Volume 11: The Days of Traversing Through the Mirror
Building No. 18
3056, 3058
Shen Maomao whispered in a low murmur, “So, you’re saying this instance is related to these willow catkins1?”
Bai Lu said, “Let’s take a look before we say anything.”
The newcomer cried for a while longer before finally composing herself, climbing up from the ground, and asking, “Where… where on earth is this place…? Will my friend be okay…?”
Wu Mei said good-naturedly, “Don’t worry about your friend for now. You’ve all been pulled into a terrifying game. The slightest misstep and you’ll lose your life.”
The newcomer was too scared to speak, only able to stare at her with wide eyes.
Wu Mei added, “We can’t guarantee what’s happened to your friend, but you’d best look after yourself first. Stop thinking only of her.”
The newcomer looked at her, her eyes filled with disbelief, as if questioning why she was so cold-blooded. “Then what about her?! Are we just going to leave her?”
“Hold on.” Bai Lu cut her off. “I think you need to get one thing straight. She’s your friend, not ours.”
“But…”
“Enough with the ‘buts’,” Bai Lu said, her face cold. “If you want to find her, you can go by yourself. We’re not stopping you.”
The newcomer opened her mouth, glanced back at the white ocean behind her, and this time, snapped her mouth shut for good.
The players who had gone to search for people all returned empty-handed. Once everyone was gathered, the electric gate suddenly activated, and a woman in professional attire appeared before them, startling the newcomer.
The NPC glanced at her. The players around the newcomer instinctively shuffled to the side, afraid of being remembered by the NPC because of her.
The little newcomer stood there at a loss, her face looking even paler than Gan Ze’s.
Wu Mei called to her in a low voice, “Don’t make a fuss. Hurry and keep up.”
The little newcomer moved at the sound of her voice, carefully following behind Wu Mei as if she had become her life-saving straw2.
The NPC spoke as she walked. “You must be the exchange students from X University3, right? I’m the counselor the school has assigned to you. My surname is Xiao. You’ll all be under my supervision this semester. Your dorms have already been assigned in the East District’s Building No. 18. In a bit, you’ll all scan the code to join the group chat. I’ll notify you in the group if anything comes up.”
The group acknowledged her and walked forward, treading on the ground covered in willow fluff.
This instance bore the sign of Jiangcheng University, but its area was a whole circle smaller than the real Jiangcheng, at most the size of a single school district. The buildings inside weren’t exact copies of Jiangcheng’s layout either, and the grassy areas along the paths were dotted with some extra statues in various poses.
Teacher Xiao led them all the way to an empty classroom and held a brief meeting, explaining some matters regarding classes and preparing materials.
From her words, the group learned that their identities were exchange students from the literature department of the neighboring X University, here at Jiangcheng for a joint social event and to get a feel for Jiangcheng’s teaching environment.
“This exchange was arranged rather hastily, and there’s still a lot of paperwork you haven’t completed. Therefore, please ensure your phones are on for the next week and pay close attention to the small group chat. I will contact you at any time.” After speaking, Teacher Xiao waved at the doorway, beckoning a girl inside. She introduced her to them, “This is your class monitor. Her name is Zhang Xiao4. If you have any problems, just find her.”
The mid-March weather wasn’t very hot yet. Zhang Xiao wore a light blue dress and carried a small white bag, paired with flesh-colored leggings5 underneath. Shen Maomao took a couple of extra glances, a little curious whether or not she was actually wearing long johns6.
Zhang Xiao picked up a piece of chalk, wrote nine digits on the blackboard, and said, “This is my Penguin number7. I’m also in the group chat the teacher created. You can come find me for anything you don’t understand.”
Teacher Xiao said, “Next, I’ll have Zhang Xiao take you to pick up your Jiangcheng University student cards and then show you around to familiarize yourselves with the environment. I have another meeting to attend in a bit, so I’ll be leaving first.”
The players all said in unison, “Goodbye, Teacher.”
Next, Zhang Xiao took them to get their cards as Teacher Xiao had instructed. Along the way, several players tried their best to pump her for information, hoping to get some plot-related details out of her.
“Jiangcheng University has so many statues. Who are they all of?” Bai Lu asked.
Zhang Xiao: “Those statues have practically become a scenic route for our school. Every time a highly respected professor passes away, the school erects a statue.”
The high school student frowned and said, “They must be pretty creepy to look at at night, right?”
Zhang Xiao let out a pfft of laughter. “You’re not wrong. There really are people at school who’ve been scared by the statues. It’s not just you; we also think this stuff is pretty unlucky. But it’s something the leadership decided, so even if we students have different opinions, it’s no use.”
Bai Lu continued asking, “Why did the school plant so many willow trees? It’s a total disaster come summertime.”
Zhang Xiao answered, “I think it has to do with Arbor Day. I also heard it from the upperclassmen: these are all old trees, decades or even a hundred years old, all planted by the school leaders. They probably didn’t expect them to grow this big when they planted them. The situation now is actually still considered good. In another couple of days, you’ll have to wear a mask just to go outside. You all should probably prepare a few in advance.”
Bai Lu thanked her.
The other players also asked a few trivial questions. Zhang Xiao told them everything she knew and spoke without reservation8, but unfortunately, these questions were without substance and of no help to the main storyline.
Hai Dongqing, who was walking behind, tapped Shen Maomao. “You were staring at Zhang Xiao just now. Did you discover something?”
Shen Maomao: “…” How was she supposed to answer that?! Why was this woman paying so much attention to her?! She was just a water-paddler9!
She was so embarrassed her toes were grabbing the floor, to the point where she could have carved out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment10 on the spot. “Uh… I was just looking around. I didn’t notice anything wrong with her.”
Hai Dongqing gave her a look that was half-smile, half-not, her expression suggesting she knew something but wasn’t willing to tell anyone.
Shen Maomao couldn’t be bothered to explain further. She quickened her pace by two steps to catch up with Zhang Xiao, hoping this would make her feel less awkward.
Building No. 18 was very close to their classroom. After about a five-minute walk, Zhang Xiao stopped and said to the group, “This is your dormitory building. I live across the way in Building No. 16, room 5043. If you have a problem and can’t reach me, you can come find me in my dorm.”
There were four dormitory buildings here—16, 17, 18, and 19. Each was a long, rectangular building, forming a perfectly sealed square.
Building No. 18 was directly behind Building No. 16, and most of its sunlight was blocked by the building in front, making it feel somewhat oppressive.
Shen Maomao felt a sense of breathlessness, an urgent desire to open her mouth wide and take a couple of deep breaths of fresh air, but the air was full of willow catkins. Her wish was clearly impossible to realize.
Fortunately, Zhang Xiao soon led them into the building. The moment they entered, a blast of cool air blew against them, making the group shiver involuntarily.
The first thing that met their eyes upon entering were two large mirrors on the left and right walls. The mirrors were huge, the kind that could reflect their entire bodies. Looking into one mirror, you could even see your own back in it, which was a little unsettling.
Inside was a small hall. To the left was the guard’s office; opposite was a small, doorless supermarket. An elderly auntie was sitting at the supermarket entrance, and a few students in pajamas were currently inside buying things.
Zhang Xiao went to the guard’s office to get the keys and led them up to the third floor.
Jiangcheng University’s dorms had always been six people to a room. Including the other newcomer who had already gone to doggy heaven11, that was exactly 12 people.
The two dorm rooms were next to each other: one was 3056, the other 3058. Across the hall were 57 and 59, their doors currently shut tight. A few trash bags and takeout boxes were placed by their doors, so they were likely occupied.
Zhang Xiao took a piece of paper out of her bag, glanced at it, and said to them, “The dorm beds have been assigned in advance, but you can also swap among yourselves. Just let me know after you’ve switched. Now, I’ll read out the names by bed number. When your name is called, come here to get your key. I’ll start with 3058.”
“Maomao, Hai Dongqing, Bai Lu, Wu Mei, Gan Ze, Peng Xiaorui…”
Peng Xiaorui was the art student who had teamed up with Gan Ze. The distribution of this dorm room seemed to be related to their groupings at the school gate, which was quite user-friendly.
The six of them went to get their keys. Shen Maomao, assigned to bed one, used her key to open the main door.
The moment the door opened, a wave of musty air rushed out to meet them. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the dust motes floating in the air. The room contained three iron-frame bunk beds—one on the left and two on the right. The empty space was filled with six long, narrow wardrobes and a washbasin stand next to them. In the middle was a long sheet-metal table placed vertically. Under the table was a crossbar a few centimeters high that served as a shelf, but it had no sides, so anything placed on it could easily slip off. In the empty space behind the table and chairs were several suitcases, each with a name tag on it for easy identification.
There was no washroom or toilet inside the dorm room. On the way up, Zhang Xiao had mentioned that the toilets were in the middle of the hall, while 3058 and 3056 were at the very end, close to the stairs but far from the toilets.
Zhang Xiao continued to hand out keys, giving out the remaining five. Then she said, “Our department has few classes. Tomorrow is Monday, and you have one class. The rest of the time is free for you to manage. The library is in the South District, which is a bit far, but it’s right by the main gate, so it’s easy to find. When you have time, find a print shop and get some one-inch and two-inch photos12 taken. Hand them to me during class tomorrow. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back. I hope you have a pleasant stay at Jiangcheng University～”
The group said their goodbyes to her and prepared to go to their respective rooms to unpack. But the little newcomer suddenly walked over to Wu Mei’s side and pleaded in a low voice, “Can I… can I stay with you…?”
Bai Lu’s brows furrowed. “There’s no space for you on our side.”
The little newcomer said weakly, “But… isn’t there an empty spot in our dorm room?”
Bai Lu retorted sharply, “And who do you think that empty spot is being saved for? Don’t you know?”
The little newcomer’s face turned white.
Wu Mei couldn’t bear to watch. “Alright, alright, don’t be angry. It’s normal for a newcomer to be scared. I’ll go stay with her…”
A look of joy appeared on the little newcomer’s face as she eagerly helped Wu Mei carry her suitcase, leading her into 3056.
The remaining five people walked into their room, closing the door to shut out the sights and sounds from outside. Shen Maomao couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked, “People like her… why on earth do they get pulled into the game?”
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