Hearing that, Jiang Cheng’s expression became unnatural. His eyes wandered about as if he wanted to hide something.
“Hao Shuai,” Zhen Jianren scoffed, “Everyone is waiting for you!”
“Did you not go because you were scared?” Zhou Taifu stared at Jiang Cheng. The way the latter acted confirmed his thoughts. His voice rose to a sharp pitch, “You promised us!”
Xu Wen spoke up. She stared at Jiang Cheng and said slowly, “Both of our teams have completed our tasks. Mr Hao, you should abide by…”
Jiang Cheng finally stopped hesitating. He gritted his teeth. “I am always a man of my word. I naturally will not shy away from the promise I’ve given you, but…” He titled his head at Zhen Jianren, his eyes glowing with sympathy. He sighed before pulling his gaze back and slowly shaking his head. Then, the rims of his eyes reddened.
Everyone was so confused. The most confused was Zhen Jianren. After all, he was the last person Jiang Cheng looked at. He was suddenly reminded of the bad feeling he felt earlier. Was it about this?
“Why did you look at me and sigh?” Zhen Jianren started to feel uneasy.
Fatty came over. He patted Jiang Cheng’s shoulder to console him. Then, he looked at Zhen Jianren helplessly.
Zhen Jianren’s anxiety was amplified. However, he maintained calmness on the surface. He had no idea what Fatty was talking about. He also didn’t trust Fatty and Jiang Cheng implicitly.
“What are you talking about?” Zhen Jianren frowned and warned sternly, “Just say it. Don’t play tricks.”
Just as Fatty was about to craft a story, a hand reached over to cover his mouth.
“Let me.” Jiang Cheng looked better, but his tone was still laced with pain. Zhang Yinyin looked at Jiang Cheng with amusement, as if she wanted to peel his face off.
“After we had breakfast, we went to the Prop Building. At the time, the gate was wide open, and the yard was empty. The old man was not around. There was no one there. Therefore, we decided to sneak in to find clues when no one was around.
“We searched a lot of rooms. There were broken tables and sports equipment like basketballs. Until…” Jiang Cheng paused and looked around nervously, “Until we found that room.”
Fatty instantly cooperated by shivering.
“Wh-what room?” Zhen Jianren asked softly.
Jiang Cheng waved for the man not to interrupt him. He said with hesitation, “The room was very hidden. We found it via pure accident.” His eyes seemed to hollow in memory, “Actually, we found it as if propelled by something. When we neared that room, our hearts palpitated.”
Fatty shook even harder. “He’s right. The feeling was hard to describe. It was like someone was grabbing my heart.” He touched his heart. His expression was severe.
“We eventually found our way to that room. The door had two locks. They looked very old.”
Xu Wen had to ask, “Were they chain locks? The one that has many links?”
Jiang Cheng nodded quickly, “That’s right!”
Xu Wen’s face shifted, but she didn’t elaborate. She was reminded of Feng Lan’s experience… The two chains that locked the door to Block C. Could they be connected?
Jiang Cheng continued. “As we approached, our hearts raced even more. We slowly eased our steps. We didn’t dare to make any sound.” Jiang Cheng’s story was so detailed that everyone felt they were there.
“It was then that we heard a sound that we couldn’t describe.”
“Hmm?” Zhou Taifu gasped in shock. “Was there a couple inside?”
“No.” Jiang Cheng explained, “There was only a woman inside. I saw her through the gap in the door.” Jiang Cheng resumed, “Or rather, more accurately, a female student. She wore a school uniform, which was very dated. Her hair was put down. Her back was arched, and her posture was inexplicable.
“We didn’t dare to get too close. We hid behind the door and spied on her.
“Soon, the girl left in a strange gait. Then, we realised she was bent over as such because she had been drawing a picture.”
“Drawing?” Zhen Jianren frowned.
“More precisely, it was a portrait,” Jiang Cheng lowered his voice and turned to look at Zhen Jianren, “It was a portrait of a person.”
“You should ask who.” Jiang Cheng corrected him.
Zhen Jianren blinked. He had a prediction of the answer, but he still asked, “Who is it?”
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. “It was… you.” Everyone turned to Zhen Jianren. The place was silent like a bomb had exploded. There were gazes of shock, confusion… and even, joy. Different expressions appeared on different faces. There were a lot of layers.
However, there was a common strand… and that was fear. At that moment, fear was the purest. Inside a dark room, a ghost was drawing the portrait of a man… The thought was spine-chilling.
“Could it be…” Zhou Taifu suggested through trembling lips. “Is he the ghost’s next target? The people who have been drawn will die, is that it?”
Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin said nothing.
Zhen Jianren pressed his lips and his face was pale. He stared into Jiang Cheng’s eyes.
It was a laughter that was released after a great suppression. It started slowly and it eventually grew to become quite exaggerated. His eyes filled with mockery.
Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin also understood the problem. They looked at Jiang Cheng with iciness.
Fatty’s heart dropped.
While Fatty panicked, Jiang Cheng evenly and patiently raised his right hand. He uttered in a firm tone,
“Her left hand was twice as big as mine.”
The laughter suddenly ceased.