I sighed. No matter which way I went, I ended up back here—the place where this nightmare had begun.
Behind me, a cold voice spoke: "Looks like no matter what we choose this time, we'll end up in the same place."
I turned around and froze for a moment. The speaker was the Glasses Man from last time.
He had actually survived the pursuit, just like me.
The Glasses Man recognized me as well. He smiled faintly and said, "I'm glad to see you again, but I hope this won't be the last time we meet."
"We'd better get inside quickly," a girl said. She was strikingly beautiful, with dyed blue hair that gave her the air of a rebellious girl.
The other person was a panicked middle-aged man. He looked at us and asked in confusion, "What's going on? I was clearly dozens of kilometers away just now. How did I end up back here?"
"Science probably can't explain this, but we should go inside first," the Glasses Man said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he looked at us. "We have to go in now."
With that, he walked inside, and I followed him.
The Blue-haired Girl was very reluctant, but she went in as well. Once inside, she moved her body a little and frowned. "It hurts. It really hurts."
Only the middle-aged man continued staring at us in terror. Suddenly, he shouted, "Don't go in! There's a female ghost inside! She'll kill us all! I barely managed to escape!"
"We can't escape," the Glasses Man said calmly. "If you don't come in now, the wound on your back will devour you."
The middle-aged man stood there in a daze for a long while, his eyes flickering as if he doubted what the Glasses Man had said. But as the pain in his back grew worse, he gritted his teeth and walked inside.
The moment he entered, the doors closed automatically.
Only then did the Glasses Man say, "All right. The school uniform girl is about to appear, so we need to find somewhere to hide. For safety's sake, we can't stay together. We'll have to act separately."
Naturally, I had no objections. The middle-aged man, however, looked at us excitedly. "With so many of us, we might not be unable to deal with her. As long as we stand united..."
"That's impossible," the Glasses Man interrupted impatiently, his expression cold. "She isn't human. There's no way we can deal with her."
"Are we really going to let ourselves be slaughtered?" the middle-aged man asked angrily, his body trembling. "Are we supposed to hide like rats and play a game of cat and mouse with her?"
"From the looks of it, yes." After saying this, the Glasses Man turned and walked away.
Seeing this, I immediately chose to leave as well. But the girl glanced at me and actually followed behind.
Only the middle-aged man remained standing there, at a loss.
I made my way to a teaching building with practiced ease. This was where I often hid. Its unusual location made it convenient for escaping.
But then I turned around and warily looked at the girl behind me. "Why are you following me?"
"I want to hide with you. Maybe I'll survive that way," the girl said with a smile.
"I don't have time to deal with you. You'll only drag me down." I rejected her without hesitation.
"Don't be like that. Please, I'm begging you." The girl tugged on my arm and deliberately acted cute. She had a pure, adorable face. Even dressed like a delinquent, she was still pleasing to look at.
But I merely shot her a sideways glance. For some reason, she reminded me of my ex-girlfriend. I waved my arm impatiently. "Get lost. She's about to come out."
"Where am I supposed to hide? I might as well hide with you." The girl stamped her foot.
I rolled my eyes at her and was just about to look for my rag when I realized it was gone.
I was horrified. I looked around, searching for somewhere else to hide.
But at that moment, I happened to see a deathly pale figure through the window, and my expression changed drastically.
She had come out!
"Hide quickly, or we're done for." My face filled with terror as I grabbed her and hurriedly hid inside the cabinet beside us.
The cabinet was cramped, and being squeezed inside with her was extremely uncomfortable.
The girl was just about to speak, but I stopped her. I knew the school uniform girl was about to come upstairs.
After escaping three times, I had gradually figured out the school uniform girl's movements.
This was the first floor the school uniform girl searched. She would search it once, then leave. That made it the most dangerous place, but also the safest.
Footsteps sounded in the stairwell. In the deathly silent teaching building, even the slightest noise was magnified.
I covered the girl's mouth, my expression turning solemn.
Even though this wasn't my first time experiencing it, I still felt tense all over.
This was a gamble. I had only two possible outcomes.
The first was escaping unharmed. The second was being discovered and killed by her.
There would be no third possibility, and no second chance.
Being discovered meant death. Running away was useless. After all this time, I hadn't seen a single person escape from her.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor, growing clearer and clearer.
I slowly closed my eyes and held the girl tightly in my arms. I covered her mouth, my heart rising into my throat.
Soon, the footsteps reached this room. But after taking only one step inside, they left.
The girl in my arms moved and whispered, "Let go of me. I feel awful."
I didn't answer. Silently, I covered her mouth again.
I knew Han Qianqian hadn't left yet. She must still be wandering around inside this teaching building.