Chapter 1

2 AM, in the middle of the night.

"It's so late..."

Through the window, a tousle-haired boy scanned the area: "Where is everyone?"

There were six people in the dormitory, but upon waking up, he found not a single one of them.

Sitting up from the bed, he was about to go out to look for them when a "thud" came from outside the door, as if someone had kicked it hard.

"Who is it? In the middle of the night..."

Slightly annoyed, the boy opened the door.

The dim corridor light flickered, tearing the dark night to shreds. There was not a single person in sight, as if the knocking had been an illusion.

Puzzled, he looked at the neighboring rooms. On the entire floor, dozens of rooms were all wide open, and there was nothing inside.

His heart tightened. After a thorough check, he realized a fact: he was the only one left in the entire building!

It's not a holiday or weekend, and it's understandable for one or two people to leave, but for so many to disappear at the same time, what had happened?

Suddenly—

Clang!

The sound of a trash can falling broke the silence. Immediately after, tense and rapid breathing and hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Feeling nervous, the boy did not go over but instinctively retreated towards the dormitory.

Before he even got there, he felt someone open a window, and then a gust of wind blew in...

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Without a key, he couldn't get back in. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he kicked the door.

Thud!

At that moment, a lazy voice came from inside the door: "Who is it? In the middle of the night..."

"..."

His hair stood on end, and his whole body turned cold!

He was certain that no one else was in the dormitory besides him, so where did the voice come from?

Most importantly—

The tone and wording were very familiar.

Exactly the same as what he had just said.

Tap tap!

Footsteps sounded, as if someone was approaching.

His body trembled, and he rushed to the corridor.

Suppressing the rapid beating of his heart, he looked around.

The corridor led straight to the main door, and the cool wind "whooshed" through, dispelling any drowsiness. Under the dim light, there was not a single person in sight. The trash can that had "fallen" was now standing quietly in its original spot, with no sign of movement.

Sweat dripped from his palms.

He was 100% sure he had heard the trash can fall and 100% sure that someone had been breathing rapidly in the corridor...

Why was there nothing left?

Hallucination?

Or...

Haunted?

Creak!

A sound came from the corridor. The boy peered out and saw a familiar figure standing at the dormitory door, looking around as if searching for the prankster who had knocked.

Another him!

Covering his mouth, he felt his heart almost leap out of his chest.

Bizarre!

Unbelievable!

He pulled back, knowing that if he didn't leave, even more strange things would happen. Clenching his teeth, he dashed straight down the corridor. After taking one step, his thigh ached.

Clang!

The trash can was knocked over.

Recalling the sounds he had heard earlier, he couldn't suppress his tension and panted heavily, rushing out.

He couldn't stay!

Not for a second.

In front of the dormitory, there was a small grove of trees. Most of the streetlights were broken, leaving only one, like a solitary star in the night sky.

It was equally empty.

The early autumn wind was slightly cool, and a thought struck him, making his heart sink.

No!

If the sounds in the dormitory and the corridor were all coming from himself, it meant he was trapped in a strange time loop!

To save himself, he had to break the current situation, or it would continue indefinitely.

"If my guess is correct, another me will come out of the door..."

With this idea, the boy was less tense and hid in the nearby grove, crouching under a dense cluster of branches, holding his breath.

Not long after, a figure indeed rushed out.

The light was too dim to see the face, but he was certain it was himself, with the same build, like looking in a mirror.

Despite being prepared, he couldn't hide his shock and instinctively took a step back. His gaze inadvertently swept over his feet... his scalp tingled!

Behind him... there was another shadow!

In other words, there was not only his shadow but also another one right behind him, less than a meter away.

His hair stood on end, and he quickly turned around. His mouth felt hot as a hand covered it.

Fists clenched, he was about to counterattack when he recognized the face and relaxed.

His roommate, Yang Yi!

What was he doing here?

How did he get behind him without being noticed?

Ignoring his confusion, Yang Yi lowered his voice: "I know you're confused, and I am too. If my guess is right, you're trapped in some kind of time loop. To break it, there's only one way... go back to the dormitory, and when someone knocks, don't answer or open the door!"

After some thought, the boy nodded.

The origin of the time loop was the question of who was knocking. As long as he didn't answer, it should end.

Knowing that not doing it would continue the loop, the two of them circled around the grove and followed the back wall of the dormitory to the window below.

This way, they wouldn't encounter the repeated version of himself, avoiding any uncontrollable changes.

Hearing "himself" push the door open, the boy opened the window and silently slipped inside.

The room was empty.

The wind from the window blew the door shut, followed by the sound of feet kicking the door and angry shouts from outside.

The boy held his breath and didn't respond.

Sure enough, everything went quiet, as if all the loops had disappeared.

Relieved, the boy felt his body go limp and sat down on the floor.

Yang Yi also laughed.

"Thanks..."

Knowing he might have continued the chaos without this roommate, he was about to express his gratitude when he suddenly froze.

He hadn't mentioned the loop or his experience in the dormitory to Yang Yi, so how did he know so clearly?

As if he had experienced it himself?

Something was off!

Just as he was about to ask, his gaze fell on the floor, and his pupils contracted.

Under the bed, a corpse lay on its side, its head cut off, eyes wide open, as if it couldn't believe it was dead.

From the state of the blood, it had been dead for at least two hours.

And the face... was that of Yang Yi, who was smiling not far away!

Two Yang Yis, one standing in front of him, the other lying under the bed as a cold corpse...

His body trembling, the boy instinctively stepped back.

"You noticed?"

Seeing his tension, Yang Yi smiled strangely and produced a dagger in his hand: "Then die!"

Whoosh!

He lunged forward.

"You..."

Knowing he couldn't dodge and would die, the boy burst with unprecedented strength, grabbed his wrist, and after a moment of struggle, wrested the dagger away and swung it with his eyes closed.

Crack!

The other's head fell to the ground, eyes wide open, unable to believe he had been killed.

Realizing what had happened, the boy trembled: "I actually killed him..."

The time loop was already hard to understand, and now he had killed someone...

The intense tension made him dizzy. Just as he was at a loss, a distant voice echoed in his ear.

"Yang Yi!"

"Yang Yi!"

A dizzying spin, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting in a bright and spacious classroom.

The dormitory, the cold night, the blood, the corpse... all gone.

A boy about his age was quietly calling his roommate's name.

His body jolted, and he turned his head: "Where is Yang Yi?"

Could it be... just a dream?

This Yang Yi wasn't dead?

If so, it wasn't murder.

His desk mate frowned: "Aren't you Yang Yi?"

Saying this, he handed him a mirror.

The boy saw his "roommate's" face—clear and distinct, eyes wide open with fear, identical to the head under the bed.

His body stiffened, and a dry, trembling voice emerged from his throat, filled with tension and disbelief.

"I am... Yang Yi?"

He... was the roommate he had killed!

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