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Lin Feng’s steps echoed in the silence, each moment stretching longer than the last. An hour had passed, yet a journey that typically took twenty minutes felt endless. With the weight of only six hours of freedom left and a generator requiring his urgent attention for Hao Jian, the strain grew insurmountable.

Suddenly, a chilling realization washed over him. It felt like he had been ensnared by the infamous ‘spiritual wall’—a never-ending loop that traps the unwitting.

His spine tingled, a cold dread settling in. “Can’t be,” he whispered to the pressing darkness.

He tried retracing his steps, thinking the familiar might provide an escape. Every shadow loomed larger, every sound magnified, the silence pressing in oppressively.

‘Not here!’

‘Not here either! Wait!’

The palpable dread constricted Lin Feng’s chest, turning the once familiar corridors into a suffocating labyrinth.

‘Where did they go? When did the relentless zombies vanish?’

Lin Feng froze, his eyes darting across the eerily quiet surroundings. Although he’d maintained relentless vigilance, he couldn’t recall the exact moment the ominous drone of zombies had faded away. It felt as though he was ensnared in an otherworldly bubble, disconnected from the known world.

Below him, the silenced husks of defeated zombies stood testament to his previous encounters.

Crouching low, his feline ears quivered, straining for the faintest hint of danger. The oppressive silence of the once-teeming female dormitory was now pierced only by his own anxious footsteps, juxtaposed by a hauntingly out-of-place floral aroma wafting nearby.

The burden of the unknown pressed down on Lin Feng, causing every hair on his body to stand on end. Desperate for answers, his mind raced through every myth and legend he’d ever heard about the ‘spiritual wall’.

‘Damn it! I’d take on a hundred zombies over this supernatural stuff any day!’

‘Wasn’t this phenomenon mentioned in one of Song Zhe’s films?’ While Song Zhe wasn’t particularly fond of horror movies, he knew Lin Feng was a big fan. So, he always made sure to share any horror film he came across with his friend.

He ran his fingers through his fluffy hair, desperately searching his memory for any scrap of information about this ‘spiritual wall’.

‘That’s it!’

A glimmer of hope shined: just wait until dawn. However, one look at the oppressive, star-devoid sky and he realized the excruciating hours that lay ahead.

‘Right… I remember Song Zhe once mentioned that after walking a certain distance, one should take a sharp 90-degree turn. If repeated, this should lead to an exit. Yes… Good on me for remembering that!’

Impressed with his own recall, Lin Feng began applying this method, making those precise turns as he retraced his steps.

Yet, half an hour later, he was huddled on a bed in a girl’s dorm, his hair a frizzy mess, clutching a teddy bear as if his life depended on it.

Defeated, he figured he’d wait for daylight. At least, apart from this labyrinth, nothing else had spooked him.

Tucked beneath a flannel blanket, Lin Feng sought solace, his eyes tightly closed. “Within my barrier, I’m untouchable,” he whispered, pulling the blanket tighter around him.

Gradually, sleep claimed him. (Lin Feng: “If there’s one thing I excel at, it’s sleeping.”)

However, a faint touch soon stirred him awake.

‘Huh? Who’s tugging at my blanket? I’m still sleepy~’

‘Wait!’

‘Something’s wrong. SOS! I need assistance, immediately!’