An infinite journey starting from paradise

Atsushi Ogura, 19 years old, unemployed, NEET.

An hour earlier, he had been in a car accident. A large dump truck, fresh from a nearby construction site, had rammed into Ogura's home due to brake failure, completely destroying the lightweight structure. The second-floor apartment where Ogura Atsushi was staying was also damaged, as it faced the road, and the truck plowed right into it. Ogura Atsushi suffered a fractured skull and numerous other serious injuries. When the fire department arrived, he was practically smeared on the front of the dump truck, his body practically dead.

Compared to being killed by a glass bottle falling from a high altitude in the real world, his death in the dream world was obviously more tragic.

"what happened?"

Mizaki Ming heard the commotion outside, but she had no intention of going over to "join in the fun"... It's not that she "didn't", it's that she "couldn't". If she came into contact with other people, things might get worse.

So she picked up her schoolbag and planned to finish her lunch first.

"what?"

It was unprecedented that there was a lunch box in Jianqi Ming's schoolbag.

"Did she prepare a lunch box for me on the first day of school?"

Jian Qiming scratched his head, feeling that his memory was a little unclear.

"The disaster has begun..."

This was the first thought that came to Reiko Mikami after hearing the news of Atsushi Ogura's death, and then a deep fear swept over her body.

"Who will be the next to die? Will it be me or my loved ones?"

The same fear welled up in Akasawa Izumi and Ayano Aya's hearts. Logically, they should have been comforting their grief-stricken friend, but their first reaction wasn't this: "The desks and chairs in the classroom are perfectly in place. This couldn't be a disaster. Perhaps it was just an ordinary accident... Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

Unlike the two female students who were feeling lucky, Sanshin Reiko was now only afraid. She had an idea of ​​going to Lin Shangren, perhaps he could protect her.

Just as she was about to "escape", she finally stopped when she saw Yumi Ogura sitting on the ground crying.

"Should we tell the students about Yukito Tsujii? Let them be more vigilant... No, that might backfire. Anxiety will only make accidents more likely... I can't panic right now. I need to calm Ogura-san down first."

Sanshin Reiko forced herself to calm down. After all, she was a teacher and the homeroom teacher of these children. Although she had never been taught about the dedication of a teacher, she should do something at a time like this.

"But, what should I do...? First help her up, then... comfort her... How should I comfort her... What should I do? Help me!"

"give it to me."

A big hand rested on Sanshin Reiko's shoulder.

Hayashi Naoto walked over to Ogura Yumi and helped her up.

"Because all the students in Class 3, Grade 3 have been affected by the Lucky Pervert, are they targeting their relatives? They're so eager to harm others, are they really just desperate to replenish their offerings or energy?"

Lin Shangren thought so.

Suddenly, his spider sense reacted inexplicably. It was like someone was watching him from the dark.

"Who?"

Lin Shangren spread out his perception, but did not find any suspicious people nearby.

And a few miles away, in a dilapidated house, someone was "staring" at Lin Shangren.

"This guy is in the way... who is he? Never mind, it's better to get rid of him. This is perfect, I can use him as a borrowed knife to kill someone."

The man's eyes were fixed on the Misaki Doll Workshop.

Chapter 333: Fishing Enforcement, You Be the Bait

"The disaster has already begun. For now, the school is relatively safe. To be more precise, the area within a three-kilometer radius centered on me is relatively safe. The worst that can happen is some bad luck, like falling flat on your face, getting wet, or having your clothes torn. Other than that, there's no danger to your life."

In a corner of the fifth floor of the teaching building of Beiyejian Middle School, Lin Shangren was explaining the current situation to Sanshin Reiko.

"What we know for sure now is that one student and one teacher have died. To end the disaster, we need to find them and kill them again. However, this is only a temporary solution, not a permanent one. We need to find the hidden object behind this. Perhaps it's someone obsessed with the deceased, or perhaps a gem or meteorite. Regardless, we must investigate the students or teachers from the classes of 1986 and 1972.

Originally I could have done this job by myself, but now, well... I'm not up to the task. So I need your help."

Looking at Lin Shangren's sincere expression, Sanshen Lianzi was a little confused: "What is he talking about? What does it mean that one of the teachers and one of the students died? To end the disaster, we have to kill the dead? Being around him is safe? What the hell is going on?"

Seeing that Sanshin Reiko's expression gradually became like Aqua, Lin Shangren chose the most intuitive way of explanation.

"Igni."

He lit the Igni Seal and displayed a ball of flame in his palm to Sanshin Reiko. "Let me make this short. I'm actually an official Onmyoji, and I'm here to remove the curse from Kitayami Junior High School. I've found some clues, but I need to protect the students from the curse and can't leave the school for now. So, I'd like to ask you to help me look up some information in the town library."

"Not...huh? Me?"

Sanshin Reiko, who was already confused, became even more confused.

"Don't worry, with this amulet ring, you'll be fine." The flame in Lin Shangren's hand burst into flames, then dissipated. A ring made of amethyst appeared in his palm.

"This is a super power ring. With it, you can fight any misfortune." Lin Shangren continued to talk nonsense seriously, "This thing can resolve misfortune. I have saved several students this morning with it. As long as you wear it, nothing will happen to you."

As a homegirl who is addicted to anime and American horror movies, Reiko Sanshin thought that her ability to accept things was strong enough, but Lin Shangren's words still confused her.

Before she could react, the guy in front of her had already put the ridiculously large amethyst ring on her ring finger.

"Hey…"

Lin Shangren ignored Sanshen Lianzi's protest and continued to speak: "Everything you need to check is on this piece of paper."

"Hey! Who understands what you are saying? At least listen to my opinion!!!" Sanshin Reiko yelled.

"I'm sorry, but I reject all your opinions. Yaxie."

Lin Shangren was drawing a triangle with his hand in front of Sanshen Lianzi and performing the Yaxi seal. Sanshen Lianzi's eyes became blurred, and his behavior and thoughts were completely controlled by Lin Shangren.

"Go and do what I told you to do." Lin Shangren ordered.

"Yes……"

Sanshen Lianzi turned around mechanically, and at this moment Lin Shangren suddenly called her: "Wait."

Sanshin Reiko stopped and then turned around.

Lin Shangren said: "Forget what I just told you about disasters and the dead. Especially the method to end the disaster."

"Yes...I understand." Reiko Mikami answered mechanically in a slurred tone.

"Go."

Sanshin Reiko nodded and then turned and left.

Watching Sanshin Reiko's retreating figure, Lin Shangren finally seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He muttered in a weak but very clear voice, "If they knew the solution to the disaster, there would definitely be chaos. Maybe it would develop into a battle royale, which would be troublesome."

[Hey, hey, this is too obvious a performance, right? Can you really catch fish like this? _(:з」∠)_]

"Isn't my acting strong enough?" Lin Shangren asked himself.

Yes, everything that Lin Shangren just did was intentional. The purpose was of course to lure the snake out of its hole and conduct a sting operation - after sensing that someone was watching him, Lin Shangren was certain that there was a dark hand behind the disaster.

So, instead of passively waiting for the other party to reveal a flaw, it is better to take the initiative to throw bait and lure the other party out.

He had planted several traps in his words: First, if he revealed his identity, making it clear he was a hunter, out to kill them, the wolves hiding behind the scenes would likely attack him directly. If they dared to show their heads, Lin Shangren would show them what a true cheater was.

Secondly, if the enemy is cautious and doesn't dare to attack Lin Shangren directly, they might target Sanshen Lianzi. Even if they don't attack her, they might be interested in the small note Lin Shangren gave her, hoping to gauge how far he has progressed. If they dare to touch the note, the beacon magic on it will mark their location, drawing Lin Shangren's "strategic nuclear strike."

Finally, even if they chose to cower and remain inactive, they would definitely not give up testing Lin Shangren's strength and causing trouble for him. The best way to contain an official who values ​​student life is, of course, to make trouble for the students and teachers. Since the disaster is temporarily ineffective, let the students and teachers of Grade 3, Class 3, and their own chaos. The best way to do this, of course, is to let them kill each other.

All it takes is to spread the news that the disaster has already begun and that the only way to end it is to find the dead hidden in the crowd and kill them again. The teachers and students of Class 3, Grade 3 will easily engage in internal strife due to mutual suspicion, and it may even develop into a real-life battle royale.

As for whether the mastermind behind the scenes would fall into these traps, Lin Shangren had no idea. Anyway, he might as well try his luck first. What if he caught the hidden chicken feet?

"If that spoon wasn't still targeting Koizumi Hongzi, I wouldn't have bothered with this." Lin Shangren thought to himself, "Anyway, let's do it this way for now. Let's monitor Mikami Reiko, the students of Class 3, and the old school building first."

The old school building here refers to the old teaching building of Kitayami Middle School that has long been abandoned. The old classroom of Class 3, Grade 3 is located inside.

The reason why Lin Shangren wanted to monitor that place was because there was something hidden inside, a very important thing in the original work of "Another" - a TDK tape.

This tape was left behind by Katsumi Matsunaga, a student in Class 3, Grade 3, Class of 1983. He was the first to discover that killing the dead could stop disasters. In the original "Another" series, it was the discovery of this tape by Tsuneichi Sakakibara and his group that ultimately led to the real-life battle royale during the original training camp.

Upon entering Beiyejian Middle School, Lin Shangren immediately used his Shadow Touch to monitor this crucial item. He was surprised to discover that the tape, supposedly sealed for nearly fourteen years, had actually been moved and played. Judging by the dust on the outer packaging, it had been moved no more than five years ago.

This is quite interesting; someone has already played the real tape, but the method to end the disaster hasn't been shared. Considering the high number of deaths at Kitayami Junior High School five years ago, Lin Shangren is pretty sure that the students from that class also engaged in a real-life battle royale similar to the ending of "Another," with indiscriminate knife-wielding.

Considering that the mastermind might be collecting the dead as sacrifices for a certain ritual, Lin Shangren has reason to suspect that the appearance of this tape was facilitated by the mastermind, or at least he should know about the existence of this tape.

If the mastermind behind this wanted to spread information that would stop the disaster, the best way would naturally be to quietly guide the students of Grade 3, Class 3 to discover the tape. After all, if they chose to tell them directly, it would easily expose themselves.

Therefore, this is also Lin Shangren’s key monitoring area.

As Lin Shangren expected, during the free time in the afternoon, several students from Class 3, Grade 3 sneaked into the teaching building, as if they wanted to explore the old school building that had long been abandoned.

They are Sakuragi Yukari, the monitor of Class 3, Akasawa Izumi and Ayano Aya from the Disaster Countermeasures Committee, the somewhat frivolous Teishigawa Gennaoya, and the feminine Mochizuki Yuya.

Helpless students, abandoned teaching buildings, curses, secrets... These keywords mixed together easily remind people of horror pseudo-documentaries such as "Ghost Hunting Files" or "Videotape", but the development of things far exceeded the expectations of these people, and even Lin Shangren.

I can only say that the works that meet the above keywords are not only suspense and horror, but also... masterpieces. For example, the predecessor of "Stinky Work" and "Ghost Work", the famous "Posthumous Work"...

Chapter 334 I killed her, *killed.

Three o'clock in the afternoon, in the old teaching building of Kitayami Middle School.

The staircase entrances on either side of the old teaching building were cordoned off with tape. Hanging in the center of the tape was a thick cardboard with the words "No Trespassing" written on it. The cardboard was covered in dust, and the one at the east entrance had a distinct handprint—probably left by students moving desks into the old building before the start of the semester.

"It would feel like a horror movie if bloody handprints were used here," said Teshigawara Naoya with a grin.

"We're not here to play."

As she spoke, Akasawa Izumi lifted the blockade and crawled through it.

"Hurry up! We need to find 'that thing' that Mochizuki's sister mentioned as soon as possible. Regardless of whether the disaster has really begun, finding it will at least give us some peace of mind."

Sakuragi Yukari asked worriedly, "Are we really going in?"

"If the squad leader was afraid, why would he follow us?" Akasawa Izumi said somewhat dissatisfiedly.

"I'm just...just worried that something might happen to you."

"Don't worry." Teshigahara Naoya said with a smile, "Before school started, we went in to help move the desk for the... I mean, 'non-existent person'. Apart from being a little tattered, it's basically the same as the new school building. Right, Yuya?"

Teshigawara Naoya placed his arm on Mochizuki Yuya's shoulder and continued, "Relax. It's better to worry about being caught by the teacher than worrying about ghosts and gods."

Looking down the corridor of the old school building, Ayano Aya said, "Those seniors are so generous. They have to make things so complicated and keep secrets. Since there's a possible solution to the disaster, why don't they just announce it? Phew... I think this trip might be in vain."

"That's better than doing nothing and waiting to die." Akasawa Izumi took out a flashlight and handed it to Ayano Aya.

"There's no need to use this kind of thing. Today's recess and club activities are combined, so three to six o'clock should be enough time to find that thing?" asked Teshigawara Naoya.

"Just in case, let's go." Akazawa Izumi looked at Sakuragi Yukari, "It's not too late for you to give up now, squad leader."

"I have to keep a close eye on you."

Sakuragi Yukari also crossed the blockade.

"Very well, let's go."

Several people walked into the old teaching building and climbed all the way to the third floor.

The sunlight streaming in from the row of windows on the north side was bright. However, the dirt and damage everywhere showed that this place had been off-limits and unused for years. The floor was thick with dust, and a unique, muffled smell, the odor of ruins, lingered in the air.

In this school building, the third room from the west side used to be the classroom for Class 3, Grade 3.

The entrance door was unlocked, and several people walked into the classroom nervously. Compared to the corridor, the classroom seemed much darker. That was because the south window had dirty beige curtains drawn.

"Sure enough, there's no electricity."

Teshigahara Naoya took his hand off the switch and turned to look at Mochizuki Yuya. He said, "How about opening the curtains?"

"I'll go." said Mochizuki Yuya.

"It's better to use flashlights to avoid being seen by people outside." Akasawa Izumi distributed three small flashlights to them.

"Find the desks first, then search other corners."

"Ahem...it chokes me."

Dust was flying all over her head. Sakuragi Yukari covered her nose with a handkerchief, and then she and four other people searched the desks in the old classroom.

"Where could it be hidden?" Izumi Akasawa thought to herself, "The thing that Sister Mochizuki mentioned."

Yuya Mochizuki's half-sister Chika Mochizuki once attended Kitayami Junior High School. Although she was not a student in Class 3, Grade 3, she knew a piece of information that might be related to the solution to the disaster.

She runs an izakaya, and one of her regular customers is Matsunaga Katsumi, a student from Class 3, Grade 3, in 1983. Once, while drunk, he confessed something: He said that he had done something wrong that year, and ended up saving the rest of the class.

"I... I didn't do anything wrong... I was saved. I saved everyone. I had to spread the word... I stayed. Um, secretly, in the classroom, secretly..."

Katsumi Matsunaga spoke incoherently with his uncontrollable tongue.

Mochizuki Chika didn't take this matter seriously at first until her younger brother Mochizuki Yuya also became a member of Class 3, Grade 3.

"According to my sister, Mr. Matsunaga came to the store several times afterwards. However, when she tried to ask him one time, he said he didn't remember anything at all. He seemed to still remember the curse that caused the series of misfortunes to happen to Class 3, Grade 3 fourteen years ago. However, let alone the true identity of the 'extra person' that year, he even had no recollection of such crucial questions as how the 'disaster' stopped that year..." Mochizuki Yuya said to the members of the Disaster Countermeasures Team.

At some point, the person's memory of the deceased begins to fade and disappear, and this is exactly what happened to Katsumi Matsunaga, a graduate student.

Fourteen years later, fragments of memory suddenly awakened from my drunken head.