Chapter 1
Chapter 1
I was right in the middle of a Calculus class when I suddenly received a text message.
[1. Do not answer any questions from the teacher.]
[2. If the teacher continues the class after the bell, ignore them. You are not allowed to stay in the classroom once class is over.]
[3. No skipping class. Keep quiet while in the classroom.]
[4. The Library is absolutely safe, but you can only stay for a maximum of two hours at a time. You must remain quiet in the Library, or you will be punished by the Librarian.]
[5. The dormitory is absolutely safe, but only from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM the next morning.]
[6. The Study Room is safe, but you can only stay for a maximum of one hour at a time. Students may communicate with each other, but the students in the Study Room are not necessarily normal.]
[7. No one from the outside can enter a dorm room unless the people inside take the initiative to open the door.]
[8. There will be a dormitory check after 11:00 PM. Do not open the door for the person conducting the check.]
[9. Do not turn off the lights yourself before sleeping at night; the lights will turn off on their own.]
[10. If you see a Person in the Red Top Hat in the dormitory corridor, immediately seek help from the Dorm Supervisor. Do not look back during this time.]
[11. If you have a problem inside the dormitory, find the Dorm Supervisor; if you have a problem outside the dormitory, find the Counselor.]
[12. Do not go to the Principal’s Office.]
[13. Do not eat the meat buns from the cafeteria.]
[14. Stay away from the cats on campus. Do not feed the cats under any circumstances, because you cannot choose what part of yourself you will use to feed them.]
[15. There are no dogs in this school. Stay away from any Dog-Seer.]
[16. Be wary of the Student Council; there are no humans in the Student Council.]
[17. Do not leave the dormitory after midnight. You must wait until dawn.]
[18. In an Annihilated Dormitory, do not eat anything inside, and do not speak to the people inside.]
[19. Do not talk to the person inside the bathroom stalls at school.]
[20. Before going to sleep, ensure your roommates are all normal. If you notice anything unusual, say the phrase “The dog is outside” and lock the person who went out outside the door.]
[21. Try your best to ensure the safety of your roommates. It is not easy to survive single-handedly.]
[22. No matter the time, do not eat too much. Do not be greedy.]
[23. Do not trust others easily.]
[24. Hold out for seven days. After seven days, the school lockdown will be lifted. Board Bus Route 17 and leave this place.]
[25. Under no circumstances should you leave the school before the lockdown is lifted!!!]
After reading the text, I looked up and glanced around.
The students in the classroom were looking at each other in bewilderment; they must have all received the same message.
I was just about to speak to my roommate, Tao Ran.
[Keep quiet while in the classroom.]
I shut my mouth and opened WeChat to send a message to our dormitory group chat.
Me: Did you guys get the text?
Tao Ran: Yeah, it’s just a prank. I don’t believe it for a second.
Zhou Yiqiang: A prank wouldn’t be sent to the whole class, right? Brother Tao, you don’t believe it? Then why don’t you stand up and shout to see if you die.
Tao Ran: Piss off.
Sun Huawen: While it sounds unscientific, there are many things in this world that science can’t explain. We shouldn’t act rashly.
Xiao Ze followed up with a dog head emoji.
Huang Pang: Seconded.
For the moment, no one in the classroom made a sound.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter rang out.
“Hahahaha!”
The laughter came from in front of me. I looked up and saw a guy scrolling through TikTok, completely lost in it. He probably hadn’t even seen the text.
That laughter sounded particularly jarring in the silent classroom.
The teacher stopped lecturing and let out a few mechanical, cold chuckles. “Heh. Heh.”
The angle at which the teacher’s lips curled upward was terrifying.
No one in the classroom dared to make a sound.
“Those who do not respect the teacher must pay the price.”
As soon as the Calculus Teacher finished speaking, the boy who was scrolling through TikTok stopped moving. His eyes went dull as he slowly lifted his head. His body gradually rose into the air until he was suspended in the middle of the classroom!
*Drip. Drop.*
An unidentified red liquid slowly began to drip from the boy’s body.
I gasped in terror.
“Ah-!” Some of the more faint-hearted girls screamed, and their ends were naturally the same.
The classroom returned to a deathly silence.
The teacher continued the lecture.
Our dormitory group chat exploded.
Tao Ran: ?? What’s going on? The text is real?!
Zhou Yiqiang: I’ve decided. As soon as class is over, I’m going to the Library! I never thought the first time I’d go to the Library in my life would be under these circumstances.
Sun Huawen: Then I’ll go to the Study Room to check things out. Maybe I can get some new information.
Me: Boss Sun, you’re a real hero. The lives of us dogs in this dorm depend on you!
Sun Huawen: Don’t use the word “dog” lightly.
Xiao Ze: Gu Tang, you’re not a Dog-Seer, are you…
Me: Get lost, you’re giving me goosebumps. I’ve been right next to Brother Tao the whole time, don’t slander me!
Huang Pang: I’m a witness.
…
Ring-!
The bell for the end of class rang.
The Calculus Teacher acted as if they hadn’t heard it, even calling on a student to answer a question.
[Do not answer any questions from the teacher.]
[If the teacher continues the class after the bell, ignore them. You are not allowed to stay in the classroom once class is over.]
The six of us from the dorm grabbed our things and bolted for the door.