Fourth Campus

Chapter 11

PART 4.

"Dong--Dong..." The ancient clock struck exactly twelve times—midnight.

I stood up from the stairs, dusted off my pants, and then nudged Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei beside me. They were already asleep.

The two opened their sleepy eyes. Xu Zhifei stretched, then pulled his utility knife from his pocket and brandished it. "Let's go, let's get started."

Under the cover of night, the three of us crept to the mysterious iron gate. Without a word, Xu Zhifei stabbed the utility knife into the padlock, then pressed his ear against it, while Lin Duyu and I kept watch.

After about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the lock clicked open. Then, with a creak, the iron gate peeked out a crack.

I clenched my fists tightly, my whole body drenched in cold sweat. The mystery was about to be revealed, and I didn't know whether I felt fear or excitement, but I knew I was trembling.

Lin Duyu waved his hand, "What are you waiting for? Let's go in!" He then pushed open the iron gate.

"Stop!" A familiar voice suddenly came from afar.

A dark figure emerged from the clock tower.

"Zhao, Zhao Jun?" Xu Zhifei shouted.

"Yes, it's me."

I looked at Lin Duyu, who shook his head helplessly.

At this moment, Zhao Jun had already run up to us. He looked at the three of us and said, "Do you want to die?"

"I don't want to die, nobody wants to die, but I've had enough. I know that if I can't find the answer to this, I really will die! Even if I don't die, I'll go crazy!" I yelled at Zhao Jun.

"Yes, Zhao Jun, Lin Yuan has been under a lot of pressure lately. We intervened because we didn't want to see him continue like this," Lin Duyu said.

"Why won't you let us in? Don't you want to know? Don't you have any curiosity at all?" Xu Zhifei said.

Zhao Jun's eyes swept over the three of us, then he looked up and sighed deeply. "I don't want to know. I don't want to know anything. I don't want to experience that kind of fear again. I don't want to lose my friend again. Two years, a full two years! Two years ago, wasn't I just like you, wanting to know the answers to this series of bizarre events? But in the end, I lost my best friend! I spent two years in fear! Do you know what that feels like? Lin Yuan, what's this little bit of suffering compared to what you've endured? Your experiences are utterly insignificant. I should have been a senior in college, but because of curiosity, I got involved in this investigation, and not only did I not find the answers, I was dragged into a vortex of fear! Do you know where I was for those two years? I was in prison!"

PART 5.

It was late at night, but none of the four of us in the dorm could sleep. Zhao Jun had actually been involved in the investigation and had kept quiet about it. Maeda Reiko had never mentioned him either, so I guess she didn't know much about him.

The dormitory lights had already been turned off, but the four of us were still sitting around the table.

"We've promised you we won't go back to that forbidden area," Xu Zhifei asked. "Now can you tell us why? And why were you in prison for two years?"

Zhao Jun lit a cigarette. He seemed to be like me, having a habit of smoking when thinking about problems or feeling nervous.

"Because I killed someone."

We were all stunned when he said that.

Zhao Jun took another deep drag of his cigarette. "Don't look at me like that. If I really killed someone, I wouldn't be out of prison so quickly. You should all know that."

The Fourth Campus Psychological Research Association (3)

Lin Duyu asked, "Then, why exactly are you in jail?"

Zhao Jun's eyes welled up with tears. "Two years ago, my best friend Li Xiaofei, who used to be the head of the student union, and I went into that forest. After Meng Li's disappearance, the Séance Society took the opportunity to spread their views and create panic. Then, Ikeda Nami died mysteriously in that forest, followed by two more deaths. Li Xiaofei and I always believed that these bizarre deaths were connected to the Séance Society, so after some investigation..."

Afterwards, we decided to go to that forbidden land of death. At two o'clock that night, Li Xiaofei and I walked into the woods. When we reached the depths of the woods, Li Xiaofei suddenly seemed like a different person, frantically grabbing my neck and pulling out a fruit knife from his pocket, stabbing me repeatedly in the chest. I desperately tried to wrest the knife away, and in the struggle, I accidentally stabbed him in the throat.

Lin Duyu sighed. "So you're going to jail as a murderer like this?"

Zhao Jun nodded, then pulled up his clothes, revealing the scar on his chest. "Lin Yuan, do you remember the policeman who detained you?"

"That Chen Yiming?"

"Yes, if it weren't for him, I might still be wrongfully imprisoned."

I scoffed. "Him? I don't think much of him."

"That's always been his way of doing things. He actually knows very well what happened that night, because he's been investigating since Meng Li's disappearance. He knows more than either of us."

Xu Zhifei was a little agitated. "Really? Since he knows so much, why did he question Lin Yuan like that, treating him like a pervert, making Lin Yuan feel ashamed at school?"

Zhao Jun said, "Perhaps he had his reasons. Initially, I was charged with intentional assault, but later, because he intervened in the case, I was charged with excessive self-defense."

"So," Lin Duyu said, "we can ask Chen Yiming to answer many of our questions?"

"No, you need to understand one thing. The reason I've said so much about myself today is simply to get you to stop. Especially Hayashihara, you'd better part ways with Maeda Reiko to avoid getting mired in trouble later."

Xu Zhifei said, "Don't you want to know the truth? Don't you want to know why your good friend suddenly wanted to kill you?"

"I don't want to know, I don't want to know anything. I only know I can't watch anyone else die there. Actually, I knew very well then that the Li Xiaofei who suddenly wanted to kill me wasn't Li Xiaofei at all!"

Lin Duyu frowned. "No? Then who could it be? Where did Li Xiaofei go?"

"Lin Duyu, we're all in the same dorm. I don't want anything bad to happen to any of us. Things you shouldn't know, it's best not to know. The reason I got into this mess is because I knew things I shouldn't have."

I stood up from the stool, patted Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei on the shoulder, and said, "Zhao Jun is right. It's really better not to know things you shouldn't know. I don't want to drag you into this either. These past few days, I've deeply experienced this kind of fear. Let's just pretend none of this ever happened."

Xu Zhifei shook his head helplessly. "Alright, then we'll stop investigating. However, you shouldn't continue to have any contact with Maeda Reiko. We don't want you to suffer in this fear."

I smiled and said, "I will." But I knew in reality that I couldn't do it at all, because I was already deeply involved. As the saying goes, it's easy to get on a pirate ship, but hard to get off.

PART 6.

Another week passed peacefully, but my heart remained unsettled. Nothing seemed to have happened this week, yet I felt a sense of foreboding. Like the calm before a major battle, a deadly threat lurked beneath the surface.

The setting sun shone into the classroom through the window, and the sounds of children playing came from the playground, filling the air with the joy of National Day.

I sat alone by the window in the classroom, letting the last rays of the setting sun bathe me. I loved this golden light, soft and warm; under its glow, I felt at peace.

In the midst of this tranquility, the sound of high heels clicking echoed through the classroom. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Meng Na.

"Why are you sitting in the classroom all by yourself instead of playing with your classmates?" she asked me with a smile.

I stood up, shrugged, and said, "Too much has happened lately. I just want to be alone and enjoy this beautiful sunset."

"Would you like to go for a walk with me? The sunshine outside is warmer."

I laughed, "Of course! Why not? I'd be delighted to receive your invitation."

The golden sunset, the romantic campus, and my beloved strolling beside me—what could be happier than this? We didn't speak a word the whole way; I was completely immersed in this romantic world.

But why is it that pleasant times are always so short? Just when I was still immersed in the dreamlike feeling and unwilling to wake up, I found that we had unintentionally come to that black iron gate again.

It was like the entrance to hell, its terrifying face gaping open in the sunlight. I stopped in front of it.

"What's wrong?" Mengna seemed to sense the change in my mood.

"What secrets are locked behind this iron gate? I really want to unlock it. I really want to lift the fog and see what's hidden behind the terror." I walked over and touched the heavy iron lock.

Meng Na stood behind me, not following me. "Lin Yuan, can you promise me something?"

I continued to stare at the iron gate. "What is it?"

"Don't go looking for secrets that have been buried for many years. Don't continue. This iron gate is making me more and more uneasy." Meng Na stared at the black iron gate, her expression suddenly becoming extremely tense.

I turned around and looked at her in surprise. "What's wrong?"

Mengna did not answer, still staring blankly at the iron gate, which seemed like a black hole in the universe, sucking away her soul.

The Fourth Campus Psychological Research Association (4)

"Meng Na! Meng Na!" I waved my hand vigorously in front of her before she came to her senses.

"I'm sorry, I lost my temper," she said.

I looked into her eyes. "You seem to have a fear of this iron gate."

Mengna looked over again and said in a strange voice, "Yes, not only because my sister disappeared inside, but also because I have a strange feeling every time I pass by here. I vaguely feel that this 'forbidden place' seems to be hiding some secrets related to me."

I paused for a moment, then asked, "What secret could it be?"

Mengna shook her head. "I don't know either, it's just a feeling. A feeling that's both familiar and terrifying."

A feeling that was both familiar and terrifying? I looked at her curiously, and suddenly realized that I knew too little about this girl.

PART 7.

The sunset, though beautiful, always fades quickly. Night fell again, and the campus gradually returned to tranquility. For some reason, Maeda Reiko found out about my relationship with Mengna again. This woman seems to have eyes that can see a thousand miles; nothing escapes her notice. She just called my dorm again, warning me to stop seeing Mengna.

Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei went out to play video games again; they usually play all night at this time. Zhao Jun is rarely in the dorm; now it's just me alone, silently smoking, my mind preoccupied with Meng Na. Why is she so terrified of that forbidden area? I've been trying to figure out the reason. I want to call and ask her further, but I'm afraid of triggering her painful memories.

While he was hesitating and confused, Zhao Jun returned.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me. I can tell you're troubled by your expression. What's wrong? Did something happen today? You were fine this morning."

"There's something I don't understand." Ever since Zhao Jun stopped us from entering that forbidden area and told us his story, I've trusted him a lot more.

"What's up?"

"Why does Maeda Reiko seem to know everything I do? The first time was when we were about to enter the 'forbidden area' of the school, and she quickly stopped us; today, when Mengna and I went for a walk, she found out again."

Zhao Jun's expression changed. "Whether it's Maeda Reiko or Meng Na, I think you'd better stay away from them, especially Meng Na. I know you like her a lot, but I can tell you, she's dangerous because Meng Li is her sister."

Why do you all think she's dangerous?

"'You guys'? Who else has said that to you?" Zhao Jun seemed a little nervous.

"Reiko Maeda."

Zhao Jun paced around the dormitory twice with his head down, then patted my shoulder. "Alright, as long as you listen to me, don't continue investigating, and don't contact anyone related to this, you'll be fine. Don't overthink it, just get a good night's sleep, and everything will be alright."

"Hmm." I nodded helplessly. This was just a perfunctory answer; my desire to know the answer was growing stronger.

"Alright, go to sleep early. I'm meeting up with some old classmates today, so I won't be back tonight." Zhao Jun said as he took a thick notebook from his drawer and prepared to leave.

"etc."

"Is there anything else?"

"I'd like to ask you something about séances."

Zhao Jun frowned. "Why did you suddenly ask that? Didn't I tell you to forget about those things?"

"But Reiko Maeda will come looking for me," I gave myself an excuse, "just like right after military training ended, it was her who came to find me."

"Hmm, that makes sense. Okay, I'll let you know tomorrow. I have to go now; they're waiting for me."

"Oh, okay. Tomorrow then."

PART 8.

Zhao Jun finally woke up at 2 p.m.; he must have stayed up all night.