Vibrant hues of red and white danced in harmony.
Within Fang Chen’s gaze, only these two colours existed. They stretched out, morphing into a figure dressed in a red and white garment.
He stood amidst a bustling sports field, surrounded by students. They lacked distinct facial features, their faces appearing as a mere blur of flesh.
Chirping voices filled Fang Chen’s ears. Some boys, yet to undergo puberty, had voices rough as sandpaper. He lowered his head to look at his hands—much smaller than they were now. Slender, long, callus-free fingers protruded from the sleeves of the oversized school uniform, which covered half the palm. Well, freshmen’s uniform was always much larger than their actual body size.
Driven by an uncontrollable force, Fang Chen strode forward as if searching for someone. His hurried steps accidentally collided with someone, and just as he was about to apologize, the faceless person held his shoulder. “Fang Chen, why the rush? You disappeared the moment we disbanded. I was just looking for you.”
Fang Chen was taken aback, looking at the flat and blurry face. “You…” recognize me? Then, do you know who I am?
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a chilling hand grasp his wrist. He shifted his gaze to his own hand, watching as the hand holding his gradually softened, rotted away, and eventually, only a skeleton remained.
The person who spoke to him moments ago was melting away, and so was everyone on the sports field. They ceased their clamour, ultimately turning into a puddle of flesh, and the surroundings fell silent in an instant.
Standing amidst them, Fang Chen stared at that segment of bones. At first, he appeared stunned, but unexpectedly, his eyes lit up in a flash. The slightly lighter-than-normal pupils flickered with a brilliant colour, and he excitedly said, “As expected, it was you!”
…
Fang Chen felt cold, and the arm he was resting his head on was getting numbed. Although he was awake, he couldn’t open his eyelids. He was lying on the table outside the room, and Gao Cheng’s intermittent snores echoed from the bedroom.
Now alerted, he remembered everyone’s exhaustion. Fan Yingying had mentioned she wanted to rest, and so she curled up in a corner of the sofa with her eyes closed. Gradually, the others also couldn’t stay awake and subsequently fell asleep.
Since dawn still seemed distant, Gao Cheng suggested having someone stand guard at the door, rotating every two hours, with the rest taking turns to rest.
No one dared to stand guard, and their gaze unconsciously turned towards Nie Shi once again.
At that moment, what was Fang Chen thinking? Well, his mind didn’t seem to have any thoughts. He merely raised his hand and said, “Then, I’ll take the first shift. You guys go rest up first. If there’s any movement, I’ll call you.”
Since the apartment they were at was a man’s living quarters, Gao Cheng found it awkward to propose letting the ladies sleep in his room. Seeing that Fan Yingying was already resting, they thought they might as well let the ladies sleep on the sofa while he and Zhang Rui took the bedroom.
Both Gao Cheng and Zhang Rui simultaneously looked at Nie Shi, and neither of them dared to ask him to share a room.
“Aren’t you tired? Go to sleep,” Fang Chen asked Nie Shi, still feeling a bit fearful deep down.
Gao Cheng suggested, “Then, why not have two people stand guard together?”
“No need,” Fang Chen said. Nie Shi, on the other hand, had already pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Gao Cheng glanced back and forth between the two of them, but seeing that no one spoke up, he decided not to say anything either. He and Zhang Rui returned to the room to sleep, and, of course, with the door wide open.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Even though the lights in the room were on, and it was brightly lit, Fang Chen still couldn’t help but associate the current situation with last night when he sat across from the rotting man.
“Sleeping,” Nie Shi said, crossing his arms and resting his head sideways on them as he leaned on the table. Perhaps finding the current position uncomfortable, he stretched out one arm.
Nie Shi’s outstretched arm occupied half the table. Fang Chen leaned against the table corner, surveying the entire outer room before finally fixing his gaze on Nie Shi.
Nie Shi closed his eyes, his eyelashes casting shadows beneath them. Without those cold eyes visible, the contours of his face appeared somewhat softened. His lips seemed intentionally pulled down, while his eyebrows maintained a smooth and stretched appearance.
Fang Chen found it amusing, realizing that he had never seen Nie Shi smile. Suddenly, his heart felt like a stone had been thrown into it, creating ripples that expanded in concentric circles, emitting vibrations. It made him feel as if, in a daze, he might have encountered it before, perhaps more than once.
He couldn’t remember when he fell asleep.
Gao Cheng’s snoring echoed loudly, and as Fang Chen thought about it, his body began feeling heavy like a lead block. Perhaps he was still in a dream, only thinking he was awake even though he wasn’t.
It was very cold, not because of the wind or a drop in temperature. He vividly felt that coldness—it was a sense of someone being close to him.
Fang Chen could almost imagine it: a pitch-black apartment, dim moonlight, someone lowering their head and keeping very close to him, and the rotting flesh on their face brushing against his cheek. His body involuntarily shuddered, and he felt warm liquid sliding down his face. Was it a flowing stream of blood? A taste that was metallic and salty.
“Fang Chen.”
Someone was calling him.
“…Fang Chen.”
Fang Chen abruptly opened his eyes, and the bright light of the incandescent lamp made his pupils shrink. A hand was placed horizontally in front of his eyes. It was Nie Shi, who was leaning over the table and supporting himself with his arm, as he called out his name.
Fang Chen got up with a blank expression.
He often woke up like this. After being suddenly awakened, his mouth would turn downward, and his eyes would remain unfocused. He looked at the table and then at his wrist, squeezing it to make sure there was no cold touch. Afterwards, Fang Chen raised his head again, revealing a watery shimmer in his eyes that made him look full of grievance.
Until Nie Shi reached out and wiped the corner of his eye, asking, “Why are you crying?”
Fang Chen remained still and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, leaving behind glistening traces of dampness.
“…I don’t know.” Fang Chen’s thoughts were in disarray. “I had a nightmare.”
Nie Shi pursed his lips, “Oh.”
Fang Chen gazed at Nie Shi with a puzzled look. Why did he feel as if the other party was upset?
“Did it frighten you?” Nie Shi asked again.
“Hmm… not really.” Fang Chen didn’t really want to admit it.
“Mm,” Nie Shi lowered his eyes and made a sound of affirmation, lips flattening again. “It’s dawn.”
Fang Chen gazed out of the window, and indeed, the sky had cleared. The pale blue and soft white seamlessly blended together. Weather truly can affect one’s mood. Previously, dense dark clouds had weighed heavily on Fang Chen, making him difficult to breathe. Yet, now he felt a glimmer of hope.
“Then, let’s wake them up,” said Fang Chen, who was about to rise when the ceiling light abruptly flickered and went out. He paused momentarily before asking Nie Shi, “Has this light gone out before?”
Leaning against the table, Nie Shi cast a glance towards Fang Chen and then turned his focus towards the ceiling light, “Mm, it did,” he said, his voice carrying a rare hint of modulation. “What’s wrong?”
Fang Chen wanted to curse but concocted a random reason to appease himself, saying, “Probably just a faulty connection, I guess.” He desperately tried to convince himself that what had just happened was only a dream. A dream was all it was.
“Is that so?” Nie Shi asked a question adamantly, a behaviour rarely seen before.
Fang Chen didn’t wish to continue this topic. He approached the bedroom door, knocking lightly. “It’s dawn.”
Zhang Rui jolted awake immediately; just from the look of it, it was clear he wasn’t deeply asleep. Gao Cheng, on the other hand, was different. It took several nudges before he slowly woke up, mumbling, “Hmm? What’s up?” Only after a while did he realize: Oh, it’s time to escape.
Xie Ying stepped out of the living room, her face unable to hide the signs of fatigue.
“Yingying and Huiwen-jie are both awake. When shall we hit the road?”
“Right away,” Zhang Rui said. He headed to the bathroom to splash water on his face, dripping droplets on the floor. “I’m good now; let’s go.”
“Do you guys want to change your clothes?” Gao Cheng looked at Xie Ying’s red dress. “Change into something more suitable for moving around?” He scanned the other two ladies from head to toe who had just walked over, then turned to Fang Chen and asked, “What do you think?”
Fang Chen who was suddenly asked was caught off guard, and before he could react, Xie Ying answered, “Mm, I was thinking the same.” The ladies planned to go to Fan Yingying’s house to change into more casual clothes.
In pairs, they left the apartment, with Nie Shi leading the way once again.
The corridor was empty, spotless, with nothing in sight. Gao Cheng, somewhat clueless, asked, “What about the bodies of those monsters from yesterday?”
“Gone,” Fang Chen replied, “They disappear once they die.”
Gao Cheng’s mouth corners twitched. “What kind of cursed trickery is this.”
The group descended the stairs quickly, with the ladies entering the rooms to change clothes while the men waited at the apartment’s entrance.
Gao Cheng leaned against the door frame and peered inside.
Fang Chen: “What are you doing?”
Gao Cheng made a knowing face at him, narrowing his eyes and giving a wink. Being naturally plump, squinting his eyes caused them to nearly disappear. His face held a suggestive “you know what I mean” expression.
Zhang Rui lit a cigarette and took two slow puffs. The smoke carried a subtle bitterness, and Fang Chen, who found it a little unpleasant, moved a bit away. Nie Shi also followed suit.
Fang Chen cast a sidelong glance at Nie Shi, who was also looking back at him. He tilted his head, and Nie Shi’s gaze was still lingering on him.
Fang Chen reached out his hand.
Just then, the door behind him swung open, snapping him back to reality. Reflexively, his hand snapped back to his side, and then he tapped his head. What was he thinking of doing just now?
Nie Shi silently watched Fang Chen from behind, his eyes half-lowered.
The ladies had finished changing into their new clothes. Wang Huiwen approached Zhang Rui as soon as she came out, hugging his arm and saying, “Yingying has so many beautiful skirts, but too bad, we can’t take them with us.” She was older than the other two and also the best at acting coquettishly. Even in such times, she displayed a delicate and petite demeanour, much like a little bird seeking comfort.
As they stepped outside, many heaved a sigh of relief. The bright sunlight gave a sense of returning to the world of the living. However, Fang Chen didn’t share the same sentiment. And it seemed that Nie Shi didn’t like it either; his eyebrows furrowed, but quickly smoothed out after seconds.
Zhang Rui extinguished his cigarette, carefully placing it back into the cigarette box. Wang Huiwen rebuked, “Why are you smoking again?”
“Feeling vexed.”
Not a single soul was outside, and the fountain was still gurgling water. No one knew who turned on the switch, and at this point, nobody had the energy or inclination to question or panic. They faced all the strangeness with almost numb, indifferent acceptance.
Zhang Rui and Xie Ying drove the cars over, and yet again, there was an awkward dilemma about the seating arrangement. Zhang Rui seemed to want Nie Shi in his car but hesitated to let him in alone. Fan Yingying, on the other hand, was closely following Fang Chen.
In the end, it became Zhang Rui and Wang Huiwen with Gao Cheng in one car, while Xie Ying, Fan Yingying, Nie Shi, and Fang Chen occupied the other.
Zhang Rui: “I’ll lead the way; make sure to follow closely.”
“Where to?” Fan Yingying asked again.
“To City B, it’s close from here.”
“What if there’s no one in City B too?” Fang Chen suddenly mentioned, and everyone fell silent at his words.
“Well, we can’t stay here anyway,” Wang Huiwen said, “Something… isn’t right here.”
At that moment, everyone had one thought—this city wasn’t safe; they had to escape from here.
Escape from supernatural things
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