"If I were to jump off a building... would that end the cycle?" Xie Zhenyu whispered.
Huang Bude, chin in hand, analyzed, "In most novel plots, there are two ways to escape the cycle."
"One, resolve the cause of the cycle's appearance."
"Two, kick the bucket."
No one knew the origin of the cycle. It could be something that happened, or it could be entering some unfathomable metaphysical state.
"If you die, there's indeed a 50% chance of successfully escaping the cycle..."
Huang Bude, having analyzed this far, suddenly realized something.
He quickly grabbed Xie Zhenyu's arm, "Brother, don't! What if you actually die!"
"Why don't we investigate first, see if anything special has happened."
Xie Zhenyu pushed his hand away, "I was just speculating, I didn't say I was actually going to jump."
"That's good, that's good." Huang Bude breathed a sigh of relief.
...
"Quiet!"
Without a teacher to maintain order, the classroom was a cacophony.
Everyone was talking over each other, like a marketplace.
The class monitor and the discipline committee members had called for quiet several times.
But after a brief silence, they started chatting again.
Finally, a teacher from the adjacent classroom, who was in the middle of a lesson, couldn't stand it.
They walked to the classroom door, knocked, and said in a clear, stern voice:
"It's class time, what are you all making noise for?"
"If the teacher isn't here, take out your books and read, don't talk!"
Seeing a teacher appear, the class instantly quieted down.
Some took out books, others started homework.
They all looked like diligent students.
After the teacher returned to their own classroom, they all started chatting again.
However, they lowered their voices, like mosquitoes, whispering softly.
Xie Zhenyu and Huang Bude also took out their notebooks and began to communicate in writing.
They listed all the current possibilities and analyzed them.
As for studying?
When a person doesn't want to do something, even if you tell them there's a fly on the ground, they'll find it interesting.
...
Ding ling—ding ling—
When the bell for the end of class rang, the two had finally formulated their next plan.
"That's it! We'll split up today and gather information, see if anything has happened."
"By the time you cycle again tonight, you'll at least have some clues."
Huang Bude put away the notebook in front of him and stood up first.
Xie Zhenyu also got up, "Thanks, brother."
Huang Bude chuckled, "What thanks? If you get out successfully, treat me to hot and sour noodles."
He didn't want to study anyway.
Being trapped in the same day was much more interesting than doing practice problems.
Then the two left the classroom and started wandering around the campus.
Junior high school building, high school building, cafeteria, residential buildings, restrooms...
Using the break time, the two tried to cover the entire campus.
They asked around to see if anything unusual had happened.
Time quickly passed to the afternoon.
The bell for the start of the last class rang.
Ding ling—ding ling—
Xie Zhenyu wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked towards the classroom.
He had run around all day and found nothing.
"I can only hope Huang Bude has some new information, otherwise... there's only evening study hall left."
Another possibility was that he would wake up and find the cycle had ended.
But that possibility was unlikely.
Xie Zhenyu thought as he walked into Class 3 of Grade 9.
In this deep winter, running kept him warm, but his face was truly cold.
By this time, the teacher had already arrived in the classroom.
Seeing Xie Zhenyu slowly entering, the teacher said, "Hurry up and take your seat."
Xie Zhenyu walked towards his seat, but halfway there, he noticed that his deskmate's seat was empty.
Huang Bude hadn't returned yet?
Had he gone too far?
In the previous class, Xie Zhenyu had run to the residential area and was quite late for class.
"Alright class, let's turn to page 37 of our geography book..."
On the podium, the teacher opened the book and placed it flat on the lectern.
Then, picking up chalk, they wrote the day's lesson content on the blackboard.
Xie Zhenyu had heard all of this yesterday.
He listened absentmindedly, propping his chin with one hand.
He was just waiting for Huang Bude to return to exchange information.
But gradually, half a class period passed, and Huang Bude still hadn't returned.
Xie Zhenyu became anxious, his legs under the desk started to tremble, and his gaze drifted out the window.
Trying to find Huang Bude's figure.
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
His eyes were fixed on the area below a building not far outside the window.
Huang Bude, wearing a yellow down jacket, seemed to have discovered something. After looking around, he started chasing something to his left.
Seeing this, Xie Zhenyu could no longer sit still.
"Teacher!"
He suddenly stood up and ran directly towards the classroom door.
"I have diarrhea and can't hold it!"
Ignoring what the teacher and classmates in the classroom thought, Xie Zhenyu chased in the direction where Huang Bude had appeared.
That was the high school teaching building.
Behind the teaching building was a small path. Since not many people walked on it, many students threw their trash down there.
After passing through the path and going around a small grove of trees,
what appeared before them was a block of old teacher dormitories.
There was also a small courtyard in front of the buildings, which had also been abandoned.
At first glance, it looked a bit eerie.
Xie Zhenyu scanned the area but didn't see Huang Bude's figure.
Just as he was wondering where to go, he suddenly heard a muffled thud.
Followed by a rustling dragging sound.
Xie Zhenyu's heart sank. For some reason, a sense of danger suddenly struck him.
Before he could figure out what was happening, his body instinctively retreated back into the small grove of trees.
Hiding himself behind the tall tree trunks.
Rustle—
Rustle—
The dragging sound grew closer.
From behind the old teacher dormitories, a figure wearing glasses and a black winter outfit emerged.
Miejue Shitai?!
What was she doing here?
Xie Zhenyu's heart leaped, but he dared not make a sound.
Next, he saw Miejue Shitai dragging something in her hands, walking step by step towards the courtyard in front of the old dormitory building.
As she moved forward, the thing behind her was gradually revealed.
A yellow down jacket was particularly conspicuous.
Huang Bude, facing upwards, with his eyes wide open, was being dragged motionlessly into the courtyard.
Miejue Shitai put down the feet she was holding and picked up a shovel, preparing to dig. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and looked around.
Xie Zhenyu quickly averted his gaze, his heart pounding like a drum, echoing in his ears.
Why, why...
The teacher? Huang Bude?
Could it be that this day was repeating because Huang Bude was killed?!
For a moment, Xie Zhenyu's mind was a mess.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but there was no more sound from the old dormitory building, and both Miejue Shitai and Huang Bude had disappeared.
The sky darkened.
Xie Zhenyu stretched his stiff legs and ran back towards the classroom.
He stepped on something on the way and fell, almost unable to get up.
At this moment, many students had already returned from the cafeteria after dinner.
They were chatting in the classroom.
"That braised pork was too greasy, I only ate half of it."
"Hahaha, I brought the beef sauce my mom made, it's great with rice."
"By the way, have you finished your homework?"
...
Xie Zhenyu listened to these voices and his mind gradually calmed down.
It was useless to ask students about something like this, he had to find a teacher to call the police!
He braked at the classroom door and turned towards the office.
Fortunately, there were still two teachers inside!
One was from Class 3, and the other was from Class 2.
Xie Zhenyu burst in, panting.
His voice was a bit dry, with a tremor, "Teacher! Huang Bude is dead!"
As soon as he spoke, both teachers looked over.
As if they suspected they had misheard, "What did you just say?"
Xie Zhenyu no longer knew how to organize his words, he said urgently:
"Huang Bude is dead! I saw Miejue... Teacher Wang buried him! In the courtyard in front of the old dormitory building!"
The teacher from Class 2 looked at the teacher from Class 3.
The teacher from Class 3 frowned and looked at Xie Zhenyu, "You skipped class, fine, but you can't just make up something like this?"
Xie Zhenyu: "Teacher, I'm not making it up, I saw it with my own eyes!"
"If you don't believe me, just come with me and see!"
Just as he finished speaking, a voice sounded from behind him.
"See what?"
Xie Zhenyu's body instantly froze.
It felt like being doused with a basin of cold water in the snow, from head to toe, chilling him to the bone.
...