NOVEL WEB Chapter 6 - The Footsteps Behind! Dormitory Rules
“I didn’t expect there would be a set of rules here too, but why is this Rule #3?”
He Gu was not too surprised. In a world of mysteries, rules could appear anywhere in any form, and often there was more than one set.
Zhang Chao’s envelope contained the first set of rules. Now he was seeing “Rule #3,” so where was Rule #2?
Perhaps he had missed some details and overlooked the second set of rules?
Oh well, he could look for it later.
Looking at the rules in front of him, He Gu felt relieved inwardly.
If He Gu had listened to the dorm manager earlier and not come to the shop, he wouldn’t have seen this set of rules.
However, these rules were for the shop. If he didn’t go in, it seemed to make no difference whether he saw them or not.
But for He Gu there was a difference, because he could see one extra hidden message in the rules that others could not!
“The hidden message says to make sure you don’t have any parrot feathers on you before entering the shop. Parrot feathers…the parrot seems even more important than I thought…”
He Gu mentally noted this information and took out his phone to snap a photo so he could refer to it anytime.
After that, He Gu carefully checked himself under the shop’s lights to make sure there were no parrot feathers on him.
Then he stood at the door and peeked inside. Seeing a clerk in a white uniform standing behind the checkout counter, he finally walked in.
“Welcome,” said the clerk behind the counter in a stiff tone without looking up.
He Gu glanced over. The clerk had a white duckbill cap pulled low over his head and kept his head down, so his face was not visible.
Ignoring the clerk, He Gu went straight into the shop and started selecting goods.
The shop was not big, but had quite a complete range of products, including ready-made bento boxes and raw steaks.
However, He Gu was not interested in any of those. He only picked some bread, instant noodles, bottled water, and after a moment’s thought, a box of pure cow’s milk.
Carrying everything in his arms, He Gu went to the checkout to pay.
The clerk still had his head lowered. After helping He Gu pack everything into a large bag, he said stiffly, “That’ll be 174 yuan.”
He Gu took out two 100-yuan notes from Zhang Chao’s envelope and handed them over.
The clerk took the money and continued counting out change in his rigid tone, “We’re having a promotional sale on our new ‘Tasty Beef Cubes’ product. Would you like some?”
Remembering Rule #4 he just saw outside the shop, He Gu immediately shook his head. “No thanks.”
After being rejected, the clerk fell silent and handed over He Gu’s change.
But looking at the bills in his hand, He Gu realized something was off.
Taking a closer look, these were not money, but stacks of yellow paper like those burned at Qingming Festival!
He Gu’s heart skipped a beat. When he looked up again, he realized the clerk had at some point taken off his cap, and was gazing at He Gu with a faint smile.
Meanwhile, his work uniform had turned black!
He Gu immediately glanced around the shop. Now there were only the two of them inside!
Dorm Rule #2: If there is no clerk in a white uniform in the shop, leave immediately!
Remembering this, He Gu panicked.
Ignoring the fake bills in his hand, he grabbed his purchases and hurried towards the exit.
But after leaving the shop, He Gu heard footsteps behind him.
Glancing back hastily, he saw the shop’s lights were already off, and the clerk was walking stiffly towards him!
He Gu was instantly anxious. He broke into a run without looking back.
Fortunately the clerk’s movements were sluggish. He Gu soon left him far behind.
Now He Gu noticed all the streetlights were off too. Apart from some sparse lights towards the dorm building, the whole campus was pitch black.
The eerie darkness made He Gu even more uneasy. He lowered his head and continued running towards the dorms.
Soon, He Gu entered a small grove.
It was very small, about the size of a basketball court.
After passing through it, he would reach the dorm building.
But at that moment, a black shadow suddenly burst out from the bushes ahead. Then He Gu saw a pair of glowing green eyes in the middle of the path.
“Damn!”
The sudden appearance gave He Gu a fright and he halted instinctively.
Looking closely, he realized it was a black cat, blocking the path and baring its teeth at him aggressively.
It seemed ready to pounce at any moment.
Perhaps from being too tense, the skinny cat now posed a sense of danger to He Gu.
Especially its shiny green eyes – He Gu felt like prey in front of it.
As the cat slowly approached, He Gu took a deep breath to calm himself, while glancing around for a rock or branch to scare it away.
Just then, footsteps sounded from not far behind He Gu.
Tap tap tap…
The clerk had caught up!
He Gu felt his breathing stop. Ignoring the cat, he steeled himself to dash past it.
But before He Gu could act, the black cat’s hair stood on end, as if seeing something extremely terrifying. It let out a sharp shriek and darted into the darkness, gone in a flash.
At the same time, the footsteps behind seemed to have reached within just a meter of He Gu!
A chill went down He Gu’s back. Without daring to look back, he broke into a desperate run.
Half a minute later, panting heavily, He Gu had reached the dorm building entrance.
The manager in the red vest was still sitting there fanning himself, chuckling, “Why run so fast? Chased by a dog?”
He Gu stopped in front of the old man, still gasping for breath, and anxiously glanced back. The grove was pitch black with nothing visible.
The footsteps were not chasing him either!
He Gu let out a long breath, feeling more exhausted than after running a marathon.
As He Gu was still bracing his knees and catching his breath at the entrance, the manager suddenly got up. “Alright, it’s 9 o’clock, I have to close up now.”
Speaking, the manager brought his chair inside, then started pulling the two outward-opening iron doors shut.
As he pulled the doors closed, the manager asked He Gu, “You going in or not? I’m locking the doors if you’re not.”
Still breathless, He Gu replied, “Going in, of course.”
Night curfew violation was against school rules. He Gu could certainly not stay outside.
After a few more breaths, He Gu stood up to enter.
Just then he noticed a sheet of A4 paper pasted on the outside of one door that the manager had shut.
【Rule #2】
1. Keep the dorm room clean and hygienic.
2. The dorm building closes promptly at 9 PM every day. No late returns allowed.
3. Do not wander the hallways between midnight to 6 AM.
4. Remember, there are no cats in the dorm building. Ignore any meows you hear.
…
After He Gu read through the first few rules, a line of red words materialized at the bottom:
Hidden message: All emotions and desires are magnified in the dorm rooms. Make sure to breathe fresh outdoor air at least once a day.
…