Chapter 49: Little Qin

Night fell, and everything was silent—an eerie, deathlike stillness.

Zhang Si lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Restlessly, he turned over, wanting to glance at Shen Quan beside him for reassurance.

But the school forbade leaving one’s bed after dark; otherwise, Zhang Si would have shamelessly clung to Shen Quan’s side.

The ghosts at this cursed school weren’t as rampant as he had imagined, seemingly restrained by some force. Surviving three days appeared not to be impossible.

Yet, out of the corner of his eye, a shadow darted past the window. Then… handprints appeared on the glass!

In the pitch-black darkness, Zhang Si’s hair stood on end.

“Hee hee hee,” a sharp, eerie laughter pierced the silence.

“Save me, why won’t you save me?”

“It hurts so much, why won’t you save me… Zhang Si!”

It was Xiao Qin’s voice!

…It had to be the ghost playing tricks.

Zhang Si’s heart raced as he tightly shut his eyes, trembling under the covers.

Xiao Qin was already dead; his bed was supposed to be empty. Yet, unexpectedly, he returned at night.

Zhang Si’s body shook uncontrollably, his movements causing the bed frame to creak slightly.

His mind went blank; he dared not make a sound or move.

The ghost had fixed its gaze on him!

Realizing tonight would be no ordinary night, Zhang Si felt the air grow icy around him. The once warm blankets felt colder than ice.

Why? Why was the ghost targeting him?

Wasn’t there still Lin Long in the dorm? That weakling was far easier to bully—so why pick on him?

This bitterness lasted less than a second before Zhang Si suddenly felt something brush the back of his head.

Cool—like strands of hair.

W-what? Could it be the ghost’s hair?

Something was behind him. No, no ghost could be on his bed. It must be a hallucination—yes, definitely a hallucination.

Zhang Si closed his eyes tighter, trying to convince himself it was all a trick of the mind.

Ghosts didn’t exist; he heard nothing, touched nothing.

“Zhang Si.”

The voice came closer, as if right beside his ear.

Zhang Si could no longer fool himself; fear nearly overwhelmed him.

With a shudder, he felt something behind him—soft and fleshy, like clumps of meat.

He heard the faint sound of the blanket rubbing against something. It was barely audible, but he heard it.

The ghost was right behind him!

His teeth chattered, cold sweat breaking out over his skin.

Knowing he shared the bed with a ghost, Zhang Si wanted to leap off, but he dared not move, fearing that any sudden motion would lead the ghost to tear him apart.

“Turn around… look back at me. I’m Xiao Qin. I’ve come back for you.”

The voice was clear now, right behind him.

“My legs, hands, head, and organs were all taken away. Help me put them back.”

“…We’re comrades, we’re comrades. Why do you ignore me?!”

Xiao Qin’s once cold voice turned sharp and terrifying.

As Zhang Si didn’t know what to do, a hand rested on his back.

The icy touch passed through the blanket to his skin, making every hair on his body stand on end.

Cold air swept over him.

In that instant, Zhang Si recalled his entire life, silently awaiting his death.

Just as he thought the ghost would kill him, the hand withdrew.

His heart pounded wildly, unable to calm down, but all movement behind him suddenly ceased.

…Could it have been Shen Quan, the big shot, helping him?

Shen Quan was a Qi wielder, and Xiao Qin’s ghost was nothing to him.

That had to be it. Shen Quan’s imposing aura was no mere Qi wielder’s; he was quite skilled.

Zhang Si’s emotions swung wildly between terror and relief, his heart beating back into place.

He dared not open his eyes, cautiously shifting back until he touched the wall, finally feeling safe.

Sure enough, there was no sign of the clumps of flesh; the ghost had vanished.

Relieved, Zhang Si breathed out.

Safe now, he…

“Looking for me?”

The icy breath was nearly on his face, the whisper at his ear forcing Zhang Si to open his eyes instinctively.

A grayish-white face hovered inches from his own.

Sunken, shriveled eyeballs with dilated pupils revealed it was dead. The stench of decay and blood made Zhang Si’s terror peak.

It was Xiao Qin’s face!

“Ah!”

Zhang Si screamed, stumbling backward.

But Xiao Qin wasn’t letting him go—crawling up onto the bed, its torn body leaving streaks of blood on the sheets.

Frightened, Zhang Si forgot the school rules and hastily jumped down from the foot of the bed.

This was exactly what the ghosts wanted.

The school forbade students from leaving their beds at night; breaking this rule was a violation.

Those who disobeyed became fair game for the ghosts.

Soon, the sound of flesh tearing came from beneath the bed, mingled with Zhang Si’s pitiful screams.

Shen Quan in the adjacent bed heard everything but remained unmoved.

What a fool. He had told Zhang Si to remember the rules, yet Zhang Si hadn’t listened.

Rules protected players from ghosts—the ghosts could not harm them at will.

As a player in this sinister game, one must use the rules to protect oneself; otherwise, even if not today, next time the ghost’s hand would claim them.

Shen Quan sighed inwardly. These players were too stupid. Who knew how many would remain after three days? He only hoped to find useful clues in the school tomorrow.

After finishing with Zhang Si, Xiao Qin’s ghost turned its attention to Lin Long and Shen Quan.

Two survivors remained in the dormitory, and it longed to devour them both.

It first tried to attack Shen Quan but found him like a block of wood—motionless, with only the faint rise and fall of his chest proving he was alive.

Seeing that Shen Quan was unfazed by its intimidation, Xiao Qin gave up and instead harassed Lin Long.

Unlike Shen Quan, Lin Long was less adept with ghosts. Terrified, he covered his head with the blanket, wrapping himself like a silkworm cocoon.

Xiao Qin became even more relentless in tormenting Lin Long.

Unfortunately, despite his fear, Lin Long still remembered the rules and did not leave his bed.

In the end, Xiao Qin failed and withdrew empty-handed.