The air was thick with the fragrance of soil and fresh grass, and the trees and plants in front of the Dormitory building appeared even more vibrant after the rain, with crystalline droplets hanging from their leaves, shimmering in the morning light.
The accumulated water on the Cobblestone path reflected the color of the sky, resembling countless distorted miniature Mirrors that mirrored the surroundings.
Every so often, a breeze would sweep by, scattering the droplets from the leaves and creating a crisp sound as they fell to the ground.
Students began to emerge from their dorms, breathing in the fresh air with faces bright with the joy of a post-rain morning, some strolling on the path, others chatting near the shaded areas, enjoying this rare calm moment.
The only eerie aspect was that, no matter how fresh the air or how tranquil the environment, the surrounding mountains consistently showed no signs of life.
This season was still some time away from the cicadas’ summer chorus, but there wasn’t even a single bird in sight.
This was the fourth day since Lin Yi had entered the school, yet he had never seen a bird in the sky.
The whole university seemed like a "Truman’s World," oppressively quiet, making Lin Yi feel increasingly uneasy.
Despite his expanding knowledge of the boundaries, Lin Yi felt increasingly terrified of the entire campus.
It was like the world of a frog at the bottom of a well is only so large, but once it approaches the mouth of the well, its vision expands.
However, as it continued nearing the mouth, the curiosity in the frog’s heart became overtaken by shock at the boundless world outside.
Facing this world many times larger than that at the bottom of the well, fear was the only emotion the frog felt.
A group of them walked on the slippery, mist-laden Cobblestone path, heading towards the Cafeteria at an easy pace.
Curiously, everyone was unusually silent, seemingly deep in thought.
"Young Master Tian..." After a while, Lin Yi finally began to speak slowly.
"Oh?" Tian Bufan kept walking, glancing at him sideways, "Got your thoughts sorted out?"
"My experience last night... was complex."
"Hmm." Tian Bufan responded indifferently, as if whatever Lin Yi was about to say was expected.
"I mean, not just the dreams... The experiences were complex."
"I know." Tian Bufan nodded.
Lin Yi opened his mouth wide: "Ah? You know? Wait, you knew something entered our dorm last night?"
Tian Bufan nodded again.
"Not... How did you know? Weren’t you asleep?"
"I was asleep by then, but Wei Sang was awake." Tian Bufan glanced at Wei Sang.
"Wei Sang? Wait, so you mean..." Lin Yi realized something.
"Yes, I intentionally swatted that filthy thing." The plump Wei Shan spoke up.
Kuai Hongji crossed his arms and sneered, "Old Lin, you don’t actually believe such coincidences, do you?"
"Just as that thing was nearing you, Wei Shan happened to shift his position and flung it away with a pillow?"
"Er..." Lin Yi was taken aback, "So, Wei Sang, you didn’t sleep all night?"
"How could I not sleep," Wei Shan retorted, "Me, no, we, just..."
He hesitated for a moment and glanced at Tian Bufan, seemingly seeking his approval.
Tian Bufan nodded and took over, "We were just taking turns staying awake, to help you... ’guard the night.’
"Taking turns being awake?" Wei Liang, who overheard this, couldn’t help but open his mouth in astonishment, "Are you guys sharing a biological clock or what? Can you seamlessly synchronize your sleep times, isn’t that absurd?"
"So, it turns out I’m the only one who genuinely falls asleep?"
Tian Bufan looked at him placidly: "You know whether you slept or not."
"We’re used to it anyway."
"Right, Liangzi, don’t tell me you didn’t sleep either?" Lin Yi looked at Wei Liang in surprise, noting that despite Wei Liang claiming to be asleep with his deafening snoring, he never actually seemed to sleep, leaving Lin Yi unsure whether Wei Liang was truly asleep or pretending.
Could it be... that he was the only one sleeping in the entire dorm?
Wei Liang spoke irritably, "Of course I was asleep, and I slept like a log, too!"
"You could use a better metaphor... Who compares themselves to a dead pig, it’s too unlucky," Lin Yi said.
"It’s just a metaphor, what’s there to be lucky or unlucky about? Why bother too much with life and death?" Wei Liang hurriedly waved his hand, "So Old Lin, what did you dream about this time?"
"Well... Let’s talk about the dream first," Tian Bufan also said.
The implication was clear: the dreams are unknown to us, but the night’s occurrences are unknown only to you.
The priorities were clear.
"The dreams... were complex." Lin Yi pondered whether to reveal that aside from experiencing Maozi in his dreams, he could also dream about their experiences.
He hesitated for a moment, deciding to first share Maozi’s experiences, then talk about the rest.
"The dream went ... The timing was incredible, seamlessly picking up right where it left off last time, just like following a TV series..."
"Maozi and Mu Daxian came to the campus on the evening of May 7th, using the elevator at the Art Building..."
"The elevator in the Art Building was indeed in the Watchtower, and that passageway was filled with indescribable strange symbols..."