The thunder had quieted, but the atmosphere was damp.
Shen Yi stirred, eyes fluttering open to the dim, flickering glow of lantern light.
Lu Yiming lay beside him, breathing softly, one arm draped across Shen Yi's waist.
Lin Yi snored faintly from the bunk below. Xing Xing was curled up in the upper bunk, her back turned, unmoving.
It should've felt peaceful.
But something was wrong.
The air was heavy—thick, oppressive, as if the room itself were pressing down on them.
Shen Yi sat up slowly, careful not to wake Lu Yiming. His breath caught.
The room had............. changed.
No—it had transformed.
The walls had stretched outward, impossibly. What was once a modest bedroom now resembled a vast hall. The ceiling arched unnaturally high, lanterns swaying from invisible currents.
Beds lined the edges, some occupied by familiar classmates, others by strangers. The boy who had entered the room next door last night now sat just feet away, blinking in confusion.
Shen Yi froze, unsure if he was still dreaming. Then—
A sharp gasp.
Xing Xing sat upright, eyes wide, mouth parted but silent. Her gaze met Shen Yi's, and for a moment, neither spoke. The stillness shattered as Lin Yi bolted upright, disoriented and panicked.
"Huh? What the hell—wh…where are we?" he stammered, voice cracking.
Lu Yiming stirred beside Shen Yi, frowning as he took a look in the warped space.
Before anyone could speak, a sound rang out—mechanical, unnatural.
A voice echoed through the hall, flat and emotionless:
[ THE WAITING ROOM WILL DISAPPEAR IN 1 HOUR. THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS... ]
A translucent screen flickered into existence above the only visible door. Red digits began ticking down.
59:59... 59:58...
The students began to stir, murmuring, rising from their beds. Confusion turned to panic. The door was sealed. No windows. No exits.
Xing Xing tried to calm them, her voice trembling. "Everyone, please—stay calm. We need to —"
But her words were drowned in the rising tide of voices.
"Oi! Class president!" someone shouted. "What the hell is this place? Why can't we get out?"
It was the basketball club president, ji shuo. He seemed to have mostly been at odds with lu Yiming.
Lu Yiming started assessing the situation followed by xing xing as more classmates gathered. They tried to calm them telling they don't know about what's going on either.
Ji shuo got angrier getting ignored, "hey! Why are you ignoring me?"
Lin yi getting annoyed by his shouting gets up, "just calm down dude. We don't know what's going on either."
Even among the confused chatter,
The countdown continued.
59:41...