Duosheng Danyuan

"Why? Why am I still here? Why haven't I returned to the Shengdan Academy yet?!"

On the gradually collapsing streets, Su Wanqing ran frantically, guided by her memory of the direction home was coming from. The throbbing pain in her lungs made her feel extremely uncomfortable, but what tormented her even more was the resentment and fear in her heart.

She has broken the rules by interacting with her family, and she doesn't know what kind of punishment she will face.

Will she die? Even if she doesn't, what will happen? She dared not think about it. Ignoring the frantic shouts of her younger brother, mother, and even the driver, Uncle Li, Su Wanqing just kept running forward, even though her legs felt as heavy as lead.

The hands of the alarm clock in her hand kept ticking, just like her grasping at a fading hope, struggling to survive along the straw.

"That place...ha...ha...as long as we get to that place!" With determination, Su Wanqing ran even harder, even though her speed was gradually slowing down.

She didn't know how to get back to the Shengdan Academy, but she knew why she was trapped in this illusion. It all stemmed from the door in her room!

"How stupid of me! How could I overlook such a detail? How could I!?"

Looking back now, that door whose switch direction had been changed was the starting point of all the problems. Hao Hao entered the room twice. The first time, he opened the door but didn't close it, just leaving it ajar; the second time was even more outrageous—he actually slipped in through the doorway.

Why did she feel something blocking the door when she opened it? Why did the sunlight shine into the mirror next to her at that very moment? Everything was so coincidental, so traceable, like... a dream!

Su Wanqing didn't think about it too much, but vaguely, her sixth sense told her that the thing blocking the door outside was probably Hao Hao! No, not Hao Hao, but the strange thing that had transformed into Hao Hao. And it was this strange thing that drew her to observe the mirror!

"Ha...hoo...ha..."

Panting heavily, Su Wanqing continued running towards home. But it seemed she wouldn't make it back in time.

According to the rules, she had to be home and up before nine o'clock. However, on this street several kilometers away from home, there was no way she could get back in half an hour. Most importantly, she didn't have a key to the house! When she left, she saw her "mother" lock the door with a key after closing it. Just as she got out of the car, she had no idea or excuse to ask her "mother" for the key.

"Could it be that she knew I couldn't get back without the key, which is why she let me out of the car?" Su Wanqing twitched her lips in self-deprecation a few times and continued running.

Perhaps to alleviate her fear, perhaps to numb her thoughts, but most likely, to suppress the boundless despair in her heart. Su Wanqing ran on and on until her senses gradually faded, until it began to rain.

The fine, pattering rain fell, its rhythm mirroring her despondent mood.

Ignoring her, Su Wanqing continued running, even though she had almost lost all sense of direction.

After a short while, the dark clouds on the horizon began to change, and lightning crackled and flashed from the east. The gray sky swirled into streaks of pure white dragons, followed by a deafening roar of rolling thunder that swept across the boundless sky.

As if it were a death knell, the thunderous roar, accompanied by lightning, began to intensify, heralding her defeat.

One, two, three; one, two, three; one, two, three... The thunder grew louder and louder, rhythmically beating, each strike reverberating in Su Wanqing's heart.

Finally, filled with despair and her consciousness beginning to fade, Su Wanqing lost her grip, and the alarm clock clattered to the ground. Like a stubborn rock, as Su Wanqing tried to pick up the alarm clock, she stumbled and fell.

Tears mingled with raindrops, and under the curtain of rain, Su Wanqing was like a supporting character in a silent play, only able to sob silently.

Struggling, she quickly stood up again. A strong desire to go back, coupled with the beautiful memories of her family, drove her forward.

So, dragging her scraped knees and ignoring the pain caused by the friction between her clothes and skin, she continued running forward.

......

After an unknown amount of time, the gray rain gradually turned into a blinding ball of light, slowly spreading from the horizon to the land and then to Su Wanqing's surroundings.

Without stopping for a moment, Su Wanqing plunged headlong into the unknown holy light.

"Hmm!"

Unable to see her feet, Su Wanqing tripped and fell again. This time, she didn't rest at all and continued to get up, wanting to run forward.

But what appeared before me was familiar.

"What?"

In a daze, she found herself back in her room, and her clothes, which had been soaked, were now dry and clean, as if they had never been through a downpour.

"Sister!" Hao Hao's adorable face came close to hers.

"..."

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Wanqing immediately stood up straight, glanced at Hao Hao, and, amidst his bewildered gaze, resolutely walked towards the door.

"Late Qing Dynasty"

The moment her hand touched the doorknob, Su Wanqing saw her parents suddenly appear behind her, calling her name together.

Without looking back, even though she couldn't help but cry, Su Wanqing immediately opened the door and practically ran away.

"Hmm!"

Su Wanqing woke up with a start, her back soaked with sweat.

She sat up immediately, turned her head eagerly, and her gaze fell on the alarm clock on the bedside table.

The hands of the alarm clock ticked, but this time, it was a mechanical clock that perfectly matched my memory.

Under Su Wanqing's gaze, the clock slowly struck nine o'clock.

——Outside Su Wanqing’s house——

"Time is up."

"Um."

Slumped on either side of the corridor, Lin Xu and I exchanged a glance, sharing a poignant sense of shared sorrow.

Su Wanqing violated the rules and is now missing, her fate unknown.

"What do we do now?"

"have no idea."

"...Will Su Wanqing be alright?"

"I don't know," I shook my head, looked up and sighed, "Aside from the warning on my arm, the Tranquil Abode is the first set of rules we've encountered, and no one knows what the consequences of breaking them will be. Perhaps, we'll find out soon enough."

"The first one?"

"Having visited so many places yesterday, in the world of Rules of the Strange, will the rules only be broken at the Quiet Abode?"

"......you're right."

"..." Silence for a moment.

"Will things happen to the other two groups?"

"It's hard to say, I hope not."

"How about... I go out and talk to them?"

"..." I gave Lin Xu a meaningful look, then sighed and said, "The rules don't restrict visiting other people's homes. If you really want to go, go and come back quickly."

"Hmm." Lin Xu stood up as he spoke.

Seeing that he was really preparing to go out to find someone else, I didn't stop him. I knew he was in great pain, far more so than I was. We had both already mentally prepared for the worst regarding Su Wanqing's fate—her life or death unknown, which meant she was dead.

However, faced with this ending, our grief stemmed from different sources. I could sense that his grief was primarily rooted in the death of Su Wanqing. Similarly, I believe Lin Xu could also sense that my grief wasn't entirely due to Su Wanqing's departure, and that my grief contained more regret than profound sorrow.

Lin Xu would feel better spending time with warmer, more empathetic people than with someone like me who seems a bit cold-hearted. Besides, it would also be an opportunity to exchange information.

So I didn't stop him. I also needed some space to be alone and mourn the girl who was the most innocent and trustworthy among the ten.

"Bang!"

Just as I was watching Lin Xu leave, Su Wanqing's door suddenly opened behind us.

"Su Wanqing!"

Turning around, Lin Xu looked at Su Wanqing, who was walking shakily out of the room, and instantly burst into laughter through his tears. He was about to rush to Su Wanqing's side when he spoke.

Like Lin Xu, I was also surprised by Su Wanqing's appearance.

However, just as Lin Xu was about to pass by me, I immediately reached out and stopped him.

Looking directly into Lin Xu's surprised and puzzled gaze, I returned an unquestionable look and shook my head slightly.

Time has passed, and we no longer know whether what stands before us now is a sixteen-year-old high school girl, Su Wanqing, or some kind of demon or monster.

Is she human? Is she someone who has been punished? Or is she a living dead like everyone else in the Shengdan Academy? In any case, Su Wanqing, who appears before us at this ambiguous time, is no longer trustworthy.

Despite my wariness and Lin Xu's hesitation, Su Wanqing didn't seem to care much. Exhausted, she managed a small smile.

"Although it was a lot of ups and downs and very difficult, I think I'm really back."

Hearing Su Wanqing's words, Lin Xu and I exchanged glances, then tacitly took a few steps back to make way for Su Wanqing to enter the living room.

Sitting on the sofa, Lin Xu and I began to listen to Su Wanqing recount her experiences.

It wasn't until Su Wanqing finished recounting her ordeal that I relaxed my guard to about 80%, while Lin Xu, unable to contain his excitement, began to comfort Su Wanqing with concern.

"It's alright, Brother Lin, I'm fine." Su Wanqing nodded and smiled in response to Lin Xu.

"Yes, we will definitely be able to go back. Since this place was able to let us travel here and create such a realistic and terrifying environment, there is no reason why there shouldn't be a way back for us," Lin Xu nodded.

"However, now that this world has begun to show its fangs, we still need to be even more careful." After a pause, Lin Xu added.

"Yes, I will," Su Wanqing said with a smile.

"Um..."

A moment of silence.

"Let's talk about us," I said.

"Yes, I haven't asked yet, how's the situation on your end?" Hearing my words, Su Wanqing regained some of her spirits and put on the same curious look as yesterday.

"Nothing special."

As I spoke, I began to tell them about my experiences. However, I omitted the fact that they were my roommates and instead used the more reasonable terms like "dad," "mom," and "brother."

"You're amazing..." Su Wanqing exclaimed enviously after hearing my story.

"Indeed, but given your abilities, this is a very simple matter," Lin Xu said.

"It was alright, but it was still pretty close." I shook my head, then asked Lin Xu, "What about you? What happened to you?"

"..."

After a long silence, Lin Xu slowly spoke, "Like you, they are also my family."