My House of Horrors

Things were getting worse. Zhou Tu started to get targeted as well, and the first wound appeared on his finger.

“Mr. Bai, what should we do now?”

Chen Ge had no better idea. All he could do was grit his teeth and push through. Even if everyone was shredded by the monsters and lost their mobility, he had to drag everyone out. The stench rushed into their nostrils, attempting to knock them out. When Chen Ge carried Wang Yicheng to the corner of the first floor’s staircase, a jolt of pain came from his chest. Chen Ge shuddered and almost tripped. He lowered his head to look and found a nail stuck in his chest.

“The curse from Room 413?” He noticed something instantly and turned to look at his shadow. The normal shadow was currently twisting, like the person hiding inside was in incredible pain.

“Even he’s under attack?” All the members were at their limits. They were seriously wounded. “The exit is just before us. Don’t give up!”

Chen Ge’s determination was strong; he had gotten used to pain. Pulling out the nail, Chen Ge tried his best to run forward. Even if it was just one more step, it would mean that he was one step closer to hope.

Zhou Tu collapsed on the stairs while carrying Zhu Long. His right hand was covered in wounds, and it looked like it was about to break. “My painting hand…”

It was difficult for Chen Ge to carry one person, much less four. “Hang in there! We’re almost on the first floor!”

Their legs appeared to be shackled with lead. Every step was very heavy. The stench on the first floor was heavier than on the second floor. More monsters were waiting for them there. Other than Chen Ge, everyone was in despair. But suddenly, the stench in the air dissipated like someone had led part of the monsters away.

“This is our chance!’ Chen Ge dragged Zhou Tu, carried Wang Yicheng, and made a mad dash. When he reached the first floor, he saw a black shadow standing at the other end of the corridor. The person looked very similar to Chang Gu. His left eye was shining with a red glow, and blood was dripping from his body under his clothes. He appeared to be holding something.

“Chang Gu?” Chen Ge blurted out the man’s name, but the other person did not reply. He turned to leave, and the stench in the corridor became lighter.

“Was he the one who led the monsters away?”

In Chen Ge’s memory, Chang Gu was cowardly and weak, very different from the shadow that he had seen.

“He only entered the door several seconds earlier than I did. What happened to him?”

The shadow led more than half of the monsters away. Chen Ge quickly led the members away from the education block.

“Mr. Bai, what are those monsters? Why can we only see them with our heads inverted? And why did they only attack Wang Yicheng and Zhang Ju but not you?” Zhou Tu collapsed to the ground. He felt like the stench had seeped into his body.

“The monsters are probably what the school uses to punish students. There’s a possibility that they were the students who once broke the school’s rules.” Chen Ge also did not expect the monsters to not fear Red Specters. They had lost their rationality. They were crazed and mad.

“The school owner wanted to create a paradise behind the door. The memory of your past goes against that wish, so naturally, you are prime targets.” Chen Ge inspected Wang Yicheng and Zhang Ju’s bodies. The black threads had already crawled into their wounds. The wounds were faintly giving off that familiar stench. “You have to be careful. I’m afraid that the monsters are trying to assimilate you.”

Standing outside the education block, Chen Ge used his Yin Yang Vision to look around, but he did not see the black shadow that had saved them. “If he was really Chang Gu, why didn’t he come find me? Or is it not yet time to meet? Or has he been targeted as well”

Chen Ge and Chang Gu did not have much communication. He needed to guess Chang Gu’s emotions, and then he could make the most correct decision.

“It’s good that there’s someone who can help me tip the balance.” Chen Ge supported Wang Yicheng. “Come, let’s go to the office. The data filing room should be there.”

…

The western campus’ office block was close to the wall. Standing on the roof of the building, one could see the entire view of the two campuses.

“The monsters I’ve encountered in this school can be separated into a few brief categories: the normal Specters and lingering spirits, the normal Red Specters, the administrators of western campus whose bodies were scorched and wore all white, and the monsters who were walking upside down. Other than them, the most dangerous creatures are the teachers and dormitory administrators at this school. We’re going to the office block, and there’s a good chance we’ll meet them, so we have to be careful.”

With great risk came great reward. This was not the first time that Chen Ge had done something like that, but this was not common for the other club members.

“Mr. Bai, but aren’t you one of the teachers as well?”

“Don’t you think I’m dangerous?” Chen Ge replied without turning his head around and was the first to step into the office block. He had been to the western campus’ office building before, but to his surprise, the interior designs of the office blocks of each campus were so different.

The office block on the western campus was clean and organized, but once he stepped into the eastern campus’ office building, he felt pressured. The floor needed cleaning; muddy footprints were everywhere. The previously-white walls were scratched and had turned a faded yellow. Stains of mildew were everywhere.

“The teachers on the eastern campus work in this kind of environment?” Zhou Tu could not believe it.

“In this school, the teacher’s job is not to educate but to manage. They spend most of their time with the students. The office building is just a symbolic place.” Chen Ge pushed one of the doors. The door was not locked and opened easily. The amenities inside the building were old, and they looked dated.

“I’ve been to this place before. I know where the filing room is,” Zhang Ju said coldly. Ever since he found his memory, he had become reticent.

“When have you come here?” Zhou Tu was afraid of the current Zhang Ju, and when he spoke, he naturally lowered his voice.

“Before I was lied to by Chang Wenyu, I once sneaked here to find out more about this school.” Zhang Ju walked ahead. “Stick close to me. This place makes me uncomfortable. Something dangerous might be hiding here.”

Perhaps the monster inside the building had sensed Zhang Ju or some other reason, but they did not run into any danger and successfully reached the third floor.

“This is the data filing room. We should leave immediately once we find what we need. We shouldn’t stay too long; I feel like there’s something else in this building.” Zhang Ju opened the door. Several aged wooden shelves and four rows of wooden bookshelves sat inside.