Chapter 48: Satchan

Chapter 48: Satchan

The vast grounds and school buildings only made up parts of the academys larger public infrastructure. In addition to the school facilities, there were various public facilities, including libraries and cafeterias.

After finishing their meal, the four made their way towards the dilapidated school building, only to run into three other members. The three individuals seemed to have just formed a team. Upon catching sight of the four, they greeted them with a smile.

A man, who was seemingly the leader of the group, asked, Are you all heading over to the old school building, too?

Yes. Lin Qiushi nodded. You all, as well?

Were planning to check it out. Seeing that were all headed in the same direction, we might as well stick together. As they say, the more the merrier. The man then presented himself, Im Liu Zhuangxiang.

Lin Qiushi also introduced himself in response, Yu Linlin.

Thereupon, the group of seven walked towards the old school building, all the while engaging in small talk.

On the surface, everyone seemed to be chatting happily, but in truth, they were extremely wary of those they considered strangers and carefully watched their words, clearly more than reluctant to disclose the slightest information when speaking. After all, the door only had one clue; and that clue ultimately belonged to the first person who left the world.

That being so, even if they had joined forces for the time being, they were all potential competitors. Unless they were driven to a desperate strait where everyone had to cooperate with one another to survive, there would always be those who held other ideas.

That Liu Zhuangxiang seemed to be rather interested in Ruan Nanzhu. Although he feigned indifference, his gaze kept straying towards Ruan Nanzhu, lingering on the others body.

They were originally going to go their own way after reaching their destination. Yet, despite arriving at the school building, the two teams seemed rather unwilling to part with each other.

Lin Qiushi had initially believed that the other discovered something, but he soon realized that Liu Zhuangxiang actually didnt find anything; he simply wanted to stay by the side of the beautiful Ruan Nanzhu, nothing more.

Frankly speaking, it wasnt the least bit surprising to see men falling for Ruan Nanzhu, given how he looked and conducted himself whenever he was in disguise.

A seal was pasted on the old school building, prohibiting students from entering.

Before departing, the teacher who received them gave them a few keys, mentioning that the keys also opened the entrance of the old school building. Lin Qiushi fished out the keys to unlock the doors, and soon after, the group filed into the premises of the derelict school building.

The school wanted them to renovate this entire building, from the walls and the floors, to the chairs and the desks. Considering the scope and complexity of this task, this could actually be considered a large-scale project.

This building isnt old. Ruan Nanzhu concluded, after having observed the building for a good while. It looks to have been built six to seven years ago, at most.

It certainly isnt old. When Lin Qiushi first heard the others description of the building, he assumed the facility would be in awful condition, having been neglected for decades. It was only after he arrived that he realized the school building wasnt as old as he had imagined. In fact, it was just an ordinary school building. This learning facility consisted of six floors, and its colour scheme was primarily comprised of red and white. When looking at it from the playground, this school building slightly resembled a large slab of fresh pork belly.

Lets go, and have a look, said Ruan Nanzhu.

After entering the building, the group of three didnt stick with them for long; they stated that they wanted to observe the situation upstairs first.

Lin Qiushi and the others began inspecting the first floor.

As of now, the school building was utterly bereft of life, completely abandoned by teachers and students alike. Not a single sound could be heard within the still corridors. Countless chairs and desks were neatly lined up in every classroom, and the black curtains shrouding the windows were drawn up, as well.

Next to the classrooms was the faculty office. Aside from a few scattered chairs and desks, the entire office had been emptied out.

There seemed to be nothing particularly special or eye-catching to any of these identical-looking rooms. Furthermore, this building contained six floors. To painstakingly search through each and every room without ascertaining the situation first, was tedious and time-consuming.

They soon made their way up to the third floor. As they were preparing to examine the area, a loud thump abruptly sounded from the upper floor, startling them.

What in the world are they doing upstairs? wondered a puzzled Xia Rubei.

No one spoke; they simply lifted their heads and looked at the ceiling above.

As of now, the individuals who had parted ways with them at the doorway shouldve been upstairs. God knew what that group was up to though. Louds irregular thuds continued to echo from the floor above. The knocking sounds were constantly moving from one end of the corridor to the other. The more they listened to these ceaseless noises, the more disturbed they grew.

How annoying. Xia Rubei exasperatedly huffed, clearly frustrated by the ruckus. Are they crazy, or what?

Just when they were about to go upstairs to see what Liu Zhuangxiang and the others were doing, Ruan Nanzhu suddenly held out his hand in a stop gesture and said, Dont go. Something isnt right.

What? Xia Rubei had been at odds with Ruan Nanzhu since the very beginning. Needless to say, she wasnt the least bit pleased at being stopped by Ruan Nanzhu just now. Dont tell me youre scared?

Without saying a word, Ruan Nanzhu pointed downstairs.

They all looked in the direction Ruan Nanzhu was indicating, only to see Liu Zhuangxiang and the other two, who had entered the building with them, standing in the open area downstairs, chatting amongst themselves. Having caught sight of Ruan Nanzhu and the others looking at them, the group of three offered a friendly wave backit was obvious that these individuals werent the cause of the commotion upstairs.

Penetrating shivers travelled down Xiao Rubeis spine at the sight of this. She then slowly turned her gaze up to floor above, her eyes widening in pure horror. Her voice was shaky, and she stammered, T-then what is that?

What do you think it is? Ruan Nanzhu didnt respond to her question but, instead, turned his gaze towards Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi remained silent for a long while, before answering Ruan Nanzhu, It sounds like a one-legged person trying to move around.

As soon as he uttered this statement, Xia Rubei nearly crumpled to the floor in tears.

Truthfully, the moment Lin Qiushi heard these sounds, a haunting suspicion nagged the back of his mind, warning him that something was dreadfully awry. Although those noises were but mere knocking sounds, somehow, the hairs on his body instantly stood on end and every nerve in his body screamed at him to avoid going upstairs at any cost.

Oh. Ruan Nanzhu wasnt perturbed in the least. No doubt its that very Satchan, who was written on the note, hopping around.

Xia Rubei:

At the sight of Ruan Nanzhus ever so calm appearance, Li Dongyuan cracked a smile, Youre not afraid?

Ruan Nanzhu had been asked this question several times before, so Lin Qiushi thought hed respond as coldly as before. But the drama queen just hugged Lin Qiushis arm and replied, Of course, Im afraid. Big brother Linlin, Im so, so scared.

Lin Qiushi: Isnt it too late for you to put up an act?

Im so scared that I cant move. I need a kiss from big brother Linlin to go on, whined Ruan Nanzhu.

Xiao Rubeis face turned extremely ugly at his words. Lin Qiushi had a feeling that if she had a weapon in her hand right now, she wouldve long ferociously lunged at Ruan Nanzhu. Unfortunately, she didnt, so the only thing she could do was grimace in hatred and forcibly endure it.

Oh, Im only joking. Perhaps it was because the expression on Xia Rubeis face was twisted beyond the point of recognition that Ruan Nanzhu decided not to drag out his act any longer; he spread his palms out wide in surrender and gave a shrug. Its best if we do not go upstairs until weve identified the situation were dealing with. Lets first go to the library and browse through issues of old newspapers to figure out what happened at this school.

Arent you curious though? Li Dongyuan raised his brows in question.

Ruan Nanzhu calmly replied, Curiosity killed the cat. Havent you noticed all those characters who died early on in horror films were a bit too curious for their own good?

Li Dongyuan didnt respond. Although he was grinning, he obviously wasnt convinced by Ruan Nanzhus statement. However, he didnt bother to refute the other, and simply agreed to Ruan Nanzhus suggestion.

And so, the four of them no longer concerned themselves with those unsettling noises, and exited the old school building.

This old school building was quite distant from the other school buildings. A large playground was randomly situated in the center of the academy grounds, creating a greater divide between the facilities. Who knew what the education department was thinking when they first decided to build the school here. No matter how on looked at it, a school being designed as such was an utter inconvenience for everyone coming and going from the academy grounds.

The library was located east of the old school building. Because classes were presently still in progress, no students were seen roaming about the library.

Lin Qiushi had originally expected the library to be rather large, but he certainly couldnt have imagined it would only have one floor. It appeared that the difference between school libraries and academic libraries was rather large. Then again, many high school students spent majority of their time studying and taking exams; it was only natural they wouldnt be in the mood to read even more books on their free time.

The librarian was an older female teacher. The moment Lin Qiushi and the others stepped foot into the library, she took out a book and asked them to fill out their names, before letting them off, not bothering to waste any more time on them.

It wasnt long before they found the librarys newspaper collection. The stacks of newspapers were arranged quite neatly and sorted chronologically.

Search for it. Ruan Nanzhu said, Given that we were just brought here, something mustve happened very recently. Check the past records carefully.

Xiao Qin? Wu Xuelin was genuinely afraid by now. He swallowed hard on his thick saliva, before tentatively calling out for a second time, Xiao Qin?

Whats the final line? Xiao Qins voice suddenly echoed within the cold, dark room.

Wu Xuelin was slightly taken aback. The final line?

Xiao Qin once again demanded, What is the final line of those lyrics?

Wu Xuelin: What?

Xiao Qin: The lyrics you just read.

Wu Xuelin momentarily didnt know how to react; that was until he registered what Xiao Qin was referring to. He then stooped down to pick up the crumpled note beside him, The final line? He turned the slip of paper in his hands for a while, before finding a single sentence written on the back of the note, My legs are gone, so wont you give me yours?

It was only after Wu Xuelin read this final line that he realized something was terribly wrong. How exactly did Xiao Qin know these were lyrics? It wasnt explicitly stated that these lines were lyrics; they couldve been anything else for all they knew. Furthermore, he was reading those sentences in such a soft voice. How could she have possibly heard himunless, it wasnt Xiao Qin who asked him this question but something else

The expression on Wu Xuelins face froze. The sounds of jumping grew louder and louder; the bed appeared to be seconds away from collapsing under all that shaking.

Wu Xuelin was overcome with insufferable terror. In a frenzied panic, he scrambled down from his bed, but as soon as he did, he stumbled upon an appalling sight on the floor. Xiao Qin, who was supposed to be lying in the upper bunk, was sprawled across the ground, utterlylimp. Even though she was no longer breathing, her wide eyes and paralyzed expression, fraught with terror, couldnt be any more of an indication of the horrors she witnessed. But the most frightening of all was what remained of her left legor rather, what didnt remain of the limb that had been neatly hacked off.

The sounds coming from the bed above Wu Xuelins grew deafening. With Xiao Qins voice, the creature tittered in sinister delight, its piercing trills grating against his ears. Like a broken record, it began chanting the final line to the song, My legs are gone, so wont you give me yours. My legs are gone, so wont you give me yours. My legs are gone, so wont you give me yours

Ahhhhhh!!!! Wu Xuelin let out a raw howl, filled with horror and anguish, before desperately racing towards the door. But upon reaching the door, he discovered, to his greatest dismay, that he couldnt unlock it; he couldnt escape.

Help! Help me!!! Having long succumbed to fear, Wu Xuelin trembled violently. The sounds of thumping were gradually approaching him, growing louder and nearer. A pair of icy hands suddenly gripped his shoulders, and no sooner, excruciating pain seared through his left leg. Wu Xuelin crashed to the ground, hard. He looked back at the dark floor, only to see a gory leg standing upright, severed from its owner.

Blackness began dancing at the edges of his blurring vision. The mocking final lyrics to the song replayed in his mind, over and over again, My legs are gone, so wont you give me yours?

Everything soon came to a standstill. At last, Wu Xuelin surrendered to the lifeless darkness.

*******

The night was ever tranquil.

Lin Qiushi slept peacefully until dawn. With a yawn, Lin Qiushi opened his eyes, only to be met with the sight of Ruan Nanzhu, who had awoken at some point in time, sitting on his bedside, gazing at him with twinkling eyes filled with tenderness.

Good morning. Ruan Nanzhu flashed him a lovely smile.

Good morning. Although Lin Qiushi couldnt be any more aware of Ruan Nanzhus true gender, he still couldnt help but blush red. He had to admit that waking up to stunning beauty greeting him with a warm, breathtaking smile was a wonderful blessing.

Li Dongyuan immediately came over to their side and chirpily said, Mengmeng, you havent said good morning to me yet.

Ruan Nanzhu shot him an indifferent glance, Good.

Li Dongyuan: Is it really that difficult to finish the rest of that sentence?

Xia Rubei: Good morning, big brother Li.

Li Dongyuan: Good.

Xia Rubei:

Lin Qiushi honestly had never wanted to burst into laughter any more than now; he simply couldnt contain himself. These three were literally the prime example of the pecking order, the epitome of dog-eat-dog.

But just then, a shrill cry tore through the halls. Ahhhhhhhh!! Somebody died!!!

Several people hurried out to see what the commotion was about.

There was already a group of individuals crowding the entrance to the neighboring room. Some people were trying to open the door, while others were on standby, whispering to each other.

Lin Qiushi took a peek, only to see thick, crimson blood spilling from the crack between the closed door and ground, trickling along the floors of the corridor and forming into puddles. Judging from the vast amount of blood flowing from the room, it was evident that the people inside had been met with tragedy.

The one who screamed bloody murder was the female newcomer who had just arrived to this world. At the sight of the gory puddles, her face paled with fright. She scurried off to the back of the crowd, cowering and not daring to take another look at the grisly scene.

Li Dongyuan and a few other men found a tool to smash the door open. Fortunately, the doors in this dormitory were quite old and worn out, so it didnt take much force or time to break it down. After a few hits, the door gave way, revealing the situation inside.

In the center of the room were a male and a female, both of whom were lying lifeless in a congealing pool of their own blood. But what stood out in particular about this situation was the victims missing limbsboth individuals had lost their left leg.

Isnt this the person who decided to tear off those talismans yesterday? Someone in the crowd recognized the victim. Could it be that the talismans really ward against ghosts?

Seems to be so. Murmurs ran through the crowd. Why else would they die?

Wuwuwu, I want to go home. I want to go home. A faint-hearted newcomer began to weep. The disturbance at the scene grew even more chaotic with the addition of hysterical sobbing and mournful cries.

Ruan Nanzhu avoided the panic-stricken crowd and cautiously stepped into the room. He began scanning his surroundings, trying to find any possible leads and hints. Lin Qiushi followed him in and walked over to the corpses.

Both victims mustve witnessed something absolutely horrifying before they died, for their eyes were still wide open, and indescribable panic and terror were still etched onto their faces even in death.

Viscous blood oozed endlessly from their severed legs, splattering the ground and laying in pools around the corpses and across the entire floor.

Ruan Nanzhu seemed to have spotted something. He bent over at his waist and picked up a small slip of paper from the corner of the room. The note was balled up and stained with blood. He could barely make out any words written on it.

Having noticed he found something, the others came over to have a look, What does it say?

Ruan Nanzhu handed the slip of paper to the others and replied, I dont know.

BananasLonelyWhat the hell is this mess? The man couldnt understand what these incoherent words could possibly signify. Does anyone understand or have an idea?

No one seemed to have a clue. Then again, maybe some did, in fact, understand its contents, but they simply didnt want to reveal it.

On the other hand, Lin Qiushi and the other three were now certain of the twos cause of death after witnessing this scene; no doubt they had both fallen victim to Satchan. Its just they werent entirely sure whether tearing off the talismans was the condition for death, or if the notes containing the lyrics wereperhaps, it couldve been both?

Authors Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: I need a kiss from my Linlin to get up.

Lin Qiushi gives him a kiss.

Lin Qiushi: Arent you going to get up? Why are you still sitting?

Ruan Nanzhu: My lower half is already up and ready.

Lin Qiushi:

Translators Comment:

Ill keep this part short and sweet, because I know many of you dont actually read formal announcements, lol.

Please welcome Dust Bunny (translator of Wushuang) as the co-translator for Kaleidoscope of Death!!!! She will be helping out with translating this project starting the next chapter, so that you guys dont have to wait years for my own update orz. In any case, please shower her with lots of LOVE and THANKS!!!!!

Heres a LINK to the formal announcement though, lol.