AnalogHorror: Rule Kaidan 4016
Chapter 157 - 72 Dormitory Regulations 1

Chapter 157: Chapter 72 Dormitory Regulations 1

Seizing the moment when darkness faded and the sea breeze dissipated, Lin Yi focused all his resolve to reinforce his cognition.

As the hallucinatory walls of the dormitory building flickered and jumped before his eyes like a slideshow, he suddenly thrust out his hand...

「Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...」

As he reached out, images of the sea and the walls alternately flashed before his eyes, like looking at a changing scene through the blades of an electric fan, one frame of the sea, one frame of the wall, with twenty-four frames flashing back and forth each second.

His hand finally traversed the fan and pressed against the cliff’s rock face.

But just as he was about to touch the stone, he clenched his hand fiercely—

With this grasp, it was as though a black hole appeared in the palm of his hand, and the whole world began to shrink around this center...

The light and shadows of endless space, the twisted, collapsing fragments, all turned into the purest and most primal lines, then surged into this zone like elongated particles of light.

After he tightened his grip, everything in front of him turned into a void of blank nothingness... This change was extremely brief, like the flash of white light from an old-fashioned camera shutter, and after a flicker...

Inside the corridor on the 14th floor of the dormitory building, Lin Yi’s hand was tightly gripping a doorknob.

His body was somewhat stiff, not yet adapted to this sudden change, but he felt immensely relieved by this somewhat expected yet surprising outcome.

Without dwelling on life’s dramatic rises and falls, safety was an illusion before fully returning to the dormitory.

He did not hurry to unlock the door with his student ID card, but first looked up to check the dormitory door number.

1412.

"Damn! It really is 1412..."

He took a deep breath and turned his head to look not far away.

In the curved corridor, a door plate not far away bore the bold inscription "1414."

"Found it!"

He took a deep breath, fixed his gaze on the door of Room 1414, and then patted his left shoulder.

Feeling Wei Liang’s slightly cool hand that had been on his shoulder all the while, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

When he was experiencing phantom visions or even losing his anchor, he urgently needed to find a reference, but he dared not use Wei Liang’s hand on his shoulder as one.

He could actually feel the temperature of Wei Liang’s palm, alternating between cold and warm, which felt even clearer when he reinforced his cognition with force of will.

Through the touch between Wei Liang’s palm and his own, he could feel his physical body and spirit repeatedly jumping between two layers.

One layer was the world where the Black Sun resided, and the other layer was the world where the dormitory building, and Wei Liang, were located.

But Wei Liang’s own condition wasn’t great either. He wasn’t sure if using Wei Liang as a reference would worsen Wei Liang’s situation. If the anchor wasn’t stable enough, the eventual outcome would be mutual destruction or even a fall into an even more unpredictable and dangerous state.

Fortunately, now, despite the roller-coaster-like ups and downs, the outcome seemed all right.

He then took steps toward Room 1414.

But as he let go of the doorknob to Room 1412, he suddenly heard a strange noise from inside the door. Right now, he chose to ignore it and proceeded with Wei Liang to the door of Room 1414.

He reached out and grabbed the doorknob to Room 1414.

Not until that moment did he feel somewhat settled.

Then, he gently patted Wei Liang’s hand with his other hand.

"Liangzi, we are at the dorm!"

Wei Liang’s numb and empty eyes gradually regained their luster.

"We’ve arrived..." He looked up and saw the door plate of Room 1414.

"Phew..." He exhaled deeply, then in a lowered voice said, "Old Lin, let’s not talk yet. You go in first, close the door after entering, I can open it myself."

"You want to go first?" Lin Yi was worried about Wei Liang’s condition.

Wei Liang shook his head, "It’s okay now that we’re here."

Lin Yi looked at him deeply and then, with a slight nod and lowered eyelids, replied, "Alright... be safe."

"Don’t worry, nothing will happen," Wei Liang assured.

Lin Yi then reached into his pocket.

"Hold on a second," Wei Liang suddenly said, "do you remember how to swipe the card at the cafeteria?"

Lin Yi was startled, then answered, "What do you mean...?"

"Don’t expose us, swipe as fast as possible," Wei Liang said sternly.

Lin Yi’s expression grew serious, but he followed the instruction.

He pulled out his student ID card and swiped it at the speed of light over the induction area on the doorknob.

「Beep, beep, beep—click! Click!」

A series of mechanical sounds came from inside the door, and through the subtle vibrations, Lin Yi could almost visualize a series of bolts being withdrawn from the lock.

This dormitory door seemed to be filled with locks.

When the sound ceased, Lin Yi felt the resistance in the doorknob disappear.

He pressed gently, and the door opened with a "click."

Strands of warm breath seeped out from inside the door, making one feel immensely comfortable.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi stepped into the dormitory and then closed the door behind him.

"Clang!"

The first thing Lin Yi did after closing the dormitory door was to look at the time.

21:18.

...

In front of Room 1414, although the doorknob was within reach, Wei Liang’s face showed no sign of relief. On the contrary, his expression was more somber than ever before.

He looked at the door but did not reach out to grasp the handle.