Chapter 36: Searching for a Name

"I never expected them to separate us!" Zhang Xiaofan said with a grim expression. He then glanced at Su Qianqian; she was the one he worried about most in this game. Her nature was too kind, and he feared she would be taken advantage of by people like Song Feng.

"The purpose of this game is likely to split us up so they can pick us off one by one," Zhou Jian said in a low voice.

"We have no choice but to comply. Let's go; we only have half an hour," Xu Xiaolong urged.

"Right, let's head in. Once everyone finds their name, send a message," Zhang Xiaofan said. He reached for his phone, only to be stunned to find there was no signal.

The others realized the same thing, their expressions darkening. This meant that if, for example, Zhang Xiaofan found Su Qianqian’s name, he wouldn't be able to notify her via phone. Everyone would have to search for their own names personally.

"It seems we can't send messages. Let's just head inside," Zhang Xiaofan said. He took Su Qianqian’s hand and led her into the first stairwell. Song Feng and the others headed toward a different one. As they entered, a chilly gust of wind whipped through the spacious dormitory.

Su Qianqian brushed away the dusty air and covered her mouth. "Each floor is quite large. We should split up to search. If you find anyone else's name, carve it into the stairwell with a stone."

"That’s a good idea; it saves us from having to search every room individually," Gu Saling agreed immediately.

So, Xu Xiaolong went to the third floor, Zhou Jian to the fourth, and Gu Saling to the fifth, while Zhang Xiaofan stayed with Su Qianqian to cover the first and second floors.

As they walked together, the temperature plummeted. Zhang Xiaofan could feel that there was something unclean in the area. However, he didn't activate his "Ghost Eyes"—since the ghosts weren't attacking them yet, he saw no reason to waste energy fighting them. The most important thing was finding their names.

But while their intentions were good, that didn't mean the ghosts would remain idle.

After checking three consecutive dorm rooms, they pushed open the door to Room 104, and were met with the sound of sobbing.

"Ah, don't kill me, don't kill me... Wuu, wuu... Mommy, I want my mommy..."

Inside the room, a boy in a school uniform was huddled on the floor, weeping. He was drawing something on the ground with his fingers. Zhang Xiaofan and Su Qianqian immediately switched off their flashlights. In the darkness, they exchanged a glance, a chill running down their spines.

The boy’s fingertips were already worn raw, yet he continued to scratch characters into the concrete floor with his mangled fingers.

He didn't seem to sense anyone entering behind him, continuing his task incessantly.

"Stay by the door. I'll go in and see if there are any names, then come right back out," Zhang Xiaofan whispered.

Just as he was about to enter, Su Qianqian grabbed his arm, saying nervously, "Be careful. I'll keep watch at the door for you."

Zhang Xiaofan nodded and slowly stepped into the room. He didn't need to think twice to realize this boy must be a ghost. According to the records in the *One Hundred and Eight Ghost Scroll*, the entity before them was a Vengeful Ghost. These were no ordinary wandering spirits; their deep resentment made them formidable.

Zhang Xiaofan dared not be careless. He scanned the room quickly. Fortunately, it was empty, and he saw no names inscribed anywhere.

Then, he curiously noticed the ghost still crouching on the floor. He had been so focused on the entity itself that he had ignored what it was writing, but now he saw that two characters had already been carved.

*Xu Xiao...*

"Huh? Xu Xiao!" Zhang Xiaofan was startled. The ghost continued to scratch, eventually completing the character for "Long."

Just then, the boy-ghost turned his head. His mouth was full of sharp, jagged teeth, and his eyes were bulging wide. He hissed, "Mommy! You’re not my mommy!"

The ghost lunged at him. Zhang Xiaofan was shocked; he now knew the name written there was Xu Xiaolong.

It was too late to react. As the ghost pounced, Zhang Xiaofan slashed with his machete, but it had no effect. He quickly reached behind his back, pulled out his peach-wood sword, and shouted, "Sword Art of Wood!"

Channeling his spiritual energy into the blade, the peach-wood sword flashed with light. The ghost was knocked back several steps, snarling at Zhang Xiaofan, clearly wary of the weapon.

"Xiaofan, get out of there!" Su Qianqian shouted. Zhang Xiaofan retreated quickly. Su Qianqian shut the door and asked, "You scared me to death! Are you okay?"

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head. "I'm fine. The name in there was Xu Xiaolong."

"Is it going to be a problem that he's still in there?"

"My peach-wood sword wounded him; he shouldn't be a threat for now," Zhang Xiaofan replied. Since the ghost had written Xu Xiaolong's name, he would have to deal with it himself. A few minutes had already passed, and they needed to hurry.

They carved "Room 104 - Xu Xiaolong" into the stone at the stairwell to warn him. They continued their search. In Room 109, they found Chen Jing sitting calmly on a bed, with a headless corpse lying at her feet.

Seeing Zhang Xiaofan and Su Qianqian, Chen Jing smiled. "Oh, the little lovebirds are here. Don't bother searching this floor; neither of your names is here."

"Chen Jing, you aren't lying to us, are you?" Su Qianqian frowned.

"Tch. Boring," Chen Jing said, ignoring them.

Zhang Xiaofan didn't waste any more words and led Su Qianqian upstairs. As they checked each room, he noticed that others had already entered several of them.

Zhou Jian was in Room 206 on the second floor; Gu Saling had found her spot on the third. As for Song Feng's group, two of them had already located their respective rooms.

Every room containing a name was haunted by a ghost, but they were all Tier 2, so it wasn't too difficult for them to handle.

They continued upward. Zhang Xiaofan was drenched in sweat. At the stairwell, they ran into Song Feng and Xu Daqing; they were all that remained of those who hadn't found their names yet.

When the four of them met, no one attacked. They merely exchanged cold glares before continuing their search. They all understood that finding one's name was the only way to win, and fighting now would only be a waste of time.

Whenever Zhang Xiaofan passed a stairwell, he checked carefully for any messages left by the others. As they passed the fourth-floor stairwell, Su Qianqian pointed to a scuffed area on the wall. "Someone scratched off the writing here."

Zhang Xiaofan’s expression turned hideous. "That dog-bastard Song Feng... it must have been them. They scratched it off when they passed by. No wonder that guy looked so smug earlier."