Terror is resurging, but only I am.

Chapter 68 A String of Little Paper Dolls
"Waikira!"

"Waikira!"

Yan Ming watched as his paper version of himself was connected to other paper figures, strung together on the iron gate railing and screaming. He was momentarily at a loss.

The paper figures seemed to be highly bound to the five of them; harming the paper figures would harm them themselves. Moreover, he had just tried it, and the five paper figures were, in a sense, connected as one.

Even if you tear apart just one of the paper figures that symbolizes someone else, you will be affected.

This is not a situation where one can escape smoothly by making a drastic sacrifice or sacrificing any one of the others.

"What should we do? It looks like something is coming from over there."

Zhao Yunyao looked at Yan Ming nervously. Like the others, she also regarded Yan Ming as the backbone of the team.

Yan Ming did not hesitate at all and instinctively looked back at the second floor area. They were trapped at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor. The evil spirits on the first floor would arrive here soon. They had no choice.

"whee."

At the top of the stairs on the second floor, the platypus was blocking their way. It could clearly see what was going on on the first floor through the gaps in the stairs, so it let out a mocking laugh and even waved to Yan Ming and the others, as if inviting them back to the second floor.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The incredibly heavy footsteps approached from afar, like wooden mallets striking the drums of everyone's hearts, gradually tightening their nerves.

"Isn't there any other way? Why don't we go back to the second floor first? Although the monster is blocking the way, if we force our way through, it can only grab one of us. Maybe the door on the other side will let us leave."

Lu Mingzhe gritted his teeth, turned around, and stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor.

Since he said that, he was naturally prepared to take the risk himself and was willing to be the first to face the most dangerous platypus.

Staying here might result in total annihilation. Rather than that, we should go back to the second floor and take the other staircase to the first floor. Perhaps the other door on the first floor will be easier to open.

"No, it's not that easy. Let's run forward and hide in the dormitory rooms on either side to find a chance to escape the evil spirit on the first floor."

Yan Ming did not choose to return to the second floor. He preferred to take a risk on the first floor and find an opportunity to cross the corridor to reach the opposite door.

It's simple; he believes the clue to opening the first-floor door must be hidden in the dormitory on the first floor.

If you reach another door from the second floor, but that door also cannot be opened normally, you will still have to search for clues in the dormitories on the first floor, which would be risking your life for nothing.

Yan Ming already had some understanding of the strange situation at Wangcheng No. 1 Middle School and knew the basic logic of the place.

The main door on the first floor will most likely not open directly to bid farewell to all the survivors; at the very least, it will leave some mysteries unsolved.

Now...

He had no idea what Li Yan's situation was.

Did they never enter the escape scenario at all, or did they enter the escape scenario but get caught?

As for escaping alive, Yan Ming thought it was unlikely.

At his signal, the group quickly moved into the forest of paper strips and found the nearest dormitory room to hide in. He also took the opportunity to collect the slower footsteps again and keep them on his human skin clothing for later use.

In case the monster on the first floor starts chasing them, the sound of footsteps can slow down the monster's pursuit.

However, upon entering the forest of paper strips, Yan Ming and the others suddenly discovered that the forest was not as small as they had imagined.

No, it's that the forest of paper strips suddenly extended and expanded.

Yan Ming knew the width of the corridor well; it was only about two steps to the left and right. But now, even as he tried his best to reach out and move to the other side, he couldn't touch the corridor wall on the other side.

The strips of paper hanging from the ceiling appeared very light, suspended like vines. Their length had already blocked Yan Ming's normal vision, making it impossible for him to see his surroundings.

He tried to sense his surroundings more deeply, and found that not only could he not see his surroundings clearly, but even the hearing of the human skin suit was limited; he couldn't even hear what was around him.

With this ability to expand the terrain and obscure his senses, Yan Ming instinctively felt an ominous premonition, and the footsteps of the monster that had been gradually approaching seemed to fade into the distance.

No, very wrong.

Unable to see what was happening in the distance, and with his eyesight and hearing limited, Yan Ming felt a sense of insignificance.

The once narrow and cramped corridor has now become somewhat spacious, making Yan Ming feel that the journey is long.

Do you think I'll ever make it to the other side in my lifetime?

In the forest of paper strips, the King of Crutches said this in a leisurely tone, which also reflected the true feelings of the group.

"Be careful, don't split up yet." Yan Ming felt like he was losing his bearings. His original plan was for the group to split up, turning the big target into smaller ones, and find rooms to hide from the monster.

The monster hasn't come yet, but the surrounding environment has changed a lot, making him realize that they can't separate for the time being.

If you were to scatter in this environment, you could very well get lost in the corridor.

"careful!"

Just as Yan Ming was pondering, a loud shout reminded him. He pushed aside the forest of notes blocking his way and realized that he had unknowingly drifted away from the four-person team and was moving in an unknown direction. He was immediately shocked and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Come here first." Lu Mingzhe beckoned to him.

Yan Ming stepped forward, this time with a firmer look in his eyes, confirming that he had not gone astray again.

He also had basic awareness and checked the ears that had just been implanted in the four people to confirm that they were indeed the real people and not illusions used to deceive him.

"Be careful. You need to stay absolutely focused in this corridor, or you'll get lost in no time. This place seems to be able to completely disrupt our sense of direction. We'll just wander off and not know where we're going."

Lu Mingzhe tried to analyze the place.

Zhao Yunyao, who was well-versed in various eerie legends, blinked and reminded her, "A ghost wall?"

“Somewhat similar.” Lu Mingzhe seemed to have heard this explanation before, so he nodded.

Yan Ming looked at the two of them with some surprise. He remembered that most people in Wangcheng suffered from phobia, right?
However, the people I met that night, although some were timid like Cane King and Zhao Yunyao, did not seem to have phobias and were not at the point of having an attack.

Could it be that Wangcheng No.1 Middle School is also full of talented people?

Or……

They are ghosts themselves, so they don't have phobia at all?
Yan Ming frowned slightly. He had some doubts about the origins of these people, but it should not be related to the escape mission in the dormitory building. Rather, it was related to the deeper Wangcheng No. 1 Middle School itself.

This place has existed for over twenty years, and it's quite normal that the people wandering inside don't know they've become ghosts.

In the usual way of movies and TV dramas, you should never use information like "you are actually a ghost" to provoke such a person, otherwise something bad will definitely happen.

Normal teammates might suddenly turn red with health upon hearing this, and then transform into enemy units.

"Yan Ming?"

He Lian spoke up to remind her.

Yan Ming quickly came to his senses and realized that he had separated from the others by two or three meters, even though he hadn't moved a step and the others hadn't moved forward either. As a result, they continued to separate, as if an invisible centrifugal force was pushing them apart, making them drift further and further away.

That absolutely cannot be done.

Yan Ming sensed the deep malice this setting held towards him. He reacted quickly and was prone to making deep associations and reflections on certain information.

Although the thinking process may be somewhat tedious, it doesn't actually take up much time.

Under normal circumstances there would be no problem, but a big problem occurred on the first floor of this dormitory building.

As long as he subconsciously starts thinking, he will unconsciously distance himself from his teammates, making it almost impossible to counter him.

It can be said to be very targeted.

So he thought for a moment and continued, "How about we try holding hands first? This place is a bit eerie, and the visibility is very poor. We'd better not separate, or it will be hard to find each other again."

The others had no objection to Yan Ming's suggestion and nodded in agreement.

So the group held hands to prevent themselves from separating.

To Yan Ming's left was the Cane King, to his right was Zhao Yunyao, and further on were He Lian and Lu Mingzhe.

The five of them held hands and moved slowly towards the other end of the corridor like a human wall.

By this time, they could barely hear anything around them anymore. The footsteps of the evil spirit on the first floor seemed to be fading away until they disappeared completely.

"The monster seems to be moving away from us."

The Cane King listened intently, and said with some surprise.

"Hmm." Lu Mingzhe nodded in agreement, then looked at Yan Ming, "Can you hear anything different?"

Yan Ming closed his eyes and carefully sensed it, then opened his eyes and shook his head, saying, "No, it really sounds like they've gone far away."

He looked at the hands he was holding on his left and right, and as he closed his eyes to feel the sounds in his surroundings, he vaguely sensed a pulling force forming between them.

It's as if someone wants to separate them.

Yan Ming felt the difference. The hand of the man with the cane on the left was quite rough, while the hand of Zhao Yunyao on the right was very delicate and had long, slender fingers, like someone who plays the piano.

Fortunately, they had held hands beforehand; otherwise, if they had just closed their eyes and opened them again, he might have been gone.

Although no direct danger was encountered, the silent and peaceful illusion itself was a threat.

It's like a quicksand hell, trying to silently devour them completely.

Yan Ming and the others continued to explore forward. After walking for about three or four minutes, a wooden door to a dormitory came into view.

He looked to both sides of the door. Normally, he could see the door to the next dormitory room after taking a few steps, but now the wall next to this door seemed to stretch on forever.

From this perspective, how big does the interior space of a dormitory actually need to be?
Let alone a six-person dormitory, it's common to find several hundred people living there.

"Open the door," Yan Ming said to the cane-wielding man beside him.

This guy was on the far left of the line, so he had a free left hand to open the door.

"it is good."

The cane-wielding king nodded, reached out and turned the doorknob, then pushed the door open.

The dormitory was covered in a blanket of white, with paper scraps piled everywhere, as if a heavy snow had fallen.

The cane king was the first to enter the dormitory and went to the center.

Standing inside the dormitory, the space is just as small as before, and does not feel vast.

“There’s a book on the table,” he said, noticing something among the pile of scraps of paper that looked like either a notebook or a book, and reached out to pick it up.

As a result, when he took a step, the desk instantly moved back three steps.

This retreat was not a personified step, but a backward movement synchronized with the Cane King's actions, instantly stretching the space and creating an extension.

"Eh?"

King of the Canes paused for a moment, then subconsciously took another step forward when he saw the desk was getting further away, making the desk seem even further away.

What was once within arm's reach now seems infinitely distant.

"Step back a bit." Yan Ming thought of something and told the Cane King to step back.

As the cane king took a step back, the desk immediately moved forward three steps, as if it were dancing the tango with him.

"Is this expansion of space synchronized with ours?"

Lu Mingzhe noticed this, frowned, and slapped his forehead: "I can't believe I only thought of this now."

"Hmm." Yan Ming nodded as well. He now understood why they couldn't walk the end of the corridor.

With each step forward, the door on the other side of the corridor moves three steps further away. How could one possibly reach the other side under such circumstances?
"So we have to back up now?" He Lian looked at Yan Ming. "Going forward will never get us to the other side. It looks like we still have to go through the second floor?"

"But if we turn back now, we might run into that evil spirit?"

Yan Ming glanced back; the forest of paper strips still stretched endlessly.

The crowd fell silent; moving forward was hopeless, but retreating might lead them to encounter evil spirits.

In the end, Yan Ming sighed and said, "Let's go back and take a look. We can't stay trapped here forever. We can't even gather information here because we can't actually touch the things in the dormitory."

The group could only return the way they came. It wasn't obvious when they were moving forward, but when they were moving backward, they could see that the surrounding scenery really did seem to be shrinking.

However, soon, two vertical iron pillars stood side by side in front of them, and they were quite certain that they had not encountered these two thick iron pillars when they arrived.

Of course, the iron pillar couldn't completely block the way, so the Cane King went around it.

As the group passed by Tie Zhu, Yan Ming suddenly felt that the scene seemed somewhat familiar.

Whether it's Tie Zhu, the formation, or the order of the characters, everything feels somewhat familiar.

Just as he was thinking, the cane king suddenly stopped. He raised his hand with a look of horror, as if an invisible force was pulling him, and he ended up holding hands with Lu Mingzhe at the end of the group.

At this moment, they formed a circle of five, which perfectly encircled the two iron pillars in the middle.

This scene was all too familiar to Yan Ming. He felt as if his mind was exploding. He looked around and found that he and his group had turned into a string of paper figures, locking the iron gate of the dormitory together.

Are we the paper dolls we just saw?
No wonder pulling on the paper figures has a simultaneous effect on us!
He looked towards the corridor, where "Yan Ming" and his group of five had just escaped down the stairs. They stood in front of the iron gate, looking at the paper figures with troubled expressions.

Like the cane-wielding king and Zhao Yunyao beside him, Yan Ming wanted to speak up and remind his past self, but the moment he opened his mouth—

"Waikira!"

The sounds of paper figures echoed in the first-floor corridor.

(End of this chapter)