Chapter 12: The Corpse, the Pack of Dogs

"I had a strange dream..."

Because of the dream she had last night, Lin Xingjie woke up early and hadn't been able to fall back asleep since.

She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep, with scenes from the dream flashing through her mind occasionally, along with the events of yesterday afternoon. The faces of those bastards flitted in front of her, making the girl grit her teeth and secretly seethe with resentment; after a while, the faces in her mind inadvertently shifted to that of the boy next door...

Suddenly, she no longer wished to sleep. She sprang out of bed, ran to the washroom for a quick wash, got dressed, grabbed the items she had prepared the night before, and was ready to leave the house.

Lin Xingjie glanced at the wall clock, 5:30 AM. Apart from the elderly who get up leisurely early to practice Tai Chi in the park, most people, whether going to school or to work, were still asleep at this hour.

But she knew that in this city, there was another group of people who would be loitering the streets at this time: those young men and women who spent the entire night carousing in discos or bars, coming out drunk and groggy.

As she approached the door, Lin Xingjie seemed to remember something, ran back to the closet, and fetched a hooded windbreaker to put on. This coat was large compared to the girl's slender frame, enough to cover her face.

With her weapon hidden in her embrace, Lin Xingjie left home early.

The chilly morning alley carried a bitingly cold sensation. The girl walked briskly on the slightly moist cobblestone road, alone the entire way.

"Whew."

It wasn't until she left the alley and stepped onto the main road that Lin Xingjie breathed a sigh of relief.

Earlier, it was said that most students would not be up at this hour, but Xu Xiangyang was definitely an exception. One day, just after five in the morning, she encountered him fetching water outside, his hands still holding textbooks.

Xu Xiangyang awoke early for the sake of studying; that's just the way he was.

Luckily she hadn't bumped into him, or it would have been quite awkward. After all, it seemed he didn't quite approve of her actions.

*

"Where could those guys be?"

Lin Xingjie walked aimlessly along the streets.

This road was the most famous commercial street nearby, with entertainment venues like karaoke bars and discos lined up one after another. If loafing men and women wanted to go out for fun, this area was the most likely choice.

However, for her alone, the range was still too vast. Lin Xingjie was fairly familiar with this street but, without any clues, searching for the trio's whereabouts was still like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Perhaps starting from school and following their trail would be better, she thought.

Of course, Lin Xingjie's chosen target was Wang Nana. After all, she was the only woman among the three and the easiest to deal with. Then she could extract the whereabouts of the remaining two men from this woman's mouth—that was the perfect plan.

This was not just for revenge. Lin Xingjie felt that this group would certainly not let her go so easily; therefore, it was necessary to understand their movements in advance.

And as soon as she thought of Wang Nana, the scenes from the dream surfaced in her mind once again. It was the first time Lin Xingjie had such a dream where, upon waking up, she could recall all the details clearly.

"Wait, this place is—"

Lin Xingjie stopped in her tracks.

She turned her head and saw a support pillar nearby with a convex mirror on top, reflecting the private cars parked on the street.

Even though it was a common sight, it gave her a strange sense of familiarity.

"Could it be...?"

Lin Xingjie took a few steps forward.

What came into view was an alleyway with disco music playing day and night in the background.

An overturned garbage bin, the air faintly smelled of fermenting trash, and the rough and uneven road was covered with wet marks. A rat scampered by from the side of a drain.

Not far ahead was the back door of a disco, tightly closed at this time. The narrow and deserted alleyway had a sense of desolation.

She knew this place, having seen it in her dreams just yesterday, even though it was early morning now, but in the dream, it had been deep into the night.

Unconsciously, Lin Xingjie had made her way to this place.

The girl's consciousness blurred for a moment, as if the dream and reality had overlapped before her eyes.

It couldn't be, could it?

Lin Xingjie suddenly had a strange, chilling thought.

If, if that dream was real—

The girl swallowed, cautiously taking a few more steps forward.

Behind the overturned garbage bin was an alleyway branching off. Lin Xingjie remembered that in the dream, Wang Nana was lying there with a strange bug perched on her head, even burrowing into her body...

Lin Xingjie held her breath and walked a few steps in that direction.

It was empty.

Near the garbage bin, there was only flowing sewage, no bloodstains, nothing suspicious.

Standing beside the bin, she peeked into the alley again. It was pitch-black inside, empty, and at least there were no shapes resembling bodies or monsters.

What was that, I've been overthinking it, she exhaled.

But the atmosphere around was indeed uncomfortable; the quiet, oddly-scented narrow space reminded her of that house. Lin Xingjie turned around, intending to leave this place.

—At that moment, a coarse and fierce breathing sound came from behind her in the alley.

As if someone was standing right behind her, a ghastly breeze blew down her collar, giving Lin Xingjie an instant shudder, the hair on her neck standing on end.

"Who's there?!"