Himmlisches Buch Die große Leere

Kapitel 32

I had no appetite for lunch and hid in my dorm room by myself. Lin Musen came over. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him, but he said:

"The truth will soon come out."

I gave him a cold look; in my memory, he was a loyal dog of Maeda Reiko. He opened all the windows to keep the room ventilated, and then said:

"It was Reiko Maeda who asked me to come."

I knew it. I said, "What is it?"

"About the clock striking inexplicably last night," he said.

"Really? What does she think about this?" I remembered what Mengna—or perhaps Mengna in my dream—had told me last night: Don't get close to Maeda Reiko.

"The panic has intensified these past few days. There have been frequent reports of ghosts in the girls' dormitory, and yesterday the clock suddenly rang again, causing widespread fear. There are rumors that something terrifying will happen when the clock strikes."

"What exactly did Reiko Maeda send you here for?"

"Tonight, the séance will be held to summon the spirits. All members must attend, and non-members are welcome to attend as observers. The location is on the hill where we monitor the morgue, which is closest to the 'forbidden area' on campus."

"Summoning spirits?" I sneered. "Do you really believe that ghosts exist in this world?"

"You have to believe it or not. To be honest, this is the first time I've participated in a ceremony like this in all the time I've been a member of the Séance Society. Don't you want to see it for yourself?"

Indeed, when Maeda Reiko asked me and Lin Musen to investigate the corpse theft case, she mentioned summoning spirits and went on to give a long explanation of theories that made it hard not to believe. I've always been curious. I asked, "Why choose that particular place?"

Lin Musen said, "First, the deaths all happened in that forbidden area. The soul-summoning ceremony should generally be held where the person died, but that area is now sealed off, so we have to choose a place closest to the forbidden area. Second, the academy will definitely prohibit such activities, so holding it there will avoid the sight of teachers and security personnel."

I lowered my head and thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I will be there on time."

"The ceremony starts at ten, but you need to get there before eight because the fourth campus closes at eight. Once you get there, go directly to the path leading to the morgue; someone will guide you in. For safety reasons, there will be guards standing watch before the ceremony begins—to put it bluntly, lookouts. Okay, I still need to notify the others, so I'll be going now."

PART 3.

Dusk fell once again, and the sky remained overcast, seemingly perfect for such a ceremony.

As Lin Musen instructed, I promptly took the path leading to the morgue in the fourth campus. As he said, two boys were waiting there, one of whom was the short-haired guy who had kidnapped me to see Maeda Reiko. I didn't like him, explained my purpose, and headed straight for the morgue without asking him to lead the way.

When I climbed the hill opposite the morgue, a large crowd had already gathered. A spacious tent had been erected sometime earlier, completely covered with black cloth embroidered with large white cherry blossoms, exuding a strong Eastern samurai feel. Maeda Reiko, dressed in a white kimono, stood at the entrance of the tent, with Hayashi Mori standing beside her, seemingly counting the number of people.

The Fourth Campus: Summoning the Soul (2)

Reiko Maeda quickly spotted me in the crowd, took something from Lin Musen's hand, and walked towards me.

"Lin Yuan-kun, put this on." She handed me something; it was a badge with a cherry blossom pattern.

"This is..." I took the badge and looked it over.

"Put on our emblem," she said.

I hesitated for a moment, but then put it on. I noticed that many people around me were wearing similar badges.

As a member of the Séance Society, I am not very clear about the specifics of this organization. I used to think there were at most twenty or so people, but now so many people have come, there must be at least a hundred.

"There are so many members in the séance! How many more people will come to participate in the summoning ceremony?" I asked.

Reiko Maeda glanced around at the crowd, a hint of smugness on her face. "Including those who aren't members of the Séance Society, there will be at least two hundred people here today. This is the biggest event since the Séance Society was founded."

Do you really think that summoning spirits can dispel the panic on campus?

Reiko Maeda smiled. "Let's give it a try. At least for now, it's the only way. Does Hayashibara-kun have any doubts about it?"

"No, no, it's just a bit unbelievable."

"You'll know when you see Nangong Xiaoxue."

At eight o'clock, Maeda Reiko led the participants into the makeshift tent. Eight o'clock again. The first time I officially met her was at eight o'clock, and she appeared at ten o'clock; now it's eight o'clock again, but the ceremony won't start until ten. To set up such a setup in such a short time and gather so many people, she's truly remarkable.

Inside the tent, a square was formed by a red carpet over two meters wide, leaving several hundred square meters of open space in the center. A large brazier sat in the center of the space, burning brightly. However, due to the large space, the firelight was still dim. As arranged by Maeda Reiko, everyone sat around the red carpet. People continued to enter from the entrance. About half an hour later, Maeda Reiko entered the venue; her kimono was still very conspicuous in the dim firelight. She slowly walked to the center, looked around, and made a gesture...

Make a gesture to quiet everyone, then say:

"Everyone here knows why we've gathered here today. For three years, a full three years, a series of bizarre deaths have occurred on campus. Upperclassmen remember that the college fenced off that grove of trees because of this, making it a 'forbidden zone' on campus. We spent three years in peace, the panic gradually receding. As those students graduated, the terrifying events were gradually forgotten, and the terrible curse seemed to have vanished. But now, these things are happening again! From Lingmin's suicide in the graduating class to the deaths of new students Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei, and last night the clock inexplicably rang again! People in the girls' dormitory keep seeing ghosts! All of this suggests..." What do you understand? That terrible diary curse has descended upon the school once again! It's hard for everyone to believe, but ghosts truly exist! After death, consciousness leaves the brain, traveling through the air as radio waves, eventually dispersing. When these waves are particularly strong, they can gather surrounding matter, forming a complete soul vessel that appears in our world! To completely eradicate the diary curse from the school and allow Nangong Xiaoxue's ghost to rest in peace, I have rashly gathered everyone here today to perform this soul-summoning ceremony! Whatever you see in a moment, remember to remain absolutely silent. Do not disturb the wronged soul of the deceased, or the consequences will be unimaginable!

As soon as she finished speaking, a chorus of voices rose and fell around her.

"Quiet down, everyone! Please keep quiet! Most of you here didn't experience the panic of three years ago, and you don't know much about Nangong Xiaoxue. I only recently found out about her. She has a cursed diary that supposedly killed many people, right? Our Spirit Summoning Society's Lin Yuanjun accidentally discovered this diary! Now I'll tell you the story of Nangong Xiaoxue..."

PART 4.

Silence fell over the hundreds of people in the hall after Maeda Reiko finished telling the story of Nangong Xiaoxue. It made it all the more difficult to conceal the fear in their hearts.

At this moment, two more people entered from outside the greenhouse. One of them could be vaguely seen to be the "flat-top" man who had been waiting on the forest path. They carried the large brazier in the middle out, plunging the venue into darkness.

About the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, a faint light appeared in the middle of the open space. One, two, three points, gradually forming a patch. Only then could one see that the ground was covered with candles, the flickering flames forming a large circle with a five-pointed star in the center. Maeda Reiko knelt with her hands clasped together in the center of the star. Lin Musen, who had somehow appeared in the middle of the open space, looked around and announced:

"The soul-summoning ceremony is about to begin. Please remain absolutely silent. No matter what you see, do not make a sound or move around!"

After he finished speaking, he returned to the crowd and sat down.

Reiko Maeda had her eyes closed, muttering something under her breath. Her face looked eerily strange in the flickering candlelight. That pattern formed by the candlelight...it felt so familiar...oh, right, it's Satan's symbol. I don't understand why they would use such an evil symbol?

Reiko Maeda slowly stood up, raised her arms to chest level, looked up, and then clasped her hands together... She repeated this dozens of times. Suddenly, she waved her hands, and the candle flames on the ground instantly leaped up, turning green and emitting a wisp of smoke. Her hands waved faster and faster, her whole body enveloped in thick smoke, and the green flames kept jumping up and down.

This continued for two or three minutes before she stopped. The smoke and dust surrounding her slowly dissipated. She then clasped her hands together and began a strange dance amidst the candlelight. The candlelight continued to flicker, gradually becoming rhythmic, swaying from side to side with her bizarre movements. I felt as if a veil had been drawn around me, everything blurring before my eyes. Slowly, silence enveloped me, and I could hear nothing at all. I don't know how much time passed, but then Maeda Reiko shouted:

The Fourth Campus: Summoning the Soul (3)

Show yourself, Nangong Xiaoxue!

One by one, the candles on the floor went out, plunging the hall into darkness once more. Silence, an eerie silence; I couldn't even hear the breathing of the person sitting next to me. I felt as if I were in space. My sixth sense told me that something terrible was about to happen.

Time ticked by, and the surroundings remained shrouded in darkness, devoid of sound and light, the air thick with tension. Suddenly, a cool breeze swept by, and one by one, the candles on the ground lit up again. In the center of the five-pointed star pattern formed by the candlelight, besides Maeda Reiko, there appeared another figure—a woman with long hair and wearing a white dress.

I couldn't see Maeda Reiko's expression; she had her back to me. I didn't know if she was as terrified as I was at that moment, but I was definitely struggling to breathe because the man in white was facing Maeda Reiko, and I could see her face clearly.

Her long hair almost completely obscured her face, revealing only one eye and a mouth, which appeared even more grotesque in the flickering candlelight. And that one eye seemed to be staring intently at me, a sinister smile playing on her lips.

My heart clenched instantly. In that instant, I desperately wanted to hide behind others to escape her gaze, but I couldn't move. Looking around, I saw that they too were staring blankly, clearly stunned by that狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face, just like me. That face was familiar. Yes, I had seen her more than once—the white-clad woman who frequently appeared in my dreams and in reality! So she was Nangong Xiaoxue.

"Nangong Xiaoxue, why are you still lingering in this world? You no longer belong here!" Maeda Reiko said.

Nangong Xiaoxue ignored Maeda Reiko, her eyes still fixed on me.

"Nami Ikeda is already dead, why are you still hurting other innocent people?"

As soon as Maeda Reiko finished speaking, Nangong Xiaoxue's ghost suddenly grabbed her collar and asked in a very hoarse voice, "What right do you have to tell me what to do?"

Reiko Maeda appeared calm. "I know you hate this world, I know your grievances. I just want to beg you, please stop. Don't hurt the innocent. Have you forgotten how popular you were? How many classmates liked you, loved you, and were heartbroken when they heard about your suicide! Why did you turn yourself into a vengeful demon?"

Nangong Xiaoxue let out a cold laugh, her voice turning shrill. "Don't try to convince me. Nangong Xiaoxue is long dead! I want this school to be engulfed in the flames of revenge, so you can taste my pain too! You have no idea how painful the afterlife is, but you'll come down to join me sooner or later! I've found a body that suits me, and starting tomorrow, I will use this body to take one person away every day. Feel the fear to your heart's content! Your time is running out!" With that, she shoved Maeda Reiko to the ground, and then a gust of cold wind rose from the earth, extinguishing all the candles.

The surroundings were plunged into complete darkness.

The Fourth Campus - Yuri Hasegawa (1)

PART 1.

Dean Wu sat in his comfortable chair as before, but his face was unusually gloomy. I, too, sat on the sofa opposite him, waiting for his reprimand. More than ten minutes passed, but he didn't say a word. The atmosphere...

It made me feel even more depressed.

"Do you know what the consequences will be for what you did yesterday?" After a long silence, he finally spoke.

I didn't speak; I've gotten used to using silence to deal with issues I don't want to talk about.

"Three years ago, a similar panic occurred on campus, which I don't need to elaborate on. Now, a similar incident has occurred again, and your actions will only lead to chaos and unrest on campus! The police will naturally investigate how those people died; your task is to focus on your studies! The college has tried everything to prevent a recurrence of the panic from three years ago, but instead of cooperating, you've incited student emotions. If anything goes wrong, can you take responsibility?"

I remained silent, inwardly thinking him utterly ignorant, for he had no concept of the connection between these deaths and the terror lurking beneath. Even Chen Yiming, a police officer, harbored suspicions about these cases, believing a dark secret lay hidden behind them. Yesterday, Maeda Reiko's spirit-summoning ceremony gradually revealed this secret: hatred, the curse of a vengeful spirit! Greater panic was about to follow, and this foolish director remained completely oblivious. I had never believed it was a ghost's revenge, but now I did. Yesterday, hundreds of people who participated in the spirit-summoning ceremony saw Nangong Xiaoxue's spirit!

Dean Wu seemed helpless against my silence, so he also fell silent.

"Dean, may I leave now?" I stood up from the sofa.

Dean Wu's expression was extremely unpleasant; he was clearly suppressing his anger, but he was also helpless against my attitude. He waved me away, "Go, go. Remember, if you continue to spread rumors among the students, be prepared to be punished!"

Stepping out of the dean's office felt like leaving a prison. I silently vowed to myself, "I hope Nangong Xiaoxue's spirit comes for you tonight. I hope you're the first one she takes away, you idiot!"

"Lin Yuan!" Suddenly a woman's voice rang out from behind. The voice was familiar; it was her—the homeroom teacher, Li Moran.

"Would you mind talking to me?" She was always so kind and approachable; her smile was almost magical, making you unconsciously do as she said. And I, of course, couldn't resist her "magic."

This was my first time entering her office. It was strange that she was able to have an office all to herself. Few people in the college, except for the leaders, could enjoy this privilege. She was just a young teacher.

The office was tastefully furnished, a stark contrast to the dean's luxurious decor. She took a key from a drawer and said to me, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere."

I looked at her, then at the keys in her hand, and followed her out.

She brought me to the Psychology Research Association.

I stood at the door without going in because I suddenly thought of a despicable person—Zhao Jun.

"What's wrong? Why don't you come in?" she asked.

"Psychological Research Association, you and Zhao Jun are in cahoots!" I said.

She smiled. "You've been here before, right? Zhao Jun brought you, didn't he? I have something to show you; I'm sure you'll be interested."

It turns out that members of the Psychology Research Association are all so good at persuasion.

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Are you referring to the treatment records for Nami Ikeda's paranoia?"

The smile remained on her face as she shook her head.

I finally went inside with her.

She casually closed the door, walked to the safe in the corner, skillfully entered the password, opened the safe, took out a form, and handed it to me.

×× Medical University Student Login Form

Name: Hasegawa Yuri (Hasegawa Yuri) Age: 17 years old

Gender: Female; Major: Psychology

...

The form was dated 1991, and a photograph was pasted in the upper left corner—a photograph of a very familiar woman.

"Do you know her?" Teacher Li Moran asked.

"It's her?" I was a little hesitant to accept this reality.

The teacher took out another form from the safe, this time written in Chinese:

××× Medical College New Student Registration Form

Name: Reiko Maeda Gender: Female Age: 18

Nationality: Japanese Ethnicity: Yamato