Evil As Humans, page 90
*Kind of like a nickname calling Guo Wei Ol’ Four (as in the fourth of their group/roommate).
“Oh, that kid’s just too stubborn and won’t eat with us.” The third person sighed. “Just buy roasted chicken.”
“Would it be too obvious to leave him a drumstick? Isn’t that bullcrap?”
Yin Ren leaned in front of the bathroom sink. Outside the narrow window of the bathroom, the branches of the green trees shook gently.
When Guo Wei walked out of the stall, his eyes were slightly red. He smiled hard at Yin Ren and continued to bury his head as he washed his hands.
Boom boom.
Not far from the window, between the branches of the green tree, there was a huge hand belonging to a man. His index finger was pointing in the direction of Guo Wei as stale steamed buns and rancid leftovers bombarded it in turns. Broken bowls splintered on the walls, and their porcelain surface was stained with eye-catching blood stains.
They couldn’t touch the glass.
The hand shook angrily, and the faint ghostly feeling swayed with its movements.
……
“Teacher Lei, aren’t you being unethical? The number of subsidized places in your grade is really limited.” A faint conversation came from the office. “Guo Wei really doesn’t meet the subsidy conditions. His father is still in the field and has income…”
“Is his father still human?” Lei Xiurong’s voice was as sharp as usual. “Whether he raised him or not, the wife ran away, and the child is covered with scars. He didn’t give him a single penny and threw the kid into the village like a dog. Is this call ‘not eligible for subsidy’? If it weren’t for that brat thinking about working during the holiday to earn money, he would’ve moved up a class already.”
“But what you’re saying, the one in your class is also difficult.”
“Difficult my ass. He’s easy to fool. Isn’t it just someone’s relative? The sophomore quota is set. If he has any opinions, he can say them to my face. Let’s see if he has the ability to get me fired!”
Guo Wei knocked on the door, and the conversation inside abruptly stopped.
“Come in!” Lei Xiurong glanced at Guo Wei and yelled angrily, “Look at these characters you wrote. Are you not taking what I said seriously? You have self-study for your next class, right? Just copy them here. I won’t let you go back until you finish copying them correctly.”
“…Hey, why are you crying? Do you just cry when it’s just a few words?”
Guo Wei clutched the edge of the test paper. He tried to pretend to be calm, but his moist eyes couldn’t be hidden.
Zhong Chengshuo stood at the corner of the teacher’s office and watched all this quietly.
“Okay, don’t cry. Don’t you know how old you are? It’s quite embarrassing.” Lei Xiurong turned her head. “I’m going to class, so just stay here and do your work.”
She picked up her books and lesson plans. Just as she was about to step out, she added another sentence.
“There are dried sweet potatoes in the drawer, so make do with them. You look like a dead person,” she said sharply without looking back. “Don’t faint in my office.”
Guo Wei sniffled vigorously as he neatly copied the paper.
“Thank you, teacher,” after Lei Xiurong left, he said in a soft voice.
There was a group photo of her and her family on her desk. After Guo Wei finished copying the paper, he looked at it for a long time.
A huge blood-red eye was next to the office window. The dilated pupil rushed straight at Guo Wei. On the surface of its eyes, countless banknotes were folded into frogs that chirped frantically, and the coins gathered together like tadpoles, swimming unhappily.
However, the boy didn’t even look at it. He just stared at Lei Xiurong, who didn’t have as much gray hair in the photo.
……
After copying his paper, Guo Wei rushed to the classroom before self-study was over. When he turned the corner, he bumped into two girls holding papers.
One of them screamed, and the papers in her hand spilled all over the floor.
“Are you sick!” A girl with a vague face yelled angrily. “Don’t you even look where you’re going?”
“It’s okay, Qianqian. We didn’t look ahead either.” The face of the other girl was clear. She looked beautiful. It was Li Xiaoya, Guo Wei’s seatmate at the next table. “Guo Wei, you hurry back. Just now, Lao Chen was lecturing, and he asked where you were.”
“But these…”
“I’ll ask the janitor for help.” Li Xioaya hurriedly urged Huang Jin, who was not far away. “It won’t take long.”
She smiled at Guo Wei and gave him a thumbs up.
“Okay, I’m sorry.” Guo Wei’s ears and neck turned red, and he hesitated before wiping his eyes hard.
“We see each other every day. Why are you being so polite?” Li Xiaoya laughed.
Blood-soaked uniforms and blades crackled against the corridor windows, like midsummer rain. Bright red entrails slid down the window glass, leaving no traces behind.
Inside the building, it was another trivial and ordinary day, like a dream. The student Guo Wei wandered in his biggest, clearest, and strongest memory, continuing a life that no longer existed.
The pomegranates were in full bloom, the grass was green; these countless clear details in his memories on campus couldn’t leave even after his death.
To whom was that school rule that represented the will of the master addressing to?
Was it “can’t leave” or “unwilling to give up”?
……
“When a ghost is born, if no one intervenes, they will descend into madness and pure malice.”
Yin Ren leaned against the wall of the corridor, looking at the students and teachers coming and going.
“Guo Wei, this kid… His attachment to the past is too deep, but his negative emotions aren’t heavy enough.”
“But he doesn’t want to be stuck here forever.” Zhong Chengshuo replied smoothly. “So he wants to use us to abandon these memories and officially become a ghost?”
“Maybe.” Yin Ren looked at the vision outside the window again without giving a solid response.
The more distorted the campus, the stronger the ghostly presence became. Once this campus was destroyed, the deepest memory of the child’s heart would be overwhelmed by blood and madness…
Guo Wei would be born as a true ghost.
The consciousness that was parasitic on the consciousness of others may not be so different from a parasite that latched on to others. He had been “nurtured” by Guo Laifu’s spirit, but he hadn’t been born yet.
They were literally in a “ghost fetus”, which was unprecedented.
“No matter what idea Guo Wei has, the game is still on.”
Zhong Chengshuo wiped his glasses and hummed.
“There’s Fu Xingchuan’s support outside. Since Guo Wei wants to become a ghost, let’s just push that boat along the water.”
“Indeed.” Huang Jin’s spirit was strong. “It’s like an egg here. Those things outside can drill into the seams. If we catch the moment it collapses… Well, we should be able to escape.”
After in-depth exchanges, Fu Xingchuan agreed with the opinions of the two.
“What a pity.” Facing the twisted ghost fetus, Minister Fu sighed. “If you guys weren’t inside, this would have been a wonderful research opportunity.”
“The ghost is quite manageable. You guys grab the right moment and destroy the key memories. While he’s confused, we’ll help you break out from our side. Bao Linlin, Wang Zhou, I’ll set up the magic array. You two record the data.”
“Yes!”
“Also, in order to ensure there won’t be any mistakes in the array, it’ll take me at least until 2 in the morning to finish. You still have three chances, right? Stabilize Guo Wei and protect yourself. Even if your memory is sealed, as long as you come out, there are ways to restore it.”
Huang Jin took a deep breath. His frown had finally relaxed a little.
So far, it sounded like they just needed to hide. When it became midnight, he would shoot himself in the head, and the remaining two shouldn’t have any problems.
They would finally be able to leave this shithole. Huang Jin closed his eyes and relaxed for a bit, then looked at the two powerful men.
Zhong Chengshuo took out a pen and paper. Using the windowsill as a table, he was steadily recording something. Yin Ren kept looking at the chaos outside the window, but there was no relief between his brows.
Yin Ren stretched out his hand and touched the wall of the main teaching building.
Thousands of years ago, he had come into contact with too many ghosts. Guo Wei was far from that desperate point.
The tiles on the walls were smooth and clean. There was not a single speck of dust in the corridor. Besides them, there was a clear sound of lecturing coming from Class 2-3 of the high school. Hope and longing were hidden in every corner of this memory, shining with clean light.
On the day of his death, Guo Wei was picked up from school by Guo Laifu and was mutilated by his biological father in a sober state. Despite such an impact, he still failed to become a ghost.
Would such a person really suddenly change his mind in half a year?
Yin Ren walked to the back door and looked inside the classroom. Guo Wei’s classmate sitting behind him was poking his back with a smile while whispering something. Student Guo Wei straightened his back and waved his hands helplessly at him as he continued to listen attentively.
Fu Xingchuan’s decision was indeed the safest, but…
Yin Ren left the back door and silently looked at the ground.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Zhong Chengshuo also looked back with interest. Yin Ren’s hair froze on his chest, quite depressed.
Zhong Chengshuo closed his notebook with a snap. “The game isn’t over yet.”
His voice was neither high nor low, and he wasn’t sure who Zhong Chengshuo was speaking to.
That night.
The main teaching building was locked as their group flew to the roof.
Time was approaching midnight, but the monsters on the ground didn’t disappear. It was a carnival on campus as the rest of the buildings became shadowy in the night, as if separated by a layer of fog. There were still dense crowds of monsters outside the barrier, and some of them even managed to squeeze half their bodies in.
The vestibule of the campus was full of entrails that nearly flooded the first floor. The sharp blades, which were higher than a flagpole, went up and down, constantly poking at the internal organs. The sky turned into Guo Laifu’s face, and they could almost smell his rancid breath. A thick ghostly presence rampaged in the night wind, giving rise to uneasiness.
The members of Unit 9 were waiting on the roof of the main teaching building, ready to usher in the second and final wave of elimination.
The windows on the second and third floors of the school were covered with spirit bombs, just waiting for Fu Xingchuan to complete his preparations. If the destructive power wasn’t enough, Yin Ren could supplement it with his spells.
It was 11:35 p.m..
“We have followed Guo Wei’s wishes, so he won’t make things difficult for us.” Knowing that he was about to be shot, Huang Jin was expressionless. “I’ll leave it up to you two.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Lu Xiaohe said through the headset. “Many ghosts can play with memories. Even if it doesn’t go well, we have a way.”
“I’m not—”
Before Huang Jin finished speaking, he suddenly choked.
Just like when he was attacked by the xanthium, Huang Jin’s pupils began to dilate, and his forehead was covered in sweat. His breathing was abnormally short, and his brows immediately furrowed. Yin Ren made a quick decision, and his sleeping technique was activated. Huang Jin was instantly wrapped into another cocoon.
A headless and tailless red rope fell from Huang Jin’s feet.
…It was exuding a weak Evil Force that was almost nonexistent and was tightly hidden by the ghostly presence.
Huang Jin fell just before midnight. At midnight, only Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were standing on the rooftop.
The staticky radio sounded.
“Welcome to Qingjiang No. 16 High School. Welcome to the last day of my life.”
There was a vicious smile in Guo Wei’s voice on the radio.
“You have not successfully left the school. Teachers and family members, please choose someone to exclude from the quota.”
“Play out your best memories and stay here.”
“Stay here forever.”
* * *
The author has something to say:
An ulterior motive (physics)
Evil As Humans Ch75
Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
* * *
Chapter 75: Later
From this angle, the two of them couldn’t see the electronic screen in front of the main teaching building. Broadcast Guo Wei didn’t give them the opportunity to come face-to-face with the two of them.
The student phantoms stumbled through the broken entrails and supported a blood-stained projection screen. The shaking images showed Broadcast Guo Wei sitting in front of the table they were familiar with.
Guo Wei’s appearance had changed. His eyes were completely cloudy, and the bulge at his temple had broken off, with a familiar red rope poking out of the flesh.
It was exactly the same rope as the one at Huang Jin’s feet just now.
Sure enough, half a year later, Guo Wei’s sudden hatred and malice were inseparable from the source of corruption of an Evil Force.
Guo Wei’s mouth was full of blood, and a wound extended from under his clavicle to his waist and abdomen. It penetrated his flesh and bones, misplacing his heart and lungs and almost causing them to flow out of the fissure.
Guo Wei played with the black ballpoint pen in his hand with a smile so wide that it was abnormal. His appearance was indistinguishable from a fierce ghost.
“You have not successfully left the school. Teachers and family members, please choose someone to exclude from the quota.”
Clang. The familiar pistol hit the concrete floor of the roof and fell between Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.
Zhong Chengshuo picked up the gun.
“Where’s Huang Jin?” In the headset, Lu Xiaohe asked anxiously. “How is it that half the team is already gone?”
“He was attacked by an unknown mental ability, so we knocked him out.” Yin Ren covered the two cocoons behind his back as he explained concisely. “I felt a strong Evil Force, similar to that of Bai Yongji’s coin.”
Lu Xiaohe sounded like she almost choked. “A source of corruption from an Evil Force?”
What’s going on with Unit 9? How was it that there’s now an Evil Force when they entered the Archive?
She really didn’t want to snatch away “The Best Bad Luck Award” from Unit 7.
Lu Xiaohe accelerated her talking speed. “The Archive may have been invaded. Be careful! Ghosts are obsessed with contracts. Try to stabilize Guo Wei and stall for Minister Fu!”
“Understood,” Zhong Chengshuo answered cleanly.
Boom, boom, boom, boom. The earth trembled like a sticky heartbeat.
Countless rotten hands protruded from the internal organs of the courtyard, scratching frantically.
“Please choose to exclude someone from the quota.” On the bloody screen, Guo Wei’s smile deepened, and the corners of his eyes kept twitching. The red rope pierced his temple and twitched, disappearing at the edge of the screen.
Zhong Chengshuo picked up the gun and raised it naturally to his own head.
In the night, the man’s gaze behind the lens was calm and firm.
“I’ll protect you,” Yin Ren stated solemnly after witnessing Zhong Chengshuo’s actions. “Don’t worry.”
King Yama actually trusted him so readily? Was this a mutual understanding*?
*The legendary heart has a soul (的心有灵) Idiom refers to hearts being connected so that you understand each other’s mind.
“No, I’m worried,” Zhong Chengshuo replied calmly. “The situation is complicated, and it’s impossible to judge.”
Yin Ren: “?” The harmony in his heart was about to keel over.
Yin Ren’s emotion and fighting spirit were suffocated by this guy’s words. Perhaps Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t focusing on
“…So I’ll see it with my own eyes.” Seeing Yin Ren’s expression like he was choking on a fishbone, Zhong Chengshuo spoke with a smile in his voice.
He hooked his finger and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The action was so natural, like picking up a water cup, that Yin Ren couldn’t even react for a moment.
“Bang!”
A torrent of color spurted out from the side of Zhong Chengshuo’s head.
Crystal rain beads splashed everywhere; a gentle candle fire on a birthday cake, and apples that were an attractive color were cut in half. They collided in mid-air and exploded into bright, gorgeous light. The cheese potato chip package and the rose tea were entangled endlessly. Little wing balls floated up like soap bubbles.
After the familiar memory collapsed, a black umbrella stained with water fell to the ground.
This person’s movement was so sudden that Yin Ren’s hair stood up straight in shock. He hurriedly pulled the umbrella back into a cocoon and, at the same time, condensed his hair, ready to stun Zhong Chengshuo. However, as soon as the hair drew close, it was grabbed firmly with one hand, not allowing them to advance any further.
Zhong Chengshuo grabbed the twirling hair. His complexion was normal, and his breathing was steady.
This guy even had the leisure to take out a small notebook, read it carefully for more than ten seconds, and put a checkmark on one of them.
“Here.” Zhong Chengshuo tore off one of the pages and blocked Lu Xiaohe’s communication. “Help me get rid of it.”
