Chapter 19 – Station 21: Shredding

Chapter 19 - Station 21: Rending

Those still coughing on the floor hastily scrambled to their feet and returned to their designated seats, fearful of being punished again for breaking the rules.

But there were no masked figures, no chaotic elements.

What they heard instead was the distinct, crisp sound of leather shoes tapping against the ground.

It was the sound of human footsteps.

This unusual commotion tensed everyone's nerves once more.

As the footsteps drew closer, they began to pick up faint whispers, as if people were conversing around them.

The whispers grew clearer, and when the door creaked open, they transformed into genuine voices. Everyone stared in shock at their surroundings—

Suddenly, they were surrounded by students dressed normally, vivid and lifelike as if they had stepped out of the real world!

Confused by the situation, no one dared to leave their seats. As the sound of shoes echoed, a young man walked up to the lectern.

It was a face they had never imagined for a regular person!

The handsome male teacher spoke in Korean, but the students could understand him effortlessly:

"Hello everyone, I'm the new substitute teacher, Li Shien. Since Teacher Jiang is unwell and unable to be here, I'll be taking over his geography classes starting from today. I hope to learn from all of you in the days to come."

He bowed slightly, and the students applauded in unison.

This refined-looking teacher clearly had a high popularity among the students. From the excited whispers around them, it was evident that Teacher Li Shien held a considerable reputation within the school.

He picked up a register and said,

"Alright, let's begin with roll call."

As he spoke, Hu Gaoming noticed the girl sitting beside him slip her hand into the desk compartment and quickly type on a flip phone.

Such an ancient communication device...

Hu Gaoming recalled the pile of old phones collecting dust in his uncle's drawer.

Nostalgic reminiscences, somewhat alleviated his inner fear.

Before the roll call was finished, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Four girls appeared at the entrance, panting heavily.

Li Shien looked at them, and the tallest girl spoke up,

"Sorry, teacher, the bus from the Back Mountain Station broke down, so we're late. We apologize."

Upon hearing "Back Mountain Station," Ming Yiyang and Hu Zhicheng exchanged glances.

This bus stop was located right by the exit of the Back Mountain gate.

Li Shien picked up the attendance list and asked them to read their names aloud.

The tall girl pronounced her name confidently,

"Teacher, my name is Jiang Minzhen."

The other three girls also gave their names:

"Jiang Nanzhu."

"Jiang Yunzhen."

"Cui Xishan."

These were the four names scribbled out on the roster.

Everyone began to have a vague premonition.

Li Shien didn't scold them for being late and kindly allowed them to return to their seats, continuing with the roll call.

"Jin Shuen."

No one responded.

He looked up and noticed that only seat number 29 was empty.

"Jin Shuen is absent on the 29th?"

The students exchanged glances, and from their silent communication, Li Shien sensed something unusual. He pressed on with his inquiry:

"Does anyone know where Jin Shuen is?"

None of the students spoke up.

Li Shien tapped gently on Jin Shuen's name with his pen, hesitated for a moment, then decided against marking an 'X' next to it. He covered the attendance list and announced:

"Well then, let's continue with our previous lesson on astronomical knowledge for today..."

Time seemed to accelerate abruptly, and by the time they realized it, the bell signaling the end of class had already rung.

They looked at each other through the crowd.

Yan Qiling shook his head slightly, so everyone remained in their seats without moving.

A sudden burst of raucous laughter and peculiar whispers echoed through the corridor.

In the classroom, classmates whispered amongst themselves.

"Didn't that girl not show up today?"

"How could she not? Maybe she's in the bathroom? But honestly, no need to pity her; she is, after all, a freak."

"She should be grateful it's the modern era; otherwise, she and her mother would've been burned alive."

"How did such a person end up in our village? They should have chased her out from the start..."

"There's nothing we can do, everyone's just too kind..."

At that moment, the chatter ceased.

A drenched girl stumbled in through the back door, right into Jiang Nanzhu's carefully set trap – a chalk eraser perched on the doorframe. As the girl pushed the door open, the eraser plummeted onto her soaking head, leaving a distinct white mark before thudding onto the floor.

After a brief silence, the teenagers erupted into laughter, deriving amusement from the girl's distress. They seemed to savor her bitterness, transforming it into honey on their own tongues.

The girl lifted her head, revealing her milky-white, clouded eyes.

She had a pair of ashen-gray irises that, from a distance, resembled sightless white orbs, striking fear in those who gazed upon them.

Those accustomed to her appearance showed no fear; they were even desensitized to the cold hatred in her eyes.

But this time, something seemed different.

"Who is this? Even after bathing, there are still so many dandruff flakes," Jiang Nanzhu pretended to be disgusted, covering her nose. "The stench of that monster can never be washed away... Why are you giving us that look? Jin Shuen, we've been more than tolerant with you. It's a privilege for you to even step foot in this classroom. Can't you learn to be grateful?"

Jiang Yunzhen chuckled, linking her arm with Shuen's.

"She's not human, you know. Sister Minzhen has been teaching her for almost two years, and yet she remains the same, without the slightest notion of respect."

Beside them, Cui Xishan retrieved something from the desk compartment and held it high up.

"Oh look, our little Shuen enjoys keeping a diary, and it even has a lock, hahaha."

She paused dramatically under the growing panic in Jin Shuen's eyes, brandishing a sparkling key as if to flaunt it.

"Ta-da, look what this is. Seems like the key to unlock our Shuen's inner world..."

Jin Shuen rushed forward to snatch it back.

"Give it back to me!"

"No way."

Cui Xishan casually tossed the key to Jiang Nanzhu, who then threw it to someone else.

In this playful game of teasing, Jiang Minzhen appeared like an otherworldly immortal, calmly taking notes amidst the commotion as if detached from it all.

Her composed demeanor only accentuated Jin Shuen's distress and vulnerability.

It was as if they inhabited two separate worlds, isolated within a vacuum.

The atmosphere and the characters' intentions rendered the same scene vastly differently.

Amidst the revelry, the taller boy stepped on Jin Shuen's chair to climb onto the desk, casually hanging the key on the blade of an old electric fan.

By then, the diary had also passed from Cui Xishan's grasp into Jiang Nanzhu's hands.

Predictably, unable to reach the key, Jin Shuen attempted to reclaim her diary.

With a parabolic arc in the air, the journal thudded into the bucket used for mopping in the back of the classroom, splashing water everywhere.

Jin Shuen's eyes widened.

The dilation of her irises made her entire appearance even more peculiar.

But that fleeting pitiful expression was enough to convey the extent of the pain she had endured from this heartless mockery.

She moved slowly toward the bucket and glanced at the diary before turning to face the culprit with a steely gaze. Her voice trembled as she asked in a grim tone,

"Are you proud of yourselves?"

Jiang Yunzhen's smile faded as she crossed her arms and approached her, "Jin Shuen, don't get it twisted, it's you who should be feeling smug. Exploiting the kindness of the teacher and the village chief, you managed to stay in school for so long. We couldn't even make you quit; aren't you delighted?"

The resentment in Jin Shuen's eyes intensified, "...Fool."

Jiang Yunzhen stared at her in shock, immediately becoming furious. She raised her hand high,

"You dare to insult me, you outsider bitch!"

Before her palm could land, Jin Shuen firmly seized her wrist and slapped her hard!

Everyone was stunned. They clearly hadn't expected Jin Shuen, who usually endured silently, to retaliate!

Reacting, Jiang Yunzhen tried to struggle and fight back, but Jin Shuen pushed her away.

She screamed as she knocked over a row of desks, falling backward into a pile of books and chairs with a thud, unable to get up from the pain for a while.

Jiang Minzhen, who had remained silent all along, turned her head and issued a cold warning:

"Jin Shuen, who gave you permission to lay a hand on me?"

Jin Shuen's cloudy eyes revealed her obvious loathing:

"Jiang Minzhen, do you think being a descendant of an exorcist gives you the right to look down on others? Because I don't fight back, you think you're stronger than me? Don't joke. A weak exorcist like you, if I so wished—"

Her pupils instantly vanished into her whites, turning her eyes completely white.

Jiang Minzhen, who had been able to maintain her composure, seemed to be controlled by something as she clutched her own throat with both hands.

The students let out screams. Jiang Nanzhu and Cui Xishan hurriedly tried to pry her hands away, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't succeed.

Jin Shuen slowly uttered the words of death:

"I can tear you apart at any moment."

Amidst asphyxiation, Jiang Minzhen tried to pull her hand away bit by bit, only to clench it back down again. Her face turned purple as she struggled to break free from the overpowering force.

No one dared to approach her, for fear of becoming the next victim.

"Big Sister Minzhen!"

Jiang Nanzhu cried out in alarm.

With great effort, Jiang Minzhen made her way to the window – the farthest distance she could manage from Jin Shuen.

Jin Shuen resembled a newly unleashed witch, basking in the thrill of revenge that curved her lips into a demonic smile:

"Give up, you can't defeat me. But if you're willing to apologize to me..."

Her expression suddenly became blank.

Jiang Minzhen, in a fit of suffocation, suddenly leaned backward from the windowsill without any warning, plummeting to the ground like a broken bird.

Bang!

"Big Sister Minzhen!"

Jiang Yunzhen covered her mouth and screamed in horror.

The other students had already scattered, rushing out of the classroom as if fleeing for their lives, fearful of attracting Jin Shuen's attention.

Cui Xishan was terrified, but her anger outweighed her fear. She locked eyes with Jin Shuen and charged forward, grabbing her by the collar.

"You're finished, Jin Shuen! The village chief won't let you get away with this. You and your witch mother won't be able to leave this place. I'll urge my father to have you both burned at the stake! Don't worry, the police won't intervene."

Jin Shuen's eyes, which had just returned to their ashen shade, turned white once more. This time, Cui Xishan was lifted off the ground by an indescribable force.

Looking up at Cui Xishan suspended in mid-air, Jin Shuen's gaze was cold and ruthless.

"Is that so? You want to defy me? Since Jiang Minzhen is dead, do you think you can threaten me with such things? You scum aren't worth a single life. To even think of harming my mother... that's unacceptable."

"Jin Shuen, what on earth are you doing?!"

The man's astonished voice echoed, and Jin Shuen turned to look at Li Shien standing by the door, her eyes momentarily stunned.

"Teacher..."

Cui Xishan landed heavily on the ground, clutching her neck and coughing violently.

Li Shien watched them in shock, her gaze finally settling on Jin Shuen.

"Was it you just now... who did that to Jiang Minzhen?"

Jin Shuen's eyes flickered, and she spoke only one sentence.

"She fell on her own."

"Teacher, she's lying! Sister Minzhen was pushed by her!"

Li Shien gave her a glance but ultimately chose to help Cui Xishan up before disappearing through the classroom door.

Jin Shuen watched him depart in silence, her eyes closing gently.

When she opened them again, a network of dark veins, resembling capillaries, crept up from her neck, swiftly engulfing her cheeks.

Like ink seeping into the ground and walls, the flowing darkness enveloped the room. She gazed coldly at the outsiders seated in the classroom, her voice distorted and unusual as she interrogated them:

"Who has given you permission to—see my memories?!!"