See the Law of Deception

Chapter 267 Linxian Vocational and Technical High School

Lu Jinzhao had no idea that her mother had attended this school.

She never mentioned it, and she never asked about it. Perhaps she had occasional doubts, but they quickly faded away.

It seems that whenever she doesn't want to talk about something, she gets blocked by some kind of cognitive barrier and can't think of asking about it in detail.

"The school closed very suddenly. I haven't been able to find out the specific reason. It seems that the school suddenly closed down in a certain year. I have tried to find out the reason, but I haven't made any progress."

"As for the principal, he passed away about ten years ago."

"The teachers who taught the class couldn't explain the reason either. As for the students, I've talked to people who are the same age as your mother, most likely from the same grade, and none of them know what happened. When I asked them about your mother, they had no memory of her either."

While passengers may have a diminished sense of presence, they don't truly disappear. However, Lu Jinzhao's mother's situation is clearly different from that of ordinary passengers.

It's as if she has no past, or perhaps, all her past that could be recorded has been deleted.

"The good news is that the school reportedly closed very suddenly back then, and there are missing student files related to the school in the neighboring county. Three whole grades are missing, and perhaps your mother is among them."

If the files were not moved, then they might still be kept in the school's archives.
"Let's go look for it," Lin Lin said, "but let's not get our hopes up too high."

Lu Jinzhao nodded, understanding her unspoken meaning.

Since the clues about her mother have been so thoroughly cleared, how could the school records be left untouched?
It's less about finding files and more about searching for clues.

On the way to the school, the taxi driver chatted with us curiously: "Why did you come here? This place has been abandoned for many years."

Lin Lin replied with a smile, "The parents mentioned that I would be studying here, so I came to check it out out of curiosity. Do you know this school?"

The driver raised an eyebrow: "The older generation in the neighboring county must know. My mother's generation used to love sending their kids here, saying that once they graduated, they wouldn't have to worry about finding a job, and their lives would be secure. Who knew?"

She paused, as if she felt that what she was about to say was inappropriate.

"What's wrong?" Lin Lin asked curiously.

The aunt hesitated for two seconds, then whispered, "I heard that a student died, and they had to close the school due to pressure! If it hadn't closed, my sister might have had a chance to get in back then!"

Lin Lin's expression became subtle; this was a rumor she had never heard before.

"What's going on? None of my elders have ever told me about this." She asked with great interest.

"I heard about it too. I was looking after the school for my sister back then, so I paid more attention. Apparently, eight students died at the school that year!"

"Really?" Lin Lin looked very surprised.

"Who knows! Logically speaking, with so many students dead, there should be police, right? But my relatives who live near the school say they haven't seen anything." The aunt's voice was also filled with doubt.

"Later, someone else said that a student had gone crazy and was spreading rumors that many people had died at the school."

As they talked, the aunt began to analyze: "I think a student must have died, otherwise why would the school be closed?"

"Aren't you right?"

“That’s right!” Lin Lin affirmed, but in his heart he was wondering if this rumor was related to the passengers from back then.

“Normally there are only a few transfer students a year. If several students transfer from one class, wouldn’t something definitely go wrong?” The aunt’s tone was full of confidence in her analysis.

Transferring schools?

Lin Lin and Lu Jinzhao kept this in mind. "That sounds like something really serious must have happened back then," Lin Lin continued.

"Yes, but I only heard it secondhand. It hasn't made the news, so it might not be true."

If it really is related to passengers, then it's no wonder it didn't make the news.

During the conversation, the car soon arrived outside the school.

As we got off the bus, the woman asked again, "How long are you going to be inside? If you're coming out quickly, I can wait for you. It's not easy to get a taxi here."

Lin Lin smiled and shook her head: "It's alright, thank you, Auntie. You can go ahead and do your work."

After saying goodbye to the driver, Lin Lin and Lu Jinzhao stood at the school gate.

This place has been abandoned for a long time. The school was originally built in an open area, but now the city's development has bypassed this place, so at first glance, it seems that there is only a wilderness around it, apart from some long-abandoned buildings.

Not far from the school gate, a rusty and illegible bus stop sign stood crookedly by the roadside, its hanging iron pole also covered in rust. Lu Jinzhao looked closely and saw that there were no words left on the sign.

The school gate was closed, locked with a similarly rusty iron chain. Lin Lin looked around to make sure there were no other entrances or exits: "Should we climb over or pick the lock?"

"Go inside."

Perhaps it was the driver's words earlier, coupled with the strange feeling when getting off the plane, that made Lu Jinzhao adopt a bit of a platform mentality and decide not to break the door lock in front of him.

Climbing over the wall was easy for Lu Jinzhao and Lin Lin, but the moment they stepped into the school, they couldn't help but look at each other.

The temperature has dropped.

If they were just ordinary people, they might not care, but for passengers, a drop in temperature often means that something is wrong.

However, apart from a slight drop in temperature, there seemed to be no other abnormalities, nor any ghostly aura.

It really is just that the temperature here is a little lower.

But Lu Jinzhao and Lin Lin would never think that way.

"It seems something's definitely not right here. Let's be careful." Lin Lin frowned, not letting his guard down completely just because this was the real world.

"Let's go check the archives first; it's on the second floor of the library."

Lin Lin had already obtained a map of the school beforehand, so she naturally knew the layout of the school. The two headed towards the library.

This abandoned vocational school from the last century exudes an air of decay. The once inspiring slogans on the walls have become mottled and worn by time, and the once advanced buildings and facilities are now just outdated and old.

Lu Jinzhao seemed to see that era in these dusty buildings, and wondered what her mother had experienced here.

The library doors hadn't been opened for a long time. As soon as Lin Lin pushed the door open, a large cloud of dust was kicked up. She raised her hand to fan it, but it was no use.

"It's a bit dark. The windows are too dirty to let in much light, and the lights inside probably won't work either."

Even in the dimly lit environment during the day, Lu Jinzhao subconsciously thought of the platform again.

It's always been like this since I came to this city.

I wouldn't have had this strange feeling in Yuncheng.

(End of this chapter)