Chapter 124: Chapter 124 The Nightmare-Haunted Person (Please Subscribe for Three More Updates!)
It was just past 4 p.m., edging towards 5, when Lu Luo arrived at the school with Qi Xinzhu.
The No. 5 girls’ dormitory was haunted, with as many as 11 commissions, the highest offering 4,000 yuan and the lowest 1,000.
The combined sum of commissions for this event amounted to over 26,000 yuan, which was no small amount of money.
Moreover, such concentrated haunting incidents usually had a cause; Lu Luo found the claims of it being mere pranks unlikely.
A prank of this magnitude wasn’t necessary, to the point that these 11 commissioning parties were driven to seek help from Circular.
Handsome men and beautiful women always attract attention, especially ones with the appearance of Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu, which easily drew gazes.
As they walked through the bustling crowd, both men and women glanced over and started whispering about Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu.
Hey, walking with Qi Xinzhu, I bet a lot of female students are upset!
Just as Lu Luo thought it was their exceptional charisma attracting everyone’s attention, they overheard some strange murmurs.
"Isn’t that guy the one messed with by that bully from the Alliance, Gu Fangyi?"
"Which one are you talking about?"
"That’s the one! Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"
"Oh, that guy. Now he’s even flirting with women, that’s really too much!"
"Don’t believe in rumors, don’t spread rumors, don’t create rumors. When we discuss matters, we should be rational. Maybe this guy was forced by Gu Fangyi."
"Exactly, living in East Ring University, we need to adapt to the cruelty of society."
Very good, these people had successfully turned Lu Luo’s face into Lu Meng.
"These guys, especially that one talking about not believing in rumors, I have to take him down..."
Qi Xinzhu had already taken the initiative to grab Lu Luo’s hand and quickly comforted him.
"Lu Luo, don’t be impulsive! They just don’t understand the relationship between you and Gu Fangyi."
"Fine, I’ll let it go this time."
Seeing that Lu Luo had returned to normal, Qi Xinzhu quietly withdrew her hand. Although holding hands was comfortable, it wasn’t appropriate.
「...」
After a brisk walk, the two finally arrived at the area where the female dormitory was located.
"Hello, I am a detective from Circle Studio, Lu Luo.
We have been commissioned by 11 students from Dorm No. 5 to investigate an incident concerning the haunting of Dorm No. 5."
The dorm manager and security were women, and a man with Lu Luo’s handsome appearance was bound to receive a bit of preferential treatment here.
It was mainly because Wasteland had more women than men, which wasn’t anything unusual.
"All right, please allow me to check your ID."
The guard said cordially. Everything was normal, and she was even preparing to ask for Lu Luo’s phone number, but when she saw Qi Xinzhu behind Lu Luo, her brow furrowed.
"Who is this?"
"This is Qi Xinzhu, my colleague."
Upon hearing that Qi Xinzhu was a colleague of Lu Luo, the guard’s demeanor changed immediately, almost visibly impatient.
She didn’t even finish checking Lu Luo’s ID before snapping it shut and placing it on the desk.
The change in the guard’s attitude was clear to Lu Luo, but he did not speak.
"You already have such a beautiful girlfriend, yet you still want to sneak into the girls’ dorm? The Alliance may have many women, but that doesn’t make this place your personal fishing pond. Do you really think this is your own backyard? And what’s this about a ghost disturbance? Haven’t we seen that same old trick over a dozen times? It’s pure mischief by those girls. Don’t bother with such a lame excuse."
The change in demeanor wasn’t exclusive to this female guard; another guard, seeing her colleague in dispute, also came over to warn Lu Luo.
"Mr. Lu Luo from Circle Studio, I apologize, but this is the female dormitory area where many female students change clothes or do other private things. So, this area is off-limits to men, and I’m very sorry, but I cannot grant your request."
This guard, like the other, did not look at Lu Luo’s credentials and simply spoke on her own accord.
In the area of the female dormitory, female guards act almost like empresses, behaving more outrageously than their male counterparts, as men, in contrast to women, tend to think more rationally.
The behavior and quality of these female guards made Lu Luo shake his head, finding significant issues with their approach and attitude to work.
To expect such people to take a non-lethal ghost incident seriously was simply unrealistic; no wonder they pushed the girls in the dorm to such extremes that they sought help from Circular.
"Aren’t you going to look at my credentials?"
This was probably Lu Luo’s final reminder.
"Credentials? Aren’t you students here? What’s there to look at in such credentials? Every day there are all sorts of clubs in the school. You don’t seriously think we memorize all those club names, do you?"
Lu Luo chuckled. Circular’s credentials were authorized by Hunters—genuine Hunter authorization. A Hunter was the direct superior of Fourth Ring guards.
Furthermore, Circle Studio had two officially appointed Hunters on staff.
"Alright, please take a closer look. Our Circle Studio has formal Hunter authorization. If you refuse to cooperate, then I can go to the East Ring Security Bureau, to the Hunter Department, and report you. Unless something unexpected happens, within three days, you will be dismissed for obstruction of official duties."
The two female guards were stunned, their first reaction still disbelief. Only when they exchanged glances did they reopen the credentials Lu Luo had handed them earlier.
The authorization was real; it bore the official seal of Hunter Team 13!
Now, the two gatekeeping female guards panicked. Harassing Lu Luo for a bit of fun was one thing.
But if they were reported for obstructing official duties and dismissed, it really wouldn’t be worth it.
Being a guard was a respected Alliance civil servant position, coveted by many who couldn’t even get in, especially positions like university campus security, which was akin to being an emperor in one’s territory.
"Sorry, sorry, Lu Luo, we didn’t see clearly just now. We mean no offense. You wouldn’t really go and complain about us, would you?"
Lu Luo smiled, not speaking immediately, instead staring at them until they lowered their heads, no longer daring to meet his gaze.
"You can’t just act on a whim like that; as guards, you should know better. I’m not your boss, nor do I have any reason to be your life coach. Every action has a consequence. If you could have dealt with the issue in Dorm No. 5, then naturally we wouldn’t have needed to be here."
The female guard wanted to insist that the troubles in Dorm No. 5 were just pranks and that no incidents had occurred in months. But she feared Lu Luo would complain about her actions, so she simply turned away.
Lu Luo knew that these people were merely cowed by the Hunter’s badge, not truly convinced that they were in the wrong.
Such an attitude could only be attributed to the tranquil environment of the Inner Ring and the campus, which had caused these guards to lose their due vigilance.
These people should be sent outside the wall to experience the so-called beautiful scenery out there, which would help them maintain the level of alertness that a guard should possess.
Lu Luo could see the disapproval in the other’s eyes, but it didn’t matter.
He was rather petty, and once he got back, these two guards would likely be quickly transferred to a team assigned to search outside the wall, where they would truly experience the beauty out there.
"Let’s go inside."
"Sure."
The current time was just before 5 p.m., still a significant distance from nightfall.
The appearance of a man in the female dormitory at this hour made many of the female students ecstatic.
Lu Luo wore a black trench coat and a brimmed hat, looking quite formal. Such mature attire was even more enticing to these schoolgirls.
Some even whistled at Lu Luo, reminiscent of the boys’ dormitories of his former life where the sight of women was a rarity.
When he reached the dorm supervisor’s office, Lu Luo handed over his credentials and repeated his introduction.
"I’m Lu Luo from Circle Studio, currently investigating the haunting incident in Dorm No. 5. Would you mind contacting these 11 girls for me? Thank you."
The dorm supervisor here was obviously much more reasonable than the previous guards.
After seeing Lu Luo’s Hunter’s authorization card, she immediately cooperated.
"Alright, I’ll contact them right now."
At this time, some of them were still in class, some were studying, but there were also those who were resting in their dorms.
To avoid suspicion and unnecessary misunderstandings, Lu Luo chose not to enter Dorm No. 5 but to wait in the supervisor’s office.
It wasn’t long before the dorm supervisor brought two female students over.
"Hello, I’m Wang Le. I requested the commission through Circle Studio."
"I’m Li Xiaomin, and I applied as well."
These two women have rapid heart rates, likely in a state of panic. They show no energy fluctuations—ordinary people.
Lu Luo nodded and took a cursory glance at the two female students.
Li Xiaomin looked very panicked, her eyes darting around now and then, her greasy hair a mess as if it hadn’t been washed for days.
Her dark circles were heavy, suggesting she was also experiencing severe sleep issues.
Wang Le seemed much better by comparison. She appeared calmer, but from the way she was biting her lips, Lu Luo could tell it was a forced attempt at self-composure.
Wang Le’s appearance was much cleaner than that of Li Xiaomin, but her dark circles were just as pronounced, indicating her situation wasn’t much better.
"Hello, I’m Lu Luo from Circle Studio, and you probably already know why I’m here today. So, let’s get straight to the point. Can you tell me the backstory and subsequent developments relating to the haunting incident at Dorm No. 5?"
After Lu Luo asked his question, the girl named Li Xiaomin began to panic even more, her pupils constricting, her expression and tone becoming increasingly terrified.
"So much blood, I lost so much blood, he keeps coming at night, he’s seducing me, I can’t go with him, he’s eating my flesh, I’ll die."
Li Xiaomin was speaking incoherently, pulling at her hair and tearing at it as she spoke; it was evident that she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Qi Xinzhu, help her calm down."
"Yes."
Qi Xinzhu immediately stepped forward and pressed her palm against the girl, gradually dispelling her terror with the Healer’s power.
But even so, her mental state remained very unstable.
Lu Luo had not planned to continue questioning her, but while crying and laughing at the same time, she spontaneously began to speak.
"I’m telling you, he has tentacles, he’ll suck my blood, I don’t want to die, I really don’t."
When this woman mentioned tentacles, Qi Xinzhu subconsciously glanced at Lu Luo. Lu Luo had tentacles too, and quite a few of them.
"Who are you talking about?"
"I don’t know, I can’t see him, but I can feel his presence. Please stop asking about him, okay? Every time I mention him, he seems to get closer to me."
Upon saying this, Li Xiaomin huddled up, hugging her head and sobbing on the ground. Her unstable mental state and incoherent speech left Lu Luo somewhat helpless.
It was impossible to continue questioning her, and Lu Luo could only stop her.
It wasn’t that there was no information, rather that the information obtained was too chaotic. Such information couldn’t guarantee reliability and precision, and was not very meaningful.
So, Lu Luo turned to the other female student, Wang Le. Her mental state was also very poor.
But in her eyes, Lu Luo saw determination and decisiveness, and she appeared very calm, which made Lu Luo nod in approval.
"Wang Le, right? Could you tell me in detail about the sequence of events regarding this matter? If you could be more specific and provide a detailed account, that would be great."
Qi Xinzhu proactively placed her hand on Wang Le, a gesture that seemed to improve Wang Le’s pallor slightly.
Biting her lip again, she maintained her calm and began to recount the beginning of the incident.
"The first haunting in the dormitory happened over a month ago. We don’t know the exact cause, but that night... that thing... many people should have seen it."
"That night? Seen by many people? Go on."
After mentioning that thing once, Wang Le’s face grew paler, but ultimately, she nodded and continued.
"That night at 10 PM, after the lights went out, everyone was either sleeping, chatting on their beds, or simply entertaining themselves.
This was nothing unusual at first, but around midnight, a student who always hid in her blanket reading by the dorm door poked her head out for air.
Then she saw a figure. Thinking it was a nocturnal patrol teacher sent by the school, she alerted a few of us who were still awake.
At this point, most would choose to sleep and not keep watching the door.
However, some were curious, as a patrol teacher had never come so late before. I was one of them.
Then, I secretly watched him, but despite some faint lighting, I couldn’t make out his face.
And it felt like he was watching me too, staring at me. I could feel his face moving, smiling at me."
The more Wang Le spoke, the paler her complexion became, as if something was pressing down on her emotions.
Lu Luo saw Wang Le pause her story strangely, but her performance was excellent, beyond his expectations.
"And then?"
Wang Le’s emotions began to waver, but fortunately, Qi Xinzhu was there to continue comforting her, allowing her to maintain her composure and forcibly continue.
"Then, over the next few days, the girls who saw him that night all coincidentally started having dreams."
Just as Lu Luo thought he was about to understand the sequence of events, Wang Le suddenly sped up her speech.
"He began to sing, his tentacles wrapping around me, he’s going to consume my blood and flesh! I can’t do this, Lu Luo, I’m going to die!"