bookbashuk Chapter 15 Campfire
Chapter 15 Campfire
The iron gate leading to the rooftop looked like the gaping mouth of a dead man.
Lu Dan stayed close to the wall, not rushing out to become a hero.
In horror stories, heroes usually die during the opening credits, while bystanders often die from curiosity. Only the unlucky ones who have neither curiosity nor the obligation to work survive to the end.
He peeked out and, by the dim moonlight, saw the true nature of the bonfire party.
A pile of dilapidated desks and chairs was haphazardly stacked in the center of the rooftop, where a raging fire broke out.
In the very center of the desk and chair, Zhang Kai, who calls himself a model student, is kneeling on it.
This kid is something else. His table leg with the nail is bent, his school uniform is torn to shreds, and he's covered in blood, but he still guards this high point like a wild dog protecting its food.
Five "students" were gathered around the pile of tables and chairs.
These things were clearly a level above the monsters being punished downstairs; they held burning human arms in their hands and emitted indistinct growls.
They have no facial features, only a gaping mouth that repeats the words "Kill him" and "Dirty thing".
The five monsters tried to climb onto the table while uttering indistinct whispers.
Whenever they extended their dark claws, Zhang Kai would shout and knock them down with a stick.
"Come on, if you've got the guts, come up and fight me one-on-one! A bunch of useless cowards who only know how to rely on numbers!" Zhang Kai wiped the blood from his face. "I'm the national fighting champion! Even if you have teeth, I'm not afraid!"
He's certainly passionate, but not very bright.
Lu Dan sighed. The encirclement of the five monsters was constantly shrinking. They didn't seem afraid of Zhang Kai; they were just enjoying the thrill of cornering their prey.
If we don't do something, this kid will turn into real roast meat in less than three minutes.
But Lu Dan cannot make a move.
He's a security guard, not a fighter. If he rushes in for hand-to-hand combat, he might violate his security guard persona and be eliminated on the spot by the system. He must use the rules to defeat the rules.
Lu Dan touched the patrol log in his pocket and then glanced at the flashlight in his hand.
Perhaps in this twisted school, the security guards still represent order. Even though this order has long since collapsed, it still exerts a deeply ingrained oppressive force on these monsters imprisoned within their student identities.
Lu Dan straightened his collar, adjusted his crooked hat, took a deep breath, and walked out of the shadows with heavy steps.
The flashlight was turned on, and the beam swayed.
The noisy roars stopped instantly. The monsters that were about to pounce froze, all looking at him. Even Zhang Kai above was stunned.
"Uncle, are you here to die? Run!"
Lu Dan ignored him, expressionless as he pulled out his patrol log from his pocket and then a pen.
The sound of the pen nib slicing across the paper was particularly jarring on the quiet rooftop.
Lu Dan pointed his flashlight at the first monster, the beam lingered on it for a few seconds, and then shone on the other monsters around him.
He glanced at his watch with feigned seriousness, his brow furrowed, and then forcefully tapped the time column twice with the tip of his pen, tearing the paper.
The leading monster let out an unintelligible growl from its throat, and the bone torch in its hand trembled, sending sparks falling to the ground.
Lu Dan didn't give them time to think. He slammed the notebook shut with a loud "bang." Then he made a gesture.
"Go to sleep now and don't cause me any trouble." That was his unspoken message.
The silence lasted for two seconds. The monsters had wanted to tear the pretentious security guard in front of them to pieces, but the fear of the rules made them hesitate.
The servility cultivated over countless years stems from an instinctive fear of authority.
Finally, the leading monster dropped the torch in its hand, let out a resentful hiss, and turned to disappear into the dark stairwell.
The remaining four exchanged glances, their previously arrogant demeanor instantly deflated, and they scurried away like elementary school students caught doing something wrong.
"Holy crap, that works!" Zhang Kai jumped down from the pile of desks, dumbfounded. "Was that a major demerit technique you just used? That was so cool!"
Lu Dan ignored the loudmouth; his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
If even one of those monsters had managed to think straight, or if one of them had been a troublemaker, he would probably be close to death by now.
He quickly wrote a line in his journal.
[Building A rooftop, everything is normal.]
......
......
Almost simultaneously, the iron gate to the rooftop on the other side was smashed open, and Lin Xiaoxiao and Bao Ping rushed onto the rooftop.
"Where are they? Didn't the announcement say there was a bonfire party?"
Bao Ping held up a large adjustable wrench, looking as nervous as a startled rabbit.
The scene was a mess. Abandoned desks and chairs were scattered all over the ground, emitting a burnt smell; some had broken legs, and some had been split open.
Several black oil stains and a few unburnt bones remained on the ground.
Bao Ping squatted down and touched the black ash on the ground, his face ashen: "It's still warm, someone must have been here just now."
He picked up his camera and took a few photos.
Lin Xiaoxiao didn't speak, her gaze falling on the center of the rooftop, where a perfectly intact white sheet of paper lay quietly next to a puddle of oil, appearing particularly out of place.
She walked quickly over and picked up the piece of paper, which looked like it had been torn from some old-fashioned notebook; the paper was yellowed and the edges were rough.
"Teacher Lin, call security!" Bao Ping pulled out his phone and frantically pressed the buttons. "This school must have been invaded by a madman. How come there are bones here?"
Lin Xiaoxiao tried taking out her phone and dialing the security office. After a few beeps of white noise, the call was not connected.
"What's this?" Bao Ping came closer and looked at the paper in Lin Xiaoxiao's hand.
Ink slowly seeped from the previously blank page, revealing the words: "Building A rooftop, all is normal."
"Normal my ass!" Bao Ping cursed. "This mess is normal? Is the person who wrote this blind?"
Lin Xiaoxiao's pupils trembled slightly as an extremely absurd yet logical conjecture exploded in her mind.
"Master Bao, I just remembered that a student in the office has an appointment for a consultation, so I have to go back now."
Lin Xiaoxiao clutched the paper tightly in her hand, then turned and left.
"Hey, are you leaving already? Are you just going to leave the scene like that?" Bao Ping called out from behind, but Lin Xiaoxiao had already disappeared into the stairwell.
Back in that falsely cozy counseling room, Lin Xiaoxiao closed the door, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.
If it's as she suspected... she has to verify it first.
"Knock, knock knock"—the knocking sounded again.
"Please come in." Lin Xiaoxiao's voice trembled slightly.
The door opened, and this time a very ordinary-looking boy entered. He had his head down, a gloomy expression, and was clutching the hem of his clothes in his hand.
"Teacher, I feel like someone is watching me lately," the boy said softly.
According to the procedure, Lin Xiaoxiao should have taken out a new consultation record form, but she didn't. Instead, she spread the yellowed old paper that she had picked up from the rooftop, which had "Everything is normal" written on it, on the table and picked up a pen.
"Excuse me, what's your name?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.
My name is Li Mu.
She took a deep breath, her pen touching the paper. Below "Everything is normal," she started a new line and wrote in tiny print: [Student: Li Mu. Symptoms: Feeling of being watched. Location: End of 1st floor, counseling room]
The ink on the paper flickered the moment I finished writing.
......
Just as Zhang Kai was being led towards Building B, Lu Dan was leaning against the wall smoking.
Suddenly, a burning sensation shot through his chest. He pulled out his patrol log, which he kept close to his body. On the page that had only recorded patrol records, it was as if an invisible hand was writing, and a line of neat handwriting slowly appeared: [Visiting Student: Li Mu. Symptoms: Feeling of being watched. Location: First floor, far end, counseling room.]
Lu Dan glanced at the check-in area at the end of the corridor.
In his field of vision, dark red blood was seeping out of that place.
A huge, gray gecko, only half its body, was perched on the wall, its eyes fixed on the white wall.
Feeling like being watched?
That's not an illusion.