Chapter 1 Here...

"Here..." Luo Yi carefully walked through the equipment center, with Zhen Jianren following closely behind. They pricked up their ears, listening for sounds from all directions.

It was larger than expected. From the outside, the structure looked simple, but once inside, after a few turns, they found themselves somewhat lost.

The crisscrossing brick walls were more than 4 meters high, as if they could split the sky.

Zhen Jianren couldn't help but admire Jiang Cheng for being able to sneak into such a place, encounter a ghost, and still escape unscathed.

Now, even finding the way they came in would be difficult.

The only thing that made him feel slightly relieved was that he had someone with him.

Ghosts could usually only kill one person at a time.

That meant that even if the ghost were to attack them, one of them would survive.

Zhen Jianren felt that he deserved that spot.

The reason was simple.

He was more cunning than Luo Yi, and his physical fitness was also better.

Moreover... Luo Yi's real name had already been exposed by him - Luo Zhanfei.

The ghost in this mission was very special.

Zhen Jianren felt that she wouldn't overlook that.

They looked into room after room, most of which contained old desks, chairs, and discarded basketballs and soccer balls.

It seemed they had been stored for quite some time, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Just then...

They heard a rustling sound not far away.

The footsteps were different from those of a normal person. They could tell that the person was using a heavy cane.

The bottom of the cane occasionally hit the ground, making a crisp "thud."

But at that moment, it sounded like a death knell.

An old man!

Zhen Jianren was shocked.

Not yet knowing the old man's identity, Zhen Jianren decided it was best not to make contact rashly. He turned to look for Luo Yi, but found that he was gone.

Luo Yi... was gone.

But there was no better option at the moment, so Zhen Jianren quickened his pace, trying to find a room to hide in.

He tried to open several rooms, but found that they were all locked, only able to push them open a crack.

The footsteps grew closer, and Zhen Jianren started to panic.

He was in a dead end, and the surrounding brick walls were too high to climb over.

What was worse, he didn't have time.

At that moment, Zhen Jianren cursed Luo Yi for being a fool, wondering where he had gotten lost.

Just as Zhen Jianren was about to despair, his ears twitched, and he faintly heard a strange scraping sound.

"Creak—"

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw that an old door not far away had suddenly opened a crack.

It was at the end of the corridor, the largest room.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, as if they were just around the corner.

In a few seconds, the strange old man with the cane would appear before him.

This was a very real threat.

Compared to that, the suddenly opened door seemed insignificant.

Zhen Jianren steeled himself and ran towards the room at the end of the corridor.

He carefully pushed the door open.

With the rush of air, countless tiny dust particles danced in the air.

The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust.

The dust was evenly distributed, full of traces of time.

The room was even larger than it looked from the outside. Red curtains hung all around, making it seem like an abandoned auditorium from many years ago.

After not finding anything unusual, he closed the door behind him.

Not far from the door was a large, red wooden chest, similar to the kind used to store bedding decades ago. It was empty.

Although the room was large, it offered no cover. Anyone could come in and find him with a single glance.

Helpless, Zhen Jianren had to open the chest and hide inside.

He held his breath and listened quietly.

The sound of footsteps slowly entered another room nearby, followed by the scraping sound of heavy objects being moved, which was somewhat grating and annoyed him.

It should be desks, chairs, and the like.

But fortunately, the old man didn't seem to be moving the furniture away, just rearranging it.

So, after messing around for more than ten minutes, he locked the door and left.

After the sound of footsteps disappeared, Zhen Jianren slowly breathed a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to open the chest—

"Tap, tap, tap."

A strange sound suddenly rang in his ears.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very close, as if it were right outside the door.

Zhen Jianren's heart skipped a beat.

He mustered his courage and listened for a few seconds, and found that the sound wasn't random, but seemed to have a clear rhythm.

The rhythm was very strange, as if it had a bewitching and shocking power.

His legs even started tapping along to the beat without him realizing it.

Rhythm?

His pupils suddenly shrank, and then his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The "tap, tap, tap" sound became faster and faster, and more and more lively. Zhen Jianren gritted his teeth and could even feel the grace of the woman's dance.

That's right.

It was the sound of ballet pointe shoes hitting the floor.

The one outside... was a ghost!!

Just when Zhen Jianren thought he was about to die, the strange sound finally stopped outside the chest he was in.

Time stood still at that moment.

"Creak—"

There was the sound of a door being pushed open, the old hinges making a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The female ghost actually gave up on the chest he was in...

The eerie footsteps gradually faded away.

She's gone?

She's gone?!

The feeling of surviving a disaster was beyond words.

Zhen Jianren was completely exhausted. His legs went weak, and he collapsed in the chest.

After a while, there was a rustling sound of footsteps.

This time, Zhen Jianren wasn't too nervous, because he had already seen the long-lost Luo Yi carefully entering the room through the crack in the chest.

He lifted the lid of the chest and breathed a long sigh of relief. "I'm here."

Luo Yi, who was about to close the door, was startled. It wasn't until he saw that it was Zhen Jianren that he relaxed. "You scared me to death. I just..." He shivered, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes. "Do you know what I just saw?"

"That ghost..." Zhen Jianren replied weakly, as if the shock had drained all his energy.

After crawling out of the chest, the two of them leaned against the door to rest.

Having survived the ordeal, Zhen Jianren looked around the strangely decorated room. He lifted a corner of the red curtain and found that the red cloth was covering huge mirrors.

He lowered his head and wiped away the dust with his leather shoe, revealing the wooden floor covered in dust.

On one side of the room was a set of overturned bars, similar to parallel bars.

Zhen Jianren recognized them. They were called *ba gan* (ballet bar), used to help dancers complete basic movements before dance training.

This is... a dance classroom.

Just as Zhen Jianren was continuing to think, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the lifted corner of the red cloth, revealing the mirror behind it.

In the mirror, he was standing straight, while Luo Yi beside him was standing on tiptoes, his arms hanging unnaturally, and at his chin...

Zhen Jianren's eyes widened suddenly.

He had no chin. The lower half of his face was bloody, and a pair of eerie pupils reflected through the mirror, meeting his gaze.