Student Rules

[This story is purely fictional and takes place in an imaginary world. It has no connection to any person, event, or thing. If it gets censored, so be it.]

[Minors under eighteen (especially boarding students), please read! With! Caution!]

["I AvgruNnen av tKe og mrke jaGer forTapte Sjeler fanTome"]

--Main text--

[Volume One: "Classmates"]

"In mid-May, X999, a group of hiking enthusiasts accidentally entered a village while trekking across the mountains on the outskirts of S City.

According to those involved, the furniture in the village was neatly arranged and intact. Quilts and clothing were hanging out to dry in the open grounds, with crops such as green soybeans spread out there, yet not a single person was around.

Sensing something was wrong, they prepared to leave, but the sun had already set and night was approaching. After discussing it, they decided to pitch their tents outside the village and make do for a night by moonlight before leaving.

That night, figures suddenly began moving through the previously deserted village. Peering through gaps in their tents by the dim moonlight, they saw many stiffly moving figures appear in the village and were terrified out of their wits.

However, those villagers did not venture far beyond the village, allowing the hikers to escape disaster.

After daybreak, they hurriedly packed their belongings and fled the Mountainous Region, only to discover that lifelike human sculptures had appeared at some point along the mountain trail they had originally taken.

After leaving, they reported the incident, but an official investigation yielded no results.

In early June, X999, the outskirts of S City were completely sealed off for officially planned land use...

--Secret Archives HX-S1"

Chapter 1: Student Rules

May 6, X023.

On Mountain Road No. 103, a Blue Bus traveled slowly through the drizzle.

After it entered the remote mountains, mist gradually spread around it. The Blue Bus switched on its headlights, sending two beams of yellow light probing ahead, struggling to cut through the fog.

"Ka-thunk... ka-thunk..."

The Blue Bus rolled over ruts in the uneven mountain road, jolting Lin Yi awake from his doze in the back.

He scratched his somewhat tousled hair, rubbed his eyes, and glanced down at his watch.

17:13.

Lin Yi breathed onto the window, wiped it with his hand, then pressed his face against the glass to look outside.

Drizzling rain and gray fog shrouded the mountains. Beyond the rugged mountain road, the silhouettes of trees twisted in the mist like hideous human figures.

The sounds of clashing blades reached his ears. Only when he turned his head did he realize that a wuxia film was playing on the coach's built-in television.

Suddenly, the wuxia film dissolved into static, and a looping announcement sounded amid the electrical crackle:

"The vehicle will arrive at S City University in half an hour. Passengers who have not yet memorized the S City Student Rules, please make the most of the remaining time. If you cannot memorize them, please make sure to keep the Student Rules with you..."

The passengers on the coach woke one after another to the announcement.

"We're finally almost there." Beside Lin Yi, his university classmate Wei Liang yawned and glanced at the fog outside. "That's just how the weather is in the mountains. Rain and fog are common. As long as you don't go out in abnormal weather, you won't be in danger."

"Yeah." Lin Yi nodded. Online rumors abounded about S City University, which seemed eerie in every respect. Some rumors even had an occult flavor, but they still failed to deter the vast numbers of people coming to experience university life.

The reason was simple: participants could receive a generous cash reward just by completing a seven-day experience.

Unlike other life-experience programs, where people not only had to pay but also got ripped off by the organizers in all sorts of ways, S City University's university-life experience offered extraordinary freedom. Supposedly, participants only needed to follow the Student Rules and live at the university for a full week to collect a cash reward of thirty thousand yuan.

When the announcement first circulated online, everyone treated it as a joke. Only after some video creators and veteran social media influencers tried it themselves and actually received real cash rewards did participants begin flocking in.

Lin Yi had not believed in this sort of thing, but Wei Liang had actually received the prize money too.

So Lin Yi had no choice but to believe it.

Today, Wei Liang wore a casual gray hoodie and a baseball cap. The brim cast a band of shadow that made the already thin Wei Liang look even more laid-back.

Wei Liang was a returning participant-S City University not only allowed people to repeat the experience, but actively encouraged such "return visits."

Wei Liang had completed an Experience Student stay at S City University a week earlier, so when he returned this time, Lin Yi, who was somewhat short on money, came along with him, thinking of it as a summer odd job.

Joining Lin Yi were his four roommates: Mao Feiyang, as scrawny as a monkey; Wei Shan, with the build of a typical fat guy; Tian Bufan, as brawny as a bear; and Kuai Hongji, tall and thin as a bamboo pole and looking a little deficient in kidney energy.

Lin Yi glanced at the coach's very back row. All four roommates were uniformly fast asleep, like thoroughly dead piglets.

"You've memorized the Student Rules, right?" Wei Liang waved the booklet in his hand and nudged Lin Yi with his elbow.

Lin Yi nodded. "I've memorized them... but honestly, these Student Rules really are exactly like the ones circulating online."

Wei Liang said with utter seriousness, "They really are strange, but I have to tell you: no matter when it is, you must remember to follow the Student Rules."

"And once you get your Student ID, you'd better keep them together somewhere you can reach easily."

"If you get confused, make sure you get them into your hands immediately."

"Huh?" Lin Yi froze. Ever since they had entered the mountain road, Wei Liang seemed to have become much more cryptic.

But Wei Liang paid him no more attention. He rubbed his neck to ease his sore muscles, then resumed reading the Student Rules.

The Student Rules were only a few pages long, but Wei Liang leafed through them over and over without stopping, as though he were about to enter an examination room.

Lin Yi also took his copy of the Student Rules from his pocket and began turning through it page by page.

The mountain rain grew heavier, and the fog thickened. A low rumble of thunder rolled through the sky, and a thunderbolt tore across it, illuminating the university deep in the mountains.

Startled by the thunder, Lin Yi looked through the rain-speckled window at the hazy university grounds. The silhouette of the Main Building towered in the darkness like a medieval bell tower shrouded in mist.

The heavy, oppressive atmosphere affected the passengers. Soon, the only sounds left in the silent coach were the looping announcement, threaded with electrical static, and the rustle of turning pages.

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze and looked at the Student Rules in his hands.

The rules in this booklet already felt strange, and reading them in this atmosphere made them as eerie as could be.

"[S City University Student Rules]"

"Dear participant, welcome to S City University."

"As our university is located in the outskirts, where the terrain is relatively complex and mobile reception is poor, please keep your map with you at all times so you can determine your exact location. To ensure your safety while experiencing life at our university, please follow these rules:

1. To enhance your experience, you will receive a Student ID upon enrollment. Please keep your Student ID safe and remember your student number (you may write it on a sticky note in case you forget)."

"All purchases on campus must be made by swiping a Student ID. Check the student number before swiping to ensure that you are using your own Student ID. If you accidentally swipe someone else's Student ID, find your head teacher before spending the night that day and register the incident (please confirm that this is your head teacher, not another teacher, and certainly not someone claiming to be your head teacher)."

"Forgetting to register and then spending the night is a very troublesome matter. Our university will continue providing appropriate assistance to resolve your trouble until you retrieve your Student ID or we confirm that you cannot retrieve it."

"2. Apart from students, all personnel on campus wear designated uniforms and their respective name badges. Be wary of anyone without a name badge. Do not believe anything they say."

"3. All sculptures on campus are busts, and all are kept in the Art Building. If you see a complete human sculpture anywhere else on campus, find a nearby numbered streetlamp (streetlamp poles have conspicuous numbers painted in white, such as 'Teaching Building-001' or 'Library-098.' If a streetlamp has no number, or its number is painted in red, move away immediately), and follow the streetlamps back to the building nearest you."

"At any time, if you suddenly hear footsteps or calls from behind you, no matter how close the footsteps or how urgent the calls, please do not look back. Once you return beneath a streetlamp or enter a building, the footsteps will disappear."

"4. The location coordinates of every building on the map are absolutely accurate, and all campus buildings are marked on the map. If you see a building that is not on the map, especially the Art Building, do not panic. Mark its location on the map and report it to your head teacher. Going there is forbidden."

"5. At all times, keep to the right on the stairs in every building on campus."

"In the Teaching Building, use only the stairs to travel between floors. In the Library, use only the elevator. If you see an elevator in the Teaching Building or stairs in the Library, pretend you did not see them, even if you see classmates using them."

"If classmates invite you to take an elevator in the Teaching Building, or urge you to use the stairs in the Library, ignore them and move away from them immediately. They are not your classmates."

"6. Please leave the Dormitory between 6:00 and 7:40 and return between 21:00 and 22:00. After returning to the Dormitory, do not leave outside the designated period."

"If you have not left the Dormitory before 7:40, please reach the Dorm Supervisor's Office by any means necessary and remain there until after 12:00 before leaving. If you have not returned to the Dormitory before 22:00, please return to your classroom by any means necessary. The classroom lights will not be switched off. Spend the night in the classroom."

"During this period, if you notice anything abnormal outside the Dorm Supervisor's Office or classroom, ignore it, especially when you hear a voice calling your name."

"Be wary of roommates who did not spend the night in the Dormitory, especially when they ask you anything related to your Student ID."

"7. Our university is located in the outskirts. If you encounter abnormal weather on campus, such as rain or heavy fog, disregard Rule 4 and find the nearest building as quickly as possible to shelter from the weather. Wait until the weather returns to normal before leaving."

"If you accidentally lose your bearings in abnormal weather, look for the numbered streetlamp nearest you."

"If you cannot immediately find a numbered streetlamp, lower your head and stare at the ground beneath your feet. Find anything that can serve as a reference to confirm that you are still on the road. If you notice the ground twisting, stretching, or undergoing any change that defies common sense, quickly clutch your Student ID and map tightly in your hands, and repeatedly remind yourself of your name and student number. Remember that you are a student 'this sentence is bold and underlined.'"

"After 18:00, the streetlamps on campus will come on. You can then find the streetlamp nearest you and keep following the streetlamps in descending numerical order. You will encounter a security guard."

"Please follow the security guard until you reach a building shown on the map, and leave the security guard's side before other students notice you."

"8. After 18:00, the streetlamps on campus remain lit. If you see an unlit streetlamp pole, ignore it and go around it. If it is too dark for you to find your way, and you cannot locate a building from the map in the darkness beyond the streetlamps to use as a reference, follow the procedure in the previous rule for when you cannot find a streetlamp. Remain where you are until a patrolling security guard finds you."

"9. The Dormitory is equipped with bathrooms. If you wish to wash your hair, do not close your eyes while doing so. Make sure you can see the bathroom's ceramic tiles, patterns, or anything else that can serve as a reference to confirm that you are still in the bathroom."

"10. Currently, only nine meal windows are open in the Cafeteria, and the employees at every window wear Blue Aprons. If an employee in a Green Apron recommends the latest dishes to you (especially tomato meat sauce noodles), ignore him. Remember, the Cafeteria has no tomato sauce. Be wary of any food that uses tomato sauce as a condiment."

"There is no Meal Window No. 10 'this sentence is bold and underlined.'"

"11. The Convenience Store is in the First-Floor Cafeteria and has no owner. To pay for purchases, simply swipe your Student ID at a self-service terminal. The Convenience Store stocks only daily necessities and food, not souvenirs, especially anything labeled 'Student Commemorative Coin.' If you see someone claiming to be the owner of the Convenience Store, leave the Convenience Store immediately."

"12. Our university has a separate classroom for art lessons, but offers no sculpture classes. If someone claiming to be an art student invites you to try a sculpture class, ignore him. If you cannot ignore him, refuse him firmly. If you cannot refuse, inform your head teacher, an athlete student, or the gym teacher by any means necessary."

"There is an art teacher. The art teacher is only the art teacher during art class. During class, the art teacher's words are absolutely trustworthy."

"Pay attention to any paintings or sculptures related to people in the art classroom. They should be motionless. If you see them move, immediately get a firm grip on your Student ID, then leave the classroom at once and go to the Gymnasium to inform the gym teacher."

"13. You must attend PE classes according to the Class Schedule. You must obey the gym teacher's instructions at all times, even when they conflict with other rules."

"14. Please take your physical health seriously. If you experience symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, or nausea during your stay, find the dorm supervisor or your head teacher before spending the night. He will take you to the Infirmary, and the school doctor will take you to the University Gate. When you see the blue school bus (note that it must be blue; ignore all other colors), board it immediately. The driver will take you off campus, ending your experience."

"As long as you follow the rules above, you will enjoy a comfortable and safe university experience. Follow the rules, stay safe, and may your comings and goings be peaceful!"

Lin Yi read the Student Rules once more from beginning to end. Although he already knew every rule by heart, something still felt off.

Especially when reading the physical Student Rules booklet: although it was exactly the same as the rules listed online, it somehow felt more unsettling than reading the information online.

Just then, a new announcement sounded over the coach's speakers:

"The vehicle will soon arrive at S City University. Passengers, please check your belongings and disembark in an orderly fashion shortly."

As the announcement sounded, Lin Yi distinctly felt his fellow passengers perk up one after another. He wiped the window again and looked outside.

The rain had stopped, but the mountain fog had thickened. S City University lay entrenched deep in the mountains like a faintly glowing shadow, waiting for their arrival.

The coach rattled over the potholed ground, and the speakers began broadcasting the Student Rules. Although the air conditioning was on, Lin Yi felt that the atmosphere inside was somewhat stifling.

Before long, the coach stopped at the University Gate. The gray fog was thick, with visibility below ten meters. Even the Gatehouse was indistinct.

Although the coach had come to a complete stop, the driver made no move to open the door. He observed the conditions in the fog, seemingly waiting for something.

Sitting in the back, Lin Yi suddenly felt uncomfortable, as though someone were watching him. Following his intuition, he looked out through the window. Heads seemed to be milling in the thick fog, and those gazes that made him feel strange and uneasy seemed to come from there.

Before long, several figures emerged in the mist. The driver narrowed his eyes at them, but nothing could be seen clearly through the thick fog.

Only when the figures stopped some distance from the campus Gatehouse did Lin Yi notice that they were a woman in professional attire and several boys in school uniforms. They looked like a teacher bringing a few Student Cadres out to welcome new classmates.

The female teacher seemed to have a faint smile on her face. Her calm voice drifted slowly through the fog. "Welcome, students. Please get off the bus now and follow me to complete your enrollment registration."

Hearing the female teacher's words, the passengers let out long sighs of relief. Taking their suitcases, they lined up at the coach's door, but the driver still did not press the button to open it.

"Driver, we're here. Please open the door," a somewhat muscular passenger standing at the door reminded him, luggage in hand.

But the driver's attention remained entirely fixed on those people. He watched the female teacher at their head through the side window, yet even at a distance of three to five meters, it was difficult to see her clearly through the fog.

He reached up and gently rubbed a small booklet tucked into his breast pocket, muttering to himself as though reciting some kind of rules.

"Don't rush. Wait a little longer," the driver said calmly, his steady gaze remaining on the female teacher and her group.