She sat at the small square table, mulling over these work rules back and forth.
Who are the students? Why use "them" to refer to them? Clearly these students are not human, or rather, they are not the original humans of the dormitory. Where do they live? Do they occupy empty beds? Or have they replaced someone?
Countless questions appeared in Xu Kewang's mind, yet not a single one could be answered.
"Knock, knock."
"Hello, classmate, are you in there?"
Xu Kewang looked up, finding the voice somewhat familiar. After a moment of recollection, wasn't that the girl who had called out to her on the stairs earlier?
Why is she haunting me like a ghost?
Xu Kewang felt annoyed and still made no sound. But the person outside was persistent, knocking several more times. After still getting no response, she even let out a "huh" outside.
"I clearly saw her enter the room."
"Ah, forget it, let's hurry to our own break room. I always feel like the first floor is creepy, so scary."
"It's fine, I saw there's another break room over there. Let's go ask again. There's strength in numbers. Being on duty alone is too terrifying, I can't take it."
So there was more than just her?
Haven't these people read the work manual? What's the meaning of constantly dancing on landmines?
Xu Kewang sat upright at the table. She took a mint candy to refresh herself. She didn't plan to close her eyes tonight—after all, sleeping here was too challenging. Who knows, she might fall asleep and never wake up.
The phone showed 1:40 AM. Her break room door was knocked again.
This time, before she could respond, the person outside had already started talking.
"Safety Officer, I need help."
Xu Kewang perked up and deliberately lowered her voice: "What's wrong?"
"Someone in our dormitory didn't come back for the night and still hasn't returned. I suspect something happened to her outside. Would you help look for her?"
Xu Kewang glanced down at the rules.
"Which dormitory are you from, and how many people live in your dormitory?"
"Dormitory 103, four people." The "person" outside was quite honest—or rather, suppressed by the rules, they didn't dare be dishonest.
"We have no school rule requiring students to return to the dormitory at night. Try your best to contact her. If you can't reach her, call the police."
That voice didn't sound for a long time.
After a while, it asked dryly: "Call… the police…?"
"Yes, I'm the dormitory Safety Officer. I'm only responsible for matters inside the dormitory. If your roommate had an accident outside, that's not within my scope of work. Please dial the emergency number as soon as possible." Xu Kewang spoke rigidly.
Clearly, calling the police exceeded these students' understanding.
Xu Kewang even heard her scratching her ears and cheeks—a sharp sound like fingernails scraping glass. In any case, it didn't quite sound like human flesh.
"You should still come back to the dormitory with me to check. Maybe she's in the dormitory."
"You just said she didn't come back for the night, and now you're saying she's in the dormitory. Classmate…" Xu Kewang's expression turned serious. "Are you trying to frame your classmate? Campus bullying?"
"Ah… I didn't, I didn't harm her." The other party was clearly panicked and hurriedly denied it.
Xu Kewang impatiently tapped the table with her pen, drawing out her tone: "Oh—"
"Then you're lying? You're messing with me?"
"I—I didn't." The "person" outside denied frantically, sounding somewhat agitated, as if messing with the Safety Officer was a very serious offense.
Xu Kewang, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook. With a stern voice, she demanded, "Tell me your name. Tomorrow I'll report you to your counselor and have her notify your parents. I think you have a problem with your character as a student, and you need to be properly disciplined. When the time comes, you'll be publicly criticized school-wide and given a demerit that goes on your record."
"Speak! What's your name?"
Then she heard a flurry of panicked footsteps outside the door, growing fainter as they retreated, followed by the sound of the dormitory door slamming shut.
Perfect. The demerit punishment that the counselor used to scare them with every day worked just as well on unknown creatures.
It seemed the "students" here also had to follow basic identity logic. That made things easier.
At 1:45, the door to the duty room was knocked on again.
Xu Kewang had learned from experience—students seeking help didn't need her response; they would speak up on their own.
Sure enough, the girl outside this time sounded even weaker than the last one, speaking hurriedly: "S-Safety Officer, please help me. My roommate seems… not normal."
"Oh? How so?"
The other party hesitated, stammering for a long while before managing to say, "Sh-she asked me if I could give her my arm to eat."
Quite the heavy taste in requests—at least she asked before eating. How polite.
Xu Kewang thought the Safety Officer was like an elementary school teacher maintaining discipline, holding court at midnight: "Well, if you don't want to give it to her, then just don't."
If the cowering supplicant had the wit to curse, she would have cursed her out right then.
She made it sound way too easy.
What did she mean, "just don't give it"? Was this a matter of wanting or not wanting?
"But I don't dare go back to the dorm. She's looking for me. Safety Officer, can you go to my room and take care of it?" Unfortunately, these "students" hadn't yet evolved the skill of cursing, so they could only recite their pleas by rote.
Xu Kewang yawned. "How do I know you're telling the truth or not?"
"I'm not lying. I'm from Room 106. My roommate's name is Aixi. She's already eaten two roommates, and I don't want to be the third. Safety Officer, I'm begging you, please help me."
She was crying so miserably that Xu Kewang sighed and glanced at Rule Three of the work manual.
Occasionally, she had to help students out of their troubles.
"Fine. Go find a place to hide for a while. I'll go check out the situation," she said, pulling out another mint candy and slumping half-reclined in her chair. "Give me a moment."
"But, Safety Officer…"
"Alright, alright, I already said I'd go. Do you think I have nothing else to do besides your business?" Xu Kewang interrupted impatiently. "Young people, learn to handle things on your own. Be more composed. Don't make a fuss over everything. Have a little patience. Now, go back and wait."
This spiel of hers—she'd learned it word for word from the dormitory matron.
Back when she was a student, she'd cursed at this kind of work attitude.
But now that she was the one in the trenches, she studied it frame by frame.