Chapter 135 The Strange Black Shadow

Chapter 135: The Eerie Shadows

The so-called screening room at Honghuai No. 1 Middle School was minuscule compared to a typical cinema, barely accommodating a single class for video presentations. Perched on the top floor of the multi-purpose building, it had, over time, become a forgotten corner, rarely frequented.

Beyond the top-floor screening room, the multi-purpose building also housed music and art classrooms, alongside various laboratories, on its other levels.

As Su Bai followed the others into the multi-purpose building, he was struck by how much more chilling and desolate the midnight atmosphere felt compared to the teaching building. A palpable sense of abandonment hung in the air, a stark contrast to the usual bustle.

While black shadows, identical to those in the teaching building, could be seen in the labs and specialized classrooms—shadows that would turn their heads to track their movement outside—their numbers were sparse, a mere fraction of the dense clusters found in the teaching building.

Even though Su Bai was the only one in the group who could perceive these shadows, their persistent, head-turning gaze seemed to affect everyone. Members of both the student and player groups inexplicably began to shiver and sneeze repeatedly.

"Why is it colder here than under the red moon?" Mr. Dajian, a member of the group, rubbed his goosebump-covered arms. "I keep feeling a chill down my spine."

He then turned to Mr. Axe, who had just rejoined the group after a brief absence, and asked curiously, "Did you deal with that black shadow on the basketball court?"

Mr. Axe nodded in response. After a quick glance at the student group, who were following Mr. Flashlight ahead, he lowered his voice, a complex expression on his face, and confided to Mr. Dajian, "I just brought my axe down, and the thing disintegrated into nothing. It was so weak, I almost couldn't believe it. When I struck it, the sensation was completely different from what we're used to when fighting ghosts. It was like cutting through a blob of jelly—easy to cleave, but without any real substance."

"Yet, I don't think it was a mere illusion. My axe reacted just as it does when eliminating other ghosts. So, I'm certain that shadow was pathetically weak and has indeed been obliterated by my axe." Mr. Axe gestured to the axe strapped to his back, clearly no ordinary bladed weapon but an artifact from the red moon.

"It's almost too easy," Mr. Axe sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice at the effortless defeat of the ghosts in Honghuai Ghost School. "If this mission didn't have a time limit, I'd consider settling down here. It's quiet, and there are no powerful ghosts to contend with."

"Wait... are you guys some kind of ghost-hunting task force?" Zhang Pan, walking at the rear of the student group, had overheard Mr. Axe's hushed conversation and caught the word "ghosts."

Throughout their journey, the student group had meticulously avoided the word "ghost." Despite claiming to be horror and supernatural enthusiasts, they mostly referred to the shadows in the overlapping space as "paranormal phenomena."

Perhaps their composure stemmed from a curious duality: a fascination with the supernatural coupled with a subconscious denial of "ghosts," leading them to view the night's bizarre encounters as a rare and thrilling adventure.

"Kids shouldn't ask too many questions. Hurry up!" Mr. Axe gave Zhang Pan a firm push on the stairs, propelling his heavy frame upward.

"We're almost there."

Before Zhang Pan could press for more answers, they had reached the top floor of the multi-purpose building and stood before the heavy, soundproofed door of the small screening room. Oddly, the door was unlocked and slightly ajar, as if beckoning late-night visitors.

"Su Bai, I know it's a huge bother, but you absolutely have to help us one more time!" Standing at the entrance, Ai Xiaojia's expression and tone were earnest as she handed the phone back to Su Bai. "Kind-hearted Su, if we miss out on capturing this supernatural event, I'll truly regret it for the rest of my life!"

"I swear, if you continue to help us, from this moment on, you'll be the spiritual guide of our Honghuai Iron Triangle. Whatever you ask us to do, we'll do it without a moment's hesitation!"

"Even homework?" Su Bai asked with a half-smile, looking at Ai Xiaojia, who had just made her solemn vow.

"Huh?" Ai Xiaojia, along with Zhang Pan and Zhou Qingshou, who were suddenly implicated, froze in stunned silence.

Su Bai didn't mind continuing as the cameraman. However, with a mischievous streak hidden deep within, he thoroughly enjoyed the look of utter devastation that spread across Ai Xiaojia's face and the others' when they heard the word "homework."

The player group also relished watching Zhang Pan and his friends squirm. To them, every action of the student group was endlessly amusing, as if the students possessed a unique, infectious charm that drew the three players into Ai Xiaojia's camera frame.

In Mr. Flashlight's estimation, the videos shot on Ai Xiaojia's phone might not even be preserved, given their current location in an eerie, overlapping dimension. The distorted Honghuai Ghost School and the red moon in the sky were phenomena that simply didn't exist in the real world, making it virtually impossible to capture such bizarre imagery with ordinary equipment. So, if the student group wanted to film, they might as well let them.

Another reason for the players' indulgence might have been that they sensed something in the Honghuai Iron Triangle that they, as players in the nightmare world, had long since lost.

It was an elusive quality, difficult to articulate—perhaps it was their yearning for the dawn of a new day, their fear of reprimands from parents and teachers, or the anxiety over next month's uncertain living expenses. Perhaps it was simply called "life"—the ordinary life of ordinary people.

With this thought, Mr. Flashlight looked at Ai Xiaojia and the others, a smile playing on his lips, tinged with both envy and gratitude.

When they first entered Honghuai Ghost School, their hearts had been filled with a profound sense of confusion and numbness—confused by the unknown duration of their endless nightmare game, and numb from their complete disinterest in the so-called game or tasks, merely completing the administrator's assignments to survive.

It was the arrival of Ai Xiaojia, Zhang Pan, and Zhou Qingshou, the clues they brought from the campus forum, and the fiercely contested basketball game that had rekindled the spark in the eyes of the three players, who had once moved like automatons.

Even Su Bai, who walked at the very back to film the entire process, was no longer seen by the players as a mere bookworm, but as a sensible, kind-hearted, and intelligent young man.

Su Bai, trailing behind, was oblivious to the players' rich inner thoughts. He simply watched as Zhang Pan and the others, followed by Mr. Flashlight and his group, entered the screening room one by one.

However, just as Su Bai was about to follow them in, he noticed a medium-sized screen embedded in the wall beside the screening room, with several strange wires extending from its side.

Recalling Ai Xiaojia's earlier description of the "Death Screening Room," and after examining the content on the screen and the wires, Su Bai glanced at the phone in his hand and suddenly understood the key to solving this supernatural event!