AnalogHorror: Rule Kaidan 4016
Chapter 158 - 72 Dormitory Regulations 1_2

Chapter 158: Chapter 72 Dormitory Regulations 1_2

He squinted his eyes as if caught in some kind of brainstorm that fundamentally should not have overtaken him.

Eventually, his gaze shifted from solemn to resolute.

He took a deep breath, then reached out his hand towards the dormitory door’s handle.

But during this process, one shadowy figure after another began to appear around him, resembling countless souls lost in the abyss and shadows, and like cold corpses shrouded in a pale white mist...

They climbed like spiders on steep, slippery rock walls, moved like walking dead, recklessly heading towards the cliff’s summit...

Wei Liang seemed to have noticed their presence from early on, but he had hidden his traces from their perception through self-deception, lasting until this moment—when his hand reached into his pocket and grasped the student ID card.

When he held his student ID card in his hand, he seemed to become the brightest light in the night, and these countless lost souls, as if they had suddenly caught the most enticing scent, all turned their direction to look at where he was...

It seemed they noticed Wei Liang’s presence, so they swarmed towards him like sacred beetles, hovering by his side.

The pale white mist enveloped their forms, yet those cold, gold eyes, seemingly hiding the abyss of hell, unabashedly displayed colors of greed and desire.

They uttered obscure, deep syllables, communicating basic signals with sounds completely alien to this world, and then collectively surged towards Wei Liang—

Wei Liang gripped the doorknob with one hand, and with the other, he swiped the card with the speed of drawing a sword.

「Beep beep beep—」

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed, the dormitory door latch fully retracted, then he slammed the handle down with a "clack!"

The moment the dormitory door opened, the steep cliffs, twisted light and shadow, and the insect-like bizarre creatures all dissipated like clouds of smoke.

His surroundings were so clean it was as if even the air had vanished.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Wei Liang let out three breaths in succession, each one more relieving than the last, until at last, a look of relief, as if he had survived a great ordeal, appeared on his face.

But he didn’t enter the dormitory right away.

He seemed to realize something, holding the partially closed door with one hand, while he returned the student ID card to his pocket with the other.

Then, he ducked his face behind the door and vigorously rubbed his facial muscles with the freed hand, completely breaking down the expression that had almost solidified on his face.

Soon, he restored the playful look that had been on his face earlier.

Then he entered Dormitory 1414.

「Bang!」

The door of the dormitory shut tightly.

A door apart, like two different worlds.

...

In the black sky hung a black sun, black tides lapping against black rocks.

The figure resembling a security guard, holding an ancient lamp, stood silently at the edge of the cliff.

He looked down upon the almost vertical cliff face, his golden gaze eventually resting on a particular spot on the rock face.

The moist rock face was covered with moss, and right there, there was a footprint that was neither too deep nor too shallow.

"..."

He fell silent as he stared at the footprint, a slight fluctuation emanating from the golden light in his eyes.

He uttered a low, rumbling sound, like a giant wheel breaking through icebergs, but the whistling winds that blew across the cliff completely drowned out his voice.

...

May 7th, 23X, 21:18.

Lin Yi, having entered the dormitory, distinctly felt the unsettling presence dissipate quite a bit, although he still sensed some discomfort, but at least there was a solid sense of being grounded.

He started to survey the dormitory in front of him.

The dormitory was a six-person room, with three beds placed on each side of the wall flanking the door.

The bed consisted of an upper bunk and a lower desk combined with a storage cabinet, a very common style in universities.

There was about one and a half meters between the two walls, and a glass window directly opposite the dormitory door illuminated the corridor outside with dim moonlight, creating a feeling of serene calmness.

Near the window was a washbasin, directly opposite the bathroom.

The entire dorm seemed normal, almost abnormally so.

As Lin Yi was observing his surroundings, he suddenly noticed a clock hanging on the dormitory door. The time on the clock matched his watch.

Behind the dormitory door, a notice caught his eye, making his heart almost skip a beat as he read the four bold letters on it.

"Dormitory Rules."

He mentioned that upon entering the dorm, he always felt something was missing. Now, seeing the dormitory rules, he didn’t panic; instead, he thought to himself, "This feels right."

"So, it was missing the dormitory rules!"

"No wonder something felt off!"

Just as he was about to read the dormitory rules, the door opened, and after a moment’s pause, Wei Liang burst in like a monkey and quickly shut the door.

Immediately, Wei Liang looked up at the clock with practiced ease, scrutinized the dormitory rules, then walked to a bed, set down his backpack, and deftly opened a wardrobe to take out standard items like change of clothes, slippers, and a towel.

"Old Lin, I’m going to take a hot shower!"

Wei Liang grabbed these items and headed to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water echoed from within.

Lin Yi didn’t even have a chance to say a word to Wei Liang.

But he had no complaints, as Wei Liang had already mentioned his need for a hot shower, probably to combat the contamination. Given that, it was only natural for Lin Yi not to hold him back.

Lin Yi first found a bed to place his backpack, then went back to the door to start reading the dormitory rules.

"[Dormitory Rules 1]:"

"The dormitory is the safest area within the campus (bar none). To maintain this ’safety,’ please abide by the following rules:

1, The power system in the dormitory is separate from the rest of the dormitory building. Lights out and water supply stop at 00:00 rather than 22:20.

Your change of clothes and daily necessities are in the wardrobe, please plan your bathing and washing times accordingly."

"2, The dormitory will have a power outage from 00:00 to 18:00.

Please leave the dormitory building during designated times."

"3, You may discuss any matters with your roommates before lights out. If you wish to discuss or think about issues after lights out, please make sure you are lying in bed."

"4, Be wary of roommates who do not spend the night in the dorm, especially when they ask about anything related to your student ID card."

"5, Absolutely do not invite anyone knocking at your door, only those with a student ID card can return to the dormitory, and they will open the door themselves."

"6, Absolutely do not get out of bed after lights out, and try to fall asleep."

"Note: Being asleep in bed is the safest state, but never oversleep."

"7, At any time, the dormitory supervisor will not conduct room checks."

"If someone claiming to be the dormitory supervisor knocks on your door ordering you to open up, follow rule number 5 and ignore them."

These were the seven dormitory rules, which seemed quite ordinary. However, Lin Yi noticed that unlike other rules, after the seventh, there wasn’t an eighth rule but rather another set of rules attached...

Specifically, they were the "Emergency Dormitory Rules."

Just a glance at the emergency rules made Lin Yi’s eyelids twitch vigorously.

"Isn’t this supposed to be the ’safest’ place, ’without exception’? What’s with the small print?"

He couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth before he began to read line by line:

"[Dormitory Rules 2 ’Special Conditions Version’]:"

"If your mental state is abnormal and you still cannot sleep after lights out, please remember the following rules to ensure you remain in a ’safe’ condition..."