Chapter 1 The Missing Teacher

A month ago, Lucy Gray vanished without a trace. A teacher from the Thomas Special Program at St. Thomas Academy—had somehow disappeared within the walls of the school as if she'd never existed.

That day, Lucy had come to the academy to teach as usual. When she didn't return home that evening, concerns were raised. Her car remained in the parking lot, and no one had seen her leave. The security cameras at the academy's exits recorded no trace of her departure. Police searched the academy thoroughly, multiple times, but found nothing.

Alison Gray was Lucy's younger sister, three years her junior. The sisters had always been close. After their father died and their mother abandoned them, Lucy and Alison were no longer together; Lucy found a home through adoption, while Alison grew up in the care of an orphanage.

To uncover why Lucy disappeared and where she might be now, Alison had infiltrated the academy as a substitute teacher.

Today marked Alison's third day as a teacher, yet she found herself summoned to the academic office for hitting a student.

Inside the office, the atmosphere was tense.

The academic director reviewed Alison's personal resume over and over, clearly reluctant to dismiss her.

At just 26, Alison already held dual doctoral degrees—a primary in psychology and secondary in religious studies. Her achievements far exceeded those of her peers. More remarkably, she had accomplished all this as an orphan, without parental support, through her own determination.

But hitting a student was a serious offense.

"Alison, you're a teacher. How could you hit a student?" the academic director asked.

"They tried to push me down the stairs. I accidentally gave them a couple of slaps," Alison replied.

Far from repentant, Alison felt those troublemakers deserved what they got.

St. Thomas Academy was a private institution that didn't accept external applications. Its predecessor was a centuries-old convent school until Thomas Holdings purchased it ten years ago, transforming it into a charitable academy specifically for orphans.

The academy practiced investment-style elite education. Children ate the finest foods, wore expensive designer clothes, and attended classes taught by highly-paid instructors.

Within the academy, gifted and struggling students received equal treatment, with one exception: the Thomas Special Program. This class consisted entirely of high-IQ geniuses with antisocial personalities and unstable mental states.

In Alison's view, the special program was essentially a criminal preparatory class.

She had no interest in teaching as a profession, nor in correcting others' character flaws. But her sister Lucy had been a teacher in the special program.

The troubled children in that class were her primary suspects.

"You know what? They spat gum in my hair, glued my attendance book to the podium, used the projector to play pornography." Alison counted off their offenses on her fingers.

The academic director clearly knew about these incidents. "They're still children. Though they have difficult temperaments, we can't give up on any student. With proper guidance, they'll become our most valuable talents in the future."

"Stones don't turn into gold," Alison advised.

The academic director set down her resume and peered at Alison's beautiful face through thick glasses. "So, you don't think you were wrong?"

"No." Alison needed to remain at the academy to investigate Lucy's whereabouts. She couldn't afford to be fired now. She lowered her head and apologized sincerely. "It's my fault. I'll reflect on my actions."

'Next time I'll do it again,' she thought to herself.

The academic director stared at her and spoke earnestly, "As a first-time teacher, you may not yet understand the true meaning of being a role model."

His tone suddenly shifted, containing a veiled threat. "You're an exceptionally talented young woman, but with your severe perceptual disorder, you'd struggle to find better employment than this."

Alison suffered from a condition called agnosia. She couldn't recognize faces—not merely face blindness, but a perceptual disorder that caused her to form associations based on people's physical characteristics or movements, projecting hallucinations onto reality.

When emotionally agitated, under stress, or in specific conditions, people in her vision transformed into animals, plants, or monstrous beings.

Despite her condition, the school had no alternative.

Including the missing Lucy, special program teachers lasted an average of one month before being replaced. No one could endure a complete semester—they either resigned or requested transfers, adamantly refusing to remain with the special program. Even teachers from regular classes avoided any mention of the special program.

Beyond the severe staffing shortage, Alison's resume noted her expertise in combat and boxing. The school hoped new teachers would have self-defense capabilities, though no one expected these skills would be needed so quickly.

The academic director continued his persuasion. "The children in the special program are just a bit mischievous. You need more patience. You're both unusual individuals—kindred spirits of sorts. I believe you can get along well with them."

Alison nodded perfunctorily.

After concluding their conversation, she returned to the teachers' office.

It was already evening, with only a few teachers still working.

When Alison entered, no one greeted her. They even deliberately avoided her gaze.

Alison walked to her desk. Lucy's former position was right next to her current one. All personal items had been taken home by Lucy's adoptive mother, leaving an empty desk and chair.

Alison had already checked the drawers and compartments when no one was around, finding no clues. But now there was a cardboard box on the desk containing several books, stationery, and miscellaneous small items—things Lucy's adoptive mother hadn't taken, collected by other teachers to be delivered to Lucy's home in a few days.

Alison stood casually at the desk, examining the items in the box. A male teacher glanced up at her.

The sides of the books in the box bore Lucy's name. With her back to the others, Alison picked up each book, shook it, then quickly flipped through the pages. A sticky note fell from the bottom book, which Alison immediately recognized as Lucy's handwriting.

The paper contained four sets of numbers: [0516, 0523, 0530, 0606.]

Alison instantly realized that all these dates were Fridays.

June 6th had several question marks after it. Coincidentally, June 6th was the very day Lucy disappeared.

Alison knew Lucy's habits well. She liked to jot down reminders or random thoughts on sticky notes, then tuck them into books or notebooks.

There were no more clues in the box. Alison pretended to reach for her phone while slipping the note into her pocket.

While she'd been meeting with the academic director, several new messages had arrived on her phone. She sat down to check them.

One came from an unknown number. The sender identified himself as Oliver, a detective. A murder case had occurred in the city last Friday, and he wanted Alison's assistance with the investigation.

As he mentioned last Friday, Alison immediately knew which case he meant.

A small-time streamer had accidentally discovered a murder scene while exploring an abandoned auto repair shop during a livestream. Three corpses hung upside down from the rafters in a bizarrely disturbing arrangement. The incident had caused an uproar online, dubbed the Triple Hanging Case by internet users.

Alison frowned. What connection could this case possibly have to her?