Chapter 078: Blood-Stained Figure 

The next second after the scream sounded, the woman dashed out, running as fast as she could.

 "Chiharu, wait for me!"

 "Don't be afraid!"

 Her boyfriend, who looked like the last one to join, was pale and followed closely behind, fearing that if he lagged even a step, he would die here.

That sorrowful, grotesque figure moved.

 "Ahh..."

 A sharp howl immediately spurred the other two to run as well. Ryou Fujibayashi, his face also pale, quickly turned and ran towards the classroom door.

 Everyone was scrambling, afraid of falling behind.

But just as she was about to exit, Ryou Fujibayashi realized something. She glanced back and saw Lin Ye still standing in place, looking dazed.

 "Lin, hurry up,"

 She called out urgently, her hand gripping the door. Seeing Lin Ye remain unresponsive, she gritted her teeth and ran back in, grabbing his wrist.

 In that moment, the timid, frightened girl gathered all her courage, even her peripheral vision made her feel cold and trembling.

Lin Ye followed her out of the room.

 He was deep in thought.

The moment the black-haired, straight-haired girl in the white shirt turned, Lin Ye activated time-stop to observe her, even attempting to touch her. However... there was no physical form.

 He tried to interact with nearby books and chalk, but couldn't make contact with the apparition, and his hand passed right through.

 If he couldn't touch her, could she touch him?

Lin Ye thought about experimenting but quickly decided against it.

 After all, if the 'ghostly' figure actively touched him, the outcome wouldn't likely be pleasant.

Outside the classroom, it was pitch dark, with only the faint light from corridor lamps and a few classrooms illuminating the otherwise silent building.

 Thump, thump, thump...

 Thump, thump, thump...

 Running down the hall,

 the couple ahead, stumbling and crawling, finally reached the first floor.

 "Hurry, let's escape!"

 "I suggest we don't run blindly."

 Lin Ye's voice came from behind. His and Ryou Fujibayashi's pace wasn't slow, and they soon caught up to the others.

"Ha... ha..."

 Heavy breathing echoed.

 A man in sportswear gasped loudly.

 "What... what is going on? What have we encountered?"

 "Why... why are we here?"

 "That woman... that ghost, she's a ghost, right?"

 ...

 The questions kept coming. Everyone was desperate for answers.

"Most likely, we've gotten involved in some kind of paranormal event,"

 Lin Ye said, seeing that the others couldn't calm down, so he spoke up.

 He had no idea how to complete this task yet.

 He needed to organize the current participants and search for clues.

"Paranormal event? That... rumor? Is it real?"

 "This can't be... how could it be real?"

 ...

 They had all seen something online, rumors that seemed half-true and half-fake, but with little concrete information. Some people believed it was just an urban legend.

"Whether it's real or not, we've been caught up in this paranormal event, so staying calm is the only thing we can do."

 Everyone found Lin Ye's calmness somewhat unsettling. After all, a ghost had just appeared!

"You... you've been through this before, haven't you?"

 "A little experience."

 "Hey, then tell us how to survive and get out of here!"

 A tall man stepped up to Lin Ye, glaring at him with a fierce look.

Sigh.

 "What are you sighing for?"

 "There's always someone trying to show off when they don't understand the situation."

 "You want to fight?"

 In the next second,

 the tall man covered his stomach and knelt down.

 "Ahh..."

 He screamed in pain.

"Zeyano, Zeyano..."

 A bespectacled, otaku-looking man was clearly panicked,

 "How could you do this?"

 "He was the one who attacked first,"

 Lin Ye glanced over.

 "I don't want to waste precious time on meaningless explanations or handling interpersonal relationships."

Ryou Fujibayashi watched Lin Ye in surprise. Since earlier, she felt that Lin Ye had changed dramatically—he seemed like a completely different person.

 Perhaps, in the face of such danger, he had shown a side of himself she hadn't seen before.

After about ten seconds, the tall man calmed down a little, supported himself to stand, and looked at Lin Ye with resentment. However, he didn't say anything further.

 At least he understood that trying to get revenge using his strength was nearly impossible.

"So, what do we do next?"

 The only two women spoke up.

 "I... I'm Chiharu Miyata. Hello..."

 The blonde-haired girl forced a smile. Earlier, Lin Ye had acted decisively and calmly, which left her with the impression that he was not someone to mess with.

 But such a person also gave the feeling that 'following his lead might keep us alive.'

"Just call me Lin,"

 "Lin, Lin-san... I'm Kyozaki Kousuke, Chiharu's boyfriend,"

 A man with a buzz cut introduced himself.

 The tall guy was Zeyano Kousuke, and his friend was Honda Kazuya, an anime enthusiast.

Lin Ye felt a bit of affinity towards Honda after hearing his introduction—he himself could also be considered somewhat of an otaku.

"Collect clues and find a way out."

 "We can't...?"

 Chiharu, the blonde girl, pointed outside.

 "Wouldn't running away be enough? We'd be safe once we're out, right?"

 She didn't want to stay in this classroom building, let alone search for clues.

"First, we can almost certainly confirm that this is not the world we belong to, so even if we run out, we can't go back,"

 "Second, we can't just run away. In most paranormal games, the area is usually restricted,"

 "Third, it's pitch dark outside, and there's not a single light source. Do you think that's normal?"

 It was eerie, unnerving.

"Running outside would probably be the fastest way to die. Anyone willing to give it a try? I won't mind."

 The thought of death made no one move.

 The tall man, who had originally intended to escape with his friend, was now hesitant.

"I... I just came with Zeyano to watch a movie. How did we end up in this kind of event?!"

 The words hit everyone's heart.

 Ryou Fujibayashi felt the same.

"Lin-san, my sister... my sister isn't in danger too, is she?"

 She suddenly remembered her sister, Kyou Fujibayashi, and anxiously looked at Lin Ye.

 At this point, she thought Lin Ye had surely been through this kind of dangerous paranormal event before.

"Miss Kyou will be fine, don't worry."

 "Okay."

At that moment,

 Chiharu froze in place, her voice trembling.

 "She... she... has come."

 The blood-stained figure appeared.

________________________________________

If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 20 advanced chapters available on Patreon

patreon.com/Leanzin