Chapter 207: A Puzzle Game

Chapter 207: A Puzzle Game

One roommate messaged online that she wouldn't be back tonight and there was no need to leave the door open;

Yet another "roommate" urged from outside the door, her voice and tone unmistakably familiar: "Li Yin, why have you stopped? Can you help me open the door?"

The eerie glow of the phone screen flickered on and off, Li Yin clutched her phone, breaking out in a cold sweat, her face pale to the point of translucence.

What exactly was the "roommate" outside the door?

Or rather, what kind of monsters had she encountered these past few days?

Daring not to make a sound, Li Yin held her breath instinctively, trying to pretend she wasn’t there.

But the thing outside showed no sign of letting up; it grew increasingly impatient.

"Click, click, click-click—"

The doorknob was turned repeatedly from the outside, casting a small, violently swinging shadow, like the wings of a butterfly struggling in a spider's web, flapping against Li Yin’s highly strung nerves, sending shivers of near-painful fear through her.

Li Yin could feel the thin wooden door trembling weakly, and in terror, she hurriedly reached out, pressing with all her strength to hold it shut.

Several times, she thought the doorknob was about to come loose—then the thing outside would break in at any moment.

While turning the doorknob, the "roommate" continued to speak, her tone growing colder:

"Li Yin, you're inside the room... I know you’re there."

"Why won’t you open the door? Why won’t you help me open it? Why?"

Every time her name was called by her "roommate," Li Yin shuddered.

She fumbled to unlock her phone, her trembling fingers leaving wet trails on the screen.

Li Yin desperately wanted to call for help from anyone outside—family, friends, teachers, or even the dormitory aunt downstairs; anyone who could come and save her!

Initially, Li Yin feared the common horror movie scenario—such as losing signal or being unable to communicate properly.

But unexpectedly, it didn't take long before her phone displayed a normal call interface.

The call finally went through!

Her anxious heart relaxed, and Li Yin felt almost on the verge of tears of relief.

"Li Yin... you're calling me?"

At the other end of the line, there was a moment of static, followed by a familiar voice, "You're in the dorm, right? Could you please open the door for me?"

Before Li Yin could respond, the smile froze on her lips.

How could this be?

She had clearly dialed the number for the dormitory manager, so why was the voice on the phone that of the monster outside the door?

Without a word, Li Yin hung up and tried again, a second time, then a third.

Each time the call connected, the voice on the phone matched the one outside, echoing in the silent darkness.

"Li Yin, I know you're in the dorm."

"Are you hiding in the bathroom? No, not there..."

"On the bed? Not there either—actually, are you standing right opposite the door now? You’re right in front of me, aren’t you?"

"We’re face to face, so close, separated only by this door... Can you help me open it?"

Sweat trickled down her forehead, dripping into Li Yin’s dry eyes. Her eyes throbbed with pain, but she kept staring at the phone screen.

She couldn’t count how many numbers she had dialed, almost going through her entire contact list from top to bottom, yet she couldn’t escape the relentless urging of her “roommate,” without exception.

Just then, it suddenly became quiet outside the door.

Even the doorknob, which had been shaking as if it might break at any moment, came to a stop.

After a few seconds of silence, Li Yin heard, through the door, the sound of something heavy being dragged across the concrete floor.

The noise was rough and grating, like sandpaper scraping against her ears, echoing intermittently in the unusually quiet hallway, making her skin crawl.

Li Yin’s expression froze.

Because she recognized—

It was the sound of the potted plant being dragged.

And beneath the plastic tray of the potted plant... was a spare key to the dorm room door.

This meant that the “roommate” outside the door could enter without forcing Li Yin to open it.

At this thought, Li Yin felt her heart skip a beat, then race up to her throat.

Intense fear and despair mingled, like a hand strangling her throat, causing Li Yin's brain to feel oxygen-deprived and dizzy. Her vision blurred, and she felt almost all her strength drain away, her legs weak as she collapsed to the ground.

All she could do now was pray silently, over and over, that her "roommate" wouldn't find the spare key.

Time seemed to be soaked in sticky cold sweat, moving slowly and thickly, robbing Li Yin of her normal sense of time.

...How long had it been?

A second, or an eternity?

Li Yin's mind was hazy, her thoughts jumbled, unable to think clearly.

She could only shiver and hug herself tightly, trying to draw some sense of security, waiting for her fate to unfold amidst the increasingly rapid and intense beating of her heart.

After what felt like an eternity, the intermittent dragging sound ceased.

The "roommate" outside the door laughed softly and slowly, speaking with a cheerful tone:

"Ah, found it—the door key."

"Li Yin, will you open the door for me, or should I come in myself?"

"..."

In the audience of the school auditorium, Li Yin recounted this part, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, making it difficult for her to continue.

Her words vividly painted the scene, reliving that night's nightmare before everyone.

And the eyes of the one who lived through the nightmare gradually lost focus, filled with terror and unease.

Yi Fengchu handed over a bottle of mineral water at just the right moment. Li Yin took it and managed to force a pale smile on her face, murmuring a soft thank you.

Taking a few sips, Li Yin slowly calmed herself down before saying, "I—I didn’t dare to open the door… but I heard it insert the key into the lock, heard it turn the key, heard the locks being undone one by one…"

In the most critical moment, Li Yin found an unknown surge of strength, stumbling to her feet without even noticing that one of her slippers had been kicked off.

Her mind was left with only one thought:

Hurry! Move faster!

Absolutely do not let the monster outside get in!

Li Yin pushed all the heavy objects she could reach to block the door, barricading it tightly.

She didn’t know if her actions would be effective, but it was all she could do—like a fly making its final, possibly meaningless struggle before being completely wrapped in a spider’s web.

The key turned to its limit, and the door lock was fully opened.

But the “roommate” did not enter. Perhaps it couldn’t push the door open with the heavy objects blocking it, or perhaps for some other reason unknown to Li Yin.

It seemed to stand silently outside the door for a long time, finally leaving a low whisper.

“I won’t leave… we are always by your side.”

The hushed voice, resonating softly in the darkness, sounded almost like a loyal and resolute vow between lovers.

But no one would be moved by it.

Only fear, like a rising tide of icy water, engulfed the soul.

Later, I saw several vague figures, but they vanished when I looked closely, as if it had been following me all along, never leaving...

As she spoke, Li Yin clenched her hands, squeezing the mineral water bottle until it creaked, her face showing unease.

Being constantly followed and threatened by an unknown presence was undoubtedly a suffocating experience.

But Yi Fengchu offered another perspective: "If that's the case, it actually suggests you're safe for now."

"Huh?"

Li Yin looked at him in confusion.

Yi Fengchu’s fingertips tapped the armrest of the chair rhythmically, producing a soothing sound that unexpectedly calmed Li Yin’s turbulent thoughts, making her feel inexplicably reassured.

Yi Fengchu explained, "Imagine this: if you were it, after finally getting the key and unlocking the door, facing your trembling prey right before you, would you leave so easily?"

"If what it says is true, that it has been following you all this time, why hasn't it approached or attacked you? Why does it only ‘follow’?"

"Could it be that it doesn’t want to harm you?"

Li Yin’s expression changed slightly, as if she had realized something.

"—Clearly, it can’t harm you, at least not until certain conditions are met. It’s powerless against you."

Yi Fengchu mused, "When it got the key but didn’t enter, instead repeatedly asking if you could open the door for it, it must have needed your permission to do so."

"Even if you hadn’t blocked the door, even if there was a gap, as long as it didn’t get your ‘permission’ or ‘invitation,’ it couldn’t make a move."

"So that’s how it is..."

Li Yin murmured with her head bowed, her bloodshot eyes regaining some of their former luster.

Upon realizing that the monster was not toying with its prey by trailing her at varying distances but was in fact unable to get closer, Li Yin felt an immediate sense of relief, a long-lost feeling of security as if she were finally on solid ground.

The reason that night left such a profound shadow on Li Yin was not just due to the eerie and terrifying behavior of the "roommate" figure, but also because it shattered her subconscious trust in everyday scenes.

This made her feel as though countless needles were pricking her spine at any familiar place, like a startled bird, always on edge, as if she could be pierced through the chest by an invisible arrow at any moment.

The lethal arrow might come tomorrow, or it might strike in the next second... No matter when or where, she had no means to fight back.

This sense of deviation from the "normal" and the helplessness that came with it tormented Li Yin constantly, leaving her in a state of perpetual unease.

She could never truly relax, never truly feel safe.

But now, Li Yin learned that the figure was not all-powerful—it was constrained by unknown limitations and could not harm her at will!

This thought immediately dispelled some of the dark clouds of fear, making even her breathing feel lighter.

Beside her, Meng Siyou cast a furtive glance at Yi Fengchu, hesitating to speak—

Why did he instinctively assume the perspective of a non-human entity to analyze the problem?

Was this how narrators taught children? If you were already in front of your prey, unless absolutely necessary, you shouldn't hold back and should strike to kill?

His expression betrayed a hint of subtlety, and Meng Siyou tried to suppress his jumbled thoughts, refocusing on the issue at hand.

After a moment's contemplation, he asked Li Yin seriously, "When did these abnormalities start?"

"About... a week ago," Li Yin recalled.

It was “a week ago” once again.

This timing also coincided with the concentrated outbreak of anomalies within the A University campus.

Meng Siyou noted this time point and pursued, “Have these abnormal conditions persisted until now?”

“If it had been following me all along, I would have definitely broken down,” Li Yin glanced at the stage under the spotlight not far away, her expression gradually easing. “However, I haven’t seen any strange figures for several days—thinking about it carefully, ever since I got the script for the play, I haven’t been scared anymore.”

“So I believe that this play must have brought me good luck. I must perform seriously and play Matilda…”

Yi Fengchu frowned slightly.

He found Li Yin’s obsession with playing the lead role to be quite abnormal, but considering her current fragile mental state, he chose not to shatter this illusion—for the moment, the lifeline and lucky star in Li Yin’s eyes might conceal danger.

Moreover…

Yi Fengchu was somewhat preoccupied with one question: Why did the “roommate” say, “We are right beside you” before leaving?

If “we” referred to more than just one individual, then who were the “you” they were talking about?

Besides Li Yin, were there others who were also targets of the strange figures?

And in what form did these figures follow Li Yin?

Yi Fengchu was certain that he had not sensed any other presence from Li Yin.

His fingertips traced patterns on the armrest, and a flickering, bright flame seemed to rise in his heart.

The rare novelty filled his mind, stirring countless intangible snakes in his spiritual world from their lethargic, hibernating state, making them begin to hiss and look around curiously.

Yi Fengchu felt as if he were playing a puzzle game, following the clues thrown by the characters, gradually approaching the truth hidden in the mist.

After their conversation, since Li Yin had an elective course next, she had to bid farewell to the two of them.

Just before she left, Yi Fengchu suddenly warned her, "Don't play the role of Matilda until the problem is truly resolved."

"Why?" Li Yin couldn't help feeling resistant, "The other students all say I've been improving quickly..."

"The issue is that you're improving too quickly."

Yi Fengchu's dark eyes lowered, staring at the shadow beneath Li Yin's feet, and said with deep meaning, "The one truly immersing themselves in the role of Matilda may not be you."