This Damn Hat

As Feng Fan approached the window, he caught a glimpse of his reflection for the first time since arriving in this world. The sight took him by surprise.

Mouth slightly open, he reached up and felt a straw hat resting on his head.

'Since when was this thing here? Could it have… come with me?'

Realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. 'This damn hat is the reason I ended up here!'

He glanced at the others, but none of them seemed to notice anything strange about the hat. It was as if its presence wasn't suspicious at all—just a simple fact, something not worth questioning.

'No use worrying about this now,' he decided, pushing the thought aside.

Shaking his head, Feng Fan turned his attention back to the task at hand. He opened the window and tossed the makeshift rope outside. 

Then, securing it to the metal bar between the glass panes, he gave it a firm tug, making sure it would hold his weight.

After making sure everything was ready, Feng Fan picked up the stirrer that Kong Han had dropped when he caught the makeshift rope.

"Luo Li, can these things be used to fight ghosts?" he asked, recalling stories where iron was said to repel spirits.

Luo Li shook her head. "Against apparitions, the weakest type of ghost, you might be able to shake them off for a while, but you won't kill them. Anything stronger will just laugh at your pathetic attempt."

Feng Fan nodded, then turned to the window, preparing to climb down. They were on the fourth floor—his destination was the room directly below, on the third floor.

"Feng Fan, what are you planning to do down there?" Ding Qing asked.

"I'm checking if we can escape from below. Unless, of course, you'd rather face the ghosts waiting outside Luo Li's barrier?"

At the mention of the ghosts, Ding Qing's small body trembled.

Feng Fan ignored her and climbed down the rope. In front of him, he saw a similar window to the one above, the glass panels tightly shut.

Before doing anything, he tried to peer inside. It was very dark, with only the dim moonlight casting a faint glow.

'Hopefully, there won't be any ghosts inside.'

Knowing he couldn't open the window from the outside, Feng Fan used the stirrer in his hand to break one of the glass panels. After confirming he could open it from the outside, he threw the stirrer in, then used his free hand to open the window and climb inside.

After entering the room, Feng Fan quickly retrieved the stirrer. It was his only weapon, and although it wouldn't do much against ghosts, it gave him a sense of security.

His hands were sweating. No matter how hard he tried to stay calm, the sudden shift to such a dangerous environment still made him nervous.

Playing many horror games and watching a lot of horror movies hadn't helped much, but at least he managed to keep his cool, unlike his classmates.

For a few seconds, Feng Fan moved through the dark room, finding nothing out of the ordinary. After making sure the room was secure, he approached the tightly closed door that led to the corridor.

With his right hand, he slowly pulled it open, while his left hand gripped the stirrer, ready to strike at anything that moved.

Because of the house's age, the door creaked slightly as he pushed it open

Strangely, the corridor was dark, but not in the way he expected. It was as if something was faintly illuminating it, yet there was no visible source of light, and the moonlight couldn't reach this far.

The only sound was his own heartbeat, growing louder by the second.

He looked to his right.

Nothing.

He looked to his left.

Nothing.

The dim light was just enough to see where he was going without stumbling. His heart pounded nonstop. He wasn't sure whether it was from excitement or fear.

After checking outside the room, Feng Fan closed the door and let out a deep sigh. 'I'm getting too nervous. I need to calm down, or I'll end up doing something stupid.'

He quickly returned to the room where the others were waiting. Seeing him unharmed, they all sighed in relief.

"How's it downstairs?" Ding Qing asked.

"I didn't see any ghosts. We can move from there. The gun collection is on the third floor in the east wing. Under normal circumstances, it would take only five minutes to get there."

Zhou Niu swallowed nervously upon hearing that. "Are we… really going? It's too dangerous…"

Feng Fan shot her a glance. "If you want to stay here, suit yourself. I'm not going to sit around waiting to die."

Zhou Niu quickly shook her head. The only reason they were still alive was because of Luo Li, and she had made it clear she wasn't staying. If Luo Li left, what chance did she have? At least by following her, there was still hope.

"Hey, Kong Han, catch!" Feng Fan called, tossing the stirrer back to him. "You guys go first. I'll help Luo Li."

While the others climbed down to the room below using the makeshift rope, Feng Fan stepped closer to Luo Li, took off his shirt, and tried to wrap it around her stomach to slow the bleeding.

Before he could, Luo Li grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "What are you doing?"

Feng Fan rolled his eyes. "Trying to keep you alive. If you die, we all die."

Luo Li hesitated before finally letting go.

Feng Fan continued, wrapping the cloth around her wound. His face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath.

Because of the curse on her cheek—the one she got when she absorbed her first ghost—no human ever wanted to get near her. Over time, she had forgotten what human touch and care felt like.

If not for the blood loss, she would've been blushing like a tomato.

After securing his shirt around Luo Li's stomach, Feng Fan turned his back to her. "Come on, get on."