Returning to the dormitory building, the interior was equally deserted. Many dormitory doors were wide open, as if the students had left in a hurry for some reason.
He took out his phone and saw a missed call from the second person in the dorm; the ringing time was ten seconds.
Calling back, the response was that the user could not be connected at the moment.
He called the other two dorm mates in sequence, and the result was the same.
He accessed the university's official public account and saw a news item reposted about the Wanghai City earthquake Early Warning, with the Official suggestion for citizens to evacuate nearby.
He had already dealt with an Evil God, so what was there to fear from an earthquake?
He shook his head, did not head to the evacuation point mentioned in the news, went straight back to Dormitory 426 where he lived, pulled the curtains shut, and lay down to sleep.
In a state between sleep and wakefulness, he vaguely heard a commotion outside. Not long after, the dormitory door was violently pushed open, and several sounds of wailing and howling erupted simultaneously.
"Boss, you're back! Boss, wake up quickly! You can't die, Boss!"
Wu Chang, shaken awake, sat up and said irritably, "What are you barking about? If you keep making noise, none of you will sleep tonight!"
The one shaking the bed the hardest was He Wei, the youngest, ranked fourth in the dorm, nicknamed the Seeds Emperor, a spiritual mentor to the naive Young Man, and a Humanoid Form picture-to-movie machine.
He had a square face, a neat buzz cut, and a capable demeanor, the standard look of a mature and steady class representative, but only after getting close could one understand the saying that appearances can be deceiving.
The treasures on this kid's computer were enough to make an Evil God curse, and Wu Chang relied on his hidden folder to hold his own against Lyman during their confrontation.
"Boss, how could you sleep? Everything outside has turned into a complete mess. While you were gone, Second Brother was almost beaten to death." said a Glasses-wearing man who was 1.88 meters tall, with chest muscles like steel plates and arms as thick as thighs.
Muscle Glasses Gao Xuezong, the third in the dorm, was the top student in his grade.
He had just passed the initial examination for graduate studies at Yan University; capable both academically and physically, aka Newton of Physics. The period when Wu Chang completed the Sports Student Grudge and his Flesh underwent transformation, he was lifting weights with Gao Xuezong.
Wu Chang frowned and looked toward the dormitory entrance. He saw Second Brother Fang Hui there, his forehead wrapped in bandages, his left arm in a sling, grinning and waving at him.
"What happened?"
Fang Hui sighed, "Sigh, ran into a Crazy person."
After listening to everyone's brief account, Wu Chang finally understood what had happened during this time.
Shortly after he entered the Moonlight Sanatorium, Wanghai City issued the earthquake Early Warning, and several universities underwent key evacuations.
The evacuation management was extremely strict; as soon as the responsible department arrived, the mobile phone Signal was Blocked.
Unable to make calls or access the internet, Fang Hui had just managed to call Wu Chang when the Signal was cut off.
Following the relevant departments, students from several universities and some corporate employees were sent to an Underground Shelter.
Before today, many locals did not even know such a thing existed underground in Wanghai City.
When they first entered the Shelter, everything was still calm, but the Situation soon changed.
People in the crowd began to whisper among themselves, sometimes saying a massive earthquake was coming, other times saying it was a precursor to the Doomsday, and that those left behind were abandoned Cannon Fodder, as the rich had already fled.
In normal times, everyone would just treat such absurd rumors as a joke, but under the atmosphere at that moment, many people unconsciously believed them.
Half an hour after the rumors started, people began to emotionally demand to leave. They were stopped by the guards several times, and some experienced Mental Collapse and started attacking everyone around them indiscriminately.
Unlucky Fang Hui was the one who drew the short straw when he went to the restroom.
He was dragged into a stall by a lunatic and severely beaten. If a female police officer hadn't heard the Screaming while passing by, rushed in, and subdued the lunatic, Fang Hui might truly have been beaten to death.
In the past, Wu Chang wouldn't have thought too much about it, but now that he knew about the Abyss Game, he couldn't help but overthink.
Although there was no Evidence, he had an intuition that Wanghai City's abnormal heavy snow and the strange evacuation measures were inseparable from the Abyss Game.
Judging by the Player ID count, the number of Abyss Game Players must not be small, and the authorities should not be unaware of the Abyss Game's existence.
So, what exactly were the relevant departments that appeared during the emergency evacuation?
And what was their attitude toward the Abyss Game Players?
Just as Wu Chang was thinking, Fang Hui said, "To celebrate my narrow escape from death, I'm treating everyone to barbecue at the North Gate later!"
Fang Hui's family was in business, making him a second-generation rich kid. Since it was the end of the month, they were all living frugally. Seeing the wealthy one willingly open his wallet, they naturally had no reason to refuse a free meal.
Wu Chang declared, "All expenses tonight are covered by Young Master Fang!"
Gao Xuezong shouted, "Young Master Fang is generous!"
He Wei exclaimed, "Adoptive Father above, please accept this disciple's bow!"
Fang Hui spread his hands, "All my loyal subjects, rise."
At 8 PM, they had a massive feast at the North Gate barbecue spot, finally dispersing at 2 AM.
Several of them had drunk a bit, and He Wei, having the lowest tolerance, was the first to surrender, currently being carried on Gao Xuezong's back.
Fang Hui's tolerance was slightly better but still limited, so Wu Chang was responsible for supporting him.
Drunk Fang Hui was very talkative. He looked at the sky and slurred:
"Boss, seriously, when that bastard had me pinned in the toilet, I even saw a Near-death experience. While I was struggling not to be shoved into the toilet bowl, I was contemplating the meaning of life, and in a daze, I saw someone."
Wu Chang raised an eyebrow, "Did you fall for that female police officer?"
Dormitory 426 was full of hidden talents. Besides having a lot of money, Fang Hui was more famous for his romantic luck, though it was always Bad Romance Luck.
In his four years of university, Fang Hui dated over a dozen girlfriends, each possessing unique skills.
Stalkers and Yandere types were commonplace. In the second half of his junior year, he found a Chinese person of foreign descent, and they were already discussing moving abroad to marry, only for her to suddenly disappear. Afterward, the relevant departments showed up, and they learned she was an international Fugitive.
Every time Fang Hui found a new girlfriend, Wu Chang and the others would exclaim, "There's another master!"
Having experienced so much, Fang Hui had not lost hope in love; anyone who saw him would have to call him a "Saint of Love."
Fang Hui replied, "We only exchanged contact information; nothing serious had even started. I was talking about my deceased uncle. He said a few things to me that made me suddenly realize things."
"Life is short; it could end at any moment. I want to do what I truly want while I'm young, so I don't end up lying in a hospital bed when I'm old, regretting wasting my youth."
"What did your uncle tell you?" Wu Chang asked with Curiosity.
"He told me that what you love is your life."
Wu Chang: "..."
"Is your uncle a respectable person?"
The group, slightly tipsy, strolled down the street. When they passed Baishui Bay near the school, He Wei, who was on Gao Xuezong's back, suddenly sat up and pointed into the distance, saying:
"Look, isn't that an idiot streaking over there?"
Wu Chang and the others looked over and saw a Bald Strongman on the beach of Baishui Bay, wearing only his underwear, jogging slowly in the minus-fourteen-degree cold.
"Looks like it. This guy is even more excited than Hui Zi. Did he also just survive a near-death experience?"
"Maybe he's a winter swimming enthusiast."
"Where's my phone? I'll take a picture and post a short video; it might go viral."
The group's discussion was overheard by the Bald Strongman. He sped up his pace and vanished from their sight with Bolt-like speed before they could pull out their phones.
The next morning, Wu Chang was woken up by a phone ringing.
He squinted at his phone. The screen displayed: Saturday, 9:15 AM. The contact name read HR.
"Mr. Wu, there were some unexpected issues yesterday, causing the Interview cancellation. We apologize sincerely. How about today..."
He hung up the phone before the HR representative could finish speaking.
After a city-wide mass evacuation yesterday, they were resuming Interviews today. Are people's hearts really that big, not afraid of anything?
But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that they promised a weekend off, so why was someone still working on Saturday?
Is the evacuation counted as compensatory leave, I guess.
Get up!
Fang Hui had experienced an attack and gained some Comprehension about life, let alone Wu Chang, who had just survived a near-death Instance.
The Abyss Game concerned the future of humanity and even the entire Blue Star. As long as he could become a Veteran Player, he would have everything; why bother being a nuclear-powered workhorse for others?
He climbed out of bed, washed up, and left the dormitory, finding a quiet Corner in the campus.
After a night of rest, he had emerged from the tense Emotion of the Moonlight Sanatorium Instance.
Now, as a Formal Player, it was time for him to see the real Abyss Game.
He looked at the Formal Player Passage that had appeared on his Attribute Panel and chose to enter the Crimson Courtyard.