Fingers

Translator: Cinder Translations

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It was through the reflection in the mirror that Yu Wen and Zhang Yinyin confirmed Luo Yi's identity. 

He is a ghost.

The real Luo Yi had already been killed by the ghost.

No one would offer their scarce emotions for his death, and in the next second, Yu Wen and Zhang Yinyin simultaneously thought of a question.

When did Luo Yi die? 

And where did he die?

The answer was evident. 

They still remembered that, according to what Zhen Jianren said yesterday, he had come to meet everyone first, while Luo Yi had gone alone to the archive room to investigate.

Clearly, he had encountered the ghost there and was killed and replaced by it.

This also explained why "Luo Yi" said he found nothing in the archive room after returning.

The ghost, of course, would not reveal its information.

Zhou Taifeng entered the room first.

Inside, the space was quite large; nearby the spot where Luo Yi lay was a wooden desk and an old-style armchair with its leather back worn out.

A thin layer of dust covered the surface.

The room was long and narrow; looking deeper inside, there were rows of dark green iron shelves.

On a few of the shelves close to them were light blue file folders.

In the distance, the shelves were filled with a dense array of brown paper bags.

They were so deep that the end was not visible.

The room could not be infinitely large; it was merely an issue of lighting.

The only window was not far from the desk.

There should be a window deep inside the room, but it was likely sealed shut or covered with dark curtains.

In the dim light, the inside appeared vague, making Zhou Taifeng feel uncomfortable, causing him to swallow involuntarily.

Retracting his gaze, he prepared to gather clues quickly and leave.

Seeing that there was no danger inside, Yu Wen also walked in. Her steps were extremely light, as if afraid of waking something.

As she entered, she searched for a light switch by the door.

"Click."

After finding the switch, she pressed it down, but there was no response.

"It's been too long," Zhou Taifeng looked up and said, "Even if there are lights, they should be broken."

Yu Wen moved closer to the window, which was at least safe, as it provided some light for observing Luo Yi.

Luo Yi lay quietly on the ground, his upper body soaked in blood, his collar torn open, and his body twisted unnaturally.

His left arm was broken at the elbow, twisted behind his back.

It seemed he had struggled before death. 

Since no one wanted to turn him over, his eyes could not be seen clearly.

"Look," Zhou Taifeng half-squatted, observing the lifeless Luo Yi, his expression slightly changing, "What does his position resemble?"

Yu Wen glanced over and then looked toward the desk.

Luo Yi's head faced the door, but his feet pointed inward.

"He was attacked when he was about to leave," Yu Wen said after a moment, "That's why he fell into this position."

"Right," Zhou Taifeng nodded.

"His chin is also missing," Yu Wen turned her head to look at Luo Yi's profile and continued, "It seems this is the ghost's habit. But—" Zhou Taifeng touched Luo Yi's broken elbow, his expression darkening, "It was broken with immense force; the bones inside are almost completely shattered."

He looked up, "Among the corpses we've seen, only he suffered such a fate. Is there something special about him?"

Yu Wen's gaze followed Luo Yi's elbow downwards, and her eyes suddenly paused, "Look," she said, "His fingers seem to be—"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Taifeng crouched down and lifted Luo Yi's finger.

Half of Luo Yi's fingers were submerged in a pool of blood, and the entire scene looked extremely grim.

"His fingers were also broken!" Zhou Taifeng exclaimed.

Then he immediately raised Luo Yi's right hand, which was pressing against his body.

Aside from the blood, the right arm was intact.

The fingers were also unharmed.

"I remember Luo Yi seemed to be left-handed," Yu Wen stared at the corpse.

Zhou Taifeng seemed to understand something and quickly looked toward the depths of the archive room, where countless brown paper bags were lined up. Under the dim light, it appeared somewhat eerie.

"I get it," Zhou Taifeng said, "Luo Yi must have found clues about the ghost and was preparing to leave with them when he was suddenly attacked by the ghost. Then during the struggle, the ghost crushed his left arm."

"Because he is left-handed, he was holding the information about the ghost with his left hand at the time."

Yu Wen nodded, "That should be it."

"Damn it!" Zhou Taifeng gritted his teeth angrily, "Now the information is with the ghost, and it might have even been destroyed. This lead ends here."

Then they could only go to the equipment room or take their chances in Building C, but both options seemed very dangerous.

Especially in the equipment room, the ghost might have already dealt with Zhen Jianren and was waiting for them to walk into a trap.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Yu Wen said slowly, "I think even if the ghost took the information, it likely wouldn't have destroyed it. We might still find it elsewhere."

Zhou Taifeng frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Rules," Yu Wen glanced at Luo Yi's body on the ground and then turned her head to look Zhou Taifeng in the eye, saying, "I think the rules wouldn't allow the ghost to do that. Otherwise, it could have easily killed Luo Yi before he found information about it. Why wait until he has obtained the information and is preparing to leave before attacking?"

"Or, even further, it could have destroyed the clues about it before Luo Yi even arrived, wouldn't that be more direct?" Yu Wen said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Taifeng's expression improved a lot. He stood up and asked, "You mean the rules of the task don't allow the ghost to do this?"

"Of course," Yu Wen replied, "We all know that while each ghost in every task has different abilities, killing methods, and preferences, one thing is common: they are all restricted by the rules of the task."

Yu Wen paused and continued, "Although as the deadline of the task approaches, they will be released with more and more terrifying abilities, similar to their seals being gradually lifted. However, as long as it's not the last moment, they are not invincible."

"In other words, at most, they can only hide the clues deeper and more covertly but cannot eliminate the clues from the source."

After saying this, Yu Wen looked at Zhou Taifeng, her tone very serious, "This is the last path left for us by the rules of the task."

Zhou Taifeng thought briefly and realized that Yu Wen's reasoning was sound. He raised his head, puzzled, and asked, "So based on your deduction, where do you think the ghost would hide the clues?"

"In the music classroom?" Zhou Taifeng stroked his chin, speculating, "Or in the equipment room, or perhaps in some unrelated corner?"

Yu Wen stared at her lover and suddenly smiled, "No," she casually glanced toward the depths of the room and said slowly, "If I were the ghost, I would put it back in its original place."

(End of the Chapter)

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