The dim room was so small it was hard to even turn around.
The three of them stared at each other.
"Alright, which one of you is taking the bed?" Mausen raised his hand and asked.
"It's your room, obviously you're the one sleeping on the bed," Yi Lin rolled his eyes.
Yan stared at the bed for a long moment—it was tiny. Even one person would have to sleep sideways, and changing positions might make them fall off.
They argued for a long time, but none of them wanted to get on it.
After all, with two people, they could still fight over the bed, but with three…Whoever took the bed would feel… weird.
In the end, they silently reached the same conclusion: everyone sleeps on the floor.
The three of them pulled out spare bedding and spread it out on the floor, forming three trenches laid out side by side.
The lights dimmed, leaving only a faint moonlight from the window. Wind slipped in through the cracks, carrying the chill of night.
"The 'Three Idiots With a Bed Who Still Sleep on the Floor'—officially established," Yi Lin announced, raising his fist with a serious look.
"Our spiritual enlightenment deserves to be recorded in history," Mausen snapped his fingers.
Yan leaned against the wall and chuckled. "If that's the case, that history book will probably be thousands of meters thick."
They burst into laughter.
When the laughter faded, only the soft sound of wind remained. Yan yawned and instinctively reached for his pocket.
Empty.
He then remembered his phone was completely ruined. The moment he thought about having to spend money on a new one, the relaxed expression on his face instantly turned into pain.
Yi Lin noticed the look on his face and laughed. "What's wrong? Still grieving over your elderly brick phone?"
"You don't get it—that was my comrade who fought beside me for thirteen months." Yan sighed dramatically. "We were still battling together yesterday, and today it died a heroic death."
Mausen snickered. "Cause of death—gazed upon by an ancient cosmic god."
"Get lost." Yan threw a pillow at him, and the three laughed again.
When the laughter faded again, Yi Lin suddenly said, "Speaking of that… things got so intense earlier, I can't sleep. How about—checking if there's any new info online?"
That instantly caught the other two's attention.
"Sure," Mausen sat up immediately, "The Federation might've already put out a statement."
"Or someone may have gotten a clearer shot," Yan also leaned over.
With a soft beep, Yi Lin revived his phone, and the pale blue light lit up the dim room once again.
He swiped a few times and opened the Federation's most popular short-video platform.
His finger slid lightly, refreshing the homepage.
"Hey—look at that." Yi Lin's eyes lit up.
A video popped up with the title:
[#Aukes# Real Observation Footage | Uncut Version]
The video was a bit blurry, and the camera shook slightly.
As the filmer adjusted the angle, the image gradually became clearer—
Under the night sky, an irregular cone-shaped meteor slowly entered the frame, its surface pitted and cratered, exactly how they imagined a comet to be.
"That's it," Yi Lin said in a low voice.
The meteor stabilized in the center of the frame.
Moments later, it began to glow—dim to bright, bright to radiant. The light pulsed like breathing, expanding in waves.
The glow spread, growing brighter and brighter, almost swallowing the entire frame.
Then, a thin dark filter layered over the video, making the brightness barely manageable.
The glow lasted for about a minute. When it finally faded, the comet's true body appeared again.
It was a metallic cone, smooth-surfaced, with an uncomfortable gray-silver sheen. Fine patterns covered its surface—like circuits, yet also like text.
"This…" Yi Lin leaned closer, frowning, "What the hell is that?"
Before he could finish, the metallic object in the video flashed—
And then it vanished.
Just like that—without any warning.
At the end of the video, the filmer's panicked breathing could still be heard, the camera swinging wildly but capturing nothing.
The three of them sat in silence for several seconds.
"…This isn't scientific," Mausen finally said.
Yi Lin didn't speak, but Yan stared at the black screen and said quietly,"There's something wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Science studies objective laws through empirical evidence." He paused. "Your wording is inaccurate."
Mausen nearly exploded. "Bro, cut the act! That thing was totally aliens!"
"No rush," Yi Lin said softly, "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up first."
The tension eased a little.
Mausen slapped his shoulder and laughed, "With a mindset like yours, Lynzi, you'll succeed at anything."
Then he sighed, lowering his voice. "Thinking about how we're graduating tomorrow… I'm kinda reluctant."
"Reluctant about what?" Yan turned to him. "The school or the people?"
"Both, I guess." Mausen scratched his head and sighed again. "Feels… stressful."
Yan turned sideways, his tone softening. "Mouse, what are you planning to do after graduation?"
"Me?" Mausen thought for a moment. "Planning to work at the power company for a few years. If I get permanent status, I'll stay. If not, I'll save some money and come back to open a small shop. Make things easier for my mom."
"Not bad," Yan nodded. "I'm jealous."
Mausen nodded, then asked back, "Don't just talk about me. What about you?"
"Me? One man eats, the whole family's full." Yan spread his hands. "But—I want to try applying to the Guard Corps. Get some experience for a few years. Maybe even enter the 'Frontier Program' someday."
"Sounds good," Yi Lin smiled. "With your physical stats, the Guard Corps would love you. If I had your build, I bet my dad would praise me twice as much."
Yan glanced at him and raised a brow, "Then train with me. Stop staying up gaming. Run morning laps with me a few times, and you'll see results in a month."
"No thanks." Yi Lin waved him off. "I hate sweating."
Yan didn't insist, just laughed and changed the subject. "Then what about you? What are you planning for the future?"
Yi Lin froze for a second, thinking. After a moment, he looked up and said quietly, "The future… I'll probably follow my parents' arrangement. Work at their small company and… that's it."
"Oh hoh, the young master is dissatisfied?" Mausen teased immediately.
"What young master?" Yi Lin smiled bitterly and shook his head. "At best, I'm just a high-level worker."
"Bah—don't know how good you have it," Yan raised a middle finger at him.
Yi Lin was speechless and realized his words indeed sounded a bit spoiled.
But he wasn't lying—in this era, small companies really did work for big ones. "Boss" sounded impressive, but most of the time, they were just slightly upgraded employees.
He looked at his two brothers, softened, and surrendered quickly: "Alright, alright, my bad. I'll treat you guys to dinner tomorrow."
"The cafeteria?" Yan replied instantly.
"Uh…" Yi Lin froze, cold sweat forming.
Yan saw his expression and burst into laughter.
"Knew it. Your allowance is several times ours, and you're treating us to the cafeteria? Pathetic."
Yi Lin's mouth twitched, and he forced a smile. "It's just that… the cafeteria is clean."
"Clean my ass." Mausen kicked him lightly. "If you're treating us, at least pick somewhere outside the school."
"Alright, alright, noted." Yi Lin agreed quickly—whether he'd follow through was another matter.
The room grew quiet again.
Yan felt sleepy too. With no phone to play with, he simply pulled up his blanket and prepared to sleep.
Just as he closed his eyes, Yi Lin suddenly said:
"…What do you think I should give her tomorrow?"
"Oh—hoh."
Mausen instantly snapped awake, quit his game, and sat up with a gossip-filled expression.
"Bro, that's a juicy topic. Who is it?"
Yi Lin froze, realizing he slipped up, and quickly waved his hands.
"No one. You heard wrong."
"Heard wrong?"
Yan lifted his head with an expression saying Don't mess with me,"That tone is way too serious for you. Tell the truth."
The two exchanged glances and smiled in sync.
Over the next ten minutes, Yi Lin suffered the cruelest "interrogation" of his life.
—
"What? You like the class monitor?!" Mausen's voice cracked. "Dude, so many girls in class are chasing you, and you like her?!"
"What, is that not allowed?" Yi Lin said confidently.
"It's not about allowed—it's… why?!"
Yi Lin shrugged, face slightly red.
"Like is like. There's no why."
Yan nodded slowly from the side. "Makes sense. Like is like."
"Shut up!" Mausen glared at him. "You've been single for eighteen years, what do you know?!"
Yan completely broke down, saying things like "My destined partner is too strong" and "Nobody understands how good I am." The whole room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
But behind the teasing, Yan and Mausen actually understood—this wasn't realistic.
Their class monitor, Yuqing Su, was the daughter of a Federation senator.
Yi Lin, on the other hand, came from an ordinary middle-class family whose parents ran a small civilian company.
Those two worlds… would never intersect.
Yan didn't know what to say, so he simply patted his shoulder and joked,"Look on the bright side—the difficulty of that is like a caveman trying to pierce an interstellar battleship with a spear.
But hey, a few years later at a class reunion, everyone will remember you."
That did not help.
The little courage Yi Lin had just mustered deflated instantly.
Mausen scratched his head. "Maybe don't think about it? We graduate tomorrow anyway. Who knows who we'll meet in the future."
"Yeah." Yi Lin smiled, voice filled with quiet regret.
"We graduate tomorrow."
The room fell silent again.
Wind slipped through the window and fluttered the thin blankets on the floor.
All three of them knew—some feelings are useless even if spoken aloud.
Some people… once missed, are missed for a lifetime.