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Earth’s Redemption: Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Spirit Summoning (7)
Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake
If that is an urn, whose ashes are inside?
Is it the ashes of the deceased female teacher?
Could it be, the reason Dr. Cheng is the only living person in the school is because of this urn he carries?
Just as Ning Buwen was about to step out and ask Dr. Cheng upfront, his body suddenly froze.
It felt as though he were standing naked in a freezing, snow-covered expanse. Cold seeped into his bones, yet his mind was fully alert.
His body felt unbearably heavy.
Even though he wasn’t doing anything, it felt as though he were carrying a person on his back.
A ghost possession!
These three words popped into Ning Buwen’s head instantly.
Suddenly, his hands and feet moved on their own, and his entire body began walking forward.
Stop! Stop!
Ning Buwen screamed internally, but no matter how hard he fought with his will, his body continued moving forward.
He saw his own hands reach out and lightly push the unsuspecting Dr. Cheng, who had his back turned to him.
Stop—
Stop!
Ning Buwen realized that whoever was controlling him was up to something. He definitely didn’t want to become a puppet for murder.
But could a human’s will really resist such an unknown force?
Countless thoughts raced through Ning Buwen’s mind, but no matter how much he thought, nothing seemed capable of reversing the situation.
He was getting closer and closer to Dr. Cheng, who hadn’t noticed a thing and was still talking to the urn.
“Run…”
Ning Buwen’s lips moved silently.
No sound came out.
Try harder.
I have to try harder!
It’s my body; it should listen to me.
As he struggled, Ning Buwen could almost feel someone breathing right next to his ear.
Cold.
So cold.
Ning Buwen focused all his energy on his throat.
“Run!”
Finally.
His voice finally escaped his throat.
Dr. Cheng heard it at last. He turned around, startled to see Ning Buwen.
“What are you doing here? Are you really just an ordinary student?” Dr. Cheng asked, confused by Ning Buwen’s strange appearance. “You don’t seem quite right.”
Dr. Cheng reached out to touch Ning Buwen’s forehead.
“Didn’t you hear me telling you to run?” Ning Buwen cursed, barely managing to stop himself from strangling Dr. Cheng. His self-control was remarkable, but it was also because it wasn’t nighttime yet. Even if Zhao Shutong wanted to kill, she would still be limited by the rules of the instance.
“Are you possessed?” Dr. Cheng stared at Ning Buwen for a while, his face serious. “I don’t know why you came to this school, but if possible, I want her to rest in peace. I can’t give you this urn.”
He thinks I’m here to steal the urn?
Ning Buwen glanced at the urn in Dr. Cheng’s hands.
The diary is a key clue. Could this urn be a key item?
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain shot through Ning Buwen’s head, and the body he had barely managed to control started slipping from his grasp again.
Was it because he had grasped something crucial?
This urn—no doubt it’s a key item!
“We need to leave here,” Dr. Cheng said, not realizing Ning Buwen’s struggle. He tried to pull Ning Buwen away. His face was filled with urgency. “If we stay here any longer, she’ll find us.”
She’s already found us. Why can’t you just leave already?
Ning Buwen wanted to cry.
Normally, he couldn’t find anyone to help him, but now, when a crucial NPC had walked right into his lap, he couldn’t bear to watch Dr. Cheng die—especially not by his own hands.
“You… you go first,” Ning Buwen gritted out.
He was losing control.
“No, we go together. You’re a student, I’m a teacher. How can I leave a student behind?” Dr. Cheng said righteously. “Forget it, I’ll carry you.”
With that, Dr. Cheng bent down slightly, preparing to lift Ning Buwen onto his back.
In all his life, Ning Buwen had never been carried by anyone.
There was something strange about a person’s back.
As he rested against Dr. Cheng’s back, the coldness in his body seemed to melt away in the warmth.
Dr. Cheng, you’re wonderful.
Beautiful and kind.
They say that in harsh environments, people cling to the slightest bit of kindness. In this school, Dr. Cheng was probably the only light Ning Buwen had seen.
His fellow players had either committed suicide or been murdered, and though Ning Buwen appeared calm, he too felt fear and uncertainty deep inside. This was the first time anyone had reached out to protect him.
So maybe I…
Just as Ning Buwen was thinking this, he noticed the sun had almost set.
The coldness in his body rushed through his brain in an instant.
He involuntarily leaped off Dr. Cheng’s back and gave him a hard shove.
No—
Ning Buwen shouted in desperation, “Dr. Cheng!”
“Catch it!”
As Dr. Cheng fell, he threw the urn to Ning Buwen.
Then came the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
Ning Buwen stood frozen for a long while before looking down. All he saw were bloodstains—nothing else.
Just like the female student who had committed suicide earlier, nothing was left behind except a few traces.
Ning Buwen felt colder now than he had when he was being possessed.
Someone who had just been alive moments ago had suddenly died, and he had been the one to push them?
Yet in the end, that person had still thrown him the urn?
How could anyone be so foolish and kind?
Ning Buwen’s body regained its warmth, but his heart was frozen solid.
“So, do you want to join him?” a woman’s voice echoed eerily. “Give me the urn, and I won’t kill you.”
It was her.
She was the one who had possessed him!
She had used his hands to kill Dr. Cheng!
Ning Buwen gripped the urn tightly and slowly stood up.
He stared at the woman before him as if she were his mortal enemy.
At first, he had thought this was just a game, a world that existed somewhere between reality and illusion.
So even when Zhao Shutong had killed another student in front of him, he hadn’t cared much.
Say he was hypocritical, say he had double standards, but right now, Ning Buwen was truly, genuinely furious.
“He was the last living person in this school,” Ning Buwen glared at Zhao Shutong, his eyes practically on fire. “You liked him, didn’t you? So why did you use my hands to kill him!”
“Give me the box in your hand,” Zhao Shutong had no interest in discussing such matters with Ning Buwen; her focus was solely on the box in his possession.
Dr. Cheng had likely died for this very box.
Ning Buwen held the box tightly and slowly backed away.
The sun had yet to fully set.
Zhao Shutong should still be somewhat restrained.
Earlier, she needed to possess him to push Dr. Cheng down. Now, no one else was present for her to possess, and the box was in his hands, yet Zhao Shutong hadn’t used force to snatch it from him, indicating that her available methods were limited.
Stay calm!
There must be a way out.
Logically, Ning Buwen knew what he should do, but emotionally, he couldn’t calm down.
He had personally pushed Dr. Cheng…
As Dr. Cheng was thrown off the building, the shock on his face kept replaying in Ning Buwen’s mind. If it were possible, he would’ve already charged at Zhao Shutong for revenge.
“Give it to me,” Zhao Shutong repeated.
There was only one door on the rooftop, and she was blocking it.
If Ning Buwen wanted to escape, he’d have to go through the door she was guarding.
The sky hadn’t darkened yet, so Zhao Shutong remained motionless, but as soon as night fell, Ning Buwen’s slight advantage would vanish instantly.
I can’t keep wasting time with her. I need to think of a plan.
Ning Buwen took a couple of steps back, his mind quickly coming up with a plan, only to reject it immediately.
Too risky.
No, it won’t work.
It was too difficult to keep both the box and his life.
Perhaps throwing the box down from here would cause Zhao Shutong to follow, but that would make Dr. Cheng’s death meaningless.
Ning Buwen didn’t want to discard the box, even if it might be his only chance at survival.
Dr. Cheng was the first person he had genuinely developed a fondness for.
But just as that fondness began to sprout, he was forced to cut it off. Yet, in his final moments, Dr. Cheng still gave him his only hope.
Ning Buwen had never owed a person so many favors before.
But ever since he entered this instance, it seemed like he’d been continuously indebted to Dr. Cheng. Yet, all he brought Dr. Cheng in return was harm and death.
No, calm down, stop thinking about it, Ning Buwen!
Do you want Dr. Cheng to have died in vain?
Yes, there are plenty of students in this school to possess. It shouldn’t have been necessary to specifically target Dr. Cheng.
So, why?
What’s the difference between me and my original self?
Right, the diary!
I have the diary on me.
Ning Buwen took out the diary he had previously hidden in his coat, and Zhao Shutong’s gaze immediately locked onto it.
“Let me go,” Ning Buwen placed the urn in his arms, freeing one hand to pull out a lighter from his pocket and light it. “If you don’t back off, I’ll burn this diary.”
Zhao Shutong’s face changed instantly. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ning Buwen stared at her without any trace of fear. “If you have the guts, possess me again and see what happens.”
Zhao Shutong didn’t reply but stared intently at Ning Buwen.
The air became heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
Silence enveloped the space.
Unyielding, Ning Buwen, despite the intense pressure, moved the lighter even closer to the diary.
Zhao Shutong’s pupils constricted, and she slowly backed away from the door.
Ning Buwen immediately dashed toward the door.
“You won’t escape,” Zhao Shutong’s eerie voice echoed in his ears.
“Then try me,” Ning Buwen shot back, full of defiance. “Let’s see who dies first!”
With the diary and urn in hand, Ning Buwen successfully made it back to the infirmary.
Only here did he dare relax a bit.
“Woof!” Xiao Xin wagged its tail as it approached, nudging Ning Buwen’s leg with its furry head.
So soft and fluffy.
For the first time, Ning Buwen didn’t mind having a dog around—it was at least a small comfort in these moments.
“Dr. Cheng is dead. I killed him.” Ning Buwen’s voice was filled with guilt. “If I hadn’t taken over his infirmary, hadn’t shamelessly insisted on staying in his dorm, he wouldn’t have gone to retrieve that urn. As long as he hadn’t taken it out, Zhao Shutong wouldn’t have targeted him.”
“Woof.”
“Forget it, you probably don’t understand.” Ning Buwen muttered to himself, his dejection slowly replaced by determination. “I’m not giving up. Absolutely not!”
The problem now was how he would survive the upcoming nights.
Zhao Shutong was still restricted during the day, but at night, her power would increase significantly, and Ning Buwen didn’t have many tools to fend her off.
Or maybe… there was some secret hidden in this urn or diary? There were still too many mysteries surrounding the school, but under the current circumstances, Ning Buwen couldn’t afford to investigate them one by one.
“She seems to be more interested in the diary than the urn. I’ve already gone through the contents of the diary, and there’s nothing particularly strange about it. So, what she values must be the diary itself or something hidden within it.” As Ning Buwen analyzed, his fingers brushed against the diary, his gaze gradually landing on its thick cover.
Either way, the cover of this diary was unusually thick. If something were hidden, it would be inside here. As for what consequences might come from damaging the diary, Ning Buwen could no longer afford to worry about that.
Sometimes, you just have to take risks.
He found a pair of scissors in the infirmary and made a cut along the diary’s thick cover.
Sure enough, there was a hidden compartment inside.
Ning Buwen carefully extracted the item from the compartment.
It was a yellowed photograph.
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