The Handprint

Translator: Cinder Translations

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The next morning.

Just as the sky began to lighten.

The door to Room 405 slowly opened a crack.

Luo Yi, standing behind the door, observed the surroundings for a while before turning back to nod at Zhen Jianren behind him.

Then he opened the door just enough for one person to slip through.

The two of them emerged one after the other.

Not a sound was made throughout the entire process.

At this moment, everything around them was quiet, as if the occupants of Rooms 404 and 406 were still deep in sleep.

Luo Yi tilted his head, glancing towards the end of the corridor.

The first rays of morning had yet to reach there, and a faint darkness hung in the air, like a layer of mist.

An unsettling scent lingered in the atmosphere.

Just as Zhen Jianren turned around to close the door, his eyes were drawn to something. Frowning in confusion, he leaned in closer.

The next second, he froze abruptly, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

A handprint was left on the door.

The bright red blood had not yet dried, giving off an eerie sheen, making it all the more shocking.

It was a bloody handprint!

Even more terrifying, the fingers of the handprint were slender, yet twice the length of a normal person's!

Luo Yi also noticed the handprint on the door. He trembled violently, his eyes bulging. It was unclear whether he couldn't speak or had lost the courage to do so.

It was hard to imagine that not long ago, such a terrifying figure had quietly waited outside their door.

It was even possible that this figure had attempted to push open their door.

"Go get some water," Zhen Jianren whispered hoarsely.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of knocking was accompanied by Jiang Cheng's comfortable moans.

Lying on the floor mat, he was rolling around in comfort.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating everything inside.

It was all so beautiful and real.

The door opened, revealing the three occupants of Room 406.

Yu Wen stood closest to the door, and the scene inside was clearly unexpected for her.

She was fully geared up, as if preparing for a battle.

But Jiang Cheng, who should have been the most tense, looked like he was about to go on vacation.

"Miss Yu," Jiang Cheng said, feigning alarm, "Sorry, I was meditating. Hope you don't mind."

"Is there something you need?" Jiang Cheng asked as he pulled up his pants.

Yu Wen's face showed a moment of awkwardness, but she quickly masked it, replying calmly, "Mr. Hao, please be cautious on this mission."

"You too," Jiang Cheng replied.

"People from Room 405 have already left," Yu Wen continued as she turned her head. "Did they come to your place?"

"No."

"Then, farewell."

"Take care."

Zhang Yinyin was the last to move. She looked into Jiang Cheng's eyes, as if trying to find something there, but clearly failed.

"Miss Zhang," Jiang Cheng greeted warmly, "Are you planning to join us?"

Zhang Yinyin froze for a moment.

As Jiang Cheng approached, she instinctively took a step back.

Realizing her slip-up, she glanced in the direction Yu Wen had left and was surprised to find that even her shadow had disappeared.

"Be careful, I have to go," she said, brushing him off as she ran off to catch up with her companion, not looking back.

Jiang Cheng stared at the empty doorway, his smile slowly fading.

Noticing Jiang Cheng's expression, Fatty also became alert and asked in a low voice, "Doc, did you notice something?"

"Doesn't she remind you of someone we know?" Jiang Cheng continued to stare out the door, answering with a question of his own.

"Are you talking about Chen Xiaomeng?" Fatty remembered Jiang Cheng had once remarked on the similarity between the two.

"Yes," Jiang Cheng replied, taking a deep breath, his expression unusually serious. "They share the same goal."

Fatty felt a chill down his spine at those words.

He had witnessed Chen Xiaomeng's methods firsthand. Without Jiang Cheng, during their last mission, she would likely have been the only one to come out alive.

Poor Fan Li had fallen victim to her schemes.

In the main teaching building.

Two figures weaved through the hallway. Luo Yi's mind was still trapped in the events surrounding the bloody handprint. His steps were unsteady, and he appeared absent-minded.

Zhen Jianren was no longer as calm as before either.

His disheveled hair, damp with cold sweat, stuck messily to his forehead.

If the strange rubbing sounds from the first night could still be chalked up to coincidence, the bloody handprint made it undeniable: they were being haunted by a ghost.

Before leaving, he had checked the doors of Rooms 404, 406, and even the unoccupied Room 407.

But only their door bore a handprint.

Why?

Had they inadvertently triggered some kind of taboo?

Had this led to the ghost targeting them?

Or was it something wrong with Room 405 itself?

One question after another flooded his mind, making it a mess. The known clues were very limited.

Now that it was clear they were being haunted by a ghost, the only solution was to find a key clue and end the mission before the ghost made its move.

They had to hurry, even if it meant taking some risks.

"What exactly is that ghost?" Luo Yi's trembling voice came from behind, "It left prints like a goat's hooves, and then there's that terrifying giant hand."

Zhen Jianren was already agitated. "Enough!" he snapped, cutting him off. "Whatever it is, it's beyond anything we can handle. Talking about it is pointless."

The only thing he was grateful for at the moment was that he had used a damp cloth to wipe away the bloody handprint from their door.

He knew that if the occupants of Rooms 404 or 406 saw it, his situation would become even more precarious.

In missions like these, anyone targeted by a ghost would inevitably be abandoned by their companions.

His tie had long been torn off and thrown who knows where, and now Zhen Jianren looked like a desperate gambler.

That's right—he was ready to gamble it all.

As for Luo Yi, he seemed more like someone who had given up after being backed into a corner.

He was a sadist.

In their world, lonely women working late and female students walking home alone were his targets.

He prided himself on being a midnight wanderer.

TL: A coward...

(End of the Chapter)

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