Chapter 191: Back to Reality
[Congratulations, player, on completing the mission. Reward: 4 credits, 444 gold coins. You may remain in this world for 10 more minutes. Do you wish to exit? [Yes] [No]?]
The other players were still staring at the holographic screen popping out of their watches when they suddenly noticed Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang sprinting madly toward the beam of light. That glow looked like a gate of light, a symbol of hope, yet its faint flicker also hinted at something ominous.
A vague unease settled over them.
“What’s going on…”
“That person just said we should all follow them…” One player watched the two figures running farther and farther toward the light gate. His heartbeat spiked without warning, as if something monumental was about to happen. His foot twitched forward.
“He tells you to follow, and you’ll just follow? Do you even know him? Aren’t you afraid it’s a trap? Forget it, I’ll go first!” Another player sneered, arrogantly tapped [Yes], and vanished on the spot.
A female player’s gaze fixed on Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang, who were about to plunge into the glowing gate. She noticed the light’s radius shrinking visibly fast. A subtle sense of crisis pounded against her chest. Suddenly, she felt—if she missed this glow, she might miss a once-in-a-lifetime chance! But what if? What if beyond that light lay endless doom?
What should she do? What on earth should she do?
Sweat seeped from her forehead, dampening her hair. Her eyes never blinked as she saw the two of them step into the gate without hesitation. Gritting her teeth, she dashed forward at the fastest speed of her life.
Her urgency seemed to infect two other players, who also bolted frantically toward the shrinking light.
The remaining few still hesitated in place, fingers twitching over the [Yes] button, only to freeze again, eyes glued to the ones running ahead.
They watched helplessly as those figures disappeared into the glow. The gate had shrunk to barely half a meter wide. A crushing terror weighed down like a mountain. Finally, they made their decision and sprinted desperately toward it.
But it was too late!
The light gate snapped shut just beyond reach. In that fleeting instant before it vanished, they caught a glimpse of bustling traffic, smelled the aroma of grilled skewers and fried chicken, and heard a popular singer’s music blasting from a public square… That was the earthly bustle they had dreamt of countless times!
It felt like plunging into a deep sea. Intense despair and regret drowned them from all directions. The realization—that was the exit—struck like thunder from a clear sky, and their vision went black as they collapsed into unconsciousness…
*
“Here’s your registration slip. Your dorm information and a campus map are on it. Welcome to Dongkai University.” The senior sister’s gentle voice carried a touch of pity as her eyes flicked over Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang’s clasped hands.
The words sounded strangely familiar. Mu Lantu blinked, then realized—he and Xu Huazhang were back at the freshman registration site.
Their shocked gazes briefly met before they looked down at the slip in their hands.
Dorm: Building 5, Room 608.
Mu Lantu glanced around. Under the blazing sun, freshmen and their parents bustled about. Laughter and chatter filled the air, brimming with youthful energy. This was unmistakably the real Dongkai University.
“Do you two have any other questions?” the senior sister asked warmly.
“No, thank you, senior.” Mu Lantu tugged Xu Huazhang along.
Xu Huazhang checked his phone—the signal worked fine. He tried sending a message, and it went through successfully.
“Baby, let’s go take a look first.”
Mu Lantu agreed. They were freshmen here to register; they had to go through with it. Otherwise, how would they explain things to their families?
They headed once again to Building 5, collected dorm keys from the unfamiliar dorm manager auntie, and went up with a few other students and parents in the elevator.
At Room 608, Mu Lantu pushed open the half-closed door.
It was a four-person dorm, different from the Infinite University setup, but still with bunk beds and desks underneath.
Two roommates were already there—familiar faces: Song Bochao and Zhang Junyang.
“Hi, you must be Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang? Your name tags are on the other beds,” Zhang Junyang greeted with a smile, though his eyes held only unfamiliarity.
Song Bochao smiled as well. “Hello, I’m Song Bochao.”
“I’m Zhang Junyang. We’re roommates from now on, let’s get along!”
Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang exchanged a puzzled glance. Clearly, Song Bochao and Zhang Junyang didn’t remember them—or anything about Infinite University. Perhaps that was for the best; those weren’t good memories anyway.
Mu Lantu smiled back. “Nice to meet you, I’m Mu Lantu, and this is Xu Huazhang.”
Xu Huazhang nodded politely, his eyes landing on the still-packaged bedding on the beds. The familiar colors made him uneasy.
“Baby, I don’t like this color.”
Baby?
Song Bochao and Zhang Junyang both froze.
Mu Lantu explained calmly, “Huazhang and I are a couple—we’re in a relationship where meeting each other’s parents is on the horizon. If that bothers you, we can apply to switch dorms.”
Zhang Junyang snapped out of it, curiosity but no rejection in his gaze. “Ah, no problem. It’s fine.”
Song Bochao nodded lightly. “We’re not that narrow-minded.”
This time, Mu Lantu’s smile held genuine warmth. “Then we’ll be counting on you, roommates.”
“In the same way, we’ll be counting on you too!” the two replied together.
The four quickly grew familiar. Xu Huazhang’s lips quirked upward.
Mu Lantu answered Xu Huazhang’s earlier concern, “If you don’t like the color, we’ll change it. Make a list of what else we need, and we’ll go buy it later.”
Song Bochao said, “Junyang and I were just discussing that—we also want to replace the sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases.” For some reason, both felt an inexplicable dislike toward the issued colors.
“Perfect, let’s go to the supermarket together later,” Mu Lantu suggested.
…
The four spent the day shopping, setting up, and settling in. By evening, Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang even bought a house nearby for privacy. At dinner, they brought back a watermelon for the dorm.
Later, Song Bochao reminded them, “Don’t go out tomorrow morning—we’ll be collecting textbooks and military training uniforms. The class monitor just told us.”
“Already a class monitor?” Mu Lantu asked, surprised.
“Just a temporary one. The counselor picked the first student who registered—Qi Tianlu,” Song Bochao explained.
Mu Lantu’s mind stirred. “Do you know how many students are in our class? Is there a list?”
“Not sure. But I know Rooms 605–608 are all our class,” Song Bochao said.
Mu Lantu casually asked, “Anyone named Li Kaige? I think I saw him earlier—looked like he was in our class.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Song Bochao said vaguely.
Zhang Junyang shook his head firmly. “No. I may not remember every name, but that one I definitely didn’t see. You must’ve mistaken.”
“Maybe.” Mu Lantu ended the topic and messaged Xu Huazhang privately on Wechat.
[Mu Lantu]: Baby, are the students trapped in Infinite University dead in reality—or do they just… not exist?
[Baby]: Don’t overthink. You’ve already saved many people. You did great!
Zhao Yuanzhou, Fang Menglei, and several classmates who had joined later… They had all gone into Room 444 together. If they had managed to clear the Werewolf Game, then surely, like him and Xu Huazhang, they too had returned to the real world.
