My parents enrolled me in a boarding school,

which they called:

"45 days of summer vacation, giving you a brand new successful student."

The school's advertisement is impressive—

quitting internet addiction, puppy love, rebellion, and other bad habits,

transforming students into obedient, sensible, and well-behaved talents.

I actually don't believe in this kind of private training institution.

But their brainwashing techniques are top-notch, convincing parents without a doubt.

On the first day of summer vacation,

my dad drove me to a fully enclosed campus far from the city center.

I watched as the tall iron gate slowly opened.

My steps felt heavy, as if I were entering a prison.

My dad's voice sounded behind me, "Lin Xia, listen to the teacher!"

Following the map on the "admission notice card," I found my assigned dormitory, room 414.

The dormitory rules, with white background and red characters, stood out.

I silently read through them in my mind, feeling a sinister and eerie atmosphere between the lines.

What does it mean by "Do not panic if someone has rummaged through your wardrobe"?

Could it be that someone steals things in this boarding school?

Curiously, I walked up to the wardrobe and opened the door.

The inside of the cabinet was empty, but a foul smell reminiscent of improperly preserved meat emanated from it.

I took out a tissue and wiped it clean, finding a layer of grayish-white powder inside the cabinet.

I couldn't help but feel nauseous and opened the window to let in some fresh air.

There were glaring scratch marks on the window sill, deep and shallow, mixed with crimson bloodstains, as if a survivor on the brink of death had desperately clawed at it with their five fingers.

I furrowed my brow in contemplation: Could it be that someone fell from a building? They held onto the window sill before falling and even scratched their nails until they bled?

I leaned over to look down, and suddenly, a black rabbit flashed in the bushes, quickly bouncing towards the depths of the mountain.

I felt even more uneasy.

I quickly closed the window and caught a glimpse of something on the glass.

A row of red characters was written in the corner of the windowsill—

"Beware of the teachers; they are all mad."

They deliberately used an "it" character.

I recalled the male teachers I saw when I first went upstairs.

They were dressed in black suits and wore black sunglasses, their stiff faces expressionless.

They looked like unapproachable criminals.

A chill ran through my heart, and I wiped off the red words with a wet tissue.

The red marks fell onto the wet tissue, resembling fresh blood.

I sniffed it, and the wet tissue indeed had a fishy smell.

A thought popped into my mind: Could this be a warning left by someone before their death, written in blood?

I looked back at those rows of rules and regulations.

In the seventh rule, it mentioned an independent bathroom, but I searched every corner and couldn't find it.

Why would a nonexistent place be written in the rules?

With a furrowed brow and numerous doubts, I hesitated about whether to leave or not.

After all, my parents paid a high price, and they wouldn't agree to me skipping school on the first day.

Bang, bang, bang—

Someone was banging on the door.

The loud knocking sounded particularly piercing in the quiet dormitory.

Instinctively, I hid behind the door.

The rules said: "Do not open the door for strangers."

If the person outside was a dangerous individual armed with a weapon, my chances of escape would be slim.

"No one's here, so I'm coming in!" It was a girl's voice from outside.

She forcefully kicked open the dormitory door and swaggered in.

I breathed a sigh of relief, slowly lowering my guard.

"Hello," I greeted awkwardly.

I saw her name tag hanging on her clothes, with the name "Li Fangfang" written on it.

She glanced at me with an displeased expressionand said, "You must be the new kid. What's your name?"

"I'm Lin Xia," I replied cautiously.

"Well, Lin Xia, you better watch your back in this place," Li Fangfang said with a serious tone. "Things aren't as they seem."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine. "What do you mean?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Li Fangfang looked around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in closer and whispered, "There's something strange going on in this boarding school. The teachers, the rules, everything. I've been here for a while, and I've seen things you wouldn't believe."

I felt a mixture of fear and intrigue. "Tell me more," I urged.

"Well," Li Fangfang began, "some students have disappeared without a trace. And those scratch marks on the window sill? They're not from someone falling. They're from something trying to get in."

"Something? What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a knot forming in my stomach.

Li Fangfang hesitated for a moment before continuing. "There are rumors that this boarding school is haunted. People say that it was built on an ancient burial ground, and the spirits of the restless souls are seeking revenge."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It sounded like something out of a horror movie.

"But why would they target the students?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"I don't know," Li Fangfang replied. "But I've seen strange things. Shadows moving in the corridors, whispers in the night, and sometimes, I swear I've heard screams coming from the basement."

I felt a chill run down my spine. This boarding school was turning out to be a nightmare.

"We need to stick together," Li Fangfang said, her voice filled with determination. "I've been trying to gather evidence, but it's risky. Are you in?"

I hesitated for a moment, weighing the risks and the unknown dangers that awaited us. But something inside me told me that I couldn't ignore the truth.

"I'm in," I finally said, my voice steady. "We need to find out what's really going on in this school."

Li Fangfang nodded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "We'll uncover the secrets of this place and expose them to the world," she said.

Little did we know that our decision would lead us down a path filled with danger, mystery, and the unimaginable.

We were about to embark on an adventure that would test our courage and resilience, as we delved deeper into the dark secrets of the boarding school.

Together, we would uncover the truth and hopefully, find a way to escape the clutches of this sinister institution.