Starting with dissecting ghost stories

2 PM, Yucai Middle School.

Shen Xing stood in front of the mirror in the restroom of the administration building and smelled his own scent.

The smell in the garage was still too strong, and the old exhaust fan wasn't doing much good.

Especially now that the weather is humid, the musty smell from the garage, along with a faint, almost imperceptible odor of internal organs, also clings to the clothes.

Shen Xing applied some floral water evenly to his clothes and then rubbed some medicated oil on his hands.

Inside the school clinic, no one would think it was strange if the smell of mentholatum was a bit strong. After confirming that the smell on his body had been covered up, Shen Xing applied some mentholatum to his face before leaving the restroom.

Shen Xing returned to the school clinic. Although it was during class time, students could come and disturb him at any moment under the pretext of skipping class.

He returned to his seat, looked at the black shoulder bag at his feet, bent down, and unzipped it a crack.

Inside the bag was a plastic petri dish containing the remaining abnormal human muscles.

At this moment, the muscular little figure that had been separated from the picture frame for a long time and was on the verge of death began to become unusually active after approaching the school infirmary.

This was the same situation when he first brought the separated, abnormal flesh and blood back to the vicinity of the school clinic.

He really wanted to release the muscular little man, but now wasn't the time. Only around the time school was about to end would students be less likely to bother him.

Shen Xing picked up a book and started reading after a long time, but after only a few minutes, he turned his attention back to the wall.

There wasn't time to print new paintings to fill those two empty spaces...

I have a headshot of myself in my bag. What would happen if I pasted my picture on it...?

If a portrait affected by the wall is pasted on a doll, will it enhance the doll's abilities...?

What's inside the wall? Beneath the white putty, between the bricks...

Shen Xing stretched out his left hand and rubbed his temples to try and stop thinking about these things.

I don't seem to be able to concentrate as well as before. Whenever I'm quiet, I start thinking about these things.

The knowledge in books could no longer satisfy Shen Xing's curiosity about this extraordinary world.

Unfortunately, it happened to be a school, and specifically the school clinic.

If it were a wall in his home, or a wall elsewhere, Shen Xing wouldn't have so many concerns.

Is this wall load-bearing? Will knocking it down and moving it have any consequences? Uh... even if it doesn't have any consequences, I can't possibly replace the wall without anyone noticing, right?

If it's not a load-bearing wall, then it's actually possible.

Every day, a few bricks are knocked off and replaced with new ones. Given enough time, the entire wall will be replaced by itself.

But this workload is a bit too much, and Shen Xing doesn't want to film The Shawshank Redemption here.

Unable to concentrate on his book, Shen Xing began to let his mind wander, planning what he needed to do that day and prioritizing his future research in his notebook.

Although we can't replace the entire wall, we can at least chip open a small section to see what's inside.

Just as Shen Xing was writing and drawing in his notebook, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Knock knock—"

"Please come in," Shen Xing said, putting away his notebook and placing the book in front of him.

The wooden door to the school clinic creaked open, but instead of a student, it was Director Wang from the Academic Affairs Office who entered.

I am under the jurisdiction of the logistics department, but recently this Director Wang seems to want to get closer to me.

"Uncle Wang." Shen Xing stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"No need to be so polite," Director Wang said with a smile, gesturing with his hand. "Why are you being so polite between us... We're reading, you know. Reading is good for you."

"Yes, after all, the work here is relatively easy." Shen Xing smiled shyly, and only sat back down after Director Wang sat down opposite him.

"Young people should be more career-oriented. If you live like a retired old man at a young age, you'll regret it when you're old," Director Wang said earnestly, placing his thermos on the table as he sat opposite him.

"Uncle Wang is right," Shen Xing said with a smile. "I'm a pretty easygoing person. As long as my family is healthy and happy, that's the most important thing."

"There are very few young people who think like that nowadays; they don't love being at home," Director Wang said with a smile, seemingly quite satisfied with Shen Xing's words.

Shen Xing knew what to say to a middle-aged man like Director Wang, who was nearing retirement, had little ambition, and was quite family-oriented, so he knew how to make a good impression on him.

After chatting for a while longer, Director Wang seemed increasingly satisfied with Shen Xing. He took out a yellow sticky note and handed it to Shen Xing.

"What's this?" Shen Xing took the note and looked at its contents.

A string of numbers, and a name.

Wang Xinran.

They share the same surname as Director Wang... are they related?

"Back in that period, I spoke with Xiaoran, and she was very satisfied with your qualifications. She keeps saying she wants to meet you," Director Wang said with a smile, looking at Shen Xing. "How about we have dinner together tonight? Want to meet?"

Uh.

Should I have acted more annoyingly just now?

The best time to dispose of a body is between 11 p.m. and midnight, when there are no streetlights and the fewest pedestrians on the road. As long as you cover your body with abnormal flesh and blood, you won't leave any traces on surveillance cameras.

There is indeed time...

"No time today either?" Director Wang asked with a slightly puzzled expression. "You've seemed really busy these past few days. The police even came to the school. What happened?"

The police officers who came to the school earlier were in plainclothes and did not cause too much of a disturbance. They also restricted the teachers from discussing the matter.

Director Wang initially thought it was a minor matter, but now it seems that the police coming to the school in plainclothes was probably because they didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Has Shen Xing gotten involved in some major case?

Noticing the worry in Director Wang's eyes, Shen Xing pretended to hesitate for a moment before speaking, "There is indeed a major case, which should be published in the newspaper in the next few days. I was invited by the Municipal Bureau to be a specially appointed expert to help with the investigation."

"But don't worry, Director Wang, the case should be closed soon and won't affect my work at the school clinic."

Director Wang waved his hand and said, "That's not what I'm worried about. Ah Xing, you're amazing! You're so capable that even the Municipal Bureau has to hire you as an expert. I only knew you were in the Provincial Department before, I didn't know you were this good."

Emphasizing the dangers of one's job seems to have had the opposite effect.

"I'll have Xiao Ran call you later. You young people can chat then. Don't see me off, haha." Director Wang seemed increasingly satisfied with Shen Xing. He picked up his thermos, left a few words, and departed.

As Shen Xing watched the door close, the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

Shen Xing fell into deep thought.

This meal was unavoidable.

Director Wang's enthusiasm was somewhat unusual.

But how can we make Director Wang back down on his own without offending him?

An idea sprouted in Shen Xing's mind.

If she's going to introduce someone to me, then she must be around my age, and in this small town, she'd be considered an older single woman.

Such a woman is likely to be quite wary of having children as a burden.

Let's bring Shen Yuan along when we eat, and then things will naturally fall through.

If Shen Yuan then puts on a sour face, the effect might be even better.