Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi watched Mu Daxian guide Mao Feiyang through the Art Classroom and onto the Lookout, where the dream’s setting matched the vision Lin Yi had seen earlier. He expected Mao Feiyang to sketch and connect across Layers with his past self, but the chapter ended before that happened.

• Mu Daxian explained the Art Classroom’s mysterious reliefs and warned Mao Feiyang about the Art Teachers, while encouraging him to follow the Art Students’ rules.
• Mu Daxian invited Mao Feiyang to sketch at the Lookout, and Lin Yi suspected the senior Art Student was trying to draw Mao Feiyang into his group.
• Lin Yi worried that Mao Feiyang’s choices could expose them all to contamination and resolved to plan with Tian Bufan to get him out of the Art Building.
• Mu Daxian, another Art Student, and Mao Feiyang reached the windy Lookout, where Lin Yi recognized the surroundings from his earlier vision.
• Mao Feiyang noticed there was no Grandfather Clock, and the other Art Student explained that the sea wind made it unreliable.

Mao Feiyang’s painting drew Lin Yi into a vision linking their perspectives across time, revealing Lin Yi’s past contamination and a possible purpose for Swimming Class. The vision ended with Mao Feiyang finding a painting of the Clock Tower he did not remember making.

• Mao Feiyang began painting the stormy sea and, absorbed in his Art Journey, produced a chaotic scene that seemed to predict a storm gathering over the Clock Tower.
• Mu Daxian and the other Art Student saw Mao Feiyang’s work, exchanged alarmed looks, and retreated to keep others from disturbing him.
• Lin Yi experienced Mao Feiyang’s perspective and saw white powder entering his body as Mao painted the storm and Clock Tower.
• Lin Yi’s vision shifted to his May 7 self, and he realized he had been severely contaminated and suspected Swimming Class cleansed Experience Students through Athlete Students.
• Lin Yi returned to Mao Feiyang’s perspective as Mao knocked over the easel, tearing the painting; Mao then noticed the Clock Tower in the picture and wondered when he had painted it.

Lin Yi experienced Mao Feiyang’s stormy night, where the Night Watchman defended the Castle from climbing creatures, before falling out of the dream and waking in the Dormitory. He left the other students curious about his dream, while the chapter ended with the author explaining that illness was slowing the writing.

• Mao Feiyang spotted a warning light from another lookout and hurried back inside with Mu Daxian and an Art Student before the storm struck.
• The Night Watchman raised the Ancient Bronze Lamp against a swarm of twisted figures and answered their cries in an ancient language.
• Mao Feiyang wondered whether he had witnessed a virtual image as Lin Yi felt the dream space shatter and fell through a crack.
• Lin Yi woke in the Dormitory at 6:28 and shoved Wei Liang off the bedside after mistaking his face for a ghost.
• Tian Bufan asked Lin Yi what he had dreamed about, and Lin Yi said he would explain after organizing his thoughts.
• The author said ongoing cold-like symptoms and trouble concentrating had made writing the chapter difficult.

Lin Yi and the others left their dormitory after finding blood transformed into plaster-like powder, then encountered strange contamination and sensed something following them through the elevator shaft. As they headed out, Lin Yi realized that everyone in the group might already be contaminated, even if they still appeared normal.

• Lin Yi found plaster-like powder on the dormitory door, and Tian Bufan explained that blood had transformed into tomato sauce and then powder under the light.
• Kuai Hongji admitted that he and Wei Shan had heard someone knocking for help during the night but had followed the rule not to open the door.
• As the elevator doors closed, Lin Yi saw white particles through his perception, while Wei Shan sensed something nearby in the elevator shaft and absorbed the particles.
• Kuai Hongji said the things that had knocked during the night might have followed them through the shaft, but Tian Bufan warned everyone not to discuss such matters outside their room.
• Lin Yi considered whether attacking nonhuman classmates worsened contamination and concluded that Wei Liang, like the others, might already be contaminated.

Lin Yi and Tian Bufan discussed the strange elevator and how to rescue Mao Feiyang from the Art Building by finding a route that could change his identity from an Art Student to an Experience Student. They decided to use self-study periods to explore the Campus, starting with the simpler areas around the Teaching Building and Cafeteria.

• Tian Bufan prompted Lin Yi to notice that the elevator seemed to accelerate while descending, and Lin Yi guessed it traveled along a closed loop or through a special Layer.
• Lin Yi told the group about his dream of Mao Feiyang, and Tian Bufan asked him to write down the Art Building and Art Student Rules from memory.
• Lin Yi warned Tian Bufan that Mao Feiyang was severely contaminated and that the contamination was spreading through him to the others.
• Tian Bufan explained that rescuing Mao Feiyang required finding a way to turn him from an Art Student into an Experience Student and passing that route to him.
• Tian Bufan proposed exploring the Campus during self-study periods, and he and Lin Yi agreed to begin with simpler areas rather than the difficult Dormitory Building.

Lin Yi and Tian Bufan discussed using the Campus’s rules and resources to expand their safe territory, while Lin Yi endured a wave of darkness and began questioning his memories and purpose. The group continued toward the Cafeteria, and Wei Liang privately wondered why Lin Yi kept looking back at him.

• Tian Bufan advised Lin Yi to explore the Campus within the rules and treat other people as resources when necessary.
• Lin Yi felt a dark presence encroach on him but calmed himself by controlling his breathing and reciting his identity and Student Number.
• Tian Bufan and Wei Shan noticed Lin Yi’s pale skin and lowered body temperature, and Tian Bufan said his adaptation was progressing.
• Lin Yi suspected Wei Liang’s Unorthodox Tricks concealed knowledge of the Campus and wondered what had happened to him in the Dormitory.
• Lin Yi lost track of why he had come to the Campus before Tian Bufan brought him back to himself.
• Wei Liang watched the group leave and worried that Lin Yi was looking at him with improper intentions.

Lin Yi and his companions crossed into the Cafeteria area and discussed their encounters with its strange inhabitants. They investigated signs of shifting layers in the Student Passage, then reached the Blue Apron Chef, whom Tian Bufan warned them to ignore.

• Lin Yi learned that Wei Shan had killed a Green Apron Chef and that the encounter had left him with an unsettling anger.
• The group collected the Cafeteria Rules, and Lin Yi watched Athlete Students enter the Other Passage before warning his companions about the Student Passage.
• Tian Bufan examined worn markings on the passage walls and proposed that water from a falling layer might flood the passage after 20:00.
• At the passage exit, Lin Yi saw the Blue Apron Chef again, and Tian Bufan said Green Apron Chefs were definitely abnormal while Blue Apron Chefs were not necessarily normal.

Lin Yi and his companions entered the Student Dining Hall, where Wei Liang narrowly avoided a Green Apron Chef by pretending to tie his shoelace. Over breakfast, Tian Bufan advised Lin Yi to investigate clues from Maozi’s Art Building route while following rules cautiously; Lin Yi then noticed a tomato-eating person in green seated opposite him, possibly an Art Student or another contaminated entity.

• As the group passed the Blue Apron Chef, it reached for Kuai Hongji, but Wei Shan pulled him out of reach and led everyone into the Student Dining Hall.
• A Green Apron Chef appeared in front of Wei Liang, who avoided acknowledging it by stopping to tie his shoelace and then stepping over it.
• When Lin Yi noticed the Green Apron Chef and thought about it, the chef’s attention shifted to him, but Lin Yi diverted its focus until it left to seek other targets.
• Lin Yi and the others bought breakfast, and Tian Bufan told Lin Yi to investigate the route from Maozi’s dream while obeying rules and prioritizing survival.
• After Tian Bufan left to get more soy milk, a person with a tray of cherry tomatoes sat opposite Lin Yi, who spotted green clothing in the tray’s reflection and suspected an Art Building-related contaminant.

Lin Yi resisted the Art Student’s attempt to communicate, then used a nearby pillar to anchor himself when the Student Dining Hall’s space distorted around him. He discovered a Green Apron Chef with both hands severed was restrained by a rule, but it followed him toward the Plate Return Area as hostile students and chefs surrounded the group.

• The Art Student offered Lin Yi cherry tomatoes and warned that only their own kind could survive, but Lin Yi ignored him and continued with Wei Liang, Tian Bufan, and the others.
• The Art Student spoke in obscure syllables, causing nearby students to rise and surround Lin Yi’s group while the Green Apron Chef appeared beside him.
• Lin Yi spotted a sculpted severed hand on a pillar and realized it belonged to a Green Apron Chef, then reasoned that contaminants could turn Contamination People into sculptures.
• Darkness and distorted space began to engulf Lin Yi, but he repeated his name, student number, and location and touched a nearby pillar to restore his surroundings.
• A Green Apron Chef with both hands severed emerged and demanded Lin Yi’s hands, but Lin Yi inferred that it could not attack until he put down his tray and headed for the exit.
• Wei Liang called Lin Yi away from the pillar, and Lin Yi followed the group to the Plate Return Area as the severed-handed chef stayed beside him and hostile students and chefs watched them.

Lin Yi and his friends escaped the Student Dining Hall after Wei Shan knocked the Green Apron Chef aside, while the Cafeteria’s lights began failing and its Nonhuman Classmates were consumed by a growing Tomato Sauce horror. Outside, Lin Yi learned the Cafeteria had seven minutes before closing, and Tian Bufan led him and Wei Shan toward the Staff Passage as Kuai Hongji and Wei Liang split off.

• Lin Yi and the others ran for the exit as Wei Shan kicked a tray into the Green Apron Chef and cleared their path through the Nonhuman Classmates.
• Wei Shan shoved Lin Yi through the Plastic Air Curtain and charged after him, while the Blue Apron Chef inhaled the white powder rising from the sunlight-struck Nonhuman Classmates.
• The Art Student dug a Big Tomato from a Nonhuman Classmate and ate it, then the flickering lights turned the creature’s blood into Tomato Sauce as it collapsed.
• Lin Yi checked his watch and found it was 7:53; Wei Shan discovered Tomato Sauce on his jacket and went to discard it.
• Tian Bufan led Lin Yi and Wei Shan toward the Staff Passage, while Kuai Hongji returned to the Teaching Building and Wei Liang waited by the Notice Board.
• Wei Liang spotted a Sailor Uniform Girl withdrawing through the Other Passage and worried that the Cafeteria’s dangers had started earlier than before.

Lin Yi witnessed Wei Shan absorb strange white particles and glimpse the Security Guard's Shadow as Wei Shan discarded his jacket at the Staff Passage. After separating from Tian Bufan to investigate their classrooms, Lin Yi sensed tomato-like residue and blood inside the Teachers' Office lock, and Wei Liang opened the door to reveal a faintly still breath.

• Wei Shan froze at the trash can, then excitedly absorbed dense white particles and discarded his jacket while Lin Yi glimpsed a blue-tinged outline resembling the Security Guard.
• Tian Bufan told Lin Yi they should investigate Buildings A, B, and C separately and avoid the Covered Bridge until they knew whether it was safe.
• Lin Yi discovered Wei Shan was in the classroom next to his, then examined moss on the steps of Teaching Building A without sensing anything unusual.
• Lin Yi noticed plaster-like particles falling from the Teachers' Office handle and sensed blood and tomato-like residue inside its lock.
• Wei Liang pressed the Teachers' Office handle, opened the door a crack, and let a faintly still breath seep out.

Lin Yi and Wei Liang entered their classroom to find Head Teacher 040 replacing their previous teacher and discovered that many students were missing. Lin Yi found Pan Jian’s digital camera, which might contain footage of the deadly events after lights-out, and picked it up despite a frightened student’s warning.

• Lin Yi noticed a fading plaster-like trail as he entered the classroom with Wei Liang and met the new head teacher, Head Teacher 040.
• Head Teacher 040 checked Lin Yi and Wei Liang’s names, explained that she would temporarily take over, and told them to call her by her badge number.
• Lin Yi counted the students and realized that many experience students had not returned, while the survivors looked shaken or numb.
• Lin Yi spotted Pan Jian’s digital camera beside plaster-like residue and inferred that it might have recorded Pan Jian’s death after lights-out.
• A terrified girl warned Lin Yi that the camera was cursed and had killed Pan Jian, but Lin Yi picked it up anyway.

Lin Yi watched Pan Jian’s recovered camera footage, which showed the classroom’s attack during the blackout and hinted at figures outside the windows. He realized Head Teacher 040 was using sign-ins for more than counting survivors, but did not discover what the roll-call list meant.

• Lin Yi replaced the camera’s dead battery with spares from Pan Jian’s bag and played a 56-minute recording of the classroom during the blackout.
• The footage showed inhuman classmates attacking Pan Jian, while a brief blurry glimpse suggested figures were clinging to the outside of the windows.
• Lin Yi observed that the camera’s image broke into interference when the inhuman classmates moved unnaturally fast, and turned to static after a concept-level sculpture reached the classroom door.
• Lin Yi noticed that the window faced the Wooded Belt and showed Wei Liang the camera, but Wei Liang refused to watch the footage.
• Lin Yi concluded that Head Teacher 040 was waiting for students to sign in so she could assess overnight casualties, while suspecting the roll-call list had another purpose.

Lin Yi discovered a formation of full-body sculptures in the Wooded Belt and tested how sunlight affected their Void Targeting. He returned to his seat and copied the Art Department rules for Tian Bufan.

• Lin Yi suspected Head Teacher 040 knew about his high inspiration and wondered what Head Teacher 039 had told her.
• Lin Yi approached the window and saw a vast formation of full-body sculptures standing in the Wooded Belt.
• Lin Yi found that the sculptures targeted him when clouds blocked the sunlight, while direct sunlight suppressed their targeting without resetting it.
• Lin Yi concluded that forgetting the sculptures could remove their Void Targeting, then considered how dangerous they might be beyond the Wooded Belt.
• Lin Yi returned to his seat and spent over forty minutes copying the Art Building Rules and Art Student Rules into his notebook.

Lin Yi discovered that twelve Experience Students had disappeared overnight, including New Students and returning students who had gone to the Dormitory Building. As he and Wei Liang headed to the Cafeteria, a frightened New Student tried to join them, and Lin Yi left Wei Liang to decide whether to help her.

• Lin Yi searched the classroom shelves for books about strange tales but found none, then accepted Wei Liang's erotic manga and reminded him it was time to eat.
• Lin Yi noticed that only twenty-six Experience Students remained and worked out that twelve people had disappeared overnight.
• Lin Yi observed that a familiar-looking girl had survived the night in the Dormitory Building and that she was among the few students who still seemed relatively normal.
• The girl followed Lin Yi and Wei Liang toward the Cafeteria and pleaded for their help, but Lin Yi ran off and told Wei Liang to handle the situation.
• The girl recalled resisting strange voices in the Dormitory Building, hearing screams in the corridor, and sensing someone watching her while she showered.

Li Huiyuan realized the Campus was dangerous and tried to team up with Lin Yi and Wei Liang, who reluctantly let her follow under strict conditions. While they waited outside the Cafeteria, Li Huiyuan briefly turned cold after noticing Lin Yi’s watch, but the cause remained unclear.

• Li Huiyuan concluded that escaping the Campus was too risky, so she decided to find allies and approached Lin Yi and Wei Liang.
• Lin Yi rejected Li Huiyuan’s request to team up, but later agreed to let her follow him while warning that he might not help her in a crisis.
• Lin Yi and Wei Liang waited outside the Cafeteria for its lunch opening time, and Lin Yi observed the Campus paths and their approaching classmates.
• Li Huiyuan suddenly froze as coldness spread around her, then recovered after Lin Yi patted her shoulder.
• Li Huiyuan asked about Lin Yi’s quartz watch, introduced herself, and Wei Liang recognized her as the pink-haired cosplayer from the previous day.

Lin Yi waited with Wei Shan and Li Huiyuan for Tian Bufan at the Cafeteria, where he observed that most students passed through the Blue Apron Chef as if he were not there. Tian Bufan revealed that the chef had been watching Li Huiyuan because she had little time left, leaving Lin Yi alarmed and uncertain what made her a target.

• Lin Yi noticed the Blue Apron Chef at the Student Passage exit and waited near the Student Dining Hall for Wei Shan and Tian Bufan.
• Lin Yi saw Experience Students pass straight through the Blue Apron Chef, while Wei Shan warned that the chef had been staring at Lin Yi from the start.
• Tian Bufan arrived, took Lin Yi's notes on the Art Building and Art Student Rules, and said they would proceed without Kuai Kuai.
• Tian Bufan called Li Huiyuan a useful piece of cannon fodder and said the Blue Apron Chef had been watching her like a dead person.
• Lin Yi distracted Li Huiyuan by asking about cosplay, and the Blue Apron Chef withdrew his gaze from her.
• Lin Yi wondered what Tian Bufan meant when he said Li Huiyuan did not have long to live.

Lin Yi and his companions navigated the Student Dining Hall, where a Green Apron Chef tried to tempt them with dangerous tomatoes. Lin Yi and Wei Liang ruined the tomatoes, and Wei Shan crushed them underfoot, drawing the attention of the cafeteria’s sinister patrons.

• Tian Bufan went to investigate Meal Window No. 3 while Lin Yi, Wei Shan, Wei Liang, and Li Huiyuan queued at Meal Window No. 2.
• A Green Apron Chef lay in Li Huiyuan’s path, and Wei Shan stepped on its head as the group continued through the line.
• Lin Yi warned Li Huiyuan to put away her Student ID after the other figures stared at it, then resisted a Green Apron Chef’s tomato by dropping it and replacing it with milk.
• Wei Liang also let a tomato fall and break, prompting the Green Apron Chef to mourn its ruined tomatoes as nearby figures gathered toward them.
• Wei Shan stepped on the Green Apron Chef’s hand and crushed the two tomatoes, splashing tomato juice into its face.

Lin Yi and his companions discovered that the cafeteria lady at Meal Window No. 3 had vanished, then tried to escape the Student Dining Hall as Green Apron Chefs pursued them. Lin Yi pulled Li Huiyuan through the exit, but a Green Apron Chef clawed her back as they fled.

• Wei Shan kicked a tomato and its fragments drew the nonhuman classmates into a frenzy.
• Tian Bufan told Lin Yi that the cafeteria lady at Meal Window No. 3, 'Chef-0391,' had likely been eliminated, while 'Chef-0154' still worked at Meal Window No. 1.
• After the group finished eating, Wei Shan fought his way through the nonhuman classmates surrounding him, and they headed for the Utensil Return Area.
• Lin Yi briefly saw emerald-green mist spreading through the dining hall and then noticed Li Huiyuan had fallen into a hallucination near a Green Apron Chef.
• Lin Yi warned the group to drop their trays and run; Wei Shan struck a Green Apron Chef with another tray before fleeing with them.
• Green Apron Chefs chased the group, and Lin Yi yanked Li Huiyuan through the Plastic Air Curtain, but one clawed her back as they escaped.

Li Huiyuan lost her student ID when a Green Apron Chef swallowed it, and Lin Yi tried to reassure her by interpreting the university rules. After realizing their group’s arrival and first night had deviated from the intended Experience Student routine, Lin Yi suspected they had been pushed into a dangerous situation and questioned Tian Bufan about his earlier remark concerning Li Huiyuan.

• A Green Apron Chef showed Li Huiyuan’s student ID through the Plastic Air Curtain, then swallowed it while Lin Yi and the others held back from entering the dining hall.
• Lin Yi led the group away from the Student Dining Hall, and they checked for tomato sauce before Wei Shan went to discard his contaminated shoe.
• Lin Yi checked Li Huiyuan’s back, learned her uniform had been torn, and suggested she report her missing student ID to the head teacher under the university’s assistance rule.
• Lin Yi realized that the group’s abnormal arrival and overnight stay had prevented them from following the safer routine intended for Experience Students.
• Lin Yi asked Tian Bufan what he had meant when he said Li Huiyuan would not live much longer, and Tian Bufan told him to think carefully about the earlier remark.