Afterlife Department

Chapter 369 – Pool

"Huh…?" Huo Ling muttered as Yi Bing pushed his wheelchair around the school's grounds. "Hai Ba is 8888, right?" he asked. 

Yi Bing nodded. "Yes." He answered. 

"And Sha Jiu is 9999…" Huo Ling continued. "I mean, the former 9999… but, there is a thousand difference between them?" he said. 

"That's because the time flows differently between the worlds because of the unstable space." Yi Bing answered. "Hai Ba might have died three years before Sha Jiu died in their world. But, their world might be a hundred, or a thousand, years behind from our world." He explained. 

"Oh." Huo Ling muttered. Then, he looked around. "By the way, don't I have any classes today?" he asked. 

"You've just gotten into an accident, and you want to attend class the same day?" Yi Bing asked back. 

Huo Ling rubbed his nose, feeling guilty. "I forgot." He answered. "I… haven't graduated from high school, so I somewhat suddenly felt excited to be a student…" he explained. His voice sounds pitiful. 

But, Yi Bing won't buy his pitiful act he is selling. "I don't have an amnesia, and my memories are perfectly clear. So, I still can clearly remember that you wanted to curse me before you were hauled into the ambulance after you heard me tell the police officers that you are a student." He 'kindly' reminded him. 

Huo Ling's face immediately darkened. "…" fck. This guy holds grudges better than me! He pursed his lips, intending not to speak.

Yi Bing didn't push him either. He is in a good mood after he won the round. "Iris said that he will be leaving the school for something today, so I should call his assistant, Lin Ze, who are also Chinese." He said, changing the topic. 

"He just arrived from out of town, and he is leaving again?" Huo Ling said. 

"He must be dealing against the murderer driver." Yi Bing just said before he took out the Mobile World Energy Gauge. It really looked like a mobile android phone, so no one would find it strange and become suspicious. 

Suddenly, they heard a beeping sound. It came from the Mobile World Energy Gauge in Yi Bing's hand. Huo Ling craned his neck to see and found a circle rapidly blinking on the screen where the map of the Fughlia High School was shown. 

"The point where the energy is lowest is northeast from where we are." Yi Bing spoke. Then, he gave the mobile device to Huo Ling. "Let's check it out." He said. 

"En." Huo Ling nodded and sat, feeling relaxed, while Yi Bing pushed his wheelchair. He feels like he is a king… but not anymore after a few minutes since the road suddenly became bumpy. His face turned black and he slowly turned to Yi Bing. Every bump they passed, his butt bounced on his seat. "… you're doing this on purpose, right?" he asked as he glared at him. 

"What? No!" Yi Bing blinked innocently. He pointed the mobile device resting on his lap. "Look. We're here now!" he told him. 

Huo Ling gnashed his teeth. He'd be a dog if he'd believe that this is really the reason. Although they are really on the right location, but there must be some other roads leading to this place. "Huh?" he muttered when he noticed where they were. "A gymnasium?" he asked. 

Yi Bing silently listened. "There's a pool inside." He spoke before he pushed Huo Ling's wheelchair to the door when they saw it is open. 

As soon as they went inside, suddenly, Huo Ling felt all the hairs on his body rose and goosebumps formed on his skin. Although he doesn't feel cold – because, as Yi Bing said, his soul attribute is that of fire, but he felt a chill. 

"What the…" he muttered under his breath as they looked around. 

The wide space is bright because of the light coming from the wide windows. On both sides are the bleachers and at the end is the stage. 

Yi Bing turned and saw a door on the side. "That must be where the pool is." He spoke after he heard the water splashing. 

"Could it be that something happened in this area?" Huo Ling asked as he looked at the mobile device. The circle is still blinking while the colorful bars suddenly plummeted and lost their color. 

They are really in the right place. 

"Definitely." Yi Bing spoke as they walked around the wide space that serves as the basketball court, volleyball court and badminton court before they went towards the door leading to the pool area. "It's locked." He spoke when they saw the giant padlock. 

Yi Bing was about to break it when they suddenly heard voices coming from the entrance of the gym, as well as the wide doors opening. The door they went through is the side door of the gym and is for the staff like the janitor to clean or manage the gym. 

Yi Bing and Huo Ling looked at each other before Huo Ling threw the mobile device towards Yi Bing. He rose from his seat and folded the wheelchair before he hid it on the floor mats leaning on the wall. Then, he and Yi Bing activated their invisibility skill. 

As soon as their figures appeared, the sound of the doors opening was heard and echoed on the empty gym, followed by the incoming footsteps and the voices of the students. But, they didn't go to the bleachers or played basketball. Instead, they were walking towards the door leading to the pool area! 

Huo Ling was about to speak to Yi Bing when suddenly, the newcomers spoke. 

"The Decathlon is about three weeks away. Do you think I can pass the preliminary round?" a short but lean student asked the tall student beside him. 

"I don't know." The tall student answered. 

The short and lean student frowned, dissatisfied by the other's answer. 

"Hey. Don't be like that, Luren." A student with a dyed green hair spoke. "Prille is just nervous because this is the first time he is going to compete." He said and looked at the short and lean student. 

The fourth student nodded. "Hierre is right." he spoke as he looked at the tall student. "Luren, since we're here, why don't you teach Prille while he practices?" he suggested. 

"Mandy, that's a brilliant idea!" Hierre clapped his hands. He looked at Luren. His eyes are filled with expectation. 

Prille shyly looked at Luren. But, their expectations are meant to be crushed. 

"No." Luren answered. 

Disappointment flashed in Prille's eyes and he immediately hid it. Meanwhile, Hierre didn't even hide his disappointment. He was about to persuade Luren when he saw Prille's forced smile. But, Many pulled him back and he shook his head. 

They all looked at Luren took out a key and unlocked the door before he pushed it open. A bright light spread on the hallway. They closed their eyes. When they opened them again, Luren has already walked out of the door. 

They looked at each other before they followed behind Luren. Meanwhile, they didn't see that when they left, Yi Bing and Huo Ling reappeared and watched them walk around the poolside. 

"A Decathlon…" Huo Ling muttered. A thoughtful expression was on his face. "It's good to be young!" he grinned as he watched the four students. 

Meanwhile, Yi Bing took out the mobile device and saw that the bars acting as a gauge disappeared, leaving only the map on the screen. "The exact location is the pool." He spoke. 

"Huh?" Huo Ling turned to him. 

Yi Bing turned and show him the screen. Huo Ling's jaw dropped in shock. 

"There's something in that pool." Yi Bing told Huo Ling. 

"No way…!" Huo Ling sharply inhaled. "A ghost?" he asked and looked at the clear and bluish-green water of the pool. They could even smell the disinfectant from here. 

Yi Bing could understand what Huo Ling wanted to say. "This is a Normal World, not a Special World that's a supernatural world." He said. 

Huo Ling didn't speak. 

"Go get your wheelchair. We'll look at the pool." Yi Bing told him. 

Huo Ling nodded. He took out the wheelchair, spread it, before he sat on it. "Teacher, teacher! I heard water… there must be a pool here!" he exclaimed in a loud voice. 

As expected, the four students heard him and turned to see them. 

"A student and… a teacher?" they muttered when they saw two people – one sitting on a wheelchair wearing a student's uniform, looking sunny. The other one is standing, tall and handsome but looked cold, wearing a teacher's uniform. 

Prille was surprised. Hierre looked curious and Mandy was calm. Meanwhile, Luren's expression looked cold. The one that spoke is Prille. But, his voice was hiding contempt. 

Meanwhile, the obvious leader of the group – Luren, walked towards the newcomer. Although his face looked indifferent, but his tone is polite when he spoke to them. "You must be the new teacher and new student." He said.