Chapter 3: The Locked Room

Just as I asked my question, the bookshelf behind him toppled over without warning, as if someone had pushed it from the other side.

A thunderous crash echoed through the room.

“No—!”

It all happened in a split second. I desperately tried to grab hold of Liu Jianzhou’s hand, but could only watch helplessly as the shelf crashed down, burying him beneath its weight.

A drop of liquid splattered onto my face, still warm. I reached up to touch it and discovered it was red—blood.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at the scene before me. A living, breathing person had just died right before my eyes.

A scream pierced the air, uncertain whose it was, and I snapped out of my daze.

“Help him—quick!” I shouted, and immediately several people rushed over, trying to lift the heavy shelf and pull Liu Jianzhou out.

But the moment the shelf was finally moved, the sight of Liu Jianzhou’s mangled face told me all I needed to know: he was gone.

The bookshelf had struck his head directly; I even saw one of his eyes dislodged, trampled unknowingly by those around.

I collapsed weakly to the ground. At that moment, my phone vibrated. I took it out and glanced at the screen.

[Game Failed.]

Once again, I had failed…

I clenched my fists, biting my lip, a surge of unwillingness rising in my chest. I was so close—just a little more and I could have saved him.

The bookshelf had collapsed and killed Liu Jianzhou. The librarian called the police. Though they asked us a few questions and took our statements, the security cameras showed nothing but a shelf falling over on its own.

In the end, the official conclusion was that the wood had rotted, leading to an unfortunate accident.

I shook my head. I wasn’t some genius detective or the prodigious Conan. How was I supposed to win this cursed game?

But what I didn’t expect was that, just after finishing my statement with the police, the student council sought me out.

Honestly, I hadn’t figured out why this high school even had a student council, much less one with such authority.

They wanted me to make a statement as well.

At the student council office, the senior who questioned me sighed as he wrote, “When I was organizing the archives last time, I saw records of all sorts of accidental deaths here. I never thought something like this would happen again.”

All sorts of accidental deaths?

“You mean all of them died in accidents?” I ventured.

He leaned in and whispered, “Keep your voice down… They say it’s a curse. Anyone who gets involved is doomed.”

A curse?

There was a ghost playing a game, using our lives as its stakes!

After leaving the student council meeting room, I kept my head down, lost in thought.

If the student council considered it a curse, perhaps the school knew something, maybe even the police. Otherwise, how could they be so indifferent to these repeated fatalities?

Perhaps the archives held some answers.

With this in mind, I found myself increasingly curious about the student council and its records.

By now, a crowd had gathered, including some from my own class.

I spotted our class president, Ye Xinran, and quickly pulled her aside. “Can you help me get access to the student council archives?”

Ye Xinran hesitated, her expression conflicted. “The archives require the council president’s permission. Do you really think I could manage that?”

Li Moran? He was notorious for being cunning and petty. I’d even had a run-in with him before—no hope there.

With that, I had no choice but to quell my curiosity for the time being.

That afternoon, during math class, the endless formulas felt like a death sentence. I drifted off within minutes, and when I awoke, dusk had already settled outside.

The sky darkened so quickly this season—it could only mean a storm was coming.

At least, after Liu Jianzhou’s death, the texts had stopped.

When I got home, I skipped dinner, lying on my bed and replaying the three incidents in my head. I could have stopped each one, if only I’d been fast enough.

Lost in thought, I drifted into sleep—and dreamed.

In my dream, I was shrouded in darkness. From within it, I saw Liu Jianzhou calling my name, pleading for help. I reached out, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t grasp his hand, and watched as he was swallowed by the dark.

Suddenly, a faint light glimmered in the distance. I chased after it…

Just as I was about to reach that sliver of light, my alarm blared. I jolted awake.

My forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Brother, I’m sorry. I was so close—just a little faster and I could have saved you.

With a sigh, I gathered my things and left for school.

The homeroom teacher was already in the classroom when I arrived.

She looked at us sternly. “Yesterday, our class experienced two incidents, both due to faulty school facilities. So, starting today, we’ll be moving to a new classroom. Everyone, follow me.”

Strange. Could switching classrooms really solve the problem of a death?

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed two people arguing—Song Qian and Zhao Xiaoyang.

The day before, two classmates had argued before a fatal accident occurred.

A sense of unease crept over me at the sight, though arguments were hardly uncommon, so I didn’t pay much heed.

Oddly enough, our new classroom was a multimedia room.

A regular classroom would barely have piqued our interest, but a multimedia room—with air conditioning and computers—now that was a treat for any student.

I settled in with my belongings. Just then, my phone vibrated.

My heart skipped a beat as a familiar, nightmare-inducing text arrived.

[Within three hours, a student will die. Prevent the incident to clear the game. Fail, and the game is lost. Hint: A locked room is the perfect tomb…]

This time, there was even a hint. And instead of being given a choice, I had to act and prevent it.

A locked-room murder?

I looked around. Everyone was gathered for class; no one was alone, much less in a locked room.

The first period was chemistry. The teacher warned us about a chemical that reacts violently with water, though I couldn’t recall the name—just another string of incomprehensible formulas.

I never had much interest in chemistry, so I only half-listened.

A locked room… Where could that be? What places in the school qualified as locked rooms?

Judging by past events, it was most likely to happen to someone in our class.

So I ruled out anyone outside our class.

Lost in thought, I was startled by the bell signaling the end of class.

“Next up is PE. The teacher said we’re free to do as we like,” the PE monitor announced, and everyone dispersed, excited for a period of unstructured time.

Free time was a rare luxury for us students.

As I was about to leave, a thought struck me.

If everyone left the classroom, the door would be locked—this was a multimedia room, after all, and they didn’t want anyone tampering with the equipment.

In other words, this classroom could become a locked room.

Glancing around, I saw only two people remaining: Song Qian and her deskmate Zhao Xiaoyang.

A hunch prompted me to approach them. Before I got close, I overheard Zhao Xiaoyang speaking to Song Qian.

“My period started today. I’ll stay here during roll call—remember to ask for leave on my behalf.”

Girls often used their periods as an excuse to skip PE—it was a common ploy.

Just then, my phone vibrated again, nerves tightening in my chest.

[Two hours…]

“Tong Yang, aren’t you going to PE?” Song Qian called out.

I snapped back to attention and said to Zhao Xiaoyang, “The class president just told me—if you want to rest, wait until roll call is over.”

Zhao Xiaoyang shot me a glare. “I’m going right now!”

Song Qian added, “Come on, Tong Yang, let’s go. She’ll be there in a minute.”

Something felt off, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.