novelraw Chapter 143: The True Form of the Ghost
Chapter 143: The True Form of the Ghost
Twenty minutes passed, and Xiao Gui'an didn't see any person or any ghostly creature appear.
He had already reached a conclusion in his mind.
The formless, imperceptible mist split into multiple strands, attempting to enter the rooms throughout the entire dormitory building in various forms.
It failed.
Rooms that didn't belong to him seemed to have no permission for entry whatsoever.
The rules were restricting everything.
Although unsuccessful, Xiao Gui'an wasn't discouraged—he had already anticipated this possibility earlier.
Clearing his thoughts slightly, entering a state of complete mental stillness without any ripples of emotion, he became almost completely devoid of any presence. Only then did Xiao Gui'an, in his mist form, drift away from the dormitory building.
Now, he needed to head toward the Student Dormitory Building.
Along the way, he would surely encounter what he wanted to see.As he drifted near the student canteen, Xiao Gui'an heard some commotion coming from behind.
He immediately moved closer but maintained an appropriate distance the entire time, so he could make a quick escape if needed.
The scene before him gradually unfolded before Xiao Gui'an's eyes—two mutated ghostly creatures were locked in a savage and frenzied struggle.
Disgusting splatters of mucus and blood mixed together, torn flesh and exposed bones lay scattered in the air, accompanied by the grating sound of fangs grinding.
The ghost creature being pinned down was the tall, thin lantern-carrying ghost he had seen most frequently last night.
Its elongated windpipe, extending from its half-severed neck, was now bitten full of pits and gaps.
One of its long, slender arms hanging limply at its sides had been completely bitten off, chewed beyond recognition, scattered in pieces nearby.
Its mouth could no longer hold the swaying oil lamp, its entire head was mangled and incomplete, crushed beneath the massive monster looming over it.
The monster had its back to Xiao Gui'an; he could only see densely packed cyan scales covering the humanoid ghost's body, along with patches of rotting skin.
Behind the feasting ghost creature, there was a swaying tail—extremely sharp—that whipped through the air, stirring up gusts of wind as it moved.
The oil lamp had fallen to the side, casting blurred reflections.
A long tongue covered in spikes extended from the cyan-skinned ghost creature's mouth, sticky saliva continuously dripping and spreading, emitting a foul, fishy stench.
On the monster's body, there were also some extremely ugly, grotesque-looking tumors. Xiao Gui'an originally intended to look away, to avoid watching such an impactful scene.
But he suddenly remembered something, and for a moment felt that the lizard-like monster looked somewhat familiar.
Although there were some differences, there were also many similarities.
Xiao Gui'an silently changed direction, moving to the front of the two ghost creatures. Using the dim lamplight, he finally saw the lizard ghost's full face clearly.
It was a face that resembled both a lizard and a human, with numerous tumors bearing crimson eyes.
Across the ghost creature's face, there were several fierce, terrifying scars crisscrossing haphazardly.
He had only seen this kind of ghostly appearance on one person before.
When he was acting as the [Writer], facing Teacher Tang's provocation, the other had revealed his ghost-transformed appearance.
At that time, the other party probably mainly wanted to intimidate him, so the degree of ghost transformation wasn't very deep.
But the direction of mutation was indeed trending toward the lizard monster before him now.
Whether it was the rotting skin, the tumors with eyes, or the ugly marks on the face that were impossible to ignore—all revealed the other's identity.
The lizard ghost creature now displayed before him, seemingly devoid of reason, dominated by primitive desires and madness, was likely none other than Teacher Tang, who appeared perfectly human during the day.
Probably he wasn't the only one who turned into this form after 11 o'clock.
Those 'oppressors' in the orphanage who seemed absolutely dominant during the daytime would gradually transform into the patrolling ghost creatures when night fell.
Perhaps no one could escape this fate.
If Xiao Gui'an had been able to see the fully ghost-transformed lizardman ghost last night, he probably could have reached this conclusion much sooner.
If not for his own special condition, he too would likely have mutated due to the bell's influence.
As for the tall, thin lantern-carrying patrolling monster, it was also the most common ghost creature seen at night. Their original identities were probably the caregivers in this institution.
Actually, if one paid attention, some signs were detectable.
Ever since he arrived here, all the caregivers kept their heads lowered, merely following routines mechanically, turning a blind eye to the oppression the orphans suffered—essentially no different from accomplices.
Their heads deeply buried in their chests caused the vertebrae in their necks to protrude horrifically, as if about to burst through flesh at any moment.
When they mutated into ghost creatures, becoming like that wasn't surprising at all.
If one didn't sleep properly at night and went nighttime wandering, punishment would follow.
Those slender, elongated shadows holding lamps, constantly walking back and forth outside the doors, prowling through the orphanage—
They would bring disaster, so probably in the orphans' eyes, they were like monsters patrolling the night, ferocious and terrifying.
Their thin, long hands helped the oppressors commit evil, yet were weak and powerless, never once extending help.
The secrets of this orphanage were now being partially uncovered.