A Second Growth Spurt

The cafeteria was a separate two-story building. It was fairly large, but tucked away in a remote spot.

It stood beside a small grove on the academy's western plaza.

Nearby were several unfinished buildings that looked like private homes.

Jiang Cheng had assumed the first floor was the student cafeteria and the second floor was for faculty.

But once they went inside, he saw that several massive screens divided the first floor into eastern and western sections.

The eastern section was larger. Lively young women carried trays or gathered in groups of three or five. It looked like the student dining area.

The western section was smaller and had far fewer people. That was the faculty cafeteria.

It was breakfast time, and people streamed in and out. The sight of so many bright, animated young women left Fatty utterly enchanted.

"Doc," Fatty said, taking a deep breath, his face flushed. "It feels great to be young. Being here makes me feel like I'm back in school."

Jiang Cheng cut straight to the point. "You just like peeping at pretty girls. What does that have to do with your youth, which died a miserable death?"

Fatty thought for a moment, trying to find some evidence to argue back with, but came up empty and could only shut his mouth in frustration.

Jiang Cheng first took Fatty around the student dining area, then passed through the screens into the faculty cafeteria.

To Fatty's surprise, they didn't run into any of the other people on their mission.

"Don't they eat?" Fatty asked, puzzled. "They didn't eat last night either."

"The woman who led us here passed a supermarket on the way," Jiang Cheng replied casually. "They probably went there to buy instant food. There'd be fewer people around, so it'd be safer."

Fatty froze for a few seconds, then suddenly understood. He grumbled that their teammates were incredibly sneaky. Since they didn't want to risk exploring the fog of war, they were using the two of them to test the waters.

Jiang Cheng seemed to have found a spot he liked and sat down. Fatty sat opposite him, fuming, with one hand propping up his chin.

"Two things." Jiang Cheng held up two fingers and waggled them. "First, they didn't trick me into coming here, and there's no way I'd share the information I found with them for free."

"Second," Jiang Cheng said, looking at Fatty, "stop complaining that everyone else is sneaky. Before you say that, ask yourself why you're so stupid."

Fatty visibly wilted at those words, lowering both hands to his knees beneath the table.

But his heart had grown tougher by now. A few minutes later, he perked up again and asked Jiang Cheng, "Doc, what should we eat? I'm starving."

The two of them went over to the serving counter.

The school had to be given credit for getting some things right: the faculty and student cafeterias served exactly the same dishes.

Of course, that might have had something to do with the exorbitant tuition.

Art was expensive, after all.

"Sweet-and-sour ribs, seafood congee, and fried hairtail." Jiang Cheng pointed through the glass as he had the server dish up five or six substantial entrees, then took out his temporary staff card and swiped it.

With a beep, all the food belonged to Jiang Cheng—and Fatty.

There was so much food that Fatty had to carry it to their table in two trips.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Fatty stared at the dishes covering most of the table, perplexed. "Won't eating this much for breakfast be hard to digest?"

Jiang Cheng stuffed a whole piece of hairtail into his mouth, deftly separated out the bones, then took a sip of seafood congee. He said slowly, "I've been growing lately, so I need to eat more."

"Dude, your growth stopped ten years ago!" Fatty couldn't help chiming in.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks and looked at Fatty very seriously. "This is a second growth spurt. It's specifically strengthening one particular bodily function!"

Fatty: "...Just shut up already!"

After they finished eating, their conversation finally returned to something closer to normal. Jiang Cheng's antics had somehow made Fatty realize that he wasn't nervous anymore.

"What do you think the Qipao Woman died from?" Fatty's expression turned uneasy at the mention of her.

The mission's vengeful ghost had torn off her chin. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

Jiang Cheng had eaten too quickly and gotten a fish bone stuck in his throat. It took him a long while to get it down, leaving his throat sore and his voice changed. "You think it's strange too?"

"Yeah," Fatty nodded. "She wasn't a newbie, so she should've known it wasn't safe to be out at night," he paused, then added in a hushed voice, "especially alone."

"Good," Jiang Cheng said. "Go on."

"That's all I've figured out for now." Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng, humbly admitting, "Doc, you've definitely thought it through more than I have. Tell me what you think."

Jiang Cheng glanced toward the screens, then turned back and spoke. "First of all, there had to be a reason the Qipao Woman went out alone at night. She must have run into some kind of trouble, and it was extremely important to her. Most likely, her life was in danger."

Fatty's expression tightened. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "You mean she... ran into a ghost?"

"It's possible, but not very likely." The teasing had vanished from Jiang Cheng's face. He seemed to have genuinely thought it through. "Assuming she did run into a ghost, why wouldn't it kill her in the dorm? Why drive her out into the hallway?"

"Because the hallway was dark and secluded, making it easier for the ghost to attack," Fatty answered immediately.

Then he grew confused. It was obvious, and the Jiang Cheng he knew wouldn't have asked such a question.

Jiang Cheng nodded and looked at him in a way Fatty couldn't understand. "Exactly. The hallway was dark and secluded, an ideal place for a ghost to kill someone. And that's exactly what happened—she died there."

Fatty grew even more confused. "What are you trying to say?"

Jiang Cheng sighed softly. "Fatty, think about it. Would the Qipao Woman really have failed to see a problem that even you could spot so easily?"

Fatty thought for a moment. "Then what do you think happened?"

Jiang Cheng slowly let his gaze drift into the distance, his eyes unfocused, as if putting himself in the Qipao Woman's position. "If I were her, and something forced me out of the dorm—a place that seemed relatively safe—and into the hallway, which was obviously dangerous, there'd only be one possibility: I'd be certain the ghost had already targeted me. If I stayed, I'd die for sure. If I left, I might still have a chance."

Thanks to Brother Demon Emperor for the tip! And thanks to Brother Springtime in the Mortal World, Heart Reflecting Blood, for the monthly votes!