"Sir, please don't talk like that. The past is the past — we should live in the present."
His entry into the ghost school this time had been pure chance. Fortunately, he'd kept up his good habit — no matter where he went, he brought all his employees along. More people meant more strength, and you never knew when someone's special ability might come in handy. Even if they had no particular powers, having them close by at least bolstered the courage.
All sorts of coincidences had conspired to create this situation — seemingly accidental, yet almost inevitable. It gave even him a faint shiver down his spine.
"When you get old, it's easy to dwell on the past. Seeing you reminds me of your parents — they truly helped me a great deal." The old principal's expression carried a trace of guilt. "Actually, the first time you entered Muyang Middle School, I noticed you. It was from that moment I first got the idea of saving Xue Ying out of the ghost school."
"You don't need to worry about that." Chen Ge stepped forward a few paces, concerned that Ying Hong might harm the old principal.
"Let me say this — there are things bottled up inside me, and I need to get them off my chest." The old principal shook his head gently. "The Spiritual Medium's Ghost School is extremely dangerous. I knew my chances of rescuing Xue Ying were slim. If I couldn't come back, the other children in the class would be left without anyone looking after them — something was bound to happen to them. I couldn't rest easy about that, which is why I asked you to take care of them."
The old man paused. "Your parents helped me, yet I used you. And now, in order to find me, you've voluntarily walked into such a dangerous place. I truly don't know what to say."
"Principal, it's dangerous here, yes, but there's no need to be overly despairing." Chen Ge's gaze drifted past the old principal to Ying Hong hiding behind the old man's back. "I came in fully prepared."
He flipped open the comic album. The yellowed pages rustled, and fresh crimson blood seeped from within — one of the pages in this seemingly ordinary album was blood-red.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Crashing sounds erupted all around. A pale arm extended from the book's pages, a lock of black hair still tied around the wrist.
The smell of blood in the air grew thicker. Fingers, then a forearm, then a shoulder — a headless woman climbed out of the comic album. But she wasn't done. She reached back into the pages, groped around for a while, and retrieved a woman's head.
The hem of a blood-red dress trailed across the floor. The female ghost held her own head in both hands and stood silently at Chen Ge's left.
"Don't be afraid — they're all on our side." Chen Ge unzipped his backpack, tucked the comic album away, and pulled out a pair of blood-red high heels from the very bottom.
He set the shoes casually on a nearby desk. Yet for no apparent reason, the sound of *clack, clack* footsteps echoed through the classroom. Blood-red shoe prints appeared one after another on the floor, and at last the prints came to a stop at Chen Ge's right.
"
Chen Ge called Xu Yin's name softly. The acrid scent of blood surged forward. No longer hiding his true nature, Xu Yin tilted his head and stared at the old principal, and the entire classroom seemed to be engulfed in a sea of blood!
Setting
"Is this enough?"
The old principal had never imagined that Chen Ge had brought this many Red-clothed ghosts inside. His eyes went wide. "It's enough! As long as we're careful, we—"
"I know it's still not enough." Chen Ge cut the old principal off before he could finish. "That's why I entered the Spiritual Medium's Ghost School in advance and already struck a deal with three of the Red-clothed ghosts here. We share common interests, and they've agreed to cooperate with me."
"So that means six — six Red-clothed ghosts will help us?" The old principal understood all too well how terrifying Red-clothed ghosts were. They were synonymous with despair, cruelty, and anguish. If he encountered one alone, he couldn't imagine any outcome other than the complete annihilation of his soul.
"Six Red-clothed ghosts are just pawns to confuse the enemy. My real trump card…" Chen Ge turned to look at his own shadow, his gaze softening. "—is something above Red-clothed!"
Hearing those words from Chen Ge's lips, the old principal began to doubt his own ears. But he didn't dare ask. He didn't even have the courage to repeat those words.