Translator: CinderTL
After a moment's thought, Jiang Cheng said, "Xiaoting came to you last night because you're her best friend. She must have hoped you could help her."
"I think so too," Yuan Xiaoyi whispered. "She told me how to find her, so she must have wanted me to go and bring her back. But I don't understand... why? Why me?"
Jiang Cheng's eyes lit up. "Xiaoting told you how to find her?"
"Yes, she said she's trapped in the Medical Building. To see her, I have to follow her instructions exactly."
"And I can't make any mistakes, or I'll end up trapped there forever, just like her."
Jiang Cheng understood that Xiaoting's instructions were likely the equivalent of mission rules, but specific to the Medical Building.
By extension, he reasoned, the Swimming Pool, abandoned sports field, Sculpture Hall, and library likely had their own corresponding rules—like branch line quests under the main mission.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's gaze, Yuan Xiaoyi recalled the method Xiaoting had described the night before. She slowly began to explain, "First, we need to go to the Medical Building at midnight. Normally, it closes at 8 PM, and a professor locks the gate. But Xiaoting told me that from midnight onward, the building changes—it's like... like entering another world."
"To enter this world, we have to repeatedly pull the Medical Building's gate with our left hand exactly at midnight."
Yuan Xiaoyi paused before adding, "The gate's design is peculiar. It can only be pushed open; pulling it won't work under normal circumstances."
"So, if we manage to pull it open, it means we've entered another world," Jiang Cheng nodded. He'd heard similar theories before.
In Feng Shui, this is known as the Trapped Dragon Formation, also called Accumulated Evil. In certain malevolent places, experts design gates that can only be pushed open from the outside, effectively trapping whatever lies within.
The "people" inside couldn't push the gate open from the inside, trapping them within.
"What do we need to do once we're inside?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Yuan Xiaoyi gestured for him to be patient. "Just beyond the entrance is the guard station. Inside, you'll find a visitor log where you need to sign your name."
"Only by doing this will the entity inside acknowledge you. Otherwise, if they discover you, something terrible will happen."
"Each floor has a similar place to sign. All you need to do is find the signature spot on each floor, leave your name, and then exit within the allotted time."
The rules seemed simple enough, but Jiang Cheng suspected that unforeseen complications would arise during the actual task. He was certain there was more to it than met the eye. Tilting his head toward Yuan Xiaoyi, he whispered, "How much time do we have?"
"Forty-four minutes," Yuan Xiaoyi replied firmly. "We must leave the Medical Building through the same gate we entered before 12:44 AM. If we succeed, we'll have successfully broken this Urban Legend."
"I think Xiaoting was trying to break the curse, but she failed," Yuan Xiaoyi said, a look of self-reproach on her face. After all, she had been the one who asked Xiaoting to take photos inside the Medical Building late at night.
Jiang Cheng gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Xiaoyi, the fact that you're telling me all this shows how strong you are. I promise I'll do everything I can to rescue them."
"Thank you, Senior," Yuan Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly, her eyes brimming with gratitude.
"Oh, right!" Jiang Cheng suddenly changed the subject, as if something had just occurred to him. He turned to Yuan Xiaoyi and asked, "Earlier, you mentioned that Xiaoting told you how to save her, but you said you didn't understand and kept asking why, looking really distressed. What was that about?"
"Senior, it's like this," Yuan Xiaoyi explained, "Xiaoting did tell me how to save her, but... she refused to let me go!"
"She refused to let you save her?" Jiang Cheng was surprised.
"Yes! She warned me that if I went inside the Medical Building, everything would be over—everyone would die!" Yuan Xiaoyi said urgently. "Not just her, but Xiaoran and Xiaohui too!"
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng fell into deep thought. If Yuan Xiaoyi wasn't lying, he believed this was the most likely explanation.
To verify his suspicion, Jiang Cheng first reassured Yuan Xiaoyi before abruptly changing the subject. "Xiaoyi, last night, Xiaoting was the only one who came to see you, right?"
"Yes, yes."
"I see." Jiang Cheng's expression remained unchanged, though he now had a clearer picture of what had happened.
Based on the clues they had gathered so far, the old man's granddaughter they were searching for was among the five missing girls.
However, her exact identity remained unknown.
Yuan Xiaoyi served as their vital link to the missing girls. They needed to gradually extract information from her about the girls' whereabouts, the nature of the Urban Legends trapping them, and most importantly, how to rescue them.
Therefore, Yuan Xiaoyi's safety was paramount. Unless absolutely necessary, even if it meant their own deaths, they couldn't risk taking her into danger.
If anything happened to Yuan Xiaoyi, their communication channel with the missing girls would be severed, and their mission would fail.
Having realized this, Jiang Cheng's gaze toward Yuan Xiaoyi became even more sincere. "Xiaoyi," he said, reaching out to gently brush a stray strand of hair from her temple, maintaining just the right distance. "I want you to understand that finding your friend is my responsibility. As long as I'm here, I won't let any woman take risks in front of me. That's my principle."
He paused, then added softly, "Especially not you."
This sudden surge of emotion left Yuan Xiaoyi, a girl unaccustomed to such kindness, utterly flustered. She couldn't comprehend how such a benevolent man could exist in the world—one who not only promised to help find her missing friend and unconditionally trusted her, but also refused to let her put herself in danger.
"Senior... I... I truly don't know how to thank you," she stammered.
"There's no need for thanks between us," Jiang Cheng replied, glancing sideways through the trees at the edge of the grove. Through the gaps in the branches, he could see Gao Yan and the others huddled together, their grim faces hinting at some secret plot. He knew he couldn't let his guard down.
Noticing Jiang Cheng's movement, Yuan Xiaoyi followed his gaze and asked curiously, "Senior, what are you thinking about?"
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng turned away, shaking his head with a bitter smile. His lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
Yuan Xiaoyi noticed a hint of helplessness and bitterness in his eyes. "Senior, I know you want to say something," she pressed. "It's about those friends of yours, isn't it? If you don't mind, you can tell me."
Jiang Cheng pursed his lips, then sighed. "Xiaoyi, to be honest, not all those people are really my friends. In fact, some of them resent me for helping you find your friend. They think I'm meddling in their affairs."
"Did you see those two?" Jiang Cheng took Yuan Xiaoyi's hand and pointed through the gaps in the leaves at Gao Yan, who was still chattering away, and Wang Qi, who stood nearby like a silent specter. "You need to be careful around them. I don't mind them ostracizing me, but I don't want them to do the same to you."
"So they're the ones who've been excluding you, Senior?" Yuan Xiaoyi memorized their faces.
She wanted nothing to do with the people who were ostracizing her senior, and a flicker of resentment even stirred within her. "Senior," she said, "I only trust you!"
(End of the Chapter)
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