The cafeteria was a separate two-story building, quite large but located in a relatively remote area.

It was situated next to a small grove of trees on the west side of the academy's plaza.

Nearby were several unfinished buildings that looked like residential houses.

Jiang Cheng had originally thought that the first floor of the building was the student cafeteria, and the second floor was for faculty and staff.

But upon entering, he discovered that the first floor was divided into east and west sections by several large vertical screens.

The east side was larger, filled with lively young girls either carrying trays or gathered in groups of twos and threes, clearly the student dining area.

The west side was smaller and less crowded, reserved for faculty and staff.

It was breakfast time, and the cafeteria was bustling with people. The fresh, vibrant faces of the girls captivated Fatty.

"Doctor," Fatty said, taking a deep breath, his face flushed, "the feeling of youth is wonderful. Being here makes me feel like I've returned to my student days."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng hit the nail on the head, "You just like ogling beautiful women. What does that have to do with your tragically wasted youth?"

Fatty thought for a moment, trying to find some arguments to refute him, but failing, he had no choice but to shut up sullenly.

Jiang Cheng first took Fatty through the student dining area, then passed through the screens and entered the faculty and staff dining area.

To Fatty's surprise, they didn't encounter any of the others from the mission.

"Doctor," Fatty said, puzzled, "don't they eat? They didn't eat last night either."

Jiang Cheng replied casually, "There's a supermarket on the way the woman led us yesterday. They probably went there to buy instant food. There's less contact with people there, so the risk is lower."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Fatty suddenly realized and couldn't help but complain that these teammates were too cunning. They didn't want to risk exploring the fog of war, so they were using the two of them as cannon fodder.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng seemed to have found a satisfactory spot and sat down. Fatty sat opposite him, sulking, with his chin resting on one hand.

"Two points," Jiang Cheng said, holding up two fingers and shaking them, "First, I wasn't tricked into coming here. I'm not going to share the information I found unconditionally with them."

"Second," Jiang Cheng said, looking at Fatty, "don't complain about others being cunning at every turn. Before you say that, ask yourself why you're so stupid."

Hearing this, Fatty visibly deflated, placing both hands on his knees under the table.

But his heart was now very strong. A few minutes later, he perked up again and asked Jiang Cheng, "Doctor, what should we eat? I'm starving."

The two of them went to the serving window.

It had to be said that this school did some things quite well. The dishes in the faculty and staff cafeteria were exactly the same as those in the student cafeteria.

Of course, this might also be related to the expensive tuition fees.

Art is, after all, expensive.

"Sweet and sour pork ribs, seafood porridge, pan-fried knife fish..." Jiang Cheng pointed through the glass, directing the serving auntie to pile on five or six hearty dishes in a row, then took out his temporary employee card to swipe it.

With a "beep," all of this now belonged to Jiang Cheng, and Fatty.

Because there were so many dishes, Fatty had to carry them to the table in two trips.

"Isn't this too much?" Fatty asked, staring at the dishes that took up most of the table, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't it hard to digest so much for breakfast?"

Jiang Cheng stuffed an entire piece of knife fish into his mouth, neatly separating the bones, then took a sip of seafood porridge and said slowly, "I'm growing, so I need to eat more."

"You stopped growing 10 years ago, didn't you?" Fatty couldn't help but retort.

Unexpectedly...

Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks and looked at Fatty very seriously, explaining, "This is my second growth spurt, focusing on strengthening a certain aspect of my body's function!"

Fatty: "...Doctor, please just shut up!"

After finishing their meal, Jiang Cheng and Fatty's conversation became slightly more normal. After being stirred up by Jiang Cheng, Fatty suddenly realized that he wasn't nervous anymore.

He was even a little eager to try.

"What do you think the qipao woman died from?" Fatty's expression became strange when he mentioned the qipao woman.

Having one's jaw torn off by a ghost in the mission was a chilling thought.

Jiang Cheng had eaten too quickly and got a fishbone stuck in his throat. It took him a long time to swallow it, which made his throat uncomfortable, and his voice changed. "You think it's strange too?"

"Yeah," Fatty nodded, "Logically speaking, she's not a newbie, she should know it's not safe outside at night," he paused, adding softly, "especially alone."

"Not bad," Jiang Cheng said, "Continue."

"I've only analyzed this much for now," Fatty said, looking at Jiang Cheng humbly, "Doctor, you must have thought more than I have, tell me what you think."

Jiang Cheng glanced towards the screens, then turned back, opened his mouth and said, "First of all, it's definitely abnormal for the qipao woman to run out alone at night. She must have encountered something, and this matter is very important to her, most likely endangering her life."

Fatty's expression tightened, then he leaned forward, lowering his voice and saying, "You mean she... encountered a ghost?"

"Possibly, but not very likely," Jiang Cheng's face no longer showed any playfulness. He seemed to have really thought about it. "Assuming the premise that she encountered a ghost is true, then why didn't the ghost kill her in the dormitory, but instead drove her into the corridor?"

"Because the corridor is dark and secluded, making it easy for the ghost to attack," Fatty replied immediately.

Then he became somewhat puzzled. This was obvious, and Jiang Cheng wouldn't ask such a question in his memory.

Jiang Cheng nodded, looking at him with a look that Fatty couldn't understand, and said, "That's right, because the corridor is dark and secluded, it's an excellent place for ghosts to kill people. The fact also proves this, she died there."

"Doctor," Fatty became even more puzzled, "What are you trying to say?"

Jiang Cheng sighed slightly, "Fatty, think about it carefully, would the qipao woman not be able to see the problem that you can easily see?"

Fatty thought about it, "Then what do you think it was?"

Jiang Cheng slowly pulled his gaze away, his eyes unfocused, as if he was putting himself in the qipao woman's situation at the time, "If I were her, what could force me out of the dormitory, which seems to be a relatively safe space, and into the corridor, which obviously seems unsafe, then there's only one possibility," his eyes refocused, looking at Fatty, with something seemingly flowing in his eyes, "That is, I'm sure I've been locked on by the ghost. If I don't leave, I'll die for sure. Leaving might give me a chance of survival."