Chapter 64: An Inauspicious Night

"Tiannan Academy of Drama is here."

The taxi stopped in front of a spacious and magnificent school gate. The driver peered out to look at the brightly lit academy; despite the brilliant illumination, he still harbored a certain taboo regarding the "story" Yu Guo had just told.

Ji Li reached out and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, not bothering to wait for change, and stepped straight out of the car.

Before them stood a school gate exuding a strong artistic atmosphere, inscribed with the academy's name in bold, flowing calligraphy.

A university was bustling after all. Despite it being close to midnight, the entrance was still a stream of coming and going people. Countless young men and women brushed past Ji Li and Yu Guo, chatting and laughing.

Ji Li stood at the entrance with his hands clasped behind his back, looking through the school gate at the brightly lit academy buildings inside, somewhat suspicious.

His first impression was that this place did not look like a haunted ground.

At this moment, Yu Guo stopped beside him, rubbed his stiff face, and said in a soft voice:

"Over the past year, I have rushed here several times, but the only deceased I managed to find were A-Lian, the female teacher, and the academic affairs teacher. Perhaps there were other victims, but they were disrupted by the ghost's powerful erasing ability, leaving nothing further to investigate."

Ji Li nodded, turned his head to look at the young people brushing past them, and then said:

"Perhaps originating from that ghost's special ability, even if everyone in this school died, it would not stir up the slightest ripple."

To speak the truth, Ji Li had not initially expected Yu Guo's matter to be so thorny, but he considered himself and Yu Guo to now hold the status of staff members at the Tianhai Hotel.

Outside of the mission phase, even if other ghosts wanted to make a move against them, they would have to exercise some restraint.

Of course, this was only his own guess and not necessarily effective, especially upon learning that the ghost in the academy was so powerful, which left Ji Li feeling even more uncertain.

However, since they had already come, Ji Li did not expect himself and Yu Guo, two ordinary mortals, to be able to combat ghosts. This trip was nothing more than putting Yu Guo's lingering obsession to rest for the time being.

As to why Yu Guo came to find him instead of anyone else, Ji Li had a rough answer in mind.

It was simply because the hotel's female voice had previously mentioned his concealment of a ghost, leading Yu Guo to mistakenly believe that he possessed some ability or secret to counter ghosts.

Knowing this, the moment he stepped into the academy, Ji Li said to Yu Guo beside him:

"I do not possess the strength to fend off ghosts. Should we encounter a crisis, we must still prioritize leaving first. I am not entirely in favor of rushing here tonight, but I have a premonition that this place will become our official mission location in the future. Unless the hotel issues rules for survival regarding this, we living people have no qualification to contend with it. For now, consider this as a way to untie the obsession in your heart and prepare for a better future."

***

Hearing this, Yu Guo did not offer much negation; he merely nodded. Perhaps before coming here, he had already mentally prepared himself for this.

"Then, let us still head to A-Lian's office. I feel that mirror is a key."

Passing through the school gate, a cold wind blew uninvited from behind, causing Ji Li's hair to fly backward and making his neck itch slightly.

"Behind us, something is following us... It has been following us for a long time..." The third personality warned at this moment.

Without needing to be told, Ji Li knew it like the back of his hand, and he could guess where that thing had come from.

It was none other than the Republic of China-era street that had made his heart uncomfortable earlier!

Ji Li frowned, his hands buried in his trench coat pockets, turned around with narrowed eyes, and looked behind him.

The space there was empty, save for a pair of lovers walking past while chatting and laughing.

"It didn't follow us in; it only followed us up to the academy gate. It must be somewhat fearful and dare not cross the line. Viewed this way, there is indeed a ghost within the academy, and it is powerful enough to deter ghosts of its own kind!"

Ji Li felt a headache coming on from the wind. It seemed that the longer he fought against ghosts, the more inexplicable things began to pile up.

"Did you sense something is wrong?"

Watching Ji Li's head-turning motion, Yu Guo felt a glimmer of understanding and followed his gaze toward the school gate.

The student couples passing by on either side still showed no abnormalities. Aside from Ji Li and Yu Guo, they had no idea what was lingering right beside them.

Ji Li shook his head, took a deep breath, and stopped dwelling on it, urging Yu Guo instead:

"Tonight is fraught with inauspiciousness. We must make haste and return swiftly."

Since a foreign ghost had followed the two of them here, the academy's ghost must have already been alerted. Ji Li could not be certain whether it would make a move against them tonight.

Taking the lead, Yu Guo guided Ji Li as they quickly shuttled between various academic buildings, searching for the location of A-Lian's former workstation.

The original intention for tonight was that after undergoing the baptism of several missions, and with Ji Li backing him up, Yu Guo craved the opportunity to see A-Lian's ghost once more.

Since the female teacher, who was also a victim, could manifest as a ghost and kill people, perhaps A-Lian could do the same.

Yu Guo did not care what A-Lian had turned into; he simply wanted to see her again.

Yet he also knew that the ghost in this academy was no small matter—far more powerful than the mission ghosts he had experienced. After hesitating repeatedly, tonight's operation was changed from its initial goal of investigating the truth to adapting to circumstances as they arose.

***

After a brief sprint, Yu Guo led Ji Li to the entrance of a building that had already been closed for the night.

It was deserted, with no students lingering here for romance. Located at the very end of the academy's rear three buildings, it was entirely unguarded.

"This is the teachers' office building. At this hour, everyone has already left and it has been locked up."

Yu Guo was quite familiar with this and, while explaining to Ji Li, pulled out a pair of wire cutters from his backpack and walked straight toward the building's door lock.

Watching Yu Guo's practiced movements, Ji Li knew instantly that this man had pried open the locks of this building more than once.

Meanwhile, he stepped back a little to observe the surrounding environment.

The vicinity of this building was densely wooded, with its rear directly abutting the academy wall, separated from the back alley by only a narrow margin.

The wind rustled the leaves. Aside from the midnight chill, Ji Li felt no aura here that felt familiar to him.

In other words, given the exceptionally sensitive intuition shared by himself and his third personality, there were no ghosts here.

Ji Li lowered his gaze and blinked, pacing as he asked, "Which floor is A-Lian's office on?"

"The thirteenth floor," Yu Guo replied without turning his head, speeding up his work.

Ji Li immediately looked up, gazing at the windows of the thirteenth floor. Among that row of windowpanes flashing silvery reflections under the moonlight, he could not tell which one marked A-Lian's location.

As he watched, a crisp snap sounded, followed by the turning of a chain.

With an excited look on his face, Yu Guo removed the lock, pulled the building door open, and waved eagerly at Ji Li: "Let's go!"

Ji Li withdrew his gaze from that row of windows, looked at Yu Guo's figure, and finally set his foot forward.

Yet a moment later, as if he had realized something, he quickly stepped back.

He raised his head once more and looked at that row of windows.

This side of the thirteenth floor had fifteen windows. Positioned high up and reaching toward the horizon, every single glass pane was illuminated by the moonlight, gleaming with a bright, silvery hue.

Yet there was only a single window, pitch-black as ink, as though even the eternal, unchanging moonlight would be swallowed up upon reaching it...