Chapter 222

Chapter 222

"It's all your fault! If it weren't for your stupid courage test, we wouldn't be stuck here!"

"P-Please, stop talking. I'm so scared... Mom and Dad..."

It was nine o'clock, usually the most active time for students, yet Twin Bridges was eerily quiet. The garden lights in the bushes emitted a cold white glow, and the shadows of trees danced. The sound of high heels clacking on marble was distinctly audible, while those hiding in the restroom stood with their hair on end, hugging each other and trembling.

The two rows of white candles on the bridge had long since gone out, and white paper fluttered without any wind. The moonlight seemed particularly desolate. They crouched behind the doors of the public restroom by the roadside, listening intently.

Suddenly, the sound of high heels stopped. They chose one person to peek through the crack in the door.

Everything outside seemed normal; there was no sign of the female ghost...

Before they could think further, something covered the crack and rolled around. It was a bloodshot red eye.

"Have you seen my head?" the eye inquired.

"Aaaaaahhhhh—"

Five minutes earlier.

At night, Wisteria University had a unique charm. Students who hadn't yet retired for the night carried their bags between the teaching buildings and dormitories. Those who had just taken showers wandered around in pajamas, munching on skewers. The leisure street was brightly lit.

What an ordinary day.

"So lively," Ji Xinghai said, dragging his 29-inch suitcase across the campus. Many people passed him, but none turned back.

As the wheels rolled, he walked to Mandarin Duck Lake. The streetlights grew sparse, and the noise faded away. The daytime dating spot was now eerily quiet at night.

This was already the most remote part of the school, near the back gate. Apart from the scenic beauty of the lake, there wasn't much else to say. Only couples seeking privacy would come here for a stroll; others wouldn't venture this way.

Especially after the decapitation case seven years ago, no one came here anymore.

"Aaaaahhhh—"

A scream startled the frogs by the lake. Ji Xinghai paused, pinpointing the direction of the sound.

Bathed in the pale full moon, he looked down at the flyer for the freshmen courage test in his hand, muttering about "weaklings with big ambitions."

Knowing that a major murder had occurred here, along with various rumors, they still dared to play a courage test. Truly, life is relentless, and so is courting death.

With so many "adventure enthusiasts," it was understandable why strange occurrences were common.

In a world where humans and the bizarre coexist, they should be like the two sides of a piece of paper—one living in the light, the other in the dark, never interfering. But here, they intersected.

No one knew how the bizarre began, but it was certain that one reason was "human legends and beliefs."

Seven years ago, during the same season, Wisteria University experienced a gruesome murder.

A student nearing graduation was raped and killed while walking by Mandarin Duck Lake at night. Her body was chopped into pieces, packed in garbage bags, and scattered in different trash bins along the way.

The next day, a cleaner found the bags torn open, with flesh and blood spilling out. He saw a beautifully painted fingernail, revealing the crime.

They searched all the trash bins and pieced together the body parts but found one head missing. More accurately, a head with its eyes gouged out.

They suspected the head might have been thrown into Mandarin Duck Lake, but even after draining the lake, they couldn't find it.

Meanwhile, the case remained unsolved, and students reported seeing a headless shadow wandering near the lake at night.

From then on, Wisteria University began to spread the terrifying legend of the "headless female ghost searching for her head."

She appeared during the season of her death. If someone was alone by the lake and encountered her, they would be decapitated.

It was said she checked if the heads belonged to her.

The female ghost, having lost her head and memory, held two eyes as she searched for her head. Legend had it that if she saw her killer, she would remember her murder and become more terrifying.

Such bizarre occurrences arise when no one mentions them, lacking a source. But once people embellish the story, adding details to enhance its realism and impact, it becomes real.

She would truly appear.

The first sighting of the ghost was five years ago, during this season. A couple drowned here. At first, it wasn't taken seriously until another death occurred, with the head meticulously severed.

Another headless case with no suspect.

Students whispered that the headless female corpse was searching for her head, cutting off passersby's heads to compare.

Since then, Mandarin Duck Lake became forbidden territory at night.

But the world always has adventurers. Three years ago, another incident occurred here. This time, it was on Twin Bridges, where another decapitated body was found.

This incident caused Mandarin Duck Lake to be sealed off for a while before reopening, but the terrifying legend spread even wider.

Thus, Wisteria University's top campus bizarre occurrence was born, officially recognized on the bizarre rankings as "the headless female corpse of Mandarin Duck Lake," rated D.

The reason it hasn't been resolved despite being confirmed is twofold: first, the reward is too low—only eighteen bizarre coins for dealing with such a geographically advantageous anomaly. Second, the Mandarin Duck Lake female corpse isn't highly aggressive; as long as one doesn't wander around the lake at night, there's generally no danger.

Lastly, as long as the legend persists, even if this one is resolved, a new one will quickly emerge, making it futile.

Gurgle, gurgle, the wheels of the suitcase rolled on the smooth marble floor.

"Weren't these supposed to be silent? Why are they so loud?" he frowned but continued walking by Mandarin Duck Lake. Gurgle, gurgle, the sound of the wheels echoed from the Willow District to the Azalea District. Ahead was the ancient stone bridge surrounded by flowers, Twin Bridges.

On both sides of the bridge, half-burnt white candles were still piled up, and many papers floated on the ground, but no one was there.

Tingling, tingling, yellow copper bells hung on the trees with red ropes, ringing without any wind.

He caught the damp scent and turned his head. Beneath the bridge stood a figure.

Though only a couple of meters away, its face was already indistinct; wherever it passed, darkness fell, as if all light had been sucked away.

Seeing it step by step toward the bridge, Ji Xinghai unlocked his suitcase, unzipping it.

The waters of Mandarin Duck Lake lapped against the moss-covered bricks. Beneath the previously empty tree canopy, a faint shadow appeared, holding an umbrella, with two pitch-black eyes silently observing everything happening on the bridge.

Jingle jingle, the brass bells shook more violently, clattering like sea drums. The suitcase lid opened, revealing two adults twisted and crammed inside the square box.

It was clear that these two had been stuffed into the suitcase with terrifying force, as if they were mere clothes. Their hands and feet were contorted, their mouths sealed, tears streaming down their faces. Seeing the gray, ghostly figure outside, they could only shake their heads slightly in terror, as if begging for mercy.

The eerie presence, which had been moving toward Ji Xinghai, froze. It slowly squatted down and extended its hand...

The two men, their bodies deformed from being packed in the suitcase, wept uncontrollably, shaking their heads almost pleadingly.

Cold hands touched their faces. The eerie presence, now crouched before the suitcase, revealed an eye in the palm of its outstretched hand, scrutinizing their faces closely.

"Ah... you're back."

It recognized them.

It remembered.

"Ah—ah—"

The lake water splashed against the shore, emitting a sound akin to a human scream. The vague shadow around its neck vanished, revealing the severed neck: "My head, where did you throw my head? Did your eyes see?"

Sharp, beautiful nails plunged into one person's eye socket, while the other watched, chilled to the bone.

Ji Xinghai removed his gloves, pulling a lollipop from his pocket and slowly sucking on it.

A recent murder, both rape and dismemberment, with blood trailing from Twin Bridges to the bamboo grove beside Mandarin Duck Lake. Even without security cameras in the school, the crime scene could be traced.

The act of gouging out eyes suggested either a familiar perpetrator or a special meaning.

Yet this case had remained unsolved for years, seeming like a perfect crime.

Ha.

He didn't believe in such perfect crimes.

Curious Ji Xinghai pursued the investigation, using many "sometimes necessary" cunning methods, starting from the possibility of a familiar perpetrator, and quickly uncovered the truth.

The girl died in vain back then.

Power and the ability to cover up were the most perfect crimes.

"Coming to visit without a gift wouldn't be polite, right? You must like this offering very much."

The eerie presence held the two fresh heads, comparing them one by one to its own neck, looking cheerful and satisfied.

"Satisfied is good." Ji Xinghai drew his demon blade.

The lake water continued to lap at the shore, splashing, while the bells on the tree had long since stopped ringing. White paper floated on the water, drifting toward the center of the lake, stirred by a large fish over a meter long.

"You have defeated the C-level eerie 'Headless Corpse.' Do you want to bind it as an employee of the Magical Food House?"

"Yes."

In the story of the Headless Corpse of Mandarin Duck Lake, finding the murderer would trigger memories, transforming it into an even more terrifying existence.

Thus, the D-level eerie 'Headless Corpse of Mandarin Duck Lake' with regional limitations became the C-level eerie 'Headless Corpse' without such restrictions.

He had no sense of justice or compassion; he merely wanted stronger employees and higher-quality cuisine.

Ji Xinghai sheathed his blade and walked off the bridge, ignoring the suitcase and the headless corpses on the ground.

Halfway across, a black umbrella appeared above him.

It seemed that fine rain had started falling, wetting neither clothes nor face.

"It's diced pepper fish head. With a few more dishes, we can open."

"You have gained the employee 'Headless Corpse,' a C-level eerie. Because it has no head, it likes to cut off favored heads to wear. But it is never satisfied.

"You have unlocked 'Diced Pepper Fish Head': A dish made from semi-wild fathead fish, tender and fresh. The fish head is split in two, marinated with seasonings, and steamed with white wine, diced peppers, scallions, and ginger, then drizzled with hot oil. This classic dish is enough for two people and grants a 'Clear Vision' buff lasting thirty minutes. Price: 5 Strange Coin."

That night, they enjoyed a large bowl of diced pepper fish head.

Ji Xinghai's chopsticks were as precise as a scalpel, carefully removing every bone and spine from the fish, yet maintaining the shape of the fish head.

As a guest, Qin Yu observed with the seriousness of a meeting, but he was simply memorizing Ji Xinghai's technique.

Perhaps he could learn the recipe for 'diced pepper fish head.'

The main flavor of diced pepper fish head is spiciness, a sensation he, as an anomaly, could feel.

An empty soul in the anomaly yearned to taste the happiness and joy others experienced.

Every small bone and spine had been removed from the fish head. Ji Xinghai's chopsticks moved, the diced peppers covering the traces, leaving the dish intact.

Eating fish without picking out bones lacks soul, so he discarded the soul, savoring large chunks of fish meat.

"Half for you, half for me." He divided the dish, then handed the chopsticks to Qin Yu, forgetting again that anomalies had no taste and did not eat normal food, acting on whim, quite capriciously.

The fish head, marinated in spices and steamed to perfection, had its original muddy flavor completely masked by the pungent and heavy seasoning, leaving only the tender and smooth flesh of the bighead carp.

The meat on the fish head is the most delicious part, especially the cheeks and the area around the eyes, where the gelatinous chunks melt in your mouth with a gentle bite, first tender, then fresh, followed by an overwhelming spiciness that stimulates every pore.

The more you eat, the spicier it gets; the spicier it gets, the more you want to eat.

Meanwhile, Tianning University was thrown into chaos.

A student returning late took a shortcut through Mandarin Duck Lake and stumbled upon abandoned suitcases and two horrifically mutilated bodies on Twin Bridges. He scrambled to call the police, and soon half the campus was awakened by the wailing sirens.

Amidst the blaring alarms, they cordoned off the crime scene and found the unconscious students who had been hiding in the restroom.

"It's the mayor of District Three and his only son." The principal, who had rushed over in the middle of the night, immediately recognized the two victims whose eyes had been gouged out and heads severed. His face drained of color, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

With such a high-ranking official dead in such a gruesome manner, an explanation was absolutely necessary. The police felt the gravity of the situation and the complexity of the case.

They immediately notified higher authorities.

Within just a few minutes, representatives from the central bureau arrived and began their investigation.

The suitcase on the bridge was a luxury brand, a rare extra-large model, making it easy to trace the buyer.

"It belongs to one of the victims. We've already sent people to their home."

"What about the students?" the chief asked.

The students were terrified, trembling and babbling incoherently, unable to provide any useful information. They checked the surveillance footage and saw someone dragging the suitcase, but...

"The suitcase was moving by itself."

The 29-inch large suitcase, tilted slightly for easy dragging, left marks on the grass as it rolled.

Yet there was nothing beside it, no signs of anything else, not even flattened grass blades.

The chief of the District Three Police Department was drenched in cold sweat. "Call in the special department; this is beyond our jurisdiction."

It seems a high-level anomaly is involved.