Chapter 51: Entering the Crematorium

Looking outside, the sky had indeed cleared. The ground was littered with bloodstains and severed limbs. Just then, Jiang Jiewei rushed out from a cluster of bushes with a group of people.

"Xiaofan!" Jiang Jiewei ran over, his face covered in blood. "We finally found you."

"Where were you all night?" Zhang Xiaofan looked behind him and saw that most of their classmates were with him.

"Huff... huff..." Jiang Jiewei panted heavily. "We spent the whole night running in circles. Occasionally, dead bodies would try to kill us, but we managed to cut them down. This village is too dangerous; we need to leave."

The other students chimed in, demanding to leave. Someone shouted, "Let’s get out of here! Coming here was a huge mistake."

"Exactly! We came here for nothing, and so many people died—more than even those who died from the 'Red Envelope Group' game."

"Brother Xiaofan, you were the one who led us here. Tell us, what are we supposed to do now?"

The speaker was a chubby boy in his senior year. Perhaps relying on his status as an upperclassman, he was usually quite arrogant in class. But tonight, their group had lost seven or eight people, and he himself had narrowly escaped being caught by a corpse wielding a sickle several times. Naturally, he harbored some resentment toward Zhang Xiaofan for suggesting the trip.

As he finished speaking, many other students cast dissatisfied glares at Zhang Xiaofan. It was clear that this ordeal had left them with deep resentment toward him.

"Alright, this trip wasn't entirely without gain," Su Qianqian interjected hurriedly. "We just encountered a ghost, and this ghost is connected to the Red Envelope Group we're playing. She died in the old staff dormitory years ago. If we start with her, we might find out why we're involved in this game."

Seeing the situation worsening, Jiang Jiewei added, "You heard her. The deaths of our classmates weren't meaningless; at the very least, we have a lead."

The students looked at each other in silence. Zhang Xiaofan said helplessly, "I will explain the details once we're back in the classroom."

"Fine then." The students shook their heads in frustration and began walking back the way they came.

Before long, just as they reached the bus, Murong Feng caught up with them from behind.

Zhang Xiaofan was stunned. He noticed that Murong Feng looked quite clean, with no signs of having been in any struggle.

He looked at his own group, almost all of whom were injured or bloodied, creating a sharp contrast with Murong Feng.

"Murong Feng, where were you last night? I didn't see you at all." Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but ask.

"There were too many corpses. I went into a room and stayed there until dawn," Murong Feng said, his expression blank.

"Dead-fish face," Zhang Xiaofan muttered to himself as he looked at Murong Feng.

After speaking, Murong Feng headed to the bus. The two drivers, who had been waiting for a long time, showed no surprise at the significantly reduced number of students. They nodded at Murong Feng and signaled for everyone to board.

As they boarded, Zhang Xiaofan did a headcount. More than twenty people were missing from this trip—a heavy toll indeed.

Sitting on the bus, Zhang Xiaofan felt a heavy heart. He knew that Su Qianqian’s explanation to the students was just a facade. He was well aware that not only had they made no progress, but he had also become entangled with a powerful, malicious ghost.

"Since that Li Ting was so confident in letting me return, she must have some way to control me. It's better not to play any tricks and just obediently finish this task for her."

As Zhang Xiaofan mused, he turned his head to look back at the Fallen Leaf Village. To his astonishment, he realized there was no village there at all. What stood in its place was a graveyard overgrown with weeds and piled high with fallen leaves.

Tombstones stood in rows, and small mounds burying the dead were everywhere, many of them unmarked.

"We didn't come to a village last night; we walked straight into a graveyard." Zhang Xiaofan felt a jolt of shock.

...

Back in the classroom, Zhang Xiaofan recounted what had happened. Murong Feng frowned and asked, "So, you're saying you have to go to that crematorium?"

The students looked at Zhang Xiaofan, who nodded. "That Li Ting is too powerful. She must have ways to deal with us, so I think it's best to follow her instructions."

Murong Feng nodded. "I know that crematorium. I've never heard of anything strange happening there, so it should be fine."

"Why don't we go with you?" Hu Xiaotian suggested.

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head. "Better not. There are still staff members working there, and if there are too many of us, it will be too conspicuous."

"But it's too dangerous for you to go alone," Lin Rou said.

"How about this: a few of us will go with you. That way, there will only be three or four of us, and we won't be easily spotted," Hu Xiaotian proposed.

Zhang Xiaofan finally nodded. "Alright then."

After some discussion, they decided to bring Jiang Jiewei, Zhou Jian, and Hu Xiaotian. These three were his most trusted friends in the class, and Zhang Xiaofan felt safer having them by his side.

After the discussion, Murong Feng said he had things to take care of and left on the bus, which was still waiting at the entrance. The rest of the students left in low spirits, saying they needed to go home and take a good shower. Most of them had been terrified by the ghost village and were clearly unwilling to get involved further.

Zhang Xiaofan returned to his dormitory alone. To his surprise, as soon as he entered, Qin Xiaoyu suddenly drifted out and greedily hovered over him, absorbing something.

"Brother Xiaofan, the place you went last night was so much fun. That ghost energy was delicious," Qin Xiaoyu said.

Ghost energy was the energy emitted by spirits, akin to mental strength. Zhang Xiaofan’s heart stirred. "You like eating this stuff that much?"

"Of course! If I hadn't been afraid of scaring the other students, I would have come out last night."

In truth, ever since Qin Xiaoyu lost her memory, Zhang Xiaofan had naturally viewed her as someone weak, treating her more like a pet.

Seeing now that Qin Xiaoyu could easily devour ghost energy and that it was useful for her, Zhang Xiaofan realized that having her by his side might actually be a good thing. She could help him in a critical moment.

He tied a string to the ancient mirror and wore it around his neck, keeping it close to his chest.

That night, after tidying up in his room and preparing his tools, Hu Xiaotian, Jiang Jiewei, and Zhou Jian returned. The four of them set off directly toward the crematorium.

The crematorium was an ominous place for everyone; no one would go there without a good reason.

It was a gathering place for the dead. Eighty percent of the city's corpses were transported there for final cremation. Those unclaimed by families were also sent there and stored in the morgue.

It was said that many unidentified corpses had been left in that morgue for over a decade, forgotten by the staff.

It was already late into the night.

The four of them stepped out of the taxi, and the driver didn't say a word before slamming on the gas and speeding away.