154 What's Inside the Can?

 

“A famous horror film director?” Han Fei hesitated, “Director Jiang, to be honest, I still wish to be a comedy actor. Compared to bringing people fear, I prefer to bring my audience smiles and laughter.”

“I know that but we would love to see you smile as well, but at your current stage, I suggest that you stick to your forte of horror film. When you have enough money saved up and don’t need to worry about day-to-day life expenditure anymore, you can feel free to explore other film genres.”

“My forte is now horror films?” Han Fei guessed that was true. “Alright, I will talk to him tomorrow.” Even after hanging up, Han Fei still found it hard to calm down. His first big movie was going to premiere soon, it would be a lie to say he was not nervous. “To witness my first actual appearance on the big screen, I need to survive in that school tonight.”

After a quick meal, Han Fei went to find Li Xue. After much haggling, bargaining and begging, he finally learned some new fighting skills from Li Xue. The techniques were not complicated but they were efficient and fatal. Some of the tips could not be found online, they were concluded from Li Xue’s own experience on the streets. It was immensely helpful to Han Fei. Before this, Han Fei was just dipping his toes into the pool of martial arts but now he was seriously considering taking up this skill professionally.

Han Fei reached home at 3 pm. After a shower, he looked through books related to education and then went online to attend a class on educational science. He tried to put himself in the shoes of an educator. ‘Kind, tolerant, patient, respectful, I need to treat all of my students equally. They are all my children and I only want the best for them.’ Han Fei studied until night came. Pulling back the curtain, Han Fei stood before his wall of crimes. He memorized all the details he could find on Yi Ming Private Academy. Time ticked by. The layout of the hostel bathroom appeared in his mind. Han Fei took a deep breath and put on the gaming helmet. Blood poured like rain and washed out the city. In the redness, Han Fei opened his eyes.

A horrible smell wafted past his nose. Han Fei was still standing inside the cubicle of the 1st floor bathroom. It was extremely quiet. Waves of chills came from the ring. Han Fei eased the cubicle door open and then took out the red uniform from his inventory. Once the uniform was out in the open, the darkness in the bathroom corner started to twist. A black snake then slithered out from it.

“Seems like you have found yourself a good hiding spot.” Xu Qin’s little pet was extremely good at hiding. It literally had hidden itself from the system’s detection, much less the ghosts at this school. But its other skills were not as powerful. The black snake crawled onto the red uniform and consumed the resentment on it. Its body expanded again.

“The thing’s ability is consumption but it is still too small now, it couldn’t consume anything larger than it.” Han Fei did not have much use for these objects possessed with negative energy. He might as well feed them all to Xu Qin’s pet. If it got larger, then at least it could help protect Han Fei. Han Fei left the snake to its meal while he sneaked over to the bathroom door. The glass shards on the corridor had been cleared away and a new window pane had been replaced. The only difference was there was now a new plaque on the hostel manager’s door—Admittance of Staff Only.

Han Fei sneaked down the corridor to look through the window. The ceremonial urn that Han Fei hid under the bed was sought out and it was abandoned alongside many other useless trashes at the corner of the room. ‘4 girls died yesterday night in this building but everyone carries on like nothing is out of place. The front door is still locked.’ The hostel manager was not in again. Han Fei wanted to get inside the room to retrieve Weep’s urn and then search the room for spare keys. He just pushed the manager door open when he heard one of the doors on the 1st floor creak open as well.

Han Fei slipped behind the door and peeked outwards. He saw a young man about 16 sneaking his way over to the hostel manager’s office. Initially Han Fei could not see the man clearly but as he got closer, Han Fei managed to recognize the young man. This was the ruffian who committed suicide by jumping off a building at Yi Ming Private Academy. He was as skinny as a stick, had a square face, big eyes and his hair was dyed half yellow-half black. There was a tattoo for the Chinese character, 恨 (hatred) on his arm.

‘How did he end up here?’ The victim was coming closer and closer. Since the man was volunteering himself to Han Fei, the latter naturally was going to welcome him with open arms. The man leaned against the wall and slowly poked his head towards the window. On the other side of the wall, Han Fei did the same. The 4 eyes met and the young man stumbled back from shock and fear.

“Shush!” Just as the man lost his balance, Han Fei reached out to grab the man by his collar and close his hand over the man’s mouth. Han Fei’s action was so smooth that it was clear this was not his first time doing something like this. After the young man calmed down, Han Fei loosened his grip.

“Man, manager? Since when did we get a new hostel manager?”

“It’s not safe out here, I suggest we continue this conversation in the room that you just came out from.”

Han Fei placed Weep’s urn inside an electric cooker. He closed the lid and carried the cooker out from the manager’s office. They rushed to Room 104 which was situated in the middle of the corridor. Han Fei only sighed in relief after the door closed.

“Why do you have the key to this bedroom?” Han Fei placed with the cooker under the bed and turned to question the man.

“I, I am a student here, so naturally I have a key here!” The man answered.

“Your name is Zhang Guanxing, you’re 17 and dropped out from school a year ago. You started to hang out with the ruffians around the school and gave yourself a street name called Wild Hound.” Han Fei had memorized the victim’s information. “I know you very well, so I hope you won’t lie to me again.”

The man did not expect Han Fei to have done a background check on him. He shrunk his neck and fidgeted nervously.

“Tell me, how did you get into this hostel? Why are you here? And how did you end up with the key to this bedroom?” Han Fei’s voice was not angry but it was definitely stern.

“What does that have to do with you?” The young man rolled his eyes at Han Fei, he appeared to despise figure of authority.

“Recently, some bad things have happened here. I am a teacher who just got transferred here, therefore, I have the responsibility to protect all of my students, even the former ones.” Han Fei stated his intention very clearly. He was not there to harm the young man.

“You’re a new teacher here?” The man finally lifted his head. He began hesitantly. “I used to stay here before I dropped out. I copied the key for myself. I’d come back here once in a while when I have nowhere else to put my head down for the night. I do not mean to do any harm.”

“Why won’t you have a place to sleep? What do you mean?”

“After my parents’ divorce, my father drinks every day. He’d come home to beat me and I’ll have to stay up to clean up his puke. That is not a home, it’s worse than the garbage dump.” The boy’s hand reached instinctually to his tattoo.

“Then how did you get in here?” Han Fei was more curious about that. The front door was locked and all the windows had security nets.

“My best bro lives in Room 201. Normally, I’d climb up the net to get into his bedroom before I sneak my way down here.” The man’s expression twitched like he was still hiding something.

“If there’s something that worries you, just tell me. I’m a teacher, I can help you.”

“Actually, I’m now trapped here and I can’t leave.” The boy eventually came out with the truth. “I was trying to sneak into the hostel manager’s office earlier to steal the key.”

“Trapped here? What do you mean? Can’t you just make your way back through the same route you used to come in here?”

“Something has happened to my bro. I can’t go back there because everyone in that bedroom…” The young man halted for a long time before he uttered, “Are dead.”

“Dead?!”

“Not too long ago, my best bro picked up a can somewhere around school. Instead of throwing it away, he carried the can back to his room and spoke to it every night. Then his school results improved tremendously.” The man said with fear. “I thought it was because he had started to treat his homework seriously but one day, when I visited him again, I realized not only him but also all his roommates were sitting around that can.

“Their faces were pale, they kept staring into the can, mumbling something at it. They did not pay me any attention so I did not disrupt them either. However, when I went back a few days later, I realized my best bro has gone missing! However, his 3 other roommates were still seated around that can. They did not seem to notice his disappearance or my presence either.

“I was so afraid that I immediately escaped from that bedroom. Then I picked my phone to call my best bro. The call was picked up and my bro sounded normal but there was an echo coming from his end of the line.”