Happy Kindergarten

At exactly six o'clock in the evening, the piercing bell rang, followed by the same warm yet cold voice of "Principal Mom" ​​over the loudspeaker: "Dear teachers, thank you for your hard work. Please return to your dormitories to rest as soon as possible. The kindergarten needs to be quiet at night, so please be sure to follow the rules and do not leave your dormitories. Sweet dreams."

The dormitory building's main door was locked shut from the outside with a "click," the sound of metal clanging echoing in the silent corridor, making the remaining nine candidates tense.

Shi Mo's dormitory room was 204. His roommate was a relatively calm-looking young man named Wang Ke. The two checked the room; it was simply furnished with two single beds, a wardrobe, a bathroom with a shower, and windows with safety bars.

"One person died on the first day..." Wang Ke leaned against the door, let out a long sigh, and looked unwell. "That Zhuangzhuang... he's a monster."

"Under the rules, all beings are equal." Shi Mo walked to the window, looking at the completely darkened night outside, and said calmly, "Either obey, or die."

"You're right." Wang Ke nodded, trying to calm himself down. "As long as we don't break the rules and don't go out at night, we should be able to get through this safely. Three days will pass quickly." He preferred the most conservative strategy; survival was victory.

Shi Mo remained noncommittal, took out the candy Lingling had given him from his pocket, and examined it under the light. The transparent wrapper revealed an orange-yellow fruit candy inside.

"Sugar?" Wang Ke asked, puzzled. "Where did it come from?"

"A child gave it to me." Shi Mo didn't say much, carefully putting the candy away. He had no intention of eating it; he remembered Lingling's warning.

"Given by the child?" Wang Ke frowned. "It's better to be careful; you can't just eat or touch anything here."

Shi Mo tried to call out to the system in his mind: "Regarding the hidden mission, do you have any more specific clues about why we can't go out at night?"

[Host, clues are likely hidden in your daytime interactions with the children, or in subtle environmental anomalies.] The system's answer remained vague. [You will need to explore and discover these things yourself. This system can only confirm that there is something completely different in the kindergarten at night compared to during the day; going outside is extremely dangerous.]

It seems the system can't offer much help either.

Shi Mo didn't ask any more questions, lay down on the bed fully clothed, and closed his eyes to rest. Seeing this, Wang Ke had no choice but to suppress his unease and lie down on another bed.

Time passed in deathly silence. The kindergarten seemed to have become a giant tomb; there were no insects chirping or birds singing, only the sound of one's own heartbeat and breathing.

This absolute silence is even more torturous to one's nerves.

Around midnight, the strange noise finally occurred.

First came an extremely faint, "patter, patter" sound, like bare feet stepping on a damp floor, coming from the end of the corridor closer and closer.

Immediately afterwards, faint, eerie laughter rang out, a sound both ethereal and sinister, filled with malice, as if they were playing some cruel game. There were also some indistinct whispers, the content of which was unclear, but one could sense that it was an exchange that was anything but benevolent.

Wang Ke sat bolt upright in bed, staring nervously at the door, her breathing rapid. Shi Mo also opened his eyes, his heterochromatic pupils gleaming faintly in the darkness, listening intently.

"They...are outside..." Wang Ke's voice trembled.

Just then, a suppressed sob seemed to come from next door; it was a woman's voice (Zhang Li). She and her roommate seemed to be arguing.

"No! We can't go out! The rules say we can't go out!" That was Zhang Li's roommate's voice, filled with terror.

"It's not safe here either! Did you hear those sounds? They're outside! We have to find other people! There's strength in numbers!" Zhang Li's voice was choked with sobs and hysteria. "Let me go! Let me out!"

"No! Please! You'll die!"

Immediately following was the sound of the door lock being suddenly turned open!

"No—!" Zhang Li's roommate screamed.

"Ah!!" Zhang Li let out a short scream, filled with extreme fear.

Then came a chilling, slippery dragging sound, as if some heavy object was being pulled quickly down the corridor. Accompanying it were extremely clear and dense "crack, crack" sounds, like many tiny, sharp teeth chewing on bone at the same time, making one's teeth ache and stomach churn.

The whole process lasted less than ten seconds.

All sounds ceased abruptly.

In the corridor, only the child's giggles remained, seemingly even more cheerful, echoing for a moment before gradually fading away, finally falling silent once more.

Inside dormitory 204, Wang Ke was deathly pale, his body drenched in cold sweat, and he covered his mouth tightly, afraid of making a sound.

Shi Mo quietly walked behind the door and looked out through the peephole.

Outside was an impenetrable darkness, as if even the corridor lights had been swallowed up. The cat's eye had extremely limited vision; he could only see what appeared to be a few short, blurry shadows flashing by in the darkness and disappearing at the end of the corridor.

The next morning, the sun arrived as expected, streaming through the windows and dispelling the chill of the night. Cheerful morning music filled the kindergarten, as if everything from the previous night had been nothing but a nightmare.

But when the candidates nervously left their dormitories and gathered in the cafeteria, the number had dwindled to eight. Zhang Li's roommate was not present.

Before heading to the classroom for the middle class, Shi Mo made a point of walking around the corridor on the second floor of the dormitory. The floor was clean, the walls were intact, and there were no traces of blood, drag marks, or struggle, as if Zhang Li's roommate had never existed. However, when he reached the window of room 204 and his gaze swept across the outside of the windowsill, he paused slightly.

On the slightly dusty windowsill, several small, sticky muddy handprints, carrying that familiar, cloyingly sweet smell of disinfectant, were clearly imprinted. It was as if something had once peeked inside from outside the window.

The daytime "work" proceeded as usual.

The surviving teachers' smiles became even more strained, their eyes filled with fear. They granted the children's every request, fearing they might repeat Li Qiang's mistake.

Zhuangzhuang acted as if nothing had happened, remaining lively and active, pestering his new teacher for candy and hugs, as if the monster that swallowed people alive yesterday had nothing to do with him.

Shi Mo continued his lukewarm approach to companionship, patiently interacting with Lingling.

He brought her new colored pencils and played puzzles with her, but Lingling remained silent. Only when she occasionally glanced at him did her initial wariness lessen, replaced by an indescribable complexity.

Taking advantage of the children's free play time, Shi Mo began exploring the kindergarten under the pretext of "getting familiar with the environment." He avoided the main building, which was crowded and noisy, and went to the relatively secluded backyard.

There is a small sandpit, some swings and a slide in the backyard.

Shi Mo pretended to be taking a casual stroll, his gaze carefully sweeping over every corner.

At the edge of the sandpit, his toe seemed to have kicked something hard. He calmly used his foot to brush away the surface sand, revealing a rusty, palm-sized old iron box.

He quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then bent down, picked up the tin box, and hid it in the inside pocket of his coat. The tin box was cold to the touch, damp with sand and rusty with metallic feel.

The suspense surrounding the acquisition of potential key items has shrouded this seemingly simple F-rank dungeon in even greater mystery.

Shi Mo returned to the activity area with a normal expression, as if he had just gone out for some fresh air.