Horror Movie Set: This extra is too good at playing the tricks.

Chapter 29 The Skin, Hope

A sharp crack came from the wall in the corridor, followed by a dull thud as something heavy fell to the ground, and the floor beneath our feet trembled.

In the corridor of the dormitory building in the Otherworld, Lu Dan stopped dragging his feet and looked up at the dust constantly falling from above. This commotion didn't sound like a simple fight.

"It looks like there's a lot of fighting over there."

Lu Dan glanced at his left arm, which was dangling at his side like a noodle, and then touched the broken ribs, feeling a sharp pain.

Reason quickly prevailed.

Curiosity killed the cat, especially a disabled cat.

Since there's a lot of commotion over there, it means the hatred is all there, which is the perfect opportunity for him, a mere bystander, to take advantage of the chaos.

He dragged his injured body away from the direction from which the tremor came, and limped to the door of room 501 in the boys' dormitory.

The door was ajar, and a strong smell of blood wafted out from the crack.

Pushing open the door, the first thing that catches the eye is three human skins hanging on the bed frame. They are more shriveled than those in the hall, as if all the moisture has been squeezed out, and they tinkle gently in the cold wind like wind chimes.

There was a large pool of black blood on the balcony, glistening in the moonlight.

Lu Dan's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on a bed. There sat a dark figure, unlike the menacing monsters outside, this figure was curled up in a small ball, hugging its knees, its whole body trembling violently.

Lu Dan did not immediately step forward; the shadow on his left ankle stirred slightly, as if he were ready to suddenly attack and hurt someone at any moment.

He raised his right hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Knock knock."

The black image seemed to have been electrocuted, and it suddenly raised its head.

It was a blurry face, the features as if half of them had been erased by an eraser, and only the outline of the boy could be vaguely discerned.

It's Li Mu.

Upon seeing Lu Dan, the shadowy figure's fear intensified, and he desperately shrank into the corner of the bed, making meaningless hissing sounds.

Lu Dan kept in mind the rule that he was not allowed to talk to students. He stood still, pointed to the security guard badge on his chest, then pointed to the door, then slowly raised his hand and made a "shh" gesture. Finally, he pointed to his heart and gave a thumbs up.

Li Mu stared at Lu Dan for several seconds, his gaze falling on Lu Dan's tattered and blood-stained uniform. Suddenly, a strange light flashed in his originally cloudy eyes.

He stopped trembling and stumbled to his feet, his voice hoarse and hurried: "Security...uncle? Right!"

He reached out and grabbed at the air, as if confirming something: "I'm over there. I've heard them mention you, and I've dreamt about you! You are the variable, you are the only hope!"

Lu Dan raised an eyebrow, pondering to himself.

The fact that someone from the outside world could suddenly enter this place suggests that their very existence is a key node connecting the two worlds.

Li Mu didn't give Lu Dan time to think; his body began to turn transparent, like a wisp of smoke about to dissipate.

"No time... the bell's about to ring!"

Li Mu shook his head frantically and pointed downstairs: "Go to the first floor! Go to the dormitory manager's office! That's the only safe place, hurry!"

Before the words were finished, the black image, like ashes scattered by the wind, vanished into thin air in an instant.

……

The world outside, the dormitory lobby.

Lin Xiaoxiao and Bao Ping hadn't even had time to recover from their shock.

"Ring ring—"

A sharp, piercing electric bell suddenly rang out, so loud it seemed to shatter eardrums.

The entire dormitory building instantly came to life. The once deathly silent floors were filled with a cacophony of footsteps and doors opening. The sleeping students were awakened, and countless malicious gazes were cast towards the first-floor lobby.

The old dormitory supervisor, who had been kicked into the wall, let out a roar.

He crawled out of the ruins, no longer maintaining his human form. His entire body split open from the middle, like a man-eating flower blooming, transforming into a gigantic mouth covered with ring-shaped sharp teeth.

"Bad students...must be eaten...must be digested..."

The old dormitory supervisor landed on all fours, like a giant toad, and with a sudden kick of his hind legs, pounced on the three of them.

That's incredibly fast!

Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhang Kai, who were standing in front, didn't even realize what was happening.

Bao Ping, who had always been timid and hesitant, suddenly unleashed a surprising display of ferocity. He forcefully shoved Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhang Kai aside.

"Click—"

The sound of sharp teeth snapping together is terrifying.

Although Bao Ping avoided having his head swallowed whole, the giant mouth grazed his cheek and bit down.

"ah--"

Bao Ping let out a scream, clutching his right ear and rolling to the ground, blood gushing from between his fingers. His right ear, along with a large chunk of scalp, had been bitten off.

The giant mouth chewed on flesh and blood, making gurgling sounds, and its greedy eyes locked onto the three people on the ground once again.

......

Boys' dormitory 501.

Li Mu, who was lying on the bed, suddenly began to convulse violently.

Something inside his body seemed to be expanding violently, and cracks appeared on his skin, revealing bright red muscles underneath.

This "good student" facade is being forcibly stretched open.

"Ahhhhh!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils no longer filled with numbness, but with a sense of determination and madness.

He sprang out of bed, ignoring the cracking skin on his body, and burst through the door.

Li Mu rushed into room 304 of the girls' dormitory, grabbed the still-sleeping Su Ke, tucked her under his left arm, and sprinted down the stairs.

With each step he took, a piece of his skin peeled off, as if he were undergoing a bloody metamorphosis.

First floor lobby.

The giant mouth opened again, this time aimed at Bao Ping, who was lying on the ground unable to move.

"You fatso, you're so chubby..."

At the critical moment.

A red figure leaped down the stairs.

It was Li Mu, who had turned into a blood-soaked man.

He shielded Su Ke behind him, raised his right arm, which had completely lost its skin, exposing muscle and bone, and thrust it straight into the giant mouth.

"Eat! I'll let you eat!"

Li Mu roared, the muscles on his right arm writhing wildly, transforming into countless blood-red tentacles that desperately held back his closing jaws.

The old dormitory supervisor's sharp teeth bit into Li Mu's bone, making an unpleasant sound.

"Run to the dormitory manager's office, he can't get in there!" Li Mu turned around and shouted at Lin Xiaoxiao and the other two.

He was no longer human; his skin had completely peeled off, turning him into a blood-soaked monster. But the light in his eyes was clearer than ever before—the kind of look that belonged to the boy three years ago who wanted to be a scientist and save his friends.

"Let's go!" Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed Bao Ping from the ground and pulled Zhang Kai, who was still in a daze, toward the tightly closed small door on the right side of the hall—the dormitory manager's duty room.

Li Mu let out a bloodcurdling scream, and with a sudden burst of strength in his right arm, he actually managed to fling the dormitory supervisor away. Then, enveloped in a gust of bloody wind, he carried Su Ke, pushed the crowd, and crashed into the dormitory supervisor's office at the last second.

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut.

A frantic banging sound came from outside the door, followed by the dorm supervisor's furious roar: "Open the door! We haven't finished checking the rooms yet! Open the door!"

The impact lasted for several minutes before gradually subsiding.

Through the peephole, Lin Xiaoxiao saw the monster linger at the door for a few moments before finally transforming back into a hunched old man, picking up the chain ball from the ground, and cursing as it walked out of the dormitory building.

The dormitory room was deathly silent. Everyone collapsed to the floor, panting heavily.

In the corner of the room, a blood-red figure sat against the wall, still tightly protecting the unharmed Su Ke in his arms.

Blood flowed down his body onto the floor, forming a winding stream.

Li Mu raised his skinless face, twitched his muscles, and revealed an extremely ugly, yet truly his own, smile: "Hey, we're safe."