Chapter 9: Station 21: The Dormitory Warden

Chapter 9: Station 21: The Dormitory Keeper

Outside the door stood a vine-like creature.

To be more precise, it was a "person" resembling a vine.

This "person" was emaciated to the extreme, with its suit trousers transformed into capris, exposing a yellow and a pink sock, creating an absurdly comical appearance.

Its face was wrapped in a black plastic bag, tilted askew at an eerie angle as it slowly entered the dormitory.

A bizarre chewing sound emerged from the "dormitory keeper," and suddenly, its head swelled to three times its original size, bursting the plastic bag-like skull to devour the "dirty thing" that had been lingering on the ceiling all night.

Si Shuhao, who had just woken up, encountered the "dormitory keeper" head-on, instinctively letting out a blood-curdling scream!

In the midst of the chaos, Yan Qiling heard knocking once again, this time with a thudding rhythm.

It came from the neighboring room, somewhat distant, seemingly at Yao Kunrui's door.

Recalling something, he rushed out swiftly.

Ming Yiyang wished to follow, but the seemingly "digesting" dorm supervisor was too bizarre. He couldn't leave, so he gave Hu Gaoming a subtle glance.

Receiving the cue, Hu Gaoming promptly exited.

Immediately, he witnessed a horrifying scene.

In front of Yao Kunrui's dorm room, the "dorm supervisor's" head had also swollen. However, its black plastic bag had ripped apart.

Its entirely vine-covered features resembled plant roots, densely clinging to what appeared to be its "head," sprouting a lush green flower on top.

Not only that, the flower seemed to come alive, extending countless wriggling vines that sealed the entire door shut!

Yao Kunrui's situation was dire; it was clear that the "rule" had been triggered!

The moment Yan Qiling came into sight, the "dorm supervisor's" head flew out of its neck like a snake, coiling around his body!

Quickly shrinking back, Yan Qiling grabbed the green flower with his backhand, hoisting the thin "dorm supervisor" bodily. Without hesitation, he threw it down from the third floor!

The dormitory echoed with the thunderous crash of the falling object. Yan Qiling pushed the door open with his backhand.

Unyielding.

Hu Gaoming rushed to assist. The two of them took a few steps back, then with a running start, they kicked the door open with a crash!

Yao Kunrui was bound to a chair, crying out for his parents while struggling and screaming curses, but he couldn't free himself from the chair.

A black plastic bag tightly covered his head, and behind him stood a charred "figure."

The burned muscles of that "figure" twitched as it threw a flaming lighter straight at Yao Kunrui's head with a snap!

Hu Gaoming was stunned.

Yan Qiling, beside him, darted forward in a flash.

The rapidly burning plastic bag caused Yao Kunrui to scream in agony. Ignoring the fact that it was still burning, Yan Qiling pulled off the plastic remnants with his bare hands before kicking Yao Kunrui, who was tied to the chair, out the door!

The door slammed shut, and a loud commotion of struggle erupted from inside.

Hu Gaoming rushed over to push it open, only to find that the door, which had already broken its lock, wouldn't budge!

Yao Kunrui, with his face scorching red, let out pitiful cries. Finally, when the terrified Si Shuhao, who had endured until the "dorm supervisor" left, came over for a look, he immediately called for help:

"Ahhhh, what happened? Half of his face is burnt! Where's Yan Qiling?"

Hu Gaoming was panic-stricken:

"Brother Yan went in, and it seems like there's a ghost inside! The door won't budge!"

Ming Yiyang tried to pull the door, but it wouldn't move. Just as he was about to kick it open, Yan Qiling burst out.

The room was now empty except for him.

Everyone: "..."

Leaving the completely ruined door aside, Yan Qiling held a piece of tattered cloth, appearing as if nothing had happened:

"You're just in time. Take a look at this."

Attached to the torn cloth was an ID badge, and Ming Yiyang felt that the name on it sounded familiar:

"Jiang Nanzhu... Oh, is that the name the ghostwriter wrote yesterday? Wait a moment."

He set aside the rag and, without hesitation, grabbed Yan Qiling's wrist before he could withdraw it, asking,

"Burned?"

Seeing this, Hu Gaoming promptly recounted what he had witnessed.

This injury was indeed sustained while saving Yao Kunrui.

Plastic bags were highly flammable. Without timely treatment, the cooled black plastic adhered to the burned flesh, resulting in Yan Qiling's hand being covered in blistered, black burns that looked utterly horrifying.

The victim himself seemed unconcerned, pulling his hand back with a casual shrug.

"It's nothing."

"Hogwash!"

Ming Yiyang didn't resist as he let him pull away, sneering instead.

"Injuries sustained in the Interstitial World will also carry over to the real world, I assume you're aware of that?"

The newcomers absorbed this new revelation, their eyes widening in astonishment. Yao Kunrui, with his burned face, covered his cheeks and began to weep:

"My face hurts so much. I don't want to return like this, please, someone put some medicine on it... Why is it only me? Why am I the only one living alone? I knew something like this would happen, I just knew it..."

Despite their unfavorable impressions of him, the sight of a grown man crying pitifully stirred a certain compassion within them.

Glancing at the dwindling time on the train ticket, Su Bo softly suggested:

It was only six in the morning. Should they take them to the infirmary before the eight o'clock bell rings...?

Everyone agreed.

The school, shrouded in mountain mist, was deserted, yet this tranquility somehow brought a sense of security.

The infirmary was located in Building Two on the side, which had a relatively normal rectangular shape.

However, the corridors were eerily dark, retaining the enclosed structure of the hallway that prevented any light from entering, creating an extremely gloomy atmosphere.

Pushing open the door to the infirmary, a strong scent of disinfectant hit them in the face.

Surprisingly, the room was bathed in bright light that filtered in abundantly.

It unexpectedly relieved the oppressive atmosphere they had been enduring for most of the day, bringing a sense of freshness.

After the inspection, finding the infirmary empty, everyone sighed in relief and started searching for medications.

Si Shuhao instinctively looked for written rules on paper, but the walls of the infirmary were spotlessly clean, a pristine white with nothing posted on them.

She reached into the drawer of her desk and, after a brief search, pulled out a rather thick booklet.

Upon recognizing the contents recorded within, she furrowed her brow slightly.

-

Yao Kunrui's cries while applying medicine were akin to those of a slaughtered pig, whereas Yan Qiling was unusually quiet in comparison.

He propped himself up with his elbow on the table and used a pair of tweezers to carefully pry apart the hardened plastic shards.

Beads of blood seeped out slowly, gradually accumulating in the palm of his hand before trickling down between his fingers.

He remained eerily calm, as if the hand didn't belong to him and wasn't even producing much sweat.

However, this meticulous and somewhat cruel method of cleaning made those watching wince in sympathy.

Ming Yiyang averted his gaze and crossed his arms, turning to Yao Kunrui, asking,

"What happened this morning?"

Hu Gaoming, who was in charge of dressing his wounds, rolled his eyes and replied,

"Don't ask, Brother Ming. He's screaming like that; it's already impressive if he can form a complete sentence, let alone answer your question. I doubt it."

Yao Kunrui covered his face, gasping in pain as he turned sideways and said,

"Can't you be a bit gentler? It really hurts."

Hu Gaoming was speechless,

"Buddy, do you think there's a soft candy stuck in there? It's all plastic fragments that have melted in. Of course, it hurts when we remove them!"

Yao Kunrui remained silent, and Sù Bó beside him let out a soft sigh, softly offering,

"I'll do it."

Perhaps girls did have a gentler touch, for Yao Kunrui's cries were significantly softer this time.

Hu Gaoming chuckled in exasperation, then sat down quietly without a word.

Upon seeing Yan Qiling using his arm to hold one end of the bandage, seemingly preparing to wrap it around, he quickly stood up,

"Brother Yan, let me help you."

Then, the bandage roll was taken away by another hand.

Unrolling the bandage, Ming Yiyang's face was cold as he said,

"I'll do it."

Hu Gaoming couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive that Ming Yiyang might take this opportunity for personal revenge.

However, the brutal scene he had imagined did not unfold.

Ming Yiyang skillfully wrapped two rounds of bandage around Yan Qiling's wrist, then crossed it in an '8' shape across the palm, covering the injured area. Finally, he returned the end of the bandage to the wrist, cut it, and secured it with waterproof tape.

His actions were smooth and practiced, as if he had done it countless times before.

Hu Gaoming's concern turned to admiration, and eventually excitement:

"Impressive, Brother Ming. You really know how to wrap wounds."

Ming Yiyang took the small shoulder bag that Yan Qiling had seemingly found from somewhere, ignoring the other's scrutinizing gaze. He casually stowed away the remaining bandages and medicine:

"That's right, I used to assist my master in treating sprains and bruises."

As he handed the bag back, Ming Yiyang unexpectedly heard a gentle sigh:

"Thank you."

The young man lifted his head and glanced over with a teasing expression on his face:

"Truly grateful? Then mind your own business. Stop being so nosy; it's irritating to look at."

Hu Gaoming, observing from the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly at Ming Yiyang's stunningly handsome celebrity-like face. Why did such a fine person have to have such a mouth?

Sure enough, Yan Qiling replied with a polite smile,

"Well, then I suppose you'll just have to look away from me less."

Ming Yiyang smiled back, clenching his teeth,

"Do you think I want to look? It's not like you're not always in my face. If you were dead, it'd be less of a hassle."

Whenever these two were together, they never missed an opportunity to trade barbs.

Hu Gaoming dared not speak, hoping Yao Kunrui would finish up quickly. He wanted to get to class as soon as possible and put an end to this nightmare journey.

Feeling slightly better, Yao Kunrui leaned against the headboard, finally in the mood to share his "adventure."

"After I got back, I went to sleep. When I woke up, I heard someone knocking on the door."

He looked listless and lacking energy:

"The rules said that the dorm supervisor's socks should be different, right? I saw that person wearing two red socks, so I closed the door. Then, when I turned around, I saw that ghost..."

Su Bo recalled something and asked,

"Jiang Nanzhu?"

Yao Kunrui paused,

"I don't know. I can't read those matchstick characters. Anyway, she immediately put a plastic bag over my head and forced me to sit down. Before I knew it, I was tied up... Her strength was inhuman."

"After that, I had no idea what was happening. It seemed like the plastic bag caught fire, and the stool suddenly rushed out, dragging me along with it. Then, you saw what happened next."

He glanced at Ming Yiyang subconsciously, slightly evasive, but still mustered the courage to say,

"I feel like I might not make it through tonight. That ghost intentionally separated me from the others and even specifically sought someone... a ghost... to harm me. Tonight, I'll sleep with all of you for safety's sake."

Click.

The door suddenly swung open.

Si Shuhao was in the middle of examining a document when an unsettling chill swept in with the gust of air from the opening door.

Reacting instinctively, she rose to her feet, only to find a ghostly white figure standing in the doorway of the infirmary.

It was the school doctor, her complexion eerily pale.