"Mr. Ou, Mr. Ou?"
When Ou Ruofei heard Anian's call again, he shuddered subconsciously and looked up to meet the girl's small oval face and dark eyes.
At this moment, she remembered what Keke said in bed number 3.
—Are you so confident that this room is full of humans?
Ah Nian's lips opened and closed gently, his voice soft, yet a little too shrill due to his excitement:
"I'm not lying to you. There really is blood on your bed. If you don't believe me, just look."
Ou Ruofei subconsciously looked up and saw a pool of bright red and thick liquid slowly flowing down on the wall beside her bed.
One drop, two drops, and a blood flower began to spread on the white bed sheet.
"ah----"
Hearing the shrill scream from 917, Tang Xinjue paused and looked at his hesitant roommate.
"Zhang You and I are going to the bathroom. You two should go back to the dormitory and check on the situation."
Anyway, there is a mental connection, so if there is anything, we can just talk in our minds, and the risk of distraction is greatly reduced.
In an instant, half the people in the corridor had disappeared. Jiang Lan, hearing screams mixed with Ah Nian's voice, immediately rushed back. It seemed the girls in beds 11 and 12 had also been left behind by their teammates. After they retreated, only six people remained in the corridor.
Tang Xinjue did not look back. After the mental connection was upgraded, her perception became stronger and stronger, and was no longer limited to ghosts.
Even without using her eyes to "see", she could roughly tell how many people were behind her and who they were.
In addition to Zhang You, No. 5 and No. 6 also followed behind. They were holding toy guns that could spit fire in their hands, and they didn't seem to have any intention of hiding their abilities.
But now there was another girl beside them. Tang Xinjue recognized her as Guo Guo's lower bunk, number 10. The three of them seemed to be very close, so they should be in the same dormitory.
Behind the three people, walking at the end of the team, was a lone girl with a stern expression. She was bunk number 7 above Zhang You.
During these few steps, Zhang You recounted what she had observed in her mind:
[Number 7 probably doesn't have a roommate and is alone, just like Oruofei.]
[11, 12, 13, and 15 were in the same dorm, the only dorm with four people besides us. Judging from their accents, they seemed to be from Sichuan.]
Without further information, it's almost certain that this is a group instance. College students from all over the world, grouped by dormitories, are transported into this exam to complete a single mission together.
It was my first time to participate in a group dungeon, and seeing so many people at once, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t excited.
If you include the singles, there should be six dormitories here in total. Everyone in the dormitories should be very vigilant. They all have experience in passing exams... except for Ou Ruofei.
At this point, Zhang You paused. She had something else to say, but she didn't know how to say it: "There's one more thing, but I'm not sure..."
Tang Xin Jue seemed to be able to hear her thoughts and added the rest of the words for her:
[All dormitories with fewer than four students have lost roommates.]
…
It's not just a matter of too few people.
The temperament and state of someone who has never faced death in a dungeon will be different from that of someone who has just experienced the death of someone close to them.
Although their dormitory had been devastated by the exams, all four of them were still alive and well. At least their morale was still high. The same was true for the other four-member group, although they were cautious and had little presence.
However, except for Ou Ruofei, each of the remaining girls has more or less gloom and excessive aggressiveness.
In other words, it is a strong sense of self-protection.
As my thoughts raced, the scene in the bathroom came into view.
The walls were covered in thick grime, its original whiteness visible only through the cracks. Only half of the floor was paved with bricks, the other half still cement, and there were piles of uncollected trash cans on the floor.
But the dirtiest place is the washbasin - the sink is filled with instant noodle boxes and other garbage, and the water in the sink is mixed with soup and snack packets, breeding countless bacteria and maggots, and emitting a pungent smell.
Even though I had already adapted to the corridor, the retching sounds continued.
"I really, ugh—do you need paper? I have ugh—"
No. 5 took out two napkins, thinking that Zhang You and Tang Xinjue’s noses were not blocked because they had no paper.
Tang Xin Jue declined: "Smell can sometimes be a clue."
Number 5 was stunned: "That's true, but how did you hold it back?"
Rather than suffer from acid reflux from the smoke, she chose to plug her nose.
As soon as the words came out, No. 5 felt that he was asking unnecessary questions.
There are always people better than you, and there are always mountains better than you. Some people dare to snipe at the cracks in the ghost gate, while others can walk freely in extreme environments. It’s no use envying them.
However, just as she was comforting herself, when she turned around, she saw Zhang You and Tang Xinjue looking at each other and nodding, then putting on a pair of rubber gloves and reaching into the sink to start searching.
No. 5: “???!!!”
The four people behind were all stunned.
Although they were mentally prepared for a thorough cleaning, they didn't expect the other party to start so decisively and unexpectedly.
However, within a few seconds, Tang Xinjue pulled out a crumpled piece of cardboard from the instant noodle bucket, rinsed it, and read the words clearly:
[9.8 Check the cleaning rules... Check the time...]
The remaining words were blurred into a mess and difficult to distinguish. Only half of the paper was left, and the other half was missing.
When they saw the paper, everyone suddenly understood: there was a clue in the trash!
Clues were more important than anything else, so without saying anything, they rolled up their sleeves and started picking out the trash.
Five minutes later, Zhang You found the second clue.
She somehow managed to dismantle the rusty faucet and found the lower half of the paper inside.
Dormitory 917 general cleaning assignments: 8 people for the common area, 4 people for the hallway, and 4 people for the bathroom. The assignments are based on bed number.
"According to this order, we are basically responsible for the interior of the dormitory."
Tang Xinjue and Zhang You didn't hide anything and showed the clues they found to everyone.
Number 10 said with some horror, "If we start cleaning now, would that be considered a violation of the task assignment rules? Will there be any punishment for violating the rules?"
"There may be accidents or dangers."
Tang Xinjue and Zhang You exchanged a glance, "Let's tell the students still in 917 this news first, and tell them not to act rashly."
The two of them tacitly did not reveal their psychic powers, but instead turned on the call function of the APP and told the information to Guo Guo and Zheng Wanqing in the dormitory by phone.
Guo Guo breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. "Luckily, we haven't started cleaning yet. Let's look in the dormitory too, maybe there are some clues there. Oh, you asked about Ou Ruofei's shouting just now? It's okay, it was just a misunderstanding. I'll tell you the details when you come back."
Is it a misunderstanding?
Tang Xin Jue didn't say anything more. After hanging up the phone, he said concisely: "There should be more clues here. We must find them as soon as possible."
Zhang You nodded and took out one, two, four pairs of gloves from his pocket and handed them to everyone. "Use these first."
Having gloves is not only a layer of protection, but also helps overcome psychological barriers.
Accepting the gloves, the four were both grateful and surprised. Numbers 5 and 6 were the most forthright: "Thank you, we may not be able to help you much mentally, but if you encounter danger, you can call us first. Our special powers are just right to restrain ghosts."
Currently, we only know that No. 5 and No. 6 both possess fire abilities, and their destructive power is considerable. While we don't know what No. 10's abilities are, judging from this, they should be pretty good. Tang Xinjue accepted the thanks and suddenly asked, "Are you related?"
Zhang You was startled, and after a closer look, he realized that No. 5 and No. 6 did have some similarities in their features. The only difference was their height and clothing, so at first glance, they couldn't be linked by blood.
"Yes, you've noticed all of this."
Number 5 smiled, revealing his fangs. "My sister and I have been in the same class since elementary school, and shared the same dorm since high school and college. Now, not only do we play survival games together, but we even awakened our superpowers together!"
She no longer doubted the identities of Tang Xinjue and the others. After she let go of her guard, she revealed her chatterbox nature: "But we don't look much alike. You're the first one who can tell that right after meeting us, hehe."
Number 6 said helplessly: "Okay, stop talking and don't delay the business."
Number 5 curled his lips and said, "I've only said two sentences. This is the first time I'm not allowed to speak in front of a living person. I'm almost dying of suffocation. Oh, by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. We are students from Taipei Normal University. My name is..."
"Bang!"
The bathroom door suddenly closed without any warning, interrupting No. 5's voice.
Several people were startled. Number 7, who was closest to the door, subconsciously tried to push it, but Tang Xinjue pulled him back first: "Don't come near!"
In the blink of an eye, a few dark shelled flying insects suddenly emerged from the crack of the door, one after another, and in a blink of an eye they turned into a huge group and flew straight towards the crowd!
No. 5 and No. 6 pressed the trigger of the "toy gun" without hesitation, and the flames engulfed the flying insects. The buzzing sound and crackling sound of burning shells were endless.
"It's still revenge from those guys outside 917."
Tang Xinjue picked up a few flying insect corpses and turned them into powder with a light squeeze. The next second, a wisp of black smoke rose.
Tang Xinjue's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately reminded: "Don't use fire, these insects will produce a lot of smoke when they burn!"
Number 5 and number 6 quickly withdrew, but they were a step too late. As the flames died down, a plume of black smoke rapidly rose and spread, instantly obscuring everyone's vision.
"Ahem, I can't see anything now."
Zhang You took two steps back. The black smoke made her eyes sore and tears flowed. She could only turn on the faucet to wash her eyes.
Tang Xinjue pulled out the toilet plunger, and the water sprayed from the rubber head could knock down flying insects in the air, and the black smoke would also be reduced a little. Insecticide could also have the same effect.
She understood and reminded: "This time we can't use fire, we should use water."
After the initial panic, they quickly regained their composure, swatting away flying insects and splashing water to clear the black smoke. Before long, the air suddenly thickened and the temperature plummeted, sending them on high alert: freezing temperatures often signal the presence of ghosts.
"Don't attack, this is my roommate's ability!"
No. 5 shouted an explanation in the black fog. His voice fell on the cold air, and countless water droplets sprinkled from top to bottom, covering the entire space.
The effect of "artificial rain" was immediate. The black fog was quickly blown away and fell with the crackling of flying insects, gathering into a black pool on the ground.
No. 10 gasped and put down his hands. There was a flash of blue on the fingers of both hands, and then it quickly returned to normal.
Water-based abilities, both offensive and auxiliary.
Three people in a dormitory have awakened their attack abilities, and they are all powerful in output. No wonder they are not afraid of ghosts.
Zhang You felt a little envious, but he quickly focused his attention on checking the insect corpses on the ground. After confirming that they would no longer pose a threat, he took out a sealed bag, sorted out some of them, and preserved them.
Just in case, after all, the exam is over and it is possible that her ability can summon any "thing".
At the same time, Tang Xinjue had already opened the bathroom door. There was no one outside.
"That's all they can do. Hiding behind our backs and launching sneak attacks. They're shameful." No. 7 spat coldly, wrapped his hand that was scratched by insects with toilet paper, and refused help from others.
"I got hurt because of my own incompetence. If I don't learn from this, I'll get hurt again next time. Leave the help to those who can help."
No. 7 walked away alone and continued searching for clues.
"It seems difficult to talk to him..." No. 5 muttered twice, and when he saw that everyone was busy, he quickly joined in the work.
Fortunately, it is 7:20 now, which is still a long time before 11 o'clock, so we will definitely make it in time.
…
At exactly nine o'clock, No. 5 squatted on the ground, breathing weakly.
"It's so difficult. I didn't expect it would be so difficult to find things."
Even though they have overcome their psychological trauma and have been searching hard in every smelly corner, there are only four clues in total, including the complete version initially found by Tang and Zhang.
[Dormitory cleanliness requirements: Tables, chairs, floors, and beds must be neatly made and dust-free. Walls must be free of decorations, trash baskets must be free of trash, desks must be free of debris, bathrooms must be free of stains, and bathing areas must be free of toiletries.]
[Health inspection time: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Inspectors will give scores on the spot. Any deduction will be considered unqualified.]
[Penalty for failure: All dorm members will be confined for one day.]
"I feel like I can't think of any more tips. We probably won't be able to finish the cleaning requirements alone in two hours."
No. 10 was so tired that his legs felt weak, mainly because the bathroom was too dirty and smelly, and he had no place to rest.
Several people agreed. They felt that they had searched the toilet thoroughly and could not think of any other place where the clues could be hidden.
Tang Xinjue looked around and his brows slowly furrowed.
[Do you feel anything unusual?] Zhang You's voice came from his mind.
[I feel like there's another hint here...it might be a very important one.]
But they haven't found it yet.
The others had already returned in twos and threes, preparing to discuss the situation with the people in the dormitory. Only Tang Xinjue and the other two were left in the bathroom.
"Got a knife? Give me one."
Tang Xinjue suddenly spoke.
Zhang You quickly found a utility knife and a paring knife from his storage ring, but both were rejected.
"Is there anything bigger, as sharp as a knife?"
Zhang You thought for two seconds and snapped his fingers: "Yes."
Then she opened her pocket and pulled out a small metal spatula she had taken from Mayas's grandmother's kitchen. "Is this okay?"
"Can."
Immediately, a shiny shovel flashing with cold light was thrust hard into the wall, slowly scraping upwards.
The thick layer of dirt on the wall fell off layer by layer like poorly applied putty.
A small poster appeared on the wall. There were two exaggerated lip prints under the picture of a non-mainstream star, and a few lyrical slogans were written with a marker next to it. It didn't seem to have much information.
Glancing down, Tang Xin Jue noticed that the lower right corner of the poster was slightly tilted, revealing a bit of asymmetrical black. Using this corner, the entire poster could be torn from the wall from bottom to top.
After tearing it open, a piece of black paper stuck to the wall came into view, with bright red words written in bold and eye-catching handwriting:
Do not stay here, they are all scammers!
Run away!
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