After letting out an eerie chuckle outside the door, the dorm supervisor finally called out Jiang Tong’s name.
“Jiang Man.”
Jiang Man sluggishly answered with a “Yes.”
The calm, fearless tone clearly displeased the dorm supervisor.
“Bang.”
A swollen face pressed against the glass, features distorted and flattened like a giant pancake almost covering the entire window.
Those hollow eyes locked tightly onto Jiang Tong’s bed.
In the faint light, Jiang Tong stared back without a trace of fear.
On the bed next door, Sun Xiaoqi’s trembling face had already caused the bed frame to emit subtle creaking sounds.
After several seconds of this tense standoff, the suffocating pressure finally lifted. The beam of light flickered, and the sound of dragging footsteps gradually faded away.
Jiang Tong lowered her eyelids and turned over. From morning till night, she had waited for this hive of insects to open; now her body was exhausted and there was no urge left to explore.
A faint cough came from the bed. Sun Xiaoqi hurriedly lowered her voice, “Don’t get out of bed, don’t go outside…”
Seeming to be a customary phrase, Jiang Tong asked, “Why? Is there something outside the door?”
“Who would still knock?” Sun Xiaoqi’s voice was like a thread, as if afraid to disturb some terrifying presence. “Just don’t go out if you don’t want to die.”
Having said that, Sun Xiaoqi shut her eyes and returned to silence like a cocoon.
Jiang Tong kept her eyes open, quietly waiting in the darkness.
Sure enough, after a while, there was a knock on the door.
“Check dorm!”
This time, no one answered. Even Gao Mengran, who was heavily ‘contaminated’, instinctively did not respond.
“Check dorm!”
The presence outside rigidly repeated the phrase.
Realizing no one would reply, the voice calling “Check dorm” faded away.
Jiang Tong narrowed her eyes and waited a bit longer.
Heavy, steady footsteps moved away slowly.
That thing lingered at the door for half a moment before leaving!
“Phew.” Sun Xiaoqi breathed out loudly, “Now you can go out. There won’t be any more knocks.”
Jiang Tong had no intention of going out and asked, “What was that? The dorm supervisor?”
“I don’t know.”
“I mean, those who go out… they never come back.”
Sun Xiaoqi shrank into a ball, curling herself tighter.
She seemed to recall an overwhelming, unbearable terror, and began to speak incoherently, her voice breaking with sobs: “Everything here is messed up, all screwed up… You don’t want to ask me… I don’t know anything, I’m not as brave as them… I don’t understand…”
“You just have to obey the School Discipline and Rules and the Dormitory Regulations. Don’t ask, and don’t think about anything else… Mengran has changed, everyone has changed… Sometimes I wonder if I’m the one who’s gone crazy…”
“Them?” Jiang Tong seized the keyword.
“….” Sun Xiaoqi’s voice abruptly stopped, and the dorm fell into an inexplicable dead silence.
“No ‘them’.” After a moment, Sun Xiaoqi coldly said, “I told you, don’t ask me again, I won’t tell you.”
That “them” was a clue.
Sun Xiaoqi was hiding something, her concealment a form of protection for “them.”
At the same time, it revealed her wariness toward Jiang Tong, the new roommate.
Jiang Tong seemed thoughtful, closed her eyes, and let sleep wash over her.
Meanwhile, Sun Xiaoqi’s wide eyes stared at the cold wall.
“…“ The person on the bed next door—the one who came to save her—if they say don’t ask, does that really mean no questions?
Is that woman even alive?
Sun Xiaoqi swallowed hard, feeling that Jiang Tong, who shared the same room, was as strange and eerie as the thing outside.
Jiang Tong was fully awake.
Opening her eyes, Sun Xiaoqi’s face flickered with panic. Pretending indifference, she stepped back two paces and murmured, “Such a heavy sleeper, how can you sleep so soundly in a place like this…” Then she grabbed her toiletries and ran out of the dorm.
Jiang Tong sat up, the bright sunlight piercing through her eyelids.
Unlike the hive in Building Five, Mingde High School was free of the ever-present white fog.
After washing up and stepping out of the washroom, Jiang Tong glanced up at the electronic clock in the lobby.
[Monday]
[5:40]
Monday?
Wait, last night was still Wednesday, but today is Monday?
“See?” Sun Xiaoqi appeared behind Jiang Tong without warning, her voice drifting: “This place is like this, really chaotic.”
Jiang Tong turned back, and Sun Xiaoqi quickly averted her gaze, turning toward the dorm.
“Xiao Qi,” Jiang Tong called to her.
Sun Xiaoqi quickened her steps, moving straight ahead like a gust of wind.
“…“ Jiang Tong touched her face with her hand, wondering if she looked that scary.
Sun Xiaoqi’s attitude seemed more than just wariness.
Back at the dorm, Jiang Tong casually grabbed two of Li Qiuming’s books, preparing to meet up with her teammates.
Sun Xiaoqi warned her quietly and couldn’t help but ask, “Which class are you in?”
“Grade Three Class Eight.”
Hearing “Class Eight,” Sun Xiaoqi’s face paled in shock with a soft “Ah.”
Jiang Tong frowned, “So what if it’s Class Eight?”
“I don’t know…” Sun Xiaoqi tried to dodge the topic again, “Just remember not to meddle.”
“Are you afraid of me?” Jiang Tong’s cold voice sounded unexpectedly sharp.
Her tall figure took a step forward. “Am I scary?”
Sun Xiaoqi looked into Jiang Tong’s dark eyes and felt her throat tighten. “No—”
“Are you afraid of me, or afraid of ‘outsiders’ like me?” Jiang Tong hit the mark.
“….” Sun Xiaoqi’s pupils constricted. Suddenly, she lowered her head, tensed her shoulders, and pushed past Jiang Tong to dash out the door.
She ran out of Gate 104, then stopped and looked back deeply: “You—You absolutely must remember, don’t bring anyone into the dorm. No one, under any circumstances!”
[Dormitory Regulations Article Nine – Opening the dorm door is your right, but for your own safety, it’s best not to let anyone into your dorm.]
Jiang Tong’s lips curled slightly. “Thank you for the reminder.”
Noticing the smile in Jiang Tong’s eyes, Sun Xiaoqi was momentarily stunned, snorted softly, and slowed her steps a little.
Members of the third team gathered in front of the dorm at the same time without prior arrangement.
Guan Zifei, as the team leader, spoke first: “My roommates number three. They seem heavily contaminated and uncommunicative. But they show no signs of violence, their movements rigid, like puppets, or…”
“NPCs.” Lin Xuanlu’s cold voice cut in.
Jiang Tong looked at Lin Xuanlu with questioning eyes.
“Just like characters in a game programmed to act a certain way. Their actions are fixed; they have no independent consciousness,” Lin Xuanlu explained.
At this, all eyes turned to Lin Xuanlu.
She straightened her school uniform, lowering her eyelids: “I share a dorm with Sister Yuan, just the two of us. But we could tell someone else was living there. Around midnight, a mirror suddenly appeared on the washbasin. Sister Yuan covered it with a cloth, and nothing else happened.”
Not easy! Sister Yuan’s eyes glowed with encouragement.
For someone usually reserved to speak so much, Sister Yuan’s admiration was evident.
“…” Lin Xuanlu continued.
“There are four of us there. One can communicate, but her thoughts are chaotic. She talks confusedly about the strange behavior of teachers and classmates, and the chaos in class… probably heavily contaminated as well,” Wu Maolong added.
After hearing everyone’s reports, Jiang Tong understood it was her turn. She hesitated, then asked, “How many times have you done dorm checks?”
Guan Zifei raised an eyebrow at her. “Once.”
“Once.”
“Same,”
Jiang Tong said, “Twice for me. I have two roommates; one has relatively clear consciousness. She warned me there would be two dorm checks. The second time, she ignored the roll call, and so did I.”
“Two dorm checks… Lin Zeli also mentioned the dorm supervisor does dorm checks during rest hours, only once per night. Meaning the first check requires a response, but the second does not?” Sister Yuan pondered.
Jiang Tong said nothing. Why had only their dorm had two checks?
Guan Zifei seemed to understand Jiang Tong’s doubts: “Dorm checks are a death-triggering mechanism, probably not fixed but random… Your dorm might have triggered this mechanism.”
“In any case, when it happens, just don’t respond.”
Wu Maolong crossed his arms, his deep voice radiating pressure. “Since someone in your dorm has clear consciousness, did you get any information from her?”
Sister Yuan glared at Wu Maolong in displeasure. Wu Maolong realized this and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
“She’s very nervous, extremely guarded. None of my questions were answered directly,” Jiang Tong said. “And she seems afraid of me.”
“Is she afraid of you, or afraid of ‘outsiders’ like us?” Guan Zifei asked sharply.
Jiang Tong blinked once. “I lean toward the latter.”
Guan Zifei smiled knowingly. “Looks like something happened at this school that makes her distrust us.”
“Of course—” Her voice dragged on. “Jiang Tong, you still need to improve your skills in communicating with ordinary people.”
“All right, that’s enough sharing. Let’s get to class.”
Both Jiang Tong and Lin Xuanlu’s classes are Grade Three Class Eight, concentrated on the Teaching Building Fourth Floor. The group went upstairs together, then split to their own classes.
The appearance of a strange face caused no ripples in Class Eight.
The deafening sound of morning reading drowned everything out.
No student looked up or paused because of their arrival; everyone was like clockwork puppets, mechanically reading their textbooks.
Inside the classroom, about forty students were seated.
Name tags were stuck on the backs of the chairs, including those of Jiang Tong and Lin Xuanlu.
Jiang Tong’s seat was in the last row, Lin Xuanlu’s in the third.
The time pointed to 6:20. Morning self-study began at 6:30.
Jiang Tong found her seat. The desktop was empty.
She placed the books she carried on the desk and quickly scanned the classroom, soon fixing her gaze on the wall near the blackboard.
There, a neatly written notice was posted—
[Mingde High School Discipline and Rules]
[To maintain teaching order, cultivate good habits, and promote the all-around development of students, the school has established the following rules, and students are expected to strictly observe them:]
[1. Your name symbolizes your worth; your name represents your value.
- There is no bullying on campus; any suspected bullying you witness is just overly rough play among classmates. Do not regret it, just tell yourself it’s student fun and do not intervene.
- During school hours, students must wear their school uniforms. Even if the uniform is damaged or dirty, those not wearing uniforms are considered outsiders and will be expelled from the classroom.
- Follow the class schedule strictly; on Monday, attend Monday’s classes; on Tuesday, Tuesday’s classes, and so on.
- Duty students are responsible for cleaning the classroom and public areas. Sanitation inspections are held at 6 PM on Tuesday afternoons; duty students must wait for the Sanitation Committee’s inspection, and must clean until passing.
- All school activities are based on the school bell. Unless there is a valid reason (such as Physical Education Class), leaving the classroom during class is strictly prohibited.
- Grade leaders conduct patrols during class. If a leader finds you not studying seriously, you will face punishment.
- The Class Teacher’s decisions are correct and unquestionable.
- To save electricity, the entire school power is cut off after 11:30 PM. Do not loiter outside; anything happening in the darkness is tacitly permitted.
- If you hear suspected screams, cries, or heavy objects dropping, do not pay attention; these are not real.
- Wasting food in the cafeteria is strictly prohibited. All food on your plate counts as your own.
- The school has Physical Education classes.
- The school does not have Swimming Class.
- Final Exams will be held on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Only after completing exams normally can students leave school.]
“A hive of insects involving bullying? Such stupid little bugs, such low-level tastes,” Lin Xuanlu said softly.
Jiang Tong: “7”