Chapter 7: Escalation of the Situation

After the holidays, Shen Xin returned to the compound, resuming his training—working on physical conditioning with Chen Jiawang and learning combat techniques from Old Mo.

At lunch, Shen Xin couldn’t help but share the strange events that had unfolded in his school dormitory.

The moment Chen Jiawang heard about it, he exclaimed excitedly, “I’ll bet you anything, nine times out of ten, there’s a mind-bending monster lurking in the girls’ dormitory.”

Shen Xin immediately pressed him, “Come on, Wang, give us the details.”

Puffing out his chest, Chen Jiawang declared, “Could be a vengeful ghost baby. These days, you know, college girls live such messy lives. They get pregnant and just secretly take pills to get rid of it—truly, ignorance breeds fearlessness!”

Sister Dan slammed her bowl down with a heavy clatter, snorting, “Hmph, as if you men are any better! If men didn’t seduce them, would women even have the chance to get pregnant?”

Startled, Chen Jiawang quickly apologized, “Sister Dan, you’re nothing like them—you’re a goddess standing proud among the clouds.”

“Sister Dan, should we check out the dormitory? If we can sort this out, it’d be a huge merit!”

Unexpectedly, Sister Dan refused flatly. “No bounty posted, I’m not going!”

Shen Xin wanted to press further, but Chen Jiawang nudged him with his foot. He knew Sister Dan was a stickler for principle, never one to meddle, not even if lives were at stake.

Shen Xin had no choice; his voice carried little weight. Only by growing stronger could he ever have a say.

That afternoon, Shen Xin couldn’t focus during training. When he got a call from Yu Yanan, he simply requested leave from Sister Dan and left on his own.

Yu Yanan had originally gone home with her parents but had sneaked back on her own. Both of them were from a small county under Niucheng, a place called Ningcheng. The difference was, Yu Yanan lived in town, while Shen Xin was from the countryside.

When he saw Yu Yanan, he scolded her, “Why did you come back again? Wouldn’t it be safer to stay home?”

Yu Yanan lowered her head, playing with her hair, and whispered, “I still have to work.”

Shen Xin pressed her, “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about work? Yanan, is your life less important than money? Besides, your family’s rich! Why push yourself so hard—planning to be a model worker?”

Yu Yanan looked up, her bright eyes shining with trust. “With you here, I’m not afraid!”

“You may not be scared, but I am! And where are you going to sleep? Nowhere’s safe.”

Blushing, Yu Yanan murmured, “I’ll sleep at your place.”

Shen Xin frowned deeply. Though Yu Yanan was a classic beauty—fair skin, long legs, lovely bright eyes—she just wasn’t his type. He liked women who were curvier, more voluptuous.

“Yanan, are you serious? There’s only one bed at my place.”

“You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor. It’s May now, so it’s not cold.”

“Uh, a man and a woman alone together in one room, aren’t you worried something might happen?”

“I’m not worried. Aren’t I your little sister?”

“You’re impossible! Go home. I’ll call a cab for you right now.”

Seeing Shen Xin flustered, Yu Yanan burst out laughing. “I’m kidding. I’ll stay at my best friend’s—her place is right by the fast-food restaurant. Don’t worry.”

After seeing Yu Yanan off, Shen Xin wandered over to the dormitory out of curiosity and saw workers busy installing security bars on the windows. The place was bustling.

He soon noticed something wrong with one of the workers, who stood on the window frame, vacant-eyed, swaying precariously.

“Hey, sir, be careful up there!” Shen Xin called, hurrying over. Just as he reached the building, the worker suddenly leaped off. Fortunately, Shen Xin used his supernatural ability to bring the man safely to the ground, averting disaster.

Even so, the other workers were badly shaken, hastily packing up and leaving without looking back, cursing the job as too damn weird for them.

Shen Xin felt a cold chill run down his spine. For a brief moment, he sensed something had fixed its gaze upon him.

Terrified, he fled, not daring to return to his rented room, and ran straight to the compound. Only after seeing Sister Dan did he feel somewhat at ease.

He recounted what had just happened.

Sister Dan, as always, remained composed. “With your current skill level, I told you not to meddle. Go look in the mirror and see what you look like right now!”

Shen Xin rushed to the mirror and was shocked to see his brow clouded with an ominous purple-black.

“Damn, have I been targeted?”

But then, his eyes flashed with golden light, and the darkness vanished instantly from his brow.

“Look at that! I’ve got divine sight. Ha! What’s there to be afraid of?”

Feeling elated, Shen Xin started whistling, deliberately leaning close to Sister Dan with a triumphant grin. “Sister Dan, look at my face.”

She glanced at him, for once showing a hint of surprise.

“You’re quite lucky, kid. Those are some fine eyes you have!”

“What do you mean, fine eyes? Are you saying I’m handsome, Sister Dan? I thought so myself.”

Upon hearing Sister Dan’s praise, Chen Jiawang instantly dropped his barbell and hurried over.

Shen Xin felt embarrassed on his behalf. Chen Jiawang wasn’t unattractive—tall, athletic, over six feet, with chiseled features and a sunny disposition. His only flaw was his single eyelids, giving him somewhat squinty eyes.

“Get lost,” Sister Dan said, glancing down at her phone. Soon, she came across a bounty task from Niucheng University and quickly claimed it.

She thought, if it weren’t for that boy Shen Xin, she wouldn’t have bothered, not even checking the reward first. When she did, she saw it was only a million, which felt beneath her. She snapped, “Shen Xin, I’ve taken the task at Niucheng University. The reward’s just a million. You’ll only get a hundred thousand this time.”

Overjoyed, Shen Xin nodded at once. “I don’t care about the money. If we don’t solve the dorm problem, I can’t even attend classes. It’s been driving me mad.”

For once, Chen Jiawang looked uneasy. “Sister Dan, we don’t really have experience with ghosts. Shouldn’t we leave this to the professionals? The Daoist priests at Sanqing Temple in Niucheng are better at this than us.”

Sister Dan snorted, “What, are you questioning my abilities?”

“No, of course not! No demon, ghost, or monster could ever best you, Sister Dan.”

“Glad you know your place. Let’s go.”

Shen Xin checked the time nervously—it was already past six and dusk had fallen. The thought of going to the dormitory at night sent a chill through him.

But Sister Dan always had the final say; her word was law, never to be challenged.

The four of them drove to the deserted dormitory building.

Only a handful of security guards huddled in the lobby, trembling with fear.

The building with the three consecutive accidents was sealed off, two police officers standing guard.

Sister Dan strode up, produced her credentials, and the officers quickly removed the tape, allowing them entry.

Whether it was nerves or something else, the moment they stepped into the lobby of Building 21, they were struck by a chilling gloom, a coldness that seemed to seep into their very bones.

The lights throughout the building flickered erratically, making the whole place seem even more eerie and terrifying.