“Every kind of thing has its own rules to follow, and ghosts are no exception. According to research data, every type of ghost has an almost fixed way of killing and acting, just like a computer program: the computer only runs when you press the power button, and you can only open software when you click the mouse. Overcoming fear, discerning the patterns of ghosts, and finding their flaws—this is the only chance for ordinary people to survive when targeted by a ghost.”

“Remember, if a ghost comes after you, apart from this method, you have no other way to survive. Don’t harbor any illusions—the terror of that thing is beyond your imagination.”

He repeated this sentence again, his tone grave.

Chapter Three: The Old Man

Ghosts cannot be killed.

Only ghosts can deal with ghosts.

Discern the patterns of ghosts.

These three sentences were written clearly on the blackboard, the handwriting messy yet distinct, showing how much force Eric Clark used when writing.

But the students in the evening self-study session looked at each other in confusion.

Is this person really here to teach? Could he be some lunatic who wandered in from somewhere, just spouting incomprehensible nonsense to fool people?

Some students shook their heads below, clearly not believing what he said.

Others began to whisper among themselves, some even laughing out loud.

Obviously, most people didn’t take Eric Clark’s words to heart.

Only Brian Cooper looked somewhat grave, because the story on that forum yesterday, and that photo, made him feel very uneasy. Coupled with this man’s strange words... Could it be that some changes he didn’t know about were really happening in this world?

After writing the three sentences, Eric Clark didn’t say much more. Instead, with his haggard, bloodshot eyes, he looked at everyone: “Classmates, if you have any questions or if anything strange happens around you, you can ask me and I will answer you. If there’s nothing to ask, then today’s safety lecture ends here.”

But not a single student wanted to ask anything.

“Should I ask him about that old man in the photo?”

Brian Cooper’s expression shifted as he took out his phone, opened that forum, and scrolled back to the photo of the old man.

But just as he hesitated, the lights in the classroom suddenly dimmed, and the whole room became a bit gloomy.

“Hm?”

On the podium, Eric Clark’s expression changed slightly, immediately becoming very alert.

Brian Cooper also instinctively looked up, but when he inadvertently glanced through the window and saw a figure in the corridor outside, his eyes widened instantly, his whole body tensing up, and an intense fear surged from his heart, quickly enveloping his entire body. In that moment, he even lost all feeling in his body.

Outside the window, an old man in a black long robe, his face covered in corpse spots, stood there stiffly. His grayish-white, lifeless eyes stared into the classroom without a trace of spirit, standing there as straight and cold as a corpse.

Around the old man, it was pitch black, not a hint of light. The corridor lights seemed to have completely gone out at this moment, and a thick darkness, like mercury, rapidly seeped into the classroom.

The wall near the old man began to decay at a speed visible to the naked eye. The freshly painted wall surface suddenly looked as if decades had passed, becoming covered in moss, the paint turning black and peeling off in patches. A gloomy, rotten smell gradually spread through the air.

“It’s the old man from the forum story... Impossible, how could he be here?”

Brian Cooper’s palm turned pale from gripping his phone too tightly. On the phone screen was the photo of that old man, looking exactly the same as the one outside the window—only the one outside was even more terrifying than in the picture...

Then, in his fright, he jumped up from his seat, so agitated that he knocked over his chair.

Because of his sudden movement, all the other students in the class turned to look at him.

“Brian Cooper, why are you standing up? Sit down at once and stop disrupting the class,” Mr. Miller barked from the back.

But at this moment, Brian Cooper didn’t seem to hear at all. His terrified eyes were fixed on the old man in black outside the window.

The old man moved...

His stiff body turned in a mechanical way, those grayish-white, lifeless eyes seemingly unfocused, just numbly following the movement of his head.

“Tap, tap tap~!”

Crisp, echo-less footsteps sounded in the corridor outside, faintly drifting into the classroom.

“Is he leaving?”

Cold sweat broke out all over Brian Cooper, and he desperately hoped the old man would leave and not come in.

If the story from the forum was true, then if this old man came in... the consequences would be unimaginable.

But things didn’t go as he wished. The old man didn’t leave. He just took a few steps and finally stopped in front of the classroom door.

“Brian Cooper, why aren’t you sitting down? Didn’t you hear me? You even dare to disrupt a safety lecture?” Mr. Miller’s tone grew harsher.

“Ah~!”

At this moment, a female classmate let out a scream, then pointed at the book on her desk, so frightened she couldn’t speak.