Translator: CinderTL
Before Fatty could even speak, Liang Shan, his face pale with fear and his legs trembling, wailed, "Brother Jiang, whoever it is, let's not go back! Saving our lives is what matters!"
He knew he would have been dead if Jiang Cheng hadn't pulled him back earlier, and he didn't want to see Jiang Cheng risk his life now.
Huai Yi, running on the far right of the group and gasping for breath, added, "Maybe it was just a hallucination. There's something strange about that Anatomy Room. What we saw probably happened years ago—this was just a reenactment."
Their stance was clear: there was no need to risk their lives for a dubious possibility, especially since Fatty was the only one who had witnessed it, making it highly unlikely. If the Doctor had said it, everyone would have believed him.
Hearing Huai Yi and Liang Shan's doubts, Fatty closed his slightly open mouth, falling into self-doubt. If such a special girl truly existed, why was he the only one who had seen her? Huai Yi and the others could be excused, but even the Doctor hadn't noticed anything. He didn't consider himself any different from the others.
But he never expected Jiang Cheng to immediately turn to him and press urgently, "Fatty, are you sure about this?"
"I..." Fatty paused, then explained, "Doctor, I know this sounds strange, but it's true. I don't know how else to explain it, but I didn't find her—she found me."
"I just felt someone watching me. That gaze... it was unique. I can't quite describe what made it so special. I only turned around because I sensed it, and then I saw her. It was like she had suddenly appeared there."
"She was standing among the students, staring right at me. I could feel she had something to say, something she needed to tell me. She was pleading for help. It was as if she knew I was the only one who could see her!" Fatty's voice trailed off, his pauses growing longer, as if even he struggled to believe his own words.
"I know you might not want to hear this, but if I were that girl and needed help, I'd ask Brother Jiang, not you. No offense, Fatty, but that's just how it is." Liang Shan meant no malice; he was simply being practical, not wanting Jiang Cheng to rush back to his death.
Huai Yi was more tactful, but his point was the same. Moreover, his skepticism was well-founded: this was likely a ghost's illusion, designed to lure them back to their doom.
By then, the group had already raced through the corridor to the third floor. Just one more flight down, and they'd reach the main gate.
Hearing Liang Shan and Huai Yi's words, Fatty felt a pang of guilt, not because of their skepticism, but because he had been tricked by the ghost and nearly led the Doctor back to his death.
Liang Shan was about to add something, but Jiang Cheng cut him off sharply. "I didn't ask you!" he snapped, then turned to Fatty, his tone softening considerably. "Fatty, don't hesitate. Just tell us exactly how you feel."
After a moment, Fatty gritted his teeth. "Doctor, I swear I saw her! There's definitely a special girl in there! I even remember her face!"
"You guys distract the ghost," Fatty declared, his expression hardening, "and I'll go back for her myself!" His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, a faint blue vein throbbing on his neck.
The sudden shift in his demeanor startled Huai Yi. He realized that despite Fatty's usually unassuming appearance, he was fundamentally the same as Jiang Cheng—a core member of Crimson, the legendary group of bloodthirsty monsters.
"Brother Fugui," Huai Yi said immediately, his tone becoming respectful, "please, don't get agitated. We..."
Suddenly, a hand gripped his arm. Huai Yi flinched and turned to find Jiang Cheng.
"Get them out of here," Jiang Cheng said urgently. "Don't worry about anyone else. Be smart, find the Gate, and leave immediately. Even though the time's up, I think 12:44 AM is just when the Ghost Face Granny wakes up and starts killing. As long as we're out of the building before she catches us, we'll be fine."
"What about you?" Huai Yi asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"I'm going back for Xiaoting," Jiang Cheng said, releasing his arm. "I trust his instincts. I believe she's still alive, waiting for us in the Anatomy Room."
"If anything happens to me, remember to find Yuan Xiaoyi for the next clue."
With that, Jiang Cheng plunged into the darkness around the corner.
Fatty didn't hesitate and charged after him. Liang Shan started to follow, but Huai Yi grabbed his arm. "They're going to find Xiaoting. What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Liang Shan looked crestfallen. "I just think Brother Jiang is reliable. Sticking with him gives us a better chance of survival!"
"Aren't you coming?" Liang Shan asked Huai Yi, surprised.
The sound of something chasing them grew closer—not normal footsteps, but a rustling noise like countless tentacles slithering across the floor. Huai Yi couldn't even imagine what kind of creature could make such a sound.
"Going there won't help. If he—" Huai Yi started to say, "If even he can't handle it, what chance do we have?" But Fatty's face flashed in his mind, and he corrected himself: "If they can't handle it, there's no point in us going."
"What do we do now? Should we try to escape through the main gate?" Liang Shan asked. Though terrified of death, he also worried that Jiang Cheng and Fatty were rushing headlong into danger, never to return.
If he could, he wanted to do something to help.
The rustling sound behind them grew louder, like a toddler learning to walk, gradually gaining confidence and speed.
"We'll distract it to buy them time," Huai Yi said, steeling his resolve.
Liang Shan gritted his teeth. "Fine."
But neither of them anticipated how quickly courage could evaporate. The moment they glimpsed the true form of the creature chasing them, their bravery vanished completely.
They turned and fled, not in circles, but straight down the stairs toward the main gate.
They moved so fast they left afterimages, looking from a distance like souls chasing after fleeing bodies.
"Holy shit!" Liang Shan yelled, leaping down the staircase. "What the hell is that thing?"
"I don't know!"
Neither of them dared to look closely. A single glance at that thing was enough.
Hot on their heels was a grotesque monster, a towering amalgamation of severed limbs standing at least three, perhaps even four meters tall.
Its body was a dense, chaotic mass of dismembered limbs, countless pale hands and feet flailing wildly like the legs of a colossal spider. Nestled amidst this writhing mass was Shi Xiaoya's head.
But Shi Xiaoya's head had been twisted 180 degrees, revealing the face hidden beneath her hair: the face of an old woman.
Crimson wrinkles crisscrossed her aged visage, and with each movement, these wrinkles slowly split open, exposing raw, bloody flesh beneath. As they gaped and closed, they resembled gills gasping for air.
Through the gaps between the severed limbs, they could glimpse a tattered white lab coat stained with blood.
(End of the Chapter)
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