Chapter 505: Midnight Inspection

The sudden blackout made many hearts tremble; cries echoed from downstairs.

Then Wu Xian noticed another feature of this building.

The soundproofing was terrible.

“It’s not even eleven yet—why did the lights just go out?”

Wu Xian sat up on his bed.

“It’s ten forty now; inspection is at eleven. Since the lights went out early, this inspection isn’t about cleanliness—it’s about checking whether we’re asleep.”

“Twenty minutes early must be our sleep window. Given we’re on the ninth floor, inspection might be slightly delayed, but we must be ready before eleven.”

Jin Shasha asked in a trembling voice: “So… should I go to sleep now?”

Wu Xian smiled: “If I say you should sleep, can you actually fall asleep? Remember to act convincing later—those filthy things aren’t easy to fool.”

After a while, Wu Xian’s bed began to sway, creaking loudly.

Wen Tinghua frowned: “What are you doing?”

“Changing clothes,” Wu Xian said, stripping off his jacket in the dark and pulling on loose sportswear, then pinning his ID badge to his chest. “School uniform is a form of identification—only students wear it. Since we’ll have to wear it eventually, better to put it on now.”

Then 902 Dormitory was filled with nothing but creaking sounds.

Suddenly, Su Mi let out a muffled groan.

Wu Xian asked what happened; he said nothing had happened.

Changing into uniforms eased the oppression of the darkness; the twenty minutes passed quickly. Seeing that time was nearly up, all four lay down together, waiting for inspection.

The dark dormitory was utterly silent—even the ticking of a clock was clearly audible.

Tick, tick, tick…

Click! The clock chimed—eleven o’clock.

At the same moment, Wu Xian felt his bed shift slightly. He immediately closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and let his eyelids twitch occasionally.

A little while later…

Creak…

The door opened, yet the dorm remained silent, as if nothing had happened.

“Aaaah!”

Suddenly, from the dorms below, came heart-wrenching screams, loud sobbing, frantic footsteps, and the sound of beds being dragged…

The original residents downstairs weren’t as cautious as Wu Xian and the others—tonight, many of them would vanish.

After the door opened, there was no further movement. Wu Xian thought inspection was over.

Then, suddenly, a woman’s voice came from the doorway.

“Are all the students asleep?”

…

Jin Shasha, lying on her side, froze instantly.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

One, to avoid breaking dorm rules; two, because opening her eyes might reveal something horrifying.

The woman’s voice stretched unnaturally, trembling with an eerie quaver, echoing in the cramped dorm. Merely hearing it made Jin Shasha’s bones go weak with fear.

But she remembered Wu Xian’s warning—she dared not move a muscle.

Tap, tap, tap…

The woman entered the dorm. Her footsteps weren’t heels or sneakers—they sounded like palms slapping against tile.

After a few steps, the footsteps stopped right at Jin Shasha’s bed.

Huh…

Jin Shasha’s body tensed; her heartbeat surged. She felt her forehead hairs stirred—by a breath reeking of rot!

This woman…

This woman was standing on tiptoe, observing her up close to see if she was truly asleep. She wanted to hold her breath, but feared it would seem suspicious—so she breathed normally. After being watched for a moment, she couldn’t bear it anymore. Pretending her hair tickled her, she brushed it aside and turned her head toward the ceiling above.

Not facing the woman directly eased Jin Shasha’s pressure slightly.

Tap, tap-tap!

Just as Jin Shasha turned, her bed shook violently—the woman had climbed the bunk bed in the dark with astonishing speed and now lay atop her, their faces pressed close again.

And this time, Jin Shasha’s vision was suddenly bright.

The woman was shining a flashlight directly into Jin Shasha’s eyes—to determine if she was asleep!

Jin Shasha nearly burst into tears.

Her mind, capable of acing the college entrance exam, nearly shut down.

She had tried so hard—so desperately—to control her expression, but for a girl entering the Fuli Academy for the first time, it was impossible.

To avoid facing that unknown face, to avoid exposing her pretense, she had only one choice left—she was nearly broken.

She gripped the blanket with both hands and yanked it up, wrapping herself entirely inside.

Since childhood, whenever Jin Shasha felt afraid while sleeping, she did exactly this.

“The blanket is safe—I’m hidden under it. She can’t see me. She won’t know I’m not asleep. She won’t…”

Whoosh! Jin Shasha’s blanket suddenly bulged upward.

A cold figure appeared inside the blanket; a slick yet powerful hand seized both her wrists—the touch felt like chopped, bloody pork.

She finally couldn’t hold back—she opened her eyes.

The flashlight’s beam pierced through the blanket’s seams. There, atop her, sat a man drenched in blood.

The man gripped her wrists with one hand and raised a rusted cleaver with the other, swinging it down toward her face.

“Aaaah!”

Jin Shasha screamed until she had no strength left.

…

After Jin Shasha’s screams ceased, the woman crawled across the beds, climbing over Wu Xian, Wen Tinghua, and Su Mi, shining her flashlight into each of their eyes in the same manner.

The sensation was eerie and terrifying.

Forced to breathe the woman’s stench, it was nauseating—pushing psychological limits—but they were seasoned Fuli Academy dwellers. With preparation, they endured it.

The woman climbed down, her footsteps going tap-tap-tap, then walked to the door.

Creak… click…

The dorm door finally closed.

Wu Xian and the other two exhaled softly—inspection was over.

Su Mi waited a long time, hearing no further movement, then cautiously opened his eyes, glancing around with the corner of his vision.

Confirming nothing was there, he relaxed, lifted his head slightly, and looked toward Wu Xian.

“Brother Wu, I—”

Whoosh! A beam of light shone directly into Su Mi’s eyes.

“Fuck your dad!”

It was the flashlight’s light!

Su Mi looked down—and saw a woman lying on the floor!

The dorm supervisor had indeed reached the door and closed it—but she hadn’t left the room!

She lay on the floor, feet pointing toward the door, silent and still. From the bed, she was invisible—only by leaning out could you see her.

The woman turned the flashlight toward her own face.

Su Mi clearly saw: her grinning face was riddled with fresh, knife-cut gashes—flesh flipped open, raw and glistening! (End of chapter)