AnalogHorror: Rule Kaidan 4016

Chapter 163 Leaving the Classroom_2


"And once they're in possession of a Student ID card, they can slowly usurp our corresponding identities."

"The Student Souvenir Coins are the same!"

"The Commemorative Coins that anchor the identities of the Art Students are also the reason why Art Students become targets of the Human Sculptures' attacks!"

The Art Student Rules state, "If you encounter a sculpture while using the elevator, please dispose of your Student Souvenir Coin before being attacked, and then after returning to the Art Building, visit the Art Office between 0:00 and 6:00 to report the loss to the Art Teacher."

Discarding the Student Souvenir Coin, just like losing the Student ID card, is like throwing out a piece of meat to a hungry pack of wolves, a tactic akin to a lizard shedding its tail.

But there are some problems with this that make Lin Yi's initial conjecture somewhat shaky, such as why carrying the Cafeteria Rules or the Gymnasium Rules, which are not identity credentials, out of there can also pose danger?

Of course, "Carrying the Cafeteria Rules and Gymnasium Rules out will result in attacks by Human Sculptures and other strange units" is also his speculation, and if it is true, does it mean that "these types of materials have a strong attraction to Human Sculptures and other strange units"?

Could the theft of identity credentials and identities be just one layer of the reason, with an even deeper reason behind it?

"Material...material...material..."

Lin Yi mulled over this word repeatedly, subconsciously reaching into his pocket and feeling his Student ID card.

The Student ID card and the Student Souvenir Coin are actually quite similar, both adorned with a wreath of thorny flowers. However, the back of the Student ID card is not stamped with the World Tree but with a plain school emblem, identical to the logo of S City University on the "S City University Experience Recruitment Manual."

But this logo seems to be for the Experience Students to see, and whether it's the Teacher Rules or the rules of the Art Department, all have the World Tree pattern. Sometimes this also confuses Lin Yi; the World Tree is not a symbol of the East, so why would S City University use it as a logo?

Of course, this is only one of his queries; what he is contemplating is still the matter of the Student ID card's material.

He ran his fingers over the Student ID card while guessing at the composition of its material, until his gaze inadvertently fell on the blackboard messages, which seemed to be made of chalk but were actually gypsum-like substances.

Suddenly, it dawned upon him, and he was jolted as if struck by lightning in the pitch-black night.

"I've got it!"

"Just like how it transforms from a heart to a Tomato, and then from a Tomato to a gypsum-like substance!"

"This material used to make the Student ID cards, Student Souvenir Coins, as well as book covers, must also be the result of a transformation through a special process from something else!"

"So, not only do they want to snatch the Student ID cards for our identities, but they also want to eat the Student ID cards... like eating a Tomato?"

In Lin Yi's mind emerged the image of a green-aproned chef gobbling up Li Huiyuan's Student ID card; at first, he thought this was to prevent Huiyuan from retrieving it, but now it seemed the act of "eating the Student ID card" was to be taken at face value!

[You're really eating it?] An expression pack from Hei Gu surfaced directly.

"Dammit... If the Student ID card material is special, could it be contaminated?!"

A shudder ran through Lin Yi's heart.

"No... could it be...?"

He wanted to take out the Student ID card and check; if the thing really carried contamination, then when his vision entered the black-and-white exposure quality, he would surely notice something!

For instance, would the Student ID card emit green smoke?

Next time he found himself in such a state, he thought he'd have to take a look at the Student ID card!

So he thought to himself.

By doing so, he could verify the accuracy of his guess.

He steadied himself and then glanced at the time.

19:46.

"Did all that extrapolation and thought really take up half an hour?"

He recovered from his surprise and suddenly noticed that unbeknownst to him, a book featuring second-dimensional lolita portraits had appeared next to Wei Liang...

"What's this... when did you get it?"

"Just now!" Wei Liang said, rubbing his back and pouting, "Old Lin, is it just because I sneakily took a pretty girl photo album and didn't grab a collection of silk stockings for you? Do you need to jab me in the back like that?"

"Besides, 45 minutes for a pure and noble gentleman like me is like an eternity. How could I even start looking at racy treasures?"

"Don't insult the phrase 'pure and noble'."

"Please, I'm not the first one to insult those words." Wei Liang rolled his eyes, "So, were you okay just now?"

"I'm fine now, I'll be more careful next time." Lin Yi shook his head slightly, still feeling the aftereffects.

The extrapolated scene felt so real; it was like being there in person. The 'he' in it wasn't actually himself, just a habitual self-insert during the extrapolation.

"Am I overthinking this, or is it really like that?"

Turning around, one would be pounced on by the human sculpture, robbed of their Student ID card, their identity taken, and then... what comes after is unknown.

The extrapolation wouldn't go further.

Lin Yi's extrapolation actually followed clues. He combined elements like Li Huiyuan's encounter with the human spider form of the green apron chef, the Convenience Store's run-in with the invading mist, and the special nature of the Student ID card, among other things, then supplemented these fragments in his head, creating this scene through profiling.

The verisimilitude was strong, and as for the accuracy... Lin Yi believed it was very close to reality.

Because he even heard cries of agony, which clearly touched on some aspect of the truth.

Wei Liang flipped through a photo album for a while, then returned it to the shelf area.

During the half-hour Lin Yi was extrapolating, Wei Liang had managed to visit the shelf area without disturbing Lin Yi one bit.

By the time Wei Liang returned after returning the book, it was 19:53.

The classroom had quieted down significantly at this moment; it seemed the undecided Experience Students had made their decisions.

Only seven minutes remained until the deadline set by Class Teacher-040, and the atmosphere during those last seven minutes was incredibly tense. The classroom felt like a pressure cooker, with the Experience Students resembling ants on a hot pot, becoming increasingly frantic.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock..."

The wall clock swung its pendulum unhurriedly, with time flowing like grains of sand, wearing against everyone's chests.

Finally, the time reached 20:00.

"Damn it, I can't take it anymore!" An Experience Student whose name was called by the class teacher at the crucial moment rushed outside, grabbed the doorknob, and yanked the door open!

"Crack..."

Before the door was fully open, the thick mist from outside swiftly flooded in through the crack, mixing with the mountain evening breeze, it felt like an icy splash of water on his face.

The restless energy of the person was instantly frozen, as he stared at the rolling mist outside the classroom and felt the mysterious and eerie air pervading the area covered by the haze. He immediately had second thoughts.

"Okay, maybe... staying in the classroom overnight isn't so bad..."

He swallowed hard, standing there helplessly, his earlier bravado extinguished by a mere encounter with the mist.

In comparison, the warm classroom seemed like a cozy bed beckoning him, telling him there was a safe place to stay so why take the risk and complicate things?

After much hesitation, he gritted his teeth and came back in.

"Idiot, move." A somewhat tall and skinny person pushed past him, opened the door decisively, and stepped out, "If you want to survive, listen to the Class Teacher and the Sports Student."

After walking just a few steps outside, the person descended the stairs and vanished into the dense fog.

Lin Yi remembered that this person was "Song Rentou." As an old Experience Student present since his enrollment on May 6, Song Rentou's actions were, contrary to what his name's homophone might suggest, very reliable.

"Let's go too." While some of the Experience Students began to waver and hesitate, Lin Yi said to Wei Liang.

Wei Liang nodded, somewhat anxious but without any hesitation in his actions, "Let's go, let's go! It's better to seek refuge early! But Lin, I have to tell you up front, I actually have 'dense fog phobia,' so if things go south, I'll be counting on you!"

Lin Yi's expression hardened; he clearly understood that Wei Liang was referring to situations like the one they encountered the previous night. He nodded, "Hmm... Okay."

He took a deep breath, his gaze set resolutely on the door that led to the blurred world where light and shadows nearly collapsed.

A single door away, it felt like another world altogether.

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