Translator: CinderTL
The Ghost Jiang Cheng thought for a moment. Yuan Xiaoyi was right.
"After their heads were chopped off, their bodies didn't fare any better. After the army left, the local villagers dug them up and used knives, scissors, and other tools..." Yuan Xiaoyi's voice grew softer with each word, but Jiang Cheng understood the fate must have been utterly gruesome.
After a pause, Yuan Xiaoyi added, "Senior, do you remember that male teacher?"
This remark jogged Jiang Cheng's memory. After a moment, he stroked his chin and nodded. "You're saying the way that male teacher died was similar to what happened to this bandit's corpse, right?"
"Mhm." Yuan Xiaoyi responded softly, then added, "According to the old man, the bandits were executed right here on our campus, though it was just wasteland back then. Now, everything's changed, so we can't pinpoint the exact spot."
Despite her words, it seemed highly likely the execution took place where the Sculpture Hall now stands.
The eerie half-body statue was once the bandit leader who had been beheaded long ago.
Who would have thought he would return after all this time?
And in such a bizarre way.
After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Cheng turned to Yuan Xiaoyi and asked, "What did you mean earlier when you said there were more than one moving sculptures?"
"Senior, that's exactly what I was about to tell you," Yuan Xiaoyi replied quickly. "According to what Xiaoyu said when she came to me last night, besides the half-body statue, some of the sculptures inside are alive. These sculptures are occupied by the bandit leader's former gang members and obey his commands."
"Anyone who enters at night will be killed by them," Yuan Xiaoyi added. "Just like... just like the male teacher. Their resentment is immense."
"Then how can we save Xiaoyu?" Jiang Cheng pondered for a long time, but couldn't see any way out.
"If we want to rescue Xiaoyu, we need to find the bandit leader—that half-body statue—and destroy it!" Yuan Xiaoyi said with certainty.
"How do we find it?" Jiang Cheng asked. "Is there a photo or something?"
When asked about this, Yuan Xiaoyi shook her head. "No, but they say the half-body statue is very strange. You can recognize it at a glance because..." Yuan Xiaoyi pointed to her own neck and whispered, "It was beheaded. Though its head is still attached, it's tilted."
Recalling the security guard's dying words, the part about the psychiatrist now made sense.
"Also, its weakness is at the back of its head. Xiaoyu said that only by striking that spot can you completely destroy the half-body statue. Once the statue is destroyed, the bandit leader will vanish completely." After a pause, Yuan Xiaoyi added, "The sculptures it controls are the same."
"But the half-body statue isn't exactly the same as the other sculptures. It's not very aggressive." As if fearing Jiang Cheng might misunderstand, she quickly added, "Those sculptures are incredibly vicious. They're just as brutal as they were when they were bandits—perhaps even more so now."
"Though they retain their original nature, their minds are dull. They're like a pack of mindless beasts, driven only by the instinct to hunt and kill. The half-body statue is the beast tamer controlling them."
"As for the half-body statues, it's the opposite. They have limited mobility but are exceptionally cunning, and their methods of killing are far more bizarre."
Yuan Xiaoyi paused, looking at Jiang Cheng. "They can kill just by staring at someone for an extended period."
Yuan Xiaoyi's words were scattered, so Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment, extracting the useful information and summarizing it: "The sculptures in the Sculpture Hall are divided into three categories. The half-body statues form their own distinct group, the moving sculptures form another, and the final category consists of the immobile, normal statues."
"The half-body statues are characterized by their cunning. They can control other moving sculptures, but their own mobility is limited. Their method of killing is to stare at a person for an extended period."
"The remaining moving sculptures lack intelligence but possess strong mobility and brutal methods. To put it simply, they can attack, run, and withstand damage—like zombies."
"But regardless of the type, they all fear attacks to the back of their heads, which is their weak point, right?" Jiang Cheng concluded.
Yuan Xiaoyi thought for a moment. "That's right, Senior. That's exactly what I meant."
Jiang Cheng's analysis was both logical and precise, making it easy to understand at first hearing.
Further questioning wouldn't yield any more results. Jiang Cheng turned to Yuan Xiaoyi and began the final topic, "When would be the best time for us to go?"
"Midnight," Yuan Xiaoyi replied. "Stand in front of the art center's main gate. Once inside, go straight to the security guard's office and disable the alarm. The red alarm switch is located under the table. Just flip it off."
"Then head to the Sculpture Studio. You might find some useful tools there."
Jiang Cheng paused, then looked up at Yuan Xiaoyi. "But we don't know the way around."
Judging by the Activity Center, the art center's interior was likely complex. Finding the various locations in a short time seemed unlikely.
However, Yuan Xiaoyi appeared confident. "Senior, don't worry about that. Right inside the art center's main entrance, there's an internal map hanging on the wall directly opposite the door. Just follow the map."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "I see."
"But there's one thing you must remember," Yuan Xiaoyi said earnestly. "When you enter the Sculpture Hall gate for the first time, you must knock first. You absolutely must not forget."
"What's that about?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Yuan Xiaoyi shook her head, indicating she didn't understand either. Xiaoyu had told her all this last night; she was just repeating it.
A moment later, Yuan Xiaoyi felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up and met Jiang Cheng's gaze. "Xiaoyi, promise me you'll take care of yourself while I'm gone. Don't make me worry."
"Senior... I... I understand," Yuan Xiaoyi mumbled, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum. Her ears flushed slightly, making her look unexpectedly cute.
His purpose fulfilled, Jiang Cheng turned and walked toward the edge of the Small Woods.
Without Gao Yan, the group surprisingly became harmonious. Not long after leaving the woods, Jiang Cheng spotted Fatty Huai Yi, Shen Mengyun, and Wang Qi sitting together in a row on a long stone bench by the roadside, shoulder to shoulder.
From left to right, Wang Qi was first, followed by Fatty, Huai Yi, and Shen Mengyun.
A few figures stood with their backs to Jiang Cheng, occasionally lowering their heads as if engaged in some secret activity. Curiosity piqued, Jiang Cheng circled around to see what they were up to.
From another angle, he saw Fatty and his three companions each holding a jianbing guozi wrapped in a paper bag. They sat in a row, each gripping their treat with both hands and, in perfect unison, lowered their heads to devour them. As they ate, they exchanged hushed whispers.
Fatty, with his sharp eyes, spotted Jiang Cheng first. As Jiang Cheng approached, Fatty quickly pulled a wrapped jianbing guozi from his clothes and handed it to him. "Hurry and eat it," he urged. "Two sausages, four eggs, extra vinegar, less sugar, double the scallions, no chili—it's all made to your exact specifications. Eat it while it's hot; it won't taste as good cold."
Jiang Cheng took the jianbing guozi and took a large bite, chewing as he asked, "Why are you all here so early?"
"Early? It's almost time for school to let out!" Fatty grumbled. "Don't even get me started. We were just about to come find you when that male teacher caught us—you know, the one who tried to catch us last time but failed." Fatty prompted.
Jiang Cheng immediately remembered. He was referring to the teacher who had chased them from the experimental building all the way to the library.
It was truly unbelievable. Wearing only slippers, the teacher had chased them for over 200 meters and almost caught them.
Wang Qi wasn't particularly interested in this. He tossed the remaining half of his jianbing fruit away and turned to Jiang Cheng, asking, "What did that guy say?"
"She said she dreamed of Xiaoyu," Jiang Cheng reminded them. "We're going to the Sculpture Hall tonight, at the art center."
After speaking, Jiang Cheng sat down and shared what he had learned from "Yuan Xiaoyi" this time.
"We're going to confront the Ghosts head-on this time?" Fatty's face turned pale after hearing Jiang Cheng's words. Even the jianbing fruit he was chewing suddenly lost its flavor. "And we have to destroy them? Smash their heads?" His voice rose sharply.
If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Cheng was a Doctor, Fatty would have assumed he was being deliberately tricked, utterly screwed over.
Imagining himself trying to smash a Ghost's head, Fatty couldn't help but shudder. Whether the Ghost would be harmed or not was irrelevant; Fatty felt his own life was likely at its end.
The Ghost would immediately tear his head off and, while doing so, ask who had given him the audacity to smash its head. Had people become this brave these days?
"That's interesting," Wang Qi said after a moment, nodding.
Fatty's eyes widened as he stared at Wang Qi as if he were an alien, his face screaming, "Please, tell me what's interesting about that!"
Huai Yi pondered for a moment before nodding as well. "Though it sounds unreliable, I think that's precisely why the Heart-Corroding Demon isn't lying to us."
Jiang Cheng shook his head. "That's not it. I think the Heart-Corroding Demon isn't unwilling to deceive us; she's unable to. After all, she still needs our help to deal with the ghosts in the Urban Legends."
After finishing their meal, the group prepared to return to their dorms to rest. However, Jiang Cheng noticed that Shen Mengyun, who had been following them silently, wasn't walking quite right.
She had twisted her ankle, and it seemed to have worsened overnight.
"Miss Shen," Jiang Cheng called out, "your foot..."
"It's fine," Shen Mengyun said quickly. "It just hurts a little. It'll be fine after I rest for a while. Really, it's nothing to worry about."
Jiang Cheng knelt down and rolled up Shen Mengyun's pant leg. Her once slender, fair ankle was now completely swollen, more than an inch thicker than her other ankle, and tinged with a faint purplish-blue hue.
"This is what you call 'fine'?!" Jiang Cheng looked up, his voice tinged with anger, and stared into Shen Mengyun's eyes.
"Come on, let's go to the School Doctor's Office," Jiang Cheng said, standing up.
(End of the Chapter)
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