“Why do you know so much?” the younger brother in the sibling duo asked.
Hua Haoming replied, “Because I’m one of the people who came out of the game, or rather, I’m a player.”
Xia Bai didn’t know whether the others believed him, but he did. He had seen Hua Haoming in a photo in a forum post. From Hua Haoming’s expression, Xia Bai believed he had come out of more than one game.
Perhaps he even had other identities.
He wasn’t a quiet individual, but he didn’t seem nosy either, nor so patient. Sharing all this information from the very beginning wasn’t out of kindness, but because of his identity.
He was the person Mr. Yang sought to help him find “Xi Shen,” that person from “another department.”
With these thoughts, Xia Bai sat on his bed, hugging the file bag tightly in his arms, staring blankly at the door, looking as if he’d lost his soul.
“Um, how do we get out of here?” asked the father with a nervous smile, addressing Hua Haoming with great politeness.
It seemed he believed him – about the game, and Hua Haoming’s claim that he’d emerged from it. Under the dim light, many eyes turned to Hua Haoming, as if their hopes of survival rested on him.
“Clear the game, and you can leave,” Hua Haoming stated simply. But everyone knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“And if… if we can’t clear the game?”
“Then we will truly vanish. To put it another way, we’ll die inside the game. After that, this dormitory will be sealed to prevent others from getting trapped in the game.”
They immediately understood why so many factories, amusement parks, and restaurants had shut down in the past two years. It wasn’t just due to poor business.
“How do we clear the game? Are there any specific methods?” the father persisted.
Hua Haoming responded, “Typically, the game is related to its setting. We’re in a school, so this should be a school-related game.”
It was a start, but their scope was still rather wide.
“Some players have named this game ‘Seek Truth.'”
“‘Seek Truth’? As in searching for the truth?” Wen Dong queried.
Hua Haoming nodded, “From what I know, there are two types of maps. The most common is a regular map, which revolves around finding out the truth. The other type is a special type, and its gameplay varies with no set pattern.”
“It’s highly likely that we are in a regular map. If that’s the case, we just need to find this so-called ‘truth’ to leave the game?” Song Qiang leaned forward, excitement evident in his eyes.
Hua Haoming smirked, “Only if you can survive long enough to find that truth.” Remembering the grisly scenes Hua Haoming had shown them, the smile on Song Qiang’s face waned.
“Also, don’t resist the NPCs in the game unless necessary. You should act as your given role when they’re around.”
While others still had many questions, Hua Haoming interrupted, “Right now, we’ve been locked down by the game. We can’t leave the dormitory and the game will soon commence. The lockdown period is usually five to ten minutes. I suggest you use this time to prepare and introduce yourselves.”
No one dared disobey, not even the boy who had just challenged him. Everyone started frantically searching for protective and offensive tools.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Xiang placed Xia Bai’s woven bag onto the top bunk. Tall and able, he effortlessly yanked the properly-made bedding off and threw it onto the fourth bed.
“…”
The protesting boy from earlier said nothing this time. His fear of the game seemed to surpass his anger, especially after his mother held his hand to soothe him.
Lin Xiang snorted softly, speaking loud enough for Xia Bai but not others to hear, “That’s how you should act, Xia Bai. Don’t let them think you’re easy prey.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Lin Xiang was puzzled, “?”
Xia Bai quickly rummaged through his bags. Lin Xiang wondered if he was seeing things.
Among Xia Bai’s belongings were two large woven bags and a bulging backpack. He had brought more stuff than the others since he packed everything he could. Despite the large amount of items, everything was still organized properly.
He swiftly retrieved a stack of yellow paper from his backpack and shoved it into his pocket. He then retrieved a fruit knife from the blue-and-white bag and handed it to Lin Xiang, apologizing, “I’m sorry.”
Lin Xiang knew why he was apologizing – if he hadn’t come to see Xia Bai off, he wouldn’t be trapped in this horror game. However, he soon rebutted, “I chose to come with you. I wanted to see Heping Medical College.”
Taking the knife, he said with emotion, “Xia Bai, you gave me your only weapon. You could’ve used this to protect yourself.”
Xia Bai replied, “No, I have more.”
“You’re always like this,” Lin Xiang said, touched but helpless. “Acting as if you didn’t purposely carry me out from that graveyard.”
Staring at the strange talisman peeking out of Xia Bai’s pocket, Hua Haoming said nothing.
Slap!
A muffled sound broke the warmth of the moment. Over at the third bed, a father slapped his son, then pointed at his head, admonishing, “Speak up! Introduce yourself! Why are you acting like a mute, looking so useless?”
The son was silent for a few seconds before standing and turning to face them, hands clasped on the chair’s back, head slightly bowed. “My name is Song Mingliang. I study dentistry.”
His father quickly added, “I am his father, Song Qiang. My son is just too modest and introverted. He’s actually very smart and reliable.”
Seeing them introduce themselves, the boy from Bed #2 said, “I’m Wen Dong, studying psychiatry. This is my sister, Wen Qiu.”
The boy from Bed #4 remained silent, so his mother spoke for him: “This is my son, Meng Tianyou, studying clinical medicine.”
Xia Bai introduced himself: “I’m Xia Bai, studying forensic medicine.”
Upon hearing about his field of study, Meng Tianyou’s mother frowned. Song Mingliang’s father, however, looked warmly at Hua Haoming. “Is he your older brother?”
Xia Bai responded, “Distant friend.”
“…”
Lin Xiang voluntarily introduced himself, “I’m Xia Bai’s high school classmate, his best bro, Lin Xiang.”
The introductions momentarily alleviated some of the tension. Afterward, the room became quiet again. With the ticking of the clock, the sense of dread began to resurface.
Hua Haoming said that the usual lock-in time was only 5 to 10 minutes. As he spoke, everyone’s gaze shifted to the wall clock. Four minutes had already passed, and they had spent some time before trying to open the windows and doors.
It was almost time.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…
Song Qiang wiped sweat from his brow, while Meng Tianyou’s legs shook faster and faster.
The hall outside was eerily quiet. The world seemed reduced to just the sound of the clock, signaling that the horrifying game was drawing nearer.
Tap, tap, tap…
The sound of footsteps drew closer in the corridor outside, sounding like heavy heels striking the floor.
They finally heard sounds from outside the dormitory, but rather than feeling relief, the group grew more anxious.
The footsteps stopped right outside their door.
Everyone felt their hearts race.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three knocks, neither gentle nor violent.
Tension filled the room. No one moved or dared to speak.
Ultimately, it was Hua Haoming who approached the door. The door that was previously impossible to open, now easily turned at his touch.
Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the door.
Behind it stood a woman in her fifties. Behind her, a male student rushed past with a basin, and the lively sounds of a normal dormitory hall poured into the room. It felt as though they had been brought back to the real world.
As the door opened, Xia Bai heard a chime.
[Game fully loaded. Regular map: Heping Medical College, is now online.]
The sound didn’t seem to come from anywhere specific. It felt like it was echoing in their minds.
[You happened to be in the Heping Medical College dormitory when the Heping Medical College map went online. Fate must have brought you here. Welcome to Heping Medical College. We hope you can enjoy the beautiful story behind the college and have fun playing the game.]
“’Fate’ my ass,” Lin Xiang muttered.
Seeing his reaction, it was clear to Xia Bai that he wasn’t the only one who heard the voice.
“You should be going back to your rooms now. Why are you all still here?” The woman at the door, presumably the dorm supervisor, was different from the one they were seeking earlier.
When they first entered the dormitory, they saw two supervisors in the lobby—one fair-skinned and one slightly plump. The woman now at their door had a gaunt face, her skin as wrinkled as crumpled paper.
“Why are there two girls here? Girls stay upstairs! Don’t wander around the boys’ floor!” the supervisor chided.
None of them knew who was supposed to stay in the dormitory, so they all stood there, anxious.
The supervisor’s annoyance grew, “Hua Haoming, Lin Xiang, Song Qiang, return to 304! Wen Qiu, Meng Qing, go to your 405!”
Now they knew where they were supposed to be. They understood their roles in this game—they were all students at Heping Medical College.
Hua Haoming led the way to room 304 on the same floor. Wen Qiu and Meng Qing took a bit longer, mainly because Meng Qing kept glancing back at her son, Meng Tianyou, with a mix of reluctance and fear.
Upon seeing them head to their respective places, the dorm supervisor finally looked satisfied. “Get cleaned up and head to bed soon. It’ll be lights out soon. Once the lights are off, do not leave the dormitory, or you’ll bear the consequences.”
Logically, it should have been just after six in the evening, a time when it was just starting to get dark. Yet, the dorm supervisor mentioned that it was almost lights-out time.
Xia Bai glanced towards the corridor window and was met with endless darkness. The clock on the dormitory wall now read 11:55 pm. The walls of the dorm seemed even more worn down, with several winding damp patches. The floor and the bedding were no different. Other than that, everything was as it should be—all their belongings remained intact.
After the dorm supervisor left, the four freshmen who were supposed to be living in this room let out a sigh of relief.
The supervisor had only warned them not to leave the dormitory after lights out. It wasn’t lights-out yet, so they should be able to step out. Taking advantage of this, all four of them went to the door and peered out.
During the dorm supervisor’s call for lights out, there was a rush of footsteps in the corridor. The sound of an argument came from a room somewhere, and they even heard two guys discussing their anatomy class, seemingly agonized. It seemed like a typical college dormitory.
But it wasn’t their real dormitory.
If everyone in the entire dormitory building was sucked into this game, there wouldn’t be any noises. The dormitory doors would be tightly shut.
So, their current situation felt eerie.
Wen Dong asked, “Song Mingliang, since you arrived the earliest, do you recognize any faces here?”
On their first day of university registration, most students were unfamiliar with one another. To discern if these were their real classmates, it made sense to ask the one who had been in the dorm the longest.
Before Song Mingliang could answer, Meng Tianyou interrupted, “He’s been keeping his head down the whole time. How would he notice any classmates?”
Song Mingliang turned to look at him. Unlike when his father was around, he didn’t hang his head low. He looked people in the eyes, spoke clearly, and enunciated, “I didn’t see many. Can’t tell.”
Just as they wanted to look out a bit longer, the lights in the dormitory and corridor suddenly went out.
Almost in unison, the four of them instinctively took a step back into their room, with Wen Dong swiftly shutting the door.
The night was moonless, and the room was pitch-black.
They couldn’t see each other’s faces, but they could hear each other’s mildly panicked breathing. Xia Bai waited for a moment before pulling out his phone, which thankfully still worked. He used its light to find his way back to bed number one.
Wen Dong returned to bed number two, followed by Song Mingliang heading to bed number three. Meng Tianyou stood still for a few seconds, his expression unreadable in the darkness.
Beds one and two were by the window. Seeing Xia Bai getting ready to climb into bed, Wen Dong suggested, “Shall we draw the curtains? Who knows if we’ll look up in the middle of the night and see a ghost staring back at us.”
In the darkness, Meng Tianyou couldn’t see their movements and thought Wen Dong’s “we” referred to all four of them.
“I’m not the one sleeping by the window,” he said with a peculiar tone.
“Right! You’re not by the window, but by the restroom. So, you better guard that restroom door and make sure no ghost climbs out of the toilet and onto your bed!” Wen Dong shot back, clearly fed up, “I know we’re all anxious, irritated, and on edge because we’re stuck in this terrifying unknown game. But don’t expect us to coddle you like your mom!”
Xia Bai had already drawn the curtains.
Song Mingliang remained silent throughout the exchange.
Meng Tianyou didn’t respond to Wen Dong, instead focusing on setting up his bed with evident frustration. Wen Dong, seeing this, said nothing more and climbed into bed with an eye mask and a pair of scissors.
After arranging his bed, Xia Bai retrieved his family register from a file, held it close, and quietly lay down.
The dormitory became eerily silent. But surely, no one was asleep.
Today was their registration day. They’d arrived at this prestigious century-old institution brimming with elation, having finally realized their dream of entering this school and staying in the dormitory they’d always yearned for. But now, they were thrown into a life-threatening horror game. It was as if they’d entered heaven only to find themselves in hell.
Wen Dong was right. Maybe in some people’s eyes, they were the cream of the crop. But they were just inexperienced freshmen who had always been buried in their studies, untouched by the outside world. Facing the unknown dangers lurking in the night and the pressure of potential death, who could possibly sleep?
Holding the family register close, Xia Bai shared a tense and sorrowful moment with the others before his eyelids gradually closed.
A thick, heavy darkness engulfed the aging school. The darkness seemed to carry an overwhelming dampness. A moist and sticky sensation clung to them, making the sleeping souls feel like they were drowning.
Oooooooh, exciting! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️😳
It’s started, it’s started!
Thanks for the update! I’m excited!
Can’t wait how the game process
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter! I can’t wait to see how this story will progress!
i wonder what classes they’re going to get the parents (and friends) to attend
I can’t help but wonder if Xiao Bai would find his family’s 5 Xi Shen here 😂
…that dad is something, slapping his son because the kid didn’t “introduce himself loud enough”