Chapter 64: An Ominous Night
"We've arrived at Tiannan Drama Academy."
The taxi stopped in front of a spacious, grand school gate. The driver peeked at the still-illuminated campus, and though the lights were brilliant, he seemed uneasy about the 'story' Yu Guo had told.
Ji Li reached into his pocket, pulled out a hundred-yuan note, handed it over without asking for change, and stepped out of the car.
Before him stood a gate brimming with artistic flair, the academy's name written in sweeping, ornate characters above.
Even near midnight, the university remained lively. Students passed by, chatting and laughing as they brushed past Ji Li and Yu Guo.
Ji Li stood with his hands behind his back, gazing through the gate at the brightly lit buildings inside. Something about it made him suspicious. His first impression was that this place didn't feel haunted.
Yu Guo stood beside him, rubbing his stiff face, whispering: "In the past year, I've come here several times. The only victims I've found are A-Lian, the female teacher, and the administrative teacher. There may be others, but the ghost's overwhelming erasure ability leaves no trace."
Ji Li nodded, glancing at the passing students. "Perhaps because of that ghost's special power, even if everyone in this school were dead, it wouldn't cause a ripple."
To be honest, Ji Li hadn't initially expected Yu Guo's matter to be so troublesome. He considered both of them hotel staff for now; outside of active missions, other ghosts would hesitate to act against them.
Still, this was just his assumption—especially knowing the academy ghost was so powerful, he had no certainty.
He hadn't expected to fight the ghost here; the goal was simply to ease Yu Guo's mind. He had some idea why Yu Guo had come to him—because the hotel's voice had previously mentioned Ji Li might be hiding some ghostly power, leading Yu Guo to overestimate his ability.
As they stepped into the academy, Ji Li said quietly: "I don't have the strength to resist ghosts. If danger arises, we leave first. I'm not entirely in favor of coming here tonight, but I have a feeling this place will become a formal mission site eventually. Only then, with the hotel's rules, will living people have the right to confront them. For now, treat this as a way to release your fixation and prepare for a better future."
Yu Guo nodded silently; perhaps he had already prepared himself mentally before arriving.
"Then let's go to A-Lian's office. I feel that mirror will be key."
Passing through the gate, a sudden chill blew from behind, lifting Ji Li's hair and lightly scratching his neck.
'Something's following us… it's been tailing us for a while.', the third persona warned.
Ji Li didn't need the warning; he already knew where it had come from—the Republic-style street that had unsettled him earlier.
Frowning, hands in his coat pockets, he turned to look behind. Only a couple passed by, laughing together.
"It didn't follow us beyond the gate. It must fear something, unwilling to cross the boundary. Clearly, there is a ghost inside the academy, strong enough to intimidate others of its kind."
The cold wind made Ji Li's head ache; the longer he dealt with ghosts, the more inexplicable things seemed to appear.
"Do you feel something's wrong?"
Yu Guo followed Ji Li's gaze toward the gate. Passing students remained oblivious; only Ji Li and Yu Guo knew the truth of their surroundings.
Ji Li shook his head, inhaled deeply, and refocused, urging Yu Guo: "Tonight is ill-omened. We must move quickly."
An external ghost followed them; the academy's ghost likely remained vigilant. Ji Li couldn't be sure if it would strike tonight.
Yu Guo led the way, swiftly navigating the campus to locate A-Lian's former desk. Tonight's intent had shifted from investigating the truth to acting with caution, given the academy ghost's strength.
After a short dash, they arrived at a closed faculty building at the far end of the campus.
It was empty, without students or watchers.
"This is the teachers' office building. Everyone has left, and it's been locked for a while," Yu Guo explained, pulling pliers from his bag and approaching the door's lock.
Ji Li observed Yu Guo's practiced movements, realizing this wasn't the first time he had broken into this building.
Meanwhile, Ji Li stepped back slightly, surveying the surroundings carefully.
Around the building, dense trees grew thickly, with the academy's rear wall just behind it, separated from the back street by only a narrow line.
The wind rustled the leaves, yet Ji Li sensed that aside from the midnight chill, there was nothing familiar here—no trace of ghostly presence.
In other words, according to the heightened instincts of him and his third persona, this place held no ghosts.
Ji Li lowered his gaze, blinked, and began pacing as he asked, "Which floor is A-Lian's office on?"
"Thirteenth floor," Yu Guo replied without looking up, hastening his work on the lock.
Ji Li raised his head, scanning the row of windows on the thirteenth floor. Moonlight glimmered across the glass, casting a silver sheen, but he couldn't tell which window belonged to A-Lian.
As he watched, a sharp click sounded, followed by the rattle of chains.
Yu Guo, excited, removed the lock and pulled open the building's heavy door, waving urgently at Ji Li. "Let's go!"
Ji Li's gaze dropped from the windows to Yu Guo, and he began to move forward.
But then, as if realizing something, he stepped back abruptly.
He raised his head again, staring at the row of thirteenth-floor windows.
There were fifteen windows on this side, high above, along the skyline. Moonlight reflected off every pane, turning them bright silver.
Yet one window remained pitch black, as if even the ancient, unchanging moonlight itself would be swallowed there…
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