CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 114: CODE

[Task Objective: Resolve seven supernatural events, 3/7 already completed.]

The solemn expressions on the faces of the Plague Doctor and Black Trojan eased slightly upon hearing the System notification, but the taut string of tension in their hearts did not loosen in the slightest.

After a long moment, Li Ang’s silhouette was cast on the wall of the dormitory building’s first-floor hall. He approached with a light, unhurried gait, casually waving to his two teammates in greeting.

The Plague Doctor and Black Trojan exchanged a look. Instead of rushing to greet him, they used an equipment-based skill to perform a Psychic Response scan on Li Ang from a distance. From their perspective, the fact that Li Rising hadn’t responded to the walkie-talkie for so long was highly suspicious.

Echo Pathfinder and the glasses detected nothing abnormal about Li Ang. Still suspicious, the Plague Doctor and Black Trojan approached and asked, "Why didn’t you answer the walkie-talkie just now?"

"I ran into a bit of a special situation," Li Ang, showing no signs of combat, said nonchalantly. "I had a little chat about life philosophy with a ghost and guided him onto a path of light, righteousness, and hope."

The Plague Doctor and Black Trojan were completely baffled, having no idea what Li Ang was talking about.

"Anyway," Li Ang cleared his throat and said gravely, "I managed to get a good deal of intel from that fellow. If this information is accurate, our current situation is rather grim."

The Plague Doctor tensed at his words and quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

"This place isn’t the real Ibaraki Middle School, but an intermediate zone where the real world and the world of the dead converge," Li Ang said gravely. "Across all ’school’ settings in the Japan Islands, people who died with extreme resentment and rage have a certain probability of being trapped here as Earthbounded Spirits. Only after sunset can these ghosts escape the confines of ’Ibaraki Middle School’ and enter the real world."

The Plague Doctor couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath. "The entire Japan Islands?"

Numerous geographical factors—such as being surrounded by the sea, having narrow territories, scarce arable land, limited resources, and frequent natural disasters—have fostered a unique island culture in the Japan Islands. They are humble and gentle, yet savage and aggressive; polite, yet arrogant and self-important; malleable, yet obstinate; meticulous about minor etiquette, yet lacking in true righteousness. Pervasive pragmatism, collectivism, and a strong sense of hierarchy have made the national character of the people of the Japan Islands somewhat warped and peculiar, prone to extremism at the slightest provocation.

In 2003, the total number of suicides in the Japan Islands was 34,427. Although this figure decreased slightly to 21,321 in 2017, the suicide rate among students remained high, even increasing significantly. On average, over 250 students took their own lives annually due to school bullying, family problems, and academic pressure.

Even if only one-tenth of these vengeful spirits entered Ibaraki Middle School, accumulated over so many years, this would amount to a terrifyingly large number.

How many resentful spirits reside within Ibaraki Middle School? Dozens? Hundreds?

Looking at his silent teammates, Li Ang said with a smile, "That ghost told me that, as far as he knows, there are at least five to six hundred vengeful spirits drifting through the various buildings within Ibaraki Middle School. However, we’ve only encountered three so far and haven’t been attacked. I believe the System has been actively shielding us from some of the monsters, preventing us from being besieged by hundreds of ghosts the moment we arrived."

"Shielding... huh." The Plague Doctor exhaled slowly, looking towards the sunset hanging in the sky.

Black Trojan looked towards the setting sun. He extended his arm, held his fingers together, bent his palm inward at a 90-degree angle to his forearm, and positioned his hand between the sun and the horizon. After a rough measurement, Black Trojan turned his head and said, "We have about half an hour before the sun sets. If the System lifts its restrictions then, and all the monsters are unleashed, we won’t stand a chance of survival."

Half an hour. Four supernatural events.

"We’ll hardly make it in time." The Plague Doctor glanced at his two teammates and said grimly, "So, are we splitting up?"

"We have no other choice," Li Ang said. "Each of us will search different buildings and maintain contact via walkie-talkie. Report immediately after clearing a building or resolving a supernatural event."

"Mmhm." Black Trojan nodded and added, "To prevent one of us from being controlled by a ghost, we should establish a code phrase. We’ll use it during communications to verify each other."

The three decided on the code phrases and split up. Plague Doctor was assigned the girls’ dormitory and the school infirmary. Black Trojan took the cafeteria and the art building. Li Ang was responsible for the gymnasium and the swimming pool. Their final meeting point was the student club building in the northwest corner of Ibaraki Middle School.

BOUNCE. BOUNCE. BOUNCE.

In the deathly silent gymnasium, the rhythmic sound of a basketball echoed. Li Ang held a flashlight in his left hand, scanning the dimly lit gymnasium, while his right hand idly dribbled a basketball. After a few bounces, he took a one-handed shot from beyond the three-point line. The basketball arced through the air and swished cleanly through the net.

As their various attributes increased, players would evolve towards becoming ’superhuman’—able to run faster, jump higher, and possess greater strength. If players wished to keep their identities secret, they had to be careful to conceal these abilities in their daily lives. For instance, by avoiding sports like basketball, soccer, or track and field events like the high jump and long jump, they could prevent inadvertently revealing their extraordinary nature.

"No ghosts here." After thoroughly searching the entire gymnasium and finding no monsters, Li Ang had no choice but to exit through the main doors.

[Task Objective: Resolve seven supernatural events, 4/7 currently completed]

The System notification chimed in his ear. Li Ang was surprised. So soon? Was it Black Trojan or Plague Doctor?

The walkie-talkie chirped. Li Ang pressed the call button.

Plague Doctor’s strained voice came through the walkie-talkie, "The air is trembling, as if the sky is burning."

That’s the code phrase.

"Yes, the storm is coming," Li Ang replied, his brow furrowing slightly as he gave the countersign.

Black Trojan’s voice sounded normal. "You’ve done your duty. Leave the rest to me."

These three lines were from *Walter Defends Sarajevo*, a Yugoslavian film from the 1970s. The probability of them being a coincidence was incredibly low. Furthermore, if any of them harbored suspicions, they could switch to the secondary code phrase.

On the other end of the walkie-talkie, Plague Doctor was audibly struggling for breath. "WHEEZE... GASP... WHEEZE... GASP..."

Li Ang narrowed his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Not good... Very bad," Plague Doctor managed to choke out.

He was currently lying on his back in the farthest stall of the girls’ restroom on the first floor of the school infirmary, all his limbs broken and twisted at grotesque angles. Pale, splintered shards of bone protruded from the skin at his elbows and knees; the sight alone was chillingly terrifying. The black cloak covering his lower body was saturated with a large pool of blood, its viscous wetness clinging to his skin as if he were submerged in honey.

HUFF... HUFF...

Leaning his head against the filthy toilet lid, Plague Doctor breathed laboriously. A disheveled girl in a bloodstained school uniform squatted on his caved-in chest, staring down at him unblinkingly with eyes that were entirely white.