Urban System in America

As the bell rang, there was a brief pause. An eerie, collective stillness settled over the room.

Everyone remained seated like statues, not a single chair creaked, not a bag zipped. The professor blinked, mildly puzzled. It was the first time he’d seen them so... well-behaved.

Normally, the mere chime of the bell was like triggering a fire alarm in a zoo—students would leap up, scramble to pack their things, and dash for the door like prisoners breaking free after a twenty-year sentence. It was tradition. Chaos was part of the syllabus.

But today? Nothing. Just serene silence.

Shrugging it off, the professor calmly gathered his notes and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

And then, like a switch had been flipped, every head in the classroom swiveled in perfect sync toward one person.

Rex.

It was unnerving.

Dozens of eyes locked onto him with unnatural precision—like some evil robot army awakening from standby mode in a dystopian sci-fi flick. Even Daisy and Elara, who usually avoided group theatrics, had turned with the rest. Daisy’s expression was openly curious, while Elara... well, she glanced his way but immediately looked down, pretending to adjust her pen cap with laser focus.

Honestly, this level of unintentional coordination was kind of terrifying.

Seeing the army of eyes drilling into him with frightening unity, Rex slowly raised both hands in mock surrender.