"I didn't see anything."
Guo Guo stared until his eyes hurt, but he just shook his head: "In my eyes, these are just two ordinary wooden doors."
There was no white hand grabbing number 13, and no ghostly figure either.
Tang Xin Jue reached out and pressed her hand against the door panel. The cold touch seeped into her palm, lingering with a lingering chill—but that was all. Her mental power couldn't penetrate behind the door panel, as if some kind of barrier was blocking her detection.
"So, we can't find any concrete evidence right now, and we can't confirm that there's a ghost behind the door. It could also be a prank by other forces, like those who pretended to be dormitory managers before."
Number 7 stood at the other end of the corridor with his arms folded, his sharp eyes fixed on the back of Number 13, who shrank slightly unconsciously.
After a few seconds, No. 7 looked away and added coldly, "Ghosts naturally treat us as prey. They are capable of anything. If you are not strong enough to fight them, then don't go near any place where they may be hiding. We have all been through the test. If you still don't know what to do, you are courting death."
No. 13's face was as pale as paper.
Ke Ke tutted her tongue: "I never thought that someone would talk even more annoyingly than me. I thought I had reached the peak of being annoying."
Ah Nian gently tugged at her sleeve: "Don't be like this...don't say that, you're fine."
The atmosphere was a little dead silent for a moment. No. 13 hugged No. 15 and sobbed softly. The other two roommates were at a loss. Their props and abilities were useless in the current situation, so they could only ask others for help.
Guo Guo comforted them: "It's okay, at least I didn't see any ghosts on you. It's possible that the other party wanted to attack you but failed. You're lucky!"
No. 13's gloomy expression finally eased a little. After thanking his roommate, he was helped back to the dormitory by his roommate.
The remaining people couldn't find any clues and left one after another, leaving only Tang Xinjue and the other three in the corridor.
Zheng Wanqing scratched her head. "Um... Student No. 13, is she okay? It seems like everyone is reluctant to talk about it."
Although she was not very good at reading other people's implicit meanings, she also noticed that no one had expressed a clear attitude towards this matter.
However, it is this unclear atmosphere that makes people even more anxious.
Tang Xinjue still held the door with one hand, his eyes lowered, lost in thought. After a moment, he replied, "Some think she's fine, while others think she's beyond saving. Everyone has a different answer, but to the person involved, it's meaningless. She can only judge from her own perspective."
"What we need to think about is the meaning of everything that has happened, such as..."
Tang Xinjue and Zhang You Guoguo looked at each other and saw the same problem in each other's eyes.
"Why, number 13?"
Until night fell, everyone went to check the corridor every hour, or guarded different areas on the 9th floor in groups, but in the end they found nothing.
Dinner was still the biscuits provided by Zhang You. It didn’t fill me up but it was better than nothing and it somewhat relieved the tension caused by hunger and fatigue.
After dinner, No. 5 found a bag of candy that had been stuffed into his storage bag at some point, and excitedly gave one to everyone.
"Toffee is a rare item nowadays. Even in the student mall, it costs a lot of money to buy it. I can't even stock up on it. I didn't expect to earn one this time."
Zhang You made a joke and everyone laughed softly.
"Then it's a deal. When we meet for the next group exam, I'll bring two big bags of milk candy, one bag of Golden Monkey and one bag of White Rabbit. No one can pass unless they get cavities from eating them!"
Number 5 patted his chest with great confidence, but accidentally hurt himself and grimaced, "Sorry, I forgot I have breasts."
Even No. 13 couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the laughter soon spread throughout the room.
"By the way, classmate, this is for you."
Ou Ruofei suddenly took out a necklace and handed it to No. 13. "The store said it seems to be a protective necklace. I'm not sure if it works, but you should wear it first, just in case it comes in handy."
Number 13 took the necklace in a daze, her eyes suddenly reddened: "Thank you... but we don't know each other, and I haven't helped you..."
When Ou Ruofei was ridiculed by the crowd for calling for love and peace in the morning, she had been watching coldly, but she did not expect that in times of crisis, Ou Ruofei would be willing to give his defensive props to her who she met by chance.
The girl couldn't help but wipe away her tears: "...and what would you do if you gave it to me?"
Ou Ruofei: "It's okay, I still have a lot."
After saying that, she unbuttoned her collar, revealing six or seven identical protective necklaces underneath.
No. 13: “…”
Everyone: “…”
Their first thought is: "Where did you find the wholesale channel?"
Ou Ruofei explained: "Oh, I didn't buy it. I picked it up at the balcony door during the Crazy Wednesday event."
It turned out that she was too scared to get out of bed that morning. It was only at the end of the day that she discovered several gift boxes had been smashed against the balcony window, containing a bunch of protective necklaces.
“…”
It's true that comparison kills, and comparison makes things worth throwing away. Even though we were all pulled into the game on the same day, some people were even more miserable than taking exams and couldn't even afford to shop in the mall, while others could just lie down and items would fall from the sky. The disparity is truly complex.
After getting the protective necklace and repeatedly confirming with Guo Guo that he was not "abnormal", No. 13 carefully went to bed and lay down, intending to sleep away the day.
Everyone understood her approach; after all, they'd been busy all day and were exhausted. But they couldn't all sleep at the same time—in the end, it was decided that those in beds 1 to 8 would take turns keeping watch, divided into groups of four.
"Then I want to ask, why are only the students with the first eight bed numbers responsible for night watch?" Ou Ruofei was a little confused: "Isn't this a bit unfair to you?"
She felt guilty when she thought about others taking turns to keep watch while she was sleeping soundly and had nothing to do.
Keke snorted and laughed: "Dear, haven't you figured out the pattern of the bed numbers yet?"
Ou Ruofei's pupils trembled: "Huh? There's a pattern to the bed numbers???"
But she had never heard anyone talk about this. Did she have a fake day?
"Okay, Keke, stop teasing classmate Ou." Jiang Lan rescued the girl from her confusion and said in a hoarse voice, "The order of each of our beds is probably our ranking in terms of strength in the dormitory."
The stronger the strength, the earlier the serial number, and the weaker the strength, the later the serial number.
It was clear from their day together, especially during the memory recitation process. Although Tang Xinjue hadn't revealed his special abilities, his strength was already considered the strongest in the dormitory. Jiang Lan, Ke Ke, and the others followed closely behind.
Ou Ruofei, Anian and others who have no special abilities at all are at the bottom.
Ou Ruofei suddenly realized and took out her protective necklace: "Then give one to each of you... If it's not enough, I have more in my pocket!"
Everyone: “…”
What's with this inexplicable feeling of being kept by a rich woman?
Unfortunately, Ou Ruofei failed to deliver it. Tang Xinjue’s dormitory was not short of protective amulets, but Keke rejected her without hesitation.
"No, if I accept your things, I can't complain about you in a sarcastic way."
Ou Ruofei: "qwq Then can't you just stop complaining about me?"
Ke Ke said with a half-smile: "No, I can't live without complaining."
Ou Ruofei: "..."
Tang Xinjue turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping across Keke's face behind sunglasses, his eyes unchanged: "Then it's settled. I'll go and find a position for the night watch."
Jiang Lan nodded: "I'll go with you."
After saying that, she took a step forward and held Tang Xinjue's hand.
Tang Xinjue lowered his eyes and felt a chill at the intersection of his palms. It was a note.
Even as the note shrank into his palm, his mental power had already "seen" the contents inside:
[Someone among us is not quite right.]
At night.
After a day of anxiety and exhaustion, most people fell into a deep sleep as soon as they hit the bed. Even with the lights on in the dormitory, as bright as day, it didn't affect their sleepiness.
Orophie opened his eyes in a burst of thirst.
She fumbled to her feet and saw four empty beds across from her: 1, 3, 5, and 7. This was the first shift of the night watch.
It's... 1 a.m.
She rubbed her eyes and walked to the long table to pour herself a glass of water.
On the table were a thermos cup, a biscuit bag, and a danger sensor that Zhang You had taken out from his pocket, the capacity of which was never to be guessed.
Ou Ruofei opened the lid of the thermos and heard the sound of water when she shook it. She poured the water into the paper cup, but no water flowed out.
What’s going on? There’s clearly water inside.
Ou Ruofei rubbed her eyes a few more times, regaining consciousness. She continued to pour, but still not a drop came out. It was as if an invisible membrane was sealing the water in the cup, preventing her from drinking it.
She put down the water cup in a daze, sleepiness flooding into her head. She could only swallow her thirst and prepare to go back to sleep.
The room was completely silent. The dormitory door was open, and dim light filtered through from the corridor. It was unclear where the people outside were keeping watch. Ou Ruofei took one look and then ducked, not even considering going out to take a look.
The slightly cool air against her neck made her realize that she was a little scared. She quickly turned around and walked towards the bed, wanting to return to the quilt that made her feel safe.
Hiss...
A slight friction sound suddenly and subtly entered my ears.
Ou Ruofei, who had already walked to the bed, subconsciously raised his head to look for the direction of the sound.
She looked around and finally her eyes fell on Anian, who was sleeping soundly in bed No. 16 opposite her.
No, Anian is still asleep. That sound wasn't from her. It was...
His gaze slowly moved upwards and landed on Anian's upper bunk.
Bed No. 15 was covered with a tightly closed curtain. No one could see her, and there was no rubbing sound. It was as if the sound just now was just tinnitus. But she had an inexplicable premonition that it was there.
Ou Ruofei couldn't help but squint her eyes. Through the thin bed curtains, she seemed to see a figure inside, a silhouette clinging closely to the bed curtains...
Orophie's breathing stopped.
Her eyes slowly widened, but her pupils quickly contracted as she stared at the bed curtains.
If she saw correctly, the person in the bed curtain was standing.
…
The figure of a girl stood on the bed, silently sticking to the bed curtain, her face seemed to be facing downwards.
"Are you asleep, student number 15?"
Orophie spoke softly.
As soon as she said this, she wanted to swallow it back: Who the hell would sleep standing on the bed?
Just before the scream broke out, a hand patted Ou Ruofei's shoulder and covered her mouth.
“Mmmmm!!!”
Oruofei struggled frantically, fear seemed to grip every nerve in her brain, making her ears buzz.
"It's me! Ou-san, Ou-san?"
The familiar voice brought Oruofei back to her senses. She turned around tremblingly and saw No. 13's anxious face.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Number 15, she is standing on the bed!" Ou Ruofei spoke with difficulty.
With the lights half dimmed, No. 13 raised his head, then lowered it again. "She's lying down now. She might have been sleepwalking just now. She's my roommate, she'll be fine, don't worry."
The girl held Ou Ruofei's shoulders and said, "Don't be too nervous. You'll wake everyone up and they'll be very angry."
Listening to the other party's voice, Ou Ruofei took a few deep breaths and nodded.
That's right, she couldn't shout. If she woke everyone up and caused a false alarm, she would definitely leave a worse impression in others' minds.
She finally met many companions, and she needed to be strong and smart...
No. 13 put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Do you want some water? We can go to the corner and drink it. Come and talk to me for a while."
Taking a sip of water from the paper cup, Ou Ruofei leaned her head against the wall, looking at No. 13's pale face. Thinking of what happened to him today, she couldn't help but feel guilty. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up? You encountered a ghost during the day, and I shouldn't have woken you."
No. 13 hugged his knees, his facial expression unclear, only a soft voice could be heard: "It's okay, I feel much better now."
"Lying in bed makes me miserable. Only sitting here can make me feel comfortable. It feels so peaceful here."
Ou Ruofei nodded in a daze. She felt that there was something wrong with what the other party said, but she couldn't remember what it was. She could only drink water in silence.
Until the sound of a girl sobbing emerged faintly from beneath the ground.
Ou Ruofei's palms tightened, "Classmate, can you hear the crying?"
"No." Number 13, half of his body buried in the shadows, remained motionless. "I didn't hear anything."
"But I clearly--" Ou Ruofei almost bit his tongue.
Because she heard that the crying sound was getting clearer and louder, as if the source of the sound... was climbing up!
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