AnalogHorror: Rule Kaidan 4016
Chapter 52 - 52 24 The Notice Board in Front of the Cafeteria_2

52: Chapter 24: The Notice Board in Front of the Cafeteria_2 52: Chapter 24: The Notice Board in Front of the Cafeteria_2 “Are you guys going to eat too?” Lin Yi asked.

Xie Huayang angrily said, “Damn it, Fatty Xu put on airs and let you guys eat his cookies, and if we don’t eat, are we supposed to stay and gnaw on the desks?”

Lin Yi said nothing, looking somewhat annoyed.

Wei Liang stepped in to smooth things over, “Alright, alright, let’s go together, but just to be clear, everyone pays with their own card!”

Xie Huayang sneered, “Hey, I have plenty of money on my card.”

Wei Liang didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling, but the student handbook specifically stated not to hand your student ID card to someone else.

…

May 7, 2023, 11:12.

After checking the time, Lin Yi descended the steps of the Teaching Building and followed the marked route on the map towards the cafeteria.

Walking on the cobblestone-paved path, Lin Yi paid close attention to the positions and numbers of the lampposts along the way, comparing them with the map in his hand.

Suddenly, he noticed that the numbers and positions of the lampposts on the ground matched the map exactly.

But with this realization came a problem.

“If the location info matches the map exactly, then the distance from the school gate to the Teaching Building shouldn’t be long…

but in reality, it took a very long time to walk.”

“Moreover, when the mist rose last evening, the distance between lampposts obviously differed from what’s on the map, and even their positions seemed altered…”

Lin Yi continued walking and pondering the issue.

“Could it be that some of the lampposts were not lit?

Like the lights in the classroom that turn off?”

He shook his head at that thought.

“It shouldn’t be that.

The rules about classroom lights flickering and going out are written in the teaching building’s regulations.

And the student handbook clearly states ‘All campus lights will turn on after 18:00,’ so there’s no case of lights going out!”

“So what exactly is going on?”

He frowned, unable to understand the problem however hard he thought.

The reason for this wasn’t a flaw in logic, but rather that the reality he encountered conflicted with the rules, making the entire issue very sensitive…

And there was another issue that kept bothering Lin Yi, which was this one:

[After 18:00, all campus lights will turn on.

At this time, you can find the nearest lamppost and walk continuously in the direction of decreasing numbers.

You will encounter a security guard.

Please follow the security guard until you reach the building on the map, and leave the security guard’s side before any other students notice you.]

Keep walking in the direction of decreasing numbers on the lampposts, and you’ll meet a security guard.

According to the map attached to the Teaching Building regulations from S University, the campus lamps are completely disordered, for example around “Teaching Building-017,” there are “Teaching Building-016” and “Teaching Building-012,” but their spatial relationships are completely opposite.

If you really walked in the direction of decreasing lamp numbers, you’d likely become completely disoriented.

Lin Yi walked and thought when suddenly he noticed some strange marks on the cobblestone ground and stopped in his tracks, crouching down.

“What’s up, Old Lin?” Wei Liang asked.

Crouching on the ground, Lin Yi looked closely at the gaps between the cobblestones, with furrowed brows, he said, “Liangzi, look, is this plaster powder?”

“What?” Wei Liang exclaimed, quickly bending down to look, and indeed saw the gaps between the cobblestones filled with hardened white plaster-like substance, as if someone had rubbed plaster onto the cobblestone pavement.

This plaster-like substance scattered within the gaps of the cobblestone surface extended to the end of the road.

Xu Shunkang and Xie Huayang, seeing that Lin Yi had found something, merely glanced at the plaster-like substance without uttering a word.

The four of them continued towards the cafeteria.

Lin Yi, noticing the substance all along the way, felt his expression darken under the sunlight, still sensing a chilling feeling despite the warmth of the sun.

He didn’t yet know how it was formed, but a very unpleasant feeling had taken root in his heart at that moment.

Walking and stopping intermittently, around 11:12, the silhouette of a building emerged from behind the greenery in the distance.

According to the map, that was the cafeteria of S City University.

Since S City University is located in the suburban mountainous terrain, the ground not only has a sloped tendency, but some areas are even carved out of the gentler parts of the mountain to accommodate the teaching buildings.

The cafeteria was almost of the same design.

The cafeteria, from a distance, looked like a two-story building, but it actually had three floors.

Because of its location on the mountain, the layer Lin Yi could see with his naked eye was actually the second floor of the cafeteria, which could be reached only by stairs or an elevator.

The overall appearance of the cafeteria was very common, looking like a long box embedded into the mountain, then painted with some orange-yellow paint full of the school’s spirit.

However, due to its attachment to the mountain, the walls of the cafeteria were covered with vegetation, and some windows couldn’t even be opened.

“We’re almost at the cafeteria, Old Lin, how long have we walked?” Wei Liang asked with concern.

Lin Yi looked at his watch and then said, “So far, it’s been 10 minutes.

Judging by the look of it, we should reach the cafeteria in about 15 minutes.”

“Hmm, that’s about the same time it took me back then,” Wei Liang nodded.

Lin Yi’s mind stirred: “What do you mean?

Didn’t you take this route before?”

A hint of confusion flashed in Wei Liang’s eyes, then he said uncertainly, “I can’t remember clearly, but it feels like there’s a slight difference…

It could also be my ‘Mandela effect’, so maybe I’m misremembering.”

Lin Yi silently nodded his head, saying nothing.

On May 7, 2023, at 11:16, Lin Yi and his three companions arrived in front of the cafeteria.

On the must-pass route to enter the cafeteria, there stood a huge and eye-catching signboard, with content that was quite simple:

[Cafeteria Opening Hours:

5:40~8:00;

10:40~13:20;

16:00~20:00]

Following that, there were four lines of warnings, each marked with strong exclamation points:

[No entering the cafeteria outside opening hours!

No entering the cafeteria during abnormal weather conditions!

No entering the cafeteria without a Student ID card!

Please follow the cafeteria rules within the cafeteria area!]

Beyond this was a line of small print:

[Detailed cafeteria rules can be found on the shelf below, please make sure you have read through the cafeteria rules before entering to understand the relevant content.

You can also carry the cafeteria rules with you to avoid forgetting them, but please return the rules to their place here when you leave the cafeteria.]

This huge signboard, like a talisman to ward off evil, stood erect on the ground.

The four warnings seemed ordinary but given the environment, they carried a strange air; despite seeming alarmist, Lin Yi strangely didn’t find it odd at all.

He approached the signboard and indeed saw a large number of “Cafeteria Rules” on the shelf below.

Lin Yi and Wei Liang followed the signboard’s reminder and each picked up a copy.

Just as Lin Yi was about to browse through it, he noticed Xu Shunkang and Xie Huayang standing aside, indifferent.

“Aren’t you going to look?” Lin Yi asked, puzzled.

Xie Huayang couldn’t be bothered to speak.

Xu Shunkang gave a half-smile and said, “You guys read it, we’re not looking at the ‘Cafeteria Rules.’ ”

“Then…

should we carry a copy on us?” Wei Liang offered two copies of the “Cafeteria Rules.”

Xie Huayang slapped away his hand, saying impatiently, “Stop talking nonsense, you guys just hurry up and read.

If you keep dilly-dallying, even all the time in the world wouldn’t be enough for you to have a meal.”

“Alright, alright, alright…

calm down, calm down.” Xu Shunkang laughed and soothed Xie Huayang’s unease, quickly adding, “As long as you two read it, that’s fine.

We’ll wait here for you guys to finish, then we’ll go together.”

Although mentioning the “Cafeteria Rules,” his gaze avoided the “Cafeteria Rules” the entire time.