Qin Yanping, why did you want to murder me?
Fang Yuan couldn't understand.
Qin Yanping's face was expressionless, her eyes glazed over, like—like a zombie!
Fang Yuan tried to scream, but no sound came out of her throat. Only a chaotic murmur escaped her lips, like the mumbling of someone in a dream.
The sound was too quiet for the other girls in Dormitory 441 to hear. They were still deep in sweet dreams, oblivious to what was happening around them.
Qin Yanping hadn't heard it either, at least, judging by her expression. Her eyes remained glazed, her face as cold as ever.
She seemed lost in her own world, oblivious to everything happening outside.
But her right hand was still gripping Fang Yuan, tightly, with no sign of letting up.
Due to lack of oxygen, Fang Yuan's pulse was slowing, growing weaker. Something seemed to be buzzing in her ears, but she couldn't quite make out what it was, its volume fluctuating, its duration sometimes brief. More importantly, her limbs grew heavier, her nervous system no longer able to control her body.
Fang Yuan's vision began to blur into a hazy gray-black. Qin Yanping's face gradually drifted away, becoming increasingly blurry. In fact, not only Qin Yanping's face, but everything else was blurring.
She knew she was going to faint.
Fainting meant death!
What did she think of in that final moment?
She had left so much unfinished in her life! So much unresolved love! So many unfulfilled dreams!
No! Deep within Fang Yuan's heart, a voice screamed, "No, I can't give up like this!"
She didn't want to give up, but what was the point? She could do nothing but rely on willpower to keep herself from fainting.
There was nothing else she could do.
Or perhaps she hoped another girl would wake up, witness this scene, and pull Qin Yanping away.
She hadn't expected that such a petite girl like Qin Yanping could possess such immense strength in her hands; she didn't seem like an ordinary girl at all.
Fang Yuan's breathing grew increasingly labored, her lips and nails turning blue, and she even briefly went into shock.
But each time, she stubbornly woke up.
Each time she woke, she felt exhausted and in agony.
Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly heard a cat's meow.
A clear, familiar meow.
It was the black cat's cry!
Qin Yanping's entire body trembled; she seemed to hear the meow, too.
Qin Yanping, like a zombie, was unresponsive to external stimuli, yet she could hear a cat's meow?
Fang Yuan could clearly feel Qin Yanping's right hand loosen slightly, leaving a small gap. Through this opening, Fang Yuan greedily breathed in air.
Fang Yuan only had time to breathe three or four times, barely managing to ease her severe hypoxia, when Qin Yanping's hand tightened again, tightening around her throat.
A wave of sadness washed over Fang Yuan, and she silently prayed, praying that the black cat would continue its meowing.
She didn't know if it was God taking pity on Fang Yuan, or if her prayers had truly reached the black cat, but it actually did, and with a relentless, frantic cry.
Each meow grew more urgent and louder.
Qin Yanping was clearly disturbed by the cat's meows. With each successive meow, her body trembled more and more violently. She actually loosened her grip on Fang Yuan's throat, a look of terror on her face as she stepped back. She tripped over a chair in the bedroom and fell with a thump.
After falling, Qin Yanping remained motionless for a long time.
Fang Yuan could breathe freely again, and she had never felt the importance of breathing freely as deeply as she did now.
As her hypoxia eased slightly, she searched for the black cat.
Sure enough, it was that black cat again! It was standing on the windowsill, its blue eyes flickering in an unpredictable manner.
The black cat's cry woke Su Ya. She hated being disturbed. She reached out from under the covers and groped around until she found the small alarm clock on the bedside table. Without even looking, she threw it towards the windowsill!
Although she wasn't fully awake yet, she had a pretty good idea of the black cat's location.
The black cat screamed, perhaps alarmed by the tossed alarm clock or startled by it, but it vanished.
Su Ya grumbled, "Damn cat!"
Then she rolled over and fell back asleep.
Fang Yuan hadn't recovered yet, and Su Ya's movements were so quick that by the time she saw Su Ya was reaching for something to hit the black cat, it was too late to stop her.
It had already happened, what else could she say? Should she wake Su Ya up and give her a good scolding?
Not to mention Su Ya, the other girls in the dorm wouldn't approve of her arguing with a roommate over a cat. Furthermore, this cat was so strange and mysterious.
Fang Yuan walked to the windowsill and looked down. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything clearly.
They say cats have nine lives, so they surely wouldn't fall to their deaths. Living in the countryside for so many years, she had never seen a cat die from a fall.
She had a vague feeling that this black cat wasn't just a simple thing. Its presence always brought a sinister aura, like Xu Yan's madness, the old school worker's high fever, and Li Rong's death.
At this point, Fang Yuan didn't know the black cat had appeared before Cheng Li's suicide and Tang Tianyu's madness.
To say all these events were coincidences would be unbelievable!
Unfortunately, all these things could only be explained as coincidence, unless she asked the black cat for an explanation.
The black cat, of course, wouldn't explain, so these things could only be put aside for now.
Fang Yuan thought of Qin Yanping.
Qin Yanping hadn't moved since she fell. How was she now?
Fang Yuan approached her slowly, cautiously, as if the person lying on the ground wasn't Qin Yanping, but a wild animal that might leap up and prey on her at any moment.
Yes, she was afraid of Qin Yanping.
The force Qin Yanping had used to strangle her just now far exceeded Fang Yuan's, seeming somewhat incredible.
How could she be so strong?
Normally, she looked so frail.
Fang Yuan finally approached Qin Yanping.
Qin Yanping still didn't move.
Fang Yuan couldn't see Qin Yanping's face; it was facing the ground.
Fang Yuan called softly, "Qin Yanping!"
Qin Yanping didn't respond.
She raised her voice, "Qin Yanping!"
Qin Yanping seemed to hum, then rolled over and lay on her side.
Qin Yanping's breaths were steady.
She actually fell asleep?!
Fang Yuan stared at Qin Yanping with wide eyes, incredulous!
Just now, Qin Yanping had been like a zombie, trying to strangle her alive, and now, she was lying on the ground, asleep!
Was it all just a hallucination, or a dream?
Fang Yuan touched her throat; it still hurt, a few places where Qin Yanping's nails had broken the skin.
It wasn't a hallucination, nor was it a dream!
Just now, Qin Yanping had literally strangled her, nearly to death—if the black cat hadn't appeared in time, hissing wildly.
Why did Qin Yanping have that stunned expression? It was completely unlike her usual self.
Fang Yuan recalled a common plot point in movies and novels: sleepwalking.
Was Qin Yanping sleepwalking?
She had lived in girls' dormitory 441 for so many days and had been perfectly normal, yet she was sleepwalking tonight?
Besides, her sleepwalking was a bit too horrifying—she was killing people while sleepwalking!
Fang Yuan's scalp tingled. She wondered if she should tell anyone else about this.
Forget it, she'd wake her up first and ask her clearly.
This time, Fang Yuan reached out and nudged Qin Yanping, calling into her ear, "Qin Yanping, wake up!"
Qin Yanping looked displeased at being woken by Fang Yuan. "What are you making so much noise for? It's so late, and you're not letting me sleep!"
However, she soon realized she was acting strangely.
"Where is this?" Qin Yanping sat up abruptly. "Fang Yuan? Why am I sleeping on the floor?"
Fang Yuan smiled bitterly. "Are you asking me?"
"Who else should I ask?"
"Think carefully and see if you can remember."
Qin Yanping tilted her head, pondering for a long moment, but still couldn't recall. "Fang Yuan, were you playing a prank on me by moving me off the bed?"
Fang Yuan was truly speechless. She retorted, "Do you think I'm that bored?"
"Then I really don't know." Qin Yanping's face was filled with confusion, but her expression didn't seem fake.
She truly had no idea what had happened.
Fang Yuan's face was solemn. "Qin Yanping, I have a question for you. Answer it honestly."
"What is it?"
"Do you sleepwalk?"
Qin Yanping's face suddenly paled, as if someone had seen through her thoughts. She looked at Fang Yuan timidly, her lips twitching a few times, wanting to speak but stopping herself.