An Ominous Arrival

I stood frozen at the doorway, staring in disbelief as a humanoid monster rampaged through the dorm room. Books and papers were scattered everywhere, the sheets and covers torn apart, chaos reigning over every inch.

“What the hell is this thing!” I shouted, grabbing the mop by the door and charging in.

“Get the hell out of here, you bastard!”

“Get out of my life!”

“Get out!”

All the fear and anger I’d bottled up over the past few days exploded as I unleashed it upon the mysterious creature. The mop, when thrust against its body, barely left a mark; the wooden stick’s power was negligible.

Yet the monster was indeed drawn to me. It turned and struck with a slap, mixing blood, flesh fragments, and nauseating fluids, landing straight on my chest.

I flew back like an arrow loosed from its bow, crashing hard behind Tankhead. Clutching my aching chest, I struggled to stand—the mop now broken in two.

The break formed a sharp tip, turning the useless stick into a weapon. I lunged again with all my might.

A sickening sound echoed as the broken stick pierced through the humanoid creature, even slicing it cleanly across the waist.

The corpse, hanging with bits of rotting flesh, was merely cobbled together into a human shape, unable to hold its limbs in place. Spotting this weakness, I jabbed at its limbs, completely dismembering it.

Seizing the moment as the monster lay immobilized, I leaped onto the bed, grabbed the playing card, and retreated to Tankhead’s side, dragging him toward the door.

“Someone! Help!”

“There’s a fight!”

I dared not say there was a monster—otherwise, I’d be taken for a lunatic. Dragging Tankhead, I knocked on the neighboring dorm room doors.

Meanwhile, the amalgamation of rotten meat in my dorm began to reassemble into a human form, striding toward me.

“Who’s making all this noise in broad daylight?”

Finally, a door opened. I kicked it wide, tossed Tankhead inside with all my strength, and slammed it shut. At least I’d put the unconscious Tankhead somewhere safe, so I could escape faster. But I underestimated the monster’s speed; it caught up as I closed the door, grabbing my ankle and hauling me upside down.

Panicking, I kicked wildly with my free foot, knocking off the monster’s hand bone and tumbling to the ground. The black spade two playing card dropped beside me.

The monster seemed to recall something upon seeing the card and lunged toward it.

Acting quickly, I snatched the card first, but now found myself facing the full force of the monster. In that moment of crisis, I clenched my teeth and silently recited every life-saving incantation I could think of. Instantly, the copper mirror depicted on the card seemed to come alive, shooting a golden beam straight onto the monster.

A muffled explosion sounded, and the creature burst apart in midair, releasing an unbearable stench.

Relieved to have survived, I quickly grabbed the playing card and returned to my dorm.

Back in the room, I was stunned again—everything was as pristine as before, as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that the playing card now rested in my hand instead of on the bed.

What was going on? Had I dreamed it all? I collapsed at the doorway, unable to come to terms with what happened. It wasn’t until the leader returned from class that he dragged me inside to rest.

In the principal’s office, the principal was raging. “Mr. Wang, how could you let such a creature into the campus? And have students run into it!”

“Principal, it’s not my fault. Ever since the contract was stolen, the Four Sacred Grounds have started stirring. Their people have infiltrated the campus,” Mr. Wang replied helplessly. As a teacher at D University, he felt the burden deeply. Not only had to educate the students, but also maintain school discipline and bear the consequences of this secret operation.

“That’s impossible. The Four Sacred Grounds agreed to fairness long ago, which is why D University exists. Why would they break the agreement so recklessly?” The principal roared, his face trembling with fury.

“Principal, I can’t say for sure. The Four Sacred Grounds aren’t truly united—someone may have their own agenda.”

“That’s not for us to decide. No matter what, keep the campus orderly. The operation must continue.”

Waking up again in bed, I checked the clock—it was already evening.

The dorm was still empty except for me. I was growing used to this solitude. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts—only a few people I could actually talk to.

After messaging those few, I tidied up and climbed down from the bed. If I stayed in bed, the evening would be wasted.

As soon as I opened the door, a deadly stench wafted from the hallway, making my stomach rebel violently. I slammed the door shut and opened the window, gulping down fresh air.

Only then did I notice the crowd gathering below. Glowing phones formed a constellation of lights, though not a particularly beautiful one.

I quickly sent a message in the dorm group chat, “Where are you guys?”

Second replied first: “Studying in the library.”

Third answered next: “Waiting downstairs with the leader. The building’s sealed.”

“Sealed? Why?” I typed frantically.

This time it was the leader: “There’s some strange stench in the hallway. Two students have already been poisoned and sent to the medical office.”

“Wow, that serious?” I replied.

“Where are you, Fourth?” Third asked with concern.

I sent a laughing-crying emoji. “I’m in the dorm!”

“I didn’t even know the building was sealed!”

“Leader, why didn’t you call me when you left!”

“I... I never went back to the dorm.” The leader’s words chilled me to the bone. If he hadn’t returned, who was the person I saw earlier? What else could be lurking in this sealed building? I glanced at the playing card on the bed and slipped it into my inner pocket.

My phone vibrated—someone had replied to my earlier messages.

First was Tankhead. Seeing his message cheered me up. He was in the dorm too—did he not know about the lockdown?

“Tankhead, why didn’t you leave?”

“I just woke up, and this isn’t even my dorm.” He sent a dizzy emoji.

So, the earlier events were real. I’d thrown Tankhead into another dorm, so he was only now waking up. My other friend, Sun Cheng, replied next: “I’m in the ERP simulation lab.”

Then came my good friend Han Xue: “Doing a face mask, what’s up?”

No one else responded.

After a brief chat with Sun Cheng and Han Xue, I focused on planning an escape with Tankhead.

First, we had to meet up. My dorm was 312, directly across from the stairs, while Tankhead was in 306. With the toxic gas in the hallway, I wasn’t sure how long we could last. We decided to meet in 309, Tankhead’s own dorm—he had the key, so we wouldn’t have to worry about getting poisoned while opening the door.

The plan set, we sprang into action. I flung the door open and dashed into the corridor. The pungent smell assaulted my nose, instantly making me want to vomit. Fighting the urge, I sprinted to 309, but Tankhead had not arrived yet.

The gas in the hallway grew thicker, shrinking my vision.

“Tankhead!” I felt I couldn’t hold out much longer and shouted desperately. The sound vanished without response.

I tried calling him, hearing his phone ring somewhere far away, but saw no sign of him. My mind began to blank out.

Leaning against the door of 309, I slowly slid down, convinced I’d die here. Just then, a crisp sound of a door opening startled me awake, followed by a powerful kick that sent me tumbling into the dorm.

Someone opened the window, letting in fresh air. I inhaled deeply, savoring this rare clean air.

The figure before me gradually came into focus. Yet, it was not Tankhead.