Chapter 38: The Life-and-Death Card: Level Five Vengeful Ghost

Before five o’clock, those holding Life Cards survive; without a Life Card, death!

Reading this message, Zhang Xiaofan plopped down on a corpse. Cold sweat drenched his entire body as the previous scene replayed vividly in his mind—it had been so perilous, and he nearly failed the game’s mission.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaofan cursed Song Feng for his deceit, blaming him for deliberately writing that message, which wasted so much of his time.

He checked his phone and found there was signal.

"Damn, everyone’s scattered now," someone remarked.

"Yeah, the ten of us are all hiding somewhere in the dorms, but only five have survived," another replied.

"Not necessarily five; maybe some found multiple Life Cards and deliberately hid them," a third speculated.

The chat group exploded with excitement over this idea.

Seeing this, a chill ran through Zhang Xiaofan’s heart. His classmates had lost all sense of camaraderie; it was a web of deceit and scheming. For survival and to gain strength, everyone resorted to unscrupulous means.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaofan smiled bitterly. What right did he have to blame others? He himself had become such a person—initially killing so many just for Lin Rou, then scheming to kill Liu Saijian, and later betraying others. In the end, he had also become a killer who spared no one.

He shook his head helplessly. At that moment, Su Qianqian sent him a message: "Xiaofan, where are you?" followed by a kissing emoji.

Seeing the message, Zhang Xiaofan smiled. Damn if he was a homicidal maniac; as long as those around him were safe, that was all that mattered.

Zhang Xiaofan: "I’m on the fifth floor, about to search each floor for Life Cards. You stay put; once I’m done here, I’ll come find you."

Su Qianqian: "Alright, don’t worry, I’m fine."

Zhang Xiaofan: "Mm."

At the same time, Gu Seling and Zhou Jian sent their locations. After chatting, they all agreed to search their own floors first. If anyone found extra Life Cards, they should keep them for their own group.

He then turned off his phone, grabbed a flashlight, and began searching his room.

The room was cluttered with many items, clearly left behind by previous occupants—newspapers, debris, even CDs.

Carefully rummaging through, he found nothing of interest, except a newspaper that caught his attention.

"Female corpse discovered in school boiler room—who is responsible?"

Looking at the location, it was his own school.

"The date was exactly ten years ago. Someone died here back then, in the boiler room?" Zhang Xiaofan read the article, which only mentioned the discovery of a female corpse, but the case was never resolved.

Upon seeing the photo of the corpse, Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes widened. That person looked strangely familiar.

“Looks like this matter is also connected to ghosts,” he muttered, shaking his head. Then he stepped outside and decided to turn off the flashlight—after all, in the pitch dark, the flashlight’s beam would attract Song Feng and the others’ attention.

He began searching for the Life and Death Cards, though he had no idea what they looked like, so he searched aimlessly.

It seemed no one was on the fifth floor, so Zhang Xiaofan moved quickly, kicking open every dorm room door and sweeping the flashlight inside. With so many belongings cluttered about, he had to search thoroughly.

“No, still no luck. I’ve searched over twenty rooms already—how come I haven’t found any?” Zhang Xiaofan slumped against a wall, discouraged. This method clearly wasn’t working.

He began to ponder. There were only ten Life and Death Cards total, so they wouldn’t be placed randomly.

Right, when searching for his own name, only the ghost’s room had a nameplate. Could it be that the Life and Death Cards were hidden close to the ghosts?

This thought revived his spirits. "That must be it. After all, these cards aren’t easy to find; the ghosts must be involved."

With renewed determination, he kicked open each dorm room door. If no ghost was inside, he didn’t linger.

Finally, at the last dorm, he heard a rustling sound.

“Baby, be good, go to sleep now…”

Following the voice, Zhang Xiaofan quietly peeked through the window. His pupils suddenly contracted: a female student was cradling a baby, singing a lullaby.

Her eyes were as wide as eggs, her eyelids rotten, and her lower body drenched in fresh blood. Her decayed lower regions were partially exposed as she tried to breastfeed the infant.

But the “baby” in her arms was just a doll. The eerie scene made Zhang Xiaofan’s pupils shrink further. Though wary, there was a flicker of excitement within him.

The more bizarre it was, the more likely the Life and Death Cards were hidden here.

He carefully scanned the room and, sure enough, found a metallic round card nestled within the swaddling clothes held by the ghost.

He couldn’t make out the inscription, but it didn’t matter—whether Life or Death Card, he needed it.

Flames erupted in his hands, and with a loud bang, he burst through the door. He hurled a fireball and then swung a peach-wood sword.

“Wooden Sword Technique!”

The attack was swift and caught the ghost off guard. She was engulfed in flames, emitting a shrill scream—but the next moment, a powerful black mist surged forth.

“You want to snatch my child? Ah…”

In an instant, the black mist extinguished the flames. Zhang Xiaofan’s face turned pale as he shouted, “Level Five Vengeful Ghost!”

Having thoroughly studied the 108 Ghost Diagrams, Zhang Xiaofan recognized the ghost’s level instantly and cursed inwardly. He hadn’t expected such strength.

Bang!

The black mist slammed Zhang Xiaofan, sending him flying. Fortunately, he was near the door and tumbled outside. Seeing the ghost chasing after him, he didn’t hesitate—he turned and ran.

“Ahhh…”

The ghost, still clutching the doll, pursued him. A chill ran down Zhang Xiaofan’s spine. This ghost was truly formidable; he was no match.

He dashed to the stairwell and jumped down, then quickly opened the nearest dorm room door and slipped inside, holding his breath.

After waiting a few minutes with no sign of the ghost, Zhang Xiaofan’s tension eased slightly. Still, he was nervous. If the ghost carried a Life Card, what then? Even with all ten of them combined, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

The room plunged into darkness. Through the doorway, Zhang Xiaofan saw a flicker of light in the distance—someone was passing by.

He crouched low and moved toward the light, clutching his machete tightly. The peach-wood sword was stowed behind him.

He had made up his mind: if it was an ally, fine; if it was Song Feng’s group, he would kill without hesitation to eliminate future threats.