Fourth Campus

Chapter 31

Mengna's body began to tremble, and I heard her crying.

"I don't want you to see me like this."

I felt a pang of sadness. Now I understand why she left the hospital and why she had refused to show her face.

"Meng Na, have you forgotten what I told you? We all grow old. Don't you understand my heart?"

"Lin Yuan, I understand. But I don't want to leave this impression on you, because I care about you too. I hope that after I die, I will leave the best impression on you. I'm afraid you'll see my ugly appearance now; even I can't accept it. I've wanted to tell you this secret many times, but I'm afraid, afraid that you'll hate me if you know."

"Mengna, no matter what you become, you will always be the most perfect girl in my heart. Let me see you, at least let me hold you one more time before you leave this world! I couldn't save you, I hate myself! I hate myself for being able to watch my beloved leave this world! Let me hold you before you go!" My tears fell.

After a long silence, Meng Na spoke, "Lin Yuan, don't you regret it?"

"I have no regrets," I said firmly.

Mengna slowly turned around, and I finally saw her. Her face was completely aged, and her beauty had faded.

I slowly walked over and put my arms around her.

"Lin Yuan, thank you." Meng Na sobbed.

"Don't do that, Mengna."

She leaned on my shoulder, calming down a little.

"Lin Yuan, time is running out. I'm going to tell you the secret I've been keeping all this time. You might hate me for it, but I won't die in peace if I don't tell you."

"I won't hate you, Mengna." I gently stroked her hair.

"Actually, I am not Meng Na, nor am I Meng Li's sister. There is no such thing as Meng Na in this world."

I paused for a moment, then said softly, "No, you are Meng Na."

Meng Na raised her head and looked at me. "Lin Yuan, listen to me, there's no such thing as Meng Na in this world. Meng Li did have a younger sister named Meng Na, but she died five years ago!"

"Whether you're Meng Na or not doesn't matter. All I know is that you've always been my favorite girl."

"What if I were the one who killed Meng Li?"

These words struck me like a bolt from the blue, leaving me completely bewildered.

She continued, "I am the murderer who killed Meng Li, I am the 'other me' mentioned in Meng Li's suicide note!"

PART 3.

"I am the murderer who killed Meng Li, I am the 'other me' mentioned in Meng Li's suicide note!" As soon as Meng Na finished speaking, I grabbed her left hand, lifted her sleeve, and a star-shaped birthmark was revealed before my eyes. Instantly, it felt as if a sharp sword had pierced my heart.

The Fourth Campus: The Night of Death (3)

"No, no, this can't be true. Tell me this isn't true! You're Mengna, you're Mengna!" I simply couldn't accept this reality.

"Lin Yuan, it's true, everything is true. At this point, why would I lie to you?"

"This is a dream, it must be a dream! Yes, I'm in that strange dream again." I muttered to myself, slowly approaching the railing of the platform. Below was a bottomless darkness. "If I jump from here, I will wake up." My legs crossed the railing.

"What are you doing!" Mengna clung to me tightly.

"Don't stop me, I want to wake up from this nightmare!" I struggled with all my might.

Suddenly, Mengna loosened her grip, and a violent gasp escaped her throat. I turned around and saw her lying on the ground, her face deathly pale in the moonlight.

"Lin Yuan...whether it's a dream or not, please listen to me, okay? I'm begging you, I don't want to take this secret to my grave."

I rushed forward and pulled her into my arms, tears blurring my vision. "I'll listen, I'll listen, please tell me."

"I still don't know who I am or where I came from. My memories begin three years ago with the pursuit of Meng Li, and end tonight." She glanced up at me, then continued weakly, "I don't know where I came from, I don't know who my parents are, I only remember living in a strange house surrounded by a dense pine forest. It was very quiet, unlike the noisy outside world. I loved taking walks by the pond in front of the house in the afternoons. For a long time, I stayed in that house. Sometimes I wanted to go further, but I was afraid. The depths of that pine forest were unusually cold! Every morning and..." Every evening, a basket filled with food would appear by the pond. Sometimes, it would also contain everyday items. I found it strange; many times I stood there, trying to see who brought the food, but I never saw them. No matter where I was, that person would never appear. At first, I didn't know what the items were, and I couldn't even speak. But strangely, after a few days, I became familiar with them. No one taught me, yet I learned to use them, and even discovered I could speak. At that time, it seemed as if I were the only person in the world. I spent my days talking to myself, passing the time.

"A pine forest?" I suddenly remembered the place mentioned in the séance log. "Was your house a red brick house?"

Meng Na nodded.

Do you know where that house is?

Mengna shook her head. "I don't know, I don't even know how I left there. I only remember one evening, after I finished the food that person brought me, I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, I was in another unfamiliar place, surrounded by blue stone walls, dark and damp, with only a torch lit on the wall. I was terrified and wanted to run away, but there was no exit. I cried and screamed until I was exhausted and fell asleep again. When I woke up again, a woman was standing in the darkness with her back to me. I asked her who she was, but she ignored me and just told me to follow her. I was puzzled; why was there no way out just now, but now there was a dark and deep passage in front of me? I followed the woman through the gloomy passage for a long time until I came to a forest. It was already..." It was night, and all was quiet. The woman led me through the woods to the fourth campus. She took me into a building and made me stand at the end of a corridor. I asked her what she wanted, and she only threatened me, saying she wouldn't bring me food anymore if I didn't do as she said. Then she left, leaving me standing there dumbfounded. A short while later, I heard footsteps on the opposite staircase, and a girl in a white dress came down. She saw me, and I saw her too. We just stared at each other. Her face seemed so familiar, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen her before. She looked terrified. After staring at each other for a few minutes, she suddenly ran downstairs like a madwoman. Then, the woman who had brought me food reappeared behind me, still with her back to me, and told me to follow her.

Why did you go with her? Why didn't you run away?

Mengna smiled helplessly and said, "Where could I go? I didn't even know who I was. At that time, I was completely dependent on her, a dependence born of survival instinct. She took me back to that cold, dark room again and gave me a mirror. That's when I realized I looked exactly like that girl. Then she told me that the girl in the white dress I had just seen was me. She had stolen my soul and was living in another happy world, while I was forced to live in isolation. The only way to return to that wonderful life I once had was to kill her and take her place."

"Just because of this, you killed Meng Li?" I suddenly felt sorry for her; she had only been used by others all along.

"Yes, at the time I thought what she said was true. Meng Li and I are so alike, so very alike, even the birthmark on my hand is exactly the same. But that woman wanted me to get rid of Meng Li in a different way, which was to keep appearing in front of her and scare her to death. Meng Li eventually committed suicide, just as written in the suicide note you found. However, the real murderer is me."

"No, Mengna, don't blame yourself like this. The real murderer isn't you, it's that despicable woman who instigated you! Do you know who she is?" I felt that everything was about to come to light.

"I've never seen her face. She always has her back to me, and she always speaks in a low voice, so I can't hear her real voice. Also, Lin Yuan, I'm not Meng Na, don't call me Meng Na anymore!"

"No, you are Meng Na. No matter who you are, in my heart you are Meng Na."

Mengna smiled and continued her story, "On a full moon night, Mengli committed suicide in that grove of trees. Following the mysterious woman's instructions, I moved her body to the morgue. There happened to be a female corpse used for teaching that was to be cremated in a few days. She asked me to switch Mengli's body with that corpse, so that Mengli would vanish from the world forever, and no one would ever know whether she was dead or alive. I buried the teaching corpse near Old Sun's cabin, so even if someone found it, they wouldn't suspect anything about Mengli. Old Sun has always been a recluse; even if someone investigates, they'll suspect him first."

The Fourth Campus: The Night of Death (4)

PART 4.

Who exactly is this mysterious woman? Meng Na's account is utterly horrifying; if she hadn't spoken it herself, perhaps no one would ever know the truth about Meng Li's death. And the mysterious woman behind Meng Na's actions is so terrifying; her meticulous planning is truly admirable. The destruction of the body, the framing of the perpetrator—the coordination was flawless.

"Although everything was planned perfectly, there's always a loophole. Just as I sneaked into the morgue and switched Meng Li's body, Old Man Sun suddenly came in to inspect."

"So he found you?"

Mengna nodded. "Yes, he quickly found Mengli and discovered the body had been switched. So he searched everywhere and then found me." At this point, Mengna smiled again, a slightly mischievous smile. "I didn't expect my reaction to be so quick, my acting so good. He asked who I was, but I ignored him. I just slowly walked to Mengli's body, gently lifted her head, and asked Old Man Sun if I was beautiful after death. He was terrified. I told him that if anyone disturbed me before my body was cremated, I would kill them. Old Man Sun obediently put Mengli's body in the freezer and, as I requested, buried the unidentified woman's body next to his house."

"So, you're the one who scared Old Man Sun into madness, and the 'female ghost' that's been circulating on campus is you." I suddenly realized.

"Yes, after that, I often appeared before him, partly to monitor his actions and partly to remind him to remember his promise."

"No wonder Old Man Sun kept saying that the curse had come; this must be the 'curse' he was referring to."

"Yes, the curse and the 'female ghost' rumors that circulated on campus back then were spread by Old Man Sun."

"So, Old Man Sun was also scared to death by you?"

"No! Although he's become somewhat deranged, he can't be scared to death by me. He's different from Meng Li. Meng Li saw a version of herself that wanted to replace her, and that fear was far stronger than the fear I instilled in Old Man Sun. What would you do if you saw another version of yourself, a version that wanted to kill you? You couldn't confide in anyone; no one would believe you, and people would think you were crazy. You would have to bear it all alone. Although Old Man Sun is already somewhat delirious, at least being crazy is better than being lucid. A madman can freely vent his fear. All of this was told to me by that mysterious woman."

I'm increasingly finding that mysterious woman terrifying. Her profound understanding of human psychology regarding fear is more frightening than any ghost.

"After the Meng Li incident subsided, I thought I could finally live the life she had, but I realized I was wrong. I didn't know her friends, I didn't know her past, and I could never replace her. It wasn't until then that I realized I was just a killing machine in that mysterious woman's hands! I still had to stay in that dark, damp basement every day, only sneaking out to the woods to enjoy the sunshine when she wasn't around. It was there that I met Ikeda Nami and Maeda Reiko. Of course, I only found out later; at the time, I had no idea who they were. Obviously, they mistook me for Meng Li." Meng Na took a deep breath and continued, "All of this I slowly remembered later. I always thought I was Meng Na, and if I hadn't met you, I don't think I would have ever remembered any of this."

"Because of me?"

"Yes, I always had a sense of fear on this campus, which made the people around me dislike me and think I had mental problems. But you fell in love with me. And it was because you were investigating these things that I regained my memories."

"No wonder you always looked fearful when you stood before that iron gate; you came from there, after all. But where is that red brick house? Ikeda Nami said in the séance log that she had been there, but even you didn't know what that place was. How did she find it? Also, why did that woman kill Meng Li? I don't think she did it for you. Did she have some kind of leverage over Meng Li? She went to great lengths to cover up the truth, so why did she leave behind Meng Li's belongings? And such an important suicide note, which Ikeda Nami discovered? Ikeda Nami was led to that place by someone else; that person must be the mysterious woman who supported you, because that red brick house was so well hidden. No one else but her would know about it. So, why did she do that?"

"I don't know either, though I've thought about it many times. Lin Yuan, I don't have much time left, so I'll have to get straight to the point." Meng Na's breathing quickened, and her voice grew softer. "There are two passages to that forbidden area. One is in the clock tower, the one you and Lin Duyu discovered, and the other is in the morgue. Freezer number 13 is the entrance to that secret passage. After entering the woods, you need to find the well, the well where Zhang Xueyao's body was found. Near it, there's a large patch of wild mushrooms. Pick one and bring it out, and give it to... give it to... Chen Yiming. Everything... will have an answer... Also... don't... get any closer to... Maeda Reiko." Meng Na finished speaking with all her might; she was already dying.

"Why? Why won't you let me get close to Maeda Reiko?"

But Mengna could no longer speak. She just looked at me affectionately and then closed her eyes.

PART 5.

I don't know how I fell asleep. I only remember crying for a long time while holding her body. When I opened my eyes, I was lying in the dormitory. "Meng Na!" I exclaimed her name. "Was this another nightmare? Yes, yes! It was just a dream! She didn't die at all! I still have to find her!" When I went into the washroom, I heard a large group of people talking about "the clock tower".

"Did you really hear that?"

"Yes, the clock struck twelve, exactly twelve o'clock."

"I didn't hear a thing, I was fast asleep."

"If you don't believe me, go ask around; many people have heard it."

"Did you know, there used to be a rumor that something terrible would happen when this rotten clock struck twelve again?"

"Don't talk nonsense, there's no such thing."

"Don't you believe me? You know the girls' dorm's been haunted lately."

"You've only heard about it from those girls, have you actually seen it?"

The Fourth Campus: The Night of Death (5)

"So many people claim to have seen 'ghosts,' are they just spreading rumors because they're bored?"

"That's true. Sigh, this school is really weird. A few years ago, one thing after another happened. Then it was peaceful for two or three years, and now it's started again. Anyway, we're graduating next year. To be honest, I really want to graduate right away."

Was I dreaming last night, or did I really see Mengna?! If it was a dream, why did everyone hear the bells? If it wasn't a dream, why was I lying in my own bed when I woke up? I don't dare think about it anymore!

Part Five of the Fourth Campus

The Fourth Campus: Summoning the Soul (1)

PART 1.

Everyone on campus was talking about the bell ringing last night. I've never been so scared. There was a fact more terrifying than any ghost—last night's events were real, and Mengna was no longer alive! My only consolation was that people could hear the bell, so why couldn't I hear it in my dreams? If it wasn't a dream, how could I remember nothing about how I got back to my dorm from Mengna's side? And—if she was dead—how could I possibly leave her body behind and calmly go back to sleep?

As I passed the "clock tower," a large crowd had gathered there. I thought, "I should go in and check; I need to make sure there's no Mengna's body there!" So I rushed straight towards the "clock tower." A stranger stopped me at the door:

What are you doing?

I said, "Let's go in and take a look."

Several unfamiliar students surrounded me, trying to dissuade me: "We also want to see what's going on, but the college is investigating why the bell suddenly rang and won't let anyone in."

I waited patiently in the crowd.

Soon, someone recognized me, and a large group of people surrounded me, asking about the causes of Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei's deaths. Some even asked why I was still living in that dormitory. From Ling Min's suicide, the deaths of Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei, and the haunting of the girls' dormitory, to the sudden ringing of the clock yesterday, everything was connected, and the rumors became increasingly eerie. Perhaps, just as Nangong Xiaoxue's diary said, terror was spreading throughout the entire campus. I dealt with those pointless questions, and half an hour later, several maintenance workers and Dean Wu came out of the "clock tower," where they were surrounded by people.

Dean Wu, trying to reassure the public, said, "It's just some mechanical problems. We found rat droppings inside; the rat probably bumped the spring. It's nothing serious, so please don't panic."

Taking advantage of the chaos, I ran into the building. Dean Wu grabbed me.

"We still need to clean up later, so you're not allowed to go in now," he said.

I didn't even want to look at him. I thought, "The clock is so big, how could a mouse possibly wind it up?" I clearly remembered what I saw last night; the clock's gears were bigger than a person. I didn't know if it was real; I couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality anymore. I stubbornly pushed my way in.

"I said you're not allowed to go in now!" Dean Wu said anxiously.

Many students gathered around, clamoring to go in. Dean Wu couldn't stop them for long; with a whoosh, everyone rushed in.

I rushed to the third floor and saw that the wooden ceiling was still open, and the stairs were placed on top of it. Without thinking, I ran up and saw those huge gears again. My scalp grew colder and colder—everything was just like in the "dream"—but there was no Mengna's body!

There really was rat droppings in the gears.

As I emerged from the "clock tower," Dean Wu glared at me fiercely and said sternly, "Come see me in the dean's office tomorrow morning!"

PART 2.