April 11th Protocol: Do Not Break the Rules

If you're reading this, please find a way to wake yourself up as soon as possible, because it's watching you.

1

A sudden alarm clock jolted me awake.

Perhaps it was because I stayed up late last night finishing homework, but I felt exceptionally tired today.

Reluctantly, I got up and turned off the alarm.

April 11th, 6:00 AM sharp.

Time to get up for school.

All the curtains were drawn, making the room dim.

Mom and Dad must have already left,

because I called out for a long time, and the house was empty.

It seemed they didn't have time to make me breakfast today.

I sighed, looking at the empty dining table.

No choice but to eat at school.

Such a gloomy morning like this wasn't common in North City.

I hope it doesn't suddenly rain...

I touched the red umbrella tucked in the side pocket of my backpack.

Luckily, Mom prepared it for me in advance.

The school's standard breakfast was a carton of milk and a red bean bread.

It was clear everyone enjoyed the school breakfast.

The classroom was quiet; everyone was engrossed in their meal.

The morning self-study bell rang right after I finished eating.

Today we were reciting "Speech at the Funeral of Karl Marx" for Chinese class.

For some reason, I felt distracted, even though I used to love Chinese class. But today, I just couldn't concentrate.

I was looking around,

when I saw someone sneak in from the back row and quietly sit down.

I recognized her, Liu Dandan. She usually kept to herself. Wasn't she a good student? Why was she late today?

But the Chinese teacher probably didn't notice her. I met her gaze, and I saw a fleeting look of confusion in her eyes before she quickly turned away.

All the students recited in unison today; it even felt a bit too neat. I thought it might be because of the upcoming final exams.

After morning self-study, the homeroom teacher called me to the office. It turned out the English teacher was on leave today, and English class was changed to self-study.

As the English class representative, I carried the test papers assigned by the English teacher back to the classroom.

The class monitor, Chen Yao, was very enthusiastic and helped me distribute the papers.

For lunch, the cafeteria served clay pot rice. Since I loved it, I ordered an extra portion.

The first class in the afternoon was math. I noticed Liu Dandan wasn't there.

I skipped the subsequent PE class due to my period and rested alone in the infirmary. The school nurse wasn't there.

Then, something strange happened during evening self-study.

Liu Dandan's parents arrived, saying she wasn't feeling well and wanted to take her home.

Midway through self-study, our homeroom teacher, who also taught math, came in with her parents and the security guard. The classroom was silent; everyone was engrossed in writing something.

Liu Dandan, sitting in the back, suddenly started screaming when she saw them, frantically trying to run out. But the security guard grabbed her, and then they covered her mouth, dragging her out of the classroom by her arms.

Yes, she was dragged out.

I felt something was wrong,

but when I turned my head, all the students were writing furiously as if nothing had happened.

Just then, my deskmate suddenly turned to me and asked with a smile, "What happened?"

Her lips curved upwards, but her eyes were motionless.

A strange feeling sent a chill down my spine. I shook my head and continued with my homework.

A difficult-to-describe dragging sound came from outside the window, but I decided to pretend I didn't hear it.

Finally, school was over.

I desperately wanted to run home, but as I passed the back gate, I saw a note dropped in the corner.

My intuition told me it was Liu Dandan's.

Seizing the moment when no one was around, I quickly hid it in my pocket.

It started raining on the way home, how unlucky. I had to walk home in the rain.

When I got home, Mom and Dad hadn't returned yet.

The unlit room was pitch black. The living room light was broken; I couldn't turn it on no matter what.

I had no choice but to go back to my room first.

I remembered the note I picked up and pulled it out of my backpack.

Under the dim light, a few words were hastily written in red pen.

Wake up quickly!

I didn't understand what it meant.

The next second, I lost consciousness—

A sudden alarm clock woke me up.

I felt a little tired. Did I stay up too late doing homework?

I looked up at the alarm clock on my desk—

April 11th, 6:00 AM sharp.

2

Today, the school's standard breakfast was red bean bread. For some reason, I didn't have much of an appetite and only ate two bites.

I kept feeling like I'd forgotten something and was distracted throughout morning self-study.

The English teacher was on leave today, so English class became self-study.

Chen Yao, the class monitor, was very enthusiastic and helped me distribute the practice papers.

But by the end, there was one extra. Shouldn't there be 46?

Did I count one too many?

Are there 46 or 45 people in our class? I suddenly felt confused.

For lunch, the cafeteria served clay pot rice. I didn't like it much and only took two bites.

The first class in the afternoon was math.

Everyone listened attentively in the homeroom teacher's class.

But I kept feeling like something was missing. I looked back at the empty seat in the back row of the classroom.

Was there someone in that seat before?

Liu Dandan wasn't there.

It was as if something in my mind was trying to remind me,

but this thought quickly flashed by. Wait... who is Liu Dandan?

Wake up quickly!

These large characters suddenly appeared vividly before my eyes.

That's right, Liu Dandan!

Liu Dandan is my classmate; she's gone!

There are 46 people in our class; I didn't count too many English papers!

Today is April 11th, and yesterday was too!

At this thought, my mind suddenly exploded, my consciousness began to scatter, and cold sweat poured down my body.

Something's wrong, very wrong.

I turned my head with difficulty to ask my deskmate, Cao Min, "Where's Liu Dandan? Why didn't she come to class?"

She was expressionless and retorted, "Who is Liu Dandan?"

My heart sank. Liu Dandan had disappeared.

Everything was too bizarre. I froze in my seat, not daring to breathe.

Finally, class ended, and the students went to PE.

I still excused myself due to my period and slipped back into the classroom from the infirmary.

Liu Dandan's original desk was haphazardly piled in the corner, covered in dust, as if it had never been used.

Am I dreaming?

Or were all my previous memories just a dream?

What date was yesterday anyway?

Was there even a Liu Dandan in our class?

A series of questions,

like countless densely packed threads, tightened my scalp.

My hands trembling, I fumbled with Liu Dandan's desk.

The drawer was empty, nothing but dust.

As if no one had ever used it.

But just as I was about to withdraw my hand, the back of my hand brushed against something.

I took the object out. It was a worn notebook with a black cover, taped to the top of the drawer.

I quickly ran and hid in the girls' restroom.

While everyone was in PE, I secretly flipped through it.

The first few pages were torn out,

leaving many irregular jagged edges.

The latest page read:

"Today is April 11th again.

This is my eighty-seventh April 11th.

I know that thing is watching me, but I've tried everything and still can't find it..."

The diary stopped abruptly there.

My scalp tingled, and my hands and feet turned icy cold.

In the silent space, only the continuous dripping sound from the sink echoed.

My trembling fingers fumbled and found a piece of paper hidden in a secret corner under the book cover.

It was densely covered with rules, and the first one read:

If you are reading this,

please find a way to wake yourself up as soon as possible, no matter what.

Because it's watching you.

3

"My name is Liu Dandan. If you're reading these rules, please, please, please follow them!"

...

• [2] Absolutely remember not to eat school meals. If you're hungry, you can go to the convenience store in the cafeteria on the first floor, but be careful not to buy red bean bread or milk.
• [3] Try your best to follow what the teachers say and don't act differently from others. Hide well; don't let it find you.
• [4] You must be home before dark. Home is safe. It will try to trap you. If you can't get back, the laboratory might be safe.
• [5] If you are alone in the classroom/infirmary/laboratory or any space, remember to make sure the door is closed. If the door suddenly opens, something has come in.
• [6] When passing the seventh-floor staircase of the main teaching building, do not look at the mirror on the wall.
• [7] The faucet in the washroom will keep dripping water. Do not try to turn it off. If the dripping stops, lock the cubicle door, close your eyes, and count to 100 in your mind. During this process, do not make any sound, no matter what touches you, and do not open your eyes.
• [8] Some students and teachers have been replaced by "those things." Find a way to distinguish them as soon as possible.
• [9] Trust no one.
• [10] Finally, and most importantly, find the extra thing and kill it. Otherwise, it will kill you.

...

The handwriting became increasingly messy towards the end.

I struggled to decipher it, and the unease and panic in my heart intensified.

If this was real,

it meant I was caught in an unknown loop,

and I could become like Liu Dandan at any moment...

My gaze fell on the tenth rule... Did Liu Dandan disappear because "that thing" killed her?

Just then, I suddenly noticed something,

something I had vaguely sensed but hadn't consciously realized—

The sound of the sink had stopped.

My mind exploded with a sudden boom.

Lock the bathroom door.

The rule from the diary leaped before my eyes.

4

"23... 24... 25... 26..."

I squeezed my eyes shut, even holding my breath, counting silently in my mind.

The air around me seemed to grow colder with each count.

My heart rate involuntarily quickened.

I felt something approaching.

My feet went weak, and my whole body froze.

A pungent, rotten smell suddenly rushed into my nostrils.

Next came a dragging sound on the tiles,

a wet and sticky sound,

which instantly made me want to gag.

A thought flashed in my mind—

rotten flesh.

"48..."

The sound suddenly stopped in front of my door.

Then, with a "thud," it seemed to press entirely against my door—

It was listening for sounds inside...

My breathing instantly hitched.

Only by desperately covering my mouth could I suppress a scream.

"63... 64..."

Every second felt as long as a century.

After a long while, no more sounds seemed to come.

Had it left?

Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly felt a chill on my head.

Something was dripping...

Drip... drip...

Making a regular dripping sound...

Had the sink started dripping again? Or...

Or... was that thing right above me?

...

"...89... 90..."

I could clearly feel that thing getting closer to me.

A fishy smell was near my face...

My mind went blank, and cold sweat soaked my back.

"95... 96..."

Almost there.

"100..."

Could I open my eyes now?

I wasn't sure.

The murky breath and oppressive feeling on my face instantly vanished.

Even the bloody smell in the air disappeared.

The distant sink resumed dripping.

But could I really open my eyes now?

I counted ten more in my mind, then suddenly gathered the courage to open my eyes—

It was still an empty restroom.

There was nothing inside,

as if nothing had happened.

But that feeling of fear and oppression lingered in my heart.

Was everything that just happened real?

When I returned to the classroom,

almost all the students who had finished PE were back.

Their faces wore bright smiles,

seemingly no different from ordinary high school students enjoying their youth on campus.

But I knew that the eerie feeling was always there,

always lingering.

"You're acting strange."

Suddenly, someone spoke, startling me.

I sharply turned around, and it was my deskmate, Cao Min.

She had the same bright smile as all the other students,

but her eyes were fixed on me.

"You're acting strange," she repeated.

I took a deep breath, suppressing my nervousness, and replied, "I have my period."

She didn't say anything more after hearing that and turned her head back to the blackboard.

I was about to pretend nothing happened and continue with class,

but out of the corner of my eye, I saw that although Cao Min was sitting upright facing the blackboard, her eyes were peeled to the corner of her vision,

staring intently at me without blinking.

Find the extra thing and kill it.

Liu Dandan's rule reappeared before my eyes.

Was Cao Min that extra thing?

My neck stiffened, and a chill ran down my spine under Cao Min's eerie gaze.

Should I kill her? Should I kill her? Should I kill her?

...

I pretended to drop my pen on the floor,

bent down to pick it up, and incidentally bumped into the sitting Cao Min, trying to break her unsettling gaze.

Just as I was congratulating myself on my little trick working,

I realized something.

I think I found a way to distinguish them—

Because Cao Min had no shadow under her feet.

5

Finally, school was over.

Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed my backpack and rushed home.

Home is safe.

I'll be safe once I'm home.

I saw the sky outside, which had been clear in the afternoon, suddenly turn stormy.

A flash of lightning instantly illuminated the entire dim school.

I touched the side pocket of my backpack; no umbrella.

I went to the first floor and pulled my school uniform jacket over my head.

It didn't matter.

I had to get back, even in the rain.

Then I reached out to push the door—

The door was locked.

Through the glass, I could see a huge chain fastened the door from the outside—

It will try to trap you.

The window!

I quickly reacted,

turning to run to the first-floor windows,

but after trying each one,

I despaired...

They were all stuck.

Through the glass door, I saw countless familiar classmates,

as if appearing out of nowhere,

walking arm-in-arm, laughing, and playing, heading out the school gate...

Only I was trapped in place...

A massive sense of helplessness overwhelmed me.

Save me... someone save me.

...

"Aren't you going home?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind.

I turned around.

On the first-floor steps, Cao Min stood there, looking at me.

"Go..." I felt my voice hoarse. "I forgot something."

I took difficult steps,

trying my best to appear calm as I walked up the stairs, past her,

then immediately ran away frantically...

"Laboratory! Laboratory!"

I'll be safe once I'm in the lab.

I could see Cao Min downstairs craning her neck, looking up the elevator shaft to see which floor I was going to.

I covered my mouth and ran, trying not to scream,

rushing into the laboratory as fast as I could and locking the door.

I hid behind a cabinet, just like I did in the restroom, tightly closing my eyes,

constantly reassuring myself: "The laboratory is safe, the laboratory is safe,"

hoping that, like last time, everything would return to normal after I counted to a hundred.

Just then,

a pair of large hands unexpectedly grabbed me whole.

Just as I was about to scream,

my mouth was clamped shut.

I instinctively struggled, but after seeing the person,

I suddenly froze—

It was a brown-haired boy I had never seen before.

He signaled me to be quiet,

and I immediately understood. Unable to speak with my mouth covered, I could only nod to him.

Only then did he release me.

"My name is Lin He. I'm from Senior 3 Class A," he said.

Could he also be someone who had woken up, like me?

Just as I was about to ask something,

his expression suddenly became solemn, as if he had seen something;

"When you just came in... did you close the door?"

I followed his gaze.

The laboratory door was open.

6

Lin He must have understood the situation from my expression.

He reacted instantly, turned off the lights immediately,

pulled me to hide under a table, and once again clamped his hand over my mouth.

In a voice only we could hear, he whispered in my ear:

"Don't make a sound."

The moment he finished speaking,

in the silent darkness of the empty laboratory,

a third person's footsteps suddenly echoed out of nowhere, besides us two.

Pat-pat. Pat-pat.

With each step, my scalp tingled even more.

Then,

the footsteps turned into the wet, sticky dragging sound I had heard in the restroom this afternoon,

which was even more bone-chilling in the current confined, unseen environment.

I could feel Lin He's grip tightening behind me,

but then, there was a long silence...

Just as I caught my breath,

a flash of lightning illuminated the sky,

lighting up most of the laboratory,

and the next sight made me nearly cry out in terror—

A hideous, bloody, mangled face was staring right at us.

Fortunately, Lin He grabbed me in time.

My eyes widened; I could hardly believe what I was seeing—

It wasn't so much a face,

as it was a lump of flesh,

like a mass of tissue that had been crushed by a huge force, then kneaded and reassembled.

And the dragging sound I heard

was precisely this lump of flesh moving on the floor.

And at this moment, it seemed to be squatting in front of us, straining to hear our slightest movements.

At the same time, Lin He beside me seemed to sense my fear,

and gently held my trembling hand.

As another thunderclap sounded,

high heels clicked on the floor in the corridor outside the laboratory.

The lump of flesh heard this sound,

suddenly moved,

and then quickly rushed out the door.

Lin He reacted faster than I did;

he followed closely, locking the door the moment that thing went out.

"It's okay," he said.

It's okay.

Hearing someone say these three words to me,

my day-long tension suddenly eased.

I managed to support myself onto a nearby chair,

forcing a smile I thought wasn't too ugly, and introduced myself to this new friend:

"My name is Song Huai."

"I know you." Lin He pulled up a chair and sat next to me. "I know everyone in this school. You must have just woken up, right?"

I nodded, then realized he might have woken up much earlier than me and had been repeating the loop alone for a long time.

In the darkness, his face was pale and bloodless,

like a frail boy who could lose his life at any moment.

"How long have you been repeating?" I asked the question I cared about most.

He lowered his head, his eyes suddenly dimming. "Two hundred and sixty-one times."

Upon hearing that number, my last shred of hope, like a candle burning its last flicker, slowly extinguished...

Too long.

Lin He must have noticed the change in my eyes,

and tried to lift his spirits to comfort me, "At least there are two of us now. The chances of getting out are a bit higher, aren't they? I've tried so hard for so long and haven't given up, so don't lose heart."

"Then do you know Liu Dandan?"

He shook his head. "Is there such a person in our school?"

I didn't continue. Do people who disappear also get forgotten by those who wake up?

Or did Lin He genuinely not know there was a Liu Dandan?

I remembered the words in the notebook,

Trust no one.

Could Lin He, right in front of me, be trusted?

He seemed unfazed by this little interlude and said to me, "If you're trapped in school at night, you can hide in the laboratory. Those things hate the smell of formaldehyde."

"What are those things...?" To be honest, there were many parts of Liu Dandan's rules that I still didn't understand. If Lin He had truly been looping here for so long, he must know no less than Liu Dandan.

"That thing is something it created to replace human entities in this space," he explained. "When some of us are chosen and killed by it, to maintain the cycle of this space without disruption, it puts that thing – what you saw tonight – in to replace the original person."

"Then who is 'it'?"

"I think if I knew who 'it' was, I wouldn't be stuck in this loop for so long, don't you agree?" He lightly mocked himself as if telling a joke.

I remembered the method mentioned in Liu Dandan's diary, so I tentatively asked, "So, if we find it and kill it, can we end the loop?"

Lin He, however, showed an expression I hadn't expected.

His expression seemed to suggest he had heard something very frightening.

He asked me in return, "What if we pick the wrong one? Do you know what that means?"

Seeing me silent, he pressed further, "That means you would kill your classmate... Can you bear that?"

His series of questions made me hesitate. I murmured, "But... you must also know this might be the only way out..."

"Even if we do nothing, it will eventually kill everyone. Leaving here might save the rest of us. How do you choose?" I asked him back.

From Lin He's expression, I could tell he had probably guessed the way out long ago but was afraid to do anything, allowing the cycle to continue.

"If it were me, I'd choose to end this cycle. Even if I commit a sin, I'd bear that sin alone and live on, because I truly, truly want to save everyone," I looked at him.

Thunder still roared outside.

Lin He remained silent for a long time,

as if finally making up his mind: "Okay, let's try. Let's find it together."

Then I suddenly remembered my discovery this afternoon and told him about my deskmate Cao Min's strangeness.

After hearing my account, Lin He suddenly stepped back.

Just as I was about to ask for details,

he comforted me, telling me to get some rest early. He took off his jacket and covered me with it, saying, "See you on the rooftop tomorrow morning. Remember not to eat school breakfast."

And so, after a day of exhaustion,

leaning against the wall, I gradually fell asleep...

7

The alarm rang.

It was still April 11th.

I woke up in my bed at home.

I took a knife from the kitchen.

As agreed with Lin He,

I arrived at the rooftop early, before morning self-study began.

The sky brightened suddenly, and I watched the sun slowly rise from the horizon,

just as I had seen it every single day,

giving me a brief moment of solace in this terrifying routine.

But I waited on the rooftop until the morning self-study bell rang, and Lin He never came.

A huge sense of unease washed over me.

My heart pounded furiously,

premonition that something bad must have happened.

Just as I turned to open the rooftop stairwell door,

the scene before my eyes

made me fall directly to the ground in fear—

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

As the sun gradually rose and illuminated the ground,

I saw the end of the blood trail.

There lay a person,

their body pierced by a sharp umbrella handle,

eyes wide open, but already lifeless.

That person was my deskmate, Cao Min.

That large red umbrella was like a bloody maw,

grinning madly, silently laughing at me—

I remembered,

that was my umbrella.

Lin He!

I ran frantically down the corridor of the teaching building,

countless thoughts flashing through my mind—

Did Lin He kill Cao Min?

Or was Cao Min killed by it?

If Cao Min was it, then the loop would have ended.

But it was still April 11th.

The loop hadn't ended.

Or perhaps Lin He was it?

All sorts of guesses flooded my mind.

I no longer cared about the looks of those around me.

I rushed to the Senior 3 Class A classroom.

The bell for the end of morning self-study rang.

Lin He and two of his classmates, who were just leaving,

collided head-on with me.

Before I could speak, he suddenly spoke first: "Hey, watch where you're going, classmate."

I stood frozen.

Didn't he recognize me?

I looked at his currently vibrant eyes,

completely unlike the pale, sickly boy who seemed like he'd fall over in a gust of wind last night.

He showed no sign of having endured 262 cycles in this loop.

I opened my mouth.

All the questions I had wanted to ask were suddenly stuck in my throat.

Looking at his confused eyes, I realized he truly didn't remember.

I lowered my head.

There was no shadow under Lin He's feet. The two people beside him were the same.

I instinctively took a step back.

Before they could notice my abnormality,

I turned and ran for my life.

Lin He had also been replaced.

Only I was left.

8

When I arrived at the classroom,

the homeroom teacher was staring at me.

I was afraid he would notice my abnormality,

so I stood at the door, not daring to enter.

He seemed a little angry but didn't press me.

He just criticized, "You've been led astray by your deskmate, always disappearing during class. The English teacher isn't here today, so hurry up and hand out the papers."

I realized that according to the original schedule, I should have gone to get the papers before English class to distribute them to the class.

But since I wasn't there, the class monitor, Chen Yao, had already brought the papers.

After thanking her, I handed out the papers to everyone.

Then, English self-study began.

Looking at Cao Min's empty desk,

I suddenly recalled

the sound of high heels from last night.

Last night, besides me and Lin He,

there must have been someone else.

I had to find that person first.

For PE class in the afternoon, I still used my period as an excuse,

and went to the infirmary.

There was no one in the infirmary.

This time, I made sure to lock the door properly,

and I also drew the curtains to be safe.

I lay alone on the sickbed, staring blankly at the stark white ceiling.

I had never doubted my teachers before,

but the Chinese teacher, who was always unfazed by anything, the English teacher, who was always on leave, and the school nurse, who never appeared—there seemed to be a secret hidden among them.

Just as I was lost in thought,

I suddenly heard the sound of a key unlocking the door.

My conditioned reflex made me immediately cover my mouth and huddle in the corner.

The person who came in was also surprised to see me.

"Oh, someone's in here?"

It was the school nurse.

She came in, tied her hair with a hair tie,

hung her jacket on the hanger,

then sat down and asked me, "Feeling unwell? Why aren't you in class?"

I cowered in the corner, motionless,

not daring to answer her,

because I saw on her feet,

she was wearing a pair of red high heels...

I didn't dare speak.

The person in front of me clearly had no shadow.

But the school nurse seemed to understand my reaction,

and then asked, "You're awake, aren't you?"

I didn't react. Was the school nurse also awake?

I couldn't believe it.

She continued, "You might think you can distinguish between humans and non-humans by their shadows, but that won't work. This is an unreal space. Depending on its understanding of reality, sometimes abnormal settings appear... For example, those non-humans turn into lumps of flesh at night, some people have no shadows, things disappear and reappear, and even if the outcome deviates, it will always return to the starting point..."

"Since you know so much, Teacher... then do you know how to find it?" I asked timidly.

"I've had my suspicions about people, but it's not that easy to discern. After all, I don't want to accidentally harm others." The school nurse calmly tapped the tip of her ballpoint pen on the notebook in front of her, leaving small marks on the paper.

"So, you've actually been at school all along, Teacher? Even last night?" I asked.

"Occasionally, but I never stay here at night," she replied.

"If you think of anything, you can come find me anytime," she said before I left the infirmary.

I agreed, but a thought lingered in my mind—

She's lying!

She was here last night! It's very possible she killed Cao Min.

9

My mind raced,

and I picked up my pace after leaving the infirmary.

She might be more dangerous than it.

The school nurse knew about Lin He and my method of distinguishing humans from non-humans by their shadows.

And only if she knew I suspected Cao Min,

would she say those words to me,

and she was very certain my verification method was wrong,

so there's only one possibility,

which is that she killed Cao Min, but the loop didn't end,

so she found my hypothesis to be incorrect.

Did she also take my umbrella? Why did she use my umbrella to kill Cao Min?

Why did Lin He suddenly forget everything?

Why, after Cao Min died, did she not vanish from everyone's memory like Liu Dandan?

Many other questions flashed through my mind, finding no answers.

Suddenly, my steps gradually slowed.

I found the problem...

I knew who it was.

10

My name is Song Huai.

I'm trapped in an infinite loop.

Constantly repeating the same day; my time is forever stuck on April 11th.

There's a monster in my school.

I don't know what it is,

or what it looks like.

Everyone calls it "it."

From the limited information I have,

"it" operates within a repeating loop,

choosing people to kill,

and creating lumps of flesh to replace the chosen victims,

using these non-human entities to maintain the normal continuation of the loop.

Occasionally, there are exceptions.

Some people "wake up,"

and realize they are in the loop,

though their degree of "awakening" varies.

But what they have in common is their desire to break the loop.

And once "it" discovers these people, it actively erases their existence.

However, as far as I know, there's one exception: a person named Lin He.

For unknown reasons, he lost his "awake" state and his memories of the loop.

Furthermore,

some people, in an attempt to end the loop,

try to find "it" in their own way,

and kill "it."

But so far, no one has succeeded,

and the people mistakenly killed do not disappear.

Therefore, the school nurse, who killed Cao Min, and the homeroom teacher, who noticed Cao Min wasn't in class,

still remember her.

There are 46 people in our class.

Liu Dandan disappeared, leaving 45 people.

Cao Min's desk was empty, with no papers.

So when Chen Yao counted the papers, she counted 44.

Chen Yao knows Cao Min is dead.

Chen Yao is it.

Realizing this, I understood everything, so I pulled my knife from my backpack.

11

A sudden alarm clock jolted me awake.

I immediately opened my eyes, got up, and turned off the alarm.

April 12th, 6:00 AM sharp.

A new day, the loop had ended.

Everything was over...

The enormous weight in my heart finally lifted.

I walked out of my room with light steps.

Mom had already made breakfast and placed it on the table.

Dad was reading the newspaper,

urging me to eat quickly so he could drop me off at school on his way.

I'd never felt the happiness of an ordinary life as intensely as at this moment.

My eyes involuntarily welled up.

It was truly wonderful.

I rushed over and hugged them.

After arriving at school, I skipped morning self-study,

and went to the rooftop alone.

Today's sunrise seemed no different from usual,

but for me, it signified a new beginning.

I breathed in the free air with immense greed.

As I was dozing off,

someone shook me awake. It was Cao Min.

Her face seemed a little hazy to me;

it was as if the lingering memories from the loop were appearing before my eyes one by one.

Seeing me in a daze, she waved her hand in front of me,

and gave a brilliant smile: "What's wrong? Still sleepy? Hurry back to class."

I sighed in relief.

Everything was over.

She was real, and thankfully she wasn't dead.

I took her hand and listened to her chat about the latest celebrity gossip as we walked downstairs.

As we passed the seventh floor,

I suddenly remembered a rule Liu Dandan had written in her diary that I had almost forgotten.

When passing the seventh-floor staircase of the main teaching building, do not look at the mirror on the wall.

I was a bit confused, why was that?

I turned my head and looked at the mirror on the wall,

and in that instant, I understood the rule.

Because the mirror reflected my own image—

A lump of flesh.

I suddenly understood why Lin He had instinctively stepped back that day after I told him Cao Min had no shadow.

It was because, under the lightning, he saw my shadow on the ground.

It turned out that shadows really could reveal it.

I wasn't wrong;

I just got it backward.

And the loop hadn't ended,

and I think I found it.

12

I have no name.

To choose my prey, I initiated a loop.

Only when I select and kill someone

will the next day begin.

It's an interesting game.

I even temporarily gave myself a name,

Song Huai.

Gradually, some people discovered this loop.

The game became less fun.

To prevent anyone from disturbing my game,

I erased the existence of those who found out.

However, my deskmate's gaze became increasingly strange,

was she suspecting me?

It rained heavily that night.

My umbrella was taken by someone, I don't know who.

But I had to get home quickly,

otherwise, when midnight struck, I would turn into a pile of rotten flesh.

The next day, I couldn't go home.

I met a boy named Lin He.

He seemed to want to protect me,

but unfortunately, I still fell asleep,

and turned into a lump of flesh right under his nose.

It seems he couldn't protect me.

It's a pity, so I erased his memories.

The school nurse seemed to suspect me.

I think she stole my umbrella,

just to trap me and keep me at school.

But after she finally managed to trap me in the laboratory that day,

she heard my conversation with Lin He.

Unfortunately, she was discovered and chased by the lump of flesh I created,

so she didn't see me revert to my true form.

What a shame.

However, the next day, she also realized she had guessed the wrong person,

and tried to test me again.

But I won't easily reveal my weakness,

and I've already chosen someone.

So, I pulled my knife from my backpack.