Happy Kindergarten

On the third day, the air in the kindergarten seemed to freeze.

The candidates could no longer muster even a hint of fake smile; all that remained was a deep-seated weariness and a mixture of hope and fear as they approached the end.

Everyone knows that rule four—"handing the child over to the parents at 4 p.m. sharp and verifying the parents' identity"—is the last hurdle that cannot be missed today.

The daytime "work" is carried out with extreme repression and caution.

The teachers' demands on the children were almost excessive, just hoping they would stay safe and sound.

Shi Mo maintained his outward composure, but he keenly sensed that Lingling was unusually uneasy today, constantly glancing unconsciously toward the kindergarten gate.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the school bell rang like a judgment bell.

Parents arrived one after another, calling out their children's names. The process went smoothly at first, with children being picked up one by one. But when it was Lingling's turn, something unexpected happened.

The person who came to pick her up wasn't the taciturn, faceless woman from two days ago, but a strange man in an ill-fitting suit, with an anxious expression and darting eyes. He shoved aside the person in front of him and shouted to Lingling, "Lingling! Come here quickly, Uncle is here to take you home!"

When Lingling saw this man, her face turned deathly pale. Like a frightened rabbit, she shrank back and clung tightly to Shi Mo's clothes, her body trembling slightly.

Upon seeing this, a barely perceptible glint of malice flashed across the man's face, but he immediately plastered on a smile and said to Shi Mo, "Teacher, I'm her uncle. Her parents had something to do today, so they asked me to pick her up. Please let the child come over!"

Shi Mo stepped forward, shielding Lingling behind her. Her heterochromatic eyes calmly gazed at the man, strictly enforcing rule four: "I'm sorry, according to regulations, I need you to provide identification and confirm with the headmistress. You weren't the one who picked her up the other day."

The man's smile froze on his face, his eyes suddenly sharpening, even taking on a hint of ferocity: "What do you mean? You doubt me? I'm her uncle! Give me the child right now!" He reached out to grab Lingling, trying to get past Shi Mo.

In the instant that he became emotional and leaned forward, Shi Mo clearly saw a cold, inhuman glint flash in his eyes, similar to the one in Zhuangzhuang's eyes during lunch break.

"You cannot take the child away before his identity is confirmed." Shi Mo's voice turned cold, and his figure, which was blocking Lingling's way, remained motionless.

"You fucking..." The man roared in anger, his face flushed red, and he seemed about to make a move.

"What's going on?" Just then, the "kind" voice of the headmistress rang out. She had appeared at the door at some point, with her standard smile still on her face.

Upon seeing the kindergarten director, the man's imposing manner faltered, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes. He sheepishly withdrew his hand and explained, "Director, I'm Lingling's uncle, and her parents..."

"Lingling's pick-up and drop-off has always been handled by her aunt," the kindergarten director interrupted him, her smile unchanged, but her eyes devoid of any warmth. "Sir, you may have made a mistake. Please do not disturb our work."

The man opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue, but under the seemingly gentle but actually oppressive gaze of the principal, he ultimately just glared fiercely at Shi Mo, muttered a curse under his breath, and turned to leave quickly.

After a while, the silent woman in the old dress appeared and quietly led Lingling away. As Lingling left, she turned back and gave Shi Mo a deep look. Her eyes were complex and unreadable, filled with gratitude and worry, as if she wanted to convey something, but in the end, she said nothing.

This little incident sent a chill down the spines of all the candidates who witnessed it. The "parents" group, it seems, is not entirely normal either.

As the last child was safely taken away and the kindergarten gates slowly closed, the remaining candidates almost simultaneously collapsed, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The worst of the day is finally over! If they can just get through one last night safely, they can leave this hellhole!

Back in the dormitory, the atmosphere wasn't truly relaxed. Shi Mo said directly to Wang Ke, "Tonight, I will definitely go out."

Wang Ke looked at him, his lips moved, but he swallowed back the words of advice he wanted to say. He knew he couldn't stop him.

"What...do you need me to do?"

"Keep an eye on the hallway for me," Shi Mo said. "We'll agree on a code. If the hallway is relatively safe and there's no continuous noise approaching 204, gently knock on the wall between us every ten minutes. If you hear any unusual noises approaching, or if something feels off, knock three times quickly. If... I don't come back for a long time, don't worry about me."

Wang Ke was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily: "Okay! I'll keep watch for you! You... be careful!" He was moved by Shi Mo's decisiveness and his previous actions in protecting Lingling, and decided to risk helping him this time.

Shi Mo removed the tin box and diary from their original spot and hid them in a more concealed location behind the toilet tank in the dormitory bathroom. Then, using some small items he had "found" in the activity room during the day—a shard of a decorative mirror that had been accidentally broken, a piece of plastic rope used to tie up toys, a small roll of gauze he had casually taken from the infirmary, and a discarded pen—he made a simple arrangement. The mirror shard could be used to reflect light and observe corners, the rope and pen could be used as a simple tripwire or detection tool, and the gauze might be useful for temporarily treating wounds.

Night fell, like a giant black curtain, slowly descending. At six o'clock in the evening, the dormitory building's main gate was locked on time, and the "click" sound was even more unsettling than the previous two nights.

The kindergarten was unusually "restless" tonight.

In the corridor, the sound of barefoot footsteps became dense and chaotic, as if many "things" were running back and forth.

The children's giggles and whispers were clearer, and some fragmented words could even be discerned, such as "Come find me," "New teacher," "Disobedient"... full of malice and mockery. Even more chilling was the occasional sharp sound of fingernails scratching the door panel, creaking and screeching, as if it were right outside, testing the nerves of the people inside.

Wang Ke pressed himself nervously against the door, listening to the sounds outside, his palms sweating profusely.

Shi Mo sat quietly by the bed, examining his simple tools, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming in the darkness like those of a lurking predator.

Time passed slowly in agony. At midnight, the sounds outside reached a climax, then gradually subsided into an eerie, as if waiting for something.

As agreed, Wang Ke gently tapped the wall during a relatively quiet moment.

Shi Mo took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the door. He glanced at Wang Ke one last time, and the other nodded vigorously at him.

Then, he reached out and, extremely slowly and almost silently, turned the lock on the door of dormitory 204.

"Squeak—"

A slight sound, yet it was like a thunderclap in the deathly silent corridor.

The cold air, carrying a strong, sweet, and rotten smell, rushed in instantly.

Shi Mo stepped out of the dormitory.

The small flashlight, barely wrapped in gauze, lit up, its faint beam piercing the thick darkness ahead.

The beam of light flickered, then suddenly froze—

Less than three meters away from him, Zhuangzhuang's chubby face was facing him, but unlike during the day.

At this moment, his lips curled into an unbelievable arc, revealing sharp, white teeth, and his eyes gleamed with a pure, predatory ferocity. Behind Zhuangzhuang, shadowy figures of many more pairs of eyes, equally gleaming with malice, appeared and disappeared in the darkness, slowly approaching.

He had officially stepped into the nighttime realm, which was strictly forbidden by Rule Five and belonged to "children".