A Good-for-Nothing

105. A Diary (1)

Translator: Dragon Rider

The surveillance video was not long, about ten minutes or so. When it came to an end, Vice-principal Wu pressed pause, trembling. His throat felt dry and he could barely keep up his pretence of composure.

“Like what you just saw… This kid committed suicide by hanging himself from a hook. Therefore, neither our school nor the police has any evidence to hold the female teacher responsible for his death.”

“So you can’t hand the female teacher over no matter how big a stink Xu Tianhao’s family make at the school gate.”

Vice-principal Wu’s face was full of distress. “How can we hand her over? If we do that, public opinion will be even more unfavorable for us.”

Zu Zhichong’s heart sank. He had not found anything wrong. The only plausible explanation he could think of was that this schoolboy had been possessed by something.

This thing’s power was, for all intents and purposes, the same as that of a Dream Eater, but almost all Dream Eaters in the Coastal City had been disposed of, so it couldn’t have been a Dream Eater.

“What about Liu Lanxue? Did she say anything?”

Sergeant Luo shook his head. “Her mental state is extremely unstable. She won’t stop hurting herself when awake. Her behavior is more or less the same as that of Xu Tianhao when he was alive – slapping her own face, hitting her hands, so she’s still locked in a detention house.”

Zu Zhichong gave a bob of his head. “Let’s go to the detention house to take a look.”

He Zheng twisted his head aside and inquired of Qin Huai, “When your niece was ‘possessed by a ghost’, did she do anything else apart from demanding to go back to that classroom in this school?”

“I seem… seem to remember her muttering something about an office.”

He Zheng queried Vice-principal Wu, “Where’s Liu Lanxue’s office?”

“It’s around the corner. There’s nobody in that office now.”

“Let’s go and see,” replied He Zheng.

Zu Zhichong didn’t like the idea of He Zheng getting involved in this matter, but the Yin Yang Eye of He Zheng might prove helpful to him, so Zu Zhichong didn’t try to stop him.

“Sergeant Luo, I think you should go back to the police station first and see if you can find more information about this button.”

Just now, when they’d been watching the video, none of them had seen a button drop from the victim’s clothes, which was why they grew more suspicious of this button.

“We’ll go to the police station later to see Liu Lanxue.”

Sergeant Luo had orders to give them his full cooperation, so naturally he didn’t raise any objections.

Vice-principal Wu wiped off the sweat on his forehead. On hearing that they wanted to go to that office, he felt his flesh creep and gave an unnatural cough before asking, “Do you want me to go to the office with you?”

“Thank you for your cooperation, vice-principal. We can manage it on ourselves.”

Vice-principal Wu noticeably heaved a sigh of relief. And then, in the realization that he had done it too obviously, he let out a hollow laugh in embarrassment and said, “Well, the thing is, our principal has called me several times just now. I have to go and find out what it’s about, so I can’t go there with you. I’m really sorry.

If there’s anything else you need me to cooperate in, all you have to do is give me a call.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Vice-principal Wu repeatedly said “It’s no trouble” but quickly left the room like the wind.

Sergeant Luo and others pulled a wry face, too embarrassed to say anything. After a few moments, Sergeant Luo remarked, “Okay, let’s split up. I’ll go back to the station to investigate into this button. Call me if you find anything.”

“All right.” Zu Zhichong inclined his head and then Sergeant Luo also left.

The three of them left in the room exchanged glances. Qin Huai, who was almost scared out of his mind, implored with a distressed face, “Cutie, can I go back first as well?”

He Zheng flicked him a flinty look. “Is the girl your niece or mine?”

Qin Huai curved his lips, cutting a pitiful figure. “I…”

And then the three of them walked towards Liu Lanxue’s office.

The office had been emptied some time ago. Since Xu Tianhao had died shortly after talking with his teacher in the office, those who used to share this office with Liu Lanxue were unwilling to stay in it any longer, so they had moved to another one.

“It’s locked.” He Zheng gave the door a push but it wouldn’t open.

Zu Zhichong made a hand gesture, as if saying “I got this”. Then he fished a card out of his bag, held the knob with one hand and inserted the card into the crack between the door and the frame with the other hand. After heavily moving the card up and down a few times, the door opened with a click. Zu Zhichong smugly shook the card in his hand. “This is how you open a door.”

After they walked into the office, He Zheng slightly widened his eyes. Zu Zhichong, mistakenly believing that He Zheng was amazed by his skills, smiled, “Cutie, there’s no need for you to be so surprised. It’s very easy. I can tea–”

A gust of humid and chill wind blew from behind and abruptly slammed the door shut. Qin Huai was the least strong among the three of them. Though it was daytime, the office felt exceptionally gloomy and cold. Qin Huai involuntarily gave a cold shiver and subconsciously moved closer to He Zheng. Under his breath, he asked, “He Zheng, what’s going on here? Why am I feeling that something’s not right with this place?”

Zu Zhichong exchanged glances with He Zheng then furrowed his eyebrows. Seeing He Zheng’s countenance was somewhat unwonted, he queried, “What are you seeing, Cutie?”

He Zheng pointed in the direction of a desk, which probably belonged to a female teacher, for it was spotlessly clean, with teaching-oriented reference books and a vase of flowers neatly placed on the surface.

“There’s black gas.” During daytime, He Zheng’s eyes appeared no different from those of a common person, but if anybody looked carefully enough, they would be able to see some faint golden lines in them. When He Zheng was intently staring at something, in particular, those golden lines would be even more noticeable.