The Dead Return

"Splash…"

A basin of water was spilled out right in front of Su Bai. Some water splashed onto Su Bai’s face, and he suddenly felt relieved from the anxiety and nervousness before.

"Still awake?"

Chen Chu was wearing only his underpants, bare to the waist. He was obviously still a little angry when he spoke to Su Bai, but he had restrained his feelings to not care about that trifle conflict before.

Su Bai took a deep breath and look at Chen Chu again. He found that Chen Chu was just normal and wholesome. The blood and guts seemed to be merely his own dizziness.

Only, Su Bai knew he was not dizzy.

Su Bai didn’t think that everything that had happened before was just his imagination.

Chu Zhao and him had found the flesh pieces and the head of Chen Chu’s girlfriend; he had witnessed the apartment door open and Chen Chu nailed to a chair.

That was not fake. That couldn’t be fake.

It must be that damn "Dreadful Radio", and it must be doing something.

When Chen Chu walked to him with the basin, Su Bai subconsciously hid his dagger into his sleeve. It was midnight and the toilet light was dim, therefore Chen Chu didn’t notice anything and just walked to Su Bai.

"Going to the toilet?" Chen Chu asked.

Su Bai nodded.

Chen Chu walked sideways past him. Should be heading to the room.

Su Bai walked to the wash basin, turned on the tap, then held water and splashed it onto his face. Then he breathed heavily towards the wash basin. After that, he stood up; the dagger in his sleeve was clinging to his arm, cold but reliable.

Standing in front of his dormitory door, Su Bai really hoped that everything was just a dream, that when he opened this door there would be no Chen Chu inside and Liu He would be already asleep. But Su Bai knew well that if all this was related to Dreadful Radio, then such a dream would not be so easy to awake from.

At last, he pushed that door. Inside, Chen Chu, who had just finished his shower, was changing his clothes.

Liu He was lying on his bed ready to fall asleep.

Su Bai puffed his wet hair in front of his forehead, climbed up onto his bed and pulled down his curtain.

Soon, the room was quiet again, with Chen Chu lying down on his bed after changing his clothes.

But Su Bai didn’t fall asleep. He secretly withdrew the curtain a little and stared at Chen Chu lying underneath.

It would not be possible for Su Bai to sleep at this moment.

But Chen Chu seemed to be sleeping for real, and gradually, he started snoring softly.

Su Bai still didn’t let down his guard. At this moment, he was indeed not sleepy at all. Just like when someone was holding a knife against your neck, would you be able to sleep?

For about half an hour, Su Bai kept his post and his vigilance.

Su Bai clearly remembered those scenes of that white-collar lady turning into zombie and of that driver dying tragically.

Just then, Chen Chu’s cell phone rang.

Su Bai’s breath immediately turned heavier.

Chen Chu woke up, looked for the cell phone in a daze and hit the "answer" button without getting up.

"Hey, honey, what’s up?

"Quarrel? With your roommates?

"Alright, alright, don’t be mad. I’ll go back to our rented apartment outside with you. Yeah, wait for me. I’m getting dressed."

Chen Chu sat up and began to put on his socks, while Su Bai tightened his grip on the dagger. When Chen Chu had put on his socks and shoes, he picked up his cell phone, wallet and keys, opened the door and walked out.

It must be his girlfriend; she had gone to the dormitory to copy her roommate’s homework, but somehow they argued about something and now she didn’t want to sleep in the dormitory, so she called her boyfriend and asked him to go back to their rented apartment outside the campus with her.

Just after Chen Chu had left, Su Bai got down from his bed. He never took off his clothes, for he was never going to sleep. Now, he was wearing a pale blue jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. The reason to wear so much on such a summer day was for the clothes to be convenient for further actions; in case anything happened accidentally, sometimes clothes could become defense.

Liu He was already sleeping soundly. Su Bai opened the door, controlled his speed and pace and followed Chen Chu downstairs.

Chen Chu pushed the gate open and walked out. After a short time, the gate opened again silently. Su Bai followed up.

While walking, Su Bai was thinking about the whole thing. He had been led to a scene of an unfinished building by Dreadful Radio and only after those three ghosts were burnt, was he back at the side door of Legend Nightclub.

So, did this mean that he was now in another scene? This scene might be totally fake, but in Su Bai’s opinion, it could be half-real, half-fake.

Apparently Chen Chu had not died yet; the killer could not lure Chen Chu out with an imitation of his girlfriend’s voice.

Which was to say, that copycat murderer hadn’t done anything yet.

All of a sudden, Su Bai stopped in his tracks.

Hadn’t done anything yet?

Then the crime time…

…would it be right now?

Su Bai took out his cell phone, hid sideways behind the trees and lit up the screen under the cover of his coat. He checked the date: it was three days ago!

Su Bai’s breath sped up, and his dry lips pressed.

Because all these clues had pointed out one thing…

…which was…

…tonight…

…was the crime time when the murderer committed the mutilation; even, it was almost about to happen.

Should he keep following Chen Chu, or return to his dormitory, lock the door and go back to sleep?

The former was extremely dangerous without doubts, because even the police had no idea how the murderer committed the crime, and the numerous cameras didn’t catch any trace at all; if he kept following Chen Chu, he himself might become involved in that homicide case copying that mutilation. At this moment, in Su Bai’s mind, there was not only flesh pieces hidden in classrooms, gardens and toilets and the female’s head in the bird nest on that tree, but also the image of Chen Chu, dead, nailed onto the chair, cut open, and stuffed up with condoms filled with water.

It was very likely… that he himself might become a third victim.

Su Bai thought of that hit-and-runner. He was killed by that little girl after torture, but the final outcome was a car accident.

If he died in this story of Dreadful Radio, would there be a perfect explanation of his death in the real world?

Instinctively, Su Bai started to step back. He was giving up, out of an instinctive fear towards unknown horror.

However, just at that moment, a cold light crossed Su Bai’s sight.

Su Bai suddenly turned around; behind him there were only campus paths in silent and dim streetlights, but no one was there.

But Su Bai was sure that just now a knife’s reflected light happened to have crossed him. As a member of the Murder Club that had killed many people, Su Bai was sensitive to such feeling.

He… was already targeted?

That killer was hidden in some corner around here by now, holding his murder weapon, staring at him with a dark but cruel look, as if he was awaiting his prey and searching for a proper opportunity to hunt.

Prey? Hunt?

Su Bai slightly ground his teeth.

When thinking of these two words "prey" and "hunt", a hidden emotion suddenly rose in Su Bai’s mind.

He himself seemed to be a hunter too.

And the point was that his rival chose to hide for the moment. What did that mean?

If the murderer came at him directly, just like the white-collar lady he had met last time, then Su Bai would indeed have no choice, because the lady was similar to a zombie, after all.

But this rival, this murderer, could very well be… human!

Human…

…that could hide himself…

…which meant he had something to worry about.

Good; this was good.

Su Bai slowly backed sideways and hid himself entirely into the small woods behind the dormitory, his dagger held horizontal in front of him.

Since we were both hunters…

Then…

Let’s fight!