Translator: CinderTL
Upon seeing the scene, Gao Yan frowned and turned to Jiang Cheng. "This must be what Yuan Xiaoyi left behind."
Jiang Cheng remained unmoved by Gao Yan's conclusion. Jumping to conclusions based on a single piece of evidence seemed too hasty to him.
He continued examining the sketch, using the location of the scratch marks as a reference point to search for other clues.
Stepping back a few paces, he found a central position and looked in the direction the sketch indicated. There, too, was a pile of miscellaneous objects.
This time, without waiting for Shen Mengyun or Gao Yan's help, Jiang Cheng single-handedly cleared away the lighter items from the top of the pile. According to the sketch, a large mirror should be hidden behind them.
The girls had once performed mirror rituals here, attempting to summon the Mirror Spirit.
Their methods varied wildly. Yuan Xiaoyi, who claimed to be the most timid of the group, had never participated in any of the rituals, but she had witnessed them. As far as she remembered, one girl had drawn an eyebrow on only one side while facing the mirror, while another had peeled an apple with her back turned to the mirror, whispering her own name as she peeled, and forbidden from stopping no matter what happened.
Not long ago, Fatty had secretly complained to Jiang Cheng that the Urban Legends Club was less an organization and more a "creative ways to die" competition, and one worthy of the finals at that.
Clearing his mind of distractions, Jiang Cheng found himself facing only a blank wall. He couldn't find any mirror.
But Shen Mengyun stepped forward and slowly ran her fingertips across the wall. After a moment, she stopped at one spot, rubbed her fingers together, and said with certainty, "This must be it. It feels sticky. They probably wouldn't dare drill holes to mount a mirror. The most likely scenario is that they taped it to the wall."
"The tape could be torn off, but some adhesive residue would remain."
Before she could finish, Gao Yan hmm-ed and reached for something atop the rusty metal shelf, retrieving a tiny shard from an old cardboard box.
It was so small that it shimmered faintly in the light.
"A fragment of a mirror," Gao Yan said, handing it to Jiang Cheng.
"So not only was there a mirror here, but it was also shattered," Shen Mengyun deduced, surveying the room. "My guess is whoever cleaned up in a hurry didn't bother to inspect carefully."
"Who would go to such lengths to erase all traces of those girls' existence?" Shen Mengyun muttered, staring intently at the wall.
Gao Yan's expression darkened, and he replied in a cold, sinister voice, "Who else could it be? It has to be the school itself. My guess is they found out about the girls' disappearances and are trying to cover up their involvement to avoid responsibility."
"But that only explains why the school administration denies their existence. What about the students?" Shen Mengyun retorted, showing no deference to Gao Yan. She turned to him directly and challenged, "How do you explain so many students claiming they've never heard of or seen these missing girls? This is a university, not some small school. Even if they wanted to keep everyone quiet, it would be nearly impossible. And we're not talking about one missing student, but five! From different departments too. Pulling off something like that would be incredibly difficult."
They argued for a while before suddenly realizing Jiang Cheng hadn't said a word. He had been silent since the conversation began.
Gao Yan regretted his impulsive theory. He hadn't expected Shen Mengyun to react so strongly, and now he felt awkwardly cornered.
Gao Yan turned to Jiang Cheng, changing the subject. "Brother Jiang, what do you think?"
Jiang Cheng was holding a shard of the mirror, his expression peculiar. Gao Yan followed his gaze but saw nothing amiss. "Brother Jiang?" he repeated.
"You took this shard from here, right?" Jiang Cheng pointed to a large cardboard box, the kind used to package household appliances. It sat on the second shelf, about 1.5 meters above the ground.
"Yeah," Gao Yan nodded casually. "Right here."
Jiang Cheng walked over to the box, shard in hand, and found the spot Gao Yan had indicated. There was a small tear in the cardboard, as if something sharp had scraped it with limited force, failing to penetrate the surface.
He held the shard against the tear. The shape and size matched perfectly.
As if a terrifying suspicion had been confirmed, Jiang Cheng spun around to face the wall he had only partially cleared, leaving the upper half exposed.
"Clear the rest of the wall!" Jiang Cheng pointed, his voice urgent.
Gao Yan and Shen Mengyun didn't hesitate. They knew Jiang Cheng must have discovered something significant, or he wouldn't be acting this way. It was the first time they had ever seen such an expression on his face.
The final clearing took less than two minutes. When they moved the last chain-wrapped bag, the scene before them left everyone stunned.
About a meter above the floor, the dark concrete wall was covered in deep, savage chop marks. The central gash had even cracked the wall.
"H-how could this happen?" Gao Yan's face paled instantly. The place suddenly resembled a dismemberment site.
"Someone shattered the mirror with a knife," Jiang Cheng said, his eyes fixed on the brutal slashes. A dark current stirred within him. "That's why the shards flew so high and so far, leaving marks even on the boxes."
(End of the Chapter)
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