The moment they heard the call, the three people in the dormitory opened their eyes wide and even stopped breathing for a second:
This is clearly Zhang You's voice!
"Are you there? Can anyone hear me?"
Zhang You's voice was low, quick and urgent, sounding very urgent.
"Someone." Tang Xinjue reacted and suppressed the series of questions that were about to blurt out.
Zhang You was also stunned for a moment, and then he was ecstatic: "Heart Sutra? The call really got through to you! Are you all in the dormitory now? How is it? On my side... Hey, why aren't you talking?"
As if noticing his roommate's unusual silence on the other end of the line, the ever-observant Zhang You immediately responded, "My original name was Zhang Zhihui. In my freshman year, I went to the Public Security Bureau and changed my name to Zhang You. In my sophomore year, I switched from the Finance Department to the Foreign Languages Department. In my junior year, I teamed up with you to send the scumbag who cheated me out of money to Africa as a poverty alleviation volunteer. Later, his parents called you and begged you to let him go... Is this enough to prove my identity? I'm really Zhang You, alive!"
Tang Xin Jue: "...That's enough. I'm Tang Xin Jue. Where are you now? Are you safe?"
"Right now I'm in a phone booth next to a supermarket. It's foggy all around and I can't find the way back to the dormitory. Time is tight and I can't say too much right now... Oops, it's back!"
"Who's back?"
"It's the supermarket owner. I have to hide quickly," Zhang You said, his voice filled with fear. "I can't call you again until fifteen minutes at the earliest. Can you wait for me for fifteen minutes? You must wait for me!"
The phone got busy and the call was disconnected.
Although the time was short and Zhang You didn't have time to say anything, the three people in the dormitory were more or less relieved to know that the other party was still safe and alive.
The brief call only shone more light on the mystery; he could only wait fifteen minutes to find out the answer. Tang Xinjue released his grip on the phone, revealing a bluish-white mark, leaving a chilling chill.
[Untouchable Area Health -1]
Because of using ghost items?
The three of them were busy and focused, and in about thirteen or fourteen minutes, they had thoroughly searched their respective locations. Not seeing anything else unfamiliar, they gathered together again, waiting for Zhang You's call.
Tang Xinjue was still studying Xiaohong's flip phone, but when she looked up, she saw her two roommates squatting in front of her, looking like they wanted to say something but hesitated.
Tang Xin Jue: "...Just say whatever you want to say."
Guo Guo laughed dryly. "Um, that time when Zhang You's scumbag ex-boyfriend almost went to Africa to work as a miner, was it really you who did it?"
Zheng Wanqing: "Didn't everyone say at the time that he had cheated on his powerful ex-girlfriend and was being retaliated against, causing him to have mental problems?"
Tang Xin Jue recalled: "Oh, that was a story I made up to divert attention. His methods are too low-level and can't fool the powerful."
They both: “…”
"So, the mastermind, no, the instigator, is really you?"
Seeing the girl acquiesce, Guo Guo burst into tears: "Jue Shen, I only knew that you were very capable, but I didn't know you were so cruel. No wonder you dared to confront even ghosts head-on. From now on, I will rely on you to survive!"
Zheng Wanqing frowned, strongly disapproving of Guo Guo's attitude of "whoever feeds you is your mother." "Don't give me that. Xin Jue has been weak and sickly since she was a child. Her thighs are not even as thick as your arms. She must have done that because Zhang You cheated her. Don't always think of relying on others! You have to be self-reliant, understand!"
Guo Guo rolled his eyes and was about to retort when he heard a vibration sound. The old flip phone in Tang Xinjue's hand rang with a shrill ringtone again.
Zhang You called!
"Hey, Xinjue, I only have five minutes to talk right now, so we need to make it short. And I don't know why, but it seems to be getting dark very quickly."
"Because time flows at a different speed," Tang Xinjue replied. Then, she quickly recounted the information she had gathered in the dormitory to Zhang You, "...Our mission is to find Xiaohong's lost items."
Zhang You took a deep breath and quickly told her the situation:
"Last night I heard someone calling my name, asking me to help. I got out of bed and followed the sound. When I woke up, I was already outside, holding a note in my hand."
She read the message on the note over the phone: "Fifty meters outside Xuwu Supermarket, at the entrance of Diandou Alley, under the streetlight, reminding Xiaobai not to forget your date tonight."
She sighed, "This is the task Xiaohong gave me, but I haven't found any Upside-Down Alley outside the supermarket even now. Maybe I'll have to wait until dark and the fog clears before I can see it clearly."
"I came to the phone booth and wanted to call you, but the booth said it was out of reach and would automatically transfer the call to another nearby number..." Zhang You's voice trembled a little, "Luckily it was you who answered."
She couldn't even imagine the consequences if she failed.
"Also, my health value automatically decreases every once in a while. It's already dropped by more than ten points now."
Tang Xin Jue understood Zhang You's fear. Night fell and ghosts appeared, but Zhang You had to face the terrifying environment and unknown dangers alone, which was something that the people in the dormitory could not share with her.
She could only speculate based on the information she had: "The diary says Xiaohong has a boyfriend, so it seems like it might be Xiaobai. Xiaohong is going on a date with Xiaobai tonight, and before that, she'll come back to the dorm to look for the [lost item]. During this time, you should find someone to complete the mission, then hide. If you're really in danger, come to the phone booth and make a call."
Just because she couldn't open the door during the day didn't mean she couldn't open it at night. She had the ability to [Toilet Plunger Soldier], which at least gave her more self-protection than Zhang You.
Zhang You hummed heavily, "You must be careful too. The little reds are not human. They have a natural ill will towards us. You must not analyze them with human thinking!"
After five minutes, the call was terminated again.
The room was silent for a moment, a mixture of worry for Zhang You and anxiety about their own situation. Tang Xinjue was the first to stand up. "There are only three hours left until 8 pm here, but only 15 minutes left in real time. Let's hurry and search the rest of the place."
To save time, Tang Xinjue simply used temperature to determine the presence of any ghostly creatures. The small dormitory was quickly searched, but aside from the notebook on Guo Guo's desk and Tang Xinjue's phone in his locker, nothing was found.
"So the question is, is it a laptop or a cell phone?"
As the deadline approached, the three began to analyze the two items they had.
"Who would bring a notebook to a date? I think it was most likely a cell phone," Guo Guo guessed.
"Does it have to be just one? The rules don't say that. Why not just put them both up there and let Xiaohong choose?" Seeing that Tang Xinjue agreed with her idea, Zheng Wanqing scratched her head. "I'd rather ask the second question: where exactly is Xiaohong's desk?"
According to the test requirements, even if they find the correct item, they will be doomed if they cannot find the correct location.
Speaking of this, Tang Xinjue's voice sank. She first looked at Guo Guo, who remained silent, but his face became even paler.
Realizing that Guo Guo had noticed something, Tang Xinjue sighed:
"I think instead of asking, where is Xiaohong's desk, it's better to ask, which is Xiaohong's desk."
——Obviously, there were only four desks in the dormitory, and there was no reduction or increase in the number. They could only choose one desk and put their belongings on it.
"And the desk that was chosen was [Xiaohong's desk]."
But if the table now belongs to Xiaohong, then what about its original owner?
Zheng Wanqing couldn't understand the fear inherent in this logic, and Guo Guo was overly sensitive to it. One of them was confused, the other trembling like a sieve. There was no time to explain it in detail, so Tang Xinjue could only directly infer the conclusion:
"If we have to choose one, there must be some criteria. The chosen person must have some characteristics that are related to Xiaohong."
She paused, "This person is either me or Guo Guo."
Guo Guo's sobbing voice interrupted her: "It's a blood bar."
She sniffed as she opened her [Identity Information]. The health value on it had become [-20] at some point. Upon closer inspection, she found that most of it was due to mental damage and reduced sanity.
"I'm starting to hallucinate now. I hear voices in my ears and see black air appearing on my desk."
Guo Guo fought back tears and said fearlessly, "Put it on my desk. That's where it's supposed to be."
After placing the items, Zheng Wanqing didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only say, "As long as we place the right items, we can pass the level directly. Nothing will happen. When the test is over, our health bars will automatically recover like the Heart Sutra..."
The dormitory light suddenly flickered, and then went out as Zheng Wanqing's voice disappeared.
…
Tang Xinjue opened her eyes. She was still lying on the bed, surrounded by thick darkness.
The room was completely silent. The other two people must have regained consciousness, but no one spoke. After an unknown amount of time, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded outside the dormitory door, followed by a creaking sound.
The door was pushed open.
"My things...my things...did you put what I wanted on the table?"
"Xiao Hong"'s voice shifted around the entrance a few times, its tone rising strangely: "Oh...it seems you've found the right place."
Tang Xinjue could only see a tall, thin black shadow at the door, which was almost taller than the door. She stared at the shadow closely.
Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da.
The footsteps went straight to the bottom of Guo Guo's bed No. 1, and the black shadow slowly bent down.
“Hehe, thank you my dear roommate for helping me find it… No, what is this?”
The hoarse female voice suddenly became sharp and piercing, almost piercing the eardrums: "You are lying, this is not what I want!!"
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