Riding in Bai Ru's car, Kuang Feifan couldn't stop gazing towards the main gate of Fuxing Middle School across the street. Principal Hao had insisted on accompanying them on their nighttime investigation of the campus, but Bai Ru had firmly refused. Firstly, the principal was already quite old, and the loss of one student and the disappearance of another had already taken a significant toll on his spirit; he was hardly suited for more stimulating experiences. Secondly, managing Kuang Feifan, an utter novice, was already headache enough for Bai Ru, so adding Principal Hao to the mix was unnecessary.

Bai Ru had only asked the principal to sketch a rough floor plan of the campus, driven him home after, and then proceeded to the school entrance. However, she parked the car on the opposite side of the road, showing no immediate desire to enter the school grounds.

“When do we go in?” Kuang Feifan asked, utterly bewildered.

Bai Ru checked her watch. “No rush. Let’s try to synchronize with the time the students entered the school last night.”

Kuang Feifan questioned with a puzzled look, “Preparing for a case reenactment?”

Bai Ru smiled faintly. “You could say that.”

Kuang Feifan frowned in thought. “The thing is, last night was the fifteenth of the lunar month; today is the sixteenth. Does it still count?”

Bai Ru shrugged slightly. “We’ll find out once we’re inside. I’ve been thinking that the time referenced in horror legends is the full moon night of the fifteenth. As the old saying goes, ‘The fifteenth isn't full, the sixteenth is,’ so the full moon night isn't limited to just the fifteenth. I'm just taking a chance on our luck. If it weren't for the urgent need to find that missing student, we should first investigate the school’s history, tracing back all the unusual circumstances from the earliest student fatality. But time is pressing now, so we have to take it one step at a time.”

Kuang Feifan let out an "Oh," saying, “I see. That explains why you asked the principal for the computer password. It seems if we had the time, you were planning to look through the school archives.”

Bai Ru glanced at her watch: eight-thirty PM. She pushed the car door open. Kuang Feifan immediately got out from the other side, stretched his arms and legs, and asked, “What now, operation time?”

Bai Ru smiled faintly. “Not yet. There are still a few things to retrieve.”

Saying this, she retrieved two small backpack-style travel bags from the trunk and handed one to Kuang Feifan. “Put this on.”

Kuang Feifan took it and asked while slinging it over his shoulder, “What’s in here?”

“Some tools. Oh, right, you’re still wearing the talisman I gave you, aren’t you?”

“Of course, wearing it tight,” Kuang Feifan patted his chest.

The two walked up to the main gate of Fuxing Middle School and peered into the campus through the electric sliding doors. It was dead quiet; not a single figure was visible. Although it was just past eight in the evening, there was no evening self-study session, and the students didn't need to board, while the faculty dormitories were not built on campus. Consequently, around seven-thirty every evening, almost all the school's teaching buildings went dark, with only a few streetlights providing illumination, vaguely outlining the campus scene in a dim, hazy light.

Kuang Feifan looked up. Tonight was cloudy again, moonless and starless, just a vast, gray sky. The bright street next to the school contrasted sharply with the gloom inside the campus, instantly stirring a nameless sense of unease in their hearts.

Strangely, Principal Hao had explicitly mentioned there should be a guard on duty in the gatehouse tonight, yet after standing outside for a good while, the two hadn't even spotted a cat.

However, this didn't stop them. School gates were mere formalities for students, let alone for the two of them. At least, before knowing Bai Ru's other identity, Kuang Feifan had witnessed her extraordinary skills. He had once teased her, claiming she must have been quite a wild girl in her childhood, surely accustomed to climbing trees to steal bird nests.

A few steps inside the gate, one could see the half-body bronze statue. If Principal Hao’s description was accurate, the statue’s eyes should have been slightly closed. But now, they clearly saw that the statue’s eyes—indeed—were slightly closed.

“Either the students were mistaken, or perhaps the ghost is taking a night off tonight,” Kuang Feifan remarked casually, circling the statue twice.

Bai Ru remained silent. She could feel the intense, chilling aura emanating from the statue. Kuang Feifan had already lost interest in the statue by this point. He jogged over to the brightly lit guardhouse nearby, peered through the glass window, then hurried back to Bai Ru. “The guardhouse is empty.”

Bai Ru considered this for a moment. “Let’s head straight to that teaching building.”

Kuang Feifan asked, “You think the missing student is still in that building?”

“Possibly. This whole thing is strange,” Bai Ru frowned, deep in thought.

“Strange?” Kuang Feifan followed her, still questioning. Suddenly, a wave of coldness brushed past the back of his neck. He instinctively looked back, but there was nothing there.

They had already passed the half-body statue, their backs to it, and thus failed to notice that the statue’s eyes had shifted from slightly closed to fully open. The pupils, formed by deeply carved black holes, were now flickering with a bizarre, cold light.

Kuang Feifan, unaware of the change behind him, continued his inquiry. “What’s strange?”

Bai Ru glanced briefly backward but kept walking, following the route indicated on the floor plan toward the Second Teaching Building, answering as they moved. “What I find strange is that the hauntings are in the teaching building, far from this statue. Why would that horror legend link these two locations?”

Kuang Feifan didn’t quite grasp it. “You mean the ghost shouldn't appear in different places?”

Bai Ru shook her head. “We don’t know yet what sequence of events connected these two locations. A ghost won't appear without reason; there must be a cause, but we simply don't have the time to investigate that cause right now.”

Kuang Feifan waved his hand dismissively. “If it were me, I’d order them to tear that statue down and make a new one, just to stop it from scaring people.”

Bai Ru chuckled lightly. “That’s an option, but your solution only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.”

The darkened and locked teaching buildings possessed an eerie and terrifying atmosphere. The black doorway resembled an open mouth, seemingly ready to devour anything it could—including people.

The tree-lined paths leading to the various teaching buildings, which looked vibrant and green during the day, turned into deep shadows at night. The trees and large flower beds flanking the paths became indistinct masses of black silhouettes. A slight breeze rustled the leaves, sounding like countless figures dancing, making the scene look exceptionally sinister and frightening.

Kuang Feifan didn't consider himself a timid person before, but his experience in the 'Ghost Building' had subtly altered his mentality. While he wasn't yet prone to seeing enemies in every rustle of the grass or shadow of the trees, any sudden movement caused all his senses to tense up, and the feeling of unease in his heart intensified.

Bai Ru, on the other hand, appeared completely composed. In most hauntings she had encountered, the issue was usually rooted in suspicion, paranoia, or human manipulation. True, malevolent spirits were rare, and in most cases, ghosts were far easier to handle than people.

Of course, some vengeful spirits were indeed terrifying.

Noticing Kuang Feifan nervously scanning his surroundings, Bai Ru knew his psychological trauma from previous experiences hadn't fully healed. She didn't mock his fear. Compared to those who believed in ghosts from childhood, people who never believed in the supernatural often suffer a much greater shock when they actually encounter one—sometimes leading to complete mental collapse. For Kuang Feifan to escape that situation intact was already quite an achievement.

Bai Ru gently reached out and linked her arm through his, leaning subtly closer. Kuang Feifan immediately felt the chaotic state of his nerves, heightened by tension, quickly settling down upon physical contact. Feeling Bai Ru’s warmth and inhaling the faint, delicate fragrance she carried, Kuang Feifan suddenly experienced a sensation reminiscent of their dating days. Looking around again, the tree shadows and flower shadows along the path vanished, the chilling atmosphere instantly dissipating, replaced instead by a serene and tranquil ambiance.

The two walked forward quietly like this. Kuang Feifan refrained from asking any more questions, savoring this moment of tranquility. Prying into ghost-related matters right now would truly spoil the mood.

Bai Ru, however, was not idle. With one hand linked through Kuang Feifan’s arm, her other hand slowly scattered a fine powder, a mixture of gray and white, along the path as they walked.

They stopped when they reached the front of the Second Teaching Building. Gazing at the pitch-black structure, Kuang Feifan took a deep breath. Bai Ru released his arm and said to him seriously, “This is not the time to force bravery. If you feel afraid, stay outside. Don't come in with me.”

Kuang Feifan puffed out his chest, a faint smile touching his lips, and replied earnestly, “I know. I admit I’m a little scared inside, but I don’t want to retreat now. I want to go ghost-hunting with you. If I bail now before anything truly scary happens, I’d be useless.”

Hearing his firm resolve, Bai Ru rolled her eyes with exasperation. “Male chauvinism.”

Kuang Feifan chuckled sheepishly, tacitly agreeing.

“Stay right behind me, and don’t get separated, understand?” Bai Ru cautioned.

Approaching the building’s entrance, she pushed the tightly shut door, which opened easily.

Kuang Feifan whispered softly, “Looks like I was wrong. The ghost isn't taking a holiday today.”

The teaching building’s main door should have been locked long ago.

Bai Ru pushed the door open and stepped inside, remarking casually, “I certainly wasn't hoping it would take a holiday, or else we’d have made this trip for nothing?”

Kuang Feifan teased, “Come on, I’m ready to watch the show: the beautiful Celestial Master battling fierce ghosts and evil spirits.” Saying this, the two continued forward. Kuang Feifan reached for the light switch on the wall, flipping it twice, but the fluorescent tubes on the ceiling remained unlit.

“Great, no power again. Looks like the ghost has its own rules; they cut the electricity before coming out. Too bad for us; we have to fumble in the dark,” Kuang Feifan complained, trying to keep his tone light, though his heart rate involuntarily quickened.

The power company had no scheduled maintenance work in this area tonight.

Bai Ru moved behind Kuang Feifan and reached into the travel bag on his back, pulling out a large LED flashlight. She switched it on, and the brilliant beam immediately illuminated the surroundings clearly for both of them.

“Wow, prepared, I see,” Kuang Feifan sighed, looking at the flashlight in her hand.

“Of course. You take one from my bag too,” Bai Ru had naturally come prepared.

With a flashlight each, the pair walked toward the staircase just ahead of the lobby that led to the second floor.

Aided by the flashlight beams, they stepped onto the stairs. Kuang Feifan unconsciously began counting under his breath.

“One, two, three… ten, eleven, twelve… thirteen…”