Qiutong had volunteered to be the bait herself.
But after separating from Ma Lu, her heartbeat couldn’t help but accelerate, and her palms started to sweat.
The main issue was that the surrounding streets were just too dark, and she could only see clearly for less than a meter in front of her. Any further, and she could only make out vague outlines, while ten meters away, she couldn’t see anything at all.
On top of that, she had always been afraid of the dark since she was a child, and this time she knew for certain that there was a monster in the darkness—it was impossible for her not to be nervous.
After walking only a few steps, she already somewhat regretted her decision, but she was too embarrassed to go back to Ma Lu. After all, she had made grand declarations not so long ago, and to turn back now would be utterly shameful. Thus, she had no choice but to continue walking, steeling her nerves.
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The slightest rustle made Qiutong’s hair stand on end, and she was ready to break into a run.
She walked on, trembling with fear, for a quarter of an hour without suffering any attack, but Qiutong couldn’t feel any sense of relief.
According to the fishing plan she had discussed with Ma Lu, if they couldn’t lure that creature out at the start, Ma Lu would increase the distance between them, creating more opportunities for the thing lurking in the darkness.
In other words, the longer it took, the more dangerous Qiutong’s situation became.
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Qiutong felt extremely conflicted; she was simultaneously afraid that the monster might suddenly appear and that it might not appear at all.
While she grappled with these thoughts, she moved slowly forward, and without realizing it, she arrived in front of a school.
Although she couldn’t see the sign above the gate clearly, Qiutong recognized at a glance that it was the Peiwen Girls’ School where she had previously studied.
In this familiar environment, Qiutong’s nerves settled somewhat.
Ma Lu had only told her to wander around the area without specifying a specific destination. After thinking for a bit, Qiutong decided to visit her alma mater.
Compared to other places, she was more familiar with it. If she had to pick a place to encounter danger, Qiutong preferred it to be at Peiwen.
The school was still on vacation today, so the main gate was closed, but that was no obstacle for Qiutong.
She walked to the low wall by the side gate, bent her knees slightly, and with a light leap from the ground, her hands grabbed the top of the wall.
Next, putting strength into her waist, her little leather shoes pressed against the wall bricks, she pushed off, swung one leg up, and finally perched herself smoothly on top of the wall.
Qiutong first looked around cautiously; not seeing the monster anywhere, she then took out the chalk she carried and left a mark on the exterior wall.
After drawing, she jumped down from the wall.
Climbing over walls was something she had done frequently, so she was used to it. Moreover, back then, she had to avoid the school’s security team; now, with no one around the school, nothing could stop her.
After landing, Qiutong dusted off her hands. She didn’t head towards the school buildings because the environment there was too complex and the visibility was not broad enough, making it easy to be ambushed.
She went straight to the playground on the west side. Physical Strength class was Qiutong’s favorite because she could run around and play, much more interesting than studying in the school buildings.
Moreover, many of the Physical Strength instructors were soldiers or boxing masters with upright postures and brimming with vitality. The girls often gathered around them, chattering and asking all sorts of questions.
Even when gymnastics class wasn’t in session, many students would still run to the playground, Later the school, fearing the spread of some scandalous gossip, had the playground enclosed and fitted with a gate.
Now, however, the gate wasn’t locked. Qiutong arrived at the playground, her gaze sweeping around as a look of nostalgia crossed her face.
Though many girls, including herself, often complained about the strict rules and rigid instructors while at Peiwen, leaving stirred a sense of nostalgia in her.
Especially at the thought of never seeing those familiar teachers and classmates again, as she herself was about to, no, she had already stepped into a strange and dangerous world after all—the monotonous routine of campus life suddenly didn’t seem so dull and uninteresting.
Qiutong was lost in thought when the sand in the sandbox behind her suddenly began to move. Something was silently crawling out from beneath the sand, lunging towards Qiutong’s back.
At the critical moment, Qiutong’s athletic talent kicked in. They were already very close, but Qiutong twisted her waist just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Then she quickly stepped back twice and looked up to see a tall, dark figure.
Despite the shadow having no discernible features, Qiutong recognized him—Instructor Zheng, previously the most popular among the girls at the school.
It was said that Instructor Zheng had once been a brigade commander but had been sent to Xindu after receiving a bullet wound in the leg. With time on his hands, he had accepted Peiwen’s invitation to teach gymnastics to the students.
He was tall and muscular, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his inherent military bearing made him the secret crush of many girls.
Qiutong wasn’t as infatuated with Instructor Zheng as her classmates were, but she had seen him perform military calisthenics, and had been impressed by his strength and the unwittingly revealed sharp and lethal air about him.
The figure before her seemed to have inherited these traits, with every move he made carrying the force of thunder.
And to make matters worse, his movement was even more nimble than Instructor Zheng’s; he didn’t seem like someone who had been shot in the leg at all.
Qiutong did not hesitate; she turned and ran, screaming loudly as she did.
Apart from fear, this was also part of the plan she had with Ma Lu—if she ran into the target, she was to scream loud, as they had no other means to communicate over distances apart from their voices.
Qiutong’s legs pumped swiftly, and she reached the playground’s iron gate first, only to be surprised that the gate, which had been open before, was now locked.
Even more astonishing was the fact that, for some unfathomable reason, the playground’s walls were built higher than the school’s outer walls.
Besides not being able to climb out herself, Qiutong was now worried that Ma Lu might not be able to get in even if he arrived.
This made her scalp tingle with dread, but Qiutong had no time to ponder—the dark figure was closing in.
Qiutong knew that staying put by the gate was akin to waiting for death, so she hastily took off running again.
One human, one monster—one fleeing ahead, the other chasing from behind.
The shadow’s speed was nearly the same as Qiutong’s, but it seemed never to tire while Qiutong had to slow down to catch her breath after running a while. Luckily, she was more agile, managing to dodge each time she was almost caught, and spurred on by fear, she continued to accelerate.
Furthermore, her physical strength was also quite good. The two of them ran three laps around the playground, and the dark figure didn’t manage to touch Qiutong.
But after all, Qiutong was only human, not a monster. Her stamina wasn’t infinite. Maintaining high speed, her breathing, which had been relatively stable, began to grow ragged, and she knew she couldn’t last much longer.
She could only keep shouting Ma Lu’s name, looking repeatedly towards the main gate, hoping that he would appear soon. However, there was no sign of Ma Lu outside the gate.