Su Yu sluggishly lay on his desk, earbuds plugged into his ears as he listened to a news report. A small radio was tucked away in the drawer of his desk.
Su Yu, heavily influenced by his grandfather, had developed the habit of listening to radio news broadcasts in his spare time.
Professor Ma, who was zealously lecturing on Deng Xiaoping Theory, gestured enthusiastically, but it was a pity that few students were really listening attentively.
This made Professor Ma sigh internally about the incorrigibility of his students.
It was approximately 2:45 in the afternoon, the time of the first class after lunch. The location: AJ City Vocational Technical College, a university that did not even qualify as a third-tier institution.
The class was "Computer Science Second Class," totaling twenty-seven students.
Su Yu changed his napping position for better comfort and took a quick glance around.
Zhang Zhongmou, his desk-mate and best friend, was already snoring softly. A puddle of drool formed at the corner of his wide-open mouth, his eyes occasionally twitching open. This guy had many quirks when sleeping.
Three seats to his left in the front row, his dream girl, Ning Yan, sat quietly, listening attentively to the lecture.
Ning Yan was considered the class beauty by the computer science department, and was the object of infatuation and fantasy for Su Yu and most of the other male students.
From Su Yu's current position, he could only see a glimpse of Ning Yan's neck, as smooth as snow-white jade. That soft skin, those casually tied-up strands of hair, all exuded an unspeakable charm.
Su Yu swallowed, his sleepiness suddenly dissipating.
The girl sitting next to Ning Yan turned her head, her eyes meeting Su Yu's gaze.
It seemed as though the girl knew what Su Yu had been looking at. She glared at him, her eyes full of evident hostility.
Su Yu hurriedly shifted his gaze away, feeling somewhat guilty.
The girl who shared a desk with Ning Yan was surnamed Su, like him. Her name was Su Yun. The two of them not only shared the same surname but also had similar sounding names and had grown up together.
Coincidentally, they had both attended the same kindergarten, the same elementary and middle schools, and were even admitted to the same college in the same class.
Their relationship should have been close, like siblings, but it was completely the opposite. They couldn't stand each other.
Su Yun was even more domineering than most guys. When Su Yu first encountered Su Yun in college, he almost burst into tears, wondering why he had to bump into this jinx again.
After being glared at by Su Yun, Su Yu lay back down on his desk and pretended to sleep while continuing to listen to the variety of news pouring from his earphones.
In fact, Su Yu was not at all sleepy. He simply didn't have the energy to listen to Professor Ma's lecture. For him, listening to the news was far more interesting.
"...The frequent occurrence of 'sinkholes' has drawn widespread attention... According to the latest news, at around 10:35 this morning, three consecutive 'sinkholes' suddenly appeared on the North Section of People's Road. The largest sinkhole was over 15 meters in diameter. Half of Jinhua Supermarket was swallowed by the sinkhole and three people have gone missing. The rescue operation is currently underway. Experts predict…"
The earphones were airing news about "sinkholes". In recent days, news about "sinkholes" had been reported all over the world.
These "sinkholes" were quite terrifying, appearing without any warning. The scariest one was a sinkhole over a kilometer wide that had appeared in the center of a small city overseas, almost swallowing half of the city.
The occurrence of "sinkholes" had caused panic among many people, with some even linking it to the doomsday prophecy of 2012. Although some experts came forward to dispel the rumors, asserting that it was simply a natural geological phenomenon, it didn't help to suppress the fear.
Whilst listening to the news on the radio, Su Yu was nonchalant. Even though "sinkholes" were terrifying, they seemed far removed from his current reality. More pressing were his thoughts about how to strike up a conversation with Ning Yan, what to eat for dinner, how many chapters would be updated in the fantasy novel he was following, and wondering about the release of Diablo 3…
Suddenly, there was a booming sound followed by a continuous rumbling noise from below the teaching building. The surroundings started shaking violently.
Whether they had been sleeping, reading novels, texting girls, or chatting on QQ, everyone in the class lifted their heads. Some of them had shocked expressions on their faces, while most of them just looked bewildered.
Professor Ma, standing on the platform, looked as if he forgot to close his wide-open mouth. Abruptly, he seemed to realize something and hastily scrambled out of the classroom. His speed was comparable to that of a world sprint champion.
Su Yu quickly pulled the earbuds out of his ears and looked up in astonishment.
Zhang Zhongmou, who was fast asleep next to him, was awakened by the abrupt shaking and booming noise. He rubbed the drool off his mouth and muttered, "I was just about to reach her thigh in my dream when it started thundering… Huh, is it dark outside?"
The rumbling sound and the vibrations lasted only a few seconds and then everything returned to normal. However, the skies outside had suddenly turned gloomy.
"What was that just now? An earthquake?"
"It must have been an earthquake, but why did it suddenly get dark? Is it going to rain?"
The classmates finally snapped out of their stupefied daze and started getting up, looking out of the windows. Many faces displayed curiosity and a few even appeared shaken.
Outside, the place was buzzing with noise. Apparently, the rumbling and shaking had caused quite the stir around the entire college.