"You really kept waiting for quite a while..."
A plainly dressed middle-aged woman approached, wearing thick glasses that concealed the resentnt in her eyes.
She wore a kindly, amiable smile and extended her hand toward the Writer.
Her fingernails appeared gnawed and uneven, with so blackish-red marks visible.
Seeing the middle-aged woman rushing toward him, the Writer slightly sidestepped, half-avoiding her.
He didn't shake hands, simply handing over the Transfer Order instead. "You must be the Acting Director? What a pleasure. I'm travel-weary and covered in dust, wouldn't want to dirty your hands."
"Hah—hah—, new teacher, you're so considerate..." The middle-aged woman gave two dry laughs as she took the Transfer Order.
After casually glancing at it twice, she steered the conversation in another direction. "Teacher, where have you co from?" she probed subtly. "This is a critical ti recently, I haven't heard from above about sending anyone?"
The Writer maintained his previous response. "I ca from outside. I thought this would be a good place to settle, perhaps I can rest here awhile."
"Is that so?..." Getting only evasive answers, the Acting Director rubbed her hands together. "What unfortunate timing. Although you've been transferred here, we don't currently need any more teachers."
"I think the Director would agree with !" The middle-aged woman looked toward the back of the office, where for so reason an area was partitioned off with a heavy dark curtain hiding the specific situation. "What do you think, Director—"
Bathed in warm yellow lighting, a figure could faintly be seen reclining halfway on a lounge chair. If one moved closer, they could sll a strong, pungent dicinal odor mixed with a foul, rotting stench.
"I'm still sick here, you handle it." The being called the Director replied slowly.
The voice sounded hoarse and stiff, like a broken gong, as if struggling to force sound from the throat.
"You see, it's completely bad timing. But we can't let you co for nothing—rest here tonight and leave tomorrow morning, how about that?"
The Acting Director said with a smiling expression, seeming to negotiate. "I'll send a ssage imdiately, tomorrow we can find you a better placent!
So children in our institution are quite mischievous, you wouldn't like them. So are even quite bad. You seem good-tempered, how could you possibly control them?
Besides, our environnt here is rather poor—for a teacher like you to stay here would be truly humiliating—"
The middle-aged woman gradually moved closer, blood coloring her eyes. Veins hidden beneath her skin bulged slightly, eerie and ferocious. The air in the entire office suddenly turned cold, becoming dark and terrifying.
"If so blind fool provokes you and you get hurt, that wouldn't be good..."
Overtly and covertly, she used every nice word, all evasive talk, finally carrying a threatening tone.
The Writer stood firm and unmoving, speaking gently, "I believe the children are all good children. And since I've already decided to co here, how could I easily leave?
I'm not the kind of person who can't endure hardship. I heard Teacher Xu teaches two subjects alone. I have so experience in learning—why not let share Teacher Xu's burden."
"What..." The Acting Director's expression turned more violent and ruthless, her gaze falling upon Teacher Xu who had been standing quietly nearby the whole ti.
Facing the middle-aged woman's gaze, the other party didn't seem afraid, but her hands clasped tighter together revealed her inner emotional turmoil.
"Teacher Tang told this. Teacher Tang really seems like an easygoing person—I'm quite looking forward to becoming colleagues with him—"
The Writer said without any guilt, shifting all bla onto the oblivious B-level ghost outside.
"So that's how it is..." Unable to catch any handles, the Acting Director could only withdraw her gaze from Teacher Xu, cursing under her breath extrely quietly, "Stupid pig thing..."
She pressed further against the Writer, but wary of sothing, never dared to truly take action.
"Won't you reconsider? Don't listen to Teacher Tang's nonsense, our teaching staff is sufficient, completely no need to hire new teachers from outside..."
"Isn't what I'm saying the actual situation? Acting Director, for the children's benefit, and to lessen Teacher Xu's burden, staying is the best choice.
If you need to test my teaching ability, I'm naturally willing."
The Writer didn't fall for her tactics—his identity was already acknowledged by the entire instance.
The rules were already established there, and before the orphanage completely transford, everything should follow the principle of prioritizing 'orphans.'
According to normal procedures, after confirming his identity and testing his ability, he would be completely qualified to stay here as the 'new teacher.'
Moreover, his reasons were so justified now, the Acting Director had no grounds for refusal. The only thing she could do was create obstacles.
Make the Writer reveal flaws showing he was unfit to be a teacher, unfit to contact orphans, be rejected by the rules—but she clearly t her match.
"Does the Acting Director not want the children to receive better education?"
"As Acting Director, you should consider the children more, right?
You trying to persuade to leave like this—is it truly for the children's benefit?
No matter what, you should let try first, shouldn't you?"
The Writer pressed step by step, constantly putting consideration for the orphans first. A series of counter-questions pushed the other into a corner.
"Believe , I'll make the children more sensible, more well-behaved, perfect and valuable. So I should stay to teach the children, Director—"
The Writer spoke the last sentence while looking toward the dark curtain in the corner.
Not sure which words touched the other, the being behind the curtain reflexively responded, "Good... stay... teach..."
Hearing this, the Acting Director's expression completely changed. She crumpled the Transfer Order in her hand into a ball, her eyes fierce and venomous, like a snake hiding poisonous stingers, ready to attack at any mont.
"Fine—" She gritted her back teeth hard, the word of agreent squeezed out after a long pause. "Congratulations, teacher. But won't you write sothing? I need to confirm slightly, to feel assured..."
"Of course." The Writer nodded lightly, gently rolling up his sleeves, taking out a pile of professional tools and books from his sealed wooden box—all condensed from Ghost Power.
Teaching elentary school children was simply effortless for him.
Several complete lesson plans covering the three major subjects—Chinese, English, Mathematics—were neatly displayed before the middle-aged woman. There were even a few brief articles about how to interact with students and care for orphans' psychology.
Her expression turned extrely unpleasant. Those words condensed from Ghost Power were gradually dissipating, but the Writer had already gained enough recognition.
"Then we'll take our leave now, rest early—" Everything the Writer did left no room for fault. His deanor was elegant and proper, appearing polite and humble.
A fleeting smile passed over Teacher Xu's harsh, pale face, then she left with the Writer. The door slamd shut heavily.
At the very end of those words, a small sentence was written: 『Conduct oneself with integrity, beco a ghost with purity』
Accompanied by the thunderous door slam, that seemingly highly sarcastic phrase disappeared.
"Ah!—"
An extrely sharp scream erupted. The middle-aged woman's face turned ashen, she directly swept everything on the desk to the floor, her chest heaving violently.
She glared viciously at the being behind the curtain, the skin at the corners of her eyes stretched as if about to split. She rushed over and violently pulled open the sight-blocking curtain.
Behind the curtain, a bloodied humanoid creature wrapped in dirty bandages appeared before her eyes. Not a single patch of good flesh remained on its body, pierced through by nurous steel wires embedded in the wall, propped up half-suspended above the chair.
Its throat also had a large gaping hole, revealing the fragile windpipe inside, hence its speech sounded like a broken fan.
The Acting Director directly picked up a bayonet covered in dark bloodstains from a nearby cart.
Stab after stab, she plunged the knife into the humanoid creature—probably the original Director.
She twisted and stirred inside the other's wounds, splattering a foul, bloody fluid that then flowed down the mutilated body onto the floor with a sticky feeling.
The Acting Director's expression was like a demon—ugly and ferocious.
The terrible pain made the body pierced by steel wires tremble, yet it couldn't break free, only able to emit "heh—heh—" sounds of agony.
The middle-aged woman scratched at her own face while stabbing the other to vent her anger, continuously muttering insanely.
The flesh on her face seed pasted on, revealing other pale skin underneath that appeared more delicate.
"Why? Why? Why did he say that? Where did that disgusting thing co from? Did he notice sothing?"
"Was he sent by the master? Does the master not trust ?—"
"No, it's not like this!" Her pitted nails scraped across the flesh of her face, then she put them in her mouth to bite.
"No, no, it's already the critical mont, the 'doors' are all sealed, how can I disturb the master..."
"I'm the best, I can definitely do it..."
"I'll do it, I can do it! Damn monster! Why aren't you dead yet? Why aren't you dead yet?!!—"
"Kill you all, kill you all..."
——————————————
The commotion in the office had already faded behind them, and Teacher Tang's figure at the doorway had also disappeared without a trace.
The Writer walked side by side with Teacher Xu. The Writer sighed leisurely, seeming sowhat concerned. "We delayed quite so ti. If we hurry to the student cafeteria now, can we still see the children?"
And subsequent facts would prove that not only could they be seen, they could even be taken back to their rooms—
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