A tragedy in a confession of love ceremony

Translation into English:

"There's a thrilling suspense club in the school called 'Spirit Bat'."

"A beautiful new student and a super freshie girl confidently signed up, Spirit Bat Club instructed her to come for an interview in Room 302 of Building 4 in half an hour. Following the school map, the girl was astonished to find only an empty space where Building 4 should have been."

"Sensing keenly that the interview had commenced, she took a deep breath, preparing to face the challenge."

"After consulting the security guard, she learned that Building 4 had been demolished."

"But I need to go to Building 4 for the interview!"

At that moment, the security guard suddenly pushed her hard, exclaiming, "Watch out!" She staggered back a step as a large brick fell from above; if she hadn't moved in time, it might have hit her head.

Shaken but unharmed, she couldn't make sense of where the brick had come from since there was no building nearby. With the interview approaching, she had no time to dwell on this and asked the guard, "After Building 4 was demolished, where were the departments and offices relocated to?"

Pointing ahead, the security guard replied, "To Building 3 across."

Reassured, she thought to herself, 'Building 3 essentially takes on the role of Building 4 now. Such a small issue won't deter me!' Turning towards Building 3, she heard the guard softly caution, "You're going to Building 3? It's best not to go; people have died there."

Startled but undeterred, she continued on her way.

Selection at Spirit Bat

Luckily, she found the classroom. However, only three new students were there for the interview; it seemed others were stumped by the question 'Finding Building 4.'

The interviewer, a very handsome senior, maintained a serious expression throughout. He asked a series of suspense-related questions, escalating in difficulty, and eventually, only she, a seasoned freshie, outperformed the other three students.

The handsome senior said, "The winner stays, the others can leave."

Carefully, she asked, "Senior, why am I the only one left when we are a fairly large club?"

He replied, "This year, only one exceptionally talented individual is being accepted. Congratulations on winning."

Modestly smiling, she inquired, "What responsibilities do I have as a member?"

The senior replied earnestly, "We need you to be the club president."

Stepping up in a Crisis

"President?" She could hardly believe it.

He said, "You can choose to accept this responsibility, but once you do, there's no turning back."

Feeling the weight of his words, she bravely responded, "I'm in."

"Good! You're now the president."

"Um, can you tell me what happened to the Spirit Bat Club?"

With a sigh, the senior began:

"We need a student with exceptional talent to lead us. The Spirit Bat Club has always been the top student organization at the school, winning numerous awards in suspenseful writing competitions, even garnering admiration from many geniuses in 'Cutting Edge Reading.' But now, the club faces a grave crisis."

"The former president, Xiao Yan, committed suicide by jumping from Room 302 of Building 4, leading to the building's demolition. However, we recently discovered that Building 4 still exists."

"Perhaps naturally inquisitive, she asked, 'Was the former president heartbroken?' The senior sadly nodded his head, saying, 'One could say that.'"

Taking out a flash drive, he said, "After the building was demolished, we planned to make a campus suspense-themed short film. These are some scenes we captured accidentally, holding key information. Take a look; it will provide insight."

Receiving the weighty drive, she realized that as an outstanding freshie, her university life was destined to be extraordinary.

In Office

Back in her dorm, she still couldn't believe she had become the club president right at the beginning of her studies; her heart raced with excitement and trepidation.

Before she could open the flash drive on the computer, her roommate Zhang Hong said, "You truly are a beauty; a guy sent you flowers on your first day!" Handing over a beautiful bouquet of roses, Zhang continued, "Just now, a senior deliberately brought these for you."

Although touched, she asked, "Who sent them, and when was this?"

"Just now, a senior sent them over."

With a tinge of jealousy in her tone, Zhang revealed that she had noticed earlier. Without any sender information in the bouquet, she placed it on her bed, eager to view the video content on the flash drive.

To her surprise, the flash drive contained a virus. Upon connection, her computer blacked out, displaying a line of blue text: Have you received the flowers?

Her scalp tingled - the virus had been planted prior, how did it know about the flowers today?

As she sensed a strange odor in the room, she discovered it emanated from the bouquet, inside which she found a large dead bat. Zhang showed no surprise, relishing in the situation, indicating she was aware already. Ever vigilant, she reminded herself to be cautious around her scheming roommate.

Intuitively linking the bat to the Spirit Bat Club, her computer rebooted, revealing the sole video file.

Filmed from a window in Building 3, the video extended over 70 hours! The scenes were monotonous, capturing outside views of the campus and passing students and teachers below. However, as evening approached in the recording, a swarm of bats circled the campus, evoking an eerie atmosphere.

Yet, she couldn't decipher any further information from the video.

Suddenly, chaos erupted downstairs. Zhang mumbled and cursed as she rushed to the balcony, proclaiming, "Someone downstairs is dead! Come quickly, that seems to be the senior who brought you the flowers!"

Startled, she hurried over, witnessing a crowd surrounding a young man lying in a pool of blood - the same man who had conducted her interview just minutes ago.

She asked Zhang, "He brought the flowers?"

Zhang nodded.

Frowning, she wondered, 'What is going on?'

Seemingly intent on testing this newly-appointed club president, another bizarre event unfolded - voices from the crowd below drifted up: "Isn't that the former Spirit Bat Club president Xiao Yan who jumped to his death two years ago?"

Devil and Love

Just now, the handsome senior mentioned that the former president of the club had jumped off the fourth building and committed suicide back then, prompting the school to demolish the fourth building. It now seems that the senior he was referring to is himself.

Muttering to herself, Xiaokai said, "Was the one who interviewed me just now a ghost?"

Luckily, Xiaokai's nerves were strong enough. She quickly adjusted her emotions and started studying the strange bundle of bat roses. It was then that she discovered that the stems of those flowers were growing out of the bats' bodies! This phenomenon probably had only one explanation: this rose was sprouting inside the bats' bellies.

Nurturing such a rose undoubtedly required a great deal of effort; it definitely wasn't just for fun.

Xiaokai waved her reasoning skills, "Roses symbolize love, bats symbolize the devil. Love sprouts within the devil..."

It seemed that these bizarre events were indeed related to Xiaoyan's love.

Xiaokai realized she had to go back to the original location of the fourth building. She chose the classroom where she had just interviewed, as it provided a view of the surroundings of the former fourth building.

Xiaokai noticed a problem: in the lawn between the third and fourth buildings, there was an area where the grass was short and yellowed, as if it lacked sufficient sunlight. That area formed a large parallelogram.

As Xiaokai looked closer, an idea formed in her mind. She grabbed a piece of paper and drew a schematic. The sunlight on that lawn must have been blocked by something. Just like solving a trigonometry problem, Xiaokai drew to figure out the position of the obstruction.

Looking at her results, Xiaokai felt both excited and fearful: the huge obstruction seemed to be the third floor of the original fourth building! In other words, the fourth building might still exist...

Startled by her own speculations, Xiaokai subconsciously took a step back, only to feel something soft under her foot. She looked down and saw a dead bat.

On the classroom floor, many dead bats had appeared at some point. They were arranged in a heart shape, with Xiaokai and the bat she was standing on at the center.

Ruling the Spirit Bats

Xiaokai knew that no one had come in just now. These things hadn't been there before, so they must have been placed there recently.

At that moment, Xiaokai received another text message: "You have successfully enrolled in the Spirit Bat Society. We will have a meeting at 12:00 noon in Room 302 of Building 3. See you there!"

It seemed that her interview was necessary because Xiaoyan's ghost was selecting the new club president. Ordinary members didn't need interviews to join.

The time for the meeting was approaching.

The door opened from outside, and several students walked in. They were taken aback to see Xiaokai standing amidst a pile of dead bats.

One chubby male student asked, "Are you here for the meeting too?"

The person next to him nudged him, and he paused, "What's wrong?" Then he noticed everyone's gaze focused on the bouquet of roses in Xiaokai's hand.

"You are... the president?" they all asked in unison.

Xiaokai nodded.

"The new president has been selected?"

"When did this happen?"

"This is great news..."

Xiaokai asked, "Can anyone tell me what exactly is troubling the Spirit Bat Society, and what happened to Xiaoyan back then?"

The chubby student volunteered to explain:

At that time, Xiaoyan was our president. The Spirit Bat Society thrived under his leadership and had even hosted a New Year's Eve party with nine authors from "Cutting-Edge Readings."

In fact, ten invitations were sent out from the society, and everyone thought one author had snubbed Xiaoyan. Only a few people in the society knew that this author had indeed shown up but was planning a special confession ceremony to help Xiaoyan.

That night, Xiaoyan arranged to meet the girl he liked in Room 302 of Building 4. However, Xiaoyan himself didn't plan to show up; he hid in the classroom opposite to where they were meeting. Xiaoyan had prepared over a hundred bats, each with a small rose tied to its body. When the girl entered the opposite classroom and turned on the lights as agreed, Xiaoyan, with the help of that author, released the bats.

They had hidden an ultrasonic device in Room 302 beforehand, which would attract the bats carrying roses as they flew by.

Listening to this, Xiaokai imagined the scene at that time—a mix of mystery and romance that fit the style of the Spirit Bat Society's confession ceremony. However, looking at the expression on the chubby student's face, she could tell something unexpected had occurred.

Xiaoyan had expected the girl he loved to scream in fear, but he hadn't anticipated that her scream would last so long, so chillingly...

The girl had died, bitten to death by the bats. During the autopsy, they found many bats inside her body.

Realizing how romance had turned to tragedy, Xiaokai said, "Until now, we still cannot figure out what went wrong. Regular bats shouldn't have such aggressive behavior, right?"

Xiaokai, with her extraordinary intuition, had a gut feeling: "It's the author who's behind all this!"

Reality turned horrifying

This statement left everyone stunned. Clearly, none of them had considered this possibility, but now it seemed to make sense.

Xiaokai continued, "As far as I know, the fastest and strongest bat in a bat colony becomes the leader, and whatever it does, the others mimic. Additionally, certain types of bats can become aggressive due to specific frequencies of ultrasonic waves. I believe that this author might have secretly placed one of those bats among the hundred and adjusted the ultrasonic frequency to the point where it turned them all into bloodthirsty demons."

Everyone listened attentively, increasing their confidence in the new president.

Xiaokai asked, "What's the name of this author?"

The chubby student said, "The confession ceremony was kept completely secret; even we didn't know who was with Xiaoyan releasing the bats that day."

Xiaokai asked the chubby student, "What's your name, and what were you in charge of in the society before?"

"I'm Guo Ming. I was the acting president before you arrived. But don't worry, since Xiaoge chose you, I will cooperate with you. Also, these people are new members recruited this year."

Nodding, Xiaokai said, "I need to recreate the scene of that time. Assume I am Xiaoyan, and Guo Ming, please stay back as the mysterious author. Everyone else, please step outside."

Soon, only they remained in the classroom. Xiaokai walked to the window and muttered to herself, "This is so eerie. The mysterious authors from 'Cutting-Edge Readings' gathered at the Spirit Bat Society's New Year's Eve party, but the president brought an author here for a creepy confession, turning bats carrying roses into bloodthirsty killers..."

The chubby student stood beside her, saying nothing.

At that moment, Xiaokai saw her roommate Zhang Hong passing by below Building 3, waving at her as if saying something. Unable to hear, Xiaokai dialed Zhang Hong's number on her phone, "It's too windy; I can't hear you clearly. Let's talk on the phone."

Zhang Hong said, "I happened to pass by and greeted you. Nothing much. By the way, why are you standing alone by the window?"

Taken aback, Xiaokai replied, "But there's someone here with me!"

"Forget it, I'm going to eat," Zhang Hong said and walked away.

A chill ran through Xiaokai—Zhang Hong mentioned seeing only her alone! She quickly turned to Guo Ming, who was now standing up, saying, "President, what did you just say? I was tying my shoelaces and didn't hear."

Perhaps, it was just him bending down that made her feel nervous. Xiaokai sighed in relief, but deep down, she wondered, "Was he telling the truth...?"

A Gathering Storm

Xiaokai remained nervous, but Guo Ming suddenly tensed up, saying, "Shh, there's a sound! It's so familiar..." Xiaokai listened intently but heard nothing.

Guo Ming seemed to recall something, his face turning pale, stammering, "B-b-bats!"

Looking out the window, Xiaokai saw a swarm of bats flying towards the classroom, blackening the sky!

Cursing, Guo Ming said, "Is this tragic event going to repeat itself?" They closed all the windows in the classroom, only to find the door had been locked from outside.

Xiaokai, anxious, asked, "Who locked the door? Quickly open it!"

The members outside called in, "President, it wasn't us; we can't open it!"

Guo Ming shouted, "You fools, go find the security to borrow tools to break the lock!"

The bats outside had already reached the windows. Xiaokai thought that with the windows secured, the bats would have no way in. However, she was amazed by what happened next: a bat flung itself against the glass, shattering its head and falling to the ground. Other bats followed, frenziedly crashing against the window, turning all the glass a bloody mess.

"They're trying to break in!"

Outside, they said, "We've got the tools; wait a moment, President."

Guo Ming slammed the door, saying, "No time for chatter; break the lock! If you delay any longer, all you'll do is collect our bodies!"

Due to his agitation, his phone slipped from his pocket to the floor.

The terrifying sounds of the bats' impact continued, and the glass began to crack. Xiaokai watched with trepidation, as Guo Ming picked up the phone, his voice trembling, "President, look at this..."

Xiaokai felt things couldn't get any worse at this point and took the phone, but her blood ran cold at what she saw.

The time displayed on the phone was 9:00 PM on January 1, 2011! Xiaokai said, "Could this be...?"

Guo Ming nodded, saying, "Yes, this is the time of the New Year's Eve party and the bat confession! How is this possible, is it a phone issue or has time rewound?"

Amidst the louder cracking of glass, Guo Ming glanced outside and said, "Could it be... is that... the fourth building?"

Looking through the bloodstained glass and the bat swarm, in the distance, they could faintly make out a building.

Xiaokai felt a shudder; wasn't the fourth building demolished?

After a final shatter, the glass succumbed to the relentless impacts, just as the door outside was finally being forced open. Guo Ming pushed Xiaokai urgently, "Go, quickly!"

In that split second, Xiaokai snapped a photo using the camera function on Guo Ming's phone.

The bats swarmed in.

The Mysterious Author

In the last moment before being engulfed by the bats' mass, Guo Ming too fled the classroom and swiftly shut the door.

"We're temporarily safe," Guo Ming sighed in relief.

However, Xiaokai's expression grew even more serious. "Perhaps not," she said.

Guo Ming was taken aback, "What do you mean?"

"You remember when Zhang Hong said she only saw me?" Xiaokai asked.

"I told you, I was tying my shoelaces at that time, so she wouldn't have seen me, right? Why, do you suspect me of being a ghost?"

Taking a moment, Xiaokai said, "I believe that if my hunch is correct, you are the mysterious author."

Guo Ming sighed, "Yes. The authors never met each other, and besides Xiaoyan, no one knew my identity. I felt like a ghost during that New Year's Eve party. When Xiaoyan was confessing, I tampered with the ultrasonic device, making the bats go insane."

"Why did you do that?" Xiaokai asked.

Guo Ming replied, "The girl Xiaoyan loved happened to be someone I had feelings for too."

Some of the members were incensed, saying, "So you planned to use Xiaoyan's confession to kill that girl, then goad Xiaoyan into a tragic end, allowing you to not only exact revenge but also potentially become the head of the society!"

Guo Ming smiled wryly, "Believe what you want, but now we cannot afford to be enemies. This door won't hold for long, and once those bats break through, you'll all perish here."

Members grew more agitated, and a confrontation seemed imminent. Xiaokai raised her voice sternly, "Stop! Instead of bickering, consider this: if he meant us harm, there are easier ways. Why stay and argue with us here?"

As the door distorted further, it seemed close to giving way. Everyone began to panic and scatter for safety.

Guo Ming shouted, "Don't run around!" Yet, several had reached the staircase but froze in place, staring down in shock.

Approaching, Xiaokai saw a stunning sight: the staircase had broken off from the sixth step, and the floor they stood on seemed to be floating in mid-air!

Translation into English:

"Castle in the Air"
Guo Ming gave a bitter smile and said, "Do you understand now?"

Xiao Kai nodded and said, "We are not in Building 3 now, but on the third floor of demolished Building 4."

Guo Ming said, "Yes. At that time, Xiao Yan asked me to help him control the remote control device for ultrasonic waves. But just after releasing the group of bats, Xiao Yan suddenly said to me, 'Xiao Guo, do you feel that something is wrong?' I said no. Xiao Yan said, 'No, I had a strange feeling when I tied roses to the bats earlier.' Xiao Yan was the smartest person I had ever met, and his feelings were usually spot on. However, the bats had already been released, fluttering chaotically in the evening sky. In the opposite classroom, the girl was waiting for Xiao Yan to appear. Suddenly, Xiao Yan said, 'I remember now. One of the roses I tied earlier was a different color!' I realized the seriousness of the situation immediately because all those roses were bought at the same time, and there shouldn't have been a big difference in color. The only possible explanation for this was that someone had sneaked in an extra rose. This meant that there was an extra bat as well. As the ultrasonic waves from the opposite classroom intensified, the bats started flying towards it, becoming agitated and eerie. I said, 'I know, someone has placed a blood bat among them! They could attack anyone on campus at any moment, and many could die!' Xiao Yan and I fell silent because we knew there was only one way to save the pedestrians on campus. That was to increase the frequency of the ultrasonic waves in the opposite classroom, attracting all the bats to Building 4..."

Xiao Kai gasped, "So that means the girl will die?"

Guo Ming said, "But if we don't do this, more people will die. That girl is the one both Xiao Yan and I liked. Knowing I was no match for Xiao Yan, I wanted to make things work for them. Little did I know, I would have to be the one to kill her... In the end, Xiao Yan said, 'There's no other way, increase the frequency.' With tears in my eyes, I reluctantly pressed that button..."

Xiao Kai said, "So that's how it happened."

"The next day, Xiao Yan chose to die for love. As he was dying, he urged me to live on because we still didn't know who had placed that blood bat. I had to carry on with the Bat Society until I found a successor as excellent as Xiao Yan."

Guo Ming continued, "Xiao Kai, you are that person."

"Tit for Tat"
Xiao Kai said, "But what about what happened later?"

Guo Ming said, "The girl who was bitten by the bats had an unsettled spirit, and her resentment caused this floor to remain mysteriously suspended in the air even after it was demolished. Over the years, many people in the vicinity have been mysteriously hit by falling objects, and some have disappeared without a trace. As the bats increased in the evening on campus, wherever there were bats swirling, any building would suddenly return to the third floor of Building 3 on New Year's Day 2011, and those taken away would never return. To end it all, we must recreate that day's scene and rescue the girl trapped by the bats in Classroom 302."

Xiao Kai said, "Today, the flowers Xiao Yan's ghost gave me symbolize his intention to confess just like he did in the past, but this time the role of the girl is taken by me. Just now in the classroom with you, we went back to that moment. You saved me, changing the outcome."

Guo Ming said, "Do you know the name of the girl Xiao Yan and I liked back then?"

After a moment of silence and deep thought, Xiao Kai exclaimed, "Zhang Hong!"

Guo Ming was first surprised and then smiled with relief, "Xiao Yan was right about you, you are truly amazing."

Xiao Kai said, "It's nothing really. On the day I arrived at school, Zhang Hong was in the dorm room, and I naturally assumed she was my roommate. But her jealousy when she received the flowers from Xiao Yan was a bit excessive; now looking back, it wouldn't be surprising if she was Xiao Yan's ex-girlfriend. Also, Xiao Yan was so strong that for him to 'die' again downstairs in ghost form was implausible. The only possibility was that the ghost, Zhang Hong, 'killed' him. Xiao Yan felt guilty towards Zhang Hong, so he willingly 'died' again."

Guo Ming said, "The ending has been rewritten now, and Zhang Hong's spirit should finally find peace. Tomorrow, on the last day of freshman registration, your real roommate should be showing up soon."

At that moment, someone shouted, "President, bats are flying out from under the door! What should we do?"

Looking sadly at Guo Ming, Xiao Kai understood his intentions, but...

Guo Ming said, "The reason the bats are chasing us is because I have the ultrasonic device on me. I caused Zhang Hong's death, so I should sacrifice myself in the same way for her. Goodbye, Xiao Kai, take care!"

With that, Guo Ming's spirit spread its arms and leaped from the staircase. The frenzied bats followed, swooping down, dispersing his spirit.

Epilogue
This chapter has come to a close, but the tale of the Bat Society has only just begun. Xiao Kai took on the responsibilities of Xiao Yan and Guo Ming, managing the Bat Society. The next day, Xiao Kai's true roommate arrived, coincidentally a writer. She documented the story Xiao Kai had told and published it under Xiao Yan's pen name."

Originally posted 2024-04-09 13:21:31.