None of them had heard that strange sound!

Ming Yi vaguely sensed this question might be crucial—but deep down, he knew speaking up would be hard to convince anyone and might even raise suspicion. In the short term, it was impossible to tell if revealing it would help or hurt him.

So he chose to keep it to himself.

"Ah… just kidding! I was joking—wondering if one of you tried to destroy the world and messed everything up. Haha." Ming Yi forced a laugh to brush it off.

"Actually, your arrival might hold the key to escaping this predicament," Yu Chen adjusted his glasses. "We have so little information. Since you were acting alone, you might’ve noticed something we missed."

Senior Alice picked up smoothly: "Looks like it’s time to consolidate and exchange what we know."

So rational. So pragmatic. So practical. Both Senior Alice and Yu Chen carried that natural leader aura—calm under pressure, organizing everyone to find a way out. Something Ming Yi knew, deep down, he could never pull off in his whole life.

"First, let’s recap the sequence of events. Then check for overlooked details," Yu Chen scanned the group. "After the banquet, the five of us were heading back to the dorm. I, barely having touched alcohol, was driving. Just as we neared the main gate—earthquake hit…"

Ming Yi froze.

Earthquake?

Wait—now that he thought about it, right after he was stabbed, the buildings around *had* started swaying and collapsing. Yeah… it really did look like an earthquake.

So the quake happened the exact moment I was stabbed?

But that didn’t add up. If everyone who died in the quake ended up here… why only six of us? They’d seen no one else along the way.

"…Traffic chaos. We crashed into another car. Vehicles jammed tight, doors stuck. Then a high-rise collapsed—debris rained down. We’d given up hope… and woke up here."

Yu Chen paused. "Anyone among you four have anything to add?"

"No," the four replied in unison.

"My case is different," Ming Yi said. "I went back to the dorm, couldn’t sleep, stepped out for air… then got stabbed on a street." He hesitated. "Probably a robber? After I collapsed, the earthquake started."

"So… you didn’t die *because* of the earthquake?" Yu Chen frowned. A robber was unlikely—but plausible. Nothing stood out, yet a faint unease lingered.

"The key isn’t *how* we died," Alice flicked her hair, "but that we *did* die."

"Are we… already dead?"

—

A hard truth. Yet, for Ming Yi, the most plausible one.

But not everyone could accept it.

Yu Chen’s brow knotted. Dandan clapped a hand over her mouth, tears welling again. Old Lei turned ghostly pale. Xiao Chengcheng snapped: "Whoa, Senior! Don’t freak me out! I’m standing here alive—tell me I’m not a ghost?!"

Ming Yi stayed silent.

The clearest evidence? His stab wound had vanished. Zero traces of crash injuries on the others. No hunger pangs either—deeply abnormal.

Yet not conclusive. In this unknown world, common sense might not apply.

Senior Alice sensed the tension. "This is just speculation. Don’t dwell on it. Our focus: understand this world."

"Is this even *our* world anymore?" Ming Yi asked.

"I’ve thought long about it," Yu Chen chose his words carefully. "This seems like another world—very similar to ours. Another dimension? Or…"

"—an 'inner world'?" Alice smiled faintly. "Sounds like a movie."

"Frankly, we’re only missing a director and script," Xiao Chengcheng grumbled.

"No text." Ming Yi locked eyes with Yu Chen. "All writing’s been erased."

Yu Chen glanced at him, surprised. "Exactly. Point two. I considered if this was Donghai post-quake—but no people, no bodies, text deliberately wiped clean. Ruled it out."

"No text means no knowledge transfer. To learn more, we must search for others."

"Or… something not human," Alice added.

"Monsters?" Dandan’s voice trembled. "Would they… eat us?"

"I wish I could comfort you," Alice patted her shoulder, "but honestly? I don’t know. In a world this unknown… ET, Godzilla, Ultraman—I wouldn’t blink."

Xiao Chengcheng chimed in: "Relax! If monsters come, we’ll stand in front of you. Let it eat us first—*then* you!"

Dandan went even paler.

Ming Yi smacked Xiao Chengcheng’s head. "Your mouth only spews nonsense. Shut up." Xiao Chengcheng winced.

"One more thing," Yu Chen said. "Has anyone felt hungry or thirsty?"

Silence. Shakes of heads.

"Good. No need for food right now—good or bad, it saves us the hunt."

"Rest time. Little Yi hasn’t properly rested since waking. Fatigue’s real, even without hunger." Senior Alice waved and stepped out of the club room. "Dandan, sleep with me next door. You guys rotate night watch. Everything else—tomorrow."

"Eh? Senior, not staying with us? What if danger comes…" Xiao Chengcheng pleaded, earning a sharp glare from Alice.

—

Day and night cycled normally here.

Yu Chen’s watch still worked. Date unchanged.

They’d "died" two days ago. 4 a.m. Final watch shift. Ming Yi sent a yawning Xiao Chengcheng off and sat alone by the club room door.

Unreality clung to him. Too bizarre to process.

Yesterday’s recap still left gaps—too many inconsistencies. Only six people here: students, External Relations Department members, similar age…

The other five "died" together in the quake’s collapse. He fell to a stab wound moments later.

No link. No clues. Not a single written trace in this world.

Thoughts blurred. Drowsiness crushed his eyelids…

Time slipped away. Half-dreaming, Ming Yi noticed the corridor window’s light shift. He rubbed his eyes, focused—

Then clamped both hands over his mouth, stifling a scream.