Präziser Kontrollverlust

Kapitel 9

So introverted! I don't know how Chen Jie could like him! Wen Xin turned around and glared at Wang Hongbing, thinking to herself.

As if suddenly remembering something, the old man ran a few steps forward, called out to the two, and took out two small purses from his body, putting them into Wang Hongbing's and Wen Xin's hands respectively. "Keep these purses on your person and don't take them off. They will keep you safe!"

Wen Xin quickly thanked her and took the purse, admiring it intently. Wang Hongbing returned the purse to the old woman, saying, "Grandma, you've had a hard life too, I can't accept your things!" The old woman quickly grasped Wang Hongbing's hand, saying, "Child, you must accept this purse, it's Grandma's way of atoning for her sins! You must keep it with you, I'm begging you! You must keep this purse with you!" After saying this, the old woman turned and walked unsteadily back to the steamed bun stall.

This purse is so exquisite! Wenxin fiddled with the purse, reluctant to put it down. It even has a fragrance, a refreshing minty scent.

The midday sun was glaring. Zhu Zhi strolled in the shade of the trees along the main road of the school, glancing at the students passing by from time to time. Suddenly, he grinned. His efforts had finally paid off; he had finally spotted Wang Hongbing, and there was a girl beside him.

"Wang Hongbing!" Zhu Zhi called out and quickly went to meet him.

Wang Hongbing looked up: "Oh, it's you?"

Zhu Zhi glanced sideways at Wen Xin and chuckled softly, "Kid, in love?" Wen Xin was fiddling with her purse and didn't see Zhu Zhi's expression.

"No, classmate, classmate!" Wang Hongbing blushed and hurriedly explained.

Upon hearing Wang Hongbing's explanation, Wen Xin knew what Zhu Zhi had whispered earlier. Putting away her purse, she looked up and said, "Hey, what nonsense are you talking about! I'm Wen Xin! The single Wen Xin!" She then sized up Zhu Zhi: deep, dark eyes, a straight nose like a mixed-race person, and a rather "sexy" mouth; he was about 1.8 meters tall. So handsome!

Zhu Zhi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Wen Xin? Hello! My name is Zhu Zhi. I... I didn't say anything." He also secretly sized up Wen Xin: a small, full mouth, seemingly quite talkative; a pair of gentle, warm eyes revealing straightforwardness and innocence; a carefree face. An ordinary-looking girl!

Zhu Zhi? The talented Zhu Zhi that Li Yan often mentions? An outstanding man—handsome, intelligent, humorous, and enthusiastic—and with such a good appearance?! Wen Xin sighed inwardly: Heaven has been too kind to him!

“I’m helping her find Chen Jie…” Wang Hongbing said.

Wen Xin pouted: "Help me find her? Chen Jie isn't just mine! I won't accept your help!"

Zhu Zhi smiled. This girl gave off a very ordinary feeling, but that ordinariness carried a sense of tranquility and peace! She would definitely give a man an ordinary life, and within that ordinariness, there would certainly be the joy of playful bickering, but never any storms or turbulent waves; this was also the life he longed for. The man who won her heart should be blessed.

"Laugh, what are you laughing at?" Wen Xin looked at Zhu Zhi and blinked her small eyes. "Let's take a look together. Do you know Chen Jie?"

"I might have seen him, but I don't remember him," Zhu Zhi quickly put on a serious face and answered "honestly."

"The most beautiful girl in the biology department, don't you remember her?" Wen Xin asked, raising her eyebrows. She didn't believe that there was any man who wouldn't remember a beautiful woman!

Zhu Zhi pretended to suddenly realize, "Oh, so she's the most beautiful girl in the department—", then paused, "I still don't remember her!"

“You…” Wen Xin’s face turned bright red.

Wang Hongbing chuckled: "Zhu Zhi, we want to go to the classroom to see if Chen Jie is there, do you want to come?"

Zhu Zhi was delighted: "Go! Of course I'll go!"

As Zhu Zhi approached the bottom of Teaching Building 5, he squinted and stared at the building. He noticed something unusual about it: under the bright sunlight, the rooftop was emitting a blue fluorescent glow.

"Did you see the building emitting a blue light?" Zhu Zhi asked.

"No," Wang Hongbing and Wen Xin said in unison after looking at it carefully for a long time.

Zhu Zhi frowned.

Soon, they arrived at the foot of Building 5. Because it was the weekend, there were very few people in the classrooms; once they reached the fifth floor, the corridor was deserted. Zhu Zhi felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked up and saw neat rows of ceilings, but they were all old and yellowed. Due to the building's poor lighting, the corridor was very dark.

Wang Hongbing also felt something was off. He thought about what happened yesterday, and when he thought of E'er's smooth, jade-like body, his face couldn't help but turn red, and his lower body also reacted a little.

"Why aren't you talking? Don't you feel a bit cold in the building?" Wenxin said. Apart from being a little colder than outside, she didn't feel anything unusual.

"Where is your classroom?" Zhu Zhi asked.

“It’s the first one up ahead,” Wenxin replied.

Wang Hongbing didn't say anything, but after taking just two steps, he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Wenxin asked.

Wang Hongbing closed his eyes briefly and said, "It's nothing, it just feels a bit chilly here." Wen Xin smiled and said, "Your senses are really slow. I felt it a long time ago. Of course it's cool because the sun doesn't shine on you!" As she spoke, she and Zhu Zhi walked quickly towards the classroom. Wang Hongbing followed closely behind.

At this moment, Wen Xin didn't notice that Zhu Zhi's expression grew paler and more grave with each step forward. When they finally reached the classroom door, Zhu Zhi's face was almost completely drained of color, and Wang Hongbing suddenly felt a surge of fear. Wen Xin knocked hard on the door: "Chen Jie! Chen Jie! Are you in there?"

There was no response, so Wenxin knocked again for a while. Still no response.

"Looks like she's not in the classroom," Wen Xin said dejectedly. "What a waste of climbing five floors!" She turned to look at Zhu Zhi and noticed his pale face, so she asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Why do you look so pale?" At that moment, Zhu Zhi's eyes were fixed on the classroom door, and a crystalline blue light appeared on the lower part of the door! There were also several blue flames! Following Zhu Zhi's gaze, Wen Xin also looked down at the lower part of the door.

"Oh my god—what is this?! Fluorescent powder?" Wenxin wanted to touch it with her hand.

"Stop!" Zhu Zhi shouted! Wen Xin was startled and stood up. Just then, Zhu Zhi suddenly grabbed Wen Xin and Wang Hongbing's hands tightly and dragged them downstairs. Wang Hongbing had better balance and kept up with Zhu Zhi, but Wen Xin couldn't keep up. She stumbled and almost fell down the stairs if it weren't for the handrail.

Once downstairs, Wen Xin gasped for breath and asked Wang Hongbing with a puzzled look, "Is your friend crazy?" But her eyes darted toward Zhu Zhi, her gaze filled with displeasure.

Zhu Zhi touched his heaving chest and explained, "Those things just now weren't human, you know?"

Wang Hongbing was terrified

Open your eyes wide! Non-human?! Just like that day Zeng Hai said to him…

Wen Xin stared at Zhu Zhi, utterly bewildered. What was he saying? Non-human? He's been reading too many science fiction novels! He's a complete lunatic! He almost made me fall over! Wen Xin cursed inwardly.

However, just after the three people quickly left the fifth floor, the classroom door creaked open slowly, and an extremely sinister face appeared beside the door. The semi-transparent head slowly turned back and forth, licked the door with its red tongue, and said in a chilling tone, "Damn it! The duck that was about to be eaten flew away!"...

When Zhang Li and Li Yan arrived at Professor Yang's house, it was already afternoon. Li Yan skipped and hopped into the living room: "Grandpa, you called me here, is there something delicious to eat!"

Professor Yang chuckled and came out to greet us: "Yes, yes, there are your favorite chocolate cookies and peanuts in the kitchen."

Liyan rushed into the kitchen as soon as she changed her shoes.

"Hello, Grandpa Yang!" Zhang Li said respectfully as he entered the living room.

"Hello, hello. Uh—Zeng Hai is in your dorm, right?" Professor Yang asked.

Zhang Li nodded.

Liyan brought out a bunch of food from the kitchen and sat on the sofa in the living room to enjoy it.

Professor Yang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Have his parents arrived?"

"When they arrived, his mother fainted from crying, and everyone present shed tears." Zhang Li's eyes reddened again as he recalled the scene.

"How do you think Zeng Hai died? A myocardial infarction?"

“I…” Zhang Li looked into Professor Yang’s eyes, unsure how to answer. “I heard from Zhu Zhi that I believe it was that thing that was harming people, that it killed Zeng Hai.”

Professor Yang nodded: "Yes, Zhu Zhi has told me in detail what happened these past few days. I agree with your opinion."

A pleasant doorbell rang, and Liyan hurried to open the door.

"Zhu Zhi! What a coincidence!" Li Yan said happily.

Zhu Zhi nodded to Li Yan as a greeting. He then hurriedly walked into the living room, sat down, and recounted everything that had happened on the fifth floor of the teaching building at noon.

"Chen Jie? She doesn't usually go anywhere alone! By the way, don't novels say that ghosts appear at night?" Li Yan frowned.

"Now it seems the situation is a bit more complicated! It doesn't seem to be just one, it could be two or more, and they all have different purposes!" Zhu Zhi said.

Professor Yang looked at Zhu Zhi approvingly, nodded and said, "Let's summarize the whole story from the beginning, and then discuss a way to ensure that there won't be a second Zeng Hai."

...

At night, the lights on each floor of the school come on, and the campus under the lights gives people a warm feeling.

Chen Jie lay on the dormitory floor. Light streaming in from the window illuminated the room slightly. Chen Jie stirred, a cold sensation rising from her back. She slowly opened her eyes: the woman in green was gone, and the bamboo grove was gone too! A neatly made bed, a white ceiling, and a cartoon drawing of a beautiful woman—it was her dormitory!

"How did I end up in the dorm!" Chen Jie felt a little strange. She sat up. This morning, she found herself in a very strange place, saw a snake, and then encountered a woman in green. That woman said…

"Bang—" The door was kicked open, and then the lights came on.

"Ah—" A gasp rang out! Wen Xin stood at the door with her mouth agape. "Chen Jie! You were in the dorm! What are you doing sitting on the floor?! Didn't you see the note I left for you?" Wen Xin said as she ran over and helped Chen Jie up.

"I...I don't know how I ended up in the dorm." Chen Jie felt a slight ache in her back as she sat down on the stool.

“Your aunt called, she was crying really hard. I told her to call you back in two hours, but I haven’t been able to reach you!” Wenxin said, glancing at her watch. “Wow! It’s already eight o’clock! Your aunt called around eight o’clock this morning, you’d better hurry up and call her back.”

Chen Jie seemed unable to process so much information all at once. She held her head and said, "Okay, my head hurts a little right now. I need some peace and quiet."

Seeing Chen Jie's furrowed brows, Wen Xin quickly shut her mouth.

On campus.

Zhu Zhi appeared by the old locust tree. Xiao Chen, who was in charge of monitoring Zhu Zhi, kept a close eye on his every move from behind the experimental building. She wondered to herself: What's wrong with this guy? Why is he circling around a tree? Did someone leave a message for him in the tree? Or is this tree hiding a secret he can't show his face?

The nearby streetlights cast only a faint yellow light near the old locust tree, making every blade of grass and tree on the artificial hill seem eerie. The few dim rays of light scattered on the ground resembled flickering eyes, staring intently at Zhu Zhi. Zhu Zhi recalled the "Three Rings Covering the Sky" diagram in the cave, also known as the "Returning Heaven Formation." He still didn't know who the destined person was, but based on his analysis with Professor Yang that afternoon, he felt that Wang Hongbing might be the one destined to enter the Returning Heaven Formation. But what was this "destiny"? That jade stone? Or...? Thinking of this, he glanced at the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist, feeling even more strongly that it was necessary to re-enter that mysterious cave!

Perhaps because Xiao Chen was dressed in black and was very well concealed, Zhu Zhi did not notice Xiao Chen following him.

The moon quietly climbed to the treetops. It was so quiet that you could hear your own breathing. Zhu Zhi's eyes were constantly moving, searching for the cave entrance and anything that might cover it.

A faint sound came from the artificial hill, like a woman crying. He slowly squatted down, held his breath, and listened carefully, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, but then the sound disappeared.

Seeing that Zhu Zhi seemed to have suddenly hidden away, Xiao Chen felt that there must be something wrong with this seemingly refined Zhu Zhi!

She took a deep breath and began to slowly, haltingly, move towards the tree. The moonlight cast the tree's shadow on the ground, like eerie hands flailing about, ready to tear at anything they could grasp.

"Thud—" Something fell at Xiao Chen's feet. The moonlight dappled through the treetops, adding to its mystery. It wriggled. Xiao Chen couldn't see what it was. She looked up, but saw nothing but the dark canopy. Hesitant, she bent down and picked it up. It was round, about the size of an adult's fist, soft, wet, and seemingly dripping water. Her curiosity was always strong, but she was afraid of disturbing Zhu Zhi. So, she hid behind a tree trunk, held the object to her chest, and shone her miniature flashlight on it: a bloody lump of flesh with two protruding eyes, their black and white pupils staring directly at Xiao Chen!

"Ah—" Xiao Chen screamed at the top of his lungs and threw the thing far away.

Zhu Zhi was startled by Xiao Chen's scream! He quickly stood up and turned around to see a figure holding a flashlight. He slowly walked over...

After screaming, Xiao Chen caught a glimpse of a dark figure moving towards him out of the corner of his eye. He quickly moved his flashlight toward the figure. Zhu Zhi, blinded by the flashlight, turned around to avoid the light and asked, "Who is it? Who?"

Hearing Zhu Zhi's voice, Xiao Chen felt relieved and said sternly, "Zhu Zhi, what tricks are you playing?"

Before Zhu Zhi could answer, he felt something tearing at his clothes from behind. As soon as he turned around, Xiao Chen screamed again, "Pfft—" Xiao Chen's black outer garment was ripped open, revealing a bib embroidered with a Bagua pattern. In the darkness, a powerful beam of golden light emanated from the Bagua pattern, illuminating the entire tree canopy in gold! Zhu Zhi grabbed Xiao Chen and ran quickly out of the shade…

Under the shade of the tree behind them stood a woman in green, leaning weakly against the tree trunk, a trace of blood still clinging to the corner of her mouth.

Nine

The dormitory building, its lights off, was bathed in the bright moonlight. The windows of room 501 were still wide open, the moonlight illuminating most of the room. Everyone else seemed to be asleep, except for Wang Hongbing, who couldn't sleep. E'er's features appeared clearly in his mind. A gust of wind blew into the room, and he felt a chill run through his body. He wondered if Wen Xin had found Chen Jie yet. It was so late; Chen Jie should have returned to the dormitory by now.

Suddenly, Wang Hongbing smelled a musty aroma that both excited and terrified him. Scenes from the events of the past few days flashed through his mind. Was it E'er? Or that skeletal hand? ... Soon, cold sweat soaked his back! How could E'er be here?! He chuckled inwardly at himself.

The curtains fluttered, and the moonlight cast their shadows on the wall, like a writhing wizard. The entire dormitory seemed frozen, except for the unusually swaying curtains. He thought of Zeng Hai and the snake.

He sat up slightly and looked at the Buddhist scriptures on the table. He clutched the purse under his pillow, hoping that, as the old woman had said, the purse would bring him peace! At that moment, he felt a strange sensation, and his insides clenched together.

"Squeak—" The locked door slowly opened. The space bathed in moonlight was empty; no one had come in. Yet, the door was open! He tried to get up and close the door, but he couldn't move! His body suddenly became immobile!

"Boss, boss!" Wang Hongbing called out to Zhang Li, his voice trembling, but there was no response. Liu Li's snoring and the others' even breathing seemed to have evaporated; the surroundings were deathly silent. Suddenly, a strong aroma wafted over, choking him and making him want to cough. Then, he felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest!

Then, he clearly saw a woman in green sitting on his bed! There was a trace of black stuff on the corner of her mouth—was it blood? She seemed very weak, and gradually, her beautiful features began to peel away along with her flesh in the pale moonlight… She ignored the falling flesh and reached out—a skeletal hand!—slowly reaching for his head… He suddenly felt a warm liquid slowly spreading down his inner thighs onto the bed, his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't make a sound. He wanted to move, but his limbs felt frozen, unable to move an inch! He felt a darkness before his eyes and lost consciousness, but his hand was still tightly clutching his purse.

In a daze, he seemed to wake up, for he was fully conscious, yet it felt like a dream, everything around him so unreal. He heard the whooshing of the wind beside his ears, and felt his body sliding rapidly forward. He tried to grab onto something, but all around was darkness, and he couldn't grasp anything!

And so it slid and slid... as if this rapid sliding would continue forever.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he realized the wind had stopped, as if everything had stopped, including time itself. The surroundings remained deathly silent. He tried to slowly open his eyes, but saw no light, only darkness.

Wang Hongbing thought he might already be dead. When he was little, he often heard the elders say that after people die, they go to another world and have to walk through a very dark road. He wasn't sad; he wanted to walk slowly to that world. So he tried to move his legs, but he found that he couldn't control his body at all. He looked down to look at his legs, but they were dark and there was nothing there. He tried to touch himself, but he couldn't feel his hands or arms!