61: Chapter 57 Skin 61: Chapter 57 Skin [In front of the dormitory building]
Three people were cautiously advancing,
The entire campus looked like a maze due to the presence of boundary walls and with communication devices malfunctioning, there was no way to know the situation in other areas or with other people.
The trio soon came to the first fork formed by the walls,
Surprisingly, there were thoughtfully placed directional signposts:
Pointing toward the four directions of the campus,
↑ Teaching buildings, administrative building, school gate
← Student and staff dormitories, forest pavilion,
→ Athletic field, gymnasium
↓ Cafeteria, laboratory building
Following the class monitor’s suggestion, the best choice for everyone now was to head to the Sports Center and regroup with the main force under the protection of the sports teachers until everything was over.
Luo Di hesitated, however, and did not head directly to the Sports Center as instructed, but stood in front of the signpost and thought carefully.
The class monitor, pulling Xiao Ying, caught up and asked, “Luo Di, is there a problem?”
“According to the descriptions between the books, the Pseudo-People who created the Seam surely have extensive connections with Fourth Middle School, are very familiar with the school, and may even be students or staff from our school.
They chose tonight’s physical examination event to execute this, certainly prepared.
The strongest sports teachers and senior students from the school are all concentrated in the Sports Center.
With so many people present, a portion of the students under the pressure of Admissions is bound to be affected by the Influence of the Seam and undergo anomalies, just like the dormitory manager we encountered earlier.
If the transformation percentage exceeds a certain threshold, a riot will occur.
Moreover, the Sports Center is definitely the region most affected by the Influence of the Seam, and the situation inside may have already turned very bad.
Let’s try to approach the athletic field first to see what’s happening, and not just think about meeting up with the main force.”
The trio followed the directions on the signpost and entered the walled passage leading toward the Sports Center.
Having lived in the campus for three years, they were well aware of the distance between the dormitory building and the athletic field; it was noticeably longer now, the whole campus space seemed stretched.
The passageway before them was exceedingly long, with no end in sight.
To avoid getting separated, the three held hands and stayed highly focused during the entire journey.
After about five minutes of slowing down,
In the deep part of the passageway lit by the dim street lights,
A girl wearing a Fourth Middle School uniform, her face swallowed by fear, was running frantically.
Seeing three living people appear before her, the despair in the girl’s eyes quickly receded, replaced by begging and hope, while she desperately shouted:
They have turned into twisted, ferocious monsters, and my friends have all been killed.
The change occurred to the students while we were on our way to the examination, and the teachers had a hard time taking immediate action, the whole Sports Center is in total chaos.”
The girl, agitated, was describing the situation over there and came closer to the three like clutching at straws.
When the girl came within a meter, Luo Di raised his left arm, making a gesture to stop her from coming closer.
“You…” Luo Di was about to ask more questions, trying to eliminate her as a suspect through a series of queries, when something dropped from beside him, fast and deadly!
The pointed end of a metal crowbar smashed directly into the girl’s skull, the sound crisp, the impact loud, even Luo Di, who was usually calm, was startled.
But what happened next was quite eerie,
The girl, with a cracked skull, first tilted her head, looking perplexedly at the holder of the crowbar, Wu Wen standing behind Luo Di, and couldn’t understand how she saw through her.
Then, the girl’s skin started to wriggle.
The entire skin, along with the school uniform she was wearing, came off like it was alive and slipped away…
Only a skinless corpse remained, broken and exposed, flesh and shattered bones scattering about upon losing its skin coverage.
All the hallway lights began to flicker, and a strange, mature female voice sounded from behind:
“It’s strange~ why would there be a student who didn’t attend the physical exam roaming outside, and looking rather ‘excellent’ too.
How did you see through me?”
As the voice echoed, the three of them immediately turned around.
Behind them, suspended by her black hair from a lamppost ten meters away, was a middle-aged woman in school uniform, her skin pale.
Upon closer observation, the anomaly of this woman would become apparent; exposed parts such as wrists and ankles showed no bone structure, resembling a human skin hanging on the lamppost.
The class leader, completely undaunted, hoisted the crowbar on his shoulder and took a step forward to reply:
“Senior 12’s Fu Siyu, ranked 604 in the grade, usually a loner with hardly any friends, and quite introverted.
There’s absolutely no truth in having friends killed and her running away.
Moreover, she has a clear leg injury, likely from domestic violence or self-harm.
Even if she ran away, she should be limping.
Lastly, Senior 12 should be inside the Sports Center undergoing strength tests, and escaping would require passing the track field.
All along our way here, we didn’t meet a soul, and the first we encounter is a not-so-stellar student; doesn’t that seem unlikely?”
The class leader’s answer made the skin-woman on the lamppost burst into laughter:
“Hahaha, to think I’d meet someone who knows my daughter even better than I do, and with such a smart head to boot.
I’ve decided it’s you, you will be my daughter.
But I need to fit your head back into my daughter’s skin.
Don’t worry, if you are excellent enough, mom will suffer all hardships to ensure you’re well cared for.”
The light flickering with the woman blinked for an extended period before she disappeared.
“Prepare for battle!”
Luo Di and the others immediately formed a triangle, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, each observing a different direction.
Although it was Xiao Ying’s first encounter with a real Pseudo-Person, encouraged by the dormitory experience and the class leader’s return, she gathered her courage, her eyes swiftly scanning the area she was responsible for, gripping her claw knife tightly.
But the trio waited a long time without any sign of danger.
As time passed, considering the potential dangers throughout the campus and the possibility of a second Pseudo-Person passing by, they felt an abrasive irritation scratching at the surface of their brains.
Luo Di, who was usually the calmest, suddenly remembered an encounter with Spider Woman in his neighborhood.
Back then, a moment’s distraction, and the class leader holding his hand had disappeared.
The current situation bore resemblances—
Combining the other party’s ability to mimic others,
It was entirely possible that one among them could be silently replaced.
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Luo Di’s gaze drifted from the front, turning to observe the two girls beside him.
They had not turned into paper people or been replaced; both were highly focused, even visible drops of sweat sliding down their temples.
Just as Luo Di breathed a sigh of relief and moved his vision back to the front,
His eyes suddenly caught something moving on the ground, or rather “a piece of the ground moving,” this moving patch of ground had approached a distance of less than half a meter.
Luo Di did not hesitate and decisively swung his Zombie Blade.
The blade chopped into the concrete, leaving a shallow mark but missing any suspicious object.
The ground in front of Luo Di returned to normal, showing no signs of activity,
As he puzzledly withdrew the Zombie Blade,
Hiss~ a sensation of itch spread from his leg, rapidly climbing up past his waist and reaching his neck.
The class leader and Xiao Ying also turned around due to the chopping sound,
Xiao Ying retreated two steps in fright, though her hands tightly clutched the claw knife, she didn’t know what to do next.
In their field of vision,
One side of Luo Di’s face had already taken on the ghastly pale features, identical to the woman who had just been hanging from the lamppost.