Only by killing Ma Manjiang could Han Fei have a chance to pass through, which was probably also what Jin Sheng most wanted to do.
The cold wind poured into his collar as Han Fei stared intently at Ma Manjiang’s Ghost Face.
Compared to him, Ma Manjiang appeared quite composed, as if everything was under his control, and Han Fei was just an insect in his palm, struggling in vain.
"Ma Manjiang has gained the trust of most people in the school by deception and wearing different faces. Whether it is his own strength or the number of helpers he has, he far surpasses me, but ..."
His eyes filled with Blood Silk, Han Fei kept his truest thoughts hidden at the bottom of his heart.
Ma Manjiang could force Han Fei to die countless times, but as long as Han Fei’s memory did not completely vanish, he would have a chance to turn the tables.
"I’ll keep all my cards hidden until I’m absolutely sure, then use everything at my disposal to set a trap that will kill Ma Manjiang!"
There was no retreat, no fear, the more he tapped into Jin Sheng’s memory, the stronger Han Fei’s murderous intent towards Ma Manjiang grew; this blood-soaked Monster had to face the punishment he deserved.
Footsteps came from outside the infirmary; Ma Manjiang was still on the fourth floor watching Han Fei, but there were others approaching the infirmary.
"Teacher Ma said a thief hid in the infirmary! You guys come with me! Don’t let him get away!"
The voices of Li Xun and several students came from the hallway; hearing this, Han Fei hesitated no longer and began climbing down the pipes, as this place was no longer safe.
When he reached the first floor and looked up, the gray mist had already obscured his vision, Ma Manjiang seemed to have disappeared.
"The Manager’s task is for me to find Jin Sheng. To stop me, Ma Manjiang would definitely head to the dormitory building first to consume Jin Sheng. Of course, this is assuming the dormitory supervisor did not lie and deceive me."
Running swiftly downstairs, Han Fei knew students inside the teaching building would soon emerge; he likely had only about ten minutes.
"Chu Xia is near the school’s back door; conveniently, I didn’t see Old Li last time, this time I can check on him on my way."
Han Fei needed to make the most of this initial timing, he deliberately climbed through a window to enter the teaching building and then ran out the other side, diving into the gray mist towards the school back door.
This time Han Fei finally met Old Li, who wore a neat Security Guard uniform. Despite his age, he was spruced up and looked spirited, giving off a sunny demeanor.
"The Old Li in Jin Sheng’s memory seems no different from the one in reality, only much younger—could this be Jin Sheng’s blessing to the elderly?"
In such bizarre and grim memories, the appearance of Old Li allowed Han Fei to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sir, I’m a new teacher at the school, I need your help with something."
"What is it?" The old man stopped his work and looked at Han Fei eagerly.
"Were you on duty at the Security Guard office around 1 p.m. yesterday?"
"I was supposed to be on duty then, but Teacher Ma asked me to fix the school fence. Many students like to run to the back hill; it’s very dangerous."
"Ma Manjiang intentionally distracted you. During that time, he harmed a girl," Han Fei told Old Li the truth, "Just check the surveillance at 1:05 p.m. yesterday, and you’ll understand. Now, Ma Manjiang is searching everywhere for me to prevent his secret from leaking."
"How could Teacher Ma do such a thing?" Old Li shook his head consistently. In his impression, Ma Manjiang was a very upright person.
"The victim now dares not even return to her classroom and can only cry in corners secretly when she wants to Cry," Han Fei pulled Old Li towards the pile of gym equipment by the playground, and they soon saw Chu Xia: "Don’t speak, just listen to me."
Without Zhang Guanxing’s lead, approaching Chu Xia had become noticeably more difficult, but Han Fei had prior experience interacting with Chu Xia.
He used his exceptional memory to recall every single word he had said to Chu Xia; he knew exactly which words would shorten their distance and which would let Chu Xia lower her guard.
After a brief exchange, each word from Han Fei seemed to reach straight into Chu Xia’s heart, her Atrium gradually opened, but retrieving the scissors from near her heart remained incredibly difficult.
"Old Li, is there anywhere in this school where one can hide? Everyone in the school has gone mad, they’ve been deceived by Ma Manjiang, and they’re all looking for me."
Only by obtaining the scissors held by Chu Xia could Han Fei possibly inflict substantial harm on Ma Manjiang; he needed more time.
After seeing Chu Xia’s condition, Old Li had somewhat come to believe Han Fei’s words: "Maybe you should leave the school first, hiding anywhere here isn’t safe."
"Leave the school?" Han Fei’s voice changed upon hearing Old Li’s suggestion.
"However, Teacher Ma took the key to the back door, and the key to the front door is with another security guard. I can bring that to you." Old Li spoke as if it was a trivial matter, but it caught Han Fei’s keen attention.
"It shouldn’t be . Jin Sheng regarded this school as a prison, and it was only after trying every possible way to escape Butterfly that he finally chose to die."
Han Fei suddenly realized something: the Manager’s tasks are built based on the Manager’s memories. To complete the tasks swiftly, one must fulfill the Manager’s regrets.
The previous Building Chief’s task as the Manager was to kill all the ghosts inside the building and save all the people; this had been the Building Chief’s most genuine desire as a child.
Jin Sheng was trapped in Yimin Private Academy, constantly enduring Butterfly’s torment. What he truly desired was to expose Ma Manjiang’s hypocritical facade, to have this monster clad in human skin receive his deserved punishment, and to escape from this school forever.
"I think I understand how to handle this task now."
After interacting with all the victims, Han Fei had a complete plan in mind. The key to this plan rested on Chu Xia; obtaining that pair of scissors was essential for the subsequent arrangements.
"Ma Manjiang thinks that by guarding the dormitory building and consuming Jin Sheng, he is perfectly safe, but I can take advantage of this seemingly unsolvable situation, his oversight," Han Fei turned to Old Li, "You go get the school’s front door key, I’ll take Chu Xia to lay low for a while, and we’ll meet at the school’s main entrance in half an hour."
After Old Li walked away, Han Fei took Chu Xia to hide in the school cafeteria, where he showed his most tender side to her, attempting various methods to impart strength to Chu Xia and heal her wounds.
The numerous books on psychology he read during his spare time now came in handy; Han Fei truly entered Chu Xia’s inner world, empathizing with her pain. However, it wasn’t long before other students in the school found them.
In Ma Manjiang’s view, he controlled everything in the school; he was omnipotent here and unaware that something within the school could harm him.
To prevent Ma Manjiang from discovering the secret Chu Xia harbored, whenever Han Fei found himself in grave danger, he would use his own death to end the game.
The third death occurred because students discovered someone in the cafeteria and swarmed in.
The fourth death happened when Li Xun was patrolling the school and caught Han Fei.
The fifth death was a result of parents, persuaded by Ma Manjiang, who thought Han Fei was the source of all calamities; they found Han Fei hiding in the green belt.
The sixth time was due to Ma Manjiang’s child biting his arm; the seventh was because Chu Xia saw Ma Manjiang in hiding and utterly collapsed emotionally; the eighth was in an attempt to save Old Li, resulting in another security guard breaking his leg...
Time and again, death brought excruciating pain, but each time Han Fei was reborn, each time he reappeared before Chu Xia, his face would carry the tenderest expression.
He used his repeated deaths to vie for time to heal.
Birth and death had never been so closely intertwined!
After the fifteenth death, after enduring fifteen heart-wrenching pains, when Han Fei once again stood before Chu Xia,
he remained as tender as ever, though his body seemed to have developed fine cracks.
Every sentence that Han Fei uttered was thoroughly deliberated, soaked with death and blood.
Over and over, after the fifteenth attempt, Chu Xia finally opened up her heart.
Inferiority, pain, despair, fragility – these emotions were gradually replaced by hatred, enveloping the fissures over Chu Xia’s heart, slowly torn apart as she personally handed Han Fei the scissors capable of killing Ma Manjiang.