The Hand of Confession – Chapter 112

Volume 4: Days of Making Mischief at School

Gas

Suspect Zhao… Victim Chen…

Zhao Chunhua’s home was in the teachers’ residential building near the school.

This building was quite old, looking dilapidated from the outside, swaying in the wind and rain, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Having experienced a building collapse before, Shen Maomao was a bit anxious, fearing the instance might bury them deep underground.

Zhao Chunhua unlocked her apartment door with a key, folded her small black umbrella, stood still, and shook off the glistening water droplets from it.

The group entered one by one, and the iron door clanged shut behind them. The hallway light turned on in response, casting a dim light on everyone’s faces.

With so many people, the already narrow space felt even more cramped. Zhao Chunhua led the way, saying softly, “My home is on the third floor, we’re almost there.”

Zhao Chunhua’s home was a stark contrast to the building’s exterior—inside the entrance was a shoe cabinet, and diagonally opposite the door was a light green sofa and a refrigerator covered with a dust cloth.

Outside, the wind and rain raged, but inside, there was a warmth that didn’t match the current situation.

The group changed shoes as they entered her home, and Shen Maomao glanced around but didn’t see anyone else in the house.

So where was that Chinese teacher, Zhao? Why wasn’t he here?

“It’s still the same room as before. You go ahead and do tonight’s math homework. I’ll go steam some rice and check your work later,” she said while taking off her coat. “Once you take off your clothes, just leave them on the sofa. Mother Shen, you can rest on the sofa for a while, and I’ll get you some water.”

Mother Shen quickly protested, “Teacher Zhao, you don’t need to worry about me. I can just sit here on my own, it’s too much trouble for you.”

While Shen Maomao was taking off her outerwear and listening to their polite conversation, Zhao Chunhua eventually went to the kitchen to boil water, and the little newcomers, including Shen Maomao, were led by Chen Meihan to their study room.

It was a room to the left of the living room, equipped with a small blackboard, a lectern, and eight neatly arranged chairs.

Chen Meihan sat in the front row first, and the rest of the participants obediently took their seats, with no one daring to sit next to her.

She wasn’t upset and cheerfully waved to the slow-moving Shen Maomao, who was at the end of the group, enthusiastically patting the chair beside her. “Maomao! Come sit here! I got a good spot!”

Shen Maomao thought, “…” This is difficult.

Lou Jingmo gave her a look, leading Golden Retriever to sit behind them.

Receiving the signal, Shen Maomao reluctantly sat next to her and put down her small backpack.

Chen Meihan gave a sweet smile, “I stole you away from Lou Jingmo!”

Shen Maomao expressed her “white lotus” [白莲花 | bái lián huā | a term often used to describe someone who appears innocent but is actually manipulative] opinion, convincing herself as much as others, “Don’t talk about stealing. I belong to everyone. Anyone has the right to play with me. Thinking of monopolizing me is very selfish behavior.”

Chen Meihan looked confused, “What are you talking about, Maomao?”

Shen Maomao: “…”

A suppressed laugh came from the back seat, and Shen Maomao turned around, glaring fiercely at Lou Jingmo.

Chen Meihan opened her backpack, took out her homework book, and invited Shen Maomao to join her. “Let’s hurry up and do our homework, Maomao. After finishing math, we still have to do Chinese, and if we don’t finish the Chinese homework, Teacher Zhao will get mad.”

Shen Maomao asked, “Chinese teacher? Where?”

Chen Meihan naturally replied, “He was just in the living room. Are you nearsighted, Maomao?”

Shen Maomao thought, “??” Besides Zhao Chunhua, were there others in the living room just now??

Perhaps… this Zhao Zhuyu, they simply couldn’t see him?

The thought was somewhat terrifying, and she quickly asked, “Where’s the Chinese teacher now?”

Chen Meihan said, “I don’t know. Maybe he went to the kitchen.”

Her answer was vague and ambiguous, even someone as sharp as Lou Jingmo couldn’t figure out what she was trying to hint at.

Yes, a hint.

Chen Meihan might not be a friendly ghost, but her actions seemed to be hints for the players about the story. Although her purpose was still unclear, Lou Jingmo intuitively felt that following her lead would definitely help them find the exit to the game.

The group of players could only pretend to be real children, earnestly sprawling over their desks, working on their homework for a long time.

Before long, Zhao Chunhua suddenly entered the classroom and called out one of the players by name, “Take your diary and come out with me for a moment.”

The player who was called turned pale, as if glued to their seat, refusing to get up no matter what.

Zhao Chunhua’s lips twitched as she picked up an iron ruler from the lectern and marched over to the player’s side. When she slapped the ruler down, the crisp sound made Shen Maomao shiver involuntarily.

The player broke into tears, wailing loudly like a real child.

Shen Maomao didn’t dare to turn around, while Chen Meihan calmly continued solving math problems, as if oblivious to the commotion behind her.

Zhao Chunhua forcefully dragged the boy out of the tutoring room, passed through the living room, and finally entered another bedroom, slamming the door shut with a “bang,” cutting off everyone’s view.

Shen Maomao glanced at Chen Meihan, who was focused on her workbook, then turned to Lou Jingmo.

Lou Jingmo understood what she wanted to convey and asked, “What do you want to do?”

Shen Maomao replied, “I want to ask my mom.”

Lou Jingmo looked toward the door, where Mother Shen was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened.

She nodded, “Go ahead, but don’t close the door.”

Shen Maomao quickly scampered over to her mom’s side, leaning against her affectionately. “Mama, what are you reading?”

Mother Shen took a moment to ruffle her hair. “Teacher Zhao was afraid I’d be bored and gave me a newspaper.” As she spoke, she handed the newspaper to Shen Maomao, pointing to a news report for her to read: “Look at this news, let me read it to you: On October 5, 2004, a primary school teacher…”

Shen Maomao scanned the newspaper at lightning speed, reading even faster than her mom could recite.

On October 5, 2004, a teacher named Zhao at the First Primary School forced students to attend tutoring at their home during the National Day holiday. During this time, several students were continuously harassed and molested. One of the victims, Chen, jumped to their death, dying instantly. The suspect Zhao, to avoid criminal charges…

The rest of the content was on another page, out of her view.

Mother Shen continued reading slowly, “The suspect Zhao, to avoid criminal charges, turned on the gas at home and committed suicide, dying on the spot. The case is still under further investigation.”

Shen Maomao’s heart raced.

Suspect Zhao… Victim Chen…

She couldn’t help but glance toward the tutoring room.

The door was open, and Chen Meihan likely heard Mother Shen as well. What expression would she have now?

Mother Shen didn’t realize there was an issue with the newspaper’s date and softly remarked, “Oh dear, how can such a beast be a teacher? By the way, Maomao, what’s your teacher’s last name?”

Shen Maomao snapped back to reality and replied, “Also Zhao…”

Her mom awkwardly chuckled, “Isn’t that a coincidence?”

More than just a coincidence, perhaps they’re even related.

Now she could confirm that the beast wasn’t Zhao Chunhua but that Zhao Zhuyu.

But where was Zhao Zhuyu?

As she pondered this, she started to feel short of breath.

“Ah—!!”

The player who had just been taken to the room by Zhao Chunhua let out a scream of extreme terror, yet Shen Maomao inexplicably felt that the sound was getting further and further away.

Her ears buzzed, and her vision became hazy.

“It’s the gas!!” Mother Shen grabbed her and rushed toward the main door, frantically trying to open it, but the doorknob wouldn’t budge.

Lou Jingmo also immediately covered her mouth and nose and dashed to the window, only to sadly realize she couldn’t reach the window handle.

Fortunately, Mother Shen, driven by her desire to save her daughter, ran to the window after failing to exit through the door. The result was the same as before—the window seemed locked tight, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open it.

She punched the glass, which was originally fragile, but it had become unusually strong, resisting all her efforts to break it.

The air they could breathe was dwindling. Ren Yue’s body swayed before collapsing to the ground, and Golden Retriever cried out, “What should we do, Sister Lou?!”

Lou Jingmo instructed the lively Golden Retriever, “Bring me a stool!”

Golden Retriever immediately complied, dragging over a wooden stool that was slightly shorter than him.

Lou Jingmo placed the stool in front of the window, and in the next second, she climbed onto the windowsill. She held a dagger in her hand, its blade emitting a glaring white light, clearly some sort of prop.

The blade met the glass, slicing through it like cutting through tofu. A large piece of glass fell outside, shattering into sparkling shards with a “crash.” Fresh air rushed in, and everyone greedily inhaled the air.

Shen Maomao came to her senses, hugging her mom’s neck as she opened her eyes, only to see Zhao Chunhua standing at the doorway, holding a corpse.

Her face looked like boiling water, bubbling with blisters. These blisters swelled to their limit, then burst one by one, spraying a mist of blood.

Shen Maomao shouted, “Watch out behind you!”

The players all turned their heads swiftly, making eye contact with the now unrecognizable, disfigured Zhao Chunhua.

Zhao Chunhua opened her mouth, emitting a deep male voice from her female body, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Perhaps now it was more appropriate to call him Zhao Zhuyu.

The moment he finished speaking, he launched an attack.

Shen Maomao was pulled into her mom’s embrace, unable to see anything, only feeling her mom moving around, seemingly dodging Zhao Zhuyu’s attacks.

Shen Maomao’s heart raced with anxiety, not being able to see the battle made her extremely uneasy. She gently patted her mom, “Mama! Put me down!”

Her mom held her even tighter, pressing her into her embrace, “Don’t be afraid, Maomao. Mama will protect you!”

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