Lu Chu and 7 left the girls’ dormitory and wandered around the school, pretending to play soccer near the sports field. Soon, they ran into their temporary roommates who were returning from self-study.
They all went to dinner together and then rushed back to the new dormitory.
After the duty teacher checked the dorms, the group chatted for a while before quickly falling asleep.
The next morning, while the others were still asleep, Lu Chu and 7 were already up, washed, and ready. Once the duty teacher opened the dormitory doors, they went out for a morning run.
7 had devised a training plan tailored to Lu Chu’s current physical condition, gradually increasing the intensity. After a short slow jog, they had breakfast in the cafeteria and then warmed up and trained on the sports field according to 7’s plan.
The training started with improving flexibility and overall physical condition before moving on to specific techniques. Kicking, climbing, and flipping required strong arm and abdominal muscles. Nearly an hour later, Lu Chu was drenched in sweat.
7 handed him a towel and water, saying, “Take a break.”
Lu Chu took a sip of water and asked, “What difficult moves can you do, 7?”
“More challenging ones, like kip-ups with various flips, but many aren’t practical in a fight. I’ll teach you effective, less difficult moves like kicks, turns, strikes, and blocks,” 7 replied.
At Lu Chu’s request, 7 demonstrated a backflip with a kip-up. Despite sweating from the exercise, his movements remained smooth, and his shirt clung to his body, revealing the contours of his firm abdominal muscles.
Lu Chu looked on enviously.
7 smirked, “Want to learn?”
Lu Chu nodded, “Yes.”
“First, learn the techniques for striking and blocking, then we’ll start with simple cartwheels and backflips. I’ll teach you gradually.”
Lu Chu smiled, “Thanks, coach.”
The day passed quickly with training.
In the evening, the duty teacher announced during the dorm check, “Classes resume tomorrow. Move your beds back to your original dormitories by noon.”
“Excuse me,” a student raised his hand, “is it possible not to go back?”
“In theory, no. Do you have a particular difficulty?” the duty teacher asked.
The student looked distressed, “Not exactly, but our original dorm is on the third floor west side of the old boys’ dorm, right across from the water room.”
The water room faced the last two dorms, especially the second-to-last one, and the small dormitory windows allowed a clear view of the water room from the dorms. Just thinking about it gave the student the creeps.
The duty teacher felt conflicted. The third floor west side of the old boys’ dorm had been sealed for two days, and the police had examined the scene. The teacher didn’t know their conclusions, but the school had coordinated with the police to resume classes and reopen the dormitories. Many students living nearby might choose to commute, while only those from far away would continue to stay.
The duty teacher thought for a moment and said, “I’ll report your issue to the school and give you an answer tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much, teacher!” The student was grateful.
The next morning, Lu Chu and 7 went for their morning run, had breakfast, and then attended early self-study in their class.
Students gradually filled the classroom. Two days had passed, and the initial fear and anxiety had subsided, replaced by curiosity about the mysterious events.
Zhang Cheng rushed to Lu Chu and 7, exclaiming, “Wow! I heard you guys stayed here for two days!”
Lu Chu nodded, “Yes, we stayed in the school dorm.”
Zhang Cheng asked, “Nothing weird happened?”
“No,” Lu Chu replied, “it was a relaxing two days.”
Zhang Cheng was impressed, “You have nerves of steel.”
Lu Chu modestly replied, “Not really.”
Qian Wenhao arrived late and joined their conversation, asking Zhang Cheng, “Are you still staying in the dorms?”
Zhang Cheng shook his head, “I haven’t decided yet. What about you?”
“No way, I’m commuting from now on. After seeing that scene, I’ve almost developed a phobia of the entire dorm building,” Qian Wenhao quickly replied.
Zhang Cheng turned to Lu Chu and 7, “What about you two?”
“We’re staying,” Lu Chu confirmed.
Zhang Cheng muttered to himself, “Makes sense. You stayed here even during the two-day break, so it must not be too scary.”
“Time to prove I’m a real man,” Zhang Cheng declared, “I’m staying too!”
By noon, several classmates with beds in Lu Chu’s dorm informed him they had withdrawn and would be commuting.
When they returned to the dorm for a break, the dorm supervisor called them over to read a notice on the bulletin board.
Many students were gathered around, so 7, using his height advantage, read it and came back.
Lu Chu asked, “What’s going on?”
7 explained, “The notice says many students who don’t regularly stay in the dorms have withdrawn. The west side stairwell is sealed off, and the third-floor west side water room and several dorms are sectioned off. Those students will be relocated to other dorms, and the school hopes everyone will get along.”
Lu Chu guessed it was a response to the suggestion made to the duty teacher, who had conveyed it to the school.
Zhang Cheng commented, “That’s great. More people means a better atmosphere.”
To Lu Chu’s surprise, their new dorm mate was someone familiar.
“It’s fate,” Xu Yuan said.
Lu Chu smiled, “It is.”
Zhang Cheng and Qian Wenhao were surprised, “You know each other?”
Lu Chu explained, “The school arranged for Li Bo and me to temporarily stay in the new boys’ dorm. Xu Yuan was our roommate the first day.”
Zhang Cheng and Qian Wenhao nodded in understanding, “Got it.”
Xu Yuan quickly got acquainted with Zhang Cheng and Qian Wenhao, chatting away. Xu Yuan asked, “Is it just the four of us in the dorm?”
Qian Wenhao answered, “There’s another one, but he’s not very sociable. He doesn’t join us much. You’ll meet him soon. I’ll only be here at noon; I’ll commute from now on.”
Just as he finished speaking, Zheng Wei walked in.
Xu Yuan’s face lit up, “Zheng Wei!”
Lu Chu and the others were surprised that they knew each other.
Zheng Wei looked at Xu Yuan with a puzzled expression.
“Don’t you remember me?” Xu Yuan asked, “I’m Xu Yuan from the class next to yours in junior high. We took several final exams together.”
Zheng Wei looked at him for a moment, then shook his head, “I don’t remember. Excuse me, I have something to do.”
Xu Yuan stepped aside, and Zheng Wei retrieved his toiletries from under his bed and went to the east side water room.
After he left, Zhang Cheng asked, “You know him?”
“Yes, we met several times in junior high,” Xu Yuan reflected, “He’s changed a lot.”
Lu Chu asked, “Was he different before?”
Xu Yuan shook his head, “I remember him as a polite, shy boy with good manners and excellent grades.”
Qian Wenhao was amazed, “That’s nothing like him now.”
“And I remember,” Xu Yuan continued, “he wasn’t so solitary back then.”
“He had friends?” Zhang Cheng was surprised again.
“Of course, he had a good friend and a younger sister two years younger in the same school,” Xu Yuan said, “I wanted to get closer to him, but never got the chance.”
Lu Chu asked, “Which junior high did you attend?”
Xu Yuan replied, “Our school.”
Before anyone could question further, Xu Yuan added, “We even stayed in this building back then.”
A while later, Zheng Wei returned, and they stopped discussing him.
Lu Chu mentally noted the conversation, planning to ask Xu Yuan more about Zheng Wei when they had a chance.
Several days passed without incident. Because they were in different classes and the dorm was usually full of people, Lu Chu hadn’t found an opportunity to talk to Xu Yuan alone.
Life remained calm. The class was supposed to have a two-day break this week, but the homeroom teacher, Mr. Lu, announced that due to the previous events, the missed classes would be made up, and there would be no break. The students groaned but had to accept it.
The students gradually forgot the incident as they got busy with studies and exams.
Lu Chu and 7 spent their free time training, much to the amazement of Zhang Cheng and Qian Wenhao, who tried to join but gave up after a few days.
Just when Lu Chu thought this routine would continue, Mr. Lu entered the classroom with a grave expression.
Mr. Lu tapped the blackboard, and the class fell silent. He struggled to speak, scanning the room, “A student was murdered in the top floor of the laboratory building.”
As the rumors said, the top floor laboratory had been sealed after a teacher’s death and subsequent strange occurrences. The staircase from the fourth to the fifth floor was blocked by a barred gate with chains.
Mr. Lu’s use of “murdered” instead of “died” indicated the nature of the death was unmistakably violent.
