Chapter Two: The Mystery of Zhengzhou Vocational High School

In the western suburbs of Zhengzhou lies a sizable vocational high school, its campus shaded by lush trees and its teaching buildings arranged with deliberate harmony. The grounds are usually filled with the lively laughter and spirited energy of students. Yet beneath this ordinary facade, eerie legends whisper through the shadows, chilling the spine of anyone who hears them.

The tale begins many years ago on a sultry summer night. The moon was veiled behind thick clouds, and the entire campus was swallowed by darkness. Most boarding students had already fallen asleep, with only the occasional cicada’s cry piercing the stillness.

In the school’s old library, the caretaker, Old Zhang, was making his usual rounds before closing. The library, aged and worn, smelled of ancient wood from its shelves, and the dim yellow light flickered uncertainly in the silence. Zhang inspected row after row of bookshelves, ensuring no student lingered inside. When he reached the farthest corner, he suddenly heard a faint rustling—like someone turning pages.

At first, he thought it was his imagination and rubbed his ears to listen more closely. The sound ceased. Just as he was about to leave, the rustling returned, clearer this time, as if right beside him. His heart pounded. Nervously, he scanned the area but saw nothing beyond the rows of shelves and piles of books.

A cold breeze swept past, and his flashlight flickered before going out, plunging him into darkness. His breath quickened as he fumbled for spare batteries in his pocket. Suddenly, he felt icy hands gently rest on his shoulder. Panic surged; he tried to scream, but his throat was constricted, no sound emerging.

Desperately struggling to break free, the hands suddenly released him. Without hesitation, he bolted toward the library’s exit. As he reached the door, the flashlight miraculously flickered back to life. Glancing behind, he glimpsed a pale white figure darting between the shelves before vanishing.

Old Zhang, pale with fright, hurried to the principal that very night, recounting his terrifying encounter. The principal, though skeptical, considered it might be a hallucination or a prank. Yet the strange occurrences that followed forced him to reconsider.

In the days that followed, eerie noises persisted in the library. Students studying at night reported faint sounds of crying and laughter, as if unseen gatherings took place. Others felt eyes watching them from the shelves, though turning around revealed nothing.

These rumors quickly spread, and fear gripped the student body. No one dared study in the library after dark. To soothe the unrest, the principal invited a feng shui master. After a solemn inspection, the master’s face grew grave. He revealed that the library was built atop a place heavy with negative energy, likely resting on unclean spirits. Without proper rituals, more calamities would befall the school.

Worried, the principal arranged a purification ceremony in the library and increased security with night guards. Yet the rituals failed to quell the hauntings. One stormy night, guard Xiao Li patrolling the library encountered something even more horrifying. Holding his flashlight, he approached a second-floor window when suddenly he saw a black figure drifting outside. The figure, cloaked in a long black robe with long hair obscuring its face, floated eerily.

Startled, Xiao Li shouted, “Who’s there? Show yourself!” The figure remained silent, drifting motionlessly. Cautiously nearing the window, Xiao Li was met with a ghastly sight—a pale face as white as paper, eyes glowing blood red. Terrified, he screamed and turned to flee, but his legs felt weighted as if filled with lead.

Just as despair overwhelmed him, lightning flashed, illuminating the library. Xiao Li saw the figure fully: it hovered in the air, hands outstretched with long, sharp nails as if to seize him. Summoning all strength, he broke free from the invisible hold and ran out.

Following this incident, the library was sealed off, and students avoided it entirely. Yet the supernatural disturbances shifted to another location—the abandoned gymnasium.

The gym had long been neglected, its walls crawling with moss, its roof broken in places, exposing wooden beams. Rarely visited except by stray animals, it was a place of desolation.

One day, a group of mischievous students, seeking thrills, sneaked inside. Exploring, they found a locked iron door in the basement, secured with a rusty padlock that hadn't been opened for ages.

Driven by curiosity, they pried the lock open with a crowbar. As the door creaked open, a wave of stench hit them. Covering their noses, they cautiously entered.

The basement was dark and damp, littered with old sports equipment and debris. At its far end lay a huge swimming pool, now dried up, with green moss and stagnant water clinging to its bottom. Near the edge, the students discovered strange footprints—larger than human and oddly shaped, with toes bent unnaturally.

Before they could ponder further, a deep growl echoed from the pool’s depths, as if something had been disturbed. Terrified, the students turned to flee, only to find the door mysteriously shut.

They pounded on it, shouting for help, but no answer came. Suddenly, from the pool emerged enormous hands, grabbing one student’s foot and dragging him into the water. The others watched in horror, powerless to intervene.

The trapped student struggled, his cries echoing as he was pulled into a dark abyss beneath the pool, vanishing without a trace.

Panic seized the school. Students begged to go home, refusing to attend classes. Parents demanded explanations and assurances of safety.

The principal faced immense pressure, reporting the missing student to the police while consulting experts to unravel the mystery.

Despite thorough investigations, no clues emerged. The missing student seemed to have vanished into thin air. Experts suggested the incidents were hallucinations sparked by students’ stress.

But the principal doubted these explanations and resolved to uncover the truth. Diving into the school’s archives, he unearthed a startling secret: decades ago, the school grounds had been a mass grave. During wartime, many innocent civilians had been killed and hastily buried there. The remains were never properly handled before the school was built.

Suspecting these restless spirits were behind the hauntings, the principal decided to authorize a thorough excavation to locate and properly inter the remains, despite widespread opposition fearing greater disturbances and damage to the school’s feng shui.

The excavation revealed numerous ancient bones and coffins beneath the library and gymnasium. The remains were fragile and decayed, bearing witness to a tragic past.

The principal enlisted specialists to conduct a solemn burial ceremony, hoping to appease the spirits. After the rites, the supernatural events ceased, and peace returned to the campus. Students gradually resumed their studies.

Yet the principal remained vigilant, sensing deeper forces at play. He continued researching, consulting scholars and poring over ancient texts.

Eventually, he discovered an old legend of a malevolent power capable of controlling the souls of the dead through mysterious artifacts. Such objects, if disturbed, could trigger hauntings and calamities.

He suspected the school concealed such an artifact. Leading a team of teachers and students, he searched every corner until they found an ancient box engraved with strange symbols.

Inside lay a black stone emitting a sinister aura that sent chills down their spines.

Realizing this stone was likely the source of the disturbances, the principal resolved to secure it safely. As he lifted the stone, an overwhelming force restrained him, freezing him in place.

In his despair, a sudden light burst forth from a jade pendant in his pocket, illuminating the room and dispelling the stone’s dark energy. The pendant was a family heirloom, reputed to ward off evil.

Under the pendant’s glow, the stone’s ominous aura faded. The principal sealed the stone back in its box and buried it in a remote location.

From that day forward, the school experienced no further supernatural occurrences. The students gradually forgot their fearful memories and returned to joyful learning.

The principal, deeply moved by these events, developed a profound respect for life and nature. He understood that countless unknown forces and mysteries remain in the world, urging humanity to approach them with reverence and caution, lest forbidden taboos be disturbed.