Actions fantômes

Chapitre 13

"Liu Dong! Where have you been hiding? Come and help me!"

However, when he turned around, there was nothing behind him, absolutely nothing. In the truest sense, everything he had just seen, along with the human Liu Dong, had vanished!

Besides, there were two piles of broken glass not far away, the shards scattered irregularly on the floor, gleaming lonely under the fluorescent lights. One pile was the glass Liu Dong had just picked up, and the other pile? That spot could only be… the glass from a picture frame! Where was the photograph?!

What was that floating in mid-air? There was no wind in the room... It was a piece of paper, hovering in the air, swaying and drifting, until it landed at Zhong Lei's feet.

This is that photo! The person in the photo has a gloomy face, staring at Zhong Lei, and there seems to be an evil aura emanating from his eyes.

Zhong Lei once again felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet, beads of sweat immediately rolled down his forehead, and his heart began to pound wildly. His breathing became heavy.

Suddenly! The lights in the room went out!

Zhong Lei felt as if he had been suddenly enveloped in a black dome, caught off guard by this sneak attack. He lost control, frantically spinning in place, his hands grabbing aimlessly at the air. A faint sound came from the darkness, "Hehe...!" The eerie laughter, like in the photograph earlier, seemed to drift in and out of the darkness. Zhong Lei shrank back, trembling.

The sinister laughter relentlessly harassed his ears, seeping into Zhong Lei's brain and slowly eroding his will. Zhong Lei was almost losing control of his consciousness...

Everyone died. Lin Wei died first, then Bi Bin. Lin Wei died so peacefully, his eyes closed quietly, his eyeballs never moving again, never opening again, giving me that indifferent glance. In the year I lived with him, he never argued with me. Why did such a quiet, gentle person have to die first? Why?! Why wasn't it the arrogant, idiotic Bi Bin? Although Bi Bin died too, why did he have to die after Lin Wei?! Liu Dong was also hacked to death right in front of me…

As if suddenly remembering something, Zhong Lei's eyes widened.

"Liu Dong! You bastard! You fucking tricked me! Get out here right now!"

After the roar, the eerie sound quietly faded away. Then, the flickering of the lamp stick and the sound of its starter were heard. The sudden brightness made it difficult for Zhong Lei to open his eyes. It took him a while to adjust before he dared to open them. He felt a slight pain in his left wrist. Looking down, he saw that his right hand was holding a shard of glass and pressing it against his left wrist, which had already cut a shallow gash. The bright red blood stung Zhong Lei's eyes. If he had woken up a minute later, the artery in his left wrist would have been severed, and even if he tried to save him, it would have been too late.

Thinking of this, Zhong Lei shuddered, swallowed hard, and felt his mouth was very dry.

After calming himself down a bit, Zhong Lei looked up at the situation inside the room.

The furnishings inside the room remained unchanged. The door was right beside him, ajar with a crack in it. Zhong Lei reached out and pulled it open.

Chapter Six: The Return of the Dead (Part Two)

Three

This time, Zhong Lei rushed out without hesitation and slammed the door shut behind him. However, once he stood still, he dared not move again because it was excessively dark outside.

Zhong Lei strained his eyes, even though he couldn't see anything, but staring so hard at least gave him a little courage.

Remembering the stairs were on the right, Zhong Lei held onto the wall and walked to the right. After three steps, he reached the top of the stairs and was about to turn right and go downstairs when his waving hand suddenly touched something soft. This sensation sent chills down Zhong Lei's spine. He dared not touch it again, nor dared he move forward. While he was hesitating, his vision suddenly brightened! Or rather, the thing he had just touched lit up!

He saw it clearly—it was Liu Dong's face! In the dim blue light, his face was expressionless, eerily sinister. At this moment, Zhong Lei dared not blame him for what had just happened, because it was indeed a face, just a face; beneath those neatly trimmed bones, there was no body!

Zhong Lei's legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. Was Liu Dong dead or alive?! I had just managed to accept that he was alive, so what was the meaning of his reappearance now?!

The face slowly approached, and an indescribable fear gripped Zhong Lei, making it hard for him to breathe. His feet moved involuntarily. Where could he escape? I had to get away!

Faced with immense fear, Zhong Lei felt a surge of panic. Of the five people from that day, two were already dead, one had gone insane, and Liu Dong's fate was currently unknown. Was he about to be next? Thinking about the bizarre deaths of those men, goosebumps rose violently along his spine. The weather wasn't particularly cold, but Zhong Lei's teeth were chattering uncontrollably, the "crack, crack" sound echoing his growing terror. His legs trembled uncontrollably, his heart pounded wildly, and his consciousness wavered in disarray.

Liu Dong's head did not stop moving forward because of Zhong Lei's retreat. Instead, it became even more ferocious in the dim light. Zhong Lei had never seen such a face before, and he never imagined that Liu Dong's face, which he knew so well, would one day change into this form! Zhong Lei could not accept it psychologically, and his emotions became complicated, in addition to fear.

At this moment, Liu Dong's facial features were very illusory, as if they were drawn with a pencil. His mouth was stretched open, revealing a row of golden teeth, and his eyes no longer had any pupils or anything like that; they had all turned blood red.

Zhong Lei's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, adopting an ostrich-like posture—covering his head with his hands. He didn't want to further stimulate his visual nerves. This unknown monster was slowly approaching him anyway; he might die, but even if he did, he wanted to die peacefully! "I never want to die from a ruptured gallbladder!" he thought. "Dying like that would turn my face blue; just thinking about it makes me nauseous." After a period of wild thoughts, Zhong Lei's mind calmed down considerably. Since he was determined to die, he wasn't afraid of anything anymore.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Zhong Lei hadn't died as expected. There was no more movement around him; all the unusual sights seemed to have vanished into the darkness. What was going on? Had my resolve overcome it? It couldn't be that simple! Or had it hidden somewhere, waiting for another chance to attack? Zhong Lei stood up and spun around, but all around him was darkness, a cold, indifferent darkness, which made him extremely uneasy.

"Zhong Lei." A kind voice sounded from behind Zhong Lei. Zhong Lei hadn't heard this voice before; it wasn't familiar. However, the voice was very comforting, a gentle current instantly enveloping his entire body. It sounded like a father's voice! How many times had I heard this voice in my dreams!

Zhong Lei slowly turned around and saw a middle-aged man standing behind him. Tall and handsome, with the same high nose bridge, thick eyebrows, and large eyes as himself, the man wore a crisp People's Liberation Army officer's uniform, which made him even more imposing. This was someone Zhong Lei had seen countless times in photographs!

Dad? This person in front of me is my dad? Ah! Right, didn't they say someone was looking for me? Could it really be my dad? But, wasn't he already...? Maybe he's doing something very secretive and has to hide his identity. Thinking this, Zhong Lei felt relieved. I have a dad now!

He walked over, tears welling in his eyes, his nose stinging, and tears streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably. He finally had a father! After hesitating for a long time, he finally uttered two words:

“Dad!” she exclaimed, throwing herself into the middle-aged man’s arms. The sturdy officer could not hold back his tears, and two streams immediately flowed down his cheeks.

"Son, you've suffered all these years! Come on, come home with me! Let's have a good get-together, you and I. I've already got you the leave of absence! Let's go now!"

Zhong Lei nodded happily.

"Hmm!"

Chapter Six: The Return of the Dead (Part Three)

4

Zhong Lei and his father were walking up the stairs when he suddenly stopped. His expression became complicated, and he said to the man in front of him,

"Who are you?"

The man asked, puzzled.

"What's wrong? I'm your father!"

Zhong Lei shook his head in pain.

"You can't be my father! My father died when I was very young!"

The man calmly explained,

"Back then, I only went missing, not died. The army couldn't find me, so they treated me as a martyr. I recovered from my injuries in a small mountain village on the Yunnan border. After returning to my unit, the organization, taking advantage of my special status, sent me to Vietnam to work on intelligence, where I stayed for so many years! According to organizational discipline, I couldn't contact my former relatives and friends, so I had no news of you for all these years. This year, I finally received orders to return home. As soon as I got back, I started inquiring about the whereabouts of you and your son. I went to the alley where we used to live, but the old neighbors said you and your son had moved away long ago. This can't stump an excellent intelligence officer like me. Now we can finally be reunited. Why are you suspecting me?"

Upon hearing these words, Zhong Lei's face twitched slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Your story is very touching, and you know me very well, but you overlooked a small detail: what is your current military rank?"

The man hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Colonel."

Zhong Lei revealed a slight smile.

"Then you're probably wearing the wrong uniform, aren't you? One bar and three stars, in my memory, is a captain, right? Besides, this uniform you're wearing was phased out in the most recent army-wide uniform change! If you're a soldier, then you've already broken the law! Also, if my father were still alive, he would be at least over forty, but you look less than thirty. Who are you? You're not my father at all!"

As Zhong Lei spoke, the man vanished into thin air with a cold laugh!

Zhong Lei leaned weakly against the wall. He had only thought the guy was a fraud, and he never expected him to disappear like this... The experience of the night had left him exhausted and his mind was somewhat blurred. He had almost really taken that guy for his father just now. Fortunately, his flaws were too obvious, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll go back to sleep! I don't want to care about anything. I just want to live a peaceful life. I really don't want to live such an exciting life anymore.

Thinking this, Zhong Lei reached the dormitory door, pushed it open, and found it quiet inside. His roommates were all fast asleep. He wondered if Liu Dong had returned yet. Zhong Lei shook his head, trying not to think about anything. Then, he shuffled onto his bed, pulled the covers over himself haphazardly, and fell asleep almost instantly...

He didn't want to experience anything like what happened today again. He seemed unable to bear any more of this fear. However, this was probably beyond his control; when misfortune knocks, there's no escaping it. Even though Zhong Lei was sleeping soundly and comfortably, there was no guarantee he wouldn't encounter something even more thrilling in his dreams. There was nothing he could do; he was going to be unlucky.

Five

"Flute..."

A sharp reveille pierced the air, slamming into Zhong Lei's eardrums and cruelly dragging him from his sweet dreams. It was time to get up. The dim yellow light from the dormitory flickered not far from Zhong Lei, further stimulating his optic nerves, making him want to open his eyes but unable to. The remaining four students in the dormitory were already hurriedly getting dressed and getting up. The sounds of them jumping off the bed, hurriedly folding their blankets, and the "thump thump!" of the blankets being thrown onto the bed urged Zhong Lei to get up quickly.

After struggling with himself for a long time, Zhong Lei slowly put on his clothes, haphazardly folded the blankets, and thought, "To hell with it! I don't care about the points deducted! Whatever."

Zhong Lei put on his shoes, without washing his face, and with his hair all messy, he followed his classmates lazily toward the assembly point for morning exercises. Along the way, people around him looked at him with puzzlement, thinking, "He used to be such a handsome young man, what's wrong with him today? Why didn't he wash his face before coming out? Isn't he afraid of ruining his handsome image?"

Fortunately, the meeting point was close to the dormitory, otherwise Zhong Lei would have been late again. As soon as he joined the line, his homeroom teacher appeared. He had made a rule that anyone who arrived later than him was considered late, which was quite abnormal.

"Run!" The sports committee member's hoarse voice rang out. Zhong Lei, sandwiched in the line, swayed as he ran, his eyes somewhat glazed. Several times he stepped on the shoes of the students in front of him, and once a student behind him stepped on his shoelace. The homeroom teacher saw all of this, but did not say anything at the time.

Finally, morning exercises ended. Zhong Lei, his legs feeling incredibly heavy, followed the crowd to the classroom. Next was nearly an hour of morning reading time. Breakfast could only be eaten after reading ended. Anyone caught leaving early for breakfast by the teacher would face dire consequences—perhaps writing a self-criticism to send home, perhaps being punished with a week of cleaning duty, and so on. But I digress. Let's get back to the point.

Since Zhong Lei's class was on the first floor, they were the first class to return to the classroom.

Zhong Lei sat by the window, his expression still indifferent. Liu Dong hadn't come. According to his roommates, Liu Dong hadn't returned to the dorm at all last night. This only added fuel to the fire in Zhong Lei's already chaotic mind. But who cares? Lin Wei was dead, Bi Bin was dead, Su Shengwen was insane, and Liu Dong was missing. Of the five, only he was still alive. But the last one always seemed to suffer the most. What awaited him? Sigh! He wouldn't think about it anymore! Let it go! He was going to die anyway, why dwell on so much?

His blank stare fell on the window. It was already broad daylight. His jog had somewhat refreshed him, dispelling seven-tenths of his sleepiness. Watching his classmates hurrying by outside, his initial sense of superiority wasn't so strong anymore. He felt calm, as if he were waiting for something—waiting for some terrifying monster to appear, to choke him and take his life, or for a female ghost with long, livid fingernails to crawl out of his desk and plunge her filthy fingernails into his jaw, severing his trachea and killing him. As he thought about this, Zhong Lei unconsciously glanced into his desk. This glance made his eyes light up. A pink envelope lay quietly on the edge of the desk.

"What's this?" Zhong Lei picked up the envelope and asked his deskmate.

Chen Lei, the usually honest and simple-minded classmate, smiled slyly and said:

"Li Xue gave it to me last night, telling me to put it in your desk drawer and be careful not to let the boss find it! Hehe! A handsome guy is a handsome guy! I really admire him!"

Zhong Lei suddenly felt like teasing him, so he smiled slyly.

"Oh, I see! Let me see!"

Then he pretended to glance at the letter a few times, and then put on an expression of sudden realization.

"Oh! So that's what happened!" He patted Chen Lei's shoulder affectionately.

"Good lad! You've got guts!"

Chen Lei was completely bewildered by the filming, blinked, and asked:

"What's wrong with me? I just delivered a letter for you."

Zhong Lei chuckled and said to Chen Lei:

"Do you know what this letter says?"

Chen Lei shook his head.

"Would you like to know what it said?"

Chen Lei nodded, then quickly shook his head.

"No, how could I read your love letters?"

Zhong Lei chuckled and said:

"Ugh! What love letter? It's more like a forwarded love letter!"

Chen Lei was initially completely confused.

"Transfer a love letter?"

"That's right! Li Xue wrote me a letter asking me to pass on her feelings for him!" Zhong Lei already knew Chen Lei had feelings for Li Xue, and now he seized on this to tease him! Hehehehe!

Chen Lei still hadn't figured it out and was still asking blankly:

"It wasn't you! Then who was so lucky?"

Zhong Lei deliberately stared at him, then cleared his throat.

"Hehe! It's not somewhere else; it's as if it's far away yet right before your eyes!"

Chen Lei's eyes widened.

“It’s me? This…”

Zhong Lei asked with a smile: