Newcomer

A supermarket on the west side of the campus.

The old glass door was half open, with a promotional poster of a certain Hallyu star stuck on it.

The sequined slim-fit suit didn't give the man in front of him a striking impression; on the contrary, it was tacky.

Suit Man struck a long match, turned his face, and lit a cigarette.

He then flicked his hand, extinguishing the flame on the match.

Hat Man stood at the bottom of the steps opposite him, gnawing on the dry bread in his hand with a bottle of mineral water.

Staring at the poster in front of him, Suit Man sneered and slowly exhaled a mouthful of murky smoke onto the Hallyu star's face. "Was the aesthetic taste that bad back then?"

Hat Man finished a piece of bread and was greedily sucking on the jam residue on his fingers.

However, his gaze wasn't on Suit Man or the poster, but fixed on a group of girls.

His eyes, like a wolf's, roamed wantonly over the girls.

They stood not too far, not too close, in a circle.

Their attire was quite revealing.

One tall girl with long, flowing hair kept glancing over here, a cigarette between her fingers.

"If this wasn't the Dream Realm, how wonderful would it be," Hat Man licked his dry lips.

Suit Man lowered his head, carefully buttoned the cuff of his right sleeve, and then smiled. "Stop dreaming. If this were the real world, would you dare come to a place like this?"

"You'd only be able to hide in a dark basement," Suit Man continued without looking at him. "Don't forget, the police are looking for you everywhere."

Suit Man's words seemed to pull Hat Man back to reality. His expression faltered, and his composure vanished, his smile fading by seven or eight parts.

He wiped his left hand on his body, then adjusted the brim of Hat Man's hat, pressing it down forcefully.

He stood in the shadows, and from Suit Man's perspective, only half of his chin was visible.

"No need to be so nervous," Suit Man's voice held an inexplicable tone. He adjusted his collar, and in an unintentional movement, revealed the gorgeous ukiyo-e print on the lining of his suit.

"I'll keep your secret," Suit Man smiled. "You know what I want."

"But we don't know who has it," Hat Man's voice was muffled.

"Then find it. Search one by one. We have plenty of time. Qipao Woman died first, which means the probability of her having it is extremely low. In other words, even if she did, it's already been taken," Suit Man was like a different person now, his gentle face hiding a demon.

Hat Man seemed to realize something and looked up, his narrow eyes under the hat brim fixed on Suit Man's face. "You mean someone orchestrated her death?"

His pupils were small, and the whites of his eyes were large, giving him a sinister look if you stared for too long.

"That's right," Suit Man nodded.

"Who?"

"Not clear yet."

"Could it be the woman from Room 406?" Hat Man suddenly tensed. "Her aura is very strange. She has calluses on her knuckles and the base of her thumb. You say... could she be a police officer?"

Suit Man rubbed his chin with a finger, and after a long pause, replied, "Probably not. She gives me a fierce, highly aggressive feeling. Police officers shouldn't be like that."

Hat Man breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Heh," Suit Man looked Hat Man up and down, his tone playful. "As long as you choose to cooperate with me, it doesn't matter if she's a police officer or not." He leaned forward, the corner of his mouth curling to one side. "Because... I won't let her leave alive."

Suit Man crushed the cigarette butt in his hand and said coldly, "Just like those two idiots in 404."

"Achoo!"

Jiang Cheng sneezed heavily.

Fatty hugged his arms and asked with concern, "Doctor, are you catching a cold?"

Jiang Cheng shook his head and looked around. "No, I think someone's thinking of me again, silently expressing their longing from afar."

Fatty completely ignored the latter half of Jiang Cheng's sentence.

They had been wandering around the campus for a long time, from the cafeteria to the sports field on the far west, then took a different path back.

"Doctor," Fatty asked curiously, "Where are we actually going? I feel like you're just wandering aimlessly."

"That's right." To Fatty's surprise, Jiang Cheng readily admitted it. "I am indeed wandering aimlessly."

Fatty was stunned. He was increasingly confused about what this person was thinking.

"I've wandered enough," Jiang Cheng said, stopping in his tracks. He put his hand over his forehead to block the sun, briefly oriented himself, and then pointed down a path. "Let's go to the equipment room. We'll meet them there."

Everyone had agreed to meet in front of the equipment room at noon, a plan made early in the morning.

The journey was quite long, and Fatty's heart became restless again. He repeatedly glanced at Jiang Cheng, his lips moving as if he had something to ask but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"You want to ask who killed Qipao Woman?" Jiang Cheng said calmly.

His tone wasn't that of a typical question; he was as calm as if he were stating an established fact.

"Yes, yes," Fatty nodded repeatedly.

They had discussed this issue before, but it was interrupted by a sudden ringing of a bell.

"A ghost in the mission killed her," Jiang Cheng said.

"Of course I know a ghost killed her," Fatty said anxiously. "I mean..."

"I suspect it was Sleepwear Woman," Jiang Cheng stopped, turning to face Fatty. "She used Qipao Woman's fear of ghosts to drive her out of Room 407, which led to her death."

Although Fatty was surprised by Jiang Cheng's conclusion, he didn't doubt the statement itself.

He knew Jiang Cheng never joked about such matters.

"How did she do it?" Fatty suddenly became agitated. "How dare she, a newcomer?"

"I can't answer the first question for now," Jiang Cheng said. "But the second question, I think, is simple. She's not a newcomer. Everything we saw, including her fear, cowardice, screams, crying, and even the dinosaur pajamas she wore when she appeared – it was all a disguise."

" Suit Man's skill at managing his persona is clearly a notch below hers." He shrugged. "Compared to her, he's a complete idiot."

Fatty gradually calmed down. He thought carefully about Sleepwear Woman, but found no flaws in his memories. "Doctor," he looked up, "can you tell me your evidence?"

Thanks to brother 2459 and brother Demon Emperor for their tips! Thanks to brother 2459 for the monthly ticket~!