Wang Xiaoming's current state was far from normal. His eyes were shot through with blood vessels, giving him the look of a gambler who'd gone mad with desperation — completely at odds with how he'd appeared back in the boys' dormitory.
"Let's hit the repair room first and take care of business. Once we've got the stuff, I'll go with you to the cafeteria to grab something to eat."
Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Chen Ge gripped a nail in one hand while the other patted Wang Xiaoming on the shoulder. "You're my only friend. Trust me."
He could feel Wang Xiaoming's body warmth through his palm. This desk-mate of his looked strange, but apart from that, he really wasn't all that different from a living person.
Compared to ghosts, he was more like a troubled child suffering from some kind of psychological disorder.
With kids like this, you couldn't refuse their requests. You had to give them more care and support.
"But… I'm actually pretty hungry." A crunching, crunching sound came from Wang Xiaoming's mouth. His lips had been stained red by blood seeping from inside his oral cavity.
Was he chewing on his own teeth?
Chen Ge had encountered a similar case back in Liwan Town — the landlady locked inside the hotel refrigerator. The woman suffered from an eating disorder, and when the hunger grew severe enough, she would devour everything in her mouth, including her teeth and tongue.
Only constant chewing and swallowing could relieve that hunger born deep within the mind.
"Brother, if you really can't stand the hunger, maybe we should split up. You go to the cafeteria, and I'll head to the repair room." After that brief encounter in the dormitory — just a few minutes — Chen Ge had already grasped how dangerous this scenario truly was. Every step could be a trap, and one slip meant death.
In a situation like this, there was absolutely no way he could follow Wang Xiaoming to some completely unfamiliar place.
Chen Ge made his position clear: they could part on good terms. You don't go after me, and I won't make a move on you.
By Chen Ge's own estimation, Wang Xiaoming would either choose to leave on his own or, more likely, turn on him immediately.
The two of them stood in the darkness. A chilly draft crept in from somewhere, slipping under their collars. Wang Xiaoming, wearing that eerie expression, lowered his head and thought for a moment — and then, surprisingly, gradually came back to his senses.
He made a choice that left Chen Ge completely puzzled. "Forget it. I'll stick with you. We can find the stuff first, then head to the cafeteria."
Wang Xiaoming rubbed the stiff muscles in his face, acting as though nothing had happened at all.
"That's more like it." Chen Ge slung an arm affectionately around Wang Xiaoming's shoulder. One of them quietly raised a hand to wipe the blood from his lips while the other silently tucked the nail back into his palm.
"This way." The two understood each other perfectly, even as each harbored their own hidden agenda.
Wang Xiaoming took the lead up front with Chen Ge trailing behind him, his mind racing without a moment's rest.
Everyone in this school was deeply strange. They didn't seem to simply want to kill Chen Ge — each of them had their own agenda.