Reality Programming Association

Chapter 60: Chapter 25: Breaking into the Girls’ Dormitory on a Stormy Night

Yu Xian stared at the dialogue box on the screen, feeling increasingly uneasy.

The things he had encountered today simply couldn’t be explained clearly just by typing. Moreover, through a screen, he had no way of judging whether the other party truly understood the severity of the situation, or if they were taking his words seriously enough.

More importantly, his current state was very wrong. The sense of mental fragmentation carried over from his dream—born from ten days of solitary confinement—made him desperately want to see living people.

He had to go find them.

Yu Xian abruptly stood up and looked at the shoes and umbrella by the door.

He walked to the edge of the balcony and opened the window a crack. A massive roar of rain instantly filled his ears. The outside world had already been swallowed by a black curtain of rain.

Taking out his phone, he checked the weather news. The local meteorological observatory had just issued its latest bulletin: a cloud mass was currently stalling over Jiangcheng, and tomorrow’s rainfall was expected to break historical records.

Judging by this trend, it might get even worse later.

Yu Xian frowned. If he didn’t go out now, and the traffic became completely paralyzed by tomorrow, he would truly be trapped at home.

He opened a ride-hailing app on his phone and selected every available vehicle type. The loading icon spun on the screen for a long time before a line of red text popped up:

”No vehicles available nearby. Number of people in queue: 182. Estimated wait time: >120 minutes.”

It was impossible to get a car. In this kind of weather, probably few drivers dared to come out and take orders.

Did he have to take the subway?

Switching to the Jiangcheng Subway’s official Mini Program, an emergency notice popped up on the home page:

”Due to the extreme rainstorm, Jiangcheng Subway has initiated a Level II flood control response and implemented a ’one policy per line’ operational adjustment. Currently, Lines 3 and 6 have been fully suspended due to low-lying terrain; some entrances and exits of Lines 2 and 4 are temporarily closed. Passengers are advised to plan their routes in advance and pay attention to safety.”

He quickly checked the routes. He was in luck. Although a few station entrances on Line 4—which ran from his cousin’s place to the vicinity of JCU—were closed, the ones near his home and the school gate were still operating. This was a relatively old line. Most of its sections were situated on higher ground, giving it stronger flood resistance.

Without further hesitation, he asked Wen Xiao and Yang Yiyi about their current locations. Both replied very quickly.

”I’m at the South No.7 Dormitory, just got back from the lab. The rain outside is too heavy. If you’re coming over, you must pay attention to safety.”

That was Yang Liu Yiyi’s reply.

The South District Dormitory was next to the commercial street by the South Gate. It was the main living area of JCU. Most of the male and female dormitories for the School of Physics and the School of Life Sciences were located there, so he was quite familiar with the area.

However, Wen Xiao’s reply took Yu Xian aback.

”I’m in Building 3, North Campus. Send me a message when you arrive, and I’ll come pick you up.”

North Campus? If he remembered correctly, the North Campus of JCU contained exclusive dormitories for master’s and doctoral students. They were said to be double rooms with a much better environment than the South District, though not as convenient for activities.

Why would Wen Xiao, an undergraduate, be living in the university’s graduate dormitories?

But now was not the time to dwell on this. Since they were both on campus, they would be easy to find.

Yu Xian sent a brief reply, pocketed his phone, and walked to the door. He put on a pair of thick-soled hiking boots—the only relatively waterproof shoes he had brought to his cousin’s house.

After some thought, he found one of his cousin’s large, thickened ziplock bags. He carefully placed his laptop inside, sealed it tight, and stuffed it into the inner compartment of his backpack to prevent water damage. He had just copied that bizarre audio file onto the computer, along with some materials, information, and questions he had compiled.

Having done all this, he took a deep breath, picked up the long-handled black umbrella by the door, and pushed the door open.

As soon as he stepped out of the stairwell, fierce winds mixed with heavy rain rushed at his face.

The moment he opened the umbrella, its ribs let out a loud CREAK in the wind, the canopy almost flipping inside out. Visibility was very low, and the halos of the streetlights swayed madly in the gale.

Yu Xian felt like a lone boat in a stormy sea. This was a red-alert level extreme rainstorm, on a completely different scale from what it had been at noon.

There was almost no one on the street, save for one or two passing cars kicking up splashes half a person high.

Although it was only a short walk of a few hundred meters from the neighborhood gate to the subway station, his trouser legs were nearly soaked through by the time he reached the entrance, and his hiking boots were caked in mud.

Compared to its usual bustling self, the subway entrance now looked like a wartime fortification.

Half-meter-high flood control sandbags were piled up at the entrance, forming a temporary waterproof dam. Several thick metal water baffles stood on the ground, leaving only a gap wide enough for one person to pass through.

Several staff members in reflective vests stood in the downpour. Holding flashlights and walkie-talkies, they stared at the accumulated water while discussing something.

Seeing the drenched Yu Xian approaching, a staff member shouted loudly, ”Slow down! Careful not to slip! Hurry and get inside!”

He painstakingly stepped over the sandbags and rushed into the station concourse.

In that instant, the clamor of the wind and rain was shut out. Only the familiar broadcast announcements and the chatting of the security checkpoint staff remained in his ears. The contrast was so intense that it felt like he had entered another world. Outside was a doomsday-like tempest, but underground was a warm, bright, modern civilization.

He scanned his code to enter the station and arrived at the platform.

He originally thought that with such severe weather and it being past nine in the evening, the subway would be empty. However, to his surprise, there were actually quite a few people scattered along the platform.