The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 157: The Eleventh High School

Late at night, heavy clouds obscuring the moon.

Zzzzt, crackle!

Outside the school gate, the lone old street lamp standing by the road flickered quickly due to poor connection, attracting hovering moths. Under the flickering light, the old school gate was kept shut with a large rusty lock, above which was a sign that said, ‘No entrance.’

The words were written with red paint, smudged and smeared by the elements over the years.

On one side was the guardhouse. The broken glass window was covered with moldy wood planks, the lower half peeled by external force.

The four of them got closer and saw that the guardhouse was empty save for dust and spider webs, graffitis that covered the walls, and the empty packs of snacks and cigarette butts on the floor, most likely left by visitors.

They vaulted into the guardhouse through the window and walked through the inner door to the campus proper. Before them, a concrete path stretched toward the running track and the classroom building. There was no light inside, and the school was quiet and dim.

At the start of the path was a small flower bed taken over by weeds. By its side was a signboard, and three girls stood next to it.

Two of them were using their phones with their heads lowered, half of their faces illuminated by the light from the phone screens, while the other girl squatted by the flower bed, staring down at the game she was playing.

The three of them must be the college students Niu Xuan had invited.

“Good evening, seniors.”

Niu Xuan walked up to them with a frivolous smile, his hands shoved in his pockets.

The tall girl standing there lowered her phone and complained, “You’re late, Niu Xuan. We would’ve left if you showed up a little later.”

“Don’t be mad. We were slowed down by traffic.” Niu Xuan smiled apologetically and turned on his flashlight.

Gao Yang looked at the girl. She was dressed in a light vest and a pair of hotpants, revealing her alluring figure and tanned skin. Her look reflected her bolder nature with her big eyes, thick lips, and the large glinting earrings she wore.

“Let me introduce you.” Niu Xuan moved his flashlight as he introduced them. “This is Cucumber, Fat Hu, and Gao Yang. We’re in the same class. We came straight to join you on your adventure as soon as our mock exams ended. That should prove how much we want to be here, right?”

The bold girl gave each of them a onceover before her eyes lingered on Gao Yang’s face for a second, her irritation half gone. She put on a sweet smile. “Hello, boys.”

“Hello, senior.” Cucumber and Fat Hu responded with eager smiles.

Gao Yang nodded slightly.

Niu Xuan pointed at her and introduced, “She’s Zhou Jing. Just call her Sister Zhou.”

Then he pointed at the girl dressed in a Japanese highschool uniform with twin ponytails. “That’s Huan Huan.”

The last was the girl squatting by the flower bed. “And this is...”

“Orange, my roommate,” Zhou Jing explained. “Something urgent came up, and my friend couldn’t make it. I asked her to fill the spot.”

Gao Yang looked down at the girl nicknamed Orange. She was dressed in a loose overall with a puffy bob cut, her hands clutching her phone and her eyes blazing with heat as she focused on her game.

He felt a strong sense of deja vu.

“Orange, do you hear us?”

Zhou Jing lightly kicked her.

“Ah, hm?” Orange looked up to meet Gao Yang’s eyes. With a yelped ‘oh boy’, she jumped to her feet with her mouth agape. “Cap...”

Gao Yang cleared his throat.

“Oh, you know each other?” Zhou Jing was a little surprised. “Attagirl, I didn’t expect that from you! You’ve got a larger social circle than I thought!”

“No, no, no.” Orange—Can—quickly explained. “I, we...”

“We knew each other through mobile games.” Gao Yang smiled. “We’ve video chatted before.”

“Whoa, Gao Yang. You’ve been going around!” Niu Xuan was even more pleased. He had a strong feeling that he would soon become thick as thieves with Gao Yang.

“Alright, let’s go. I’m gonna get sucked dry by mosquitoes if we stay any longer.” Zhou Jing stomped with her long legs and turned to leave.

The others followed.

Gao Yang and Can fell to the back on purpose.

Can lowered her voice and said, “I was wondering why you looked so young, Captain Seven Shadow, but you’re actually a highschool student!”

“Ahem.” Gao Yang felt the image of a mature, dependable captain slipping from his grip. “This is a secret, Can.”

“Of course, of course. My lips are sealed.” Can blinked with a mischievous smile. “What prompted you to get involved in something like this, Captain? You must be busy.”

“This may be a Rune Cave. I came to investigate.” Gao Yang had come up with a story already. He asked Can in turn, “And why are you here?”

“I, I, I, I’ve come here for the same thing! I thought this place was suspicious, so I came to look into it...”

“Be honest with me,” Gao Yang didn’t hesitate to expose her.

Can chuckled awkwardly while rubbing her head. “My roommate dragged me here to fill the number. I didn’t want to come, but Sister Zhou said that she would join me in ranked matches in return...”

Gao Yang suppressed an exasperated sigh. Can, oh Can, you really never change.

...

The unassuming shaded path seemed more eerie than it looked like due to the urban legends surrounding it. The group started out in a light mood, chattering happily among themselves. But at some point, they started to huddle together with all their phones and flashlights on, and still they found the surroundings too dark.

Zhou Jing and Niu Xuan took the lead. They soon reached a worn-down five-storied structure among the classroom buildings.

“I heard that it’s one of the fifth-floor classrooms that’s haunted?”

“Yeah.” Zhou Jing nodded.

The seven of them walked into the main hall of the building and shone their flashlight around. It seemed like a regular high school, albeit old. In the corridor, there was an announcement board for the students on duty, and stuck on it were the students’ pictures, faded by the long years.

Niu Xuan pointed at one of the girls and said, “Sister Zhou, why did she look identical to you?”

“Gah!” Huan Huan, the timid one among the group, screamed.

Zhou Jing jumped as well. When she got a better look, though, she slapped Niu Xuan on the elbow. “How is she identical to me? I don’t look like that at all! Stop scaring people!”

“Haha.” Niu Xuan snickered. “It’s just a joke.”

“It’s not funny!” Huan Huan grabbed onto Zhou Jing’s hand timidly. “Let’s turn back. I told you I didn’t want to come.”

“You scaredy cat. I brought you here to make you braver.” She grabbed Huan Huan and led her to the staircase.

“Oh boy!” Orange was getting intimidated as well at the very back of the group.“Cap...Gao Yang, you have to protect me. Don’t leave me behind.”

Gao Yang shook his head with a sigh. You’re an awakener. Why are you scared? Shouldn’t you be more scared of monsters?

A few minutes later, they got up to the fifth floor and reached the classroom at the end of the corridor. The lock on the door was broken, leaving the door slightly ajar. On the door lintel was a sign that said, ‘Third year, second class.’

Creak.

Niu Xuan slowly opened the door and suddenly yelled with a scared look on his face, “There’s someone inside!”

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