The Medium

Translator: Cinder Translations

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But Jiang Cheng's subsequent actions once again refreshed the Fatty's perception of him. 

He calmly looked at the blood-stained face that was obscured from view and patted Zhen Jianren's hand. "I know you're not dead; you still have a pulse." 

Jiang Cheng's voice was full of conviction, and Zhen Jianren's initial agitation gradually subsided. 

"Let go of my hand first; I need to check your injuries," Jiang Cheng said after a moment. 

Zhen Jianren gasped for breath violently, unsure if it was due to pain or Jiang Cheng's words. Ultimately, he slowly released his grip on Jiang Cheng's wrist. 

His two blood-filled eye sockets stared in Jiang Cheng's direction, seemingly placing all his last hopes in him. 

However, the moment his hand left Jiang Cheng's wrist, Fatty watched as Jiang Cheng calmly unbuckled the camera bag hanging at his waist and wrapped the strap around his hand several times. 

Fatty widened his eyes, unsure of what Jiang Cheng intended to do. 

Then, Jiang Cheng swung the camera bag like a meteor hammer and brought it down hard on Zhen Jianren's face, all while Fatty watched in shock. 

"Bang!" 

Caught off guard, Zhen Jianren lost his balance and fell back into the box, his prominent nose bent at several angles, blood spraying uncontrollably from it. 

Jiang Cheng quickly ran up and slammed the cover down on the box. He turned back and shouted to Fatty, "Run!" 

Before Fatty could react, Jiang Cheng was already at the door. 

Just as Jiang Cheng lifted his leg, ready to kick down the troublesome wooden door, a sound suddenly reached his ears. 

"Thud, thud, thud." 

The sound was neither loud nor particularly close, but it had an enchanting quality that drew people in. 

Jiang Cheng lowered his leg again. 

Fatty fared even worse, standing frozen in place, unable to move. 

Though he couldn't move, his mind was still very clear. 

He strained to listen for a few seconds and realized the sound wasn't chaotic; it had a distinct rhythm to it. 

The rhythm was strange; as he listened, Fatty's numbed legs inexplicably started to tap along to the beat. 

A drumbeat? 

Not quite, Fatty thought quickly. 

This sound was heavier than a drumbeat, but he didn't know much about instruments and couldn't identify what was making it. 

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" 

The tempo grew faster, each beat felt like it was thumping in his heart. 

He instinctively swallowed. 

The lively rhythm became clearer and more intense until finally, with one last "thud," it shocked Fatty awake. 

Even Jiang Cheng seemed to shudder involuntarily. 

The two raised their heads almost simultaneously, a flash of complex emotions in their eyes. 

This sound was different from all the previous ones; this one was very close, as if it were right behind them! 

Fatty trembled and turned around. A few meters away, on the wall, hung dark red curtains. Without a doubt, whatever was making the sound was hiding behind them. 

What could it be? 

His pupils jumped wildly. 

Chen Yao? 

Or something like Zhen Jianren inside the box. 

He still couldn't determine whether Zhen Jianren was human or some other ghastly thing. 

An overwhelming sense of pressure left Fatty dry-mouthed, and he didn't dare move, as if he had resigned to his fate. 

Until Jiang Cheng stepped forward and yanked the curtain down. 

Behind it— 

Fatty's eyes widened slightly, revealing a huge mirror. 

But what truly caught his attention was the scene reflected in the mirror. 

A woman on her tiptoes. 

Although it was merely a simple silhouette, it was easy to discern the woman's graceful figure and excellent control. 

The woman stood in what appeared to be a dance studio, her figure upright, facing away from the mirror, shrouded in dim light, silent and eerie. 

"It's Chen Yao," Fatty thought to himself. 

The appearance of the final ghost even made Fatty overlook the oddity of the scene before him; the reflection in the mirror was clearly that of a music classroom before it was remodeled. 

At that moment, the mirror seemed to lose its ability to reflect light and became a medium traversing through time. 

Outside the mirror was the present; inside the mirror was ten years ago. 

As time passed, Fatty gradually noticed other anomalies within the mirror; it turned out there was more than just Chen Yao "inside." 

Dozens of shadowy figures stood around like they were paying homage to the Chen Yao in the center. 

A faint light emanated from the mirror. 

It was not strong, resembling the glow from a small flashlight. 

With the scant light, Fatty vaguely saw that among the standing shadows were several security guards and two students. 

He slowly shifted his gaze from left to right until he clearly saw half of a man's face. 

It was—Zhou Taifu! 

No doubt about it, it was Zhou Taifu! 

The small flashlight that emitted light had fallen at his feet. 

Like the other deceased, his eyes were weirdly rolled back, and the corners exaggeratedly lifted, his expression before death inscrutable. 

But clearly, he hadn't died purely from fright, for all the people here had lost their jaws and tongues. 

Gruesome bloodstains smeared across their chests, resembling a bloody feast. 

Although this wasn't the first time Fatty had encountered such a scene, seeing so many corpses gathered together, presented in such a sacrificial-like manner, was still eerie. 

Fear crept through his limbs and wrapped around him like vines, making it hard for him to breathe. 

As soon as his legs regained feeling, Fatty awkwardly rushed over to Jiang Cheng; only by Jiang Cheng's side did he feel safe. 

"Doctor!" Fatty opened his mouth, ready to seek comfort from Jiang Cheng when the latter slapped him across the face. 

Jiang Cheng controlled his strength perfectly; just before his hand touched Fatty's face, he swiftly covered Fatty's mouth. 

Not a sound was made. 

Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng in panic, completely clueless as to what he had done wrong this time. 

Was he not supposed to come over? 

He noticed Jiang Cheng's gaze was darting around the mirror, seemingly unfixed, and he could detect a hint of seriousness on Jiang Cheng's face. 

This scared Fatty; in his impression, the doctor was a figure who remained fearless in crises, even joking around in front of the deceased at times. 

He confusedly directed his gaze back to the mirror. 

Almost instantly, his face turned pale. 

The center of the mirror was empty. 

Chen Yao was gone!! 

And from Jiang Cheng's expression, Fatty understood that he had also failed to determine where Chen Yao had gone. 

What could be more terrifying than a ghost appearing?

It was when you lost sight of the said ghost. 

You had no idea where it would show up next. 

It could be in your wardrobe, the bathroom, or even under your bed, inside your blanket... 

The most intense fear came from the unknown. 

"Creak—" 

The two almost simultaneously turned around at the sound of eerie scraping behind them. 

It sounded like a severely worn rope, under immense strain. 

(End of the Chapter)

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