Chapter 1, The Man Who Committed Suicide

As Zhang Chen saw the man speak, the fear in his heart diminished somewhat, and he then spoke up.

My mother has to work overtime tomorrow, and my father is not concerned about me, so you don't need to worry about my situation at all

Step by step, extremely slowly, she walked towards the man in black. A significant portion of the old woman's legs had already rotted away, with even the blackened white bones exposed, as if they could no longer support her body.

On the evening of March 25, 2006, at 9:27 PM, on a small hill in Jinxixi, Tianfu City

With 2 minutes left until 9 o'clock, which marks the end of the evening study session, one can sense the restless atmosphere in the classroom. However, due to the presence of the homeroom teacher, everyone still has to suppress their emotions.

Brother Chen, the brothers will not accompany you tonight. Being called by Lu Ba will take at least half an hour. There are important matters tomorrow afternoon, so Erwa and I will head back first. Brother Chen, take care of your health

Zhang Chen stared intently at his heart, unable to believe what was happening before him. Then, the man inserted his left hand into his chest, extracting something that was not a heart, but rather a black spherical bead. He then placed the bead into Zhang Chen's chest cavity

At that moment, Zhang Chen felt someone touching his calf. Naturally, he knew someone was looking for him, so he lowered his right hand. When he brought it back up, he found a small note. Upon opening it, he saw the following written on it

Zhang Chen looked at the person standing at the classroom door, wearing a pair of black high heels that were at least 10 centimeters tall, yet her total height was exactly 1.6 meters. With her curly medium-length hair and holding the epic artifact "New Target English," he knew he was finished

After Zhang Chenggang finished reading the note given by Tan Fei, the bell signaling the end of evening study rang. He hurriedly crumpled the note into a ball and stuffed it into the drawer, then looked up at the lewd figures of Tan Fei and YY Erwa, who had already reached the classroom door, and could only shake his head. Seeing Lu Ba's gaze fixed on him, Zhang Cheng immediately stood up from his seat and, feeling dejected, followed Lu Ba out of the classroom as the last one to leave.

Ah—how could there be a power outage at this time? Forget it, I didn't learn swimming in the first grade for nothing. If I save this madman, who knows, I might even get an extra 50 points in the high school entrance exam. Just thinking about it is quite exhilarating. After Zhang Chen finished his thoughts, he took off his clothes and pants, stood outside the bridge railing, and looked at the river water, which surprisingly showed no ripples at all, unlike what one would expect after someone had just jumped in.

Zhang Chen! A loud shout startled Zhang Chen, causing him to sit up straight.

Suddenly, Zhang Chen, whose nerves were highly tense, caught a glimpse of a man in a black trench coat standing outside the railing of the opposite bridge. Due to the broken streetlight on the bridge and the man's all-black attire, Zhang Chen would not have noticed him at all if he had not been very careful. Moreover, Zhang Chen was shocked and unexpectedly stopped the car at that moment

"What the heck, that man in black must be a ghost with no way to escape, but he didn't harm me. Should I say I'm lucky or unlucky?" Zhang Chen thought to himself as he slowly propped up his bicycle and rode home

The man stared at Zhang Chen, his brows slightly furrowing. At that moment, Zhang Chen also dared not speak; under the man's gaze, beads of cold sweat began to form on Zhang Chen's back.

A man dressed in a black trench coat kneels before two tombstones, tears dripping one by one onto his legs. In addition to these two tombstones, there are several other graves accompanying them on this small hill.

Although his legs were trembling, he still managed to pedal the bicycle with determination, quickly descending the bridge and riding for nearly 100 meters before stopping, panting heavily. Zhang Chen naturally turned back and faintly saw the man in the black trench coat still standing there.

Zhang Chen's heart was truly conflicted, but in the end, he chose to turn back

Tan Fei, last time your mother caught you, we all heard your screams outside like a pig being slaughtered at the internet café. Are you feeling restless again this week?

The man spoke a series of nonsensical words, and Zhang Chen thought he was insane. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the man spread his arms wide and leap into the Jinxi River.

Tan the Fatty was not unwilling either, continuing to speak excitedly, as if he wanted to stand up and show his backside to Zhang Chen, while even Wang Banhua and the academic achiever beside him moved their chairs aside.

However, Zhang Chen did not realize that he was not afraid at all now

The elderly man dressed in a burial suit had already approached behind the man, and suddenly, an extremely tiny pupil grew between the two eyeballs that were entirely white, fixating on the man in front of him

Sir, I would like to say that it is quite dangerous for you to be standing there so late. If there is anything you find difficult to say, you may come down and speak.

Half an hour of scolding combined with half an hour of education extended the time to 10 o'clock

Oh my goodness! Is this man the one who went to save the woman who attempted suicide? He is unwilling to accept it, the vengeful spirit is lingering, and he wants to drag someone down with him here? Oh for heaven's sake, why are we stopping? Hurry up and leave.

Zhang Chen shook his head, yet couldn't help but chuckle softly a couple of times

The door creaked open, and the crisp sound of high heels echoed throughout the classroom. All the students immediately straightened their backs, with their left arms resting on the desks and their right hands writing something. Even that chubby Tan turned his plump body around in an instant, transforming into a faux academic elite. Only Zhang Chen was still searching for a solitary one-yuan neutral pen on the desk, occasionally looking underneath the table.

Erwa, originally named Hu Dazhi, has a nickname that even his two close friends, Zhang Chen and Tan Fei, do not know the origin of. It seems that this nickname started in elementary school, and once he entered middle school, people began to call him that. Everyone just followed suit and did not pay much attention to it.

The man stopped crying and stood up, the mouth on his neck also disappeared. Finally, he glanced at the two tombstones in front of him, gently kissed them, and then turned to leave

"Damn it! Come save others, but no one is here, and I can't even manage myself." Zhang Chen's right leg felt as heavy as lead, and his entire body had begun to sink down.

"Brother Chen, tomorrow is Friday, shall we get started in the afternoon?" said a short and chubby boy sitting in a chair, addressing a man opposite him who was wearing oval, rimless glasses.

Today, I don't have to accompany those two troublemakers home, so I might as well take a shortcut. If I return late, I will have to explain to my parents. Zhang Chen thought to himself, and thus changed his original plan, opting to return home along the Jinxi River instead of taking the main road.

Zhang Chen suddenly felt a tightening in his heart, slowed down the speed of the car, and some information began to surface in his mind

Large amounts of water have already entered Zhang Chen's lungs, and gradually, his vision is becoming darker. The tearing pain from the water entering his lungs can no longer be felt, and darkness descends

Zhang Chen, after finishing his thoughts, turned his head and slowly rode his bicycle onto the bridge. As he made his way, the slightly calmed emotions he had begun to feel became tense again. It was already quite late, and there was not a single person in sight around him. Coupled with the rumors about the bridge and the motionless man in black standing by the railing, Zhang Chen swallowed hard and spoke slowly to the man in standard Mandarin.

Brother Chen, I have already informed Erwa and the others. Look, he can hardly hold it in anymore; he has already entered a meditative state

... ...

Chen Ge, whose real name is Zhang Chen, is a 14-year-old student in the second year of junior high school, Class 3 at Yufang Middle School. He is of average height, close to 1.75 meters, with a fair complexion. However, his slightly protruding belly and unkempt hairstyle keep the girls around him at a distance.

"Little one, there are unclean things in your home," the man stared at Zhang Chen for half a minute and said something inexplicable

The man in black kneeling there seemed completely oblivious to the changes beside him, his eyes fixed intently on the two tombstones, tears falling drop by drop without ever ceasing.

Zhang Chen naturally pretended to be well-educated as he bid farewell to Lu Ba. Seeing Lu Ba's earnest demeanor, coupled with the late hour, he unexpectedly offered to escort him home. Zhang Chen, however, persistently declined and left the teaching building.

This Tan, whose full name is Tan Yaoguang, has a name that seems dignified and grand, yet he is actually a sinister and malevolent little fat man

Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Banhua's disdainful expression. Although he might not be able to reach her level, he also did not wish to leave a bad impression. He could only sigh, as it was unfortunate to be associated with Tan the Fatty.

At that moment, Zhang Chen noticed that Erwa's eyes suddenly became spirited, and he began to pick up a pen, preparing to write something. Zhang Chen glanced at the electronic watch on his wrist, which read "18:25." He immediately understood what was happening, turned around to sit up straight, and began searching for a pen on his desk

Ah—— Zhang Chen suddenly sat up as if he had walked through the gates of hell, feeling around his body again and again, only to find that nothing was wrong, and even his clothes and pants were not wet

Haha, there is nothing inappropriate to say, truly nothing inappropriate to say. Young man, you should hurry home and visit the temple as soon as possible

"Wait a moment, there are no ghosts in this world. Perhaps that person is truly confused and wants to throw themselves into the river. Should we go over and take a look?"

"Gulu gulu—" Zhang Chen could no longer maintain his balance in the water

10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds

The man has large eyes, thick horizontal eyebrows, a nose that is neither too tall nor too short, and a not small mouth. His face is distinctly angular. He is indeed a stylish man, and he appears to be around 30 years old

Since being with Tan Fei and Er Wa, I haven't crossed this bridge at night for almost six months. I heard from someone in the class that about six months ago, a woman jumped into the river here to commit suicide, and a man who went down to save her drowned as well. How could I forget about this after being brainwashed by Lu Ba today? Now, it's impossible to turn back.

The number of pedestrians on the road has decreased, prompting me to naturally quicken my pace on the bicycle. After riding for less than 10 minutes, I arrived at a small bridge.

Everyone is diligently studying, yet you still want to put on an act. Just now, before we even reached the classroom, I heard some noise. I truly have no choice. In order not to disrupt everyone's evening reading time, please come to my office after evening self-study.

The elderly woman's two pale, decaying hands reached swiftly towards the man's neck. An unexpected event occurred. At the man's throat, three mouths suddenly opened, and before the old woman could retract her hands, they were directly thrust into the mouths, which bit them off in an instant

Forget it, my mother once said that saving a life is like a gourd, and besides, there is a saying about coming home late

The old woman's body had already rotted in several places, infested with earthworms and maggots, her white eyeballs fixed intently on the man in black who was kneeling not far from her

Ah, I will be half an hour late getting home again tonight. This wretched woman, instead of spending time with her husband, insists on accompanying me. She should be careful, or her husband might run off with someone else

Zhang Chen did not think much of it, and leaped down, landing with a splash in the water. It is currently spring, and the river water temperature is likely around 16 degrees Celsius. As soon as Zhang Chen entered the water, he was hit by the cold, and then, without having done any warm-up exercises, he experienced a cramp in his right foot.

Naturally, sitting not far behind the two on the left is Erwa, as mentioned by Tan Fei. He has a neat little crew cut, a large square face, and beneath his prominent nose is not a mouth but a large black mole. At this moment, Erwa is staring blankly ahead, and his right hand seems to be moving an imaginary mouse in the air.

The old man's pale face revealed a hint of fear, and he was about to leave, but time seemed to freeze. The elderly man, dressed in a funeral garment, stood motionless in place, and then his body slowly transformed into white powder, flowing into the man's mouth at his neck.

In the darkness, Zhang Chen saw the man in black whom he was trying to save standing in front of him. He found himself unable to move, unable even to speak. Suddenly, the man in black thrust his right hand into Zhang Chen's chest, blood splattering everywhere, yet there was no pain. Then Zhang Chen saw his own bloody, still-beating heart being held in the man's hand.

At 10 o'clock at Yufang Middle School, it seems that excluding the boarding students and the security guard, only Zhang Chen and the homeroom teacher remain. The silent school makes Zhang Chen feel a bit scared, and while taking his bicycle, he unexpectedly mutters to himself: "This is too terrifying, I hope a ghost in a white dress doesn't come to me. I should have watched fewer horror movies."

This bridge is named Jingshui Bridge, which is also derived from the river. The total length of the bridge is approximately 10 meters. Zhang Chen slowly rode his bicycle and was soon approaching the middle of the bridge

"What the heck, I even ran into a madman. If you want to jump, at least make your intentions clear first. Just because you're good-looking, does that make you special?" Zhang Chen kept complaining. He then took out a miniature Nokia, preparing to call 110, but after pressing the buttons for a long time, the phone remained black.

The man did not know how long he had been kneeling here, his body completely motionless. At that moment, not far from him, a bony hand emerged from a grave, moving very slowly, and gradually, the body began to rise from the grave. An elderly woman with white hair, dressed in a white funeral garment, stood before her own grave.

The classroom time for Class 3 of the 2nd year at Yufang Middle School in Jinxian County has been moved forward by 4 hours

I can't believe it! Today is Thursday, and it is the evening study session with our homeroom teacher, Lu Ba. I pray, I sincerely hope that he doesn't keep me behind. Just scold me now, just scold me now. Zhang Chen's heart was as turbulent as the surging river.

Mounting his bicycle, Zhang Chen immediately rode out of Yufang Middle School

What is your name? My name is HANMEIMEI

Zhang Chenggang uttered four words, and the man unexpectedly moved, suddenly turning his head, causing Zhang Cheng to break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, the man's face showed no signs of abnormality after turning around

Sir, may I ask ... ...

"Zhang Chen, what are you mumbling about? Why aren't you reading?" the homeroom teacher said, glaring fiercely at Zhang Chen

... ...