“Sanitation inspection!”
A sharp, unusually high-pitched voice, as if something was caught in the throat, echoed from afar along with the crisp footsteps—clack, clang, clang—growing closer.
The Hygiene Committee Chair was instantly recognizable, dressed in the same school uniform as everyone else, but with an uncanny upward tilt at the outer corners of her eyes, almost vertical.
Her figure was normal and well-proportioned, yet the shadow she cast on the door stretched impossibly long and slender.
The Hygiene Committee Chair’s leather shoes tapped on the floor with a crisp sound, as if stepping on glass.
Her nose twitched like a dog’s, scrutinizing the floor inch by inch.
Jiang’s pupils were fixed near the cabinet, while Lin Lingling quietly stayed by the windowsill, trying to blend in and pass the inspection unnoticed.
The rasping breathing drew nearer step by step until the Hygiene Committee Chair stopped right in front of Jiang, her finger forcefully pointing at Jiang’s feet.
“Not qualified!”
Her tone was excited, but the unnatural twitch at her lips betrayed her. Her sharply tilted eyes hooked toward Jiang’s temples. “Resweep! Sweep again before evening self-study! Ten laps!”
Evening self-study started at 7 PM.
“What happens if it keeps being unqualified?” Jiang asked.
The Hygiene Committee Chair was already about to leave but suddenly snapped back like a starving dog sensing a bone, rushing rapidly toward Jiang.
Her facial features were twisted upward by some unseen force: “If you don’t pass—uh…”
Before she could finish, her throat seemed to be fiercely strangled by something, forcefully cutting off her words.
Jiang’s mind twitched, sharply glancing up.
There were only a few ceiling fans lazily turning overhead, along with several rows of lights—nothing unusual.
But Jiang squinted and saw a faint black shadow on one of the fans.
The shadow vanished in the blink of an eye, like dust scattering.
Jiang retracted her gaze thoughtfully. The Hygiene Committee Chair’s features slowly returned to normal, and her throat emitted two strained swallowing sounds: “…can only… accept punishment…”
Lin Lingling silently watched the Hygiene Committee Chair’s drooping back as she left. The classroom fell quiet.
“The thread can’t be erased.” Lin Lingling muttered groggily. “Let’s get rid of her.”
“?” Jiang tilted her head toward Lin Lingling.
The Hygiene Committee Chair absentmindedly inspected the hygiene of other classes before turning back to Class 3 Grade 12 (8).
She was eager to enjoy a delicious meal; the two duty students in Class 3 Grade 12 (8) smelled even more appetizing than others… like rice compared to fried chicken. Jiang barely remembered what either tasted like.
Class 3 Grade 12 (8) was right ahead. The Hygiene Committee Chair slowed her pace, not wanting to seem too impatient… Her “master” was a perfectionist; she couldn’t afford to lose composure.
The Hygiene Committee Chair stepped into the classroom through the front door. The moment she crossed the threshold, a soft click sounded as the door was swiftly bolted shut behind her.
The Hygiene Committee Chair hadn’t yet processed what had happened when an overwhelming suffocating pressure suddenly descended like a colossal shadow covering her.
[A-Class Summoning Ability — Summoning Album.]
Jiang quietly closed the door and walked over to Lin Lingling’s side. The two headed to the back door.
The level-8 Summoned Creature Lin Lingling conjured wrapped its entire body around the Hygiene Committee Chair, like a giant python swallowing her whole.
The Hygiene Committee Chair struggled madly. The creature’s abdomen twisted and spun violently, like a deranged washing machine on overdrive.
Lin Lingling held a Summoning Album in her hands. She flipped it open to the page showing a photo of the very creature before them.
This was the first time Jiang witnessed Lin Lingling’s ability firsthand.
Jiang felt a flicker of curiosity. She quietly calculated their familiarity—they had worked together for several days and were classmates.
“This is… summoning ability?” Jiang asked earnestly.
Lin Lingling and Jiang stepped out into the hallway. Lin Lingling locked the back door from the outside.
The huge black shadow reflected on the windows.
“Summoning Album—that’s the name of my ability,” Lin Lingling explained softly. “After entering the insect nest, photos of the bugs I encounter appear in my album. How they get recorded… is still uncertain. Sometimes I just have to swat them once, other times they choose to appear in my album themselves.”
“Limited by my A-class level, the Summoned Creatures I record can only use about 60% of their full strength.”
Not every entry into the insect nest results in a successful recording, but every recorded Summoned Creature equals one completed insect nest mission.
Lin Lingling currently had “ten” insect nests recorded.
Evening self-study time came. The homeroom teacher sat at the podium, occasionally sipping from a glass cup of hot tea.
Jiang and Lin Lingling passed the sanitation inspection against all odds and sat steadily in their seats.
“Where’s the Hygiene Committee Chair?! On duty!” A shout pierced the air. The Discipline Director furiously pushed open the door of Class 8, eyes fixed dead on Jiang.
“…What? Even if you look at her, she can’t bring back the Hygiene Committee Chair.”
Jiang silently stared at the Discipline Director, sitting firmly in her chair.
The Discipline Director vented his anger in Class 8. He knew perfectly well who the culprit was but was bound by regulations, an invisible force barring him from entering. Helplessly, he glared at Jiang through the back door, attempting to use his narrowed gaze to torment her.
Jiang was as immovable as a mountain.
The Discipline Director also remained still, as if willing to stalemate until evening self-study ended—until Jiang stood and walked out of the classroom.
Before leaving, she always walked out of the classroom.
Just as Jiang thought the Discipline Director intended to stall until evening self-study was over, the homeroom teacher at the podium put down the glass cup.
“Ah, Director Li,” the homeroom teacher said without expression, standing up as if only just noticing the Discipline Director’s presence. “Is something the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Why don’t you come in? What happened?”
The Discipline Director seemed frustrated with an unnamed rage, “Nothing. Just watch your class!”
“I actually have a form to—”
“Guard my office!”
As if afraid the homeroom teacher would force him inside, Director Li finally left Class 8’s back door with reluctance.
Jiang dutifully closed the back door. The homeroom teacher’s gaze briefly swept over Jiang, void of any meaning.
…It seemed the homeroom teacher sided with the students, Jiang thought thoughtfully.
Evening self-study ended. Three female squad members returned to the dormitory together. Jiang succinctly recounted the day’s encounters.
“The Discipline Director couldn’t get into the class? So the rules specifically say… no leaving the classroom,” Sister Yuan murmured.
Earlier, she had relayed the squad leader’s assignments: investigating Zhang Wen’s dorm.
Meanwhile, Guan Zifei and Wu Maolong tried entering the archive room and exploring the campus.
Sister Yuan had already learned that Zhang Wen’s dorm was room 301. Zhang Wen’s roommate was a classmate of Sister Yuan’s.
“Zhang Wen used to share a dorm with Class 8, but apparently something unpleasant happened, so she switched dorms.”
The three went straight to 301. Sister Yuan’s classmate was already there. Seeing Yuan, her eyes clouded with confusion.
“Lingling, it’s me, Yuan Xiao! Didn’t we agree this afternoon you’d come to my dorm?”
The three exchanged glances. Lin Lingling stood guard at the door while Sister Yuan warmly entered and chatted with the classmate. Jiang took this chance to search for clues.
Fortunately, Lingling seemed capable of basic conversation.
“Zhang Wen… ah, she hasn’t come back yet,” the classmate said.
“What are you asking about… something… what was it…?” She suddenly held her head in pain. Sister Yuan tried to change the topic, but the classmate suddenly lifted her head, expression normal again. “It seems she had a pet… her previous roommate got scared and told the dorm supervisor, so she moved to our dorm.”
“…” Jiang’s gaze landed on a glass box on Zhang Wen’s desk.
The glass box was about shoebox-sized, containing simulated plants, a fake lawn, soil, bark… but no living things.
“Pet… what pet? If her old roommate was scared, Lingling, aren’t you afraid?” Sister Yuan asked kindly, her tone curious yet concerned.
Lingling smiled and said, “…Not afraid, I guess.”
That “guess” was subtle, as if she herself wasn’t sure if she was afraid.
Jiang rummaged through the messy desk and found a torn piece of paper.
The handwriting was fragmented, only half intact, making it impossible to identify the characters. Lin Lingling’s cough echoed into the dorm.
Someone had returned.
Jiang’s eyes swiftly scanned the room, quickly gathering all the torn scraps from the desk, calmly slipping them into her uniform pocket and patting Sister Yuan’s shoulder.
Sister Yuan smiled warmly. “Zhenling, we’re heading back now. See you tomorrow.”
Lingling smiled softly as well. “See you tomorrow.”
As Jiang and Sister Yuan stepped out of the dorm, Sister Yuan’s smile hadn’t faded before they spotted a strange figure wrapped in a uniform jacket covering their head, tall and looming amidst the sea of girls.
“Zhang Wen.” Lin Lingling murmured.
Some time had passed since evening self-study ended. Most girls had finished washing up, and few people were wandering outside.
Zhang Wen had clearly chosen this time to return.
Behind her strange actions lurked unspeakable fear.
The three returned silently to Sister Yuan and Lin Lingling’s dorm. Since the two’s dorm had no one else, Jiang pulled out the torn paper.
“Besides the messy boxes and a glass box, these are the only papers.”
Sister Yuan: “I saw the glass box too. Lingling said Zhang Wen had a pet—probably the feeding box for it.”
Jiang: “There’s no living thing inside right now.”
The three did their best to piece together the torn paper. When completed, Sister Yuan’s expression turned grave.
The first line read:
[When you see this paper, remember: you are NOT Zhang Wen!]
[I know you’re panicked right now. Stay calm! Remember! Don’t let anyone discover you’re not Zhang Wen, or terrible consequences will follow for you and everyone else:]
To better impersonate Zhang Wen, remember these points:
- Your personality is introverted and quiet.
- You have a close best friend who has been feeling down lately.
- You are NOT from a poor family.
- You have a crush on a boy who also likes you. (This point was heavily crossed out—“does NOT like!!!”)
- Your relationships with classmates are average, even hostile.
- You do NOT have any pets, especially arthropods.
- Don’t tell anyone your true identity! Don’t show anyone this paper! No one is trustworthy!
Finally, remember: you are NOT Zhang Wen!
A heavy, numb atmosphere spread among the three.
Sister Yuan copied the paper’s content word for word and handed it to Guan Zifei the next day.
[Wednesday]
[6:00]
Today was the first day of final exams.
Team Three gathered in front of the dorm building. Wu Maolong sighed, “We couldn’t get into the archive last night.”
“Not only that!” Guan Zifei joked, “Lost the key, got into a fight with some monster in the office—ended up sleeping there all night. What kind of work environment is this? If you don’t run, what else?”
Yuan Xiao: “Let Big Bear smash it!”
Wu Maolong shook his head, “Tried. Can’t break it.”
“No idea what it’s made of, harder than diamond. We’ll study the material later and maybe slap it on our Green Shield Pest Control doors,” Guan Zifei said, nodding.
“Green Shield, green shield, there should be an indestructible shielded door!”
The team: “…”
Despite their talk, their organization’s full name was Green Shield Pest Control—a mere pest extermination company.
“Still, not a total loss,” Guan Zifei’s tone turned serious. “When we left, we heard a loud crash—something heavy falling from a tall building.”
“The rules mention heavy falling objects, but it’s time-limited. The squad leader and I didn’t check what it was,” Wu Maolong said.
They quickly learned what the sound was.
During the morning’s two exams, Jiang randomly scribbled through the Chinese paper, her peripheral vision caught Zhang Wen’s tense, trembling profile.
She was almost neurotic, glancing outside repeatedly.
Jiang glanced out, locking eyes with the Discipline Director… that man was staring right at her.
Jiang’s face remained impassive as she looked back down and continued doodling on her paper.
Moments later, the Discipline Director shifted his seat. Jiang immediately straightened, eyes scanning around.
Wu Chenyu in the front row seemed uninterested in answering, twirling her pen aimlessly on the paper.
The anxious reactions of Wu Chenyu and Zhang Wen hinted at some unexpected event looming during exams.
After one test, Guan Zifei appeared at Class 8’s back door, calling Jiang and Lin Lingling over with an unusually grave expression.
“Zhou Qing is dead,” he said calmly, dropping a shocking piece of news.
Zhou Qing—the best friend mentioned in the torn note.
Zhou Qing’s death—the heavy object’s crash last night—was her falling.
This was Team Three’s first fatality since entering the insect nest. Mingde High School’s eerie yet outwardly calm atmosphere trapped Team Three in a haze of confusion.
The corridor outside Class 7 was crowded with gossiping students. Guan Zifei shoved his hands in pockets, glanced deeply toward Zhang Wen’s desk in Class 8, then went in search of Wu Maolong.