On December 3, 2024, Tong Yang disappeared.
To be precise, it wasn't a disappearance, but rather she lost contact with everyone related to the incident.
The last person to have contact with her and see her was Tong Le, a fifth-grader at Peking University Elementary School.
Simultaneously, a mysterious person parachuted into the 749 Bureau to take over the defective product incident.
Half a month later, artificial rainfall was carried out in some parts of the country, lasting for two days. After the rainwater evaporated, a faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air, the reason for which remained unknown.
Not long after, Officer Lin of the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau in the capital received word that the 749 Bureau had developed a method to kill humans who had been injected with the genetic serum, and the time anchor point of the parallel world had been eliminated.
By the time the news reached Chu Shiyu's ears, a considerable amount of time had already passed.
[Meet up tonight? Sent you the address.]
Looking at the message from Xu Junyue, Chu Shiyu replied with a single "Okay."
"Shiyu, come eat." Yang Lin's mother called out as she brought the dishes to the table.
"Okay, I'm coming," Chu Shiyu responded.
Exiting the chat window, she saw that her last message with Tong Yang was from days ago. She had initiated the messages but never received a reply.
Currently, no one knew where Tong Yang was, including Tong Le.
"Shiyu sister." Tong Le stood by the door, calling out cautiously.
"Coming." Chu Shiyu turned off her phone and walked out of the room. "Let's go, time to eat."
Tong Le gave her a worried glance and asked, "Is sister not coming over for a while?"
Chu Shiyu ruffled his hair and said, "Tong Yang has been quite busy lately. Don't worry, it's fine. Isn't she still in contact with you occasionally?"
Tong Le's expression dimmed. "Mm, I understand."
"Let's eat."
After finishing the meal and returning to her room, Chu Shiyu tried calling Tong Yang again, but there was still no answer.
In the evening, Chu Shiyu got ready and left the house. Arriving at the designated place, she entered the pre-booked private room.
"You're here? Come sit!" Xu Junyue waved at her. Tang Shuyan and Tao Bai were also in the room.
"Boss Ye just finished work, he'll be here a bit later."
"Did you order yet?"
"Yeah, Boss Ye said he'd pick up the bill when he arrives."
Sitting down, everyone chatted for a bit.
During Tong Yang's disappearance, they had all kept in touch.
"Are you still worried about the boss?" Xu Junyue asked, propping her chin on her hand.
"She went back to school to apply for a leave of absence, right? So she's definitely not in any danger. She's probably with that old man Wu Pingxue."
Chu Shiyu sighed. "I'm not worried about her. I just can't figure out why she's been in contact with her aunt and grandma, but just won't contact us?"
Xu Junyue said dismissively, "Must have her reasons? Whatever! She's definitely fine on her own anyway."
Tao Bai said, "Tong Yang is someone with her own mind and ideas. She must have more important things to do."
"The situation is resolved. The military integrated an antiviral agent into the artificial rainfall. The parallel world's time anchor point is dead. The crisis is temporarily averted."
At this point, Xu Junyue sighed. "Who would have thought that killing the parallel world's Yan Qing would actually make the parallel world back off. Seems they were really worried we'd use her to obtain the coordinates of their world's humans. What a shame."
"Is that what you told your dad?"
"Yep." Xu Junyue nodded. "Who knew! The very next day after I told him, the magnetic field energy cycle changed. He definitely has problems!"
"To avoid alerting him, Old Xu is now under police surveillance for all his movements. Honestly, I say they should just interrogate him harshly," Xu Junyue grumbled.
"Why is your relationship with your dad so bad?"
Xu Junyue said, "He favors my older sister, that's all. Anyway, it is what it is. If he died, I'd be happy to see it."
Not long after, Ye Huai arrived at the restaurant, dressed in an elegant suit.
"Sorry I'm late."
"He's here, he's here, sit down quickly."
Ye Huai pulled out a chair, sat down, and loosened his tie. "Sorry for the wait. Let's get the food served."
"Has the boss been in contact with you recently?" Xu Junyue asked.
Ye Huai shook his head. "No."
"The boss is really treating everyone equally."
Ye Huai said, "She probably can't contact anyone involved in this incident. My assistant called on my behalf. She's busy with other matters. She likely won't resume contact for a while. Everyone shouldn't worry about her."
"I see."
"That old man Wu Pingxue must be up to no good, who knows what."
"Let it go for now."
Knock knock—
A knock sounded, and the server pushed the door open.
"Excuse me, pardon the interruption. A guest ordered a round of beer for your table. The bill has already been settled."
"Who?"
"Where are they?"
"It can't be the boss, can it? This place isn't cheap to eat at."
The server said, "A young woman, with hair that's a bit golden..."
Before the server could finish, Xu Junyue leaped up, stepped over the dining table, jumped to the door, and chased after her.
The others were stunned for a few seconds before immediately following.
"The guest has already left..." the server said, looking at them in surprise.
Xu Junyue rushed out of the restaurant. The intersection was bustling with traffic and crowds of people.
A tall, slender figure in black was faintly visible among the crowd, carrying a familiar backpack.
"Bos..."
"Let it go." Chu Shiyu pressed a hand on her shoulder. "Knowing she's okay is enough."
"But she came all the way here..."
Ye Huai watched as the figure was about to disappear into the crowd, his expression momentarily dazed.
As if sensing something, the person stopped, glanced back slightly, and waved a hand at them.
Then, she vanished into the crowd.
"Let's go back. She'll return when it's time for her to appear," Ye Huai said.
Xu Junyue said, "If I'd known she was paying, I would've ordered more."
Chu Shiyu chuckled. "Alright now, we shouldn't waste food."
"Let's go. We'll have a chance to meet again."
"Come on, come on! Let's eat!"
Walking onto a deserted stretch of road, two slender figures appeared under the streetlight.
"Dr. Wu said you're not allowed to meet them. Be careful, or I'll report you when we get back!" the Chu Shiyu from World A threatened.
Tong Yang gave her a lazy glance. "Suit yourself."
He Jingjing looked at the two expressionlessly. "Enough talk. Time to go."
Tong Yang followed behind the two, lowering her head to open her phone.
She had set all messages on her social apps to 'Do Not Disturb.' Only the "Netizen Melon-Eating 007" group chat remained active.
Wu Pingxue's so-called "more important matters" were simply to make her devote herself entirely to the struggle against the parallel world. Moreover, she still needed to grow. The people related to the parallel world she would encounter in the future were bound to become more dangerous. In her current state, she couldn't truly contend with them.
During this period, she had been familiarizing herself with the operation methods of various cold weapons and firearms, and systematically learning professional combat techniques to improve her own abilities.
Although the Chu Shiyu from World A had even less brains than Xu Junyue, under unrestricted, face-to-face conditions, Tong Yang had never beaten her even once.
Of course, it was also inextricably linked to the genetic serum.
January 1, 2025, New Year's Day.
An orphanage was holding an evening party activity.
Colored lights hung everywhere in the courtyard. The children, dressed in new clothes, were happily watching the performances.
The performers putting on the show for them were volunteers from a charity organization. The sweet scent of candy filled the orphanage, mingling with the joyful laughter and chatter of the children, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
"Sis Tong Yang, can you handle this?"
A voice came through the earpiece.
"Yeah, there are so many people. Shouldn't we ask the police for help?"
"Right, right."
Tong Yang sat on the edge of the balcony on the orphanage's second floor and said, "No need."
It wasn't that she truly didn't need help, but rather that Tong Yang couldn't contact the police.
That old geezer Wu Pingxue told her to figure it out herself, claiming it would be good for her growth.
"Alright then, be careful."
"How much longer?"
Tong Yang checked the time. There were three hours left until the orphanage was pulled into the parallel world.
Until then, there was nothing Tong Yang could do.
"Forget it, I'll find a place to rest for a bit."
"Don't hang up the call, okay?"
"Sis Tong Yang, you came straight over after finishing your training. Get some sleep; we'll call you if there's a problem."
Tong Yang stretched lazily. "Okay."
She turned and left the balcony, entered a random room, and lay down on the lower bunk of a bunk bed.
Tong Yang took off her earpiece, turned on the phone's speaker, placed it casually by the bedside, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Lately, her schedule had been tighter than in the days leading up to the college entrance exams. Every day was filled with various physical training, weapons training, and even practice driving helicopters, tanks, and some heavy weaponry. Occasionally, she also had to handle some minor tasks for Wu Pingxue. Of course, the compensation was extremely generous.
After one month following Dr. Wu, her net profit had reached an eight-figure bonus.
In between, she still had to find time to read books and take online courses, utilizing every fragment of time to the extreme.
Once this was all over, she could probably go straight and take the special forces entrance exam.
"Is she asleep?"
"Sounds like she's asleep."
"Keep your voices down."
They had connected a group video call, but with the phone just placed randomly, the camera only showed a dark ceiling and the edge of the bed.
Tong Yang's breathing was even; she was already asleep.
Time passed quietly.
It was unclear how much time had gone by when a strange sound started.
"What's that sound?"
"Don't know."
"Is someone with Sis Tong Yang?"
It sounded like something hitting the wall.
In the faint light, a black shadow was cast on the ceiling, slowly moving closer to the bedside.
"Sis Tong Yang!"
"Holy crap!"
A person walked to the bedside, heard the voices, and slowly bent down to look at the phone's camera.
The skin on his face was cracked, and blood was seeping out from the fissures. A "drip" sound covered the phone lens, instantly blurring the image slightly.
"Sis Tong Yang!"
Even through the screen, the members of the gossip group were badly frightened.
Tong Yang had already woken up when he entered the room.
After such a long period of training, she had become extremely alert.
"I'm here," Tong Yang responded nonchalantly.
The man standing by the bed slowly raised his head, swiveling his eyes to look at her.
"What? Do you want to share the bed?"
The man's gaze was eerie, his eyes calm. He stared at Tong Yang for a few seconds, then turned and left without warning.
Tong Yang sat up, rubbing her hair. "Leaving without even saying hello, is that appropriate?"
A dagger moved fluidly between her fingers. Each time it grazed the surface of her skin, it seemed as if it would cut it, yet she controlled the pressure perfectly, always remaining unscathed.
Tong Yang walked forward unhurriedly. From behind, she hooked one hand under the man's chin, and with the dagger, slit his throat in one smooth motion. Blood sprayed onto the wall. It was all routine by now.
After dragging the corpse to a corner, Tong Yang picked up her phone and checked the time. It was just past midnight.
She put her earpiece back on and walked to the balcony. The courtyard was empty, the trash on the ground not yet cleared away. The orphanage children had probably returned to their rooms to rest.
"It's so quiet."
"Are we already in the parallel world?"
Tong Yang looked up into the distance, shrouded in thick fog.
"Yeah," Tong Yang replied.
The orphanage was extremely quiet. Tong Yang walked to the stairwell and noticed a small room glowing with candlelight.
Tong Yang put away her phone and approached slowly.
"Why did the power go out all of a sudden?"
"Don't know."
"What about that girl? Wasn't she supposed to perform with us? She disappeared as soon as we came in."
"I heard she wasn't feeling well. The headmistress let her rest in a separate room."
"This is so weird. Is it just me? Don't you think it's too quiet?"
"A little. There wasn't a single car on the road."
"Not just cars, you can't even see any lights in the distance."
"Who's there?"
Hearing movement by the door, the people in the room turned around nervously.
In the dim yellow light, Tong Yang stood at the doorway with her arms crossed.
"Don't be nervous, it's me."
Tong Yang's eyes swept across the room. There were six people in total.
In the news from 2026, they had died in the orphanage, their deaths gruesome. The suspect left no clues, and it was once considered a paranormal event.
Everyone else in the orphanage was unharmed.
"You're back? Are you feeling okay?"
Tong Yang walked into the room, looking around. "I'm fine."
"You said you'd perform with us, but then what? You vanished as soon as we arrived."
Tong Yang pulled out a chair and sat down, replying dismissively, "Sorry."
"Well, it's fine as long as it ended smoothly."
"Sigh, I wanted to go back early, but there's absolutely no signal. Can't call a car."
"Forget it. Leaving this late isn't safe anyway. Let's rest for the night and leave tomorrow morning."
"The beds here are so small, uncomfortable to sleep on."
"They're prepared for children, after all."
"Don't you think this place feels really creepy? There's an indescribable feeling."
"I do! It was fine in the evening. How did it become so deathly quiet as soon as midnight hit?"
"Don't know."
"Have you guys heard the rumors about this orphanage?" a girl said mysteriously.
Hearing this, the others perked up with interest.
"What rumors?"
"Tell us, quick!"
"Oh my god! This atmosphere is perfect for ghost stories!"
The girl said, "Someone go close the door."
"Not me!"
"You go!"
"The guys should go!"
"No way, it's so dark. I'm scared."
Tong Yang was speechless. So scared, yet wanting to hear ghost stories.
She got up, walked to the door, and closed it.
The room held seven or eight bunk beds. The space wasn't small. A single candle burning on the table was the only light source. Everyone sat around the table, with everything else hidden in darkness.
This setting was especially terrifying.
The girl's eyes swept over the group. "Don't be scared. I also just heard this from older folks in my family."
"We're not scared."
"Stop keeping us in suspense and just tell the story."
The girl said, "You know that saying, right? Lots of hospitals and schools are built on top of graveyards, to use yang energy to suppress the yin energy underground."
"I've heard that. My middle school was supposedly built on top of a mass grave."
"Me too!"
The girl said, "Actually, it's more than that."
"There are many examples like this around us."
"Do you know the origin of orphanages?"
"Aren't they just places to help children without parents?"
The girl smiled mysteriously. "No."
"The original purpose of establishing the orphanage was actually to create a shelter for homeless spirits, so they wouldn't wander outside at night and harm innocent people."
"Spirits?"
"Is that for real?"
"I heard it from the elders in the village. Everyone from their generation knew about it. It's absolutely true."
The faint candlelight flickered on the girl's face as she continued, "Every late night, those spirits return to the orphanage."
"Think about it, there aren't many children in the orphanage, so why are there so many beds prepared?"
"Those empty beds might just be for the spirits to rest at night!"
"Holy crap..."
"You make it sound so real!"
The girl said, "Don't you feel the room getting more and more eerie?"
"I do!"
"I think I feel it too! And there's a breeze!"
"That might be something unseen passing behind you..."
"No way! Stop talking!"
"No, seriously, there really seems to be a draft..."
The girl deliberately lowered her voice. "So, we must never look back. The room is full of empty beds."
"Good grief! Don't talk nonsense, how could that be? There are no ghosts in the world..."
"Creak—"
Before the words faded, the bunk bed closest to them made a noise, like the sound of someone turning over on the top bunk.
Instantly, everyone's faces turned pale, their spines stiffening.
The girl let out a low laugh, the candlelight casting shadows on her face, her expression strange.
"I'm not joking."
"They are right here with us."
"Hey... I don't want to hear anymore."
"We..."
"Shh!" The girl raised a finger to her lips, making a silencing gesture.
"Don't you know?"
"At times like this, they think we are one of them. Once our identity is exposed, we're finished!"
"Those things have no place of their own. They hate living people competing for their territory the most."
"Then what should we do?"
The girl said with a smile, "We must stay calm. No matter what happens, we must act as if they don't exist."
"Don't you know? Ghosts don't communicate with their own kind."
"Thud!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the table suddenly trembled, scaring everyone out of their wits.
Tong Yang felt like yawning. A slight breeze brushed past behind her, as if someone had passed by.
At the same time, the others seemed to have the same sensation. One by one, they held their breath, faces ashen.
Tong Yang lifted her eyes, vaguely seeing a blurry figure swaying behind the girl.
Hidden in the darkness, it flashed by too quickly to see clearly.
But Tong Yang could be certain: besides them, there were others in the room.
"If we're discovered, we might be taken to the underworld..." the girl said while observing everyone's reactions.
Seeing that everyone else looked terrified, scared out of their minds, the girl snorted with laughter and teased, "Hey! You actually believed me?"
"Alright, I was just joking with you!"
"Are there any other ghost stories? I want to hear them too."
The others didn't relax at the girl's words. Instead, their expressions grew increasingly grim, their eyes uniformly fixed on the girl, gradually filling with terror.
"Hey? Enough already, what's with your reactions? I was just trying to scare you." The girl felt a chill down her spine under their gaze and involuntarily sat up straighter.
No one spoke. They just stared behind the girl, faces deathly pale.
One of them even had red-rimmed eyes, trembling all over.
Within the circle of light cast by the candle, they clearly saw a figure standing behind the girl.
That figure gradually moved, a pallid hand reaching out.
The girl grew somewhat panicked. "What's with your expressions? I was just joking, don't scare..."
Suddenly, the girl's voice cut off.
Through her clothes, she felt something gently rest on her shoulder.
Her whole body went rigid, her breath caught, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at the others.
Seeing they looked just as tense and scared as she did, the girl swallowed hard and turned her head slightly. A hand was resting on her shoulder.
But everyone was sitting in their own seats. Who could the owner of this hand be?
Realizing something, the girl began to tremble uncontrollably, stiffly straightening her neck, not daring to look back at all.
Faced with the fear of the unknown, no one dared to break the silence and glimpse the true form of the figure in the darkness.
Just then, someone gasped sharply.
They looked behind the girl. The figure gradually bent down, leaning close to the girl's side. Pale skin appeared in the candlelight, pressing against the girl's cheek, and it let out a breath.
The girl shivered in fright, tears streaming down, her whole body shaking like a leaf.
Tong Yang leaned back in her chair, expression neutral.
They had been passively brought into this parallel world; there should be rules restricting it. The girl was likely safe for now.
Tong Yang had no intention of intervening. She wanted to know what the rules of this game were.
Sure enough, amidst the eerie atmosphere, the figure did nothing to the girl. After a few seconds of stalemate, it straightened up, withdrew its hand, and vanished back into the darkness.
The surroundings returned to calm, and everyone collectively let out a sigh of relief.
"Sister, please don't just leave us in your pocket and ignore everything!"
"Sounds like something happened, so exciting."
"Sister, sister, sister, sister!"
"Do you remember us, whom you've neglected?"
A cacophony of voices came through the headphones. Having taken the money, after all, Tong Yang took out her phone and pointed the rear camera at the ceiling.
Before they could fully relax, in the tranquil environment, the clear sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Their room was separated from the hallway by just a wall. The sound was so clear it seemed right beside their ears. Everyone held their breath tightly, not daring to relax.
The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow. They stopped outside the door.
Everyone exchanged glances, not daring to breathe, afraid of being heard by whatever was outside.
"Knock—"
A knock sounded, echoing in the silent room.
"Who is it?" Tong Yang asked.
Shocked by Tong Yang's boldness, the others all looked at her.
"There are seven rooms. Which room number do you choose?"
Outside, a woman's voice came through.
Tong Yang said, "Number one."
Immediately, the footsteps walked away.
"Knock—"
"Which room number."
The knocking sounded again, but no approaching footsteps were heard this time.
Tong Yang looked at the bewildered others and reminded them, "Answer her question, if you don't want to die."
The boy sitting across from her gritted his teeth and said bravely, "Room number two."
"Knock—"
"Which room number."
"Th-three. Three."
"Knock—"
"Which room number."
"Four..."
After questioning the last person, the footsteps completely vanished from the corridor.
Both the room and the hallway fell into silence. After waiting half a minute with no abnormal occurrences, the volunteers looked at each other, drenched in cold sweat.
"What on earth is going on?"
"Could the orphanage really be prepared for spirits?"
The girl who told the ghost story looked even paler than the others. Shaking her head, she said, "How could that be? I just made that up."
"But... what was that behind you just now..."
Everyone was completely clueless about the current situation and could only turn their eyes to Tong Yang, who seemed to know something.
"Miss, do you know something?"
Tong Yang rested her chin on her hand and said teasingly, "Orphanage horror story?"
"No way..."
"No wonder the old folks say not to tell ghost stories at night."
"What should we do?"
"Should we go find the headmistress first?"
"Call the police?"
"No, I tried. The emergency number won't go through either."
Tong Yang said, "The safest way is to stay put."
"Then we just sit here until dawn?"
"That's not possible, is it? I really need to use the bathroom."
"What are you thinking? Do you really think those things will let you sit here safely until dawn?"
Perhaps because she appeared too relaxed, everyone involuntarily looked at her.
"Miss, do you have a solution? Did you anticipate this?"
Tong Yang gave a noncommittal nod. "Yes. If you want to survive, you must listen to me, understand?"
"I... I understand!"
"Master, is it ghosts?"
"You could say yes, and you could say no," Tong Yang's voice was lazy.
"Hehehe..."
A child's laughter came from the corridor, along with light, pitter-pattering footsteps.
"Hahaha..."
The sound seemed to be in the corridor, and also right beside them.
"Quiet!"
"Bedtime is now!"
Immediately, a woman's scolding voice followed.
The children paid no heed, still playing and chasing each other in the corridor.
"Ugh... hearing children's voices suddenly in this environment is terrifying."
"Sister Tong, what's the plan?"
"Wrapping myself tight in my little blanket. Good thing I'm not on-site."
"Please don't let a face suddenly appear in the camera shot. I'll perform a live demonstration of dropping dead on the spot for everyone."
The children's uninhibited play and the echoes in the empty corridor made everyone's hair stand on end.
"BANG—"
The door was suddenly pushed open by something. The dim candlelight spilled into the dark corridor, faintly revealing a clear adult-sized footprint on the dusty floor.
"Hehehe..."
The sound of children's laughter and footsteps came again, seeming right in front of them, yet they could see nothing.
There were no child figures in the corridor.
Staring at the wide-open door, everyone tensed up, not daring to move a muscle.
"Wha... what do we do?"
Tong Yang said, "Wait and see."
"How can we just wait and see? This is too scary..."
During their conversation, a figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows, standing in the dim light.
It was a woman, holding an unlit oil lamp.
"Teacher of Room One, please come with me."
The woman's voice was steady, cold—the same person who had knocked earlier.
The volunteers looked at Tong Yang with fear and hope, wishing she could provide a solution.
Tong Yang's gaze swept over everyone. "Do as she says. Resist only when necessary."
After a brief pause, she continued, "However, I advise you to be as obedient as possible when your life isn't in immediate danger."
"Breaking the rules of the game will get you killed."
With that, Tong Yang stood up and left the room.
Watching her retreating back, everyone was left stunned, their eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Tong Yang didn't necessarily intend to save them. After all, there was no payment this time. She had done her humane duty by reminding them; whether they listened was up to them.
Out in the corridor, the woman's face was hidden in shadow. She led the way downstairs first.
Tong Yang followed her, passing through the pitch-black stairwell, entering the first floor, winding through several long corridors, and stopping outside a playroom.
"Please take the children from Room One back to rest," the woman said.
"Oh," Tong Yang replied simply.
It didn't seem too difficult.
"Where is Room One located?" Tong Yang asked.
"Third floor."
After speaking, the woman turned stiffly and left the playroom, heading towards the stairwell.
Probably it was the turn for the Room Two teacher next. Hopefully, they'd be brave enough and not seek their own doom.
The playroom was pitch black. Faintly, some short figures could be seen, barely moving. It was unclear if they were dead or alive.
According to the news, the orphanage staff and children hadn't been dragged into the incident. Most likely, the ones in the playroom weren't human.
"Sister Tong, how do you know which room these kids are from?"
"This game is kind of interesting, like a real-life matching game."
"Sister Tong, why don't you just go up and ask?"
These folks talking without feeling the pressure—it's easy to speak from behind a screen.
Tong Yang walked up to one of the short figures and used the weak light from her phone to check if there were any markings on him indicating his room.
The boy was wearing thin clothes, his skin cold, showing little sign of movement.
Tong Yang placed her hand on his throat and felt a faint pulse. Though he was hanging by a thread, he was still alive.
After a careful search, she found the boy wasn't wearing any identifying items.
"There should be a clue," Tong Yang muttered to herself. Without clues, how could the game proceed? It had only just begun.
Tong Yang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. The condition of these children was very similar to those people in the Xili Mall screening room.
They had their fingers cut off and eyes gouged out, yet still maintained a faint pulse. After the 'defective product' incident came to light, she thought those people had been injected with the defective product, but later, touching them didn't cause poisoning, so probably not.
Perhaps, they just had their brain nerves extracted and their mobility taken away.
Confirming the boy had no markings anywhere on his body, Tong Yang lowered her gaze to the boy's hands hidden in his wide sleeves. A sense of foreboding settled over her.
Shining the weak light on the boy's sleeve cuff, Tong Yang reached in and felt a bare fist. Pulling back the sleeve, she saw the left hand fingers were gone, leaving only irregular patches of skin behind. The fingers seemed to have been torn off forcibly, though there was no bleeding.
Tong Yang's heart sank. She looked at the boy's right hand—only four fingers remained.
It seemed like people from the parallel world were very interested in things like fingers. Remembering how Chu Shiyu from World A had once eaten such things, Tong Yang felt a wave of nausea.
"Sister Tong, Sister Tong, how is it? Did you find anything?"
"Any markings?"
Tong Yang said, "Yes."
Because she was using the rear camera for the video, they couldn't see what was in front.
"What? What is it?"
"So curious."
Tong Yang flipped the camera around, pointing the screen at the boy's right hand with only four fingers.
"Ugh..."
"Huh???"
"The kid's fingers??"
Tong Yang said, "Four fingers probably represent Room Four."
"Holy crap!"
"Then Room One would be..."
"The problem is, there are only seven rooms. Do none of these kids have a full set of fingers?"
"This is sick!"
"The parallel world is sick!"
"Damn! Sister Tong, take them down! These are just kids!"
"Please wait outside the door and take the children back to their corresponding rooms to rest in order."
The woman had already brought the Room Two teacher to the playroom door.
She had the Room Two teacher wait at the door and turned to leave again.
"Master, are you in there?" a male voice asked cautiously, trembling slightly.
"I have a name. Tong Yang."
"Are you okay? She won't do anything to us, will she?"
Tong Yang said, "It won't, as long as these children are returned to their corresponding rooms."
Hearing this, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then..."
Tong Yang didn't speak further. She checked each child's fingers one by one, finding the fifteen children who only had one finger left.
Confirming there were only these fifteen, Tong Yang led them out of the playroom.
"The number of fingers they have represents which room's child they are."
Reaching the door, Tong Yang reminded him.
The young man was stunned. "What?"
Tong Yang couldn't be bothered to explain too much. "Go see for yourself. And tell the people who come later. I'm leaving first."
Tong Yang walked out of the playroom, the fifteen children following neatly behind her.
As they reached the corridor, the woman passed by with the teacher from Room Three.
"You..."
"Please remain quiet!"
The Room Three teacher seemed to want to ask something but was immediately sternly cut off.
The Room Three teacher shrank her neck back, not daring to continue speaking.
However, seeing that Tong Yang was unharmed, she still felt relieved.
Fortunately, no dangerous situation had been encountered.
Tong Yang led the Room One children to the third floor and found that both sides of the corridor were lined with rooms. They had to find Room One among them.
Entering the corridor, she noticed something hanging on each door on both sides.
The first door on the right had seven children's fingers hanging from it, while the first door on the left had seven adult fingers.
Continuing forward, the second door on the right had six children's fingers, the second door on the left had six adult fingers, and so on.
When she reached the end of the corridor, only two rooms remained, left and right.
The last door on the right had a single child's finger hanging from it; the last door on the left had a single adult finger.
Presumably, this was Room One.
Tong Yang stood before the door with the child's finger, gently pressed down the handle, and the door opened without obstruction.
"Go in." Tong Yang stepped aside. The fifteen children filed in one after another, finding their respective beds.
Since the room was filled with bunk beds, the children assigned to the top bunks simply couldn't climb up with only one finger.
Tong Yang stood at the doorway, not bothering to help them, just watching them jump fruitlessly.
"Tea...cher..."
Probably having no other option, the little girl closest to her turned her head, her throat struggling to produce sound.
The teacher for Room Two had already entered the third-floor corridor. Seeing clearly what hung on the doors, the young man gasped, his legs going weak.
He wasn't stupid, though; he understood what the fingers represented. Head down, he walked forward until he reached the second-to-last room on the right and pushed the door open.
Tong Yang reminded him, "The children on the top bunks can't get up."
The young man asked, "What should we do then?"
"Lift them up. Can't let them jump all night."
"I-I understand..."
His voice trembled, full of fear, but he gritted his teeth and walked in.
He was inside the room for over ten seconds with nothing unusual happening.
Seeing this, Tong Yang finally entered Room One.
She had thought the door would shut immediately after she entered.
After lifting all the children into their beds, Tong Yang scanned the room but found nothing out of the ordinary.
Then, she returned to the corridor to wait for the others.
One by one, all the volunteers brought their children to the third floor and returned them to their respective rooms.
The woman holding the oil lamp stood at the stairwell entrance and said, "Please close the doors. Do not disturb the children's rest."
The others, though confused, remembered Tong Yang's words and obeyed the woman's instruction, closing the doors.
"All teachers, please come with me back to the office for a meeting."
After speaking, the woman turned and walked towards the second floor. Everyone hurried after her.
Back in the initial room, the woman had them sit in their seats.
"Please place both your hands flat on the table."
They complied, placing their hands on the desktop.
The woman glared darkly at their fingers. "Why."
"...What?"
The volunteers didn't understand her meaning.
The woman said, "You should be the same as the children."
After these words, she threw a dagger onto the table.
"Please remember your status as teachers."
Everyone froze, comprehending her meaning. They all looked up at Tong Yang.
She had said to obey the woman's words as much as possible, but asking them to chop off their own fingers was simply too unbelievable.
"I... I can't take this anymore..." A girl, her spirit nearing collapse, began to think of fleeing.
"Don't move." Tong Yang warned.
She picked up the dagger, looking at her own left hand pressed on the table, her expression inscrutable.
"Do you all have money?" Tong Yang asked abruptly, without warning.
The volunteers were taken aback. "Huh?"
"Why ask that..."
Tong Yang said, "I heard you don't get paid at the charity organization."
"If you volunteer without pay, you probably aren't short on money, right?"
"Money isn't an issue, but this isn't the time to talk about that..."
"Two thousand each. I'll help you get through this." Tong Yang stated.
Indeed, motivation comes with reward. Tong Yang needed monetary stimulation.
"You'll help us? But..."
"Fine! As long as you can help us, money is no problem."
Tong Yang nodded, a faint, ambiguous smile on her lips. "If anyone tries to renege afterward, I'll make sure you regret it."
"666."
"Sis Tong, I just have to say it's so you, always finding a way to make money."
"Ah! I love how my sis is so fond of money too!"
"Don't you dare renege! Or we'll turn you into bean paste!"
Tong Yang lowered her eyes, looking at the cold glint of the blade in her hand, then at her own perfectly intact fingers.
What a joke.
Without warning, she grabbed the back of the woman's head and slammed it into the table.
The wooden table shook with loud bangs. Flesh tore, blood splattered. The table couldn't withstand such a violent impact and collapsed with a crash.
The others stared in shock, not expecting her to suddenly attack.
As if that wasn't enough, Tong Yang continued slamming the woman against the floor. In her hands, the woman was like a broken doll, utterly unable to resist.
After several dozen seconds, Tong Yang disgustedly threw aside the motionless body.
But the woman wasn't dead yet. Struggling, she grabbed Tong Yang's pant leg, gasping out, "Destroying... the game... rules... You will be... expelled..."
Tong Yang stomped on the back of her hand, raised the dagger, and plunged it into the woman's back.
Instantly, the woman ceased moving.
"But you said... we should listen to her..."
"Won't doing this anger them?"
Everyone stared at her, stunned.
Tong Yang straightened up, wiped the blood splattered on her face, her expression calm.
"I said you should listen to her."
"After all, you're all quite useless."!
