145: Chapter 66: The Twisting, Stretching Road (Added 1100 words!)_2 145: Chapter 66: The Twisting, Stretching Road (Added 1100 words!)_2 “Different?” Wei Liang said nervously.
His train of thought had already hit some snags; he didn’t know what he was thinking, only mumbling, “Right…
you’re right, it’s different!
We’re about to reach the dormitory building, it should be right ahead!”
As he spoke, he seemed poised to sprint forward rapidly, but Lin Yi grabbed him and restrained his impulsive tendency.
Lin Yi said in a deep voice, “No, Liangzi…
it’s not like that!
Don’t rush!”
Lin Yi noticed that Wei Liang, who had been jovial before, began to panic as the mist thickened…
It seemed as though he had been lost in the mist and then returned, or perhaps he had experienced something horrifying and indescribable within the mist.
“I should know the way, follow me!” Lin Yi spoke somberly.
“You…
know?” Wei Liang looked surprised and confused, “Isn’t this your first time here?”
“Don’t overthink it, I have my ways,” Lin Yi interrupted Wei Liang’s thoughts, “This time, it’s my turn to lead the way.
Put your hand on my shoulder and just follow me.”
“Uh, okay, I’ll rely on you then…” Wei Liang’s voice trembled as he placed his hand on Lin Yi’s shoulder.
Lin Yi frowned slightly, subconsciously turned his head halfway, and looked down at Wei Liang’s hand resting on his shoulder…
‘Liangzi’s hand…
seems a bit cold.’
‘And…’
Whether it was the lighting or not, there seemed to be a slight issue with the skin color on Wei Liang’s hand.
His hand had become paler and the skin took on an unnatural bluish-gray hue, as if enveloped in an extremely thin layer of faint white mist.
Lin Yi had a bad feeling, as if his heart had skipped a beat.
“Liangzi,” he suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?” Wei Liang’s voice came from behind.
“Which do you prefer more, thigh-high stockings or bare legs?”
“Of course, white stockings, why are you asking this all of a sudden?”
Lin Yi breathed a silent sigh of relief.
‘It seems Liangzi’s mind is clear…’
‘But why are his hands so cold?’
‘And his skin color…?’
“Old Lin…” Wei Liang said with a quivering voice, “I…
feel a bit cold, and I’m thinking of some unpleasant things.
We need to get to the dormitory building quickly.”
Lin Yi eyed Wei Liang’s hand, kept his wits about him, and then looked away.
“Okay.”
He took a deep breath and then glanced at the number on the lamp post nearby.
Dormitory building-094.
He looked at the surrounding lamp posts.
The mist was thick by now, but not as bad as the day before with less than ten meters of visibility; he could still see many lamp posts at a glance.
However, these lamp posts were no longer scattered on either side of the cobblestone path but spread out in front of the road like scattered stars, in a random fashion.
And as the mist fluctuated, these lamp posts swayed like buoys on the sea, giving the impression that they were drifting and moving.
But soon, Lin Yi realized it was not an illusion; those lamp posts…
were truly moving!
‘Damn it!
These things…
move?’
But he quickly realized otherwise.
‘No, it’s not the lamp posts moving, but…
the ground stretching!’
As if by conditioned reflex, a rule popped into Lin Yi’s mind:
[If you discover the ground is warping, stretching, or exhibiting any other changes that defy common sense, please hold your Student ID card and map tightly in your hand, and repeatedly remind yourself of your name and student number in your mind.
Remember that you are a student ‘this sentence should be bold and underlined’.]
‘So the distance between lamp posts…
is lengthening!’
‘The path to the dormitory building is undergoing some irrational change!’
‘Liangzi must be affected by this change!
Right now, he might be sinking like me, walking on a non-existent road, or…
deviating from a certain established course!’
‘Student ID card!’ He felt a spark of inspiration, his spirit lifted.
“Liangzi, take out your Student ID card and hold it in your hand!
Remind yourself, you are a student!” he commanded, and simultaneously clutched his own Student ID tightly.
He wasn’t sure if Wei Liang could respond to his words, but it was worth a try.
To his surprise, Wei Liang indeed responded to his call.
“…, okay.”
Wei Liang also took out his Student ID card and held it tightly in his hand.
As Lin Yi held the Student ID card in his hand, he distinctly felt a strong sense of crisis.
Outside the range of the light, the mist kept churning, and stealthy figures caused a continuous ‘shush’ sound of friction.
An indescribable force seeped out from the mist, pressing relentlessly against the domain formed by the light.
Lin Yi noticed that the surrounding lamp posts were becoming faint at an extremely slow rate, an effect of the ground continuously stretching and the mist eroding the boundaries of the light’s domain.
Once the distance between the lamp posts extended to a certain point, dark areas would emerge in the field of light.
Should the mist create a barrier within this area, they would be faced with the same abnormal weather conditions as the day before.
He glanced at his watch.
20:43.
‘Xu Shunkang said they would leave the classroom at 20:30 and head to the dormitory building.’
‘Which means if I stop moving forward, they will catch up, resulting in a situation of ‘walking in the company of the Sports Student’.’