Chapter 3: Something will definitely happen on the 31st, and we might both end up dead
"Run!"
Without a second of hesitation, Charles grabbed Linda's hand and they both bolted toward the stairs.
"Heh heh heh!"
However, a disturbing, sinister laugh echoed from below.
It's a shadow!
Ghost: Low-level danger
Note: A deceased student.
Upon seeing the ghostly figure not far ahead, Linda's sanity plummeted by ten points. This was terrifying!
Charles, however, remained unfazed. He actually charged toward the shadow. When he was about ten meters away, he hurled a surgical scalpel.
"Splurch!"
The scalpel found its mark, embedding itself into the ghostly figure. The eerie laughter that had filled the air abruptly ceased. The shadow lay on the ground, a blood-stained scalpel protruding from its skull.
'You've killed an unfortunate ghost that came out to use the restroom. Your abilities have been slightly enhanced.'
Casting a brief glance at the fallen ghost, Charles yanked the scalpel from its forehead and immediately sprinted out of the school building with Linda.
"Quick!"
"These ghosts can't leave the school building!"
Charles looked at Linda, whose body was limp with terror, and quickly infused her with hope.
Hearing Charles' encouragement, Linda's eyes sparkled. She summoned all her strength and ran like mad with Charles towards the exit of the school building.
Ten steps... five steps...
Charles had already burst out of the building, and she was close behind!
So close!
Just one more step!
A look of post-escape elation appeared in Linda's eyes, but in the next moment, a pair of horrifying black hands suddenly gripped her throat from behind!
The smile on her face froze, and the elation in her eyes swiftly turned into sheer horror and despair.
Coldness enveloped her entire body in an instant.
It's over!
Just as the black hands were about to drag her into the darkness behind her, a sharp scalpel whisked past her ear, slicing it off.
And accurately hit the dark figure behind her.
"Ahh!"
A piercing scream erupted as the ghostly black hands released their grip. Adrenaline surged through Linda's veins, enabling her to crawl her way out of the school building.
She quickly ran to Charles' side, feeling a warm sensation in her legs.
The smell of urine filled the air. Linda, ignoring her embarrassment and shame, continued to scream and pulled Charles along as they ran into the distance.
"All right, all right! It's gone now!" Charles reassured Linda, who gradually regained her composure and sat on the ground, wiping away her tears.
Then she felt something wet on her face. When she touched it, it was blood.
Oh no!
Her right ear was missing!
"Where's my ear?" Linda began to cry, as the pain spread throughout her body.
Charles, however, seemed indifferent. "It's not a big deal to lose an ear," he said.
Nodding, Linda replied, "Thank you for saving me earlier. Even though you cut off one of my ears, you saved my life. If you hadn't acted decisively, I would've been eaten by that ghost by now."
After helping Linda stop the bleeding, Charles decided to venture back into the school building.
"Are you insane? Going back in there? What if it's a trap?" Linda looked at Charles as if he'd lost his mind, her voice tinged with urgency.
Staring into the darkness of the building, Charles responded with certainty, "No, it's not."
"I've noticed that many things here are restricted. For example, the ghosts in this school aren't freely roaming; they, like us, operate under certain rules."
"Take the ghost that was chasing us, for instance. He is a teacher. So, I deduced that it wouldn't follow us out of the building; otherwise, it would be breaking its own rules and could face unimaginable and dreadful consequences!"
Linda pondered Charles's words, her head bowed. Just then, a light breeze swept by, and she suddenly felt a chilling sensation in her lower body.
Damn it, I've wet myself out of fear again. How embarrassing!
Linda's face flushed instantly, overwhelmed by awkwardness. She hurriedly changed the subject.
"So, is there something crucial in that building that's worth all this risk?" she asked.
"I need a list of student names," Charles responded. "The list that that teacher had is too risky for us to consider for now. But generally, teachers keep more than one list, so there should be a backup list in the office."
As he rose to go back inside, Linda spoke from behind him, "Can you take me with you?"
Charles looked surprised and turned back to glance at her. "Are you sure?"
Taking a deep breath, Linda spoke earnestly, "Yes, I promise not to be a burden. If things get dangerous, just run; you don't have to worry about me."
Linda touched her damp skirt; her mood was utterly miserable.
"I might be able to help you at some point, who knows?" Linda pleaded once more.
"Alright then," Charles nodded.
The two once again entered the academic building. This time, armed with experience, they avoided the staircase next to the restroom and directly headed for the teachers' offices via another staircase.
"By the way, Charles... why did you go to check the classroom earlier?" Linda quietly asked.
"To confirm a suspicion of mine," Charles answered.
"What suspicion?"
"The shadowy figures in the classroom are actually the students who have died in this school."
Charles reached the fourth floor and located the teachers' office. The door had a sticker displaying simple information and photos of the teachers.
The old man with the long sword protruding from his head was among them, though he looked much kinder in the photo.
Carefully pushing the door open, they found the room free of ghosts—safe. The two slipped in and locked the door behind them.
As Charles rummaged through the papers looking for the list, he explained, "Each floor of this school has eight to ten classrooms, totaling 568 seats and 141 students, who are all seated randomly. I've memorized their positions as well as their general appearances."
"You said... you memorized the positions of all 568 seats and 141 students in this school?"
"Yes."
"But... but you only glanced at it!"
Charles looked up, puzzled. "Isn't that enough?"
Linda was dumbfounded. At that moment, she couldn't help but wonder if the problem lay with her own intelligence.
How could two people be so different?
"But what use is knowing all of this?" Linda was utterly puzzled.
"It's very useful," Charles continued.
"Our goal is to survive for seven days in this school. As long as we can find the correct seats, we won't be in any danger. So, we need to find out our specific seating assignments."
Charles pulled a list and a letter from a drawer. He tossed the letter aside and opened the list. Not only did it have the names of all the students, but it also indicated the seats they were supposed to occupy.
Quickly, Charles scanned through the list, cross-referencing as he went.
October 25th.
"Look," Charles pointed to his own name, and behind it was the number 23. This meant he was to sit in seat number 23. Soon, he found Linda's name as well—her seat was 31.
Upon realizing that their fates were tied to these seat numbers, Linda suddenly became excited!
"Then why don't we just take this list with us? We'd know where to sit for the next few days, wouldn't we?" Linda suggested.
"It's not that simple," Charles replied calmly.
He flipped through the list, stopping six pages after the 25th.
The instance required them to survive seven days in the school. Theoretically, if the days were consecutive, they would leave on October 31st.
But the seating arrangement in Charles' hands only went up to the 30th.
After that, the pages were blank.
"Huh—why are there no seating arrangements after the 30th?" Linda tilted her head, her eyes filled with boundless confusion.
Charles' next words scared Linda so much that she nearly wet her pants again.
"Because something will definitely happen on the 31st, and we might both end up dead!"
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