Volume 1, Chapter 19: Run

Early the next morning, Chu Guang decided to move back into the university dormitory.

After leaving the hospital, she bid farewell to her counselor. She needed to pack her belongings and move back to campus that very day. First, she visited her landlord to settle the rent for the period she had been away. Then, she hailed a taxi and packed up her things.

Chu Guang didn't have much: one bag for her winter quilt, one suitcase for her summer and autumn clothes, three pairs of shoes, a bucket, a basin, and a sleeping mat. That was all.

She took a taxi to the university. Upon arriving at the gate, she saw Shui Ying waving at her. Chu Guang stepped out, and as the driver helped unload her luggage, Shui Ying hurried over to help with the suitcase.

"Oh my god, you’re finally moving back! I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Chu Guang nodded. She still had five million in her account, which, barring any accidents, should be enough to reach the Eastern Territory. She wouldn't have to work so hard at odd jobs anymore. They walked toward the dormitory building, eventually arriving at their room, 525. It was a four-person dorm, but only three people lived there.

As they pushed open the door, they found the room empty.

"Where is Qingyang?" Chu Guang asked.

Shui Ying set down the suitcase. "You know how the 'campus beauty' is. She never mixes with commoners like us. Plus, with junior year approaching, she’s busy hitting the books."

Qingyang, their other roommate, was the campus beauty of Qing University. She was aloof and rarely interacted with them. Over time, Shui Ying and Chu Guang had naturally become closer. Chu Guang began making her bed. Their dorm was set up with beds on top and desks below. She lived in the bunk next to Shui Ying.

As she made her bed, Shui Ying filled her in on recent campus events. "More dead cats have appeared on campus. Both the 'Cat Senior' and 'Cat Senior Sister' met their ends at the hands of some unknown killer. Combined with the thugs who died miserably in prison, the whole school is in a state of panic."

"Everyone is scared to death. The student council has been stepping up patrols lately."

Chu Guang finished making her bed. "By the way, do you know how those thugs died? I saw the news, but it only said they died in a gruesome state without specifying how."

"That..." Shui Ying’s expression was conflicted. Seeing Chu Guang lean over to look at her, she said solemnly, "Their faces were bruised and dark, yet their expressions were perfectly peaceful. By all accounts, they shouldn't have suffered, but their limbs were oozing blood, as if they had exploded from within."

"They hadn't been dead for long, yet their bodies were as cold as ice. Doesn't that sound sinister? And they didn't let out a single scream—they died completely silently."

Shui Ying shuddered, goosebumps rising on her arms. "Mommy, I’m getting terrified just talking about it."

"Has the Special Administration Bureau caught the culprit yet?"

"Not yet. Those guys only got into the Bureau because they relied on their supernatural abilities. Now, not only can they not catch the killer, but they're running around in a frenzy checking surveillance footage."

Chu Guang frowned involuntarily. She was now certain this had to do with spirits. Checking surveillance footage wouldn't work; ordinary people had no way of seeing ghosts.

As they were talking, a woman in a cerulean dress walked in. Their conversation ceased.

"Qingyang."

Qingyang nodded, said nothing, and went to wash up. Qingyang was beautiful enough to stun the entire student body, earning her the title of "campus beauty." She was not very talkative, but she was polite and had no bad habits, so their relationship remained harmonious, if not particularly close.

That night, Chu Guang took out the gem from the Green Sea. She examined it, but couldn't see anything unusual. It was the item specifically requested by someone from the Underworld, yet it looked so ordinary.

"I'll give it to them tomorrow," she murmured to herself.

Their dormitory had a rule: lights out by midnight. Even if you weren't sleeping, you couldn't disturb others. So, once the time came, the room grew very quiet. Having settled some matters, Chu Guang fell into a peaceful sleep.

Downstairs, however, cold, sinister auras were drifting toward the girls' dormitory. Despite the low humidity of the night, a thick, white mist began to rise in front of the building, heavy and dense, like the remnants of a smothered fire.

"So fragrant..."
"So hungry..."
"I want to eat human flesh, human skin. I want to chew on their bones, suck on their blood..."
"I want to eat."

A thick, demonic voice whispered in the night, filled with desire and excitement. It entered the building teeming with life. A malevolent aura blanketed the structure, shimmering with a faint, blood-red light.

Chu Guang, fast asleep, suddenly found her breathing growing shallow. A chilling sensation began to spread from her body. She pulled the covers up, but it was useless; the temperature around her continued to drop. A familiar sense of suffocation washed over her.

*Clink.*

Chu Guang suddenly opened her eyes. "Ahhh..."

Her scream startled the other two roommates awake. Shui Ying turned on her small desk lamp and saw Chu Guang, her face pale and drenched in cold sweat. "What's wrong?"

Seeing Chu Guang’s ghastly complexion, she panicked. "Chu Guang, you look so pale. Are you feeling ill again?"

Chu Guang gasped for air, struggling to breathe. "Run! Something is coming for us! Run, run!"

She grabbed Shui Ying, her eyes filled with terror. "Run! A vengeful spirit is here! Now, leave immediately!"