WTNL Chapter 394

(9/10)

Yuying University
Chapter 394: What is the student’s job?

Late at Night.

The dorm room was deathly silent. In the thick, suffocating darkness that sealed off every gap, there wasn’t a single sound except the rhythmic rise and fall of breath.

Wen Jianyan kept his eyes tightly shut, controlling every muscle in his face, keeping his breathing slow and even.

Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.

Anyone who saw him like this would think he was sound asleep.

But Wen Jianyan was more awake than ever.

Every nerve in his body was taut. His sweat-soaked back clung to the bedboard, and he could almost feel the icy currents of air moving across his skin.

With his eyes closed, he silently counted numbers in his mind, focusing all his attention on his surroundings.

But other than the sounds of his heartbeat and breathing, Wen Jianyan’s ears caught nothing else.

No footsteps, no rustling—nothing. It was as if the strange events from earlier were just figments of his imagination. A powerful urge to open his eyes and confirm everything began to take root in his heart.

But he couldn’t.

Hidden under the blanket, his fingers curled slightly, digging into his palms until his nails brought a dull pain.

He knew, without a doubt, that the cold presence had never left.

It was still there.

Bent low, upper body leaning into the mosquito net, its face was probably just centimeters above his own—still, unmoving, watching him in silence.

Time crawled by painfully slow. Every second stretched like a century.

As cold sweat soaked through Wen Jianyan’s back, the faint rustling returned. The shadow pressing down on his face seemed to pull back, slowly retreating.

The mosquito net fell back into place.

“Shff, shff, shff.”

Slow footsteps echoed once more—this time moving away from his bed.

Wen Jianyan carefully let out a breath and cracked his eyes open just a sliver.

Through the translucent mosquito net, he saw the black silhouette in the murky dark moving away from his bed, heading in another direction.

Rustle… rustle…

It bent down slowly, once again poking its head in.

Wen Jianyan recognized that it was Brother Hu’s bed.

But something was wrong.

That figure’s back arched lower and lower—far beyond what was physically normal—without stopping. This wasn’t just face-to-face anymore.

“…” A shiver ran down Wen Jianyan’s spine.

He remembered, when his eyes were shut, he had distinctly felt long hair brushing his face—itchy, featherlight. This was a male dorm, but the hair had clearly been too long for a man. And then there was…

Earlier, before lights out, Brother Hu and the others had mentioned that they couldn’t make out the downstairs visitor’s face clearly and only registered the name.

And that visitor… was a female senior.

Although A-Bao had also signed in, Wen Jianyan had made a noise before the figure reached him, drawing attention and getting skipped.

Now it all seemed to fall into place.

Wen Jianyan knew he couldn’t pull the same trick twice.

That thing had lingered at his bedside far longer than at any other bed. If he caught its attention again, it wouldn’t be so easy to fool it.

A shadow stood motionless at Brother Hu’s bedside, its upper body buried deep into the bed. In the pitch-black dorm, it looked horrifyingly sinister.

Wen Jianyan squinted slightly.

But—he wasn’t entirely out of options.

Under the blanket, his pinky finger twitched slightly, as if tugging on an invisible string—“Cough, cough!” A deep coughing sound suddenly erupted from the bed below his.

In the “Integrity First’ live room barrage:

[?]

[?!]

[Holy crap, what’s going on?!]

[Quick, quick, anyone got the multi-cam playback?”

[Hold on, I’m pulling it up.”

“First come, first served, alright? If you’re late, don’t whine. Pick an empty bed and stop trying to steal other people’s spots.”

From a distance, Brother Hu’s disgruntled voice could be heard.

At the same time, the young man sitting on the bed stood up: “Alright, alright, Brother Hu, Brother Bao, thanks for speaking up. If you really want it, I’ll give you the spot.”

The screen froze, rewound two seconds, and zoomed in.

The young man sat back down.

Just before standing, he had braced his palm on the bed—and with swift, precise movements, slipped something into the bedframe.

[…Damn.]

[No wonder he gave up the bed so easily! He was setting this up from the start!]

[Holy shit, I didn’t even notice that before…]

[Genius. It means the anchor knew something was going to happen tonight, so he made extra preparations in advance.]

[Not just that. He also figured out that sound was the key. That’s next-level.]

[Tch, tch, seriously—whoever picked a fight with him really chose the wrong target. Out of the whole dorm, he’s the absolute hardest one to mess with.]

Cough, cough…

The recorded coughing echoed in the dorm, sounding especially jarring in the dead silence.

The shadow that had been leaning over Brother Hu’s bed began to stir. Slowly, it straightened up—and in the darkness, turned its head to look.

Shff, shff, shff.

Footsteps echoed again.

Wen Jianyan held his breath and listened quietly.

In fact, after hearing what the dorm supervisor had said, he had already more or less guessed how the crisis inside the dorm might manifest.

While they were going upstairs, she had said, “Don’t make any noise after lights-out, or you’ll disturb others and get complaints.”

That sentence had two key points: light and sound.

In other words, after lights-out in the dorm building, these two things were the most likely to attract danger.

So before leaving, Wen Jianyan had left a small “insurance policy” on the bed that was about to be taken from him. Just in case something unexpected happened, he wouldn’t be left completely without backup. What he didn’t expect, however, was that this backup would be needed so soon.

A faint rustling came from under the bed.

“Mmm… mmph…”

From beneath, a muffled sound rose—like a scream trapped in someone’s throat.

The bed seemed to tremble slightly, then the dormitory returned to silence.

“Shk—shk—shk.”

Footsteps echoed again.

The shadowy figure didn’t visit any other beds this time.

Accompanied by the creaking of the door hinge, the footsteps exited the room and gradually faded into the distance.

With the threat gone, a cold, clammy sensation seemed to spread again from the bedboard, making Wen Jianyan’s limbs heavy and ice-cold. Familiar drowsiness swept over him; his eyelids felt as if they’d been filled with lead, sinking lower and lower.

Just before he drifted off, Wen Jianyan glanced at the foot of his bed.

The bone bell hung in front of the mosquito net—completely still.

His eyelids fell shut, and in the boundless darkness and dead silence, he once again succumbed to sleep.

---

“Riiiing riiiiing riiiiing!”

The harsh clanging of an old bell rang out.

“Wake up, wake up!!” Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor. The dorm supervisor’s voice boomed across the entire boys’ dormitory building. “Get up, all of you, now!”

Wen Jianyan opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

Through the thin mosquito net, he could see that the sky outside the window was no longer pitch-black. A faint dawn glow was beginning to brighten the horizon.

Through the tightly closed door of the dorm, footsteps could be heard all around.

Clearly, under the powerful influence of the wake-up bell, the other freshmen had also roused and were starting to move about in their rooms.

Wen Jianyan glanced at the health bar and mana bar in the upper-right corner of his vision.

A night had passed. The health bar remained unchanged, but the mana bar had been gnawed down a notch—now at 90%. His eyes paused briefly on the San value.

It seemed that although the thing from last night hadn’t directly attacked him, it hadn’t been entirely harmless either. Otherwise, his San value wouldn’t have dropped like that.

Wen Jianyan withdrew his gaze and opened his backpack.

[Bone Bell Uses Remaining: (2/3)]

[Phonograph Uses Remaining: (0/1)]

The single-use phonograph had been consumed, but the bone bell could still be used twice. Wen Jianyan took the bell from the bedside and placed it back in his bag. Then, with a light motion, he hopped down from the bed.

His roommates were waking up one after another.

As soon as Wen Jianyan landed, he heard a sudden swish—his mosquito net was yanked open, revealing the long-faced anchor. The guy didn’t look so good, like he hadn’t slept at all. His drooping eyelids made him look sickly, and dark circles stood out under his eyes.

In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:

[Huh? He’s not dead?]

[Holy crap, he actually survived.]

When Wen Jianyan looked over, the long-faced guy lifted his eyes and snapped irritably, “What are you staring at? Piss off.”

Wen Jianyan chuckled and kindly turned away.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised that his roommate had survived.

If that shadow had been drawn in due to registering downstairs, then he wasn’t worried that his “lucky roommate” would be in any real mortal danger. The shadow had bent down at the guy’s bed—but didn’t do anything. Which meant their group likely hadn’t registered.

Even if this really was a death trap, they hadn’t met all the conditions for death. At worst, they’d lose more San or HP, but they wouldn’t die outright.

“Don’t mind him, little bro,” Brother Hu said, frowning as he patted Wen Jianyan’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go wash up.”

The young man blinked and nodded. “Okay.” He looked the picture of a well-behaved, harmless kid.

The three of them left the dorm.

“Seriously didn’t expect this instance to have a forced sleep mechanic,” Brother Hu muttered as he scratched his messy hair, still visibly shaken. “I didn’t even get the chance to activate any items before I passed out. Thank god nothing major happened last night…”

In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:

[LMAO—redefining ‘nothing major happened.’]

[Peaceful nights exist because someone else carries the burden! (Aka the long-face guy)]

[HAHAHAHA y’all are brutal.]

[Still, this instance really has a slow pace. It’s almost been a full day, and aside from that trap at the campus gate, no one else has died… that’s super rare for a nightmare-type instance.]

[Yeah, it’s surprisingly chill.]

“Even though nothing huge happened…” Brother Hu glanced at the top-right corner of his vision and sighed deeply, “My San value still dropped.”

Wen Jianyan looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly. “How much?”

“Fifteen percent,” Brother Hu sighed.

Brother Bao was shocked. “What do you mean I only lost ten percent?!”

As expected, Brother Hu, who was nearly targeted by the crouching shadow, had the biggest San value drop.

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, looking contemplative.

Although there wasn’t much information yet, it was enough for him to roughly identify a pattern.

First of all, the shadow that had appeared in their dorm room was likely drawn in by the registration downstairs. However, it seemed that the shadow would only pick one prey per room. So, after targeting the long-faced guy, it didn’t stop at any other bed and simply left the dorm.

Unfortunately, what happened to the chosen person afterward remained a mystery to Wen Jianyan.

After quickly tidying up and washing, Wen Jianyan dug out a set of clothes from his suitcase and changed. White T-shirt, black pants.

It was a very simple outfit, but perhaps due to the school setting, he looked exceptionally fresh and full of youthful energy—like a real college student.

In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:

[Damn, he’s so handsome.]

[Help! This anchor is exactly my type—a total heart-stealer!]

[Wuwuwuwuwu don’t you dare ignore me. I order you to start a campus romance with me right now!!]

Buzz buzz.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

Wen Jianyan pulled it out and glanced at it. A message popped up in the group chat “Don’t Mess with Me”, sent by Orange Candy:
[Bring your textbooks. Meet downstairs.]

[Got it.]

After politely declining Brother Hu and Brother Bao’s enthusiastic team-up invitation, Wen Jianyan subtly placed a tracking-type item on the long-faced guy. Then, he shoved the two heavy textbooks into his bag and left the dorm.

By then, daylight had fully broken across campus.

What had appeared old and creepy under the cover of night now looked much more ordinary in the daylight. Students dressed in typical university attire were bustling between buildings, making it seem like just an old but otherwise normal college campus.

Orange Candy, Hugo, and a few others were already waiting downstairs. Wen Jianyan walked over to join them.

“Sleep well?” Orange Candy looked him over with raised brows.

Wen Jianyan smiled, “Not bad.”

They shared their experiences from the night before.

The forced sleep protocol had been the same in both male and female dorms, but only Wen Jianyan and Orange Candy had actually encountered the shadow.

Among those who had an uneventful night—apart from Tian Ye and Wei Cheng, who slept like logs without preparing at all—none had any roommates who registered downstairs.

—It seemed the shadow only visited dorms with newly registered students.

“What happened to the person targeted in your dorm?” Wen Jianyan looked at Orange Candy and asked.

“Didn’t die,” Orange Candy shrugged, sounding a bit disappointed. “But they’re in really bad shape. Short-tempered, paranoid—jumping at the slightest sound or movement.”

That sounded worse than the long-faced guy.

But that made sense. After all, Long-Face didn’t actually register downstairs; the shadow was drawn in by sound, so he didn’t fully qualify.

“Don’t worry,” Orange Candy said with a playful flip of her ponytail, clearly catching Wen Jianyan’s train of thought. “I left a tracking item on her. If anything happens, I’ll get her coordinates right away.”

Wen Jianyan blinked and smiled. “Wow, captain’s really reliable.”

“Don’t flatter me.” Orange Candy rolled her eyes.

But she stuck out her chest a little, clearly pleased.

Wen Jianyan’s smile deepened.

“By the way, did everyone’s San value drop?” Su Cheng suddenly asked. The group exchanged looks and nodded.

“How much did everyone lose?” Orange Candy asked.

She started: “I lost 5%.”

Wen Jianyan: “10%.”

Su Cheng: “12%.”

Yun Bilan, Tian Ye, and Wei Cheng: 8%, 9%, and 11%, respectively.

Hugo glanced around and said flatly, “4%.”

Apparently, everyone’s San dropped a bit overnight, regardless of whether they saw the crouching shadow.

“We’ll probably be able to restore it later, right?” Wei Cheng looked around. Hugo nodded.

In that case, such small fluctuations could be set aside for now.

“So, what’s our plan?” Tian Ye asked.

“Why do you think I told you to bring your books?” Orange Candy rolled her eyes and pointed at the bag slung over her shoulder. “It’s the first day of school—we’re going to class.”

The group left the dorm and headed toward the teaching building, passing a low, round building along the way. The door was locked, and the interior was pitch black. A sign above the entrance read “Cafeteria.”

Wen Jianyan blinked and pulled out the freshman handbook from his pocket, flipping quickly to the [Living] section and finding the description of the cafeteria.

“Our cafeteria offers a wide variety of delicious and nutritious meals. Students can use their student cards to make purchases.”

Wen Jianyan froze, suddenly realizing what was missing from his suitcase.

Money.

No matter what, Yuying Comprehensive University was still a university, and as students, they were supposed to have living expenses. Otherwise, how could they survive? But last night, he had rummaged through his suitcase and found nothing resembling currency.

Wen Jianyan frowned slightly, his eyes lingering on the word “purchase”, a vague suspicion forming in his mind.

Orange Candy stepped forward first—bold as ever—and grabbed the doorknob, bracing one foot against the wall as she rattled it hard. The shut door clanged loudly.

“It’s not open yet,” Wen Jianyan said, pointing at a nearby sign.

“I know.” Orange Candy let go, pouting in frustration. She still looked like she had a bone to pick with the door. “I just wanted to try.”

The sign beneath the “Cafeteria” label was clear: Open 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Wen Jianyan raised an eyebrow and joked, “Clearly, Yuying students don’t eat breakfast or dinner.”

“True.”

Su Cheng stepped forward and guessed, “Maybe this is what Hugo meant before—where we can replenish our health and mana bars.”

“Probably.” Orange Candy frowned and stared at the door.

“In that case, we’ll come back later,” Wen Jianyan said, winking. “Shall we head to the teaching building?”

“…Fine.” Orange Candy pouted but nodded in agreement.

Orange Candy’s live room chat:

[Damn, why is she being so agreeable now?]

[That other anchor’s got her figured out—he knows exactly how to handle her, smooth as hell!]

[Respect.]

Yuying Comprehensive University wasn’t very big.

After leaving the living area, it didn’t take long for the group to reach the academic zone.

The teaching building was a low, gray structure with interconnected wings. Its central entrance was wide open, but the inside was shrouded in darkness, oddly gloomy. The area around it was deserted, which made it feel even less inviting.

A crooked banner hung beside the gray building:

“Welcome, Class of ■■ Freshmen.”

The group exchanged looks.

“Same one as last night?”

Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes. “Yeah.”

From the faded print to the creases in the material, it was exactly the same as what they’d seen on the dormitory wall the night before—likely torn down from there.

In front of the building sat a desk and chair.

Beside it stood a sign:

[Club Recruitment]
Time: 16:00–18:00

“That girl last night—was she from a club?” Su Cheng asked.

“Maybe.” Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes and tapped the desk lightly with his knuckle, producing a hollow sound.

But… what kind of club?

And what was that “patrolling” all about?

“Let’s not worry about that yet,” Wen Jianyan said, pulling his hand back. “We’ve marked both of them and know the recruitment time. If we come back then, we’ll figure it out.” He looked toward the nearby teaching building. “Let’s focus on the important stuff for now.”

And what’s a student’s most important task?

Studying, of course!

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