Pègre

Chapitre 29

They shared the same experience, kept the same secret, and were investigating it. This feeling was strange; in any case, it made the principal feel...

Shi Chao and the others felt comforted—after all, he wasn't alone in facing this strange fire.

They exchanged information about their experiences after the breakup, and apart from the fire, nothing else unusual had happened.

Yang Tianwen and Xu Sen were safe and sound. The dean was busy dealing with patients in the school hospital, while everyone else was doing their jobs.

Even after the crowd dispersed, the dormitory building remained quiet, with firefighters moving back and forth, investigating the cause of the fire.

Some people peered in, trying to get a look, but were politely stopped. The principal consulted with the fire chief, and then, along with Jiang...

Shi Chao went into the dormitory.

It turned out that Li Changge's claim of burning everything to ashes was not an exaggeration; the entire dormitory was empty, with nothing left.

If it weren't for the ashes scattered everywhere, confirming the fire, one would almost think that no one had ever lived here. (Continuous firefighting efforts)

The firefighters were astonished: in their more than ten years of fighting fires, they had never seen a fire so devastating.

So thorough. The steel bars on the wall were exposed amidst the bricks and tiles, and Jiang Shichao had a very strange thought. He

If this dorm room were a person, they would be burned to the bone right now; that must be incredibly painful.

Thinking of this, his heart suddenly sank, and an idea flashed through his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it for the moment.

The dormitory looked particularly desolate after the disaster. A slight breeze blew in from the window that had lost its panes, and soot was scattered all over the floor.

The earth seemed to rise from the ground, dancing like countless ghosts, filling one with a sense of desolation.

From the dormitory room to the ground floor, the two remained silent. Jiang Shichao kept trying to catch the question that had just been on his mind.

That question was crucial, extremely important, but he just couldn't figure it out. He was so engrossed in thinking about it that...

Yu Duanyun and Lin Ding had to grab his shoulders and shake him a couple of times before he heard their calls. "Did you find anything?"

The two men asked anxiously. The principal pointed to Jiang Shichao, instructing him to provide an explanation, while he and the firefighters went together to inquire.

They went to inquire about the investigation results. Jiang Shichao explained the situation, and Lin Ding responded with a disappointed "Oh." Duan Yun's expression, however...

Something was strange; he seemed hesitant to speak. Seeing his expression, Jiang Shichao suddenly remembered that when the fire had just been extinguished…

He had the same expression on his face.

"What's wrong? Did something come to mind?" he asked Duan Yun. Duan Yun hesitated, while Lin Ding was already impatient.

"Why are you always like this? Tell me quickly!" Duan Yun smiled sheepishly and said, "I was thinking, in this building..."

Many such inexplicable and strange things have already happened.

“We all know that,” Lin Ding said, thinking it was obvious. But Duan Yun’s words made Jiang Shichao feel…

I'm one step closer to that vague idea that's been floating in my mind, so I quickly asked, "What do you think?"

While Lin Ding was speaking, Duan Yun didn't finish his sentence, only looking helplessly at Lin Ding. Jiang Shichao's question...

He immediately continued, "Have you noticed? In this building, all the strange things are happening in dormitory room number one."

Upon hearing this, the other two thought about it carefully and realized it was indeed true. The incident first occurred in dormitory 701—Duan Yun's dormitory.

The incident started in room 601, then in room 401. Jiang Shichao couldn't help but look up at the dark window above.

The entrance is located precisely in the center of the building, dividing it into two distinct sections. Above the windows are dorm rooms 701 and 601.

All the windows were closed, and 501… wait! He suddenly opened his eyes wide, about to speak, when Duan Yun's voice rang out.

"You thought of that too, didn't you?" He turned to look at Duan Yun, who nodded at him. Lin Ding watched from the side.

"Say what's on your mind! Don't play riddles!" Jiang Shichao asked loudly, pointing to the dormitory and guiding him from top to bottom.

Looking down, he saw room 401, then suddenly shifted his gaze upwards, fixing it on the window of room 501, and let out a gasp of realization.

Wu exclaimed in a low voice, "Is this what you're talking about?"

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [47]: Yes, all three of them thought of the same question: all the strange things in the building happened in dormitory room number one. If

This is indeed a pattern in the occurrence of events, so something unusual should also happen in dormitory 501, but...

They just don't know it.

The incident in dormitory 701 involved a fall, the incident in dormitory 601 involved Lu Yang's mop, and the incident in dormitory 401 involved a fire.

Disaster, 501, what happened?

The three of them were visibly shaken. Lin Ding chuckled dryly, "Perhaps it's just a coincidence, or..."

Nothing happened in room 501. His words were clearly unconvincing. Judging from what has happened so far, that...

The mysterious forces at work behind the scenes always have a specific purpose in mind. The purpose of the previous stage was to prove "a draw in a game of chess".

"Two lives lost," what event will be used to prove what conclusion next? Or will it still be the first conclusion?

A continuation? Regardless, all the events occurred in dormitory room number one; this cannot be merely a coincidence. The murderer...

There must be a meaning behind it.

Jiang Shichao pondered all of this deeply; the idea he had been trying to grasp kept floating around in his mind.

It disturbed his thoughts. He frowned in annoyance, only to hear Duan Yun muttering to himself beside him, "The people in room 401 wouldn't..."

Did you think you were dead, just like me?

Jiang Shichao suddenly realized what he wanted to grasp.

There are three types of events that occurred before this: deaths, which have been confirmed to be related to the draw; hallucinations; and other similar events.

The cause of the incident is unknown; the cause of the role reversal incident is also unknown. In the two previous incidents that occurred in a dormitory building, the cause was unknown.

It's all about role reversals. First, Duan Yun and his mirror switched identities, then Lu Yang and his mop...

The roles have been reversed. If all events that occur in dormitory room number one of building 401 follow the same pattern, then what happened in room 401...

This incident should also be considered a role reversal accident. If this inference holds true, then the students in dormitory 401 are very likely...

Something related to fire is happening.

He shared his idea, and Duan Yun and Lin Ding had no objections. They were currently unaware that this role-swapping...

To what extent? Is it a false alarm like Duan Yun's, or a bloody scene like Lu Yang's, or...?

This is even more serious. In any case, this is a very urgent matter; the students in room 401 must be found immediately.

They pulled the principal out from among the firefighters and explained the situation, which made the principal frown. Fortunately, this incident...

It was much easier to do this than to ban all chess and card games from the school. He summoned several administrators and asked them to find room 401.

The students were asked to assist in the investigation. Jiang Shichao originally intended to call the students from Room 501 as well, but due to his superiors' reasons...

Nameless, luckily get out of class is almost over, so it's okay to wait a little longer.

While waiting, they sat in the gatehouse on the first floor. By then, the fire trucks had already left, and the area in front of the dormitory had returned to normal.

Calm returned. Several students who had been waiting to enter the dormitory hurried upstairs. The caretaker in the gatehouse was busy...

They were cleaning the hallway. Only Jiang Shichao, two others, and the principal were in the gatehouse. They sat together and talked naturally.

They brought up the matter. Jiang Shichao and the others explained their analysis, and the principal nodded approvingly. Besides that, they...

There are currently no leads. Jiang Shichao was eager to know the fire department's opinion on the matter, and the principal gave a wry smile.

Their unwritten conclusion was—'strange'—that no trace of arson was found at the scene, and...

There was no sign of gasoline burning, making the fire's extinguishing entirely illogical. The written conclusion will be available shortly.

There was a brief silence. When they spoke again, it was because of Lin Ding's long-standing grudge against a cat.

Regarding the events of Sunday night, Lin Ding raised a long-held question: he believed that Zhao Xuejun's...

The black cat was rather strange. It first appeared on the night Lin Ding and his companions had their accident on Wutong Avenue, and then...

When Xiao Guang and Liu Yongze had their accident, Jiang Shichao was also at the scene and saw the cat. On Sunday night, the cat's behavior...

It's also quite unusual.

“If that’s the case,” Duan Yun clearly objected to Lin Ding’s opinion, “wouldn’t it be even stranger to be so cold-hearted? Every time…”

"These things have nothing to do with him, but they always seem to come after him." Lin Ding glared at him angrily. The principal smiled slightly.

"Actually, in all these events, which one of us isn't strange?" Lin Ding thought about it carefully and realized it was true, so he fell silent.

Speechless.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [48]: But Jiang Shichao, reminded by Lin Ding, remembered some things that happened that night, when those things happened, the principal

Lin Ding and Duan Yun were still in the office and didn't see it. There were no lights on at the time; he and Zhao Xuejun were dragging Yang Tianwen along.

The two of them were about to give up when the lights suddenly came on after the cat meowed. At that moment, Zhao Xuejun...

He wondered why the cat was meowing so happily, but Jiang Shichao clearly remembered that in a very brief moment after the light came on...

He seemed to see a dark figure straighten up in front of him, but when his vision returned, he only saw that...

The cat. Later, everyone was in a mess, and he forgot about it. Now that he thinks about it, it does seem a bit strange.

After hearing Jiang Shichao's words, the principal pondered for a moment and murmured, "But what does this have to do with cats?"

"The others also found it quite perplexing, with another clue added to their already complex situation, yet they still couldn't reach a conclusion."

After a moment of silence, the principal said, "For now, let's ignore the cat and focus on the people. That might be more effective."

Find clues quickly.

It was already 5:30, the time for classes to end, and the dormitory entrance suddenly became lively as students finished their lessons.

They all went into the dormitory building. But the students in room 401 were still missing. The principal called the people in charge of the search.

When they contacted their administrator, the response was that they couldn't be found anywhere in the entire school. It seemed the students of dormitory 401 had collectively vanished.