Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

Chapter 54 The Invisible Blade, The Headless Corpse

"The suicide note... ends here."

Xia Zhaozhao's voice was somewhat heavy. Thinking of how that fun professor ultimately met such a tragic end, she subconsciously clenched her fists.

She moved closer to Xiao Lü and Bai Shuyuan, preparing for battle: "The suicide note said that the monster might be right next to us."

"Indeed, we need to remain highly vigilant until we find that guy," Xiao Lü agreed, but her gaze returned to the end of the suicide note.

"He was murdered when he wrote the word 'could it be'. But why did that?"

The suicide note clearly stated that the monster did not want him to die easily and even tried to stop him from committing suicide.

So, what exactly did those abruptly ending lines in the suicide note mean? Why did the monster change its mind?

A feeling of confusion replaced regret and spread through Xiao Lü's heart.

The murderer who killed Qin Zheng and created this illusion should be the same being as "Li Ding" whom they encountered before.

However, unlike Li Ding, who was so mentally impaired that only primal instincts remained, the monster they were currently encountering displayed a pure and intense malice, a deep-seated hatred for Qin Zheng.

Why does it hate Qin Zheng so much? What kind of past did it have with Qin Zheng before it became a monster? Since its initial goal was to torture and enjoy Qin Zheng's struggles, why did it abruptly end this cat-and-mouse game later?

Little Green had no idea.

A brief silence fell over the laboratory.

After a moment, Bai Shuyuan slowly spoke: "First of all, before we deal with the enemy at hand, we cannot go to find Chlorella and the seed bank for the time being."

"After all, trying to find specific items in the illusion before its exact location, abilities, and patterns of behavior are clear is pointless; it's like walking through a minefield."

"My idea is to first carefully review all the anomalies we encountered since entering Xinmao University."

"First of all, everything we are experiencing right now, whether it's the school building, the faceless man, that girl, or the laboratory, may originate from the memory projection of that individual."

Xiao Lü nodded: "It seems that the owner of the memory is quite familiar with this experimental building we are in now, and obviously frequents this place often."

"Moreover, based on the school uniform style we saw, he was once a student at Xinmao No. 3 Middle School."

This detail was enough to rule out other professions such as professor, lab manager, and cleaner. Based on the approximate era of that school uniform, Xiao Lü made her guess.

"I think the owner of this memory should be one of Qin Zheng's doctoral students. Moreover, he harbors a deep hatred for Qin Zheng."

"But... if there's some deep-seated hatred, why would you want to pursue a doctorate under him?" Xia Zhaozhao asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Isn't this just asking for trouble? Is there some kind of leverage against him, or is it Stockholm syndrome? Or did the feud start after he started his doctoral studies? ... But Professor Qin Zheng has such a good reputation that even I know it."

"I don't know. Maybe he wants to get close to Qin Zheng first, gain his trust, and then take revenge?" Xiao Lü offered another guess.

"Then, before he could even begin his revenge, disaster struck. His intense obsession led him to unite with a 'deformed child,' and after transforming into a monster, he finally completed his vengeance?"

But why such overwhelming hatred? Little Green had no idea and began to doubt her own guesses.

"Before we go, I want to remind you of something," Bai Shuyuan's voice interrupted Xiao Lü's thoughts. "Do you remember how Professor Qin Zheng's body appeared before us?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhaozhao tried hard to recall the scene, then said somewhat uncertainly, "It seems to have been the instant I saw that name tag and realized it was Qin Zheng's corpse?"

"Then, where is this suicide note?" Bai Shuyuan continued to press.

Little Green thought back carefully: "Its location was indeed very conspicuous. If it was already there when we entered the lab, there was no reason for us to overlook it."

"Furthermore, when Qin Zheng was writing the last few words, it was as if he suddenly realized something before he was killed. That monster... also appeared suddenly like that?"

"He guessed the killer's true identity on the spot, and then that monster silenced him?" Xia Zhaozhao's eyes widened. "It can read minds?"

"I don't believe monsters have the ability to read minds," Bai Shuyuan said, dismissing the possibility.

"I have a hypothesis: in this area, when we realize what we 'should' see based on certain clues or inferences, the corresponding illusion collapses and transforms into a reality that we can clearly observe."

She continued, "For example, after we confirmed that the blurry shadow was Professor Qin Zheng's body, Qin Zheng's body appeared there, along with a suicide note closely related to Professor Qin Zheng."

"Therefore, I believe that Professor Qin Zheng and his students, like us, are also trapped in this illusion."

Bai Shuyuan continued, "However, in the final moments of his life, he may have finally figured out some key point and discovered the monster's true identity."

"So, just like we can see Qin Zheng's corpse, Qin Zheng saw the monster after realizing its true identity?" Xiao Lü continued.

"Yes. And this monster seems to launch a frenzied attack on anyone who can see its true form."

The atmosphere in the laboratory became unusually heavy. The three decided to search for more clues in the laboratory, hoping to piece together information about the murderer.

However, most of the documents on Qin Zheng's desk were experimental records filled with technical jargon and printed copies of some papers, which had no value whatsoever.

They have not yet found any other items that resemble a suicide note or provide direct clues.

"If you know what you should see, you will see it..." Xiao Lü suddenly thought of something and repeated Bai Shuyuan's previous words in a low voice, her gaze returning to the suicide note.

[...Zhu Hui didn't even do anything before his head fell off...]

If this description is true, then Zhu Hui may have been sitting at his own lab station when he was murdered.

She continued searching through the files on Qin Zheng's desktop, hoping to find information indicating the exact location of Zhu Hui's workstation.

Finally, she found the name "Zhu Hui" and the corresponding workstation number on a laboratory layout sheet.

Following the numbering, she looked toward a corner of the laboratory.

"Zhu Hui's body should be in this location!"

Almost the instant those words were uttered, a strange change occurred beside the previously empty lab bench.

A headless male corpse, also wearing a white coat, appeared there without warning.

The upper body of the corpse slumped limply beside the lab table, the cut at the neck uneven. A large amount of spurting blood gushed out beside the body.