High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 248: Chapter 172: The Empty Campus_1

Not a single figure could be seen in the corridor.

It was empty and silent.

The building seemed to have lost its vitality in an instant, becoming lifeless.

”These people ran away too fast,” Zheng Qing muttered to himself, staring at the vacant corridor in front of him.

His voice echoed clearly in the silent corridor.

There was no response.

The ghosts lingering in the teaching building emitted sob-like whimpering behind the walls, occasionally passing through the walls, scraping off some fragments of their ephemeral bodies, leaving traces of their passage in the air. They appeared milky white and hazy, like frosty windows on a winter day, or the fog rising from the surface of Lin Zhong Lake in the early morning.

There were also whispers coming from between the tall portraits hanging on either side of the corridor. These idols, whose bodies had long decayed, only having a sliver of spirit left, were clinging to life by a thread, fuelled by a trace of nostalgia in people’s hearts. Although they still retained some ability to think, their truly wise souls had long departed.

Just like the ghosts.

Influenced by resentment, these portraits in the wooden frames always transformed into gossipy old ladies in the quiet of night, mumbling about their past glories to the empty corridor.

These voices irritated the young wizards.

”Enough crying already!” Zhang Ji Xin finally couldn’t stand it. He clenched his fist and hammered the dusty wall, emitting a dull thud.

The ghosts seemed taken aback, their sorrowful sobbing hiccuped; the idols in the frames also stopped their whispers, casting surprised looks at the hot-tempered young wizard.

Then, they were incensed.

It was like a dam that had just been destroyed by a flood, or a wasp’s nest that had been prodded with a bamboo pole.

The counterattack of these residual thought entities exploded in a much more violent manner.

Roars, growls, ghostly howls and screams, accompanied by chilling negative emotions, spread rapidly in the quiet corridor.

For a moment, Zheng Qing felt like he had been dragged into a ghost film.

Icy chills seeped out from unknown places, licking their necks, earlobes, and ankles. The intermittent ghost crying from all around further unsettled them.

From time to time, a few ghosts would hang upside down from the ceiling with their tongues out and their eyes rolling back, giving the squad of freshmen a fright.

Zhang Ji Xin seemed to understand that he had caused trouble. Wearing his boxing gloves, he silently led the way at the front of the team.

Zheng Qing carried a stack of talisman papers in his hand, and the shiny black donkey’s hoof hung around his neck. He carefully followed at the rear of the team, providing support.

Even Xin Fat Man, who was usually thick-skinned and eccentric, remained quiet in this atmosphere.

It wasn’t until they left through the main doors of the teaching building and stepped into the brilliant sunlight that the howls of these thought entities slowly dissipated.

The somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the team finally eased.

”I’ve said it before, the school is too indulgent with them.” Zhang Ji Xin turned back and glared at the gloomy teaching building, grumbled angrily, ”How can they let the souls of the dead stay where we have classes?”

”Indeed, it’s bad for Feng Shui.” The fat man added sympathetically.

”This is a classic case of racial discrimination... Ghosts are not the souls of the dead, they belong to a unique life form.” Duan Xiao Jian corrected flatly from the midst of the group, ”As one of the five races represented in the Under the Moon Council, ghosts even hold a seat at the council... if a journalist from ’Beta Town Post’ were to hear about this, they would write a critique on Jiuyou Academy’s pedagogical philosophy.”

”As if anyone cares.” Zhang Ji Xin snorted, but finally shut up, no longer issuing offensive remarks.

”I think they are merely trying to scare us,” Zheng Qing finally came to his senses and advised, ”It took us around five minutes to run from the innermost part of the second floor to the building exterior... if the ghosts were really intending to do something, we might still be stuck in the staircase.”

”You mean being trapped by a ghost?” Duan Xiao Jian showed great interest and leaned in, ”I know that ghosts who have existed for many years particularly love these tricks for confounding people. But, I have never experienced it... You’re a sponsored student, you must have seen this, right?”

Zheng Qing hesitated for a moment, chuckled dryly twice but didn’t answer.

”Actually, I have been wanting to ask,” Xin Fat Man ran his fingers down his double chin, staring at Xiao Xiao with a grave face, ”Doctor Xiao, why did you ask Mister Sima on the lectern if he had a husband?”

”Why even ask?” Zheng Qing’s voice suddenly went up by several degrees. He screamed, ”Obviously it is about ’A beautiful woman is a good match for a gentleman’.”

His voice echoed loud and clear across the small square, terrifyingly loud, and even a faint echo could be heard.

Xiao Xiao, who was originally walking silently through the crowd with his notebook clutched closely to his side and a stern face, suddenly stopped.

”Does it feel like the number of people around us has decreased?” His eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead, a doubting look on his face, ”Where did everyone go in broad daylight?”

”The class is over, the teaching building should be empty... Don’t change the topic!” Xin Fat Man grabbed hold of Xiao Xiao’s shoulder and asked in an assertive manner, ”Firstly, make it clear, what was the purpose behind asking Beautiful Lady Sima that question?”

Xiao Xiao gave him a sidelong glance, adjusted his glasses but didn’t reply.

”It seems indeed the number of people has decreased considerably.” Zheng Qing narrowed his eyes, shaking his somewhat dizzy head.

Although it is autumn now, the heat of the late summer is still quite severe, with the midday sun still fiercely scorching.

The bright sunlight penetrated the thin clouds and landed mercilessly on the ground, causing a blinding brightness which made people dizzy as they walked on the road.

”Maybe because it’s too hot?” Xin Fat Man finally let go of Xiao Xiao’s robe, turned his head, and looked around dubiously before conjecturing, ”It’s too hot, who’d want to stay outside?”

”Why no one raised an objection...” Duan Xiao Jian panted, his shoulders drooping, the hump on his back seemed even more pronounced, ”The Astronomical Observatory’s climate simulation is just too outrageous... it’s a bit much.”

”Hmph, it’s not even winter yet.” Zhang Ji Xin put away his boxing gloves, and with a contemptuous sniff, scoffed, ”My brother told me, these guys who manage the weather love to create a snowstorm every now and then in winter. And that feeling when you go to class in heavy snow...it is insanely delightful!”

As they complained about the school’s weird regulations under the scorching sun, they slowly moved towards Lin Zhong Lake.

Xiao Xiao walked silently in the group, his expression growing more serious.

Zheng Qing recognized the reason for his stern face.

Amazingly, there wasn’t a soul on the small square in front of the main teaching building.

Even beneath the large fronds of ferns that grew around the edge of the square, there were none of the usual young male and female wizards chatting and flirting on the benches.

This was highly irregular.

The others soon also took notice of the strange vibes permeating the atmosphere.

Zhang Ji Xin, who was usually the most fearless and carefree of the group, also seemed a bit nervous now.

”Maybe the school has issued some special notice that we’re not aware of.” Zheng Qing licked his dry lips.