Chapter 132 The Ghost on the Basketball Court

Chapter 132: The Ghost on the Basketball Court

"Do you have an older brother?"

Su Bai had always been a remarkably calm individual, so much so that outsiders sometimes found his composure almost inhuman. Yet, upon hearing Mr. Dajian's question, a significant ripple of emotion stirred within him. Su Bai did indeed have an older brother, Su Xuan, born of the same parents. However, for most of his life, Su Bai had chosen to believe Su Xuan was dead.

A dead Su Xuan was, perhaps, quieter and less detestable than a living one.

Su Bai didn't know if Mr. Dajian had ever met Su Xuan, nor did he care if that scoundrel, should he have been encountered, was squandering their mother's medical funds on drink or desperately fleeing debt. None of it mattered anymore.

"I once did, but he's dead now," Su Bai replied calmly. "Have you seen someone who resembles me?"

He once had a brother, a brother who loved him and their mother dearly.

But now, that brother was gone. He had died the moment he took all their money, abandoned their unconscious mother, and walked away without a backward glance.

Still, if the other person had truly seen someone who bore a resemblance to him...

"My apologies," Mr. Dajian said, though his gaze remained fixed on Su Bai's face, as if he was earnestly trying to recall why Su Bai seemed so familiar.

"Alright, where's the next campus mystery?" Once assured that the mirror ghost from the restroom hadn't pursued them, Mr. Flashlight quickened their pace. "Is it also in the teaching building?"

"Hmm..." Ai Xiaojia mused, recalling the campus forum's content. "The third of the Seven Campus Mysteries is 'The Ghost on the Basketball Court.' The forum describes it as a very vicious supernatural entity."

At the mention of "vicious," Ai Xiaojia's expression turned serious.

"Unlike the mirror ghost, many students who encountered 'The Ghost on the Basketball Court' were injured, according to forum rumors. While not fatal, there were numerous cases of fractures and concussions—so many that I'd heard about the terrifying supernatural incidents on Honghuai No. 1 Middle School’s basketball court back in junior high!"

"Many believe the ranking of the Seven Campus Mysteries on the campus forum isn't entirely arbitrary; if there's an order, it must progress from harmless to terrifying! And the third-ranked 'Ghost on the Basketball Court' has already caused many serious injuries."

Hearing Ai Xiaojia speak with such gravity, the three players' expressions also became solemn.

"What exactly happened?" Mr. Dajian and Mr. Axe already had their weapons in hand, as if their earlier relaxed, vacation-like demeanor was about to vanish completely.

"Apparently, before the school officially prohibited it, many students would sneak into the school late at night by climbing over walls to play basketball. The guard back then had poor hearing and couldn't hear the sounds of playing from even a slight distance," Ai Xiaojia explained softly, recounting the campus forum's chilling tales as they walked through the empty corridors of the teaching building.

Although only Su Bai could perceive the eerie dark figures seated in each of the blacked-out classrooms, these shadows remained motionless except for turning their heads to follow their progress, appearing remarkably docile.

"But when the games reached their most intense moments, an extra pair of legs and hands would occasionally appear on the court. Those legs would trip players, and those hands would suddenly grab students’ ankles at critical moments, even moving a non-existent basketball under running students’ feet!" Ai Xiaojia gasped. "After several injury incidents, even the school realized something was amiss, which led to a change in guards and a strict ban on students entering the school at night."

"However, the school's official explanation still maintains that students are more prone to injury because the court lacks lighting at night."

By the time Ai Xiaojia finished speaking, the group had exited the teaching building and re-emerged under the red moon.

Perhaps the atmosphere inside the building had been too oppressive—devoid of light and air circulation—for everyone let out a collective sigh of relief upon stepping back into the open air, even with the eerie red moon still hanging in the sky.

In a typical nightmare world, areas illuminated by the red moon were often intensely cold—a chill that didn't prompt one to seek warmer clothing, but rather a coldness that seeped from the very bones, from the depths of consciousness, as if the red moon's power was slowly consuming one's being.

However, perhaps because Honghuai No. 1 Middle School was currently a special overlapping space, the ordinary people in the group felt no cold. Instead, the outdoors offered a refreshing coolness, despite the lack of wind.

It remained uncertain, though, whether it was beneficial or detrimental for ordinary students like Zhang Pan to be immersed in the red moonlight.

As the group headed towards the basketball court behind the teaching building, Su Bai glanced back at the structure under the red moon. Illuminated by its glow, he saw countless shadowy figures standing behind every window, watching them depart.

Su Bai couldn't immediately discern what these shadows were. Even the weakest wandering spirits typically possessed a human form. If these shadows were wandering spirits altered by the overlapping space, it still didn't explain the sheer number of them in an ordinary school.

If they weren't wandering spirits, what else was trapped within this school?

"We're here."

Before Su Bai could fully process his thoughts, Ai Xiaojia and the player group had already arrived at the basketball court under the red moon. The entire school was utterly silent, devoid of wind, birdsong, or cicada chirps, yet an old basketball lay on the deserted court.

"According to the campus forum, 'The Ghost on the Basketball Court' only appears during basketball games, specifically at their most intense moments," Ai Xiaojia explained, glancing hesitantly at Zhang Pan, Zhou Qingshou, and the seemingly frail Su Bai, then at the three men who were at least a decade older than them. "Just visiting the court is one thing, but to actually witness 'The Ghost on the Basketball Court,' there needs to be a game in progress."

After their previous two experiences, even Ai Xiaojia seemed to have realized that the player group's objective wasn't merely to visit, but to capture close-up footage of the true forms of the Seven Campus Mysteries!

"Hmph!"

At that moment, Zhou Qingshou and Zhang Pan, arms crossed, confidently approached Mr. Flashlight and the others, grins stretching almost to their ears.

"To be frank, the three of us are the proud bronze medalists of Honghuai City First Senior High School’s senior-year three-on-three basketball championship!" Zhang Pan's round chin jutted upward. "If you three old-timers are too timid to play, you won't attract 'The Ghost on the Basketball Court.'"

"Third place?" The hot-tempered Mr. Axe slung his axe back over his shoulder and eyed the student group skeptically. "Were there only three teams competing in your grade?"

"Shh—!" Ai Xiaojia quickly gestured for Mr. Axe to lower his voice. "That's so embarrassing, uncle, don't expose us!"

"..."

Honghuai No. 1 Middle School was renowned for its high university admission rates. Most students, upon entering their senior year, became almost possessed by their studies, forgetting to eat and sleep. For some of these intensely dedicated students, failing to get into a good university might have seemed more terrifying than death itself.

In such an academic atmosphere, not only did few participate in extracurricular competitions that offered no help with university admissions, but many students' personalities also became somewhat warped. "Sunny" and "outgoing" students like Ai Xiaojia and her friends naturally became rare, ostracized anomalies.

"Actually, I really loved basketball when I was in school too," Mr. Axe said, a competitive glint in his eye. "The junior high, high school, and university coaches who overlooked a basketball genius like me will regret it for the rest of their lives."

"So you tried out many times but never made the team?" Teammate Mr. Flashlight delivered a ruthless jab from behind.

"...Dammit."

Regardless of how many self-proclaimed basketball prodigies existed in both the student and player groups, they quickly reached an agreement on the basketball court: they would stage an exhilarating, all-out, passionate three-on-three basketball game to lure out "The Ghost on the Basketball Court."

And Su Bai, once again, found himself assigned the role of photographer.

And referee.