Nightmare Strikes

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Here." Luo Yi carefully walked inside the equipment center, with Zhen Jianren following behind. Their ears perked up, listening to the sounds coming from all around.

The inside was larger than he had imagined; from the outside, it looked simple in structure, but once inside and after a few turns, he found himself somewhat lost.

The intersecting brick walls towered over four meters high, as if they could slice through the sky.

Zhen Jianren couldn't help but admire Jiang Cheng; he was able to infiltrate such a place, encounter a ghost, and still make it out alive.

Right now, Zhen Jianren would have difficulty finding his way back in.

The only thing that made him slightly reassured was that he still had someone with him.

Most of the time, ghosts could only kill one person at a time.

This meant that even if the ghost aimed for the two of them, one person could survive.

Zhen Jianren felt that he deserved to be that survivor.

The reason was simple.

He was more capable and physically stronger than Luo Yi.

Moreover, Luo Yi's real name had already been exposed—Luo Zhanfei.

The ghost in this mission was very special.

Zhen Jianren felt she would not overlook this detail.

As he looked into room after room, most were filled with old desks and chairs, as well as discarded basketballs and soccer balls.

It appeared they had been stored for quite some time, gathering a thick layer of dust on top.

At that moment, a rustling sound of footsteps came from not far away.

The footsteps were unlike those of an ordinary person, suggesting that the newcomer was leaning on a rather heavy cane.

The bottom of the cane occasionally struck the ground, producing a crisp "tap" sound.

But at this moment, it sounded like the tolling of a death bell.

It was an old person!

Zhen Jianren's heart jolted.

Not yet knowing the identity of the old person, he decided it was best not to act recklessly. He turned to look for Luo Yi but found that he was nowhere to be seen.

Luo Yi had vanished.

With no better options, Zhen Jianren had no choice but to walk a few quick steps to find a room to hide in.

He tried the doors of several rooms, but they were all locked, with only a crack able to be pushed open.

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

The area he was in was a dead end, with the surrounding brick walls too high to climb over.

What's worse, he didn't have time on his side.

Zhen Jianren cursed Luo Yi in his heart, frustrated about where he had gotten lost.

Just as despair was about to take over, he felt a tingle in his ears and, in a daze, heard a strange scraping sound.

"Creak—"

Following the sound, he noticed an old door nearby suddenly crack open.

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

The footsteps grew nearer, as if the two were separated by just a corner.

A few seconds later, the eerie old man leaning on a cane would appear right in front of 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.

A draft stirred, sending countless tiny dust particles dancing through the air.

The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust.

The dust was evenly distributed, a testament to the passage of time.

The room was larger than it appeared from the outside, with red curtains hanging all around, resembling an abandoned hall from many years ago.

Not noticing anything unusual for the moment, he closed the door behind him.

Not far from the door, there was a large red-painted wooden box, similar to those used decades ago to store bedding, but it was empty.

Although the room was large, it was completely open, offering no place to hide—anyone entering would easily spot him.

Zhen Jianren had no choice but to open the box and hide inside.

He held his breath and listened quietly.

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

It was likely tables and chairs.

Fortunately, the old man was not moving the tables and chairs away but simply rearranging them.

So after about ten minutes of fussing around, the old man locked the door and left.

Once the footsteps disappeared, Zhen Jianren let out a slow sigh of relief. Just as he was about to open the box's lid—

"Thump, thump, thump."

A strange sound suddenly reached his ears.

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

Zhen Jianren's heart skipped a beat.

He mustered the courage to listen for a few seconds and realized the sound was not chaotic but seemed to carry a distinct rhythm.

This rhythm was quite strange, almost hypnotic in its intensity.

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

Rhythm?

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

The "thump, thump, thump" sound grew faster and more lively, and Zhen Jianren gritted his teeth, even feeling the elegance of a woman's dance.

It was definitely the sound of ballet shoes tapping on the floor.

Outside... was a ghost!!

Just as Zhen Jianren thought he was about to die, the eerie sounds finally stopped right outside the box he was in.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Creak—"

He heard a door being pushed open, the old door hinges creaking painfully.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The female ghost actually ignored the box he was hiding in.

The eerie footsteps gradually faded away.

Had she left?

She was gone?!

The feeling of surviving a disaster was indescribable.

Zhen Jianren felt utterly exhausted, his legs going weak as he slumped inside the box.

After a while, he heard some rustling footsteps.

This time, Zhen Jianren wasn't too nervous because he could see the long-missing Luo Yi cautiously walking into the room through the cracks in the box.

He lifted the box lid and let out a long breath, saying, "I'm here."

Luo Yi, who was about to close the door, was startled, but when he saw it was Zhen Jianren, he relaxed. "You scared me to death. Just now…" He shivered slightly, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes. "Do you know what I just saw?"

"That ghost…" Zhen Jianren replied weakly, the earlier scare having drained all his energy.

After climbing out of the box, the two leaned against the door to rest.

Having survived, Zhen Jianren looked around the peculiarly arranged room. He pulled back a corner of the red curtain and discovered that it was concealing a huge mirror.

He looked down and wiped the dust off with his shoe, revealing the wooden floor covered by the dust.

On one side of the room, there was a group of overturned objects resembling parallel bars.

Zhen Jianren recognized them; they were called ballet bars, used to assist dancers in performing basic movements during training.

This was a... dance classroom.

Just as Zhen Jianren continued to ponder, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the corner of the red fabric that had been lifted, revealing the mirror behind it.

In the mirror, he stood upright, while Luo Yi beside him was on tiptoe, his arms hanging awkwardly, and his chin—

Zhen Jianren's eyes widened in shock.

He had no chin; the lower half of his face was bloodied, and a pair of eerie pupils reflected in the mirror, locking eyes with him.

(End of the Chapter)

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