Chapter 34

Gu Yi’an usually didn’t dwell on memories of her former roommates.
For one, their relationship had grown distant toward the end, and secondly, they were already deceased, their lives no longer had any bearing on hers.
Now, as Gu Yi’an tried to recall the reason her roommates had wanted to play the pen spirit game, she could only remember one day when her roommate Zhou Yaling suddenly complained of boredom and suggested they try summoning the pen spirit.
College students often sought out thrilling and exciting activities. At the time, their lives revolved solely around studying, monotonous and dull, so Zhou Yaling’s suggestion seemed perfectly reasonable.
Moreover, Gu Yi’an remembered that Zhou Yaling’s boyfriend had cheated on her back then, leaving her in an extremely foul mood. She would fly into a rage at the mere sound of a man’s voice.
The other roommates, including Gu Yi’an, made a conscious effort to keep their distance from the emotionally volatile Zhou Yaling. They would even avoid taking calls from male family members, like fathers or brothers, in her presence.
It was entirely plausible that Zhou Yaling, unable to understand why her boyfriend had broken up with her, wanted to consult the pen spirit for answers.
But now, looking back, Gu Yi’an found herself questioning one detail: Why had Zhou Yaling specifically chosen to play the pen spirit summoning game?
There were plenty of interesting activities in college, social mixers, art festivals, watching sports games, and so on. If Zhou Yaling had been seeking excitement, she could have gone to a haunted house.
As for the reason behind her boyfriend’s breakup, she could have confronted him directly.
Why had Zhou Yaling insisted on involving everyone in a pen spirit session?
Who had given her the idea?
Gu Yi’an began to suspect her counselor, Huang Ya.
Especially after hearing from the dorm supervisor that someone had died in this building before their freshman year, and that person was the counselor’s younger sister.
Gu Yi’an thanked the dormitory supervisor and turned to leave the building she had once lived in.
Passing students cast surprised glances at her as she emerged from the dormitory.
Gu Yi’an was accustomed to being stared at and paid no mind. Instead, she pondered what she would ask her academic advisor when she met her that afternoon.
Her advisor had always been kind to her, often reminding her to be cautious, and had even offered to take her to a Taoist temple regarding the matter of the protective talisman.
Looking back further, after her roommate’s death, her advisor had been the first to believe her account and had defended her in front of the school administration.
At this thought, Gu Yi’an suddenly realized that her advisor’s quick trust might stem from her own understanding of the incident involving the oujia game.
She knew the deaths of her other roommates had nothing to do with her.
Now, the crucial question was: what role had her advisor played in the spirit-summoning incident?
Was she a mastermind behind the scenes, or merely a bystander with some knowledge of the truth?
Gu Yi’an hoped she was one of the good guys.
She slowed her pace and looked up at the swaying branches of the trees lining the path.
Sunlight painted the leaves with a golden glow, filtering through the gaps and shifting into ever-changing patterns as the leaves rustled.
The dazzling sight momentarily lifted her worries, and her heart settled back into calm.
Less than fifty meters away, Brother Zhang and four other players rounded the corner of a building and immediately spotted the figure gazing up at the trees ahead.
The male player, sharp-eyed, exclaimed, “Brother Zhang! Is that her?”
Brother Zhang, with his decent eyesight, recognized her at once.
Seeing her in person only confirmed that this was indeed the Little Gu he knew.
“It’s her,” Brother Zhang affirmed.
He glanced at the male player, thinking he might not be as foolish as he’d assumed.
But the next moment, the male player stared intently into the distance and said, “She’s even more beautiful in person than in the photos. No wonder that female ghost was jealous of her!”
Before seeing her, the male player had held a very different opinion.
The pen in Brother Zhang’s hand, seemingly beyond his control, shot toward the male player’s head. But halfway there, Brother Zhang forcibly halted it mid-air.
With a subtle movement, he discreetly stored the tool he had used to restrain the spirit, ensuring the other players didn’t see. The entire process was swift.
Gripping the restless pen tightly, Brother Zhang warned the male player, “Shut up. Don’t speak recklessly.”
The female players had also noticed the distant figure and were momentarily captivated.
Standing there, she resembled a cover model from a photographer’s lens, exuding an extraordinary aura that effortlessly drew attention.
The more alike they were, the more they could appreciate such beauty.
The female players snapped out of their daze at the commotion caused by Brother Zhang and the others.
They glanced at the pen in Brother Zhang’s hand, then at the male player still lost in admiration of the distant beauty.
One of the female players suggested to Brother Zhang, “Brother Zhang, why don’t we just let it go after her?”
She glanced toward Gu Yi’an’s direction, implying they could sit back and watch the spirit deal with Gu Yi’an itself.
Brother Zhang shook his head. “If it could go on its own, it wouldn’t have asked for our help.”
The spirit was right there in Brother Zhang’s hand. Daylight had no effect on ghosts, and the players, wary of angering the spirit, spoke in veiled and cryptic terms.
At that moment, perhaps their discussion was overheard by Gu Yi'an.
Gu Yi'an withdrew her gaze from the tree branch and turned to look at them.
The male player instinctively flashed a silly grin at her.
Some of the female players felt guilty because of their earlier proposal, while others were a bit frightened.
Only Brother Zhang was unconventional.
The moment Gu Yi'an looked over, he charged straight toward her!
Brother Zhang's rapid sprint stirred the air currents, and a gust of wind swept past the faces of the other four players.
The four players were bewildered and shocked.
At that moment, their thoughts eerily aligned.
What was Brother Zhang doing? This wasn't part of the plan. Didn't they agree to approach and invite her to talk?
Was Brother Zhang trying to kill someone?
The distance of less than fifty meters would take an adult male about six or seven seconds to cover at full sprint.
Gu Yi'an had just noticed five strange people ahead watching her, one of whom looked somewhat familiar.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, that familiar man rushed right up to her.
Gu Yi'an only had time to take two steps back.
The man abruptly halted and simultaneously tried to shove a pen into Gu Yi'an's hand.
"Little Gu, this is your pen."
What pen of hers? Where did this lunatic come from?
Gu Yi'an took another step back, evading his action.
With no one to catch it, the pen fell to the ground.
The man's gaze also dropped to the ground.
He noticed that the dangerous aura was still there, but it could no longer move.
There really was something strange about Gu Yi'an!
Tentatively, the man stretched out his foot and stepped on the pen on the ground.
The pen cracked.
The dangerous aura on it weakened simultaneously.
Realizing this, the man grew even more excited. Without hesitation, he stomped on the pen a few more times, not even noticing that Gu Yi'an had already retreated five meters away.
Passersby glanced at the man.
A madman.
They moved on.
The man's behavior left Gu Yi'an puzzled.
From a distance of several meters, she studied his appearance.
The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed.
Wasn't this the male player from her first game who had deceived the other players?
"Brother Zhang?"
Gu Yi'an looked at the man.
The man didn't deny it, he was indeed Brother Zhang.
When Gu Yi'an called him by that name, Brother Zhang knew immediately that she retained memories of the game.
Gu Yi’an remembered herself.
Brother Zhang put on a familiar smile and said, "Little Gu, we meet again. I never expected that when we met again, I’d still be a player, while you’ve become a key character in this game."
Gu Yi’an glanced at the one man and three women in the distance.
The four of them stared dumbfounded at the shattered remains of the pen beneath Brother Zhang’s feet.
Their expressions still showed a hint of hesitation, as if they were afraid to approach her.
They must be the players in this game.
Gu Yi’an finally had some clarity about her fourth game.
Brother Zhang bringing the pen to her was most likely related to the board incident.
Gu Yi’an truly hadn’t expected that one day, she would become a key character in a game.
No wonder the black text yesterday said she didn’t need any hints, she herself was the clue.
"Is your game related to the pen spirit my roommate summoned?" Gu Yi’an had already guessed, but she still wanted to confirm.
Brother Zhang nodded. "They are the new spirits."
Gu Yi’an had known about this for a long time.
She had known for eleven days.
Moreover, according to the information provided in the form sent to her by the student union cadre, after her roommate’s death, things had been calm for over a month. But one day, someone reckless went to her former dormitory to summon a pen spirit.
The pen spirit they summoned was Gu Yi’an’s deceased roommate.
It was from them that the pen spirit spiraled out of control, leading to the subsequent series of deaths.
Gu Yi’an’s gaze fell on the shattered pen casing on the ground. "Is there something strange about me?"
Brother Zhang had deliberately handed her the pen and even insisted on stepping on it near her, his behavior was too peculiar.
Brother Zhang wasn’t at all surprised that Gu Yi’an would ask this question.
"I originally wanted to hand the pen to you to see how the pen spirit would react. But then I realized that as soon as it got close to you, it became trapped inside the pen. Of course, I immediately crushed it."
Brother Zhang spoke openly about his initial ill intentions, wanting to see a confrontation between the pen spirit and Gu Yi’an.
Gu Yi’an knew Brother Zhang’s nature well. She didn’t get angry and remained composed and calm.
Brother Zhang studied Gu Yi’an suspiciously. "Did you really not know that the pen spirit couldn’t get close to you?"
Brother Zhang had deliberately approached Gu Yi’an suddenly, hoping to create an unexpected danger to test her true abilities.
The more sudden the danger, the easier it was to see what cards the other person held.
Gu Yi’an smiled faintly and replied candidly, "I just found out."
She had also wondered why her former roommate hadn’t come for her. They had killed so many people; killing her, too, would have seemed reasonable.
Moreover, after they became ghosts, they claimed she was the one who killed them. No matter how you looked at it, their malice toward her was intense.
It was highly likely they would come to kill her.
But these past few days, her life had been calm, almost without a ripple.
Now it seemed someone had been protecting her in secret.
As for who that secret protector was, Gu Yi’an had her suspicions, but she had no intention of telling Brother Zhang.
Gu Yi’an said, "Brother Zhang, are you using your old trick again, telling the newcomers their task is to survive for seven days?"
Brother Zhang chuckled. "Little Gu, it’s just like you to guess it."
Gu Yi’an glanced at Brother Zhang and walked directly toward the four players.
Brother Zhang knew what Gu Yi'an intended to do. He chimed in from the side, "Little Gu, we're all players here. I meant well, I wanted them to leave the Game of the Gods early. People like us, struggling to survive and enduring game after game, will eventually break down mentally. Sooner or later, we'll go completely insane. It's better for them to find release sooner rather than later."
Gu Yi'an ignored Brother Zhang's excuses.
His behavior, using the pretense of doing what was best for others to push them toward death, was utterly excessive.
The three female players, seeing Gu Yi'an and Brother Zhang approach them, hesitated briefly but ultimately stayed where they were.
The male player paid no attention to his female companions' thoughts. When he saw Gu Yi'an walking toward him, his face lit up with delight as he greeted her, "Hey, beautiful."
Gu Yi'an's gaze skipped right over the male player and settled on the three female players. She said, "You must be curious about how I know Brother Zhang. Let me introduce myself, I'm Gu Yi'an, and just like you, I'm a player in the Game of the Gods."
Upon hearing this, the three female players couldn't hide their shock.
Earlier, from a distance, they had watched Brother Zhang and Gu Yi'an conversing so familiarly, as if they were anything but strangers.
They had suspected that Brother Zhang might know Gu Yi'an, but they couldn't figure out when he would have had the time to meet her privately.
Now, Gu Yi'an was claiming to be a player just like them.
The three female players were thrown into confusion. Their impression of Gu Yi'an was still stuck on the image of a woman kept by a wealthy patron, as described by the female ghost.
But if Gu Yi'an was a player, then she had become their companion.
In reality, the three female players hadn't even grasped what the Game of the Gods was all about.
Based on their current understanding, being a player equated to being a companion.
Gu Yi'an had abruptly shifted from someone they thought was their enemy to someone who was now their ally.
The male player adapted faster than the others. Overjoyed, he said, "So you're a player too. That means we can play the game together, right?"
Gu Yi'an gave a slight nod and said, "I'm an experienced player. Let me explain how to clear this Game of the Gods. There's only one way to clear it: please the god. As long as you perform exceptionally well in the game, you can complete it. Whether you deceive other players, follow the script the god has arranged for you, or eliminate your enemies, you can clear the game."
Brother Zhang maintained a calm expression, but inwardly, he sighed in resignation. He had known all along that Little Gu would do this, expose him right from the start.
Gu Yi'an concluded, "Whether you believe me or not is up to you."
The three female players were completely baffled by Gu Yi'an's sudden outburst.
As soon as Gu Yi'an arrived, she told them not to trust Brother Zhang.
But Brother Zhang was the experienced player who had been guiding them all along.
If they couldn't trust Brother Zhang, who could they trust?
The female players glanced over at Brother Zhang.
Brother Zhang remained calm, neither refuting Gu Yi'an's words nor agreeing with them. His expression gave nothing away.
The male player looked around at everyone and muttered, "The pen spirit is gone. Our game is over. Why are you still talking about clearing the game?"
As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned to him.
The male player grew nervous under their collective gaze. "Th-the pen was crushed by Brother Zhang, right? It's gone, so our game is basically over. Brother Zhang said we just need to survive seven days. Without any ghosts, we can just coast through the next six days in this world, can't we?"
One of the female players asked, "How can you be sure that pen spirit is really gone?"
The male player replied, "Brother Zhang didn't dare step on it before, but he just did. It must be gone."
His words surprised Brother Zhang.
Brother Zhang said, "So you do have some brains after all."
The other female players' faces showed agreement.
The male player wasn't pleased. "What do you mean, 'some brains'? Brother Zhang, I only almost messed things up last night because I was scared of ghosts. I'm actually pretty smart about other things, okay!"
Everyone averted their eyes from him.
Gu Yi'an said, "I already know why Brother Zhang came to find me. You've been targeted by my former roommates. I think some of you have guessed it, there's more than one ghost."
Back then, Gu Yi'an was the only one in the two female dorms who hadn't died. There was definitely more than one ghost.
Hearing this, one of the female players looked at Brother Zhang with hopeful eyes. "Brother Zhang, last night you said there was only one ghost."
Brother Zhang remained composed. "I was afraid you'd panic yesterday. Actually, there were two. One was attached to the pen, and the other was behind you. Later, they both disappeared together."
Brother Zhang revealed what he had concealed without a trace of guilt.
Gu Yi'an's former roommates and all the members of the neighboring female dorm had become ghosts.
This was why Brother Zhang knew Gu Yi'an would expose him but still sought her out.
There were likely more than just the two ghosts he had encountered last night, probably many. But since he couldn't even handle one ghost, he had to drag others into this.
Gu Yi'an took out her phone to check the time and said to Brother Zhang, the male player, and the three still-pondering female players, "It's almost noon. Let me treat you to lunch."
Gu Yi'an guessed that the players probably didn't have any money in this world.
"Okay," the male player agreed without hesitation.
Brother Zhang smiled. "Then we'll trouble you, Little Gu."
The remaining three female players exchanged glances. Since Brother Zhang and the male player had already agreed, they had no other choice but to silently accept.
But deep in their eyes, there was still profound wariness toward Gu Yi'an.
A ghost who had demanded her killer's death had suddenly switched sides, claiming that Brother Zhang, their original guide, couldn't be trusted.
Although Brother Zhang had deceived them about the number of female ghosts, given his exceptional reliability in other matters, the female players couldn’t bring themselves to trust Gu Yi’an, even though their trust in Brother Zhang wasn’t absolute either.
During lunch, Brother Zhang and the male players devoured their food with single-minded focus.
Gu Yi’an, meanwhile, struck up a conversation with the three female players.
They had chosen a small restaurant for their meal. Since they arrived early, before the students’ collective dismissal time, the place was nearly empty.
After serving their dishes, the restaurant staff retreated to the kitchen to prepare more food, leaving them undisturbed.
Their conversation flowed more freely than during their previous encounter, which had been under public scrutiny.
Gu Yi’an remarked, "So, it seems your impression of me is largely shaped by what she told you, that I’m a scheming, two-faced 'green tea bitch.'"
Gu Yi’an had just learned from the three female players about their experience playing with the pen spirit the previous night.
The three players had also tactfully relayed the words of the female ghost, Zhou Yaling.
Gu Yi’an was no fool. Over ten days ago, she had already learned from others that her former roommate had become the new pen spirit spirit and had fabricated a story claiming Gu Yi’an was her murderer.
She had guessed that Zhou Yaling’s description of her would be far from flattering.
Gu Yi’an explained, "She thought I was calling my sugar daddy, but I was actually calling my brother."
She clarified the "sugar daddy" misunderstanding but didn’t elaborate further.
Zhou Yaling’s words were almost entirely fabricated, with not a shred of truth to them.
Hearing this, the three female players offered slightly awkward smiles.
As women themselves, they understood how terrifying jealousy among women could be.
Judging by appearances alone, Gu Yi’an was undoubtedly the one likely to be envied. It was entirely plausible that someone, out of jealousy, would spread false rumors about her.
Yet, some rumors don’t arise from nothing. There must be some underlying issue with a person for such stories to circulate.
The three female players couldn’t fully trust Gu Yi’an’s explanation; they suspected she might be deceiving them.
Gu Yi’an hadn’t expected a single explanation to win their trust. Checking the time, she said, "I have something to attend to this afternoon. The bill’s already settled. I’ll share what I’ve uncovered with you. This might be your breakthrough."
Brother Zhang, who had been eating, set down his bowl and listened intently to the clues Gu Yi’an provided.
Gu Yi’an continued, "The pen spirit spirit my former roommates summoned was likely Huang Qiao, a girl who died in that dormitory building before we freshmen arrived. She probably committed suicide due to gossip. See if you can find information about her this afternoon. Our breakthrough likely lies with her. Later, I’m meeting Huang Qiao’s sister. If I gather any information from her, I’ll share it with you."
After giving her instructions, she said, "Then I'll take my leave now. Brother Zhang, you just saved my number. Let's stay in touch by phone later."
Brother Zhang had a mobile phone that could make calls. Gu Yi'an, noticing the phone's full battery, guessed it was probably something Brother Zhang had just stolen.
Brother Zhang replied, "Alright. Little Gu, we're counting on you."
The male player perked up, realizing Gu Yi'an was about to leave, and eagerly said, "Beauty, could meeting her be dangerous? I'll go with you."
Gu Yi'an shook her head in refusal, shouldered her backpack, and left.
Once Gu Yi'an's figure disappeared through the restaurant's entrance, the male player felt a bit disappointed but didn't give up on his meal.
After a while, everyone had mostly finished eating.
The male player called over the restaurant owner.
"Boss, where's your restroom?"
The restaurant owner pointed in a direction.
The male player followed the direction to the restroom, leaving the three female players to watch Brother Zhang.
The female player who had been acting as the spokesperson asked, "Brother Zhang, can we trust you?"
Through their conversation with Gu Yi'an, the female players were leaning more toward the answer related to the God.
As Gu Yi'an had said, that was the message they had truly seen in the pure white space.
The pure white space had brought them to this world; if they didn't believe the words within it, what else could they trust?
Brother Zhang remained calm and composed, showing no trace of guilt for having deceived anyone.
He said, "You need to have your own judgment. Who to believe and who not to believe is up to you."
Brother Zhang avoided giving a direct answer.
Seeing his evasive attitude, the female players hesitated again. Brother Zhang was an experienced player, and they found themselves wavering over whether to trust him or not.
Some people are easily swayed by words, and one female player began to doubt the God answer again.
The male player emerged from the restroom, humming a tune and saying to everyone, "I just looked in the mirror and realized how incredibly handsome I am."
The other players scoffed at his remark.
No one paid him any attention.
Shortly after, one of the female players also went to the restroom.
After flushing, she went to wash her hands.
In front of the sink hung a mirror.
As she washed her hands, she glanced at her reflection.
Suddenly recalling the male player's comment about how handsome he looked in the mirror, she noticed her reflection in the mirror curling its lips into a sinister, eerie smile.
The female player froze. Had she smiled?
She hadn't.
Why was her reflection different from her actual self?
There was a ghost!
By the time she realized it, it was already too late.
The ghost in the mirror suddenly reached out, its arm piercing through the glass, and grabbed her by the neck.
Fifteen minutes later.
Back at the table, the two female players and Brother Zhang glanced toward the restroom.
One of the female players said, "I'll go check."
She walked over, knocked on the restroom door a few times, and called out the name of the person inside.
She listened carefully for any movement.
There was no response.
Feeling uneasy, she tried turning the doorknob.
The door was locked from the inside.
It was common for people to lock the restroom door to prevent others from barging in.
Realizing something was wrong, she went to find the restaurant owner.
The owner was busy taking orders from new customers during the peak dining hour and brushed her off, saying, "Just wait a bit longer."
The female player had no choice but to quickly return to Brother Zhang and the others.
Upon hearing this, Brother Zhang took the male player with him, and the two men kicked the restroom door open with a forceful blow.
The loud noise drew everyone’s gaze involuntarily toward the source.
Brother Zhang, at the forefront, immediately spotted the corpse on the floor.
His eyes narrowed, and he said grimly, "They’re forcing us to kill Little Gu. If Little Gu doesn’t die, we’re all doomed."
Murmurs rose from the surroundings, but the two female players clearly heard his words.
One of them, trembling as she stared at the body on the floor, asked, "Brother Zhang, should we... go and kill her?"
It was noon, and the sun was blazing fiercely.
Gu Yi'an sat on a bench at the bus stop, holding a parasol.
She had arranged to meet her academic advisor at the bus stop by the school gate, and they would take the bus together to the Taoist temple.
The bus stop was nearly empty. Gu Yi'an placed her backpack on her lap and set her notebook on top of it.
She opened the notebook.
Instantly, a line of text appeared on the blank page.
"Miss me?"
Ignoring the question, Gu Yi'an said to the notebook, "Thank you for protecting me all these days."
If Brother Zhang hadn’t suddenly appeared with that pen today, Gu Yi'an wouldn’t have been able to confirm this matter.
She had known about the ghost of her former roommate, but since she had never witnessed the ghost harming her directly, she couldn’t be sure if someone was secretly protecting her, preventing any harm from coming her way.
Today, Gu Yi'an finally confirmed it, and she felt she owed the notebook a word of thanks.
Unbeknownst to her, as she spoke, the small charm hanging from her phone in her pocket twitched slightly, as if pleased.
However, a certain entity shamelessly took credit for the nighttime protection.
The protection provided by its subordinates was, after all, its own protection.
By that logic, it had been protecting Gu Yi'an day in and day out.
New text surfaced in the notebook.
"Others give you information, and you plan to give them protective talismans. I’ve protected you for so many days, have you thought about how you’ll thank me?"
This question left Gu Yi'an at a loss for words.
From the current situation, it seemed the notebook had secretly saved her many times.
A debt of life-saving is hard to measure with mere objects.
Perhaps noticing Gu Yi'an’s prolonged silence.
The notebook concealed its previous text, and new words gradually appeared on the blank pages.
"Gratitude for saving my life, I have no way to repay it."
It had accurately guessed Gu Yi'an's thoughts at that moment.
New text continued to emerge.
"How about offering yourself in return?"