The scene in Yan Kaiyan’s vision had already shifted.
What came into view were two dormitory buildings standing side by side, dimly lit, like two silent beasts.
In front of the buildings stood a middle-aged woman with a bulky figure, her posture awkward—one shoulder higher than the other—stationed at the doorway.
“One, two, three, four, five…”
“Five transfer students. Take your School Uniforms and Dormitory Keys. Hurry back to your dorms; the doors will be closing soon.” The woman recited mechanically, her tone flat and emotionless.
Someone reached out to receive the uniforms and keys. It was Guan Zifei. Familiar with these abrupt scene transitions, he quickly adjusted his state and handed the School Uniforms and keys to the other four.
“Starting out in the dorms—luck’s not bad. At least there’s a place to sleep,” Guan Zifei said.
He lowered his head and placed a key with his name sticker in his palm; on the back was the dorm number.
104.
“Names? Can the supernatural read our names, all-knowing attributes?” Sister Yuan frowned and glanced at Lin Pulu. “Pulu, we’re roommates.”
Guan Zifei glanced at the keys of Lin Pulu and Sister Yuan—they were both for room 107.
Guan Zifei and Wu Maolong were assigned to different boys’ dorms.
“Room what!” The Dorm Supervisor suddenly raised her voice sharply, her piercing tone cutting through the air: “Hurry back to your own dorms, the doors will be closing soon!”
Guan Zifei looked at the rushing Dorm Supervisor but showed no sign of urgency on his face. He quietly reminded, “Go ahead. Be careful. Once you get to your room, find the rules first.”
The rules were easy to find, clearly posted on the worn wall of the dorm’s first-floor lobby—visible immediately upon entering.
[Mingde High School Dormitory Convention]
- School Rules override Dormitory Conventions. Dormitory Conventions are effective only if they do not conflict with School Rules.
- Dormitory opening hours are from 6:00 to 23:00. If you miss these times, the dormitory will not be opened for you.
- Dormitory rooms are uniformly assigned by the school. Private room swaps are prohibited.
- There are no Blue Doors in this dormitory. If you find a Blue Door, you may try to open it.
- If you notice Dorm Supervisors growing abnormal, extra limbs not conforming to normal humans, it’s just your eyes playing tricks. If Dorm Supervisors mention it, treat it as normal—do not panic.
- After 23:00 is quiet time. No loud noises or disturbances allowed. If you hear strange noises, it’s best to ignore them.
- Dorm Supervisors conduct checks once nightly during rest time. Please ensure you are in your dorm during checks. You must respond to the Dorm Supervisor; only after the check ends may you leave.
- There are no mirrors inside dorm rooms. If you find any mirrors or reflective surfaces…
- Opening your dorm room door is your right, but for your own safety, it’s best not to let others enter your dorm.
In the girls’ dorm lobby hung an electronic clock.
Date: [Wednesday]
Time: [22:34]
Guan Zifei remembered that before entering the hive, Sister Yuan checked the time—it was eight o’clock at night.
Lin Pulu’s voice, thin and icy, sounded: “The time here is different from the outside world.”
Guan Zifei looked at her.
Lin Pulu turned her head, her gaze meeting his: “…Our dorm rooms aren’t adjacent. It’s dangerous. If anything happens, come find me.”
Dormitory Convention Rule 3 [Dormitory rooms are uniformly assigned by the school. Private room swaps are prohibited] clearly specified no room changes. For safety, it’s best to stay in the assigned dorm.
Sister Yuan pressed her hand heavily on Guan Zifei’s shoulder, her tone serious: “These rules have definitely been tampered with. Pay special attention to the eighth.”
[8. There are no mirrors inside dorm rooms. If you find any mirrors or reflective surfaces…]
The text following “exist” was missing, as if erased.
“Rules the hive deletes must be important. Guan Zifei, be careful,” Sister Yuan looked up at the time again. “Rest time is approaching. Go back to your dorm and look for clues first.”
Guan Zifei nodded. Sister Yuan reassured him one last time, “Don’t be afraid—usually, the beginning isn’t too troublesome.”
Following the room numbers, Guan Zifei found 104. Each dorm room door had a form attached listing the basic information of the occupants.
Guan Zifei’s name appeared on the fourth line from the top; his bed was number 4, in Senior Year 3, Class 8.
Above him, from top to bottom, were: bed 1, Gao Mengran, Senior Year 3, Class 6.
Bed 2, Sun Xiaoqi, Senior Year 3, Class 5.
The third line showed signs of being torn off with tape, leaving blurred black marks.
Guan Zifei’s gaze lingered on the third row for a second, then stepped closer to examine his own name—
Sure enough, beneath his information on the fourth line were blurred marks barely visible.
His name was written over the blurred name.
He inserted the key into the dorm door lock, pushed inward. The door creaked roughly, but immediately felt a force pushing back.
A power was firmly holding the door shut from the inside.
“Who is it!” A sharp female voice came from inside, strained as if the last string of a tightly wound violin was about to snap.
Guan Zifei paused, pushing the door inward. “Your new roommate.”
No response. Only rapid breathing came through the door gap, carrying a suppressed tension.
The girl inside was extremely nervous, guarding against this suddenly appearing “roommate.”
“I’m not a monster.” Guan Zifei recalled the training speech technique from his survival course—how to dispel ordinary people’s suspicions.
“I’m the one assigned to deal with the abnormal incidents you face. I’m here to save you.”
His slender hand smoothly withdrew the key and slipped it through the narrow door gap. “My name and dorm number are on the key. I was assigned to 104.”
The key was taken from inside. After a moment, the door opened.
The girl wiped her left hand, which held an art knife; her other hand gripped the door handle tightly, seeming ready to shut the door at any moment.
Her eyes landed on Guan Zifei’s indifferent, slightly listless but still human face. She was startled but did not close the door.
Since it was opened, Guan Zifei entered as expected.
The dorm room was dimly lit, the bulb flickering weakly.
The girl’s wary gaze was like nails fixed tightly on Guan Zifei.
Mingde High School’s dorms followed a typical four-person layout—bunk beds with desks underneath.
Besides the girl by the door, there was another girl sitting at bed 1’s desk.
She seemed immersed in her own world, ignoring Guan Zifei’s arrival.
Inside the hive, when humans become contaminated, those with weaker mental strength gradually lose consciousness, indulging in the illusory world constructed by the hive.
The stronger the mental strength, the greater the resistance to contamination.
Guan Zifei glanced at the girl at bed 1, recalling the name on the door form.
“Sun Xiaoqi.”
He turned and faced the nervous girl at the door.
Her mental strength was clearly higher than most; she had not yet lost consciousness.
“How…how do you know my name!” Sun Xiaoqi exclaimed.
“It’s written on the door,” Guan Zifei answered swiftly.
Sun Xiaoqi fell silent for a moment, her mood complicated as she looked at him. Her hand clutching the art knife dropped unconsciously.
On bed 4’s desk were books and daily necessities; a blanket and mattress were on the bed, as if the owner had only briefly left.
“Bed 4 is occupied?” Guan Zifei asked.
“There was someone,” Sun Xiaoqi replied, voice trembling. “She suddenly disappeared. I don’t know where she went.”
In the hive, sudden disappearances usually meant death.
Guan Zifei recalled his training—when facing ordinary people, he needed to keep hope alive. “Maybe she went out.”
“Out?”
“How do you know she went out…” Sun Xiaoqi’s eyes flickered.
“If you can come in from outside, then we can go out from inside! You know how to leave, right?”
“I don’t know yet,” Guan Zifei answered honestly.
Like a person falling into an abyss suddenly seeing a faint light, only to realize it was just a firefly, Sun Xiaoqi’s face twisted with resentment as she stared hard at Guan Zifei.
A cold, angry aura spread.
Guan Zifei hurried to reassure her, “I just entered this domain; I haven’t figured things out yet.”
“We’ll help you get out.”
“To investigate this place quickly, can you tell me what you know?”
Sun Xiaoqi sniffed, smiling oddly.
She said no more, turned stiffly, and climbed up to bed 2.
Under Guan Zifei’s watchful eyes, Sun Xiaoqi curled up facing the wall, wrapping herself into a ball, refusing interaction.
“…”
The attempt at communication failed. Seems the training speech technique wasn’t much use.
Guan Zifei blinked rapidly, deciding to search the dorm first.
From the items left on bed 4’s desk, he learned that the previous occupant’s name was Li Qiuming.
No other useful clues were found.
Outside the window, the corridor lights suddenly went out; darkness surged in like a tide.
[Dormitory Convention Rule 6: After 23:00 is rest time. No loud noises or disturbances. If you hear strange sounds, it’s best to ignore them.]
[Dormitory Convention Rule 7: Dorm Supervisors conduct checks once nightly during rest time. Please ensure you are in your dorm during checks. You must respond to the Dorm Supervisor; only after the check ends may you leave.]
Both rules hinted that strange events often happened after 11 p.m.
At the same time, Gao Mengran at bed 1 closed her textbook and silently climbed into bed.
The bed creaked under the weight. Guan Zifei followed suit, imitating his roommates and getting into bed.
The dorm lights went off automatically, darkness like a veil covering everything. Everything outside became blurry and indistinct.
Not long after, a beam of light flickered closer, pressing against the glass above the dorm door.
“Check dorm,”
By flashlight, Guan Zifei saw Sun Xiaoqi tightly wrapped in her blanket nest.
“Gao Mengran.”
“Here!” Bed 1 immediately responded with a clear, loud voice.
It was the first time Guan Zifei heard Gao Mengran speak.
Bed 2 moved slightly: “Here!”
“Li Qiuming—”
“Li Qiuming…wasn’t she the original occupant of bed 4?”
Guan Zifei fell silent. The quiet dorm suddenly sent a chill creeping in.
An emotionless voice came through the door again.
“Li Qiuming.”
“Li Qiuming.”
“Li Qiuming—”
Sun Xiaoqi’s bed creaked with a faint trembling sound.
Guan Zifei’s cold gaze pierced through the darkness, locking on the light source on the glass.
Suddenly, the repetitive, stuttering voice stopped and erupted into a spine-chilling laugh.
“Giggling…”
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