Ich bin von Natur aus schön und unübertroffen

Kapitel 10

"bell"

"fall"

"count"

...

He didn't touch the phone; it was sending text messages on its own. Soon, Xi Yuan stared blankly ahead when Ade's phone vibrated.

"One-minute countdown..." That was something he knew without even looking. What on earth was going on?! Xi Yuan was completely frantic!

There are no ghosts in this world, he'd told himself that since he was little! When people die, they just die, they just turn into a piece of dead flesh, like Fatty and Ade. How could there be ghosts? How could there be…

One minute...

In the last minute before he died? He didn't even know why he was about to be "ended"! He didn't want to die like this, without knowing why!

Wait! Suddenly remembering something, Xi Yuan abruptly released his hands from his head...

Does "the end" really mean the end of life?

If this ghost wants to kill him, it can just come directly. Why bother playing with him... Wait a minute!

"Play"?

Suddenly, Xi Yuan rushed over, grabbed Ade's phone, and opened the first text message—

"The game isn't over yet, there's still one person left..."

This is it! The "game"!

This time refers to the end of the game, not his lifespan!

But... a game? The game I played at the arcade today? No! That's not right! Then...

Xi Yuan suddenly thought of that small park and the children playing the ghost-catching game in the park.

"But it seems there's still one we haven't caught..." That's what Ade seemed to have said at the time.

Which one? Xi Yuan suddenly thought of the little boy covered in black who had been hiding under his chair at the beginning.

It's him!

Suddenly, another scene appeared in Xi Yuan's mind—

That was on the subway, with the little boy who gave up his seat for me. Why would a child give up his seat for a grown man like myself? People usually give up their seats for a few reasons: the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, pregnant women, and… those carrying children…

I definitely don't belong to any of the first five categories, so...

Xi Yuan suddenly remembered the little boy's strange behavior in the car, and how he waved to him when he got out of the car...

So... was he really saying goodbye? I didn't say a word to him, so was it necessary for him to say goodbye?

That waving… A terrifying image suddenly flashed through Xi Yuan's mind: a small figure beside him, constantly waving to the little boy outside the window…

The image of the little boy covering his mother's eyes on the bus etched itself into Xi Yuan's mind, impossible to shake off. Suddenly, Xi Yuan understood something...

The timer on my phone shows five seconds left!

five……

Xi Yuan gently raised his hand.

Four……

Xi Yuan placed both hands over his eyes.

three……

Xi Yuan swallowed hard.

two……

"We've caught a ghost," Xi Yuan said softly.

one……

"Hehe-"

As the countdown reached its final second, the clear laughter of a child filled his ears. Xi Yuan felt that what he was holding was not his own eyes, but... two cold little hands.

The moment he removed those hands, Xi Yuan saw a pair of large eyes, just like the ones he had seen under the chair that evening. The small face was dark, and only the eyes were clear in the darkness.

Yes, it's not that Xi Yuan can't see, it's that he blindfolded Xi Yuan...

That's clever. Hiding on him is the least likely way to be discovered, isn't it?

Hehe—

Amid the children's cheerful laughter, Xi Yuan quietly closed his eyes, and the hand that had been holding the "ghost" loosened its grip. The next second, the boy's body slowly fell backward, landing between the fat man and Ade.

Chapter Seven: Before Dawn

"What should we do, teacher?" Duan Lin was about to ask Mu Zi this question when he realized someone had already spoken first. Turning his head, he saw the monkey's round eyes looking at him with a hint of fear. That's right, everyone here was a student, and he was the only teacher.

Looking around, after a moment of silence, Duan Lin sighed. He, Mu Zi, Chen Jiaming, Monkey, and his roommate Xiao Bai—these were the people Duan Lin knew he could find. They were currently in Duan Lin's room—"143."

Chen Jiaming sat on the corner of the bed, biting his nails, his face pale, lost in thought. The usually lively Monkey seemed agitated; his inseparable roommate sat close beside him, the two exchanging anxious glances. Mu Zi sat on Duan Lin's bed, reading a book.

Sigh... what to do? Crossing his arms, Duan Lin looked out the window, and as he looked... a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. It seemed... he had misunderstood something...

After standing there blankly for a while, Duan Lin finally coughed softly: "Um... shall we go out and take a look?"

“There might be other people in the school like us; we should look for them.”

After speaking, Mu Zi closed the book expressionlessly. The monkey and Little White exchanged a glance, nodded hesitantly, and then…

"I'm not going. I'll stay here and not go anywhere!" With his knees drawn up to his chest, Chen Jiaming rejected Duan Lin's suggestion without even looking up.

Duan Lin frowned, and after a long while, he looked up at Mu Zi, "But..."

"Alright then, Teacher, you and Mu Zi go outside and check it out. The three of us will stay here with him," Monkey suddenly spoke up, then after a moment, a mischievous smile appeared on his face, though the smile couldn't hide his pale complexion. That's right, they're still children; they're bound to be scared in this kind of situation. It seemed wrong of him to make them face the unknown outside world. Having understood this, Duan Lin nodded. "Then I'll leave this place to you. Please don't wander around; just stay here. We'll be back as soon as possible."

After saying that, Duan Lin followed Mu Zi's footsteps and ran out.

The door was closed, and the footsteps of Duan Lin and his group outside gradually faded into the distance until they could no longer be heard. The room became quiet again, with only the ticking of the clock.

Duan Lin walked slowly, his hand gently touching the Buddha statue on his chest. The last time Granny Wang from his hometown called, after he casually mentioned his strange experience, Granny Wang immediately sent this jade Buddha from her hometown. It seemed to truly be efficacious, which reassured Duan Lin considerably. But now…

Slowly touching the jade Buddha, Duan Lin walked stiffly down the corridor.

A cold breeze blew past me from time to time, as if someone was running past me.

"You...you brought me here with a premeditated plan, didn't you?" Now that they were out of the dormitory building, Duan Lin and Mu Zi were walking on the vast campus of Qi Lan. The sky was still dark, with no sign of dawn.

"No, I was just trying to help you find a job out of kindness." Mu Zi looked straight ahead and said calmly, her tone so relaxed that it was hard to believe.

"Come on, you knew something was wrong here before you called me over, didn't you?" Even Duan Lin, who was usually mild-mannered, added a hint of reproach to his tone.

"No, before you came, there really wasn't anything wrong here, at least that's what I thought." Mu Zi didn't even raise an eyebrow, she just spoke slowly, "However, after you came... it's hard to say, things do seem to have become a bit strange..." Still in a calm tone, Mu Zi shone her flashlight around as she spoke.

All around was darkness. Despite the abundance of vegetation, there was not a sound of insects; it was deathly silent. A strong fragrance of the small white flowers that bloomed in every corner of Qilan wafted on the wind, instantly making one feel dizzy.

Mu Zi suddenly stopped, and shone her flashlight directly into Duan Lin's face. The bright light blinded Duan Lin, and Mu Zi's figure was completely shrouded in darkness.

After a long pause, Mu Zi spoke calmly: "What do you think... a ghost is?"

"...A ghost?" Mu Zi's question stunned Duan Lin. "When a person dies, they become a ghost, right..." Duan Lin answered subconsciously.

"When a person dies, they become a ghost. Ghosts are a place of return, the final destination of life." That's what the elders always say.

Mu Zi quickly replied, "You're wrong. Not everyone becomes a ghost after they die. Only a very small percentage of people become ghosts after they die."

"Unfulfilled wishes, unforgettable people and events, resentment in the heart, and so on—these mundane matters are not allowed to enter the six realms of existence. Thus, these thoughts drift in the human world, and over time they become obsessions."

"These obsessions linger on the things they cherish and the places they long for, unable to transcend. When these obsessions become too strong, they will manifest in physical form, which is what people call ghosts."

"Most of these thoughts are just thoughts, mostly without malice, but once a malicious obsession exists in the world... that's a terrifying thing. Fortunately, thoughts are ultimately just thoughts, and it's difficult for them to materialize, so they don't cause much harm to the living. But... what if they did materialize? What if... someone could materialize those obsessions?"

"Tell me, who is that person? Duan Lin, who are you?"

When he said the last word, Duan Lin's vision suddenly went black: Mu Zi had left the flashlight, and his eyes, which had finally adjusted to the bright light, lost their balance again, and everything went blurry.

Duan Lin vaguely heard Mu Zi's footsteps moving forward again. In the wind, Duan Lin heard the man ahead say softly, "I think if I were a 'ghost,' I would really like to find people like that..."

Duan Lin felt as if his heart had been struck by something heavy. After the dizziness subsided, he chose to silently follow behind Mu Zi.

Could it be that Mu Zi means...?

"Before you came, there were no problems here... but after you arrived... it's hard to say, things do seem to have become a bit strange..."

"What if... someone could materialize those obsessions?"

Does Mu Zi mean that she attracted those ghosts?

Walking along expressionlessly, Duan Lin wanted to retort, but didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he recalled a scene from his childhood: his grandfather etching his palm lines...

"Ah Lin, things will be better from now on... from now on..."

"There won't be so many people bothering you anymore..."

"good."

"No! Nothing is different! I'm just an ordinary person. Before coming here, I've never encountered anything strange..." Duan Lin said firmly, looking at Mu Zi's back, but his voice suddenly weakened.

Someone is standing behind me!

The thought suddenly popped into his head. It was so sudden that Duan Lin didn't even have time to dodge. He saw Mu Zi, who was originally five steps away from him, suddenly throw a flashlight behind him. After a muffled thud, Duan Lin heard something fall to the ground.

"It's a person! It's a student!" Duan Lin breathed a sigh of relief when he shone his flashlight on the face of the "person" on the ground and realized that the other person was alive.

It's all Mu Zi's fault. If I had encountered this situation before, why would my first thought be whether this person is a ghost?

A warm body, warm breath—this person is a living, breathing human being, and...

“It’s Qi Lan’s school badge! This kid is a student at Qi Lan!” After seeing the Qi Lan school badge pinned to the man’s T-shirt and confirming his identity, Duan Lin turned to Mu Zi and said with certainty, “You knocked him unconscious.”

Sensing the complaint in Duan Lin's tone, Mu Zi didn't refute him; she simply shrugged and gave a cold laugh.

“But something about him seems off…” After looking the boy up and down with the help of his flashlight, Duan Lin frowned deeply.

Dirty clothes, bloody fingers, pale face... Where did this child come from? Duan Lin's gaze fell on the boy's severely injured hand, lost in thought. "Let's take him back first; we can't leave him like this."

After hesitating for a while, Duan Lin bent down and carried the boy on his back. The boy was very tall, making it quite difficult for Duan Lin, who was of average build. Mu Zi glanced at Duan Lin, then took the boy from him. Duan Lin looked at Mu Zi with surprise, but said nothing, silently taking the flashlight from her hand.

The dark building in front of me, shrouded in night, is my student apartment.

"It's Xi Yuan!" Almost as soon as he returned to the dormitory, Monkey pointed at the man's face and shouted. His usual loud voice reminded everyone in the room of the peaceful days before this eerie night. The others were fine, but surprisingly, Chen Jiaming suddenly climbed off the bed, almost staring—Chen Jiaming stared intently at the boy placed on Duan Lin's bed.