Chapter 195: Genius Kindergarten (Part 8)

Chapter 195: Genius Kindergarten (Part 8)

"Zhang?" Jie Fangcheng repeated the surname.

In that instant, Jie Fangcheng did indeed think of someone.

Logic told him it was impossible. Zheng Daoan was initially made up of soul fragments of malevolent spirits. After his soul was shattered, those fragments that should have dissipated over time were suddenly annihilated, making it impossible for Jie Fangcheng to piece him back together again.

But this high schooler surnamed "Zhang," with that gaze and that demeanor, evoked an inexplicably familiar feeling.

Jie Fangcheng's first impression of Zheng Daoan was precisely like that: outwardly refined and gentlemanly, with an inscrutable depth and countless unspoken implications in every word. Less astute people, like Nie Shuangshuang, might even be insulted by him without realizing it.

Yet Zheng Daoan was indeed dead.

The high schooler named Zhang met Jie Fangcheng's gaze, didn't say much, and stood up after exchanging pleasantries with the teacher. One hand naturally lifted Jie Fangcheng's backpack while the other extended, like a gentle older neighbor, to take Jie's hand.

Jie Fangcheng snapped out of his reverie.

After all, the guy had come to pick him up and help with his bag; Jie wasn't about to punch him now.

However, the act of "holding an adult's hand" seemed a bit too forward for Jie Fangcheng.

With his hands in his pockets, he maintained a cool posture that made the teacher NPC frown once more.

"Jie Fangcheng behaved very poorly at school today! Just look at him now, disrespectful to both teachers and parents! Please speak to his father when you get home. Make sure to discipline him properly so he realizes his mistakes; otherwise, he will never learn!"

The high schooler named Zhang simply nodded with a smile, saying little.

With his hands still in his pockets, Jie Fangcheng led the way, occasionally looking back to make sure Zhang was following.

The two walked in silence to the school gate, where Zhang wheeled out a bicycle.

"Shall I lift you up?"

Jie Fangcheng: "..."

Using one hand for support, Jie decisively climbed onto the back seat of the bicycle himself.

This 'cool' performance earned him a small smile from the high schooler, who remained silent.

The bicycle hit the road, winding through turns and quickly reaching its destination.

It was an old, run-down residential area with several dilapidated four-story buildings, their years evident from their appearance. Wires hung between the buildings, holding wet bedsheets that obscured much of the setting sun.

The ground was uneven, pockmarked here and there. Although it hadn't rained, someone had sloppily thrown water outside, making the ground dirty.

The smell in the air was also unpleasant. Having served as a Hell Guard for so long, Jie Fangcheng had seen his share of terrible living conditions. He showed no change in expression and followed this helpful high school neighbor upstairs.

The third floor.

The bloody hues of the setting sun seeped in through a broken stairway window.

The high schooler suddenly stopped walking.

Just as Jie Fangcheng was wondering which room might be his "home," the consistently gentle high schooler seemed to remember something and turned to crouch down.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you. Your father might not come home tonight. He left your house keys with me."

With that said, he took a set of keys from his bag and handed them to Jie Fangcheng, his smile betraying no flaws.

"Here, you do remember which room is yours, don't you?"

He was testing the waters.

Jie Fangcheng wasn't one for overthinking, but he had figured it out during their walk.

Because this kid had turned south upon exiting the school gate, even though the residential area was to the east.

He took a circuitous route through the city, stretching what should have been a five-minute journey into seven minutes.

Now he produced this extensive set of keys. They were standing at the bend in the stairwell; how could Jie Fangcheng know which room was supposed to be his "home"?

Not knowing didn't really matter. Jie Fangcheng didn't play along, making it difficult for anyone to probe further.

"I don't know."

He didn't even take the keys.

With so many keys on the ring, he'd have to try each one, an obvious hassle.

The person probing him seemed taken aback by Jie Fangcheng's response. The high schooler paused, then laughed, as if nothing had happened.

"True, you're quite young. It's normal not to remember your own home."

With that, he pocketed the set of keys and proceeded to walk ahead.

The fourth floor.

The pair finally stopped in front of an apartment door. The high schooler named Zhang quickly found the correct key from the ring.

"Click," the door opened.

A chilly atmosphere flowed from within the room, causing Jie Fangcheng to involuntarily furrow his brow.

Such heavy yin energy.

This place was clearly unsuitable for the living; anyone staying here for just a couple of days would fall sick from the concentrated yin energy.

The light from the setting sun seemed unable to penetrate the room, which was shrouded in darkness from the doorway's perspective.

Jie Fangcheng didn't find it particularly bothersome. As he was about to step into the room, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Somewhat puzzled, Jie Fangcheng turned his head.

The high schooler who had been gauging him spoke, a suggestive tone coloring his words: "Your father is busy with work and might not come home tonight. You're quite young; how about staying with some other relatives temporarily?"

Jie Fangcheng paused.

From the moment this person appeared, he had been testing the waters. Jie Fangcheng hadn't concealed anything, so this individual must have already realized that there was something off about him.

Now, something was clearly amiss with this "home." Although he didn't know how the other party had figured it out, they were aware of his peculiar nature. And yet, they had held back, probably due to his current childlike persona.

Jie Fangcheng felt another wave of inexplicable déjà vu.

These covert tactics, combined with an outward appearance of harmless intentions, felt eerily familiar.

Jie Fangcheng thought for a moment, then shook his head with a candor that could make a smart person bleed: "I don't know any of his relatives."

“……”

Finally, the grip on his wrist loosened.

To push further would be to pierce the thinly veiled pretense that now hung almost transparently between them.

The other party didn't attempt to dissuade him any longer, only giving a slight nod before turning and walking away.

Jie Fangcheng unceremoniously entered this "home."

Half a minute later, he emerged with a scowl.

A bit of yin energy in the house was no big deal, as was its dilapidated condition; Jie Fangcheng had stayed in worse places. But it didn't have to stink so bad, did it?!

A nauseating mix of alcohol and vomit filled the air, tainted with a faint, indescribable stench of decay.

Jie Fangcheng would rather sleep on the street.

Standing at the doorway and pondering briefly, he quickly thought of an alternative.

Just because he couldn't stay in this "home" didn't mean he couldn't stay in someone else's.

Before school ended, he had left some ghostly energy on Zhan Xiaoming's shoulder.

Feeling that energy now, Jie Fangcheng found it wasn't too far away. So, he simply descended the stairs and headed in Zhan Xiaoming's direction.

Not long after his departure, the door on the third floor opened. The high schooler surnamed Zhang walked out first, chatting amicably with the people behind him.

A couple was seeing him off, continuously thanking him.

"Oh, you've been such a help! Ever since you started tutoring, our child's grades have soared! And you're so busy with school, yet you still come over to check on his homework. Qi Qi, come say goodbye to your Brother Zhang."

The couple's tone suggested a small, naïve child, but the "child" named Qi Qi who stepped out was a burly figure standing at 1.8 meters, with greasy hair plastered to his scalp, dressed in the same high school uniform.

"Thanks, Brother Zhang."

As Qi Qi spoke, he winked at Zhang from an angle hidden from his parents' view.

"Zhang Si Quan" smiled back. His seemingly gentle disposition had won over even the most difficult couple. Their son, who had initially resisted the idea of having a tutor, now eagerly awaited his mentor's daily visits.

In Qi Qi's eyes, this "older brother" who was just a year older than him truly understood him inside and out.

With his help, Guan Qi was following his advice step by step to capture the heart of the little girl.

It's coming soon! Her birthday is in just a couple of days, and he has already received an invitation!

That day would be the moment he would succeed!

Just thinking about his goal filled Guan Qi's face with an eerie excitement.

Soon, "Zhang Si Quan" bid farewell to the family of three and quickly vanished from their sight.

After Zhang Si Quan had left, Guan Qi heard his parents discussing.

"Are we sure Zhang Si Quan is trustworthy? I always find him a bit peculiar. With how smart he is and how well he performs in school, how could he possibly have failed to get into college?"

"Didn't he explain? He got nervous during the college entrance exam. Plus, you already had someone verify that he did indeed attend high school in another city last year, and his identity is legitimate. If you're still worried, now that Qi Qi's grades are so good, it wouldn't really matter if he—"

"No way!" Guan Qi hastily interjected. "I'm just starting to enjoy learning, and I really need him! If you guys don't let him come anymore, then I'll stop studying!"

Upon hearing this, his parents immediately placated him: "Fine, fine, as long as you're willing to study, anything goes!"

Satisfied, Guan Qi turned and returned to his bedroom to continue his "studies" earnestly.

Only after he had left did the couple continue their quiet conversation.

"Still, this Zhang Si Quan is somewhat intriguing. Sometimes I find him downright eerie, like he can see right through us. Do you think he's here because of that incident?"

Hearing his wife say this, the husband waved a dismissive hand: "What incident? What could possibly be wrong with our son? They investigated that matter thoroughly, and there wasn't a shred of evidence. Just a body. Even if he's here for that, what's it got to do with our son? You're overthinking it. Even if he were here to investigate, he'd find nothing. Our son's improved grades are tangible. Why should we care about anything else?"

"True."

Finally feeling reassured, the couple idly chatted for a bit longer.

"Oh, by the way, did you notice that the family upstairs didn't beat their child today?"

"I don't know," said the husband, feeling something amiss. A fleeting thought passed through his mind, "Hasn't that place been empty for quite some time?" But when he thought it over, the idea felt even more off.

There has always been a family living upstairs, a man surnamed Jie, no sign of a wife, said to be divorced.

The man named Jie loves to drink and is prone to hitting his child. Every evening when the child returns from school, he would be beaten black and blue if he had behaved poorly in class.

Their child goes to a nearby Spring... no, no, no, to Genius Kindergarten.

The husband shook his head, feeling like something was wrong with his memory.

But he didn't ponder it further.

After all, what happens in other families has nothing to do with him; all he needs to focus on is the continuous improvement of his own household.

So far, things have indeed been getting better since they hired "Zhang Si Quan" as a tutor. Their child has started loving his studies and has ceased his mischief.

If they can successfully get Qi Qi into college, making him a successful university student, they wouldn't mind giving Zhang Si Quan a little extra money.

After all, it's well worth the investment!

At this moment, "Zhang Si Quan," the focus of the Guan family's attention, descended the stairs of the building and mounted his bicycle.

He cycled through streets and alleys like any vibrant high schooler, eventually reaching the local market.

Before long, his bike's basket was filled with an assortment of fruits and vegetables. He even paused at a butcher's stand to cut off a bit of meat.

After about ten minutes of riding, he arrived near Genius Kindergarten in a residential complex.

The community is rather old but remains highly sought-after due to its convenient location.

The security guards at the entrance were diligent, barring entry to anyone without an access card.

"Zhang Si Quan" swiped his card and smoothly entered the community, greeted by several people along the way.

"Little Zhang, back from school?"

"Little Zhang, would you like to have dinner at our place tonight? Your aunt has something to ask you."

"Quan, are you up for basketball tomorrow?"

"Zhang Si Quan" shook his head with a smile, "I have class tomorrow."

"Ah, alright, we'll plan it for another time, then!"

Greeting people as he went, he eventually cycled back to his "home."

After locking his bike downstairs, "Zhang Si Quan" ascended to his apartment, groceries in tow.

The elevator stopped at the 11th floor, where he unlocked his door.

The "home" of this seemingly ordinary high school student was quite peculiar. Although it was a three-bedroom apartment, it was scantily furnished; a desolate space with only a bed, a table, and a computer on the table.

The kitchen supplies, however, were quite comprehensive.

"Zhang Si Quan" took the groceries to the kitchen. Soon, the aroma of food wafted through the air.

After preparing four dishes and a soup, he ate the meal alone, cleaning his plate before opening his computer.

On his computer desktop was a folder labeled in German, translating to "Donghe Sunken Body" in Chinese. Inside were various documents.

He pondered his chat with Guan Qi today, fingertips lightly dancing on the keyboard, quickly inputting strings of characters into a document.

Just then, a shrill ring of the telephone disrupted the quiet.

Zhang Si Quan picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

Silence lingered on the other end of the line for a while before someone finally spoke: "How is your investigation going? Was I telling the truth?"

The voice was raspy, as if the speaker had been crying for an extended period.

Yet Zhang Si Quan remained unfazed.

"Guan Qi genuinely has no memory of the incident you're referring to."

"He's lying!! He killed my sister!" The voice on the other end of the line erupted with emotion. "You know her! You know she was an obedient, diligent student! She was timid; why would she go to Donghe River in the middle of the night? The last call she received before her death was from Guan Qi! Do you really believe he had nothing to do with her death?"

Zhang Si Quan's voice retained an icy calm: "What I need is evidence, not speculation."

The person on the other end of the phone caught their breath before bitterly and ominously saying, "Evidence? Have you found any despite all this time searching? Don't tell me you're still holding onto the theory that her killer might not even be from this world?"

Zhang Si Quan remained silent.

As he stayed on the line, his fingers resumed their dance across the keyboard. Soon enough, the document was complete.

Within the folder, meticulously organized files documented every shred of evidence he had unearthed.

However, all clues seemed to lead to the same conclusion: the murderer of the girl named Qiao He was not Guan Qi.

But Guan Qi certainly played a pivotal role in the events. He was not a mere bystander who happened to place a harassing call, as he claimed.

This Guan Qi was both sleazy and audacious. On the night Qiao He died, he suddenly called her, asking her to meet up.

At that time, Guan Qi was just a high school freshman, and Qiao He was a docile and timid junior high school student. Despite being swamped with studies and naturally timid, she inexplicably went out that night. Three hours later, her body was discovered downstream in Donghe River.

Logically, Guan Qi would be a major suspect, but... his alibi was unassailable.

That night, Guan Qi was out of town. After sending Qiao He the message, he and some buddies got into a fight and ended up in a police station.

How could one make sense of this?

Guan Qi wasn't that intelligent; he couldn't deceive himself.

Zhang Si Quan was confident that, according to Guan Qi's memories, he really hadn't done anything except make that harassing phone call.

"Anyway, I've already invited him to my birthday party in two days," the voice on the phone sneered. "I'll make sure he pays."

The call was terminated.

Zhang Si Quan didn't say anything more. He set his phone aside and gazed at his computer screen in silence.

After closing the "Donghe Sunken Body" folder, his eyes skimmed over the other folders.

The Zhongxin Hospital Fire, Train 4404 Derailment, Tongxi Supermarket...

He right-clicked in an empty space, creating a new folder.

——"Genius Kindergarten."

.

Fuxin Residential Community.

Compared to Xie Fangcheng, who was taken away by a "neighborly older brother," Zhan Xiaoming was far less fortunate.

The person who came to pick him up was his "guardian," a rather frail-looking man. Upon hearing the teacher's complaints, this guardian's face darkened, and he grabbed Zhan Xiaoming by the collar of his shirt, hauling him back into the car.

Zhan Xiaoming didn't dare to resist. Once dragged into the car, he shrank into the passenger seat.

"I work my ass off driving trucks every day to make money, and you can't even behave in school, forcing the teacher to complain about you? Are you asking for it?"

The fury of the "guardian" was palpable; Zhan Xiaoming didn't dare utter a word.

The car sped wildly down the road. When they arrived home, Zhan Xiaoming immediately sensed that his "guardian" had changed.

The previously frail man seemed to have grown taller. When he reached out to grab Zhan Xiaoming's collar, his fingers brushed against Zhan's neck. A chilling wave surged into Zhan Xiaoming, starting from the point of contact.

Cold!

The air seemed to be saturated with the smell of blood.

Their "home" was located near a shop within the community that sold hardware materials. The moment Zhan Xiaoming laid eyes on the metallic items in the shop, his vision began to dim.

He was thrown into the shop by his irate "guardian." People passing by seemed a bit curious about this spectacle, yet no one intervened.

With a thud, Zhan Xiaoming collided with a pillar, seeing stars as he looked towards the "guardian" at the door.

The "guardian's" long arms stretched out, gracefully pulling down the rolling shutter door like the tentacles of a nimble octopus.

The shop door was now shut.

Under the pallid light, the "guardian" turned to face him.

His previously frail cheeks now appeared to be contorted and jagged in the harsh light, looking less like a human face and more like a monstrous creature from the deep sea—terrifying and rugged.

"What did you do at school that made the teacher so angry?"

Zhan Xiaoming was shaking all over, but facing the NPC's inquiry, he couldn't remain silent.

"I... I played hide-and-seek with my classmates during the lunch break... and I lost."

"Hide-and-seek? You can't even win at such a simple game?" The monstrous guardian flailed his arms, his voice rising. "Very well, then I'll give you another chance."

"I'll play hide-and-seek with you. If I find you," the monster's expression twisted, his face filling with bloodthirsty excitement, "then I'll... eat one of your legs for starters."

"Go ahead, my dear son," he said, and surprisingly turned his back to him and closed his eyes. "Ten, nine..."

Zhan Xiaoming was stunned. He hadn't expected that returning "home" would involve continuing a game of hide-and-seek.

But this was clearly his last lifeline!

Zhan Xiaoming hastily scrambled to his feet, looking around.

With only a few seconds to find a hiding spot, he needed to find some crevice where he could take cover, no matter how insufficient...

Zhan Xiaoming thought this, but had barely taken two steps when he felt a sharp pain at the nape of his neck.

A razor-like claw gripped his throat, lifting him off the ground entirely.

Zhan Xiaoming's feet flailed in mid-air.

The monstrous guardian, who had been counting down with his eyes closed in a feigned display of fairness, stretched out one unnaturally long arm to grasp Zhan Xiaoming by the neck. Yet, the monster's eyes remained shut as it continued counting, in what seemed like a cruel irony.

"Four, three, two, one."

The monster finally opened its eyes.

It rotated its eyeballs to look at Zhan Xiaoming, who it was holding aloft, seeming somewhat smug.

"You really didn't play hide-and-seek well, did you? Now you've been caught!"

At this moment, despite his fear, a surge of anger welled up within Zhan Xiaoming.

Gasping for air due to the choking grip, he managed to curse.

"You were supposed to count to ten! You broke the rules of the game... cough, cough, cough, cough."

The monster's hand retracted, positioning Zhan Xiaoming so that they were face to face.

Zhan Xiaoming was sure of it; this was no illusion.

The monster had grown larger.

The eyes on its face were the size of ping-pong balls, staring intently at Zhan Xiaoming in its grasp.

"Is that so? But you're a naughty child, and it's every parent's responsibility to punish such children. I have no obligation to follow the rules," it said, opening its gigantic mouth to sink its shark-like teeth into Zhan Xiaoming's leg.

"Aaaaah!" Zhan Xiaoming screamed, dangling from the monster's grip like a helpless marionette, unable to escape its mauling no matter how he struggled.

When the monster finally set him down, Zhan Xiaoming's face was ashen. Shaking, he tried to cover the wound on his leg.

But oddly enough, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. It appeared as though his leg had been sawed off in part.

After "punishing" the disobedient child, the mood of the monstrous guardian seemed to improve slightly.

"Alright, you're my child, so I'll give you another chance," the monster said. "This time it's a real game of hide-and-seek. I'll count to ten, and if you manage to evade me, I'll overlook your poor behavior at school today."

With that, the monster closed its eyes once again.

"One, two, three..."

Zhan Xiaoming struggled to stand, but with a missing leg, the movement proved difficult for him.

No choice but to go for it!

With that thought, Zhan Xiaoming disregarded the injury on his leg and immediately activated his magical item.

A wisp of smoke materialized beside him. He tried to control the smoke, hoping to hide himself amidst the various objects scattered around.

But in the next second, that all-too-familiar hand was around his throat again.

！！！

The monster of a guardian, who had only counted up to six, chuckled.

"Adults always say, 'We'll go to the amusement park tomorrow,' but never actually go through with it," it tilted its head, "So why would you ever trust what an adult says? It's such a simple concept, you know."