Chapter 10: Decision

　　"Tell me, what did you see in the hallucination?" the middle-aged police officer asked, while Officer Wei Junliang picked up his pen to start recording.

　　I hesitated for a moment, as anyone who had experienced such a horrifying ordeal would not want to relive it. "I saw... I saw Yumeng turning into a monster after she died, and she captured Wu Jing and Zhang Yang. Yumeng... who was already dead... put Wu Jing's blood into a basin!" I looked at a spot below the windowsill as if I could see that scene again.

　　"I felt that there was a creature hiding inside her body, controlling her," I continued, my voice trembling. "She severed Wu Jing's arm and drew something on the ground. I screamed in terror, which attracted it towards me!"

　　As I spoke, my hand slowly covered my mouth, and my whole body trembled. I saw the two police officers in front of me suddenly transform into two sitting paper figures!

　　The room fell into an eerie silence as my words hung in the air. The gravity of the situation seemed to weigh heavily upon us, and the officers exchanged concerned glances.

　　"Miss Xia Ning!" "Miss Xia Ning?"

　　Two calls came, and when I blinked again, the two paper figures in front of me had disappeared.

　　"Miss Xia Ning, please tell me directly where Wu Jing is in the hallucination. We'll go find her right away!" The middle-aged police officer interrupted me, perhaps startled by my previous behavior.

　　Officer Wei Junliang stood up and poured a cup of hot water for me.

　　"Thank you," I said, my hands trembling as I accepted the cup. I continued to drink until the water was finished, finally pausing.

　　"We got separated in the courtyard scene of the haunted house in the hallucination," I continued. "I can lead you there. I must personally find them and bring them back!"

　　"Alright, but before that, I think you should make a phone call home," Officer Zhang Wei, the middle-aged police officer, suggested.

　　I nodded, realizing that I had been unconscious for two days without contacting my family. I wondered what the teacher had told them.

　　The middle-aged police officer nodded to me, stood up, and left with the young police officer. As the door closed, I could faintly hear their conversation.

　　"Teacher Tangxin, Xia Ning will go with us to search for the other two victims. We need to find them as soon as possible. Their lives are in constant danger!" The voice of the middle-aged police officer.

　　"But how can she go in her current state?"

　　"..."

　　As I listened to Teacher Tangxin's concerned voice outside, I gradually calmed down. Regardless of the circumstances, it was all a hallucination, unreal. I couldn't let myself be consumed by this fear. I had to find them!

　　"No one will die!!" I whispered to myself.

　　Looking at the empty cup in my hand, those horrifying images resurfaced in my mind. I clenched the cup tightly, gritted my teeth, and shook my head, forcefully pushing away those terrifying visions.

　　They were still waiting for me to rescue them. It was just an illusion, right? What was there to be afraid of?

　　I placed the empty cup on the bedside table, lifted the covers, and stepped onto the floor, slipping on my slippers. Slowly, I walked to the window, opened it, and felt the warm sunlight and gentle breeze on my face. Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths of fresh air.

　　"And the killer, I will definitely catch you!"

　　When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer afraid. Completely calm, I suddenly felt an emptiness in my stomach and a sense of exhaustion. Pushing aside any useless emotions, I walked steadily to the door. The voices behind the door instantly became clear.

　　"Teacher Tang, rest assured, the police, will ensure her safety!"

　　"Miss Xia Ning is the only one who can find the two missing students. Please understand..."

　　"Why can only she find them? How come the police can't find them?" Teacher Tangxin's voice questioned.

　　With a creaking sound, I pushed open the door and saw Tang Laoshi standing there, still questioning two policemen. I softly said, "Laoshi, I'm hungry!" I forced a smile onto my face.

　　Teacher Tang stopped arguing and looked at me standing at the doorway. She hurriedly ran towards me, biting her lower lip. The expression on her face was like that of a mother who had finally found her child after many years. Tears welled up in her eyes, and my nose tingled as well. We tightly embraced each other.

　　"Silly child, you're finally safe! It's all the teacher's fault for not taking care of you," she said, holding me and sobbing uncontrollably.

　　"I thought you would never recognize me as your teacher again."

　　"It's not your fault, Teacher Tang! Please don't cry," I cried too.

　　"If something had happened to you, what should I have done?"

　　Even the nurses around us wiped away their tears.

　　We held each other for a while before separating. I wiped away her tears with my hand and said earnestly, "Teacher Tang, now is not the time for this. We need to find Wu Jing and Yu Meng as soon as possible. They must be safe!"

　　The teacher forced back her tears and nodded repeatedly.

　　We returned to the hospital room, and the teacher took a bag from the windowsill. Inside was a thermos lunchbox containing millet porridge and a salted duck egg. I started eating; it had been two days since I had eaten anything, and I didn't even know what I looked like anymore!

　　As I finished a bowl of porridge, I instantly felt much more at ease.

　　The teacher brought my clothes from the windowsill. Without wasting any time, she placed the lunchbox with the remaining porridge on the small cabinet by the bed. I stood up and took off the hospital gown. I didn't want to look weak and frail, even though I still felt a bit dizzy.

　　These were my regular clothes: a sky-blue skirt and a white floral short-sleeved top. Luckily, I was wearing pants when I fell that night, which saved my knees from getting injured. However, the pants were probably unusable now, so the teacher had found me a new outfit in the dormitory.

　　While I was getting dressed, Tang Xin, like taking care of a child, helped me put on the clothes. I felt warmth in my heart. This kind of pampering feeling I had only experienced with my late grandmother when I was young.

　　After getting dressed, Tang Xin handed me my phone. I was taken aback, feeling a strange sensation in my heart. I had already experienced a similar scene before, but when I saw that the phone screen wasn't broken, it put my mind at ease.

　　Seeing me lost in thought, the teacher thought I was hesitating about what to say.

　　"Why don't you make a phone call to your family? I've already explained a few times before, saying that you're currently busy with your duties as the head of the Literature and Arts Department of the Student Council," she said.

　　I looked at the teacher, surprised.

　　"Don't look at me like that. You really are the head of the Literature and Arts Department now. I've already reported it, and it's been approved," she reassured me.

　　I managed a forced smile.

　　I took the phone and composed myself. I dialed my home number and after a beep, someone picked up on the other end. "Hello, Xia Ning, when are you coming back?" came my mother's familiar and gentle voice.

　　"Mom..." My voice trembled slightly. No matter how much I tried to disguise it, hearing that gentle and familiar voice almost made me cry.

　　Teacher Tang patted my shoulder from the side.

　　I took a deep breath, and my voice became steadier. "Mom, your daughter is now an official in the student council. The class can't do without someone like me. I estimate it'll be about ten more days."

　　"Oh my god, too late? Can't you talk to your teacher and come back earlier?" my mom suggested.

　　"Mom, this assignment is really important. If I can't complete it, I'll lose credits!" I replied.

　　It's not just credits at stake, but also two lives!

　　"I see... Well, make sure to come back early after you're done. Mom will make some of your favorite sugar cookies, and your dad keeps asking me to make them for him!" Laughter could be heard on the other end of the call.

　　"Mom, what about Dad..."

　　"Your dad isn't home. He went to deliver groceries to Aunt Wu. Alright, I won't disturb you anymore. Mom is hanging up now!"

　　"Wait!"

　　"Mom, tell Dad that I love you both forever..." I don't know why, but those words slipped out of my mouth.

　　"You silly child, just remember to come back early. Mom and Dad miss you!"

　　Hearing those words, two tears rolled down my face. "I miss you too..." I hung up the phone.

　　Teacher Tang took my phone and said softly, "Go wash your face. I'll help you brush your hair." Her voice was gentle.

　　I nodded.

　　In the mirror, I looked haggard. My hair was a mess, and my chin seemed even sharper on my already slender face. I splashed water on my face, and the icy sensation instantly cleared my mind.

　　When I came out, I sat on the bed, and the teacher behind me started to fix my hair, tying it up into a ponytail.

　　"Look, our Xia Ning is still so beautiful. Let's go!" the teacher said with a smile.

　　"Teacher, where's my backpack?" I asked blankly, looking at the scenery outside the window.

　　"It's in the cabinet. Leave it here. We'll get it when we come back."

　　I didn't say anything. When we walked out, the two policemen were sitting on a bench, talking about something.

　　Seeing us, they stood up and greeted us. "Let's walk and talk," said the middle-aged policeman.

　　The young policeman kept looking at my face. To be polite, I nodded at them.

　　Finally, the young policeman realized and nodded back.

　　The middle-aged policeman walked beside me, while the young policeman walked behind me with the teacher.

　　We headed toward the direction of the elevator.