After turning off the lights, I pondered over everything that happened today.

According to Zhao Xinyue, the dormitory rules were left behind by people who mistakenly entered the school of strange tales in the past. So, are there still people like me who entered this school by mistake?

If there are, cooperating together will definitely reveal more clues, but how can I contact them? I fell into a deep sleep while contemplating.

Ding ding ding, the alarm rang.

I groggily reached into my blanket and took out my phone to check the time. It was six o'clock, and I prepared to get up.

Seeing that it was six o'clock alarmed me. Why would the alarm ring at this time?

From the corner of my eye, I noticed someone sitting by my bedside, staring at me. I immediately closed my eyes, turned over, and pretended I was still asleep.

The person observed me for a while, unsure if I was awake, and began calling my name softly.

"Ning Ning, it's time to wake up, the alarm went off."

It was Zhang Lin's voice, but I ignored her.

She called for a while and then, realizing that I wasn't responding, she left my bed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a chilling breath blew into my ear, and Zhang Lin's eerie voice sounded,

"Hehe, I know you're awake. Your eyes are moving."

My heart raced wildly, and my whole body felt goosebumps.

I desperately controlled my breath, not daring to move. I wasn't sure if she had finished her assessment, so I had to maintain my current state.

Time passed slowly, and I could feel someone beside me the whole time.

Ding ding ding, the alarm rang again, and the dormitory building returned to its noisy state. The feeling of being watched disappeared, and I knew it was the actual wake-up time now.

I opened my eyes and took deep breaths.

Underneath the bed, Xia Ruyue and Zhang Lin were busy as if nothing had happened. When they noticed my gaze, they smiled at me as if nothing had occurred.

I quickly got out of bed and asked Zhao Xinyue if she had heard the first alarm.

Zhao Xinyue shook her head, looking at me with a complicated expression, and said, "You need to speed up. You ate mutton and got contaminated. They're all targeting you."

How could this be? I thought staying outside for three hours would eliminate the contamination. Now I realize how naive I was.

Staying outside for three hours only made it difficult for other eerie entities to detect my changes, but for roommates who spent day and night together, I was like a lamb to be slaughtered. They coveted me and urgently wanted me to break the rules so they could strike at me.

I had to hurry.

On the way to class, I kept thinking about the dormitory rules. Rule five stated that there were no mirrors in the dormitory, while rule six said that the person in the mirror wouldn't speak. This was a complete contradiction. And indeed, there were no mirrors in the dormitory, so this rule had a problem.

"Mirror, mirror," I kept muttering to myself, not paying attention, and bumped into a male student.

I quickly apologized, and he looked at me intently, saying, "The person in the mirror doesn't speak."

I was taken aback for a moment and hurriedly whispered, "You can also see the dormitory rules?"

He nodded, and I pulled him to a secluded place.

"When did you arrive?" I asked.

"On the first day of school," just like me.

He told me his name was Zhang Zhuo. By chance, he saw this school in a post and decided to apply. It seemed that the School of Strange Tales spread the news through various channels to attract more humans.

I asked him about his current situation, and he said that because his roommate couldn't see the dormitory rules, he became vigilant about this school and was very careful, so he hadn't violated any rules.

He was surprised to know that I was still safe even after breaking the rules. I told him about Zhao Xinyue's situation.

He furrowed his brow and said, "The method to get out is in the rules, but the rules don't mention anything. We can only conclude that rules fiveand six are intentionally contradictory. There must be a hidden meaning behind it."

I nodded in agreement. It seemed like we needed to dig deeper into the rules to find a way out. We decided to meet up later and discuss our findings.

Throughout the day, I attended classes and tried to act as normal as possible. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling of being constantly observed. The eerie entities in the dormitory seemed to be aware of my every move.

After the last class, I met up with Zhang Zhuo in a quiet corner of the campus. We took out our notebooks and started analyzing the dormitory rules in detail.

As we examined each rule, we noticed patterns and connections. Rule three stated that washing clothes at night was prohibited, while rule seven mentioned that clothes shouldn't be hung outside the windows. This led us to speculate that the eerie entities were afraid of water and light.

We continued our analysis, and suddenly, Zhang Zhuo's eyes lit up. "I think I've figured it out!" he exclaimed.

He pointed out that the rules were not just arbitrary restrictions but a series of tests. Each rule presented a challenge, and by overcoming it, we could gain insight into the nature of the school and potentially find a way to escape.

We had already encountered a few examples. Rule one tested our ability to resist temptation, while rule two tested our courage in the face of darkness. Breaking these rules had consequences, but they also gave us valuable information.

Now, we needed to focus on rules five and six. The contradiction between the two rules hinted at the importance of mirrors. We speculated that the mirrors were not just ordinary objects but had a supernatural significance within the school.

With this newfound understanding, we decided to search for mirrors within the school premises. We believed that finding and deciphering the secret behind the mirrors could unlock vital information about the school and perhaps lead us to an exit.

As we embarked on our search, we couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. The School of Strange Tales held many mysteries, but we were determined to uncover its secrets and find a way back to the world we came from.

Little did we know that our quest for answers would take us on a perilous journey through the depths of the school, where we would encounter unimaginable horrors and face the true nature of the strange tales that unfolded within its walls.

But for now, armed with our newfound knowledge and resolve, we took the first step towards our goal, ready to face whatever challenges awaited us in this eerie and enigmatic school.