Cold spread through the air along the two outstretched water sleeves.
Ice crystals had already crept across the walls.
The scarlet opera costume fluttered forlornly, slowly advancing.
That mournful, sorrowful voice burrowed into Chen Ying's heart and lungs, like a pair of invisible hands churning wantonly through his organs.
Ugh...
A numbing sensation was rising from the soles of his feet.
"When did Tongwen Academy get something this foul?"
The Red Garment before him clearly belonged to some kind of ghost or evil entity.
If the school had already had anything like this, A-Jie should have warned him beforehand.
Wu Jie had given him no warning, which meant "it" was a newcomer.
The Red Garment advanced.
Chen Ying looked behind him. At the other end of the corridor, he could vaguely make out a similar red opera costume.
Both drew closer together.
Had even the dimensions of space become blurred?
It looked like he would have to confront this evil entity head-on immediately.
The scarlet opera costume gave Chen Ying no time at all. Its two long sleeves coiled toward him like venomous snakes.
In an instant, Chen Ying felt as though he had been submerged in a pool of cold, clammy water. The two drifting sleeves were like tangled waterweeds, intent on keeping him here as a guest forever.
What a sinister thing.
Yet Chen Ying's feet never stopped. Though enveloped in this cold-pool-like sinister energy, his body still retained its freedom of movement.
With a deft step, Chen Ying darted past the red opera costume before those two long sleeves could wrap around his neck.
Once he slipped past, the way ahead was clear, and he could already see the stairs.
Best to get away.
The red opera costume had no intention of tangling with Chen Ying. It merely made a token swipe before continuing forward.
The lilting operatic singing gradually faded into the distance.
Chen Ying looked down the stairwell.
Footsteps came from below.
"Search carefully, floor by floor. Don't let that pretty boy get away."
Yisheng's men? What timing.
Chen Ying had never expected a single trip to school to bring so many complications.
After a moment's thought, Chen Ying headed up the stairs.
Since these people were courting death, let them come.
"There are footsteps upstairs."
"Hurry, everyone."
The thug led a group of men running up the stairs.
The red opera costume advancing along the corridor seemed to sense something, but continued forward nonetheless.
Outside the teaching building.
The sky was dim, and the moon had yet to rise. Only a few clouds drifted overhead.
At roughly three or four stories above the ground, several white lanterns floated in midair. Green flames shone through their white coverings, bathing the building's facade in a ghastly green.
The white paper lanterns drifted up and down in midair like tropical fish confined in a tank. Every so often, a tongue of green flame leaked through the paper.
A squad of police officers in green uniforms already stood outside Tongwen Academy's gates, while others were busily setting up roadblocks at the far end of the entrance.
A middle-aged man wore a tan short-sleeved shirt. The lotus-leaf parcel in his left hand gave off a faint fragrance. He frowned slightly at the white lanterns floating in midair.
"Sir, an emergency has occurred at Tongwen Academy. Please leave the scene immediately."
An officer tried to stop him.
The man took his identification out of his pocket and showed it.
"I'm Senior Constable Feng Ting of the Criminal Investigation Department. What happened here?"
The officer promptly saluted upon seeing his identification.
"Sorry, sir. We were called here by the Emergency Management Department to carry out an assignment. As for the details..."
The man's heart sank.
The Emergency Management Department was a special department within the police force. It answered almost exclusively to the colonial authorities and had no overlapping duties with the other internal departments.
The police matters they handled were never merely "emergencies." That was only a label. They dealt with sinister incidents capable of immense destruction, or any sudden situation that directly affected the interests of the Hong Kong and Kowloon authorities.
The man continued forward.
Several more officers immediately came over to stop him.
"Sir..."
The man showed his identification.
"I'm a senior constable with the Criminal Investigation Department. Get out of my way."
"Sorry, lads. Go and see to your other duties. I'll explain things to Sir Feng."
Feng Ting turned. A Westerner wearing a tan trench coat stood a short distance behind him with his arms folded. His gray trousers were slightly stained. He was tall, with gray hair like a clump of tangled grass.
"Hello, Mr. Feng. I'm Mak Ho-lai of the Emergency Action Department."
A foreign devil.
The only ones all the officers recognized were their commissioner and the two deputy commissioners, all senior officers who worked behind desks.
"Are you the one in charge here?"
"You could say that."
"My daughter's inside. I'm taking her home."
"Your daughter is a student at Tongwen School?"
"Yes."
"School ended a long time ago. Why hasn't she gone home?"
"Is that any of your business?"
"No, but Sir Feng, you can't go in."
The Westerner named Mak Ho-lai lowered his head to look at him.
"Under the Police Force Ordinance, you must now follow my orders."
"You want to quote police regulations at me? Fine. I'll quit if I have to."
Feng Ting looked at the foreign devil before him.
"My only daughter is in there..."
"Sir Feng, don't be hasty."
Mak Ho-lai patted his shoulder. "I understand how you feel, but you need to understand that you're Sir Feng. I can still help you find your daughter later. If you announce your resignation now and become Mr. Feng, you'll be in breach of the Police Force Ordinance. Not only can I prosecute you afterward, I can also have you removed from the scene right now."
"More importantly, a squad of snipers transferred from the barracks is stationed on the surrounding high ground. Anyone who appears on the school grounds will be shot dead immediately."
Mak Ho-lai watched Feng Ting's hand move toward his pocket.
"Sir Feng, if you try to take me hostage now, they'll kill you immediately, and take me out along with you."
"In fact, they can shoot anyone here right now."
Feng Ting looked at the foreign devil before him. He could not tell whether the man was telling the truth. But after so many years in the police force, he knew how these foreign devils operated. An operation on this scale was anything but simple.
"Sir Feng, look at those lanterns. Don't they look a little goofy, a little cute?"
Mak Ho-lai pointed at the paper lanterns floating above the school.
"In the Imperial Southeast Asia Emergency Disaster Reference Manual, they're classified as Category C. Category C means controllable, but capable of devastating destruction if control is lost."
"Emergency C13, official codename: White Lantern. Six years ago in Malaya, they destroyed a small town with a population of over ten thousand. Only three people survived."
"At first, they merely float above buildings, wandering around. When someone appears, they approach and then collide with them."
"Collide?"
"They set the victim alight. According to observations, sixty percent of victims burn away completely, leaving no trace. There's a forty percent chance that the victim will turn into another White Lantern."
"So if left unchecked, the number of White Lanterns will keep increasing. Once their numbers reach a certain threshold, they'll start going indoors. That's when the massacre begins."
Feng Ting swallowed.
"Then my daughter..."
"Rest assured, White Lanterns won't go indoors until their numbers reach a certain level."
Mak Ho-lai continued, "Their habits are very strange. They like floating over a particular open area, looking for victims. If your daughter is reading inside a classroom right now, her survival rate is one hundred percent. I suggest you don't panic."
"Officer Mak, then we need to warn my daughter..."
"No. White Lanterns are extremely sensitive to sound. Any noise could draw them elsewhere. They're also distinctly territorial. They prefer gathering in an area defined by a single spatial concept."
"A spatial concept?"
"Yes. An entire school playing field, for instance, a particular road, or an alley. Unless their numbers increase to the point of overflowing, they rarely leave of their own accord."
"So our current situation is relatively good. They're gathered above this playing field. If they spread to the roads outside, we'll have trouble. Imagine them reaching the racecourse road. All of Hong Kong and Kowloon would be split in two."
"Hong Kong and Kowloon currently have a population of nearly four million. Mr. Feng, think about how much destruction they would cause if they spread from here. We could lose the entire city."
Mak Ho-lai gently patted Feng Ting's shoulder.
"That's why I ordered that anyone appearing on the playing field be shot dead. We absolutely cannot allow the White Lanterns to keep multiplying. We're responsible for all the residents of Hong Kong and Kowloon."
"But my daughter..."
"Sir Feng, you should be grateful. Grateful that you're not somewhere chaotic and backward like Lingnan, but a resident of a colony of the glorious Holy Alliance Empire. Beneath Her Majesty's radiance, we will resolve your problem."
Mak Ho-lai looked at the green-uniformed officer running toward them in the distance.
"I've already sent people to make warning signs. Your daughter has reasonably good eyesight, I hope? Sir Feng, have you considered transferring her to another school? Tongwen's backward education isn't suitable for her. If finances are an issue, I can help you apply for the Imperial Talent Programme."
Mak Ho-lai smiled like an old friend of Feng Ting's.
"This programme was established to help colonial residents who have made outstanding contributions to the empire. It includes a comprehensive package of educational grants and opportunities for admission to the empire's finest colleges."
Feng Ting looked at Mak Ho-lai beside him.
"Sir, I believe this is the first time we've..."
"Her Majesty's radiance embraces all things. The empire's rule reaches every corner."
Mak Ho-lai patted Feng Ting's shoulder once more.
"Pray to Her Majesty. Good luck to your daughter."
"But my daughter can't stay in there forever, can she?"
Feng Ting looked at Mak Ho-lai.
"For now, she can only remain inside the teaching building."
Mak Ho-lai's voice was as cold as steel.
Before you continue