Chapter 046: The Monster Maze

The opening season at Waseda University was bustling with activity. By the time Su Cheng arrived at the campus via tram, the entrance was already crowded with students coming to register. The majority of the new students were natives of Tokyo, but there was also a significant number of international students seeking education at Waseda. As soon as Su Cheng stepped into the college, a rather handsome senior greeted him.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Takahashi Yutaka. Which faculty are you joining?” Senior Takahashi was the sunny-type, always wearing a brilliant smile that revealed dazzlingly white teeth.

Seeing this good-looking and enthusiastic senior come to greet him, Su Cheng’s eye twitched. Why was it that other freshmen were welcomed by charming senior girls, but he got a handsome upperclassman? This scenario didn’t feel right at all!

“I’m Su Cheng, an international student from Huaguo, joining the Psychology Department.”

Su Cheng had enrolled in psychology and philosophy, subjects often considered impractical and unlikely to lead directly to a career. His choice of psychology was simply a matter of personal interest.

“Psychology, huh…” Senior Takahashi’s expression grew slightly odd, as if something had crossed his mind.

“What’s strange about the Psychology Department?” Su Cheng asked.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just that Professor Naoko is quite strict with students, and some freshmen find it hard to adapt. But she’s actually a very good person, so there’s no need to worry,” Takahashi reassured him.

Su Cheng nodded and followed Takahashi to the academic building. Waseda was a world-renowned university with over a century of history, yet its teaching buildings, rather than being grand, appeared somewhat aged and weathered, exuding a sense of time’s passage.

There weren’t many new students in the Psychology Department, so under Takahashi’s guidance, Su Cheng quickly completed his registration.

Just then, Su Cheng heard someone behind him calling his name in his native language.

“Su Cheng? It really is you!”

A round-faced young man with glasses came running over, panting. Su Cheng remembered him—Lu Wanpeng, a schoolmate from his high school days, though they weren’t in the same class and hadn’t been particularly close.

Now, in a foreign land, seeing a familiar face moved Lu Wanpeng to approach him immediately.

“I heard you did well in the university entrance exam, Lu Wanpeng. I thought you’d stay back home. Didn’t expect to see you here,” Su Cheng greeted him with a smile. With his scores, Su Cheng could have easily attended an ordinary university, though getting into a top school back home would have been tough.

At Su Cheng’s words, Lu Wanpeng’s face turned woeful. “Sigh, you have no idea—my dad forced me into this. If he hadn’t been so strict, I wouldn’t have ended up in Tokyo. He said if I don’t make something of myself here, I’ll have to go back and inherit dozens of companies. It’s a hard life, man…”

Su Cheng’s lips twitched, suddenly tempted to teach this show-off a lesson.

“I heard a few more from our school are studying in Tokyo. Let’s gather everyone for a get-together sometime,” Lu Wanpeng suggested enthusiastically.

“Sure, count me in,” Su Cheng replied, exchanging phone numbers with him.

“You’re in the Psychology Department? I heard Professor Naoko is a real beauty—you lucked out!” Lu Wanpeng said jealously. Just then, something seemed to be happening amidst the crowd nearby.

Su Cheng saw a tall, coldly elegant woman scolding a student-looking man.

“Professor Naoko, what’s going on?” a male teacher from the department hurried over, pulling the student aside.

“This guy was secretly taking photos of female students with his phone. When I caught him, he even tried to threaten me,” Naoko Nakajima said icily, pointing at the sleazy man, obviously wishing she could slap him.

Hearing this, the surrounding students and teachers looked at the man with clear disgust.

“Which department are you in? Show your student ID,” the male teacher demanded, decisively stepping forward.

The man wasn’t a student at all. Realizing he’d been exposed, he lunged at Naoko Nakajima, trying to grab her by the neck as a threat.

But before he could touch her, a hand reached out from behind, yanked him away, and threw him violently to the ground.

The sleazy man tumbled three or four meters before stopping. He shot Su Cheng a venomous glare, then scrambled up and fled through the crowd.

At that moment, the ice-cold Professor Naoko approached and scrutinized Su Cheng. “Are you a student in the Psychology Department? I don’t recall seeing you before.”

“Professor, I’m a new student just registering today.”

“I hope you’re prepared. If you don’t meet my standards in exams, you’ll have to retake the course,” Naoko said, her beautiful face forbidding, her tone frosty.

“Heh, Professor Naoko is always like that—cold on the outside, warm inside. She’s actually very responsible and cares for her students, so don’t worry,” the male teacher reassured him, giving Su Cheng’s shoulder a friendly pat.

In fact, though Professor Naoko was known for her strictness, her beauty and dedication made her very popular among the students. Her only flaw was her icy demeanor—any man who tried to approach her would be frozen out.

Having finished their registration, Su Cheng and Lu Wanpeng grabbed lunch at the campus cafeteria.

The food was quite good, though a bit bland, but nutritious and much cheaper than eating out.

“So, Chengzi, you’re living in Shinjuku now? Have you heard about the recent monster attacks in the area?” Lu Wanpeng asked in a mysterious tone over lunch.

“I saw the news say it was a murder case. How do you know it was a monster?”

“Oh, that’s just the police downplaying it to avoid panic. My classmate actually saw the monster and even took a photo,” Lu Wanpeng said, sending a picture to Su Cheng’s phone.

The image was blurry and taken from above, showing only a vague silhouette. What surprised Su Cheng was the creature’s massive size and, seemingly, a thick tail—it looked a bit like a large dog or a wolf.

“How did your classmate encounter it?” Su Cheng asked.

“My classmate was at a love hotel with his girlfriend that night. The noise from the floor above was so loud they lost all mood. He went upstairs to knock, but no one answered. After a commotion, things quieted down. But when he returned to his room and was about to get started, guess what?”

Su Cheng shook his head, clueless.

“Suddenly, lots of wet liquid started dripping from the ceiling—right onto his face.”

“He thought it was a water leak, reached up, and found it was blood. Looking up, he saw blood seeping through the cracks in the ceiling.”

Lu Wanpeng took a gulp of water, visibly shaken.

Su Cheng silently mourned three seconds for that classmate. Such scenes belonged in horror movies, and the poor guy was probably scarred for life.

“He immediately called the police. When they broke down the door upstairs, the room was like a slaughterhouse—blood and organs everywhere. And one skeleton, gnawed down to just a thin scrap of flesh.”

A curious student nearby, who’d been eavesdropping, glanced at his half-eaten ribs and bolted to the restroom, nearly sprinting.

“That’s the photo my classmate took; he dropped out and went home after that,” Lu Wanpeng added. He was into horror movies and was less fazed than the other student, still able to eat.

After Lu Wanpeng’s story, Su Cheng was left with a nagging doubt. Judging by the description, this man-eating monster probably wasn’t a professional. Professionals like Jun Miike wouldn’t dare cause such a public uproar and attract attention from the police and others in the profession. If they drew the wrath of the authorities, they’d be dead in no time.

It seemed there was something fishy about these monsters’ appearance.

After lunch, Su Cheng wandered alone through the campus when he suddenly heard odd noises coming from a nearby grove.

He stepped into the dim woods and saw a woman in a short skirt and black stockings lying on a bench. Beside her was a man hurriedly unbuttoning her clothes.

Su Cheng had no interest in watching their public tryst and was about to leave when he realized the man was the same pervert expelled from campus that morning.

And the woman?

Looking closer, Su Cheng realized it was none other than Professor Naoko.

She seemed to have been drugged unconscious, lying motionless, allowing the sleazy man to do as he pleased.

A cold glint flashed in Su Cheng’s eyes as he prepared to intervene, but then he saw the man open his mouth, revealing four terrifying fangs like those of a canine.

“A monster?”

At that moment, a bloodthirsty light shone in the man’s eyes, and a thick wolf’s tail sprouted from his back.