The Hand of Confession – Chapter 110

Volume 4: Days of Making Mischief at School

Chen Meihan

Two Teacher Zhao

“Pause for a moment,” Lou Jingmo said.

The three of them squatted in the back playground, Lou Jingmo took out a small wooden stick and drew some indiscernible symbols on the ground.

Shen Maomao looked for a long while but couldn’t make out what she had drawn, so she asked: “Sister Lou, what are you drawing?”

Lou Jingmo answered: “Organizing the plot, I feel something isn’t right.”

Shen Maomao immediately agreed: “I feel it too! Sister Lou, let me tell you, I’ve had this sense of unreality the whole time, and my instincts are very accurate!”

Golden Retriever said uncertainly: “Sister Rabbit, are you just too nervous? Or too guilty?”

Before Shen Maomao could refute, Lou Jingmo, who was crouching and drawing seriously, suddenly said: “It’s not an illusion, I sense it too.”

The ending of this instance was too smooth, as if the instance was rushing them forward.

Lou Jingmo had just realized that the game creator made these instances for the purpose of making people repent, not to assist tyranny. Previously, based on the clues she collected, she had confirmed that Teacher Zhao was on the right side of the instance, and the problem child was on the wrong side, but thinking about it now, things didn’t seem that simple.

Shen Maomao also racked her brains, but after thinking for a long while couldn’t figure out what went wrong. Finally, she could only watch Lou Jingmo’s mysterious scribbling and couldn’t help asking: “Sister Lou, have you heard about this instance before?”

Lou Jingmo’s writing paused, and suddenly enlightenment struck. She immediately stood up and patted her shoulder: “Finally something useful.”

Shen Maomao: “…” What’s wrong??

“Looking at the time in the Inner World, this instance has been active for about a year,” Lou Jingmo said. “During this year, I haven’t heard any news about this instance, nor have I seen any player selling instance guides…”

Repeatable instances have guides, and they’re not cheap. She often searched for guides in the gamers’ forums, but hadn’t found any information about this instance.

That could only prove one point—no one had ever left this instance.

They either died in the game or became stranded players, not a single person could bring the game’s information out…

If the plot was really this simple, such a situation wouldn’t exist…

After realizing this, she looked at Golden Retriever and instructed: “Go, throw the umbrella outside.”

Golden Retriever was bewildered: “Outside? Where?”

Lou Jingmo lifted her chin toward the fence: “Throw it outside the school grounds.”

Golden Retriever ran over trembling, trying to throw the bloody umbrella through the gap in the iron fence. Just as the umbrella tip extended beyond the school, a hand-shaped form appeared on the black umbrella surface.

The originally fragile umbrella surface became unusually resilient, not tearing even when stretched high. That hand lay across the railings, and no matter how hard Golden Retriever tried, he couldn’t send it out.

Golden Retriever was nearly crying, shouting to Lou Jingmo: “Sister Xiaolou! What should we do?! I can’t throw it out!”

Lou Jingmo walked to his side and said coldly: “Let go, step back.”

These five crisp and decisive words made Golden Retriever immediately obey, retreating to the side and clearing the space in front of the umbrella.

Lou Jingmo raised her leg and kicked directly at the umbrella handle.

A piercing scream emerged from within the umbrella, the voice so sharp it was impossible to distinguish between male or female.

Another hand stretched out the umbrella surface, and together with the other hand, gripped the railing tightly, refusing to let go no matter how Lou Jingmo treated it.

Lou Jingmo followed with a second kick, making the railing bulge outward slightly.

Then came the third kick, the fourth kick…

The two people behind her watched dumbfounded as she broke those two arms with her kicks, gradually forcing that terrifying black umbrella out of the school grounds…

Shen Maomao swallowed hard, thinking that Lou Jingmo had really shown mercy when kicking her before…

Teacher Zhao in the teaching building seemed to sense something, letting out a shriek and rushing toward the three of them at an inhuman speed.

At the same time, Lou Jingmo delivered the final kick, directly forcing the black umbrella out.

The next second, she grabbed the two children and broke into a run, instructing: “Run separately! Circle around the teaching building! You two keep her running in circles, I’ll go look for clues!”

The group split up at the teaching building, and before separating, Shen Maomao shouted to Lou Jingmo: “Sister Lou, be careful!”

Lou Jingmo nodded and tossed something back: “Hold onto this! Use it if you’re in danger!”

Golden Retriever lightly jumped up to catch the object, then grabbed Shen Maomao’s arm and ran upstairs.

Teacher Zhao had somehow found another black umbrella from somewhere, walking under the sunlight while holding it. Due to her severely distorted limbs, she couldn’t move quickly. But she wasn’t in a hurry, just walking forward unhurriedly, yet somehow always managing to keep up with the two’s pace, leaving a trail of bloody footprints along the way.

The two ran quickly through the long corridor, passing classroom after classroom with doors wide open, receiving burning gazes…

It turned out nobody was seriously studying during the last class period anymore. All students and teachers were crowded at the doorways, or lying against the glass at the top of the classroom side walls, their eyes burning hot as they watched them, like looking at plump lambs.

How could such small children climb so high?

Shen Maomao dared not think too deeply about the reason.

Golden Retriever stuffed the prop that Lou Jingmo had thrown into Shen Maomao’s palm. The two climbed from the main staircase to the second floor, and Golden Retriever pointed upstairs, saying: “I’ll go up! Let’s split up!”

Shen Maomao nodded: “You be careful too!” After saying this, she ran toward the side staircase.

Teacher Zhao slowly caught up, her blood-covered face curling into a smile that reeked of bloodlust, lifting her foot to go upstairs, not following after Shen Maomao.

While Shen Maomao felt relieved, she couldn’t help but worry about Golden Retriever’s safety. But she knew that finding clues about the instance’s plot was most important right now, so she dared not waste time, immediately returning to the first floor, planning to check Yue Changping’s office, thinking that it might now be Teacher Zhao’s seat…

Just as she reached the first floor, she drew in a sharp breath.

Teacher Zhao indeed wasn’t on the first floor, but the corridor was now packed densely with children.

These children were originally facing in all directions, but upon hearing her voice, they all immediately turned their heads toward her while their bodies remained in their original positions, making Shen Maomao’s teeth ache.

At this point, she was already having second thoughts, hesitantly taking a step back.

With this step back, her back touched a warm body.

Shen Maomao shuddered, immediately turning her head to look back, only to see someone who shouldn’t be here—Chen Meihan.

Chen Meihan looked at her with a smiling face, reaching out her hand: “Maomao, what are you looking for?”

“Looking for what…”

“For what…”

Her voice eerily echoed in this space full of people, Shen Maomao’s teeth chattered against each other, listening to the sound bounce back in circles, trembling like a sieve.

Chen Meihan smiled again and said: “Are you still going to supplementary lessons tonight?”

Supplementary lessons?

What supplementary lessons?

Shen Maomao was too preoccupied to be scared now: “Where are the supplementary lessons? I hit my head earlier, I can’t remember!”

Chen Meihan blinked as harmless as a lamb: “Going to Teacher Zhao’s house for supplementary lessons, we few are holding the class back, Teacher Zhao won’t be happy if we don’t attend the lessons.”

Shen Maomao asked again: “Have we been having supplementary lessons since first grade?”

Chen Meihan answered every question: “Yes, Teacher Zhao teaches us mathematics, and the other Teacher Zhao teaches us Chinese language.”

Where did another Teacher Zhao come from?! There are actually two Teacher Zhaos??!

It seemed necessary to attend tonight’s supplementary lessons.

These thoughts circled in her mind but didn’t show on her face. She used a bit of force but couldn’t break free from Chen Meihan’s hand, so she could only give up, then probed cautiously: “Why don’t you all go back to class first, while I go to Teacher Zhao’s office?”

Chen Meihan still wouldn’t let go: “I’ll go with you.”

Shen Maomao: “…Alright then.” At this point, she had no choice but to agree.

The two, like best friends, walked hand in hand through the corridor formed by people.

Those clearly abnormal classmates twisted their necks into even more distorted shapes, making Shen Maomao’s eyelids twitch.

However, perhaps because Chen Meihan was present, they only twisted their heads and didn’t suddenly attack.

The two people… or rather, one person and one ghost? passed through the crowd safely like this, arriving at the first-grade teachers’ office door.

The office door still had a gap, warm sunlight leaked through the crack, and along with the sunlight came a heavy smell of blood.

Shen Maomao’s heart pounded wildly, but Chen Meihan beside her carelessly pulled open the door, revealing the horrific scene inside to both of them.

The room was covered in blood, including the desk, chairs, walls, ceiling…

Sticky blood smeared all over the walls, the entire room was a sea of red, but there were no corpses. Looking at it for too long would make one very uncomfortable.

The room was empty, and Chen Meihan tilted her head asking: “Maomao, shall we go in?”

Shen Maomao: “…Let’s… let’s go in?”

“Then let’s go.” After saying this, she forcefully led Shen Maomao into the classroom, regardless of whether she was willing or not.

“Guji—”

“Guji—”

Their shoes made strange sounds stepping on the floor, like the sound of someone stepping on a small insect, with its bodily fluids and internal organs bursting out together.

Since they were already inside, Shen Maomao fought back her nausea and walked straight toward Teacher Yue’s desk.

Chen Meihan changed from leading the way to being led by her, those clear black and white eyes revealing a hint of playful interest.

“Shen Maomao?”

A voice came from under the desk, startling Shen Maomao, who yelped “Ow” and ran to hide behind Chen Meihan.

The next moment, Lou Jingmo crawled out holding her ‘cuts through iron like mud’ [削鐵如泥 | xiāo tiě rú ní | meaning sharp] dagger, her body also stained with blood like herself.

“So timid?” Lou Jingmo glanced at Chen Meihan, the dagger in her hand gleaming with the cold metallic luster of a blade.

Shen Maomao patted her chest and said: “What are you doing with that knife?! If you hadn’t recognized me, were you planning to go for my shins?!”

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