The Road of Wronged Ghosts, Part 1 The Road of Wronged Ghosts

Part 1 of the classic "Road of the Wrongfully Haunted" trilogy: The Road of the Wrongfully Haunted

Chapter 1

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The moonlight, like water, gently spilled over this university campus with over 100 years of history, casting a tranquil atmosphere over it. Where in the world can one find a pure land? Only in this place of study and learning, where sages and saints reside.

The study room was brightly lit, filled with the aroma of books and a tranquil atmosphere. Everyone was engrossed in their studies, striving for their final exams. "Damn it!" He Jianfei rummaged through his bag, only to realize he'd forgotten his most important English book in the dorm, bringing instead a sports theory textbook he'd finished studying ages ago. He couldn't help but complain to his roommate, Zhang Chuanxun: "It's all your fault! Why are you rushing me? I think I could easily pass the sports theory doctoral exam." Zhang Chuanxun grinned and said, "Your English is so good, you don't need to study." He opened his bag. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Oh no! I brought sports theory too!" He Jianfei laughed so hard he collapsed onto the table, unable to get up. Zhang Chuanxun said, "No way, I haven't finished a ton of homework. I think I have to go back and get it." He Jianfei said, "But the dorm is too far from here. It'll take you at least an hour to go back and forth." Zhang Chuanxun laughed, "Don't worry. I just discovered a path called Chigangding a few days ago; it'll only take less than twenty minutes to get to the dorm." He Jianfei laughed, "Then go ahead, and while you're at it... mine!"

The clock ticked by, and He Jianfei had practically worn out his math book. Two hours had passed, and Zhang Chuanxun still hadn't returned. He Jianfei thought: "That guy's probably too tired from walking, so he's just staying in the dorm. If I have to retake my English exam, I'll definitely settle the score with you." He was bored sitting here; he might as well leave.

Back in the dormitory, He Jianfei found it pitch black and deserted. Somewhat surprised, he turned on the fluorescent light. He saw the two English books still neatly placed in their original spots. Apart from the few books in Zhang Chuanxun's bag, nothing else seemed missing from his bookshelf. He Jianfei shook his head and said, "They must have gone to another classroom." He pulled up a chair, picked up his precious English books, and began his arduous memorization session in the chaotic environment of speakers, computers, and a small discussion room.

Zhang Chuanxun still hadn't returned by midnight. He Jianfei frowned: "Could he have gone to the all-night study room? That would be like the sun rising in the west! Never mind, I can't stay up any longer, I'm going to meet the Duke of Zhou of Zhou first. Comrade Chuanxun, you can continue reading."

In the middle of the night, He Jianfei was abruptly pulled from his dreams by the deafening sound of wind chimes. "Heavens! Such a strong wind, it might rain soon. This damned summoning bell, it rings whether a ghost comes or not," He Jianfei cursed, when suddenly he noticed a blurry black shadow standing in the distance behind the mosquito net. He Jianfei called out, "Chuanxun, you're back?" The shadow didn't answer, but simply walked forward step by step. He Jianfei called again, "Chuanxun, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?" The shadow continued walking towards him without replying. He Jianfei glanced at it, and seeing the summoning bell ringing even louder, he became alert and shouted in a deep voice, "What kind of ghost dares to frighten people like this?" As he spoke, he abruptly pulled back the mosquito net, but the shadow had vanished.

He Jianfei looked around suspiciously. Just then, there was a noise outside the door. "Waaah...waaah..." A soft sob reached his ears. He Jianfei breathed a sigh of relief: "Chuanxun, you scared me to death. What's wrong? What happened? Tell me, I'll help you..." He grabbed the doorknob to open the door, but found that it was double-locked, which he had locked himself last night.

The door wasn't locked. First, there was a dark figure inside, then a weeping sound outside, followed by the unusual ringing of the summoning bell—but the weeping was clearly Chuanxun's. He Jianfei's hands trembled slightly. He slowly unlocked the door with his key, then slowly pulled it open, calling out softly, "Chuanxun, you…" He stopped abruptly. The area outside was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight. He found it strange. He had clearly heard weeping, so why had he run so fast? Suddenly, a loud crash came from inside. He Jianfei turned around to see Zhang Chuanxun's English book had fallen from the desk. He glanced outside again, saw nothing, and had no choice but to double-lock the door, pick up the book, return to bed, and continue his deep sleep.

At five o'clock in the morning, he was awakened again by a frantic knocking on the door, accompanied by a shrill cry: "Jianfei! Jianfei!" He rushed to the window, flung it open, and roared, "What are you doing? Do you know what time it is?" Huang Dakai from the next dormitory stood outside the door, his face filled with terror, his hands trembling violently outside the window: "Something's happened, Jianfei, Chuanxun is dead!"

In an instant, He Jianfei felt as if a muffled thunderclap had struck his mind, leaving him completely blank. Huang Dakai was still talking to himself, "He died on that path, his face full of terror, I heard his eyeballs popped out, his face was covered in blood, but they couldn't find the wounds. A whole bunch of police officers came, and the principal too..." He Jianfei grabbed Huang Dakai, "What time did he die?" Huang Dakai was taken aback, "The forensic doctor said it should be between ten and eleven o'clock. Why are you asking this?" He Jianfei punched the window frame, shaking down a lot of dust: Died at eleven o'clock? Then the one who came in the middle of the night... must be Chuanxun's ghost. He came to tell me the news, but I still haven't figured it out. "Another one died? Heh... There's no escaping it, a few people have to die every year, um, there's no escaping it, there's no escaping it, have you gone yet? If you have any resentment, just vent it all out! Heh..." Huang Dakai whispered, "It's that neurotic senior again. Ever since his girlfriend died mysteriously on that path, he's become like this."

He Jianfei quickly unlocked the door, rushed upstairs like a whirlwind, and soon saw his senior brother walking slowly ahead. "Senior brother, please wait," He Jianfei said, panting. "I have a few questions." The senior brother shook his head. "No need to ask. Who would believe that?" He Jianfei said, "I believe that the dead become ghosts, and ghosts become the boundary! But what does the phrase 'a few must die every year' mean? Why can't they escape it?"

The senior student turned around, his small eyes gleaming eerily behind his thick glasses: "I don't know. Would it still be like this if I knew? Would people still die? All I know is that that path has been privately known as the Path of Wronged Ghosts for decades." "The Path of Wronged Ghosts? Why such a terrifying name?" "How would I know? Legend has it that anyone who walks this path in the dead of night will die on the road, their face filled with terror and covered in blood. He didn't believe it, and went alone. And what happened in the end? Heh... Before she died, she mustered all her strength and said two sentences to me: 'I'm going to die! I can't escape!' Yes, I can't escape, I absolutely can't escape."

The senior brother chuckled and turned to walk away slowly.

He Jianfei stood there motionless, like a stone statue. "She's going to die! She can't escape!" "She's going to die! She can't escape!" He kept repeating these two sentences, feeling that the girl was desperately trying to hint at something before she died, but the words were too vague.

Chapter Two

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He stood there bewildered for a long time before slowly walking back to his dormitory, intending to ask someone for more details. He found the dormitory empty—everyone had gone to check on the investigation. He plopped down on his bed, feeling a deep sense of loss. Yesterday and today felt like two separate worlds. He murmured to himself, "Chuanxun, what are you trying to tell me? Is it just as simple as a wrongful death?"

"Ring ring..." The phone rang, startling He Jianfei. He picked up the receiver and said "Hello," when a silvery laugh came from the other end: "Handsome He, you've just been voted the most handsome guy in the entire province! Congratulations!" He Jianfei immediately recognized his girlfriend Tian Yinzhen's voice. He sighed, "Miss, it's not even six o'clock yet. What brings you here?" Tian Yinzhen's surprised voice came through: "Huh, the most handsome guy..." He Jianfei impatiently interrupted her: "Yinzi, do you sense anything wrong with my school?" "Hmm, it seems like there are a lot of beautiful girls giving off a flirtatious vibe. So, which one catches your eye?" He Jianfei rolled his eyes in exasperation: "Yinzi, I'm not joking. Someone died here." Tian Yinzhen's laughter continued: "Which beautiful girl died? It broke our handsome He's heart." He Jianfei said in a deep voice: "Zhang Chuanxun is dead. His death was inexplicable. His ghost came to me after the incident."

The other end of the phone immediately went silent. Tian Yinzhen said, "I'm so far away from you, I wouldn't be able to sense anything. What did he tell you?" He Jianfei then explained the whole story to her. Tian Yinzhen said, "How about this, I don't have class this afternoon, I'll come over to your place to check out the scene. I'll be there at 2 PM." "Okay, see you then."

He Jianfei hung up the phone, unsure what to do. He decided to go to the scene first, only to find that the area within ten miles was sealed off, and outsiders were not allowed to enter. Unwilling to give up, He Jianfei circled the outer perimeter several times, but something felt amiss. Although it was daytime and the sun was blazing, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if something was weighing on his heart, making him very uncomfortable, almost to the point of delirium. He Jianfei felt a chill run down his spine. "Damn it," he thought, "if I had known this university was such a terrifying place, no matter how famous it was, I wouldn't have chosen it. The vengeful spirit here is so strong that it could kill even during the day, let alone at night. Zhang Chuanxun was walking alone at night; he was surely dead." Startled by this, He Jianfei didn't even want to go to class. He just wandered aimlessly around the campus, thinking about that strange path and muttering to himself, "I'm going to die! I can't escape!" He repeated it many times, but he still couldn't understand what it meant. Frustrated, he stomped his foot and said, "Damn it! Who said I can't escape? I'm going to try it anyway."

"Young man, don't act rashly and end up losing your life! That road is cursed; no one can defeat it!" An old voice suddenly came from behind He Jianfei. He Jianfei quickly turned around and saw an old man sweeping the floor. He was a little surprised: "Uncle, do you know what I'm referring to?" The old man chuckled: "Of course I know! This university is over 100 years old, very old. It has all sorts of strange things. What could be more cursed than that haunted road?"

He Jianfei perked up and quickly stepped forward t

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