Translator: CinderTL
The other personalities had all retreated into the mirror world—the realm corresponding to the various Urban Legends associated with Jiangtan University.
As if sensing their confusion, Wang Qi slowly explained, "We can think of these Urban Legends as the shadows of Jiangtan University, or perhaps its mirror world."
"The library we just entered is the mirror world of the real library, which is why left and right are reversed," Wang Qi said, having visited the library during the day and discovered this secret.
"Yuan Xiaoyi's host personality hasn't disappeared," Jiang Cheng said after some thought. "It's merely suppressed by the Heart-Corroding Demon. As long as we can bring the other personalities out of the mirror world, we can awaken her host personality."
He added, "Any one of her personalities will do."
Though Fatty understood little of this, it didn't matter. As long as the Doctor understood, he'd follow his instructions without question. He couldn't go wrong that way.
Thinking of this, Fatty sighed. "It's a shame Xiaohui was probably hiding in the reading room earlier."
According to Yuan Xiaoyi, Xiaohui had not only been hiding in the reading room but had also been carrying the book with her. Now that the book had appeared, Xiaohui was likely...
Back in the dorm, everything was as usual, except the days were growing noticeably shorter.
Fatty, as always, was sound asleep, snoring contentedly. Huai Yi, on the other hand, seemed troubled, his gaze fixed on the window. It was already 9:30 in the morning, yet the sky outside was still dark.
The entire campus was eerily silent, as if they were the only living souls left.
Jiang Cheng walked over. "What are you thinking about?"
Huai Yi startled, his thoughts interrupted. But when he saw it was Jiang Cheng, his eyes wavered before he finally replied, "Nothing much. Just... this mission feels really strange."
"Spit it out," Jiang Cheng said. "Besides staring out the window, you've been sneaking glances at him several times. Why?" He tilted his chin towards Fatty, still asleep in his bed.
Huai Yi's gaze faltered. "I..."
As if realizing he couldn't avoid the truth, Huai Yi decided to be honest. He pursed his lips. "Brother Jiang," he said, raising his head to meet Jiang Cheng's eyes. "Are you sure Crimson only sent the two of you this time?"
Jiang Cheng neither confirmed nor denied, simply nodding. "Go on."
"Now that we've laid everything on the table, I'll be direct," Huai Yi straightened up. "Is that Wang Qi one of your people?"
"No," Jiang Cheng replied.
"Then did Crimson make some private deal with him?" Huai Yi pressed. "But you didn't tell me."
"No," Jiang Cheng repeated.
Huai Yi's gaze turned skeptical. "Really?"
Jiang Cheng nodded. "Really."
Huai Yi frowned, glancing at the sleeping Fatty as if something didn't make sense. After a moment, he muttered to himself, "That's strange."
Sensing Jiang Cheng's gaze, Huai Yi explained, his voice low, as if not wanting Fatty to hear. "Brother Jiang, there's something I've been wanting to tell you privately. Do you remember on the 4th Floor of the library, who was the first person the Ghost noticed?"
"Wang Qi," Jiang Cheng recalled. "I heard him throw his phone."
Huai Yi shook his head, a mysterious look on his face. "It wasn't Wang Qi. It was Brother Fugui. He was the first one the Ghost noticed."
"I was standing nearby and saw it clearly. The Ghost's footprints appeared closest to him, and I'm certain they were heading straight for Brother Fugui."
"But before I could warn him, someone threw a phone over. That's what lured the Ghost away." Huai Yi paused, then added cryptically, "The phone came from the History Section, and Wang Qi was the only one hiding there."
Huai Yi's logic was clear. If they weren't connected, why would Wang Qi risk his life to help a teammate he barely knew?
It didn't make sense.
Earlier, Jiang Cheng had noticed that Wang Qi seemed unusually attentive to Fatty, sometimes deliberately speaking clearly to ensure he understood.
Vague, fragmented images drifted through his mind, familiar yet elusive. Black and red colors intertwined before his eyes.
Amidst the chaos, he distinctly saw many faces. But when he leaned closer to get a better look, they suddenly shattered.
This wasn't the first time this had happened. He remembered Wang Qi once telling him that he seemed to have forgotten part of his memory. But Jiang Cheng himself was no different.
In a daze, he suddenly recalled something Wu had once said to him: that he and it were essentially the same, both pitiful creatures living in a world of lies and deception.
But it could help itself—help itself tear apart the world built on lies.
The prerequisite: it needed something.
And that something lay hidden deep within its memories.
"Brother Jiang!"
"Brother Jiang!"
With each low call, Jiang Cheng gradually regained his senses. Huai Yi was staring at him, his face etched with worry. "Brother Jiang, are you... are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jiang Cheng replied, simply feeling somewhat tired.
"Just now, you..."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng turned to Huai Yi, frowning. "What about just now?"
"You looked terrifying," Huai Yi swallowed hard, his eyes betraying a hint of fear. He gestured vaguely with his hand. "Your face was covered in bulging veins, and your blood vessels were all visible. But most importantly..." Huai Yi paused, lowering his voice. "Your eyes."
"Your eyes turned... blood red. Then you looked at me, but it wasn't you. It was... someone else."
"Brother Jiang," Huai Yi trembled. "There's another person inside you, isn't there?"
His lips moved, but he ultimately didn't dare speak. It seemed that uttering the creature's name would bring certain death.
Finally, he reached out and cautiously tapped Jiang Cheng's shadow on the ground.
Jiang Cheng immediately realized that the person Huai Yi was referring to was Wu!
Could it have been it just now?
After a long moment, Huai Yi cautiously leaned in and whispered, "Brother Jiang, is the Gate in your body about to break free?"
"What... what are you two talking about?"
A sudden voice interrupted their conversation. Fatty rubbed his eyes, clearly just waking up. "Hey, it's not even dawn yet. What time is it?"
Jiang Cheng shot Huai Yi a look, and the latter immediately fell silent, pretending nothing had happened. He greeted Fatty as if nothing were amiss.
Because the daylight hours had been compressed, the morning classes were also shortened to less than an hour, with a break in between.
Strangely, aside from their group, neither the students nor the teachers seemed to notice anything unusual.
After class, Jiang Cheng headed straight for the Small Woods, where Yuan Xiaoyi was waiting for him.
(End of the Chapter)
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