Chapter 71: The Earring With Qin Jiu’s question, he finally realized that he had never considered taking it off.

In fact, the spread of nightmares is like an infectious disease—it worsens day by day.

The students of this school are a typical example.

They were inspired by what their classmates dreamed of, and that night their creativity surged, leading to even more vivid dreams.

Thus accumulating, a vicious cycle.

The most noticeable thing was—at least before, they didn’t demolish the buildings, but today they actually collapsed two towers.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories were located in two separate courtyards, facing each other across a campus path. The buildings were not aligned with each other, to prevent boys from seeing the girls’ balconies from the corridors.

The fence posts stood like arrows pointing at the sky, threatening any mischievous kids who dared to run between the dorms.

Usually, they were as careful as could be, but now, to make matters worse, one of the girls’ dormitories collapsed, crashing right into the boys’ building next to it.

A group of girls descended from above, and the boys who had been shrieking with excitement immediately composed themselves.

The teenagers were filled with a burgeoning desire to protect. Right then, they mustered their courage to clear the way and escort the girls, watching over them closely.

However, just a few moments later, they realized they might have gotten it wrong.

These girls were completely different from what they had imagined—

They were the ones screaming at the top of their lungs, crying the most miserably, and flailing around to fight the ghost.

Several boys couldn’t dodge in time and were mistaken for ghosts and scratched.

Because the girls were fighting with their eyes closed.

Han Ling was one of these unlucky girls—screaming the loudest and fighting the fiercest.

She landed in the boys’ dormitory with the collapsing building, crying all the way.

Crying while grabbing the hanging ghost’s hair and running downstairs.

She fought fiercely because deep down, she was still afraid.

No hero would come to save her; she had to save herself.

She stumbled and crawled down the stairs, kicked away the relentless hanged ghost, and ran barefoot.

She used to vomit after running 800 meters in PE class, but now she had already lost count of how many 800 meters she had run—and she was still running.

The school was in chaos, with no way to distinguish one place from another.

Han Ling fled in panic, running three laps around the dormitory area before finally breaking free from the ghost’s trap, only to charge headlong into an even more lethal sports field.

Some irresponsible soul must have left a coffin lid off—her foot caught empty air, and she plummeted straight into the coffin.

The smell of decay assaulted her senses, filling her nose with a foul, sour stench.

She could feel her ankle twisting, a large patch of skin scraped raw on her hand, her knees swelling from the impact—every part of her ached.

At that moment, she heard a few soft swooshing sounds overhead.

She turned back in terror.

Seven or eight zombies emerged, stepping over the gravel as they closed in.

Their skin and flesh had rotted away. Some had eyeballs half-fallen out, while others only had pitch-black, empty eye sockets. Their scalps were either torn off or left with sparse, filthy hair tangled in a mess.

The zombies hung their hands, their throats gurgling as if communicating.

They stared fixedly at her, drool trailing long lines down.

That’s it, this time she was really going to die here.

The zombies stretched their claws toward her.

She attempted to shrink back a little, but there was nowhere left to retreat.

This coffin was about to completely belong to her…

She instinctively closed her eyes, only to hear a few sharp cracking sounds.

Then came the thud of something heavy hitting the ground, muffled and dull.

Han Ling mustered the courage to open her eyes and saw that the swarming zombies had already fallen to the ground. Two figures stood by the dirt mound, one close and one far away.

The closer one had an exceptionally striking figure, holding a slender, thin-bladed sword that seemed to have been procured from who-knows-where.

Han Ling had never seen such a blade before—it was completely different from any she had encountered in daily life.

The sword was narrow and slim, its edge sharp and keen, gleaming with a cold, piercing light.

The man with the knife moved with swift and decisive efficiency, taking out one little friend after another… no, one zombie head at a time with each strike.

He seemed to find the heads dirty, as after each decapitation, he would flick the tip of his knife, sending the head flying far away, landing in the grass.

After he finished cutting the last one at hand and turned around, Han Ling could clearly see his face.

She knew this person—he even sat behind her during evening self-study.

Han Ling subconsciously called out, “Teacher Jia!”

The other person: “?”

Uh…

When did Teacher Jia change his boots?

Han Ling froze for a moment.

In that moment of distraction, another wave of zombies pounced from the other side.

Han Ling cried out, “Look out—”

They saw the figure in the distance turn around, one hand pressing down on a tall gravestone as he leapt over the ditch.

Where he landed was… well, rather unique.

He landed right next to Teacher Jia.

In the instant my foot hit the ground, I grabbed Teacher Jia’s wrist, spun sideways, and said, “Chief Examiner, lend me your dagger for a moment.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the zombie’s head hit the ground.

And in one breath, six were beheaded.

Han Ling also recognized the person who borrowed the knife to chop off their heads.

During evening self-study, she sat two rows behind him.

If not for Teacher Yi, then who?

However…

Why does Teacher Yi’s hair seem a bit shorter?

Moreover, why would Teacher Yi address Teacher Jia as “Chief Examiner”?

Before Han Ling could figure it out.

They heard Professor A’s indifferent voice ring out, “Throw it farther.”

“Yes, sir.” Professor B responded in a casual, offhand manner.

Then… Han Ling saw heads flying chaotically through the air.

The two teachers might have wandered a bit too far ahead.

People are simply no longer visible.

The only sound that could be heard was the screams of the zombies.

During the process, Teacher Jia said, “Can’t you find a knife yourself?”

The tone was quite icy. Anyway, Han Ling figured that if she was the one, she probably wouldn’t dare to speak up.

But Teacher Yi actually laughed, then replied, “No time.”

Hmm……

Probably doesn’t have the time.

After all, it’s quite thrilling and exciting.

Han Ling thought to herself.

The next second, a zombie head was sent flying toward her.

It traced a parabolic arc, landing right in Han Ling’s direction, staring wide-eyed as it descended.

She instinctively screamed.

Just as she started to find her voice, she heard a sharp “crunch—”

A figure landed steadily by the coffin, and a pair of attractive hands reached out, intercepting the severed head mid-air. With a click of the tongue, it was tossed far away.

Han Ling opened her eyes and saw Teacher Yi half-crouched there, looking down at her with two fingers raised in a casual greeting. “Sorry, didn’t scare you, did I?”

Han Ling called out, “Teacher Yi.”

The other: “?”

The handsome man raised an eyebrow.

A long time ago, people often called him “Officer”; later, many called him “Brother Qin” or “Candidate.” Being addressed as “Teacher” was a first, a bit unusual.

“Examiner A” approached, flicking the blood from the tip of his knife.

“Can you stand?” he asked Han Ling.

Han Ling nodded.

“Is this a school? Is there somewhere to hide people?” examinee “Qin Jiu” asked.

“There’s an underground parking garage, but… but… there might be ghosts there too.” Han Lingxin said the place usually had many cars but few people—not only quiet, but the indicator light was also green, making it a feng shui treasure trove for dreaming of ghosts.

Right now, it’s probably also a major disaster zone.

“Does it have a door?”

“I remember there are door slots at the garage entrance—they should be able to seal it shut,” Han Ling said. “Apparently, the initial design was also meant to double as an air-raid shelter.”

“Alright, that’s good. No matter how many ghosts there are, we’ll just kill them.”

Examinee Qin Jiu said.

Han Ling: “…”

Such boldness was beyond her understanding.

Han Ling crawled out of the coffin, and upon looking around, she saw that the entire graveyard had been cleared out.

She knew there should be more zombies around, but the others probably… well, got scared off?

At least none were approaching for now.

She said, “I’ll take you to the garage.”

The young girl blushed as she walked ahead.

With these two guarding your back, no one would feel afraid.

“Qin Jiu” took a few steps, then rubbed his fingers and said, “Examiner, lend me two tissues.”

“Examiner A” glanced at him: “Which eye of yours sees me carrying tissues?”

It was strange. When the knife touched the walking dead, his face would show disgust. Yet, such a hand that had just grabbed a walking dead’s head was waving around near him, and he actually had no desire to chop it off, nor did he walk away.

Han Ling, who was walking ahead, took two steps forward, fished out a pack of tissues from his pocket, and silently handed them over.

Then silently turned back…

For some reason, she felt it wasn’t quite the right moment for her to speak.

First of all, seeing these handsome men—both of them—made her a bit shy.

Second of all… well, it just wasn’t the right moment.

“Qin Jiu” said thank you, took two tissues to wipe his hands, and passed one to “Examiner A.”

“Examiner A” looked at the piece of paper without taking it. “What’s this?”

“To wipe your blade. Someone as picky as you, Examiner A, actually held onto a knife covered in corpse fluid for so long.”

Upon hearing the phrase “covered in corpse fluid,” “Examiner A” tensed up and expressionlessly snatched the paper away.

The sound of footsteps was faintly rustling, while the soft noise of the paper towel rubbing against the blade was even quieter.

For a moment, there was no other movement on the playground.

After a brief pause, “Qin Jiu” suddenly said, “You’re upset.”

“Examiner A’s” hand wiping the knife paused for a moment. He then frowned and looked at him. “Who?”

“You.”

“Examiner A” withdrew his gaze and continued wiping the knife.

“Let me think… Is it because I called the other Chief Examiner in the student dorm?”

“Qin Jiu” walked on, then turned around and looked back at “Examiner A” with a tilted head while continuing to walk backwards.

“……”

“Examiner A” was stared at for a while, and finally couldn’t hold back, pursing his lips as he said, “Keep walking on your own path.”

“Once I’ve gotten the answer, I’ll walk properly.”

“……”

“Then you can keep walking backward.”

“Qin Jiu” suddenly smiled.

He added, “Chief Examiner, who do you think between us and the other two is real and who is fake?”

“Examiner A” slumped, face expressionless, and replied, “Me.”

But after a moment, he suddenly said, “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Hmm?”

He felt as though he was in the midst of a dream.

What reality looked like, he was unclear about it. But dreams, they are always vague and without logic.

“I vaguely remember you became an invigilator, but you said you were a candidate.”

“Is that so?”

“Examiner A” didn’t say anything more.

After all, he himself is still vague and can’t quite explain it.

It seems that in this place, aside from him remaining unchanged—both in personality and appearance—everything else is disconnected. There is no past, no future…

Perhaps those two were right?

Are they people from a dream?

He thought for a moment, then abruptly asked “Qin Jiu” a seemingly out-of-the-blue question: “In the dorm, why did you think the other one was real?”

“Qin Jiu” curled the corner of his mouth: “Are you jealous, Chief Examiner?”

Han Ling, walking ahead, nearly tripped over her own feet.

“Examiner A”: “…”

“Qin Jiu” added: “Alright, let’s be serious.”

He narrowed his eyes, lost in thought for a while.

Why, exactly?

Perhaps it was because the dorm room was left unlit?

The first time he saw “Examiner A,” he inexplicably felt a distance between them. Even though they were just standing on the balcony, separated by only five or six meters, it felt as if that distance made the other person a little unclear.

It was as if there were always all kinds of detestable things standing between them, preventing him from seeing the other person more clearly.

He thought, if only the moonlight were brighter… maybe then he could see clearly.

He thought for a moment and said to “Examiner A,” “It’s too dark in the room. Perhaps because he’s wearing earrings, it looks a bit clearer.”

……

* * *

Downstairs in the dormitory, a large number of white-haired monkeys lay dead.

Little Fatty Zhang Ming was already speechless; the two bigshots were incredibly efficient, killing monkeys and ghosts as swiftly as the wind sweeping away clouds.

He even forgot to be afraid, inexplicably feeling a rush of exhilaration!

The most outrageous thing was that the flagpole in the living area broke and fell to the ground.

That Teacher Jia used it like a skewer, spearing all the slain ghosts onto it, stringing up over a hundred like kebabs.

The little fatty squeezed in with a group of guys, feeling genuinely hungry just by watching.

Qin Jiu turned his head and saw You Huo kick out, the last crawling ghost in the dormitory area arced through the air and landed perfectly, nailed to the flagpole.

He stood atop a high broken wall, holding a steel rod in his hand, lightly tapping the tip of his shoe. He glanced into the distance, then looked down at You Huo and said, “Are you hungry? The cafeteria lights are still on. Want to go raid it for supplies?”

You Huo: “…”

The boys nearby: “………………”

You Huo stood coldly for a moment, then turned and asked the little fatty, “What time is it?”

Little Fatty: “…”

“Just after 2… ten minutes past.”

Just ten minutes, and the dormitory area was completely cleared…

If that were the case, they really had enough time to grab some late-night snacks in the cafeteria.

The little fatty shook his head repeatedly again, thinking to himself, “What a ridiculous idea of mine.”

Qin Jiu jumped down and headed toward the cafeteria with You Huo.

The chubby guy and the others exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, “They’re not really going to eat, are they?” Then they followed along like a string of quails.

After walking only a few steps, Qin Jiu suddenly said, “You still haven’t answered my earlier question… Chief Examiner.”

After saying the first half, he had originally stopped speaking.

But he still felt it wasn’t quite complete, as if something was still missing.

It wasn’t until he filled in that title afterward that he felt… this was right.

It was like… the person who emerged from the dream opened a gap for him, and the wind rushed in carrying vibrant air.

You Huo instinctively tilted his head, perhaps fearing that someone might reach out to brush it again.

He pursed his lips and instinctively said, “Because it’s bright.”

Qin Jiu: “Hmm?”

After saying it, You Huo realized how strange that reason sounded. He said, “I forgot. I’ve been wearing it since I opened my eyes, so how would I remember why?”

When asked by Qin Jiu, he realized that he had never really considered taking it off.

He didn’t remember why he started wearing it, but he didn’t want to take it off.