Chapter 6: Triple Jump

Shen Xin moved closer, step by heavy step, each footfall weighted as if he were carrying a thousand pounds. He dared not imagine what he would do if Yu Yanan had actually jumped from the building—he would probably be consumed by guilt for the rest of his life.

"Yanan, Yanan."

"Hey, Shen Xin, what are you calling me for?"

Startled, Shen Xin spun around to see Yu Yanan, her face pale as a sheet. Overwhelmed with relief, he threw his arms around her, choking out, "You didn't jump. Thank goodness, you didn't jump!"

Yu Yanan pushed him away, annoyance flickering across her features. "Nonsense! You're the one thinking about jumping. This place is way too creepy—let's get out of here."

"Alright, alright!"

Once they left the dormitory area, Shen Xin couldn't contain his curiosity. "Who was it that jumped?"

Yu Yanan's color returned slightly, though fear still lingered in her eyes. "It was the girl next door to me. Her name was Tang Wenwen."

"Why did she do it?"

"How should I know? Probably got dumped by some jerk. Honestly, men are all the same."

Shen Xin hurried to defend himself. "Hey, that's hardly fair. I'm not like that—I’ve never treated anyone badly."

Yu Yanan stamped her foot angrily. "Says who? Look at my eyes, they've been swollen for half a month!"

"I'm sorry. I had no idea it bothered you so much. Look, here’s a gift I got for you. Please, don’t be mad at me anymore."

Curious, Yu Yanan took the gift bag and carefully placed the headband on her hair, beaming. "What do you think? Does it look good?"

"It looks great."

Yu Yanan was delighted, about to say more when her phone rang. After answering and listening for a moment, she turned to Shen Xin. "The police have arrived. The dorm supervisor wants me to come back."

"I'll go with you. I'm sure it’ll be fine."

They walked back to the girls’ dormitory building. By then, an ambulance had arrived. Several doctors examined the girl who had jumped, shook their heads, but still took her away.

Inside the entrance hall, a handful of police officers were questioning students.

"Go ahead. I’ll wait for you outside."

"Alright."

Yu Yanan went in and didn’t return for a long while. Shen Xin waited for half an hour, only to see Yu Yanan and more than a dozen girls escorted away by the police.

Shen Xin’s mind was in turmoil, especially when he couldn’t reach Yu Yanan by phone. He figured she’d been taken to the police station for a statement and probably wouldn’t be back soon.

It wasn’t until evening that Yu Yanan finally returned to his rented apartment, where they had dinner together. Shen Xin was still deeply curious about Tang Wenwen and asked several questions, but Yu Yanan didn’t seem to know much, either. All she knew was that Tang Wenwen often spent nights away from the dorm and there were rumors she’d had multiple abortions, though Yu Yanan couldn’t say for sure.

After dinner, Yu Yanan was reluctant to return to her dorm—how could she possibly sleep next door to such tragedy? But after a student jumped, the school began cracking down on students staying off-campus. Even Shen Xin received a call from his dorm monitor, urging him to return or risk losing course credits due to a dorm inspection.

Shen Xin could only sigh in resignation—training time at the institute would have to be cut short again. Fortunately, his abilities weren’t in combat but rather in the realm of mental control, so rigorous training wasn’t quite as necessary.

They each returned to their own dorms. Shen Xin hadn’t slept in his room for months, but thankfully his bed was still there, along with some spare bedding. With a bit of tidying up, it was just about livable.

The school administration took the incident seriously. Every half hour, someone came by to check on the students, much to everyone’s annoyance. Even late at night, security guards patrolled the dorms.

Around midnight, Shen Xin finally dozed off, only to be startled awake at four or five in the morning by screams coming from the girls’ dorm again.

The entire building instantly lit up. Normally, the power would be cut after eleven, but since the previous night, the lights stayed on. Shen Xin and his roommates hurriedly dressed and rushed downstairs, joining the crowd heading toward the girls’ dormitory.

They soon found a crowd gathered. Shen Xin squeezed through to see—another girl had jumped.

This time, though, the girl wasn’t killed instantly. She lay on the ground, writhing in agony, blood streaming from her mouth, eyes, and ears, horrifying the onlookers and sending them retreating in fear.

The university’s medical school ambulance arrived quickly and took her away. Shen Xin felt a pang of regret—for even if the girl survived, she’d be gravely injured. He couldn’t understand how two girls could have jumped in such a short span of time. Could there be some kind of mind-altering monster lurking in the dormitory?

During his time at the institute, Shen Xin had learned much about monsters. The term “monster” was just a common label—some called them Calamities, others Mysteries, Abnormalities, or Demons. Not all monsters had physical forms, so Shen Xin suspected something unknown might be haunting the girls’ dormitory.

With this second incident, no one could sleep. If not for the dorm supervisor sending them back, the students would have stayed out all night. The atmosphere was thick with anxiety and fear.

Back in the dorm, no one could rest. Several rooms’ worth of students huddled together in the corridor, smoking and chatting.

That’s when Shen Xin realized He Xuantong was missing. He asked the dorm monitor in the next room, "Where’s Xuantong? Why isn’t he here?"

"No idea. Can’t get through to him by phone either. He’s definitely going to lose credits for missing curfew, and might not even get his scholarship this semester. What a shame."

"That’s odd," Shen Xin mused. The school’s scholarship was over five thousand—He Xuantong wouldn’t risk that for a small tutoring job.

"Who knows? Everything’s just bizarre lately, don’t you think?"

Someone else chimed in, "Is it any stranger than two girls jumping from the dorms in a row?"

"We’ve been here nearly three years, and this has never happened before—not in the dorms, at least."

"Who knows what a commotion this will cause!"

The talk continued in hushed, anxious tones.

At daybreak, the counselor rushed in, taking attendance and having everyone sign a pledge to cherish their lives. Then all the students were gathered together for meals and classes—no one was allowed to leave the group.

The counselor was beside himself with worry. One of the girls who jumped was under his supervision, and he was certain to be disciplined. Now, with He Xuantong missing, his future looked bleak. He could only hope nothing more would happen to He Xuantong—or to any other students.

But fate has a way of bringing about exactly what one fears most.

That very night, yet another girl jumped.

The entire school erupted in chaos. Not only were the students in a panic, but as parents learned the news, they flocked to the campus, determined to take their children home.

No amount of reassurance from the school administration could calm the panic. In a single day, the once-bustling dormitory buildings became eerily deserted.

The university had no choice but to announce an early holiday.

Shen Xin returned once again to his rented apartment. Staying in the school dorms was simply too unnerving.