Chai Yingying cast a glance at the fourth floor but found nothing unusual. Still, the persistent sensation of being watched made her nerves tense.
Was it an invisible ghost? Or something else?
Or… could it be one of the reincarnators they were searching for?
Chai Yingying discreetly surveyed her surroundings again but discovered nothing. Her gaze eventually landed on Gu Jiu and Lu Ji ahead of her. With their sharp instincts, they should have sensed it too. Yet, their silence indicated that as long as the entity didn’t reveal itself, they had no intention of addressing it.
Nothing unexpected happened as the three made their way to the fifth floor, and the unsettling feeling of being watched disappeared along the way.
By the time they reached the seventh floor, the group headed straight to the music classroom.
Chai Yingying opened the door to the music room and flicked on the lights.
The music room was designed like a tiered lecture hall, with a stage at the front. The stage was equipped with curtains and music-playing devices, allowing students to enjoy classic musical pieces or perform on stage.
As the trio entered the music room, a delicate, ethereal melody began to play. It sounded like a little girl humming a tune—a wordless song with only a melody. The sound swirled and echoed in the empty music room.
In the ghost-infested school, with nightfall bringing a deathly silence, the sudden burst of music was spine-chilling.
Even though Chai Yingying was prepared, her heart skipped a few beats when the music started abruptly.
The sound came from the stage.
Near the stage was a lectern. On it, there was nothing but a red music box, the source of the haunting melody.
The three of them approached the stage and stopped in front of the lectern.
Standing there, facing the stage and with their backs to the classroom, they didn’t notice that three shadows appeared on the wall behind them.
These shadows were identical in form to the trio, as if they were extensions of their own shadows.
The three silhouettes on the wall began to dance to the music, their movements becoming more frenzied with each beat.
Chai Yingying caught an accidental glimpse of the dancing shadows on the wall. Her nerves tightened again. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, an inexplicable force dragged her onto the stage. Her body began to dance uncontrollably, her movements wild and erratic.
She tried to warn Gu Jiu and Lu Ji about the shadows behind them, but no words escaped her lips.
She panicked. So, this was the truth behind the music room’s legend.
They had heard about it during the day from the school’s students. According to the legend, a cursed music box resided in the music room. Late at night, it would suddenly begin to sing, and anyone who heard its melody would be compelled to dance madly until they collapsed from exhaustion, ultimately losing their lives.
It was akin to the cursed “Red Shoes.”
Now, Chai Yingying finally understood: it wasn’t the music itself controlling them—it was the shadows on the wall of the music room.
Seeing Chai Yingying’s reaction, Gu Jiu and Lu Ji instinctively leapt away.
As they moved, dark shadows began to creep toward their feet. These shadows stretched out from the silhouettes on the classroom’s back wall, connecting to the pair’s shadows in an attempt to seize control of their bodies.
Although Gu Jiu and Lu Ji were fast, no one could move faster than a shadow.
The three shadows on the wall continued their frenzied dance, their dark tendrils snaking across the floor toward their targets.
They moved as swiftly as shadows, capable of capturing anyone in the classroom in an instant.
With no choice, Gu Jiu and Lu Ji joined her on stage, compelled to dance to the haunting melody.
Though Chai Yingying’s movements were wild and frantic, the sight of Gu Jiu and Lu Ji sharing the same fate made her burst into laughter. Her face was full of glee, and any tension she’d felt was gone.
On stage, the three of them danced madly.
The shadows on the wall mirrored their movements, stretching their forms to the music, fully indulging in the rhythm.
The movements of the people and their shadows were identical, as if the shadows were merely following their leads. But in reality, it was the shadows controlling the people’s actions.
The shadows on the wall stretched to their limits, forcing the three’s bodies into extreme positions. If not for their enhanced physiques as B-level players, these unnatural, inhuman movements would have snapped their bones.
Chai Yingying found the situation painful yet exhilarating. She laughed so hard she could barely catch her breath.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji exchanged glances at her expression, resisting the urge to roll their eyes. They were certain she was just jealous of their close bond, constantly making her endure their public displays of affection.
Without a sound, the back door of the music classroom opened slightly. A black-haired doll peeked its head in, cautiously observing the scene.
Before the doll could take in the situation, a blue fish tail struck its back, launching it forcefully into the room.
The black-haired doll snarled angrily, baring its sharp, chilling teeth at the culprit—a mermaid doll.
The mermaid doll, being short-tempered and aggressive, wasn’t about to tolerate such provocation. Its tail lashed out again, striking the unsuspecting black-haired doll and flinging it straight toward the back wall.
On the wall, the three shadows were still dancing frantically.
As the black-haired doll flew toward the wall, its blood-red eyes glowed fiercely. Its mouth stretched open to an unnatural width, tearing all the way to its ears.
Bang!
The doll hit the wall and clamped its mouth down on one of the shadows.
On stage, Gu Jiu abruptly stopped dancing.
The mermaid doll leaped into the music room with a flick of its tail, launching itself like a tiny missile toward the wall. Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of shark-like teeth as it bit into another shadow.
Lu Ji stopped dancing as well.
The two paranormal dolls clung to the wall, their hands gripping the writhing shadows as their mouths tore into them, devouring the shadows bit by bit.
They ate quickly. Within half a minute, one shadow had been completely consumed.
The two dolls then pounced on the remaining shadow, fighting over it as they voraciously devoured it.
The moment they bit into the last shadow, Chai Yingying finally stopped dancing.
She had danced far longer than Gu Jiu and Lu Ji. By the time she stopped, she felt like her body was on the verge of collapse.
“Damn it, this is inhuman!” she cursed, panting heavily. “If it’s just dancing, fine—but they had to twist my body into all these insane positions! Even in bed, I’ve never done anything this extreme!”
“In bed?” Lu Ji froze, staring at her.
Before he could process what she meant, his girlfriend smirked and quipped, “You don’t even have a boyfriend. Who’s going to fold you up in bed?”
Chai Yingying snapped, “What, I can’t do yoga or something?”
Lu Ji finally grasped the conversation between the two women, and a faint blush appeared on his pale face.
Chai Yingying noticed the redness on Lu Ji’s face, seemingly realizing something. She smirked and teased, “Some people, even with a girlfriend, probably still don’t have a nightlife, right? I bet you’ve never been folded up in bed either.”
“Who said we haven’t?” Gu Jiu replied with a radiant smile. “We’ve tried many positions—absolutely amazing ones!”
Chai Yingying: “….”
Lu Ji: “….” You really didn’t have to say that out loud.
Feeling defeated in a verbal sparring match with Gu Jiu, Chai Yingying was deeply frustrated. Perhaps she should find a boyfriend of her own and test out the limits of being folded in bed.
Meanwhile, the two paranormal dolls had finished devouring the last shadow, and the music abruptly stopped.
With the melody gone, the music room returned to its eerie silence.
The two paranormal dolls approached the stage, heading toward Gu Jiu.
Chai Yingying, seated on the ground catching her breath, watched as the black-haired doll, Lisa, carried the mermaid doll on its back. She felt an inexplicable sense of resignation.
Pointing at the mermaid doll, she said, “Aren’t you a guy? How can you let a girl carry you? Aren’t you ashamed?”
The mermaid doll bared its teeth at her defiantly, clinging even tighter to Lisa’s neck. (TL: All this time I thought this mermaid doll is a girl)
All paranormal dolls had bad tempers, but Lisa’s relatively mild disposition was an exception. Perhaps it was due to her close bond with her sister Sasha in both life and death, resulting in a doll with surprisingly good-natured behavior. Unfortunately, good temper often invited bullying.
Gu Jiu flicked the mermaid doll on its forehead and said, “Don’t bully Lisa.”
The mermaid doll looked obedient for a moment, but it was clear that its behavior wouldn’t change anytime soon.
These two paranormal dolls had been stationed outside the room by Gu Jiu as a precautionary measure. This was why she hadn’t panicked when their bodies were controlled by the shadows.
Having trained with Gu Jiu through multiple C-level worlds, the dolls had grown significantly stronger and now surpassed even ordinary B-level items in ferocity. Players who had left the death train with a doll like Lisa could never have imagined theirs would grow as formidable as hers.
Gu Jiu turned to Lisa, who was looking up at her sweetly, and asked, “Lisa, are you full?”
The shadows consumed by the dolls were, to them, nothing less than a feast.
Lisa crawled into Gu Jiu’s arms, nodded, and gestured with her hands.
About thirty percent full.
The mermaid doll, feeling neglected, tugged at Gu Jiu’s skirt as if to demand why she hadn’t asked about its hunger.
Gu Jiu replied gently, “You’re so picky. You won’t even eat dead mice. How would I know what you can eat? From now on, just eat whatever Lisa eats.”
The mermaid doll felt the full force of being the victim of a family that valued daughters over sons.
After taking a short rest and repositioning their nearly dislocated joints, the group finally stood up.
They walked back to the lectern and stared at the red music box.
Under their watchful eyes, blood began seeping from the seams of the music box. The damage it had sustained from the dolls devouring the shadows was clearly taking its toll.
Chai Yingying turned to Gu Jiu and said, “You take this. It was your two dolls that did all the work just now.”
Though they didn’t know exactly what the music box was, in the game world, it was undoubtedly a rare supernatural artifact. It might prove useful later on.
Gu Jiu didn’t stand on ceremony and put the music box away.
After that, they left the music classroom.