Chapter Twenty-Six: Liu Ling and Ji Ruixue (1/9)

Everything fell silent, save for the rain outside the window, which continued to fall relentlessly.

Boom!

Another thunderous crash echoed. The classroom suddenly grew dark; the midday light vanished as if swallowed by an instant night.

"Takabayashi..."

Sakakibara stood up, stumbling as he walked over to crouch beside Ikuo Takabayashi. With a trembling hand, he reached out and placed his fingers beneath Takabayashi’s nose.

Nothing. There was no breath.

"He..."

Before Sakakibara could finish, Takabayashi ceased his convulsions. His body, previously curled like a shrimp, slowly stretched out. A strange smile lingered on his face, as if death were a glass of sweet wine that he had enjoyed to the very last drop.

"He’s dead."

Sitting beside Liu Mengchao, Mei Misaki murmured to herself.

Liu Mengchao did not move, nor did he offer comfort to Misaki. His gaze swept coldly across the classroom, finally coming to rest on Liu Ling.

Her long, jet-black hair draped over her shoulders like silk, reflecting the dim light. Liu Mengchao felt a vague intuition that this woman had already deciphered the order of death.

As if by telepathy, Liu Ling turned her gaze toward Liu Mengchao and gave a slow nod. She did not speak; her lips merely moved as if forming the words, "The next one..."

"Who is next?"

Liu Mengchao scanned the classroom rapidly, but before he could register the face of every reincarnator, the classroom door was kicked open with a bang.

Several figures in white lab coats entered. They frowned, crouched beside Takabayashi, and then slowly shook their heads.

"Teacher Zhang," the leader stood up and addressed Old Snake, "Please take the students outside. And have them move to a different classroom."

Snake nodded and turned to Izumi Akazawa. "Everyone, please step outside for now. Do not interfere with the treatment of student Takabayashi."

"Ah, this isn't treatment," the man in the lab coat said, pulling a pair of white gloves from his pocket and slowly sliding them onto his hands. "He is already dead."

Boom!

Lightning struck from high above, as if piercing through the heart of every person present.

Liu Mengchao frowned and was the first to walk out of the classroom.

Drip.

As soon as he stepped out, a drop of fresh blood landed on the floor before him.

"It's Zhao Weijie."

Liu Mengchao realized it instantly. It seemed the broadcasting room was directly above him.

"Are you not going up to take a look?"

A cold, clear voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Looking down, he saw Liu Ling clutching her doll.

"Look at what?"

"To see the dead reincarnator." Liu Ling curtsied slightly, making the doll in her arms emit a sound, and walked ahead of him. As she moved, her body trembled slightly. "Liu Mengchao, you must have already discovered the order of death, haven't you?"

Liu Ling stopped at the entrance of the broadcasting room. The area had been cordoned off; yellow police tape sealed the room shut. Liu Mengchao looked down and could still see the bloodstains on the floor, trailing from the broadcasting console all the way to his feet.

"It seems things are quite clear now," Liu Ling said, turning around. The doll in her arms slowly raised its hand, pointing toward the room. "When Zhao Weijie was broadcasting, he barricaded the door. That is why we heard the banging sounds while listening to the tape."

"And then?" Liu Mengchao glanced at the console; the black microphone had been crushed and bent.

"I understand." Liu Mengchao narrowed his eyes, surveying the chaotic scene inside. "Zhao Weijie piled everything he could find in the room against the door. And the moment the door was forced open..."

"The debris flew into his head." Liu Ling nodded, the doll pointing at a metal bar on the floor. "It must have been something like this that killed him."

"It wasn't the metal bar that killed him; it was the curse."

"No, to be precise, it was us who killed him." Liu Ling said, her eyes suddenly brightening. "Specifically, it was me—Ji Ruixue—who killed Zhao Weijie."

"Dual personality?" Liu Mengchao laughed. The expression of the reincarnator before him suddenly shifted, becoming more human and less like a doll.

"Yes," Ji Ruixue nodded slowly. To his surprise, she spoke. Her voice was husky, like a dying swan, filled with sorrow. "Liu Ling and I are twins. When we were born, we were the only ones left of the pair." She held up the doll. "One night, this doll suddenly started talking to me."

*Not talking, but your own subconscious conversing with you,* Liu Mengchao thought, though he did not expose her.

"Her name is Liu Ling, my older sister," Ji Ruixue continued. "She is always smarter than me—so much smarter. The phone call last night was also made by me."

That explained why Liu Mengchao had found it strange—how someone who used ventriloquism could make a phone call.

"And then?" Liu Mengchao asked, looking at the girl. "Liu Ling tried to stop you?"

"Yes." Ji Ruixue lowered her head, her soft black hair obscuring her face. "She said if I let you protect Izumi Akazawa, then the next one to die would be us."

"Us?"

"We reincarnators." Ji Ruixue’s expression grew increasingly mournful. "Liu Ling said deaths occur in a specific sequence. As long as we wait patiently, we can survive this reincarnation world."

"Survive the reincarnation world..." Liu Mengchao frowned. Looking at the girl’s sad micro-expressions, he knew she was telling the truth.

"She says these plot characters are irrelevant. Even if they all die, it doesn't matter as long as I survive." Ji Ruixue smiled bitterly. "But I disagreed. After all, perhaps they live in their own world, and we are the ones who have forcibly intruded into their lives."

"We are the invaders?"

"Yes." Ji Ruixue nodded, agreeing. "So, since I can discover the order of death, I must do my best to stop it." She hugged the doll tighter. "But Liu Ling said that if I interfere, I might be abandoned by you. She was angry with me until this morning."

"Because I said you were a soft-hearted reincarnator?"

"Yes. Liu Ling said that soft-hearted reincarnators never survive." Ji Ruixue’s eyes turned red. "I never listen to her. When I cast the drift bottle, I didn't listen to her either. I didn't think there would be any danger, but she didn't believe me and tried to stop me..."

"So you came here."

"Yes." Ji Ruixue nodded. "Neither Liu Ling nor I had seen this horror film, so we were waiting for someone to explain the plot."

She looked into the broadcasting room. "Once that Zhao Weijie finished explaining the plot, Liu Ling grasped the order of death."

"She truly is a smart person."

"Yes. She said the third to die would be Izumi Akazawa. I begged her to give you a hint, but she said you didn't seem to believe it, so I called you again at night." Ji Ruixue walked to the window.

Click.

She pushed the window open. The rain outside blew in, dampening her hair and streaming down her face. "So, I decided to be completely open with you and tell you everything I know."

"And what of Liu Ling's opinion?" Liu Mengchao stood beside her, looking down at this kind-hearted reincarnator.

"She says that by doing this, we will be of no use. We will be left with only one path—to be abandoned. After all, a useless reincarnator has only death as an option." Ji Ruixue raised her head, her lips pressed tightly together. With all her might, she said, "But I believe in you."

Liu Mengchao smiled. He reached out and gently wiped the rainwater from the corner of Ji Ruixue’s eye.

"Believe in me... then you had better be prepared to be deceived."

"Yes!" Without hesitation, Ji Ruixue nodded firmly, a sudden smile breaking across her face.

*Ha, what a little girl.* Liu Mengchao studied the reincarnator before him as if seeing her for the first time. Smart, and most importantly, kind.

"Then, can you tell me now about the order of death?"