STG 49

Chapter 49: The Spear Emerges

“Sister Hong Ying…” Si Xiaonan also saw this scene, her face turning pale.

Frowning, Hong Ying walked under the pieces of human skin and stepped to the edge of the balcony, looking out.

This dormitory building was the outermost structure of the entire school. Beyond the balcony lay only an undeveloped open field, with no other buildings in sight. No wonder they dared to hang human skin so brazenly.

But what if someone came visiting?

At this thought, Hong Ying’s eyes narrowed. She quickly walked out of the dormitory and opened the door to the neighboring room.

On that balcony, four more pieces of human skin fluttered in the wind…

The next one, and the next!

Hong Ying searched several adjacent dormitories in a row. On the balconies of most hung human skin—some had one piece, some two, some four.

This meant that a large number of students on this floor had already been transformed into monsters!

“Sister Hong Ying, this is trouble…” Si Xiaonan stood outside the door, murmuring to herself.

“It certainly is trouble.” Hong Ying let out a long sigh, then changed her tone. “However, this also inversely proves that there must be limitations to how this monster infects others.”

“Why?”

“If it could truly infect infinitely, I estimate it would take at most two nights to silently infect everyone on this floor. But that’s not the case.”

“We don’t know how long it’s been active in secret, but we can be sure it’s been at least two days. In all that time, it could only infect these four or five dormitories, which means…”

“It means there’s an upper limit to how many people it can infect?”

“Possibly. But there’s another possibility: its infection ability has a cooldown period. For example, a single offspring might only be able to infect one person per day…”

Si Xiaonan’s eyes gradually lit up. “Right. If it truly had unlimited infection capability, the entire school would have been doomed long ago.”

“So, we can actually deduce a lot.” Hong Ying continued along this line of thought.

“From the intelligence Qiye provided, among the infected, boarders far outnumber day students. That’s because day students don’t usually stay at school, and when they are at school, they’re mostly in groups. It’s hard for the monster to infect them silently.”

“Moreover, among the infected, the proportion of girls is much higher than boys. Not only because girls are relatively easier targets and more likely to be alone, but also because…”

Hong Ying narrowed her eyes slightly and turned to look down the dim, narrow corridor.

“The true form of that mythical creature is right here.”

Si Xiaonan’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Sister Hong Ying, how did you suddenly become so smart?”

“Huh?” Hong Ying raised an eyebrow. “In your eyes, am I that dumb?”

“Yep, always been dumb. The kind that doesn’t use her brain until critical moments.”

“…”

Hong Ying helplessly looked up at the ceiling. After a moment, she took the earpiece from her ear.

“Alright, I admit it. Everything I just said was told to me by Qiye…”

Si Xiaonan: (?｀∧′)

“He’s pretty smart,” Si Xiaonan said, pouting.

Hong Ying sighed. “Although I don’t want to admit it, he does seem a bit smarter than me.”

Lin Qiye’s voice drifted eerily from the earpiece:

“Are you sure it’s just a bit?”

“…Shut up.”

“Oh, by the way, I need to warn you,” Lin Qiye’s voice turned serious. “Just now, I saw a large group of girls heading toward the dormitory building.”

Hong Ying frowned. “Infected ones?”

“Too far away. I can’t sense them. Be careful.”

“Understood.”

Hong Ying put her earpiece back on and gave Si Xiaonan a look. The two quickly ran toward the staircase.

Just then, several girls walked up the stairs, chatting and laughing.

Hong Ying’s eyes narrowed. She pulled Si Xiaonan to a stop, her gaze toward them filled with vigilance.

The girls, seeing two unfamiliar girls standing in the hallway, looked at them curiously for a moment before whispering among themselves.

“Who are they?”

“Don’t know. Maybe from another class?”

“Aren’t there only a few classes on this floor? I’ve never seen her before!”

“Maybe they’re here to see someone?”

“Probably. Let me ask.”

A long-haired girl stepped forward and spoke politely: “Hello, are you here to see someone?”

A smile appeared on Hong Ying’s face. “Yes, I’m looking for Class 6’s Wang Nan, but I forgot which dorm she’s in…”

“Wang Nan?” The long-haired girl tilted her head. “There’s no one by that name in Class 6. Are you sure you remember correctly?”

“Isn’t this the senior year dorm?”

“No, this is the sophomore year dorm. Seniors are on the first floor.”

“Oh, I see!” Hong Ying scratched her head apologetically, took Si Xiaonan’s hand, and replied cheerfully, “Sorry to bother you!”

“It’s fine,” the long-haired girl smiled politely.

Hong Ying and Si Xiaonan walked past the long-haired girl and headed straight for the staircase. The gathered girls politely made way for them as they approached.

“That girl is really pretty.”

As they passed by, Hong Ying heard the surrounding girls whisper, their eyes full of envy.

“Yeah, such delicate features and such good skin. So jealous.”

“The short girl behind her is pretty too. So cute!”

“So cute… it makes you want to gobble her up in one bite.”

The moment Hong Ying and Si Xiaonan brushed past the group of girls, their eyes simultaneously erupted with a ravenous light. Their heads bloomed like flower buds, revealing crimson flesh and dense, ferocious teeth!

The dormitory staircase was narrow to begin with, and with these girls occupying most of the space, there was too little room left for Hong Ying and Si Xiaonan…

So little that they couldn’t even dodge!

But at that moment, the corner of Hong Ying’s mouth lifted in a faint arc. A red glow erupted from her with a boom!

Boom—!!

Rosy flames swept out in all directions from her and Si Xiaonan. The terrifying repulsive force sent the monsters in the staircase flying!

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Flames roiled. The intense heat caused the emergency lights on both sides of the corridor to burst. The entire corridor and staircase were plunged into darkness.

Only clusters of flames burned alone.

Then, a young girl carrying a long case slowly stepped onto the stairs.

The flames illuminated her face.

She tapped the case on her back lightly. A soft hum came from within, and a long spear shot out from the side of the case!

It landed steadily in her hand.

Hong Ying swung the spear lightly, tracing a flower pattern in the air. She walked unhurriedly through the rose-colored flames, looking proudly at the terrified monsters ahead.

“Hmph, I knew you weren’t good people.” Hong Ying slung the spear over her shoulder and flicked her earpiece.

“Let’s see who dares call me dumb from now on!”

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