Chapter 327 - 142: "Madman

Chapter 327: Chapter 142: "Madman

So...

Where to now?

I definitely have to grab Song’s notebook while I’m out this time, but the problem is, how do I investigate that disappearing figure? The surrounding area was covered in knee-high weeds, and Xiaoli and the others had already searched but came up empty.

Zhang Shutong watched the ambulance disappear around the corner.

"You think... it was one of *those things*?"

He’d had this suspicion ever since the person vanished, but he couldn’t say it aloud with so many people around.

As far as he knew, only a "Clay Figure" could jump from a building over five meters high and walk away unscathed.

Then Zhang Shutong frowned.

’But if the thing on the rooftop was a Clay Figure, then what did Lu Qinglian take care of?’

’According to the intel from Song, they’re supposed to be one and the same...’

A flood of possibilities ran through his mind, but every one of them had a flaw. Just as he was hitting a dead end, Lu Qinglian spoke.

"It wasn’t."

Zhang Shutong was about to remind her with the photos from the "Cold Blood" chat, but Lu Qinglian said concisely,

"There was blood."

"Blood?"

"Yeah, I already checked." Lu Qinglian looked up at the roof and pointed. "The spot where that person jumped wasn’t directly in front of the building, but at the corner between the front and the side. That spot lines up with the school’s rooftop."

Zhang Shutong immediately turned to look.

But Lu Qinglian added,

"You don’t have to. I have an excellent sense of direction; I wouldn’t be mistaken."

"...That’s true."

’For instance, back on the rooftop, she was able to tell me to look in the ten o’clock direction without hesitation.’

Zhang Shutong hurried to the southeastern corner.

He had just come around from the west and hadn’t checked the east side yet.

Zhang Shutong crouched down and parted the weeds. His fingers brushed against a blade of grass, feeling a bit sticky. Looking closely, he saw a faint red smear on his fingertip.

He brought it to his nose and sniffed.

Just as I thought.

Zhang Shutong quickly dug his fingers into the ground, pinching up a small clump. The soil was damp and stained dark red.

Fresh blood.

He pushed the weeds aside more forcefully, revealing a patch of blood the size of a washbasin that had already soaked deep into the ground.

Lu Qinglian walked to his side.

"For now, this is all I’ve found."

Zhang Shutong said in surprise,

"The paramedics didn’t find any blood?"

’Or did they simply not find it? Or did they find it and cover it up?’

He immediately dismissed the thought.

The patch of blood wasn’t that large, and the metallic smell wasn’t strong. It was also completely hidden by the weeds; you’d have to crouch down like this to see it.

And Xiaoli was wearing a mask, so he probably didn’t smell it.

As for the bald driver, judging by his attitude, he likely just took a cursory lap around the dormitory and called it a day.

The only clue that could have led them to the "victim" was missed just like that.

Clay Figures don’t bleed.

But if that was the case, he couldn’t decide which scenario was more baffling—

’Think about it: someone was injured and bleeding—judging by the size of the stain, it was a serious wound—but they vanished before the paramedics even arrived.’

Zhang Shutong stood up, glanced at the top floor again, and couldn’t help but ask,

"If it were you, jumping from a place this high..."

"I’d die," Lu Qinglian said decisively. "Especially if I landed on the back of my head."

’That’s right. The person didn’t just jump; they fell backward, arms outstretched. But what was that about?’

’Why would they do something so strange?’

’An embrace?’

’Embracing what?’

’The sunlight?’

’Rebirth?’

Images from movies he’d seen flashed through his mind. Zhang Shutong subconsciously mimicked the posture, but he was still completely baffled.

’Even if they left while injured, there should have been a blood trail. But I’ve searched the area, and the only blood is here, beneath the southeast corner of the building.’

’Someone injured from a fall would have trouble moving. Maybe they steadied themselves against the wall as they walked.’ With this in mind, he carefully inspected the side wall again.

The dormitory building was six or seven meters wide. He walked a dozen or so steps from the front of the building to the back, but he found nothing along the base of the wall—just withered grass and pebbles.

"Let’s go get the notebook first," Lu Qinglian reminded him.

Zhang Shutong sighed and chose to give up for now.

’There’s nothing else to find down here.’

He followed Lu Qinglian toward the stairs. She was the same as always; very few things could pique her interest, or even her concern.

’Since the jumper wasn’t Song or a Clay Figure, she’s maintained an air of indifference, even though the whole affair is steeped in a bizarre atmosphere.’

"Thanks for your help earlier," Zhang Shutong said as they walked into the dormitory building. "I owe you again."

"I would have called an ambulance anyway, not knowing if it was Teacher Song," Lu Qinglian said casually. "So I was just doing my part."

Zhang Shutong fell silent and began to survey the dormitory’s interior.

The last time he was here was at night, and he’d been in a rush. He hadn’t had a chance to get a good look around.

Everything he could see was covered in a layer of dust. The paint was peeling from the handrails, and crooked flyers were plastered on the walls. But even in broad daylight, there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just an old, run-down dormitory building.

The staircase was in the center of the corridor-style building, flanked by dorm rooms—two to the east and two to the west. The entire building had a total of eight rooms, but only one was occupied.

Although this was a faculty dormitory, the teachers on the island were all locals who had grown old. The school was in desperate need of new blood. In the end, only Song lived here.

To be honest, the atmosphere was a bit eerie. Zhang Shutong had wanted to ask Song if he had any idea who the figure was, but his call still wouldn’t go through.