Opening the dormitory cabinet, Han Fei pretended to place the Wish Jar inside but was actually trying to see if he could add the jar to his Item Bar.
After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally gave up.
"Zhang Guanxing, do you know of any other Abnormalities that have occurred in this dormitory building?" Han Fei, holding the black jar, turned to look at Zhang Guanxing.
The unruly kid didn’t understand why Han Fei would ask such a weird question and didn’t dare to speak carelessly, thinking for a while before speaking, "I heard from my girlfriend that a girl died in Room 304 on the third floor. Not sure of the details, but every night after Midnight, the girls in Room 304 can hear footsteps outside the door as if someone is pacing back and forth on the third floor. It feels like the deceased girl is trying to find her way back to her room."
"Your girlfriend? Are you at the age to be in love?"
"Teacher, that’s not the point! The point is, the dead have returned!"
"You shouldn’t be dating so early, anyway, continue," Han Fei realized that Zhang Guanxing was unaware of the incident involving Chu Xia, so the boy was definitely not the one hiding in the sports room.
"Rumors say that the girl in Room 304 met with her fate because her roommates ostracized and bullied her. She was very pretty but came from a poor family and had average grades. She was introverted, the kind of person who seems mild and would never get angry, no matter what. But who knew she would do something so impulsive."
"You think she has a good temper, but maybe she was just enduring all along and never expressed it," Han Fei handed the jar to Zhang Guanxing, "Let’s look around this dorm room first. If we don’t find anything, then we’ll head to the third floor."
"The third floor? That’s where the girls’ dormitories are!"
"Be it boys or girls, they are all my students."
After being able to log out of the game, Han Fei and Zhang Guanxing left Room 201. At this time, the pet belonging to Xu Qin had transformed into a huge python. It had devoured the red uniform, books, videotapes full of Dark Energy, and some of the Curse from the Wish Jar, growing rapidly in size.
Quietly reaching the third floor using the left staircase, Han Fei and Zhang Guanxing hid beside the safety door, looking at the empty corridor.
"The last time I came to the dormitory at night, it was bustling with activity, with some rooms playing cards all night, chatting, and some students climbing the walls to go out and have fun. But these past few days, it’s as if the building has emptied out, quiet enough to make one’s heart flutter."
"Don’t talk," Han Fei focused silently on the landlord’s ring – his fingers felt no chill, "Something is strange."
Last night, the dorm manager had patrolled the dorms, and three Little Ghosts were secretly murdering, but tonight, there was no sign of them, not even the sound of footsteps.
"Could it be that the dorm manager and the three Little Ghosts have perished together?"
Just last night, Han Fei had thrown the backpacks of the three Little Ghosts into the dorm manager’s room, then hid in the restroom and logged off.
Unable to locate him, it was possible they went looking for trouble with the dorm manager.
But the dorm manager was no easy target either, she had once said something along the lines that she only killed one, so why were there bodies all over the dormitory building.
In such a horrifying dormitory, she was still capable of patrolling at night and could handle the bodies so calmly, which in itself was exceedingly abnormal.
"It’s best to be cautious," Han Fei patted Zhang Guanxing’s arm lightly, "You head back to Room 104 and hide. Once I’m done here, I’ll come to find you. Don’t run around."
Should danger arise, Han Fei could leave the game at any time, but once he left, Zhang Guanxing would be in a dire situation.
"I’d rather stay with you. Going back alone is even scarier; I feel safer with you," Zhang Guanxing had subconsciously started to trust Han Fei, as if he truly believed Han Fei was a teacher at the school.
"Then you must listen to me, if I tell you to run, then run without hesitating."
Staying in the corridor wasn’t a solution, so Han Fei wanted to take a closer look.
He and Zhang Guanxing passed through the dark and gloomy corridor, stopping at the door of Room 304.
When he placed his hand on the doorknob, he felt a sticky sensation at his fingertips.
Looking down, he saw a layer of dark red bloodstains on the doorknob of Room 304. It looked as though a pair of bleeding hands frequently clutched the doorknob.
No one had touched the door, yet the door to Dormitory 304 had opened on its own.
A pungent perfume mixed with the strong stench of decay, intertwining into a particularly nauseating odor.
As Han Fei covered his nose and looked into the room, a system prompt emerged in his mind.
"Player number 0000, please take note! You have successfully triggered a Grade-G hidden task—Midnight’s Knocking."
"Task requirements: Enter Dormitory 304, do not open the door no matter what happens, and hold out for half an hour."
"Time-limited task: This task will automatically conclude one hour after being triggered. Failure to complete the task within this time frame will be deemed a task failure."
In a very short span of time, Han Fei had triggered two hidden tasks, which was almost unimaginable in a normal "Perfect Life" game.
"Another time-limited task."
For Han Fei, a Grade-G hidden task was still quite challenging; he was preparing to get Zhang Guanxing to leave, when suddenly, a strange noise arose from the hallway.
It was hard to describe, as if someone was dragging their feet across the ground, their body being pulled forward by something.
Unable to ascertain the source of the noise, Zhang Guanxing ran directly into Dormitory 304: "Let’s hide in here for a moment!"
There wasn’t enough time to leave now, so Han Fei had no choice but to enter Dormitory 304.
The moment the door closed, the hidden task was triggered.
After making sure the door was locked, Han Fei propped a broom behind it for extra security.
A small-time thug expelled from the school and an actor holding a teacher’s ID, thus stood together in the pitch-dark dormitory.
Without any light, the two held their breath and listened to the strange noise outside.
The scratching of nails against the door panel grew nearer to Dormitory 304, accelerating Han Fei’s heartbeat.
The air turned damp, and the foul smell inside became more pungent; at the height of their tension, the bizarre sound moved past the outside of Dormitory 304.
"Has it left?" Zhang Guanxing’s voice trembled.
"Don’t drop your guard, that person seems to be pacing up and down the hallway," Han Fei said, stepping back, "Hurry up and search the room, see if we can find any useful information."
Skimming the room, Han Fei began to deduce the incidents that had occurred in Dormitory 304, focusing on the belongings the children left behind, as if he were a seasoned detective with extensive investigative experience.
The girls who lived in Dormitory 304 came from modest backgrounds, their student ID photos unremarkable; in comparison, the girl from Bed 4 was indeed more attractive, with fair skin and good proportions.
In the lockers, only the one belonging to Bed 4 contained makeup, none of which were expensive brands--mostly just sample sizes given out during promotions.
It was clear that the girl hesitated to use them regularly; the boxes for some of the makeup samples looked rather old.
He casually picked up a bottle of serum and tried to pour some out, but nothing came out.
After examining it for a while, he realized that the makeup treasured by the girl from Bed 4 had been tampered with—somebody had added glue into it.
Setting down the bottle, Han Fei rummaged through the trash and found a box of contact lenses; upon opening it, he saw that they too had glue on them.
"That would be terrible if it got attached to the eye by mistake."
Standing next to Bed 4, as more details were uncovered, Han Fei gradually learned of the girl’s past ordeals.