Ita Era

Chapter 112 Twin Evil Spirits
As expected, Zhang Zhen told Ding Shi that there were two evil spirits in the school. Their prototypes were two bad students who were killed by their teacher, but they retained the intelligence of a 12-year-old. Furthermore, the evil spirits had no rules for killing.

The two evil spirits can be simply considered invincible humans, but they are limited by their bodies at the time of their death, such as running speed being slower than an adult, and their thought processes remain in the state they were in at the time of death. However, their combat power is off the charts, they are invulnerable to blades and bullets, and they have unlimited stamina.

Ding Shi asked, "Principal, what is your role?"

Zhang Zhen sincerely replied, "I am the ghost that helped you. Take me away, and I can guide you to find what you need."

Take it away? Ding Shi squinted for a while and found that the projection came from a shard of a wine glass the size of a fingernail, with dried bloodstains on the shard.

Ding Shi asked, "Has anyone else been here?"

Zhang Zhen replied, "A boy came 10 minutes ago."

Ding Shi asked, "Did he take you away?"

Zhang Zhen replied, "Yes, he is currently in Class 2 of Grade 8, searching for clues using a jigsaw puzzle."

"Okay." Ding Shi stepped into the school, bent down to put the fragment into his pocket, and Zhang Zhen's projection appeared on his left. The projection was just a description of what Ding Shi saw of Zhang Zhen; it wasn't a real projector. According to Zhang Zhen, she was currently in a soul state, attached to the blood-stained wine glass.

Upon entering the Ghost Realm, the Warrior Card takes effect.

Rules of murder: None.

This is about twin evil spirits. The description is very detailed, even more so than Zhang Zhen's. They can't speak, have heightened hearing at night and a heightened sense of smell during the day, can hold their breath underwater indefinitely, and don't need to rest, etc.

Upon entering the campus, there are flowerbeds and steps. The steps on the left lead to the faculty and staff offices, and the steps in the middle lead to the teaching buildings. After going up the steps, walk another ten meters to reach the teaching buildings.

The school building has only one large staircase, which divides the building into two halves, with two classrooms on each side. The first floor is for seventh grade, the second floor is for eighth grade, and the third floor is for ninth grade.

Zhang Zhen patiently explained the terrain until Ding Shi took out the fragment and placed it at the back door of Class 7-2.

Ding Shi immediately retreated to the flowerbed steps. The flowerbed steps were dark, with no streetlights, and Ding Shi hid in the darkness.

A minute later, the two dim overhead lights in the corridor on the first floor of the teaching building flickered twice, and a boy emerged from the darkness on the left. His eyes were completely black, with no whites, and his face was expressionless as he silently stared at the back door of Class 7-2. Soon after, a shorter boy emerged from the darkness on the right.

The short boy didn't stop. He walked barefoot towards Class 7-2 without making a sound, and cast no shadow under the light.

The short boy gently pushed open the back door of Class 7-2, walked into the darkness, and came out a moment later with a shard of a wine glass in his hand.

The tall boy retreated and disappeared into the darkness. The short boy crushed the fragment into powder, stood at the back door of Class Two, looked around for a while, then walked to the pillar near the stairs, nimbly climbed up, and disappeared into the darkness.

Ding Shi didn't move and continued to lie in wait. About two minutes later, the short man hung upside down with one foot on the second-floor railing, his eyes scanning the empty first-floor corridor. Then he leaned back and returned to the darkness on the second floor.

Seeing that both evil spirits were near the teaching building, Ding Shi climbed over the flower bed, walked along the wall towards the dormitory, and squatted down to observe in the dark area at the edge of the track and field.

Four tall lampposts surround the track and field stadium, each with six large bulbs, illuminating the stadium brilliantly with 24 bulbs. In the center of the track and field is the football field, and on one of the goals, a delicate red cross sways in the wind.

Ding Shi took out his crossbow and examined the red crossbow from a distance of 30 meters. He couldn't see anything wrong with it. It wasn't three-sided, and there was no image of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Is it really that simple? That obvious? It's not impossible; these shady systems often do utterly despicable things. Are you really going to risk entering the track and field?

Ding Shi looked at the wall on one side of the track and field, three meters high, 120 meters from the cross. He figured he could run towards the wall as soon as he got the cross; considering the characteristics of the twin evil spirits, it shouldn't be a problem. However, Ding Shi had the Warrior buff, meaning he couldn't leave the school until he got the real cross, which meant he couldn't climb over that wall.

Suddenly, the sound of running came from the right. In the dim light, you could vaguely see a person running rapidly from the back door of the teaching building toward the dormitory, leaping into the green bushes, and then there was no more movement.

Twenty meters away, in a green belt, Ding Shi considered whether to regroup with his teammates. Suddenly, the person's running route appeared in his mind—at least 150 meters—and the opponent's speed was around 12 seconds for 100 meters. Normally, 12 seconds for 100 meters is quite normal, but maintaining that speed for 150 meters is something very few people can do.

Warrior Card said that evil spirits don't make a sound when they walk, but he didn't say that evil spirits can't make a sound when they walk.

It seems that after discovering the intruder, the evil spirit began searching for itself everywhere, trying to trick itself out.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Gao Shao stood up, walked out of the bushes, and headed straight for the soccer goal. He stared at the cross for a while, then looked back in Ding Shi's direction before turning away and disappearing into the darkness.

After waiting for a few minutes, Ding followed the school wall and, using the darkness, arrived at the faculty dormitory building. The dormitory buildings were unseparate for men and women; there were two buildings, each three stories high, with four rooms per floor, each room approximately 40 square meters. The stairwells were lit, but the rest of the area was dark.

Ding pushed the door to 101 in Building A, but it didn't open. He then pushed the door to 102 and entered the room. He found a table lamp on in 102. Because of the curtains and the door, and because the table lamp was very dim, no light leaked out.

Using the poor lighting, Ding Shi looked around the simple room: a bed, a table, a chair, a large wardrobe, and a bathroom.

Red words appeared on the snow-white wall in front of him. Ding Shi did not run away immediately, but instead held a pistol in his right hand on guard, even though he did not know what the pistol could deal with.

“We are sacrifices to be slaughtered, our souls are imprisoned in the place of death. If you can release our souls, we will give you guidance.”

A few nights ago, seven faculty and staff members were sacrificed to summon twin evil spirits. Their souls are imprisoned at the place of their deaths, and they can only communicate with people through words.

Players must first find a location where souls are imprisoned to trigger the inverted cross quest. Completing the quest will reward them with the inverted cross. Similar to the amusement park's ghost realm, the stamps obtained after playing six attractions will form an inverted cross.

If you wish to release the soul of the dead, you can smear your own blood on the wall.

Is it credible?
By now, Ding Shi had gathered quite a bit of information. The so-called Principal Zhang Zhen was most likely an accomplice of the evil spirit, but her words weren't entirely without merit. Based on his observations, Ding Shi discovered that the twin evil spirits lacked the abilities of traditional gods and ghosts. However, the blood-written words on the wall clearly belonged to the abilities of gods and ghosts.

After a moment's thought, Ding Shi drew his dagger and stabbed his finger. He pressed the blood onto the wall, and a green light appeared in the room, flying towards Ding Shi. Ding Shi blocked it with his left hand, and a fragmented pattern appeared in his palm.

Ding Shi pondered, what if there are two or more players? If he releases one soul and someone else releases one soul, then no one can get the real inverted cross.

The enemies in this ghostly realm include not only the twin evil spirits, but also the players. Everyone who enters the ghostly realm is an enemy of themselves.

Ding Shi had already used the Warrior Card, and without obtaining the inverted cross, he couldn't leave the Ghost Realm. Therefore, his view of his competitor as an enemy wasn't extreme. Of course, negotiation was possible—either the other party could give him the symbol, or he could give the symbol to the other party. However, this kind of game was very passive for Ding Shi, who had used the Warrior Card. Ding Shi didn't leave room 102 immediately but searched the room, finding a bundle of spare keys in a drawer—keys to all 12 rooms in Building A. The bad news was that these were traditional keys, which would make a clanging sound when moved.

Fortunately, the owner of room 102 was a woman. Ding Shi found a rubber band on the bedside table, tied the key tightly, and put it in his pocket.

Just as he finished and was about to leave, he heard a faint sound coming from the doorknob. Ding Shi reached out and turned off the desk lamp. The next second, the door was gently pushed open. It was completely dark inside and out, and he couldn't see anything at all. Ding Shi felt that this person hadn't entered the room yet; they were either waiting outside, listening to the sounds and observing what was happening inside, or they were paying attention to their surroundings.

Player or evil spirit? Ding Shi didn't know; neither was a creature he wanted to see. Ding Shi took out his Wildcat Crossbow, feeling a pang of regret for a second. In this lousy dungeon, he had almost emptied his entire pack of bolts.

A faint scent of wildflowers wafted into Ding Shi's nostrils, reminding him of the wildflowers that grew so often on the small lawns of the campus. Had someone entered the room? Was it an evil spirit? Why hadn't he heard footsteps or any other sounds?
Ding Shi hid between the desk and the wardrobe. He didn't make a sound or make any unnecessary movements; he just waited quietly.

Suddenly, a familiar chill ran down Ding Shi's spine, a physical sensation rather than a mental one. He sensed an extremely dangerous creature nearby staring at him, its aura causing severe discomfort and triggering his physical reaction.

In the silent darkness, a faint sound of fingers rubbing against the wall suddenly came. Ding Shi's heart skipped a beat; the evil spirit had entered.

Then various sounds began to come: the sound of stroking the floor, the sound of stepping on the water stains in the bathroom, the sound of groping the bed, and the sound of touching the pen holder.

The pen holder is on the desk, and Ding Shi is at the corner next to the desk, beyond which is the wardrobe.

Ding Shi, who was already squatting on the ground, lowered his head even further. The sound of stroking the desk slowly approached Ding Shi, quickly reaching the end of the desk. Ding Shi felt a gentle breeze blow past his head, ruffling his short hair.

Ding Shi, who was already holding his breath, heard the sound of the wardrobe. Clearly, that hand had passed over him and reached into the wardrobe. With a 'twig' sound, the wardrobe was pulled open, and the hand reached inside.

After searching the wardrobe, the hand politely closed it and continued searching the wall. The sound faded into the distance, finally disappearing outside the door.

The most logical explanation is: there is one player in the room, and the evil spirit has already left.

Ideally, you are alone in the room and the evil spirit has left.

The worst-case scenario: There's a player in the room, the evil spirit hasn't left yet, and that idiot player is planning to turn on the lights or a flashlight.

A soft sound came from the bathroom; someone had bumped into a toothbrush cup. Ding Shi waited a moment, then a thought struck him. He stood up and, mimicking the evil spirit's actions, rubbed his fingers against the wall. The bathroom indeed became very quiet. Ding Shi headed towards the bathroom.

If the evil spirit hadn't left, it would have heard the sound of the toothbrush and immediately gone to the restroom. Based on this, it's confirmed that the evil spirit has left, and there's a player inside the restroom.

Due to the competitive nature of this ghost realm, players might strike first upon discovering their own existence. Therefore, Ding Shi took the initiative, impersonating an evil spirit to deter players from attacking.

Ding Shi was being so cautious because his opponent was completely silent. Of all the people Ding Shi knew in the dungeon, only Sha Bi possessed this ability. And Sha Bi was the one who had taken off his shoes.

Oh, that's right. The reason Stupid didn't go in immediately after opening the door was because he took off his shoes. He knew they smelled of wildflowers and he couldn't bring them into the room. It seems he also knew he was being targeted by an evil spirit.

Ding Shi, holding the Wildcat Crossbow, searched the bathroom for the Foolish Dagger. He hadn't taken out the Wildcat Crossbow earlier because he was worried that the action of reaching for something would trigger a sound.

Then Ding Shi saw Sha Bi hiding behind the mirror on the washbasin.

Ding Shi slowly approached the wall, suppressing a laugh, and slapped Sha Bi across the face, leaving Sha Bi completely stunned. Then he heard Ding Shi's voice: "Give me the inverted cross fragment."

"Ding Shi?"

"If you want to die, shout it out loud, and give it to me right now."

Sha Bi gritted his teeth, wondering if he should shout and take them all down with him. The problem was, what if he died and Ding Shi was still alive? Ding Shi couldn't possibly have collected all five fragments. His retreat now was a wise move to preserve a chance to turn the tables, not out of fear.

Following the instructions, Sha Bi opened his palm towards the darkness, and two streams of green energy flew into Ding Shi's palm.

Ding Shi confirmed that he already had 3/7 fragments, and then said, "Fusion Card."

Stupid was furious: "I'll fuck your ass."

Ding Shi: "3".

Stupid Dagger: "Go eat shit."

Ding Shi: "2".

Foolish Dagger: "Let's all die together."

Ding Shi: “1.”

Silly Dagger: "Here you go, here you go."

He speaks so softly when he makes threats; it makes him sound guilty.

Ding Shi sent the transaction, and Sha Bi said, "It's settled, the fusion card is yours, but you're not allowed to threaten or hurt me again."

Ding Shi said, "There are seven fragments." Ding Shi was still very honest, telling Sha Bi that there were seven fragments, and that if Sha Bi got the fragments, he would definitely kill him.

Ding Shi added, "I'll destroy the Ghost Realm by taking the inverted cross, and you can leave the Ghost Realm too. I suggest you hide in the room where you obtained the fragments before. Once I die, you can directly obtain the fragments and confirm that I am dead. Or you can help me find the fragments and sell them to me for one hundred dollars per fragment."

Foolish Dagger: "What about the two fragments I gave you?"

Ding Shi: "I stole it by my own skill."

Sha Bi cursed Ding Shi's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, but he did not hesitate to confirm the transaction. The fusion card was thus snatched away by Ding Shi.

(End of this chapter)