As Zhao Bai flipped open the log, he found it completely different from the earlier comedic ones. This one read like a convincing ghost story, complete with time, place, and people, written in vivid detail with an extremely well-crafted atmosphere of horror... The more orderly the story was, the less Zhao Bai believed it could be real.
Late at night, someone heard footsteps in the chemical hazardous materials storage warehouse.
This was an important and dangerous location. The slightest trace of movement would provoke the strongest response. An all-night carpet search began immediately, yet strangely, it turned up nothing.
Every day afterward, the warehouse administrator heard those footsteps.
It was not just her. Even the people taking over her shift heard the same sounds. Despite several thorough searches, they still found no trace of anyone, casting the entire matter beneath a terrifying shadow.
Besides, people had died here before.
By this point, Zhao Bai had nearly crushed his phone screen by accident. Wasn't that obvious? A "chemical hazardous materials storage warehouse" had the word [danger] right in its name. If there hadn't been a few accidents over the years, that would have been truly bizarre.
Just as he turned to complain to Theresa, he realized she was looking at him.
Her eyes seemed to seek someone to rely on, as innocent as a startled deer, with pale blue pupils as clear and pure as the sky.
"It's fine if you agree."
The words reached his lips, but their meaning took a sharp turn. "However, I have a rather excessive wish. Only you, Principal, can fulfill it. I hope you'll agree."
"What wish?"
A flicker of wariness crossed Theresa's eyes as she cautiously asked.
Bronya Doesn't Believe in Ghosts and Goblins
"Tell me what the wish is first."
Theresa said warily. Zhao Bai had said his wish was excessive. If he asked for something as improper as a lap pillow, she absolutely would not agree. Besides, Theresa did not understand what was so comfortable about lap pillows anyway. Was taking a nap with one's head on a girl's thighs really that fulfilling?
"Principal, could you allocate me a batch of funds for free, within the scope of your authority?"
Zhao Bai scratched his head. "You know our little restaurant suffered a sudden disaster. Overnight, we ended up with two more employees to pay. If the school doesn't approve funding, we may soon face bankruptcy liquidation."
Your restaurant was packed every day. Didn't you know how much you made in a day?
She dearly wanted to say that, but Theresa, who had embezzled public funds to buy manga, could not bring herself to scold him. The academy's financial authority had always been handled by Murata Himeko. As principal, Theresa was truly not good with numbers, and only a small portion of funds could be allocated by her.
"How about... I charge some miscellaneous school fees?"
Worthy of a capitalist's granddaughter, Theresa lowered her head in thought and came up with a solution.
Zhao Bai's request was not actually outrageous. He merely wanted the academy to pay the wages while he got two employees for free. In a sense, this was a counterespionage operation, so it was perfectly justified for him to ask her for funding.
"As long as we charge everyone one more dollar... this will be easy!"
After adding a one-dollar security fee to every student's tuition bill, Theresa suddenly turned toward Zhao Bai and said, "For this mission, you'll have a partner. Like you, this student doesn't believe in ghosts or gods, but she's very interested in catching ghosts."
"Who doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, yet is interested in catching ghosts?"
"Bronya Zaychik."
The image of a girl with drill twin-tails immediately surfaced in Zhao Bai's mind. So it was her.
He was fairly familiar with Bronya. She often came to the restaurant to order Russian cuisine, such as stew and borscht. The soup had to include authentic Russian sour cream. Occasionally, she would order salmon roe as well, slowly scooping it up with a mother-of-pearl spoon.
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