Calamity of Tomorrow - Chapter 4: Someone Outside the Door?

At night, Zhou Bai got into bed early. The room and the hallway outside were both dark.

To conserve resources, the entire base cut off power early at night, falling into total darkness. Only the small night light at the head of the bed gave off a faint glow.

The children also got into their beds and went to sleep early.

Lying on the bed, Zhou Bai couldn’t fall asleep. He was still thinking about the base.

It’s too strange, this base…no matter how I think about it, it’s too strange, he pondered. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Elsa, who was snoring on the side. If it was a Doomsday base, why were all the people here children?

Compared to adults, children have weaker physical strength, he noted. They have no skills and weaker immune systems. The only advantage with children is that they’re easier to control.

There were so many children, yet not a single one of their parents or relatives came to this base. It was simply too much of a coincidence. And besides, they knew nothing about China, the United States, or Britain…

Zhou Bai recalled the information he’d obtained from chatting with these children over the past few days. He continuously summarized and categorized them in his mind.

Many of the things they know are completely different from what I know, he said to himself. They’ve never heard of the history and geography that I’m familiar with either.

But as far as knowledge goes, the math, physics, and natural sciences these children learn in the base are the same as what I know. Many of the things this base uses aren’t much different from what’s used in modern society.

The so-called Doomsday, is it real?

At this thought, he remembered Professor Zhuang. Not only did he build this base to avoid the so-called Doomsday, but he also taught children various knowledge in the base.

……

But all this could be explained. Maybe it was just a madman fiddling around. Maybe the world outside was still the normal Earth. The biggest problem was…

Zhou Bai raised his palm, which looked much younger, pale and thin. His eyes took on an overcast expression.

I became younger, yet I didn’t become more handsome, he noted. I can’t understand this at all.

Furthermore…

Zhou Bai looked at the Laziness value on the board that hadn’t changed at all. He was irritated. He thought, How come no matter how much I lie around, Laziness doesn’t increase anymore? Am I lying with incorrect posture?

In the past couple of days, Zhou Bai had found that the auxiliary system couldn’t be used, but the 10 points of Primordial Spirit Value were still there, which gave Zhou Bai some self-defense ability.

Zhou Bai tried to use Primordial Spirit power to lift the desk and chair on the side through telekinesis. He estimated that 10 points of Primordial Spirit power were roughly around the strength of four or five adults.

He sighed and thought, If only I had this ability in the original world! Then when I’m playing games on my bed, I don’t have to get up to grab things…

A tapping sound came from outside the door.

He heard footsteps. Was someone outside?

He was about to get up and open the door when he suddenly remembered what Elsa had said to him.

Elsa had been chewing on her sheets as she warned him, “Zhou Bai—remember never to go out after you sleep at night, no matter what noises you hear.”

Noises? What noises could there be at night? Were there are a lot of people going to the bathroom?

Elsa went blank for a moment and frowned. She chewed on her sheets as she fell into thought.

“I forget…”

Zhou Bai turned around to look at the neighboring bed. Elsa kicked off her blankets and was sprawled out on the bed. She smacked her lips and said in her sleep, “Zhou Bai…I’m only licking it! I won’t eat it! I’m not hungry…”

Zhou Bai thought, This rice bucket sleeps like a pig every night. No wonder she can’t hear the noise outside.

At this moment, the footsteps in the hall drew closer and closer. They seemed to have reached Zhou Bai’s door. Then the sound vanished.

They’re at my door, Zhou Bai thought.

In the silence, Zhou Bai felt like he could hear his heartbeat. But he didn’t hear the sound of footsteps again.

Was someone standing behind the door?

Feeling the quiet in the darkness, Zhou Bai couldn’t resist getting out of bed. He walked to the door and cocked his ears, listening for any sounds outside.

In the eerie silence, Zhou Bai couldn’t help growing nervous. As he thought about what to do next, the entire door shook. Then came the sound of the doorknob turning continuously.

Someone was opening the door?

But because Elsa had locked the door, although the doorknob kept turning, the door was never opened.

The rustling stopped after a while.

Thump!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

It was the sound of a hand slamming the door.

The door thumped and shook continuously from the impact. Zhou Bai was terrified.

“Who is it?” he shouted to the door. “Who’s outside?”

Hearing Zhou Bai’s shouting, whatever it was behind the door suddenly ceased.

Zhou Bai gulped. He stood still in place and cocked his ears, continuing to listen for any noise from the door.

In the quiet darkness, everything was silent. The person behind the door seemed to have gone away.

Zhou Bai wanted to wake Elsa, but the moment he turned his head, a furry white face appeared before him. It glared at him with crimson eyes.

In the last moments of Zhou Bai’s consciousness, he only remembered the wild Primordial Spirit power extending from his mind and attacking the opponent.

…

The next morning, in a daze, Zhou Bai felt someone pushing him forcefully.

“Zhou Bai! Zhou Bai! Stop sleeping in! If you keep sleeping, I’m going to finish your breakfast!”

Zhou Bai’s eyes shot open, the impression of the strange face still in his mind. He said with some shock, “Last night…something came in last night!”

“Really?” Elsa was confused. “I was sleeping soundly. I didn’t hear anyone come in.”

“It’s not a person!” Zhou Bai said with horror. “It’s something else…I…” He looked at the bed beneath him. “You carried me back to my bed?”

“No, when I woke up this morning, I saw you sleeping in your own bed. You were sleeping soundly,” said Elsa. “I locked the door yesterday. How could anyone get in?”

As she said this, Elsa walked to the door and examined it. “The door is still locked. Did you have a nightmare, Zhou Bai?”

Zhou Bai got up, walked over to inspect the door, and found it was indeed locked. This made him suspicious.

He pondered. Was that really my nightmare yesterday? Only Elsa and I were in the room? Wait…

His eyebrows suddenly twitched, and he looked at Elsa, a possibility forming in his mind.

If the door hadn’t opened last night, and only the two of them were in the room, then that strange white face…could it be Elsa?

At this thought, he got goosebumps all over his body.

But with more thought, he realized he had been lying soundly on his bed. Could that have been a nightmare? But the dream was so realistic.