Chapter 302: Old Teaching Building

Luomanjie is a slum; decent cops won't go near here.

After Miles called the police, he waited nearly an hour before two bearded officers arrived slowly.

Both were seasoned veterans who had seen bizarre murders before, but never anything this bizarre.

The moment they saw the condition inside the basement of Room 210, they vomited.

One of the officers, who had eaten little for breakfast, was the first to stop gagging; he leaned against the wall, pointed inside, and asked:

"Can someone explain to me what happened?"

Miles gave a brief account of the events, as Wu Chang had told him to say.

The officer's cheek twitched several times, then pointed at Dip, the corpse lying furthest out among the compressed remains, and said:

"You mean this guy Dip brutally murdered dozens of people, stacked them in his room, and then got stuffed in there himself?"

Most of the dead inside were people of color, while outside stood a group of notorious White K members.

Compared to Miles' nonsense, he preferred to believe White K had executed these guys and turned the place into a cheap storage warehouse.

Miles seemed not to notice the officer's suspicion; he nodded calmly and said:

"The one who killed Dip was his own accomplices. We already have intel on them—if needed, we can hand them over to the police anytime."

In this cursed instance dungeon, the police possess overwhelming firepower; even players dare not offend them lightly.

Such a useful force, if not used against Lin Jiang, would be a waste.

The officer fell silent, realizing the man had dug deep into their background—clearly, he'd been watching them for a long time.

White K had targeted the person but held back, meaning the target was extremely dangerous; a rash attack would bring heavy losses.

Whether secretly observing, waiting for the target to act before calling the police, or framing them after murder, they were using the precinct as a weapon.

You gangster scum—you worry about losses and casualties, so you dump the trouble on us, is that it?

The officer smirked without smiling: "Well, thanks a lot for that."

Miles replied calmly: "As a citizen of Sigev City, this is what we're supposed to do."

The officer shook his head; this level of horrific murder was clearly beyond his rank to handle.

He was about to offer some vague excuse and head back to the station to offload the mess, when a flood of reporters with cameras surged toward the basement.

"You told the media?!"

No way—you guys are too cheap. You want to use the police, then use public pressure too? Think we have no pride?

Miles glanced helplessly at Wu Chang, then forced himself to say:

"We only wanted to mobilize society's strength to catch these killers and restore peace to Sigev City."

While the Sigev Police Department was drowning in the Luomanjie serial killings, Wu Chang's main body had already delivered Amber to Grace's house.

Grace lived in the wealthy district; no homeless people were visible around, and security was excellent.

Wu Chang dropped Amber off at Grace's, used Ning Xu Wei Shi to form a miniature drone, then activated his social anxiety and got into the new car he'd taken from Zhen Wo.

He originally thought elementary school girls together would at most watch movies at home, swing on the garden swing, or ride bikes to nearby parks—nothing more.

But he hadn't expected Grace to be far more restless than he imagined.

They'd only been inside for two hours, watched one movie, and chatted briefly about Xiao En when Grace grew restless.

She took Amber and knocked on the neighbor's door; a high school boy opened it—youthful face, curly hair, the classic bullied-nerd look—and when he saw Grace standing there, his expression turned visibly panicked.

Grace smiled and said: "Mark, we want to go out, but we need a driver."

Mark shook his head: "Last time we almost got caught by your folks—this time, no way."

Grace pulled out her phone, opened a video: Mark was using a telescope to spy on the bedroom of a girl across the street.

"Mark, you don't want Betty to see this video, right?"

Five minutes later, Grace and Amber were riding in Mark's used car, leaving her neighborhood.

Wu Chang followed in his car and discovered their destination was the docks.

Clearly, Mark and Grace had been here before.

They parked in a hidden spot, moved with practiced ease to the back of the White K warehouse, climbed in through a bathroom window, and began watching bare-knuckle fights.

Bare-knuckle fights were officially 18+, and the streaming channels for them were adult-only.

Since arriving, Grace had already committed: secret filming, coercion, fare evasion, and illegal viewing of adult content.

Hidden in the shadows, Wu Chang clicked his tongue in annoyance, wondering if Grace would corrupt Amber.

But all these acts were novel to Amber; she showed no resistance to Grace's plans—instead, she was excited.

Seeing this, Wu Chang decided not to intervene, treating it as a form of social practice for Amber.

Grace was obsessed with fighting; she watched until all three were starving, then left the same way they came.

On the way back, Grace extorted lunch from Mark.

After eating, they returned to the city; night had fallen.

Wu Chang's agreement with Amber was to be home before dark—he assumed the girls' day was over, but the car didn't head to Grace's house. It went to Knox Elementary.

Wu Chang shook his head; Grace's energy was unbelievable—was there another event?

At dusk, Knox Elementary glowed crimson under the setting sun, radiating an evil aura unseen during daylight.

Amber had already felt uneasy about Knox Elementary; now, seeing it, she wanted to turn back.

"Grace, it's getting dark. I promised Xiao En I'd be home before nightfall."

Mark, forced into driver duty, added:

"Grace, if you forgot something in class, I can bring you back tomorrow."

Grace waved her hand dismissively: "Besides, I'm timing this perfectly—coming tomorrow would be pointless. Amber, don't worry, it'll be quick, I guarantee you won't get scolded."

Seeing Grace was determined, Amber hesitated, then asked:

"Why did you specifically come back to school at this time?"

Grace stood tall, left hand on her hip, right finger pointing at the old classroom building sealed off by yellow tape.

"I'm going to explore there!"

Amber and Mark both felt a jolt in their chests.

Mark had also graduated from Knox Elementary, and naturally knew the rumors about the old classroom building—it had been a forbidden zone for students since he first enrolled.

He couldn't hold back longer than Amber: "You're insane! That's the old classroom building—ghosts really have haunted this place."

Amber's face darkened too; she stared at the yellow tape encircling the old building, recalling the terrible memory of Wu Chang and Erin nearly dying.

But Grace didn't care. "That's exactly why I want to come—aren't you curious whether ghosts truly exist in this world?"

Mark, who had just moments ago spoken of ghosts, now shook his head frantically: "I believe only in science."

Hearing Mark's words, Amber's expression flickered with hesitation.

She herself wanted to know: do humans truly have souls? Where do they go after death?

She thought of many people—those who had been kind to her—and wished they could enter heaven after death.

Grace unbuttoned the top button of her coat, pulled out a silver cross pendant from around her neck by its chain.

"Don't be afraid. If ghosts really exist, I can handle them with this. I stole—borrowed this cross from my grandfather."

"It's said to be an antique, blessed personally by at least three Popes. My grandfather wore it and was never struck by a single bullet, no matter how dangerous the battlefield. Ordinary spirits melt the moment they see it."

"Isn't it thrilling to imagine personally exorcising one?"

Wu Chang slapped his forehead—he knew it. With Grace's personality, she was here to court death.

Fine, court death if you must—but don't drag my Amber along.

He started to step forward and stop her, but froze when Grace pulled out the cross.

The instant the cross appeared, his Inner Space's Omniscience Crystal stirred.

The only possible explanation for the Omniscience Crystal's reaction: the cross contained the Primordial Spirit Pivot.

Shit, Young Lady—didn't know you were the real deal, and your goods are this pure. He desperately wanted to ask Grace: where the hell did Grandpa get this? Even a cross once used by Yego wouldn't have as much value as the one in Grace's hand.

Come to think of it, if Grace could activate the cross's power, ordinary monsters wouldn't stand a chance against them.

After careful thought, he decided to follow behind and observe first.

His instinct told him: the old classroom building was definitely problematic—and the problem targeted Amber.

After the Mirror Killer and the Fluorescent Fungus Cluster, he realized: Amber's inner demon could only be triggered by Amber herself—he and Erin couldn't detect or resolve it in advance.

Now, with the cross protecting them and him secretly trailing, this might be an opportunity.

It could draw out whatever was hidden in the old building—and simultaneously sever another fragment of Amber's inner demon.

As Wu Chang made his decision, Amber and Mark were already swayed by Grace; the three walked toward the old classroom building.

Wu Chang followed behind them, entering the old classroom building together.

The moment he stepped inside, he narrowed his eyes—this time, the vibe was right.

Inside the twilight-lit old classroom building, an ominous aura filled the air—not a smell you could describe, but merely breathing the air made one instinctively tense and uneasy.

!

When he and Erin had entered before, they'd never encountered this.

Passing a window along the corridor, Wu Chang glanced outside—and noticed a subtle discordance in the campus beyond: as if what he saw was merely a sticker, not the real campus.

While Amber and the others moved farther ahead, Wu Chang punched the glass. His body's 36-point strength didn't even crack it.

Just as with the Mirror World and the Fungus Carpet Space—the moment they stepped into the old classroom building, they entered a separate dimension.

Having confirmed the nature of the space, he chased after Amber and the others.

Grace's target was the rooftop. When the building materials had fallen, she'd heard a boy whisper mysteriously that he'd seen a blurred figure on the roof of the old building just two days prior.

He insisted the falling materials weren't an accident—they were the work of a ghost inside the building, aiming to harm anyone passing through.

Grace had come this time to check the rooftop: was there really a ghost? If so, she'd deal with it today.

Though her goal was the roof, she figured since they were here anyway, she wouldn't skip any floor.

For classrooms with open doors, she peered inside. For closed ones, she had to find a way to open them—and then walk through.

Abnormalities began from the second floor of the old building.

On the second floor, all classroom windows were open, revealing vine-like plants growing through them, climbing inward.

They had grown for who knew how long—dense vines completely obscured the blackboards at the front of the rooms.

Grace turned to Amber: "Do you remember these plants clinging to the outside of the old building?"

Amber shook her head: "Didn't notice."

Mark's face had turned pale. He shook his head: "I observed the old building before entering—I can swear I never saw anything like this."

Grace stepped toward the vines, pulled a folding knife from her pocket, and cut off a section.

The severed vine oozed pale red sap.

"Suspicious plant. Take it out and ask the teachers. Come on, next room."

After the three left, Wu Chang entered the classroom. He didn't know whether to admire Grace's boldness or call her simply clueless.

She'd touch something without knowing a thing about it.

The vines before him were clearly a conscious monster.

He reached out, grabbed the severed vine, and activated Deepwater Devourer, channeling it through the cut.

After a dozen seconds, he faintly heard a scream—the lush vines visibly withered and rotted before his eyes.

Wu Chang tore away the vines obscuring the blackboard, revealing a humanoid red wraith bound to it.

Had Grace not been protected by her cross, her action would have triggered the vines' attack—and dragged Amber and the others to join the wraith on the blackboard.

Let me see what this poor soul trapped in the old campus saw before death.

His gaze fixed on the humanoid wraith—it began struggling like a living person; faint, half-heard cries for help reached his ears.

"Help! Help!"

In a daze, he entered the obsession.

"Help! Help!"

He turned his head and found that the cry for help came from the computer in front of him.

The obsession's owner was watching a horror film, in which the two leads were exploring a haunted school and being hunted by a vicious ghost.

Just at the most critical moment, the classroom door was pushed open, and a girl wearing a sixth-grade school uniform walked in, saying in an unfriendly tone:

"Frank, you're secretly watching this stuff again, and on the school's audiovisual room computer too!"

The little boy called Frank was startled into a shiver; he turned his head and said in a pleading tone:

"Sister Amber, please don't tell my dad. I'll treat you to ice cream after school."

Following the little boy's voice, Wu Chang got a clear look at the girl who had walked into the multimedia audiovisual room.

The girl in the sixth-grade school uniform was indeed Amber.

The Amber in the obsession was somewhat different from the Amber Wu Chang was familiar with.

This Amber was taller, and more cheerful — even more cheerful than the current Amber who had already broken through two inner demons.

Amber gave a cold snort. "Uncle Hank guessed right. He knew you'd try to bribe me with food, so he treated me to ice cream twice in advance."

Frank held up three fingers and immediately upped the offer. "Three times! I'll treat you three times!"

Amber pouted. "Just this once. If I catch you again, I'll definitely tell Uncle Hank. Aunt Hannah said kids your age shouldn't be watching this stuff — it'll make you develop violent tendencies."

She glanced at the computer, looked at the screen full of blood plasma in disgust, and said: "I don't even know what's good about this, that gets you boys so obsessed."

Wu Chang watched Amber, recalling the two names she had just mentioned.

Hank. Hannah.

Those two names sounded familiar. When he had adopted Amber earlier, he had looked through her adoption records — Hank and Hannah were Amber's second adoptive family.

If that was the case, it made sense. The Amber of that time hadn't yet suffered the many blows that came later, so her state was definitely better than after she was shuffled through more than a dozen foster homes.

But the problem was, when Amber was adopted the second time, she was already in sixth grade?

He had looked through Amber's enrollment records — they only showed leaves of absence, no repeating a grade or being held back. And the Amber before him was clearly more mature than the Amber he currently knew.

Could it be that the Misfortune-Tangled instance was also a time-loop instance?

No.

These past days he had used True Self to investigate Amber's previous adoptive families — the grass on their graves was already taller than the headstones. If the loop were set during Amber's elementary school period, they shouldn't have died.

And according to the strategy guide Hou Jingchuan had given him, the Misfortune-Tangled instance's time moved forward linearly, and the time flow inside the instance was almost one-to-one with reality — time loops had never been mentioned.

What exactly had happened to Amber?

While he was thinking, the conversation between Frank and Amber continued.

Frank was defending his hobby:

"I don't like violence — I just like the tension and thrill that horror films bring. Lots of people watch horror films. Does that mean everyone will imitate the violent crimes in them?"

Amber had no intention of getting tangled up with Frank on this point. She shrugged and said:

"You don't need to explain it to me. I'm just carrying out the task Uncle Hank gave me."

Frank snorted in dissatisfaction, closed the player, and followed Amber out of the multimedia audiovisual room.

Walking down the corridor, the boy's gaze drifted to the window and he saw the old school building on campus.

His eyes widened, as if he had thought of something. "Sister Amber, if you agree to one thing for me, I'll never sneak-watching horror films again."

Amber was curious what could make the boy give up his hobby, and asked: "What is it?"

Frank said: "After school, come with me to explore the old school building!"

(End of chapter)