At the school gate.
"Where are you going?"
Seeing someone approach, the gatekeeper, with a police baton hanging from his waist, walked out.
Xie Zhengyu's mind immediately flashed back to the times he had been stopped before.
His heart tightened, and he stammered,
"I, I'm going home."
The gatekeeper looked at him suspiciously, his expression a little odd.
At this moment, Jiang Lin's calm voice rang out, "This student needs to take leave to go home. Please open the gate."
The gatekeeper sized up Jiang Lin. He looked unfamiliar, but not like a student. Moreover, the tone of his voice…
Is he a new teacher?
He followed procedure and asked, "Do you have a leave slip?"
Even with a teacher accompanying him, without a leave slip, he feared being held responsible if anything happened to the student after leaving.
Jiang Lin glanced at Xie Zhengyu, who quickly handed over the leave slip.
The gatekeeper looked at it and nodded, "It's late at night. Be careful on the road."
"???"
They were just letting him go?
Xie Zhengyu was stunned. It actually worked?
What the streamer said actually worked?!
Xie Zhengyu looked at Jiang Lin with surprise. Overwhelmed with joy, his eyes felt a little sore.
He had the urge to shed tears.
Jiang Lin raised his hand and patted Xie Zhengyu's back, whispering, "Remember, once you're out of the school gate, run forward with your eyes closed. Run with all your might."
"Don't answer anyone who calls you, and don't stop."
Xie Zhengyu nodded seriously, "Okay, streamer."
"Go on, class is almost over."
"Okay!"
Xie Zhengyu took a deep breath and looked at the school gate before him, as if facing a battlefield.
The streamer must be right!
"I'm going!"
...
"Go!"
"You can do it!"
In the live stream, many viewers subconsciously slowed their breathing, becoming tense along with the scene.
After discovering that the entire school had been destroyed by an earthquake, the viewers had also wondered.
The streamer must have known long ago that these teachers and students were already gone. Why did he still agree to help Xie Zhengyu get out?
Later, after much discussion, they arrived at two conclusions.
One: The streamer was fulfilling Xie Zhengyu's last wish, allowing the souls of the departed to rest in peace.
Two: Xie Zhengyu was not completely dead yet!
It was like in novels, where a person is caught between the Yin and Yang realms, still in a state of dying.
They needed someone to pull them back to help them remember the past and successfully return.
Regardless of which it was, all they could do now was to offer their blessings!
"Go! Charge forward!"
"Believe the streamer!"
...
Ding-a-ling—Ding-a-ling—
The bell for the school's evening self-study rang out, echoing through the night sky.
After stepping out of the school gate, Xie Zhengyu did as the streamer had instructed.
He closed his eyes and ran forward with his head down.
It didn't matter if he tripped or bumped into walls.
Just run!
Reincarnation, in itself, was not a normal phenomenon.
The night wind was strong, blowing against his cheeks.
It whistled and echoed in his ears.
With his eyes closed, the world was reduced to darkness.
Woo woo woo—
Woo woo woo woo—
Gradually, other sounds began to mix with the wind.
"Xie Zhengyu, hurry back to your dorm after school. Don't run around."
"Xie Zhengyu, where are you going?"
"Good heavens, you're sneaking out alone and didn't even bring me along!"
The voices of teachers, Xia Zhixing, Huang Bude…
Came from all directions.
Some were in front, some were not far behind.
And some seemed to be right beside Xie Zhengyu's ears, running alongside him.
"!!!"
Xie Zhengyu's heart skipped a beat at the sounds, a mix of surprise and fright.
In the darkness, emotions were amplified infinitely.
He instinctively wanted to open his eyes to see what was happening.
But as soon as his eyelashes moved, they brushed against the eye mask he had tied on before leaving.
The streamer's words immediately flashed in his mind, and his heart began to pound.
With his eyes tightly shut, he continued to run forward with his head down, not uttering a sound.
Don't look, don't listen, and don't respond!
It's all fake! It's all fake!
Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder from behind.
"Xie Zhengyu, why are you running so fast? Wait for me!"
Huang Bude said from behind him, panting.
He seemed exhausted, "Hoo hoo~ Where are you going? You promised to treat me to a meal!"
"Okay, you guys are going to eat something delicious!"
Xia Zhixing came forward and grabbed Xie Zhengyu's arm.
He grumbled, "Whoever sees it gets a share!"
Familiar voices, familiar tones…
And the real touch of hands…
Had these two really followed him?
Xie Zhengyu's mind was a little hazy, and his steps instinctively slowed down.
He opened his mouth, his heart filled with questions.
Suddenly, a warm current flowed from his back, spreading to his limbs.
—It was the spot where the streamer had patted him earlier!
Xie Zhengyu snapped back to reality, realizing he had almost spoken.
Instantly, his body turned cold, and he broke out in a cold sweat!
He gritted his teeth; the stinging sensation made him even more alert.
Shaking off the hands on his shoulders and wrists, he quickened his pace, which had just slowed.
Run!
Run!
Don't think about anything!
"Xie Zhengyu. Come up for dictation! Next..."
The voice of the "Abbess Miejue" came from ahead, as if she were teaching an English class.
"Xie Zhengyu, don't sleep, get up quickly, the teacher is calling you!" Huang Bude nudged his arm.
Gradually, these voices faded.
A familiar figure embraced Xie Zhengyu, saying with surprise, "Xiao Yu, why are you back?"
Beside him, his father's voice sounded, "Of course, the child is back for the holidays."
"Xie Zhengyu, I can finally come to your house for dinner, hahaha..."
Huang Bude hugged him with a bear hug.
"Xie Zhengyu..."
"Xie Zhengyu..."
"Look, Xie Zhengyu..."
Countless familiar and unfamiliar voices filled his ears, giving him a big hug.
Every time Xie Zhengyu paused slightly, a warm current would come from behind him.
Spreading to every part of his body.
The streamer's icy voice echoed in his mind, sending a shiver through him.
It was at the lotus pond when the streamer asked him:
'Xie Zhengyu, do you want to go out?'
At that time, Xie Zhengyu had replied: I want to go out!
Now, his answer was still the same!
He had to get out!
He had had enough of the endless cycles, enough of being the only one awake, facing bizarre murder cases again and again!
He just wanted to be an ordinary person! To return to his normal life!
'I want to go out!'
...
"!!!"
In the live stream,
The viewers' eyes widened, and they stared in horror at the live broadcast.
They had almost forgotten to breathe.
The sounds Xie Zhengyu could hear, they could also hear.
The embraces Xie Zhengyu could feel, they could also see.
But the figures in the footage… could no longer be called human.
What they saw were black humanoid figures.
Their faces had only three indistinct black holes, serving as eyes and mouths.
They appeared abruptly in front of, beside, and behind Xie Zhengyu.
Using familiar voices, they called his name.
Speaking as if they were friends or teachers.
Every time Xie Zhengyu's steps slowed, the viewers' hearts would tighten.
"Don't stop!"
...