Ruan Qing lowered his gaze, avoiding the eyes of the three
when they discovered him looking at them.
How many existences like them were there in the whole school?
Ruan Qing didn’t believe there were only these three. The
monster in the mirror might have been bewitching the students all along to
participate in this ritual.
Most importantly, because they were only replaced, no one
realized that the original students had long been dead. It’s likely that there
were quite a few students who were bewitched.
It was late at night and not easy to find a hotel, so the
group went directly to the Su family’s villa.
Although the butlers and maids were somewhat surprised by
Ruan Qing’s return in the middle of the night, they didn’t say anything and
respectfully arranged the accommodations for everyone.
Ruan Qing naturally went back to his own room.
The first thing he did upon entering the room was to cover
all the mirrors.
Just as he finished covering them, there was a knock on his
room door. The sound was very faint, and if one didn’t pay attention, they
probably wouldn’t even hear it.
Ruan Qing paused for a moment, then walked slowly to the door
and opened it.
It was Mo Ran, Xiao Shiyi, and the others, except for the
three who had been replaced.
Ruan Qing stepped aside, allowing everyone to enter.
The short-haired player who walked at the back glanced
outside, made sure that the three players were not present, and gently closed
the door.
Su Qing’s room was very spacious, with a TV, a sofa, and an
oversized bed.
The sofa was more than enough to accommodate these few
people, but the room was originally covered in luxurious carpeting and was very
clean. So everyone didn’t squeeze onto the sofa but found a place to sit
casually.
Ruan Qing didn’t want to squeeze with them either and sat
directly on the edge of his own bed.
Xiao Shiyi looked around at the covered mirrors and finally
turned to Ruan Qing, his face serious, and asked, “Brother Su, have you...
already encountered it?”
Ruan Qing knew what Xiao Shiyi was asking and nodded. “In the
restroom near the basketball court.”
“I went in with Brother Su at the beginning,” Mo Ran frowned,
seeming somewhat puzzled at how that happened.
Ruan Qing replied, “When the mirror broke, a piece fell
inside the cubicle I was in.”
Xiao Shiyi glared at Mo Ran, his usually composed eyes
showing a hint of anger. “If it was me, I wouldn’t make such a low-level
mistake.”
Mo Ran didn’t speak, his expression somewhat gloomy and
unclear.
The player with short hair looked puzzled and asked, “What
mirror?”
Xiao Shiyi spoke slowly, “There’s something wrong with the
mirrors in our school. Once you spend too much time alone in front of the
mirror, the reflection inside the mirror comes to life.”
“If that reflection finds an opportunity, it will kill the
original person and take their place.”
“Then the replaced person will start to bewitch other
classmates and make them participate in the ritual to receive blessings at
midnight.”
Xiao Shiyi looked at Ruan Qing. “This issue only occurs with
the mirrors in our school.”
Ruan Qing nodded in understanding and asked, “So, what
happened with you and Mo Ran?”
“The strength of the Mirror Person and the original person
isn’t significantly different. The Mirror Person can kill the original, and the
original can also kill the Mirror Person. As long as you kill your own Mirror
Person, you gain some abilities.”
Xiao Shiyi adjusted his glasses and continued, “Mo Ran and I
accidentally killed our own Mirror Persons.”
“However, it was also our first time participating in the
midnight ritual for blessings, and now it seems things are not that simple.”
Xiao Shiyi paused for a moment and said, “As a student of
Class 1-1, I’ve never noticed a mirror hidden at the back of the classroom.”
Ruan Qing understood. It would be difficult to hear any
slight differences during the noisy daytime, even if someone knocked on the
wall.
But if they went at night, it would be dangerous. Even if
they didn’t light a white candle, they would still be pulled into the world
inside the mirror.
Just like Pei Yan.
Ruan Qing vividly remembered that he didn’t light a white
candle, but he still participated in that test.
After waking up, they didn’t see a copy of those who had
failed the exam, which proved that, at least for now, they hadn’t died in the
world inside the mirror yet. He didn’t know if they would be able to come out
alive.
Ruan Qing hoped that they would be able to come out alive,
but he also knew that this hope was very slim.
If that powerful monster hadn’t come, maybe he could have
tried to plead with the teacher who favored him. However, that powerful monster
had even scared the teacher. If they stayed any longer, even those who scored
above the class average wouldn’t be safe.
So at that time, he tried asking the teacher if they could leave.
Unexpectedly, the teacher actually let them go.
It’s just that strand of hair... It felt somewhat ominous.
But at that point, Ruan Qing didn’t have a choice. Between a
strand of hair and his life, he could clearly distinguish which was more
important.
Now it seemed necessary to investigate what had happened in
Class 1-1 in the past.
Everyone present thought the same. Only by figuring out what
had happened originally would they have a chance to clear the instance.
Even Pei Yan had encountered trouble. If they really waited
until later, when that powerful ghost appeared, they would probably be wiped
out in this dungeon.
Ruan Qing pondered for a moment and looked up at Xiao Shiyi,
hesitating before speaking, “When did Su Zhiwei become the principal of the
school?”
Xiao Shiyi was taken aback for a moment. “Let me check.”
After saying that, he took out his phone, searching for
something.
“Seven years ago,” Xiao Shiyi put down his phone.
“But he didn’t just appear seven years ago. It seems like he
arrived ten years ago and was just an ordinary teacher at that time. He became
the principal three years later.”
“An ordinary teacher for three years?” Ruan Qing found it
somewhat unbelievable. After all, Su Zhiwei was from the Su family and was the
original owner’s nominal uncle.
How could someone from the Su family become an ordinary
teacher and remain as one for three years?
Moreover, with such a big problem occurring in the school,
Ruan Qing felt it was impossible for him to know nothing.
“Wait.” Ruan Qing paused for a moment after thinking of a
possibility. He took out his phone and typed in a question: ‘When did the First
High School become the best high school in the province?’
‘Seven years ago,’ came the reply.
Su Zhiwei became the principal seven years ago, and it
happened to be the same time when the First High School became the best high
school in the province. It was too coincidental.
This Su Zhiwei must have some issues.
Xiao Shiyi also realized that there was something wrong. He
hesitated and spoke, “As the principal, he might have the records of all the
past students. We can investigate what happened to them after they graduated.”
Let’s see what became of those people.
Ruan Qing wasn’t interested in knowing what became of those
people; he wanted to know what happened in the past.
But these two matters didn’t conflict with each other, so he
simply nodded.
There were too few clues, and not much could be deduced.
Moreover, after a night of tense nerves, everyone was exhausted.
However, no one suggested leaving to sleep.
Although strange things seemed to only happen within the
First High School, it didn’t mean that leaving the school would guarantee
safety.
It was already past five in the morning, and the sky was
gradually getting brighter.
Ruan Qing glanced upward slightly, gesturing toward the
closet with a hint of superiority. “There are blankets in there. Take one if
you need it.”
After saying that, he lay down on his own bed, covered
himself with the blanket, and no longer looked at the others.
Li Shuyang saw this and wanted to walk over to Ruan Qing’s
side, but Mo Ran, who wore a sinister smile, stopped him. Mo Ran lowered his
voice and said, “Classmate Li, it’s better not to disturb Brother Su’s rest,
don’t you think?”
Li Shuyang glanced at Ruan Qing, reluctantly nodded, and
entered the closet that Ruan Qing had indicated earlier. He then took a blanket
and went to the sofa, claiming the spot.
Xiao Shiyi and Mo Ran didn’t need blankets, but they also
entered the walked-in closet.
Other people glanced and followed suit to go in.
Although it wasn’t cold on this early summer night, the
previous chilling aura had penetrated their bones, and now they all felt cold.
It was as if they had been immersed in cold water all along,
their whole bodies devoid of any warmth.
However, just as they were about to enter the closet, several
blankets thrown casually by Mo Ran came crashing out.
The group didn’t say anything about the blankets and simply
found a corner, wrapping themselves in the blankets and went to rest.
When Xiao Shiyi was about to leave with a blanket in his
arms, Mo Ran held him back.
Xiao Shiyi turned to look at Mo Ran, “?”
Mo Ran silently opened his mouth.
—He’s behaving well tonight.
The teenager could only be well-behaved when he couldn’t rely
on his powerful background.
Xiao Shiyi didn’t answer; he just silently looked at Mo Ran.
Mo Ran revealed a peculiar smile.
—Do you want to cooperate?
Xiao Shiyi still didn’t speak, neither refusing nor seeming
to agree.
Mo Ran didn’t mind; after saying that, he left the closet
with the blanket and found a place to rest on his own.
***
Perhaps because they were no longer inside the First High
School, Ruan Qing slept straight through until it was broad daylight.
The group didn’t waste any time and returned to the school
after finishing their meal.
Today was Sunday, and they had evening self-study, but before
self-study, there weren’t many teachers in the school, including Principal Su
Zhiwei.
So, this was the best opportunity.
Everyone headed straight to the principal’s office, and as
expected, the office was locked.
This didn’t pose a challenge for Ruan Qing, but his character
set-up wouldn’t allow him to pick locks.
As for Mo Ran and Xiao Shiyi, they were capable of forcefully
breaking the lock, but not of picking it.
However, it was clear that forcefully breaking the lock was
not an option, as Su Zhiwei would definitely notice someone had entered his
office.
Fortunately, there was someone among the players who knew how
to pick locks. The short-haired player took a step forward, somehow produced a
wire from somewhere, and confidently inserted it into the keyhole.
And then... after struggling for a while, the lock still
wouldn’t open.
The others grew anxious. “Can’t you hurry up!?”
The short-haired player wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I
want to hurry too, but this lock seems to be custom made. I need some time.”
The short-haired player was focused on picking the lock and
didn’t notice that several people behind him were now frozen in place.
Someone tugged at his sleeve, but the short-haired player
thought they were urging him and impatiently replied, “Stop rushing me. I’ll be
able to open it soon.”
The next moment, a gentle voice like the wind sounded behind
him.
“This student, what are you doing?”
