Chapter Twenty-Three: Mysterious Power

Rather than listen to Li Zijian drone on about games by my ear, I might as well close my eyes and rest for a while.

I've also noticed something else: it feels as if my class has been abandoned. Though teachers still come in to teach every day, they arrive in a rush, leave us homework, and then hurry off. The two classes have long since lost their former vigor and liveliness.

Not long after, as expected, a message from the Ghost King arrived.

“How’s your break, students? Ready to play another game?”

After another round of nauseating, fake concern, the Ghost King announced the rules.

“Now, please come forward and draw an identity card.”

As those words fell, a large chest magically appeared in front of the podium.

“Once everyone has received their card, you may go home. Remember, you must not show your card to anyone. You will need it for the next games.”

The Ghost King was acting rather strangely today, and the game seemed unusually simple.

There was nothing to be done; no one dared to disobey. As soon as one person stepped forward, everyone else surged forward as well.

I was among the last to draw my card. The students who went before me eyed us as if we were their enemies, a murderous glint in their gazes.

I glanced at my card and found the word "Hunter" written on it.

Could it be another one of those hunter games, the ones where we turn on each other? And this time, with both classes participating, that would make eighty-six people in all.

I put the card away and was the first to leave the classroom. After all, the Ghost King had said we could go home—there was no need for me to linger in that lifeless classroom.

At the stairwell, I saw a familiar figure waiting for me.

“Have you been all right these past days, Chen Chen?”

Sure enough, it was the reticent Chen Chen.

“Not bad. Where did you go?” As always, Chen Chen was direct and to the point.

He was one of my few true friends, so I didn't hide anything. I told him everything that had happened these past two days, glossing over only the part about the old man in black robes.

Chen Chen listened, dumbfounded, finding it all quite unbelievable.

We chatted as we walked, and when we reached the school gate, he pulled me aside into a corner.

“I called you a few days ago because I was planning to check out Toothless Village myself. I didn't expect you'd already been there—and from the looks of it, it was dangerous.”

I was a little surprised. So Chen Chen had also discovered that mysterious village.

But when I left, it was already gone.

Chen Chen hesitated, looking troubled.

“I asked several fortune-tellers, and every one of them said that the one controlling us now isn’t the real Ghost King. In other words, ‘Ghost King’ is just a title or a code name.”

I’d already heard something like this, so I wasn't too surprised.

“In any case, we have to survive the next game first.”

I nodded, lost in thought.

By now, everyone else had left the school. Then, an old man in a black robe walked out from inside. His attire reminded me of Old Man Hongshan, but he wasn’t him—he had no spiritual aura, just an ordinary person. Still, I felt something was off.

Chen Chen noticed my unease.

“He’s the new dorm manager the school hired. No one knows his real name, just that his surname is Qian.”

I signaled to Chen Chen with my eyes, and he naturally agreed to follow. We trailed after the old man.

The old man seemed very familiar with the area, always taking deserted paths.

We followed him left and right, winding through turns until we reached an empty park.

By this point, Chen Chen and I were already a bit tired, but the old man walked on at a steady pace, hands behind his back. This only made me more certain he was no ordinary person.

I wanted to approach and greet him, but to my surprise, he turned around on his own, as if he’d known all along that we were following.

“Can I help you?” His voice was hoarse yet steady. Until now, I hadn’t seen his face, but as he turned, I noticed that apart from some wrinkles and a hunched back, he looked unexpectedly young.

“Grandpa, may I ask—” I began, but he waved his hand at me.

“I know nothing,” he said, and turned away to continue walking.

Chen Chen and I exchanged a glance. Clearly, the old man was not going to tell us anything.

Helpless, we started retracing our steps.

“The cemetery behind the school...” I heard a voice and paused, turning to look, but the old man had already vanished from sight.

“The cemetery behind the school? I remember there’s only a forest back there... How could there be a cemetery?” Chen Chen, ever calm, was already pondering the old man's words as I was still lost in thought.

We walked and discussed as we went, finally agreeing to check it out tonight.

At the crossroads, we parted ways, and I made it home without incident.

Inside the empty house, I thought of my absent parents and grew even more anxious. On a whim, I tried calling them again.

“Beep... beep... beep...” Over thirty seconds passed without an answer. I was just about to hang up when suddenly, the call connected!

Ecstatic, I called out, “Mom!”

The signal was still bad on the other end.

“Son, your dad and I may not be back for a while... Take care of yourself... There’s a bank card in the nightstand drawer... The password is your birthday... If you’re in danger, go find your second uncle...”

With that, the call ended.

Though I couldn't understand why my mother always hung up after saying only a few words, at least it proved they were safe for now. That brought at least a little comfort to my battered spirit.

After sitting in silence for a while, I got up and went into my parents’ bedroom. Since they’d been away, I had never gone in there before. When I opened the door, I found a thick layer of dust, as if no one had set foot in there for years.

I opened the nightstand drawer and, sure enough, found a dusty bank card tucked in the back. I put it away and left the room.

After a bowl of instant noodles, I glanced at the time. It was still early, so I lay down and took a proper nap—the first good sleep I’d had in days, and it was deeply satisfying.

...

I hadn’t expected to have that strange dream again.

With the experience of previous nights, this time I simply stayed still in the dream, letting that mysterious force control me.

Slowly, I saw my parents again. This time, they actually turned to look at me. Both of them smiled gently, and then gradually transformed into an invisible power that surged into my body...