Gone

"Creak—"

The sound of a door being pushed open. It was the first stall.

Long Tao covered his mouth, daring not to make the slightest sound.

The restroom wasn't large, with only five stalls.

Each stall was short. If you stood on tiptoe, you could see into the next one.

He was hiding in the fourth stall.

Thump. Thump.

"Creak—"

"Creak—"

The second and third stall doors were pushed open one after another.

The eerie sound finally stopped outside his door.

Time stood still.

Just as Long Tao decided to rush out the moment that thing pushed his door open.

The door next to him suddenly creaked open. It was the innermost stall, its old hinges groaning with a teeth-grinding friction.

That thing actually gave up his stall.

Then, a few seconds later, the thump-thump sound rang out again.

That thing left the restroom, the eerie drumming fading into the distance.

It left?

It left?!

The feeling of surviving a disaster was indescribable.

Long Tao's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Half a minute later, he forced himself to stand up.

It had nothing to do with courage; he was just worried that thing might come back.

He pressed himself against the door, listening quietly for a while.

Then, he quietly pushed open his stall door.

The restroom was silent, empty.

Long Tao couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He quickly lowered his footsteps and walked towards the exit.

He only landed on his tiptoes, making almost no sound.

Closer.

Even closer.

Just as he was about to step out of the restroom, an absurd yet chilling premonition washed over him, making him shiver violently.

He had never felt this way before.

Almost instinctively, he looked behind him.

His neck turned bit by agonizing bit, like a rusted screw.

"Whoosh—"

It was empty behind him. Nothing there.

No one.

And certainly no grinning vengeful ghost as he'd imagined.

But just as he let out a sigh of relief and looked away, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the mirror above the sink.

The next second, he was struck as if by lightning.

The mirror in the men's restroom was dusty and cracked in one corner.

Spiderweb-like cracks covered most of the surface.

It was clearly abandoned.

But none of that mattered to Long Tao anymore. His pupils contracted sharply, his eye twitched violently, as if they would tear open at any moment.

Through the reflection in the mirror, he saw a pair of legs suspended above his head!

A cold, eerie wind blew from somewhere in the confined space. The legs actually swayed gently.

"Creak—"

"Creak—"

Long Tao trembled, his head mechanically tilting upwards. What met his gaze were a pair of scarlet, venomous eyes.

The eyes were hidden within thick black hair, like a soul-piercing knife.

Long Tao's mouth gaped open, but no sound escaped.

His mouth widened further, exceeding the normal human limit, his lips tearing and spraying bright red blood.

With a final "crack," everything fell silent.

A drop of blood splashed into his unseeing eyes.

Slowly, it bloomed like cinnabar.

"What's taking him so long?" Zhou Taifu looked back down the hallway, grumbling impatiently. "There's been no sound for ages."

After a moment, Zhang Yinyin replied, "Maybe the situation is quite bad." She paused, then muttered as if to herself, "But it has been a very long time."

The word "bad" gave Zhou Taifu a terrible premonition. He extinguished the cigarette between his fingers, his brow furrowed. For a fleeting moment, the hallway behind them seemed to deepen.

"How long has he been gone?"

"I don't know," Zhang Yinyin's voice was still frail. "But it must be over ten minutes."

Ten minutes.

Zhou Taifu's expression turned grim.

He bolted towards the music classroom.

Zhang Yinyin seemed startled by his movement and quickly asked, "Mr. Zhou, where are you going?"

"I'm going to get help," Zhou Taifu replied without looking back. "You stay here!"

"I-I don't dare." Zhang Yinyin also realized something was wrong and clung to Zhou Taifu's back like a small tail.

A strange atmosphere descended. The two walked faster and faster, one behind the other, eventually breaking into a run.

It was as if whoever was last would suffer some terrible fate.

The rehearsal had just ended, and Jiang Cheng and the others were packing up.

Zhou Taifu, accustomed to a life of ease, was already out of breath from the short run.

Finally, Zhang Yinyin explained the situation to everyone.

"You didn't go to check?" Luo Yi asked.

It was a rhetorical question.

After all, no one expected a ghost to appear in broad daylight, especially with so many people gathered here.

"Don't panic," Jiang Cheng stepped forward. "Nothing is confirmed yet."

Even though Jiang Cheng said this, he himself felt that Long Tao was likely in grave danger.

"Do you know where the restroom is?" Yu Wen asked.

"Yes."

At this moment, Zhou Taifu glanced towards the side of the chorus stage and said weakly, "Should we bring that woman along?"

He was referring to the woman in charge of liaison.

According to Zhou Taifu's thinking, they could send the woman in first.

If Long Tao was fine, that would be for the best. If something happened to him, they, being outside, would be safe.

"Heh." Zhen Jianren, who had remained silent, crossed his arms and sneered. "I advise you not to. It's best to avoid unnecessary complications in this world."

On this matter, Jiang Cheng, Yu Wen, and Zhen Jianren surprisingly reached a consensus.

After speaking, they quietly started walking towards the door.

Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, the liaison woman ran out and asked directly, "Where is your friend?"

Everyone fell silent in unison.

The woman's expression slowly changed, becoming increasingly anxious. Strands of her hair, dampened by sweat, stuck to her forehead and cheeks. "He didn't... something happened to him, did it?"

Hearing this, Yu Wen and the others' faces instantly changed. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Cheng suddenly interjected, "No, he's not feeling well and had to go back."

"Oh, oh." The woman's pale cheeks finally regained some color, as if a weight had been lifted.

Teams of students began to emerge. Among them, a female student wearing round-rimmed glasses, who looked like a cadre, scanned the area and her gaze finally settled on the woman. "Teacher Feng?"

The woman responded affirmatively and then explained to Jiang Cheng and the others that she had work to do and couldn't see them off.

Jiang Cheng nodded. "Alright, you be busy. We'll be heading back then."

"When is the next rehearsal?"

This question seemed to stump the woman. She thought for a moment and replied, "That will be decided after the school leadership reviews the playback."

After leaving, the group headed straight for the restroom where Long Tao had gone.

As they walked, their faces grew more and more grim. Even Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin, who had been there before, sensed that something was amiss.

Thanks to "Don't Be Shameless Yingyingying" and brother with the last four digits 6715 for the reward!