Basement Level One of the Teaching Building

Wei Liang's words were even more chilling than the air drifting out of the stairwell. Lin Yi noticed that his hand was trembling even harder.

"Lao Lin, the Teaching Building Rules say the Teaching Building has four floors, and only four floors. There's no basement or any additional floors..."

Wei Liang clutched Lin Yi's hand and shook his head, signaling him not to enter the stairwell. His eyes were filled with pleading and fear.

Lin Yi hesitated, but the Teaching Building he had just seen simultaneously surfaced in his mind. There had been more than seven floors visible to the naked eye!

"The Teaching Building only has four floors? But I clearly saw at least seven!"

Puzzled, Lin Yi looked again at the stairwell entrance before him.

Beyond this fire door seemed to lie another world. Dim light pointed the way to hell, and intermittent gusts echoed through the pitch-black passage like calls from another world.

Just as he wavered over whether the stairwell actually existed and how many floors the Teaching Building was supposed to have, a feeling of exhaustion and weakness silently rose within him.

At first, he did not realize anything was wrong, but he soon noticed that the stairwell entrance seemed to be warping under some force. The ground beneath his feet also began to twist irregularly...

He seemed to be hallucinating. Something was assaulting his understanding of the Teaching Building.

This indescribable sense of horror was warping his will and perception bit by bit, as though it meant to devour him.

At that critical moment, a hand settled on his shoulder, and Tian Bufan's confident voice rang beside his ear. "The stairwell is real."

Those words settled the matter, shattering his hesitation.

Lin Yi pressed a hand to his forehead and took several deep breaths. Only then did the weakness and exhaustion inside him gradually fade. The Teaching Building, which had looked distorted, seemed to return to normal as well.

Everything that had just happened seemed like an absurd hallucination.

"Following the rules and understanding them-that's what a competent player should do." Rubbing his nose, Tian Bufan gazed at the abyss-like stairwell entrance. "First, we can be certain that this Campus is very abnormal."

"Second, judging by everything that's happened since we entered, following the Student Rules-or rather, following the portion of the rules that should be followed-is the key to keeping ourselves safe in this survival game."

Tian Bufan glanced at Wei Liang.

"Now it seems there are more rules besides the Student Rules..."

"How interesting! This just keeps getting more interesting!"

"Well? Shall we go together?" Tian Bufan looked at Lin Yi, a trace of excitement stirring in his otherwise calm eyes.

Lin Yi turned to Wei Liang and gently placed a hand on his arm.

"Liangzi, the most important thing right now is getting our Student IDs. Otherwise, we can't even meet the prerequisites for following the rules."

A pained expression appeared on Wei Liang's face. His gaze shifted between Lin Yi and the stairwell, his eyes full of conflict.

In the end, he shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile.

"Ah... Even though I've been here once before, it looks like I have no choice but to cling to you!"

With that, he squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, collecting himself and trying to calm down before saying, "Let's go."

Seeing this, Tian Bufan nodded and stepped into the stairwell first.

Lin Yi glanced at the watch on his wrist.

19:45.

After silently noting the time, he followed Tian Bufan.

The others followed close behind.

May 6, X023, 19:47.

In the Teaching Building's stairwell leading to Basement Level One.

They had been descending for two minutes, but Lin Yi still could not see an exit.

He glanced back at the steps they had taken, then down at those below. In his field of vision, the spiraling stairs resembled a diagram of the Fibonacci Sequence, while they were merely a tiny point within it.

It had clearly been a cramped stairwell, yet after walking for a while, Lin Yi found that it was gradually growing more spacious, creating the eerie illusion that the world was being stretched.

After they walked for a while longer, Tian Bufan abruptly stopped, looking thoughtful, then asked, "What time is it?"

Lin Yi checked his watch. "19:52."

"And when we came in?"

"19:45."

"Almost ten minutes, and we still haven't reached a basement?" Tian Bufan frowned. "That can't be right, can it?"

"You mean... something went wrong along the way?"

Tian Bufan shook his head.

"No, nothing's wrong. But that's precisely the biggest problem."

"You might as well have said nothing!" Wei Shan sounded somewhat agitated. "I just want to know what we need to do to get out of here!"

With his arms folded across his chest, Kuai Hongji descended the stairs at an unhurried pace and said sinisterly, "I don't mind. It's nice and cool here."

Wei Shan glared at Kuai Hongji and sneered, "A creepy bastard likes cold, creepy places. We might as well bury you here!"

Kuai Hongji smiled and turned to Tian Bufan. "Young Master Tian, hurry up and think of a way out, or someone's going to lose it again!"

"Ngh-" Wei Shan lunged at Kuai Hongji, seized his collar, and slammed him against the wall with a thud.

With his throat pinned, Kuai Hongji's face flushed red, but he still forced out a laugh. His eyes were openly provocative. "No strength at all. Haven't you eaten?"

"Cut it out!" Lin Yi walked over and pulled Wei Shan's hand away, then patted Kuai Hongji's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Whatever you have to say, wait until we get out of here!"

Kuai Hongji tilted his head to look at Wei Shan, raising his eyebrows and licking his lips, his smile growing even more unrestrained. "Sure, sure. You're the boss. You call the shots! Heh heh..."

"Hah!" Wei Shan gave a cold laugh, shrugged, and turned his head away without another word.

Lin Yi asked, "Young Master Tian, found anything?"

It was an offhand question, but to his surprise, Tian Bufan actually answered.

"Yes. Come over here, all of you."

Lin Yi immediately hurried downstairs. After only a dozen or so steps, he saw Tian Bufan standing before a blue-gray fire door. A glowing green emergency exit sign hung above it, and a plaque marked "B1" was mounted on the wall.

"Let's go. We've reached Basement Level One." Whatever Tian Bufan was thinking, he pulled open the fire door with a smile.

Warm yellow light streamed through the doorway. Despite their being underground, it carried a hint of the evening breeze.

Tian Bufan was the first to step out. Lin Yi said to Wei Liang, "Let's go!"

"Huh? Go?" Wei Liang's mouth fell open. "Th-this... There really is a basement?"

Dubiously, he stepped through the door. The next instant, his eyes widened larger than lanterns.

"Th-this place is?!"

Lin Yi entered the world beyond the door and froze as well.

They had actually returned to where they had started.

The stairwell entrance where they had first entered the basement!

Lin Yi rubbed his eyes and looked down the Teaching Building's front steps in disbelief.

Outside the Teaching Building, misty rain blurred everything. Layers of fog piled together like mountain ranges. Within the mist, some shadows visibly moved slowly about, occasionally casting venomous looks toward the Teaching Building.

Outside the Teaching Building, streetlamps stood in rows through the rain and mist, stretching from near to far until they vanished into the depths of the fog.

"How could we end up back here after following the stairs for so long?" Lin Yi could not calm his thoughts.

The cool evening breeze, carrying a faint scent of moisture, brushed Lin Yi's face in waves.

Just then, Tian Bufan's voice sounded beside him. "Found it."

Lin Yi looked toward the voice and saw that an office had appeared to the left of the stairwell at some point.

A plaque mounted on the wall by the office door read "Teachers' Office."

"Teachers' Office?" At the sight of the plaque, Lin Yi's first reaction was not excitement, but alarm.

What on earth is going on?

Before Lin Yi could think further, Tian Bufan gently knocked on the office door.

"Who is it?" A puzzled male voice came from inside.

"Hello, teacher. We followed the Notice Board's instructions to register for enrollment," Tian Bufan replied.

Click!

The peephole in the Teachers' Office door opened from within, and an eyeball pressed up against it, rolling about as it peered outside.

"What color was the Notice Board?" the male voice inside asked.

"Blue," Tian Bufan answered.

Click...

The door opened from within, and a voice came from inside.

"Come in."

After a pause, the voice seemed to address Lin Yi and the others. "Line up. Those behind him should wait half a minute before knocking."

Lin Yi immediately stopped outside the office, but curiosity suddenly got the better of him, and he craned his neck to peer through the doorway before it could close.

However, the warm yellow light failed to reach inside, and Lin Yi saw nothing.

"Lao Lin." Just before entering the office, Tian Bufan suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to warn him. "Something seems off about this office... If you accidentally end up alone, remember to stay wary of what others say, keep your mind working, and adapt to everything as quickly as possible..."

After saying that, he entered the office, and the door closed behind him.

What did he mean? Lin Yi was momentarily bewildered. Why did Tian Bufan's words sound so much like last words?

Keep thinking? Don't trust others too easily? Who are 'others'?

He lowered his head to check his watch.

19:53.

He had already waited half a minute. Seeing that Tian Bufan still had not come out of the office, he walked over to knock, but suddenly thought of something and turned to Wei Liang and the others.

"Are any of you wearing watches?"

Wei Liang shook his head.

"What kind of respectable person wears a watch?" Kuai Hongji snorted.

"If you don't have one, just say so. Why so much bullshit?" Wei Shan sneered.

"All right, all right." Seeing that the overly hot-blooded Wei Shan and the chillingly sinister Kuai Hongji were about to clash again, Lin Yi hurriedly separated them. "Kuai Kuai, you go in first!"

The entire Campus exuded an eerie atmosphere from top to bottom. He had thought they would be safe once they reached the Teaching Building, but aside from being somewhat safer than the fog, the Teaching Building was even more unsettling in other respects.

Lin Yi checked the time. Half a minute later, he had Wei Shan knock and enter the office, followed by Wei Liang.

Now only Mao Feiyang and he remained outside the office.

Lin Yi said, "Maozi, you knock next. I'll keep track of the time and go last."

Under Lin Yi's gaze, Mao Feiyang moved somewhat stiffly to the Teachers' Office door, but he did not knock.

Sensing something was wrong, Lin Yi hurriedly asked, "Maozi, what's wrong?"

He gently patted Mao Feiyang's shoulder, only for Mao Feiyang to spring away reflexively, then look at him in lingering fright, his breathing somewhat rapid.

"Maozi?" Lin Yi asked tentatively. "Are you all right?"

Mao Feiyang swallowed before slowly speaking. "Lao Lin... I... Why can't I see that office?"

"Huh? You can't see it?" Lin Yi pointed at the office door. "It's right here. Didn't you see Young Master Tian and the others go in?"

Mao Feiyang's voice trembled. "I... All I saw was you talking to a wall, and then... then they walked into the wall and disappeared!"

"I-I-I... don't know what's going on either. You really can see a door?"

Mao Feiyang's eyes were full of fear of the unknown. Something seemed to be assaulting his understanding of this wall, and he began to question whether there really was a door in it.

Lin Yi quietly approached Mao Feiyang, then shot out a hand and seized his arm.

Like a startled rabbit, Mao Feiyang instinctively tried to pull his arm free, but Lin Yi's grip was surprisingly strong, leaving him unable to escape.

"Maozi, Maozi, Maozi..."

Seeing Mao Feiyang's breathing grow increasingly rapid, Lin Yi hurriedly leaned toward his ear and said in a low growl, "Maozi, listen to me first! Come over and take a look with me! The door's right here!"

Holding Mao Feiyang's hand, Lin Yi reached toward the door handle.

But just as Mao Feiyang's palm was about to touch the handle, he suddenly thought of something. An enormous burst of strength surged through him, and he broke free of Lin Yi's grip.

"No, no, no... Lao Lin, this is wrong. This isn't how it should be!"

Mao Feiyang shook his head frantically.

"The Notice Board actually mentioned this situation!"

"I must have run into that special situation!"

"The first rule on the Notice Board! If what I see isn't the 'Teachers' Office' but some other room, I have to follow the stairs down until I find the Teachers' Office!"

Lin Yi froze for a moment, then remembered that rule as well, so he stopped trying to hold Mao Feiyang back.

Mao Feiyang looked around, found the stairwell entrance, and rushed over, grabbing the fire door's handle.

Just as he was about to open it, he suddenly turned back to Lin Yi. There was no longer any disdain on his thin, dark face, only solemnity. "Lao Lin... Remember to follow the rules. I'm going!"

With that, Mao Feiyang rushed through the fire door.

Bang!

The fire door slammed shut. Though only a single door separated them, Lin Yi had the absurd feeling that he and Mao Feiyang were now a world apart.

He lowered his head to check his watch.

20:00.

"Eight o'clock sharp..."

Recalling the Student Rules, he had only two hours left before he had to return to the Dormitory. If he could not make it back in time, he would have to spend the night in the Teaching Building.

But to stay overnight, he had to be in his own classroom, so he absolutely had to complete his enrollment.

At that thought, he reached out and knocked on the office door.

"Are you... here with the food delivery?" The voice at the door was no longer a man's, but a woman's, sounding somewhat hurried.

[Note: Before starting this book, the author worked through its chain of logic to form a closed loop. Every rule is a clue, and every strange occurrence will receive a scientific-or relatively scientific-explanation. There are no supernatural events or anything similar. Please keep reading.]