lowered, and he hadn’t noticed at all. There was no desire to resist whatsoever.
Zuo Si bolted toward Dejing Middle School. He could hear his heavy breathing and the sound of the wind in his ears. Even if he had to stay in the eerie school, he absolutely did not want to be with this woman in red.
Arriving at the school gate, Zuo Si didn’t rush in but turned back to see if the woman in red was chasing him.
Fortunately… she had disappeared.
Zuo Si carefully placed Ge Hong’s T-shirt, Meng Miaoxue’s high heels, and Gu Yiyi’s watermelon hairpin in a corner near the gate. He whispered, “If you hear me shout for help, Ge Hong and Meng Miaoxue, rush in immediately.”
After giving his instructions, Zuo Si picked up his flashlight and prepared to enter the school.
Just as he was about to step inside, he vaguely heard the sound of a boy sobbing; the voice was soft but echoed in his ears.
Zuo Si didn’t pay much attention; perhaps this boy wasn’t bad and might even be a pitiful person.
As he walked through the school gate, a chilling gust of wind rushed toward him, bone-chillingly cold.
Zuo Si held the flashlight and walked toward the teaching building, but at that moment, another flashlight beam shone on his face.
“Who is it? What are you doing!?” A middle-aged man’s voice, thick with the local dialect, rang out.
“Ah, uncle, I am… I am…” Zuo Si was momentarily at a loss for words; he hadn’t expected there to be a night watchman here.
“What do you mean ‘I am’? Get out, get out, no one is allowed in here.” The man gradually stepped closer, and Zuo Si could see him clearly. He was a robust man, around fifty years old, with a buzz cut and an unfriendly expression.
“Uncle, I’m just taking a look; I’ll leave soon!” Zuo Si wanted to stay, but the night watchman was unyielding, his face showing clear impatience: “Get out, get out! Don’t you know how dangerous this building is? Hurry up and leave!”
“What danger could there be, uncle? This place has been abandoned for so long.”
“Are you leaving or not?” The night watchman glared, clearly about to lose his temper.
Zuo Si had no choice; he glanced at the time—there was still half an hour left, he could come back later.
Reluctantly, he exited the school and walked back in the direction he came from.
After a while, he dashed into the wasteland, took a long detour, and climbed back over the wall into the school.
This time, he dared not turn on his flashlight; fortunately, the moonlight was bright.
Zuo Si jogged quietly, making little noise, and slipped through the small door on the west side into the teaching building. Instantly, darkness enveloped him. He turned on his flashlight, and as the beam flickered to life, he saw a shadow dart past in front of him.
‘It seems there really are a lot of ghostly things in this place. The children mentioned in the optional tasks must be the souls of the students. With so many rooms in the teaching building, it’s nearly impossible to find all the students’ souls, and I don’t even know how many souls are wandering here. So, optional tasks three and four can only proceed after completing the Courage-Testing Task.’
“Let’s start from the second floor, then. I need to find that person who wants to fall in love… If I’m lucky, maybe tonight she can help me…”
Zuo Si remained vigilant of his surroundings; most of the glass in the corridor was shattered, and broken desks and chairs were strewn everywhere. He carefully ascended the stairs to the second floor, feeling as if he was being watched ever since he entered the teaching building.
Scattered across the stairs were sheets of exam papers; Zuo Si picked one up to examine it, but it was completely blank, with nothing special about it.
Upon reaching the corridor on the second floor, he raised his flashlight and suddenly saw three dark shadows crouched in front of a classroom door, staring at him.
As the flashlight beam illuminated them, they immediately vanished into the classroom.
The sound of a boy crying grew clearer in his ears; it seemed the owner of the voice was hiding somewhere in this teaching building!
Zuo Si took out his phone and addressed the viewers in the live stream: “Dear viewers, welcome to the Midnight Spirit Exploration Live Stream. I am your Streamer, ‘Zuo Si’!”
“Today’s live stream theme is the school. This time, we will not only uncover malevolent spirits but also engage in various terrifying games! Please be sure to prepare yourselves mentally and don’t let today’s broadcast scare you!”