Chapter 164: Zombie Siege Practice
The counselor was shocked. The people of 606 were stunned as well.
Who had scrubbed the white puff until its color came off? Them?
With the blame falling out of nowhere, Zhang You immediately pulled off the towel and raised both hands to show her innocence. “I didn’t scrub its color off. It looked like this the moment it appeared in our dorm.”
White puff: “Jiu!”
After a moment, once the explanation of the [Old Item Recycling] ability was finished, the giant red eyeball outside the window finally calmed down a little. Yet when it looked at the white puff, it still seemed somewhat incredulous.
“But that’s impossible. I’ve never heard of a white little elf.”
Tang Xinjue asked, “Are all the elves in the Elf House blue?”
Counselor: “Elves come in many varieties, but only the category called little elfs can turn into a spherical form. You should all have seen them before. The five rounds of mutated elves you encountered during the Friendship League were actually the process of them growing from their initial form.”
It struggled to gesture because it was only a single eyeball, but everyone quickly understood: a little elf was something like a red panda. It might share the word “panda,” yet it was fundamentally not the same species as a giant panda.
Guo Guo had only just regained control of her body and was still dizzy when she heard this. She shuddered and asked, “Then will this little white ball grow into something like that in the future?”
A white goblin. A white pterosaur. A white human-face monster?
Wouldn’t that demolish the dorm in minutes?
The counselor was genuinely stumped. “Uh… well… I’m not really sure.”
“Then based on your experience, teacher, how should we deal with this little elf?” Tang Xinjue smoothly passed the responsibility back.
The big red eyeball rotated more slowly. “Well… up to now, there’s never been a precedent in University City where a student brought a little elf back to their dorm. So I also…”
No experience. No advice. Just one eyeball.
Finally, under the intense collective gaze of the four students, it gave in and said honestly, “Elf House doesn’t have a fixed connection point with University City. Once the entrance disappears, all elves outside will automatically be teleported back.”
Strictly speaking, the white puff in Dorm 606 might very well be the first “wild” elf in the entire history of University City—something worthy of being sent off for special protection and research.
Zheng Wanqing’s head was spinning. She grabbed the only term she remembered. “Wasn’t there something called the [Elf Protection Court]?”
The moment she said it, she felt as though the red eyeball looked at her like she was an idiot.
“That court is run by Elf House. Even if a trial could be held right now—do you really want to go there?”
In dungeons, examinees could freely attack elves for two reasons. First, the exam rules were special. Second, little elves couldn’t die—literally immortal.
No matter what attack they suffered, at most they would turn into a elf ball—exactly the state the white puff was in now.
But outside a dungeon…
The four people in the dorm knew very little about University City. Even so, from the counselor’s tone, they could sense something was very wrong.
The final ferocity of Elf House was still vivid in their memories, not to mention the toilet plunger had nearly devoured a boss alive. If the four of them ended up in their hands, the outcome was easy to imagine.
The dorm fell silent for a moment. Only the white puff continued chirping innocently.
“I think I understand.” Tang Xinjue broke the silence. “So the current situation is: we can’t destroy this little elf, and we can’t send it away either.”
Which seemed to leave only one option.
They would have to keep the ball in the dorm.
Counselor: “…Seems so.”
Four people and one eyeball looked at each other.
“Ahem.” The eyeball tried to comfort them. “But don’t worry too much. I checked just now. This little elf has absolutely no hostile aura toward you. Its danger level is practically zero. That’s a good thing…”
“Bang bang bang bang!”
The counselor’s words were interrupted by frantic knocking on the door.
Tang Xinjue said, “I think the friend outside the door doesn’t consider it a good thing.”
Counselor: “……”
“It’s a misunderstanding. The little elf’s aura must be too obvious, so it got the wrong idea.”
No one knew what the eyeball did next, but the knocking finally stopped. Footsteps gradually faded away, suggesting the patroller had left.
Only then did the counselor continue, “Even in the University City library, the abilities awakened by students are the most mysterious and complex category. Since your ability allowed you to encounter it with such a tiny probability—using your words, that’s called fate. And most importantly, in theory little elves are very easy creatures to raise…”
—although there had never been any practical record of it.
“Ah, time’s almost up. I have to go.”
The counselor suddenly exclaimed, the eyeball spinning as it turned to leave.
The four of them: …Are you sure you’re not running away because you don’t want to deal with this?
Fortunately, the counselor didn’t completely abandon them. Before leaving, she placed a mark on the little elf so she could monitor whether it developed any major mutations, and promised she would never reveal this matter.
The view outside the dorm window returned to a blank white haze. The four girls’ gazes fell back onto the sink.
“How should we deal with you?” Tang Xinjue murmured.
The white puff clearly couldn’t understand their conversation. It wiggled around in the sink, as if finding the most comfortable position. With a satisfied chirp, it closed its two little black-bean eyes and went completely still.
The four of them: ……
We’re discussing how to raise you, and you’re already sleeping?
After discussing for a long time, they finally confirmed one thing: none of the four had any experience raising pets, and all of them were completely at a loss.
Looking back again, outside noises had no effect on the white puff at all. It slept comfortably, its round body gently rising and falling like a breathing belly—only missing the sound of snoring.
It slept like that until evening.
After deciding to adapt to whatever came, the four resumed their normal routine: practicing abilities, studying props, reviewing the dungeon, and planning strategy.
With the counselor’s visit, the fog covering the entrance exam finally cleared. They understood why the promotion result had turned out so strangely.
—Because one “grading teacher” wanted to send them directly into a first-tier university, but before the process was fully completed, another grading teacher—namely the counselor—discovered it and immediately intervened.
According to scattered information, grading should be determined by the highest score among all evaluations. But because the counselor possessed special authority, she forcibly blocked part of the process.
Thus the repeated back-and-forth they saw was actually two graders fighting for authority.
The final result of that tug-of-war remained unclear. This meant the exam Dorm 606 would face next was equally uncertain.
It could be first-tier difficulty. It could be second-tier difficulty. It might even mutate into something unpredictable.
Just as the counselor had said, no matter what, they had to prepare for the worst.
The rest would depend on tomorrow.
This was the first weekend the four of them had experienced since the game descended.
The television played Little Red Riding Hood’s touring dance all night long, along with her startled cries as she searched everywhere for her missing head. University City’s daily news had nothing new to broadcast, so the noseless ghost repeatedly read out sponsored brand ads, its lifeless voice stretched long, as if slowing the air itself.
Everyone went to bed very late. Just before falling asleep from exhaustion, Guo Guo suddenly thought of something.
“By the way, Xinjue, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you thank the counselor for helping us in the entrance exam back then?”
Guo Guo had still been conscious at the time and had heard the counselor’s answer, but she hadn’t understood the exchange. She only knew that whenever the counselor visited the dorm, she was the unlucky one who got possessed. She had no idea the counselor had appeared during the entrance exam as well.
Tang Xinjue said, “Not only did she appear—she helped you twice.”
Guo Guo instantly woke up. “What??”
She racked her brain to recall the dungeon and only remembered an NPC helping her—and that she had jumped off a building twice…
Her eyes suddenly widened in realization.
“Cai tongxue!”
The counselor was that Cai tongxue—the one with no arms, unable to speak, who loved dragging people into jumping off buildings?
Tang Xinjue said, “Exactly what you’re thinking. Good night.”
With the confirmation, Guo Guo lost all sleepiness. Her mind felt like it had discovered a new continent, automatically replaying every detail of the dungeon. The more she thought about it, the more awake she became—and the more impossible it was to fall asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Guo Guo’s miserable voice echoed through the dorm.
“Can someone give me a sleeping pill?”
Or just knock her out!
With tears in her eyes, Guo Guo swore that if she ever let her mind wander before sleep again, she would immediately grow dark circles ten times heavier than Xinjue’s and turn into a pig.
In the darkness, the only response she received was the energetic little cry of the white puff.
“Jiu!”
Monday morning had just arrived when something unexpected happened.
Because before the exam came another system notification.
【Dear freshmen, congratulations on successfully surviving one week in the [Dormitory Survival Game], achieving the accomplishment [Entering University].】
【To commend your learning achievements, University City has sent you an invitation. Please check it in time!】
Tang Xinjue picked up the envelope from the floor and read the words on it.
“Community Exchange Experience Card?”
The envelope was patched together from colorful pieces, sealed with a red sticker. There was no further explanation on the cover. But before they could study it further, the exam time arrived.
“Ding dong dong, dong dong ding—”
“Happy Monday, class time! The exam papers have been distributed. Everyone get ready~”
The APP page switched.
[Please choose one of the following exam topics. Countdown: 10 minutes]
[A. A Brief History of Ocean Civilization]
[B. Student Survival Practice in a Zombie Siege]
[C. Human Anatomy]
Seeing these three options, Zhang You froze.
“If my memory isn’t wrong…”
Zheng Wanqing said, “Aren’t these options…”
Guo Guo said, “All ones we’ve seen before?”
The three turned simultaneously to Tang Xinjue, who had the best memory.
Tang Xinjue nodded. “That’s right. All of them.”
—These three exam options were exactly the topics they had previously abandoned.
Coincidence, or a special mechanic brought by promotion?
There was no time to investigate. The countdown was ticking quickly—they had to decide immediately.
Guo Guo grasped her pendant. This time she saw no vision and quickly felt through the possibilities. “They’re all dangerous. I can’t tell which one is worse, but I choose A or B.”
Just seeing the words “human anatomy” made ocean creatures and zombies seem less terrifying.
Zheng Wanqing hesitated. “Actually, when I was little I fell into the river at the entrance of my village and never swam again after that. So I’m not sure if I have psychological trauma… I’ll choose B or C.”
Tang Xinjue exchanged a glance with Zhang You.
“Then we take the intersection.”
[ Ding. Registration successful. Loading exam… ]
[Zombie Siege Practice Exam begins. The test paper has opened. Please answer diligently!]
It was a clear morning, no different from usual.
Monday’s schedule had originally been full and busy. But you suddenly received news that the first class of the morning had been canceled.
It seemed like a trivial interruption, yet it made you strangely uneasy. So you contacted the class monitor, and her reply was—
At the same moment this information appeared in their minds, Tang Xinjue opened her eyes.
The familiar dorm came into view—complete with its renovated layout.
“Thankfully this time the game had some sense and didn’t give us a completely empty dorm.”
Zheng Wanqing rushed to the door first to check the weapons storage. After confirming nothing was missing, she sighed in relief.
“Looking at it another way, maybe the game did intend to remove everything, but because we had the dorm renovation voucher buff, it couldn’t replace it.”
Tang Xinjue joked.
Quickly reviewing the background information in her mind, she picked up her phone.
If nothing unexpected happened, the first key clue of the opening should be here.
Sure enough, when the screen lit up, a group chat appeared.
It was a five-person Q group. The members were the four people from Dorm 606, plus a cartoon avatar named “Class Monitor.”
The chat was paused at the class monitor’s latest message.
[Class Monitor: This is hard to explain in a short time. I’ll come find you and explain it in person.]
—The class monitor is coming over?
Zhang You and the others gathered around. Comparing their screens, all four phones showed exactly the same interface.
“Should we let her come here?” Guo Guo felt uneasy.
Judging from the prompt, the dungeon storyline had already begun. Based on the development patterns of countless zombie films and shows, they had a rough idea of what might happen next.
If the “class monitor” really came over, no one could be sure whether they would face an NPC—or a zombie.
Tang Xinjue thought briefly, then typed four words into the chat:
[Where are you?]
No reply came.
At the same time, as if answering their thoughts, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
Heavy, hurried footsteps.
Heading straight toward the door of Dorm 606.
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