DF Chapter 18

Lin Wu finally gave in to the irresistible call of the wild. He quietly climbed down from the top bunk, carefully dressed, and deliberately softened every movement, afraid of waking the three peacefully sleeping roommates.

But just as he finished changing his shoes, a voice drifted eerily from the upper bunk—Li Junchi’s low murmur:
“Going out again, huh…”

The ghostly tone nearly gave Lin Wu a heart attack. After several seconds to steady himself, he whispered back, “You’re still awake?”

Li Junchi replied, “Can’t sleep…”

Lin Wu was momentarily stunned and immediately blurted, “Don’t tell me you’ve also awakened some nocturnal tendencies?”

“No, not that,” Li Junchi said. “I’m exhausted, but I read too much news today. Now every time I close my eyes, it’s like a stampede of wild beasts…”

Lin Wu wanted to kick him but found the current situation inconvenient for such actions. Grinding his teeth, he muttered, “Clear your mind and go to sleep.”

Before Li Junchi could respond, a weak voice drifted from Ren Feiyu’s bed:
“Lin Wu, be careful out there at this hour.”

“…” Lin Wu sighed heavily. “You’re awake too?”

“I heard you tossing and turning in bed. I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay put tonight,” Ren Feiyu whispered, his voice barely audible to avoid waking Xia Yang. “Anyway, just stay safe. They say the degree of wildness awakening varies from person to person, and some people might even lose control.”

The likelihood of encountering someone who’s lost control was slim, as there had been no confirmed cases of such incidents among awakened individuals.

“You should just pray I don’t get caught by the teachers,” Lin Wu replied, thinking that scenario was far more likely.

“No worries,” Li Junchi offered a solution. “If you do get caught, just say you’re Guo Xu from the Class of 2019, Vocal Department, Art Academy.”

Lin Wu was puzzled. “Who’s that?”

Li Junchi explained, “A guy who made me cover for him in four elective classes and never paid me back.”

Lin Wu: “…”

Carrying the concerns of his two roommates, Lin Wu finally reached for the dorm door handle.

From Xia Yang’s bed came a casual remark:
“If you’re not back by dawn, bring me a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe).”

Lin Wu: “…”

So none of them were actually asleep!

Once outside the dormitory building, the air felt fresher than it had during his previous night strolls. Whether it was real or just the result of being cooped up for two days, Lin Wu didn’t know.

After taking several deep breaths to clear his head, Lin Wu looked back at his dormitory window.

He knew the three were worried about him, which was why none of them had fallen asleep.

The whole world was changing dramatically, but Room 333 was still the same. That kind of consistency was deeply reassuring.

Lin Wu turned his gaze forward, his steps growing lighter. He started walking, then broke into a jog, and finally bounded out of the dormitory area.

Based on his last experience, Lin Wu judged that the corridor area was likely under heavy teacher surveillance tonight, so he turned in the opposite direction.

Just as he turned, a voice called out beside him:
“Hey, are you out here because you can’t sleep too?”

He turned to see a stranger.

Though they didn’t know each other, as fellow nocturnal wanderers, Lin Wu responded, “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep.”

“First time out?” The stranger pointed toward the corridor area. “Most night walkers hang out over there.”

“I know,” Lin Wu appreciated the kind advice, “but it’s too crowded and easier to get caught.”

The stranger looked baffled. “Get caught? That area’s designated by the school. Night walkers are only allowed to roam there.”

The corridor scenic area.

Lin Wu stood on the walkway, staring at the bustling crowd. His mind went blank except for three existential questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing…

In just two days, the number of night walkers had grown exponentially, and the scene had become downright surreal.

Some were chatting, others roughhousing, playing on their phones, organizing meetups, and even setting up stalls!

“Over here, over here! Hurry! Damn it, go for it—seriously, are you a spy from the other team?”

“These are genuine exam questions. Take it or leave it. Ten bucks is as low as I’ll go—any lower, and I might as well sell them as scrap paper.”

“Sweetie, let me just paint your nails a solid color. The lighting’s too dim for detailed designs…”

Lin Wu wandered through the corridor like a sleepwalker. The moonlight draped a soft glow over every student, whether they were gaming, selling second-hand items, or doing nail art.

Enough already.

No amount of soft-focus filters could hide the unmistakable vibe of a night market, okay? All that was missing were skewers, fried chicken, and giant squid, and the whole street could officially open for business!

There had to be at least a few hundred people out here—way livelier than the academy’s usual evening roll calls.

Lin Wu kept walking, passing by small stalls and weaving through the crowd, occasionally brushing shoulders with unfamiliar classmates…

Gradually, the dreamlike lightness he’d felt earlier crept back in.

He began to feel as though he had stepped into a surreal realm.

Moonlight poured down like silver threads, and a hundred beasts roamed the night.

“Keep your voices down… Yes, you might disturb the classmates still in the dorms… And those over there, don’t wander too far. Stay within the designated area…”

At the corner ahead, a young teacher was maintaining order, occasionally reminding overzealous students to rein it in.

“The school’s set a designated activity zone for us. As long as you stay within the area, you can roam freely. Teachers take shifts supervising, but as long as you’re not causing trouble or disturbing the dorms, they won’t bother you.”

Lin Wu had been skeptical when the student who guided him earlier said this, but now reality had proven it true.

In just two days, the once-chaotic night roaming had become orderly and regulated—a testament to how quickly the school adapted.

Probably had no choice, Lin Wu thought with mixed feelings. Over the past month, so many unprecedented things had happened that even the most laid-back person would be on edge.

After bustling around for a while, the young teacher finally found a place to sit and rest.

Only then did Lin Wu get a clear look at him—and was surprised to recognize a familiar face.

Su Xiao, the former president of the Political and Law Academy’s student council, now graduated. Back when Lin Wu was a freshman, he’d met Su Xiao during a school event. Su Xiao’s friendly demeanor and competence left a lasting impression—he was the ideal senior, always looking out for the underclassmen.

Lin Wu had heard that Su Xiao stayed on after graduation to work as a counselor for the Foreign Languages Department, but he hadn’t expected to meet him here.

Su Xiao noticed him too. He paused for a moment before greeting him naturally:
“Lin Wu.”

Lin Wu almost blurted out his name in response, but thankfully caught himself in time, awkwardly correcting to:
“Mr. Su…”

Even Lin Wu found the words strange coming out of his mouth.

Su Xiao chuckled. With his gentlemanly demeanor, his smile seemed even warmer.
“Mr. Lin.”

Lin Wu: “…You don’t have to play along so much.”

It felt like he’d been knocked down a generation in rank.

Although Lin Wu had adjusted his address, he instinctively still treated Su Xiao like a friend. Seeing that there was a free spot next to him, Lin Wu walked over and sat down without hesitation.

“Can’t sleep?” Su Xiao asked, still as approachable as before.

“Yeah,” Lin Wu sighed. “After two sleepless nights, I just couldn’t lie in bed any longer.”

Su Xiao glanced at the dark circles under Lin Wu’s eyes. “Rough.”

“You guys have it worse,” Lin Wu said sincerely. “Not only can’t you sleep, but you also have to pull night shifts.”

Su Xiao smiled faintly. “Lin Wu, have you ever considered that the teachers assigned to night duty might all be insomniacs too?”

Lin Wu: “…”

He really had forgotten that teachers were also dealing with awakenings.

You spend so long being a kid that, even when you’re an adult, you subconsciously assume your world is separate from the adult world.

Curiosity sparked in Lin Wu—what kind of nocturnal creature had Su Xiao awakened as?

“I don’t know,” Su Xiao suddenly said.

Lin Wu froze. “Huh?”

“I don’t know what animal I’ve awakened as—or if I’m even nocturnal. Most of the teachers on night duty have clear nocturnal traits, but I still get sleepy at night sometimes. So, I guess I’m just filling in.”

Lin Wu: “…”

What the heck? Is this mind-reading? Is it inherited or newly awakened?!

Su Xiao smiled warmly, his gaze gentle as ever.

Lin Wu gulped and subtly scooted a bit further away, worried that if he didn’t put some distance between them, all his secrets would be laid bare.

Back when they worked on that event together, Lin Wu had admired Su Xiao’s competence. Despite his soft-spoken and polite demeanor, Su Xiao always managed to resolve even the trickiest problems with ease. Even the most stubborn individuals turned into meek lambs under his persuasion.

At the time, Lin Wu only felt respect. But now, under the spell of the beautiful night, everything seemed more dangerous—Su Xiao included. Suddenly, Lin Wu realized this was the kind of person who could sell you off and still have you thanking him for the deal.

Meanwhile, across from them, in the shadow of a colonnade…

Wang Ye’s wolf-themed Temple Run game ended with yet another game over.

While waiting to restart, he glanced up again at the pair sitting diagonally ahead.

Sitting beside him, Yuan Sijie couldn’t hold back anymore. “You’ve looked over there about 999 times already. Do you know those two?”

Wang Ye ignored him, starting a new game.

Yuan Sijie was practically dying of curiosity. Wang Ye wasn’t the type to care about many things, let alone people.

Suddenly, a loud roar broke through the air:
“ARE YOU READY?—DJ DROP THE BEAT!”

The deafening bass drop that followed was so powerful it almost sent Yuan Sijie’s soul flying.

After the ear-splitting intro, the pounding rhythm kicked in, setting the atmosphere ablaze.

Everyone on the walkway—regardless of what they were doing—rose to their feet and craned their necks to look.

On a slightly open patch of grass nearby, four giant speakers blared as a group of male students stood in a line, arms around each other’s shoulders, bobbing their heads so hard they looked like they might snap their necks.

… A midnight rave?

Lin Wu had truly broadened his horizons tonight. When rhythm lives in your heart, even the moon can serve as a disco ball.

Still, wasn’t this basically a provocation? A blatant slap in the face for the teachers on duty.

Sure enough, Su Xiao frowned slightly and strode over in just a few quick steps.

The students, never ones to shy away from drama, swarmed forward to watch the spectacle. A senior sister, in the middle of doing her nails, carried her UV lamp and extension cord to the scene—no way she’d miss the action.

Lin Wu missed the chance to join the frontlines and could only stand on the walkway, watching from afar. Fortunately, his slightly elevated position offered a decent view.

In the center of the commotion, leading the rave, was a rather delicate-looking male student. His big eyes gave him a girlish appearance from a distance, but his flamboyant, over-the-top outfit screamed attention-seeker—he was only missing a gold chain to complete the look.

When Su Xiao approached, the student didn’t back down. Instead, he raised his chin proudly, clearly ready for a showdown.

Lin Wu couldn’t help but pick up on the subtle tension.

This wasn’t just someone blowing off steam; it looked like the guy was deliberately picking a fight with Su Xiao.

Lin Wu started to feel concerned for Su Xiao. With so many students gathered around, whatever personal issues they had would be hard to handle in such a public setting.

To Lin Wu’s surprise, Su Xiao didn’t confront the student directly. He stopped at the outer edge of the crowd and pulled out his phone, sending a message.

Moments later, the flashy student pulled out his own phone, glanced at the screen, and cursed under his breath—something that sounded like Sichuan dialect. Lin Wu couldn’t quite make it out, but after swearing, the guy stormed off angrily.

His entourage of rave buddies, along with the crowd of spectators, stood there dumbfounded.

Only then did Su Xiao walk over, unplug the speakers, and turn to the remaining “accomplices” in the now-quiet night. “Department, year, names.”

The group hesitated. “Sir, we’re not from this school…”

Su Xiao replied calmly, “Oh. Then, school, department, year, and names.”

“Sir…”

With their leader gone, the lackeys looked like they were about to cry.

The commotion ended, and Lin Wu withdrew his gaze.

It was hard to imagine Su Xiao having personal grudges with anyone. But if this was an attempt at revenge, the opponent clearly didn’t have the skills to back it up—making such a grand scene only to lose in a single round.

Lost in these idle thoughts, Lin Wu was just about to sit back down when he suddenly felt something off, like someone was watching him from the shadows.

He scanned his surroundings and finally spotted Wang Ye leaning against a colonnade nearby, playing on his phone.

“Hey,” Wang Ye greeted, as casually as ever.

Since the other party initiated, Lin Wu “warmly” responded in kind. “Hey.”

Completely ignored, Yuan Sijie sighed. “…”

Why was he even here?

[mfn]You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad [/mfn]