The four inexplicable columns left the eight living people hemmed in among them struggling to breathe.
Paper scraps still drifted down from the sky, even landing on the ghostly figures, but they seemed to have no effect on them whatsoever.
Wave after wave of ghostly figures advanced toward the entrance to Building E-2 with slow, stiff steps.
The separated staff members were bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
Through the gaps between the ghostly figures, Song Yitong looked toward Ji Li at the very front and whispered into her communicator:
"Director, what's going on? Do you know?"
The chanting in their ears and the alarm blaring over the speakers threw everything into utter confusion. Ji Li stood on tiptoe to look ahead.
The ghostly figures were translucent, their heads hanging low. Lifelessly, they marched forward in formation, as though following some programmed procedure.
He thought for a moment, then said with a frown:
"The alarm came first, then the ghosts formed lines. I think the problem lies with the alarm.
"It's warning them about something, forcing these ghosts to line up and enter Building E-2."
But in the Haunted Academy, what were these ghosts being warned about?
They seemed to have returned to the earlier question.
The alarm could be connected to the ghosts hiding themselves earlier.
Ji Li had originally thought it was because of someone among them, but now it seemed to be some sort of "rule" governing the entire Haunted Academy.
Presumably, this was an important rule.
It was clearly related to the "countdown," and very likely to the nine o'clock deadline Yu Guo had mentioned.
Listening to the piercing alarm ringing in his ears, Ji Li suddenly spoke into his communicator:
"Xue Tinghai, Qiu Taoyu, how far have you gotten?"
There was no response...
Ji