Wang Chuqing didn’t like Han Fei. To be accurate, no one at school like Han Fei. When they saw Han Fei appear at the backdoor of their classes, they frowned, but they didn’t want to be on the same level as a ‘person who was about to die.’
Han Fei used that and attended all the teachers’ classes. There were eight classes at school. The teacher of Class Six, Xu Hui, was killed. The teacher was Class Four was off work due to injuries. Of the remaining teachers, the person who grabbed Han Fei’s attention was the Teacher for Class Two, Yin Yan. This teacher appeared to have two personalities, one was hiding in the shadow, and the other was fiery like a flame. He was the other extreme of Gao Cheng. He was very popular at school. The headmaster liked him a lot and had been training him as a successor. Han Fei stayed the longest outside the door of Class Two. After Yin Yan discovered Han Fei, he didn’t chase him away but smiled at Han Fei and invited him into his classroom. Even though Han Fei was thick-skinned, he was not that thick-skinned.
To not interrupt his students, Han Fei walked around the school with his stool, trying to discover the secrets of the school. The time passed by quickly. When it was almost dark, a black modified car entered the school. Crow summoned all the teachers to hurry to the office.
The injured teacher of Class Four, Dan Yan, was hauled over from the infirmary too. To prevent a curse, he had to sacrifice his legs and one arm to escape from the Black Building. Of the seven teachers, he was the weakest other than Han Fei.
After everyone was in place, they stared at the chair at the end of the conference room. It was the headmaster’s seat. The chilly presence spread in the office. There was no footstep, but the conference door suddenly opened. A middle-aged man whose left side of his face was ruined walked into the room. There were many smelly wounds on his body.
“Headmaster, have you decided the route and the location of the exam this time?” Crow stood up to hold the headmaster pull back the chair. Other than respect, there was fear in his eyes.
“It has been decided. Time for the draw.” When the headmaster spoke, his mouth appeared to tear open. His wounds had been sewn together. Without the threads, he would look scarier and uglier.
The headmaster removed his black hat and took the center seat. He took out eight envelopes. “There’s a little problem with the exam this time…”
“You mean how Xu Hui was killed?” Crow immediately said, “I’ve already sent people to investigate it. We’ll get the result latest by the week.”
“It has nothing to do with him.” The headmaster shook his head. He placed the eight envelopes inside a black box and placed the box on the table. “Two classes are going to the Black Building this exam.”
“Two classes?” The teachers were shocked. The Black Buildings were very dangerous even for the teachers.
“I’ve tried to negotiate, but…” The headmaster pointed at the box. “Start the draw. At least you have a choice.”
The teachers looked at each other. No one moved forward. This simple draw would decide the fate of their students and themselves.
“What are you waiting for?” The headmaster said darkly. He didn’t like those who went against him.
“Fine, I’ll go first.” Dan Yan had nothing to do. He had the doctor carry him to the black box and reach out his one hand. “My class only has five kids. If I draw the Black Building, I need another class to go with me.”
The test affected everyone’s fate. Even the fearless Yan Lan was nervous. She was not afraid of death, but she didn’t want to sacrifice her students. Dan Yan pulled out an envelope. He opened the envelope before everyone. It had a bloodred bamboo stick.
“Red Building! It’s a Red Building!” Dan Yan sighed and leaned on the doctor. Dan Yan finally smiled. “I’m sorry for stealing one spot for the Red Building.”
“There are dangers in Red Buildings too. Don’t get happy to soon.” Ma Jing chided. His gaze was scary. His knuckles cracked.
“Don’t fight. End the draw before dark.” The headmaster observed the teacher in the conference room, especially their expression. He scanned everything until he settled on Han Fei. Gao Cheng looked different from before but he couldn’t tell where.
“I’ll be next.” Yin Yan stood up. He was very calm but his slightly pulsing pupils still revealed his nervous heart. Black Building was the code for death. Yin Yan took an envelope and opened it. It was a red bamboo stick too.
“Cheng Xing Kindergarten in Zone B1. That’s one of the easier Red Buildings.” Yin Yan looked at the words on the stick.
There were two black sticks among the remaining envelopes. The other teachers were nervous and didn’t dare to do anything crazy. Since no one moved, Han Fei stood up, but before he could go for the black, Wang Chuqing moved first. His hand reached into the box. He paused for a long time before he took out the envelope. From the surface, this envelope looked just like the others. The trembling hands tore open the envelope. A pure black stick fell on the table. The small bamboo stick was written with vicious words. The cursed presence spread immediately.
“Black Building of Zone C3—Xin Lu’s Third Mental Hospital!”
The scar on Wang Chuqing’s face started to twist. He didn’t even have the energy to pick up the stick.
“Pick your stick and return to your seat.” The headmaster hated Wang Chuqing. The hatred in his tone was unfettered, “Think about why you’ve stayed to be a teacher. Look at yourself now!”
Wang Chuqing slowly picked up the black bamboo stick. He returned to his seat. His hand that held the stick burst with veins. When the other teachers saw that Wang Chuqing had gotten the black stick, they were happy and worried. There was another black stick.
Compared to the other teachers, Han Fei was more relaxed. He didn’t hesitate. He picked up a random envelope. Everyone stared at Han Fei as he tore open the envelope. The pure white bamboo stick fell on the table. Han Fei was shocked. His luck in the cryptic world was always good. The blessing Fu Yi gave him appeared to follow him. “White Building in Zone C3—Good Friend Supermarket.” They had locations in the same zone but Han Fei and Wang Chuqing’s choices couldn’t be more different.
Han Fei felt chill. The teachers looked at him with daggers. Wang Chuqing even wanted to kill him.
“Crow, can we swap the draw result?”
“No. Sit down.” The headmaster knocked on the table. He glanced at Han Fei. “Gao Cheng, what is your mental corruption now?”
“39. Headmaster, I need ghost blood. If you have some, I can pay any price to get it from you.” Han Fei used Masterful Acting.
“Mental corruption will make you crazy, but too much ghost blood will kill you.” The headmaster ignored Han Fei and turned to the other teacher. The draw continued. Each envelope was an invitation from the ghosts. They couldn’t be changed after drawn. A few seconds later, the last black bamboo stick was chosen by Ma Jing, the Teacher of Class Three.
“The draw is over. In the next two days, you need to train your students. Try to raise their survivability.” The headmaster put his hat back on. “Don’t do anything under the table. I don’t want any more problems.” After the headmaster left, the room temperature slowly returned to normal.
Ma Jing slammed the table. His glasses screamed. The image of two hanged students appeared. “1/4 chance. Why am I so unlucky?”
“Due to Xu Hui’s death, I’ll lead Class Six. Go back to prepare.” Crow took the Red bamboo stick for Class Six and left. Now, only a few teachers remained.
“Actually, I wish to trade, but the headmaster doesn’t allow it.” Han Fei leaned on the chair. He twirled the white stick. He was close to hinting to the other teachers that he would make the trade outside of the school.
“Yes. You’re about to die soon. Why do you have to get the most useful thing?” Wang Chuqing’s expression was dark. He was in no mood for joke.
“We’re all in Zone C3. I can go help you.” Han Fei put the white stick in his pocket and returned to Class 7.
“Everyone, quiet down.” Han Fei placed the white stick on the table and explained the situation to everyone. Then, Han Fei walked to the seat of No. 2. “What do you think we should do to get the biggest benefit?”
“The bamboo sticks don’t matter. Our biggest enemy now is not Black Buildings but the school.” No. 2 sat at his seat but the words he said were cruel. “I suggest you use the white stick to trade for things that you normally can’t like reputation.”
“Who do you think I should approach?”
“The people who need the white bamboo stick now are Teacher Wang and Teacher Ma. They cannot be more different. When your demand is higher than what Teacher Ma is willing to offer, he will kill you, so Teacher Wang is the better choice.” No. 2 closed his book. “Teacher, actually, you know what to do. You don’t need to ask me. If you attempt to use this to get close to us, you can save it because it won’t work.”
“That’s right. You’re acting like a child.” No. 4 was even ruder. “Plus, you got this due to luck.”
“You bunch of kids. One day, I get you to respect me.” Han Fei didn’t get mad. From the conversation, he sensed that the kids stop resisting him as much. Even No. 4 talked to him. Han Fei ended the class early and returned to his apartment. When it was dark, he left the school. That night, he planned to go to Shi Wei Eatery to find ghost blood.
“Wang Chuqing told me the location to find the ghost blood. If I’m not mistaken, he should be there to wait for me.” It was dangerous to go out at night. Han Fei put on the cap and focused.
After the big tragedy, Xin Lu was split into 12 zones. The most dangerous was Zone A, where there were the most Black Buildings, Strange Buildings, and was closest to the school. After using two hours, Han Fei finally entered Zone A. There was no sign of human life anywhere.
“Cryptic world? Is this the result of the overlap?”
Han Fei had already used the coin twice to reach this place. Now his mental corruption was 32.
“Shadows appear in my eyes again. I need to get there as soon as possible.” Han Fei put away the map and looked down the street. The skyscrapers weaved to form a human cage. Neon didn’t flicker in the night. Instead, there were ghost fires and eyes of unknown creatures.
