Chapter 1
I sometimes pass through that alley on my way home from work, and there's a stray dog lying at the entrance.
And today, that dog is going to die.
*
Another day of working overtime.
The young man, briefcase in hand, hurried back.
The weather forecast said it would rain tonight, and he hadn't brought in the clothes he had hung out to dry on the balcony.
Just as he was in a hurry, a sudden feeling of unease washed over him, forcing him to pause and turn his head to look to the side.
There was a small alley, and the entrance to the alley was deserted.
Xie Xubai craned his neck to look around for a while, then muttered in confusion, "Where's the dog? Why isn't it here?"
This street is far from the main urban area, located in a remote corner of the city. The buildings are dilapidated and old, the streetlights are in disrepair year-round, and the lampposts are covered with rust.
The broken light bulb flickered on and off, making the alleyway appear dark and deep, like a monster with its gaping maw, silently lurking.
However, there were no monsters in the alley, only a skinny stray dog.
Perhaps someone once kept it here, and out of nostalgia, it refuses to leave even though no one keeps it tied up.
Normally, the furthest I would run is to the entrance of the alley, where I would squat down in front of the road and look out into the distance.
Residents nearby say it's a bad dog, fierce and unruly, barking at people and biting them if they get close. It often fights with the cats and dogs in the neighborhood, leaving itself covered in injuries.
Blood flowed from the wound, wetting the hair into strands, which then congealed into dark red scabs. From a distance, it looked like alopecia areata or scabies, both ugly and disgusting.
They cursed with disgust: "A mad dog like this, which bites and is covered in diseases, would have been beaten to death with sticks long ago. I don't know what's the point of keeping it alive!"
But it was just a few words of criticism.
The professional dog-catching team was slow to arrive, and the dog was agile, cunning, and capable of fighting to the death. No one was willing to take the risk of eliminating the culprit.
Without restrictions, the dogs certainly lived up to expectations, living a vibrant and energetic life, with vitality comparable to cockroaches.
Xie Xubai doesn't come here often; he only takes this shortcut when he's in a hurry, and nine times out of ten he'll see a dog squatting at the alley entrance.
He felt that the residents' words were not quite right, because he had passed by here many times before and the stray dogs had never barked at him.
It didn't seem to be waiting for anyone; its gaze was fixed only on the road and the sky, without lingering on any passersby.
But it's true that he hates humans. Several times Xie Xubai had the idea of adopting this stray dog, but before he could even get close, the dog would shake its fur, stand up, glance at him with a haughty and indifferent expression, and walk away.
This was only because he had become a familiar face to the dogs, and thus received relatively better treatment.
If they encountered dogs that the dog disliked, such as the kids who threw stones at its head, they would all be yelled at upon meeting it, and chased so hard that they would run from one end of the alley to the other, their sleeves covered in snot and tears.
A dog's face, baring its teeth, clearly held a grudge.
So where is that dog now?
Xie Xubai stood there for a while until a strong thought surfaced in his mind.
Animals are quite sensitive to the weather. It's so cold and windy tonight, that dog probably already found somewhere to take shelter from the rain and isn't coming back.
Yes, that dog is very smart. It wouldn't be stupid enough to stand foolishly in the rain at the entrance of an alley with no shelter. It should be hiding somewhere.
Xie Xubai convinced himself in this way.
Contrary to the initial indifference, a nameless unease resurfaced, lingering in his chest and growing stronger.
It's as if, if he were to turn away here today, something would surely happen that he would regret for the rest of his life.
No, no, no, what am I thinking again? Getting home late and getting soaked on the balcony, not having any clothes to wear tomorrow morning would be something I'd regret for the rest of my life.
The thought of having to go to the company in half-dry clothes tomorrow and being given strange looks by his colleagues made Xie Xubai feel extremely uncomfortable.
His mother left a long time ago, and his father was a dissolute man who would disappear at will, so he had to make a living on his own. He studied hard in order to get ahead in the world.
I was just hired by a Fortune 500 company two months ago, and I finally got the opportunity to be converted from an internship to a full-time position. Am I just going to waste it like this?
Let's not talk about it anymore, let's go back.
Xie Xubai pressed his temples.
I don't know why, but ever since I inexplicably wanted to stop at this alleyway, my head has been throbbing terribly, as if steel needles are drilling into it.
Fortunately, the unbearable pain disappeared when he wanted to go home.
Perhaps it was the strong night wind that gave me a headache.
Xie Xubai was momentarily dazed, patted his head, and couldn't help but laugh at himself for being so suspicious and overthinking: "Alright, alright, hurry home. We need to get up at 7 o'clock tomorrow and go to bed at 1 o'clock in the morning."
[You must clock in at the company before 8:00 AM, work at your post from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, then eat at the second window in the company cafeteria. On Thursdays, go to the third window. Take a half-hour lunch break, and continue working at 1:30 PM.]
The thought popped into my head again.
Xie Xubai subconsciously continued the thought in his mind.
If there are extra projects, I need to work overtime until 9:00 PM, and very rarely until 10:10 PM. Finally, I take the last train at 10:30 PM.
Arrive home before midnight, take a 15-minute shower, blow-dry your hair in 3 minutes, and drink a bottle of sweetened milk.
I fall asleep in 5 minutes, the alarm rings at 6:30, I turn it off and sleep for another 20 minutes, the alarm rings again at 6:50, and I stay in bed a little longer.
I woke up at 7 a.m. sharp and got up on time.
I clock in at the company at 8:00, work at my post from 9:00 to 12:30, and tomorrow is Wednesday, so I will eat at the second window in the company cafeteria.
[Run home as fast as you can, and you can still get home before midnight. Take a 15-minute shower, blow-dry your hair in 3 minutes, and drink a bottle of sweetened milk.]
Dark clouds covered the night sky, and shadows silently encroached upon the land. The streets were deserted and silent.
The distant noise of traffic and the chirping of insects seemed to be fading away, leaving only the faint sound of breathing from my abdomen.
It rises and falls.
Xie Xubai's gaze drifted into the distance, revealing an inorganic emptiness, as he slowly moved his toes away from the dark alleyway.
Like loose gear parts being forcefully pressed back into place, his movements became increasingly fluid and natural, without a trace of disharmony.
Suddenly, a faint, weak bark came from the deepest part of the alley.
"Waaah..."
Xie Xubai froze on the spot.
He turned around quickly without hesitation and strode back to the alley entrance.
During this process, his head started to hurt again, violently surging as if it were about to split open, but Xie Xubai had no time to pay attention to it.
At the corner of the alley, a withered paw trembled as it stretched out, its nails tearing at the ground as it struggled to crawl out, soon revealing a fluffy figure.
It's that stray dog!
It looked even thinner, all skin and bones, with its ribs bulging outwards.
Even more horrifying, half of the dog's face and body appeared to be corroded by some liquid, with its fur rotting, dark red, pus-filled flesh exposed, and even its stark white bones visible.
I don't know what kind of willpower it took to drag her body out of her way and appear in front of Xie Xubai.
Blood stained the dog's eye sockets, streaming down like tears of blood.
One eye was a bloody mess and necrotic, while the other eyeball trembled wildly, filled with fear and despair, as it looked at Xie Xubai from afar.
It's as if it's saying...
—Help me.
The moment Xie Xubai's eyes met those of the stray dog, the pain in his head spiked, almost making him faint, and his back was covered in cold sweat.
The feelings I had just suppressed resurfaced once again, like a persistent ghost.
I sometimes pass through that alley on my way home from work, and there's a stray dog lying at the entrance.
No, it shouldn't be said that it was his true feeling!
The voice was cold and hollow, bizarre and strange, simply recounting the scenes unfolding before them, like a teleprompter at a theatrical performance.
I spent some time with the stray dog and found it wasn't as ferocious as the residents described; on the contrary, it was quite docile. But for some reason, the surrounding residents treated it with hostility; children threw stones at it, and adults chased it away with iron bars.
[Usually, stray animals in a certain area will naturally establish a alpha, and this dog was the alpha in the area. But one day, all the cats and dogs under its command suddenly contracted distemper and began to attack and bite it.]
The dog-catching team arrived and, right in front of it, shot and killed all the sick cats and dogs, leaving only the wounded dog. From then on, the residents went even further, shooting the dog in the eyes with slingshots, playing dog-hunting games with fruit knives, and setting mousetraps and various traps in areas where the dog frequented.
Finally, it was doused with sulfuric acid and collapsed, barely alive, deep in the alley.
The voice continued its relentless narration, without a single ripple, delivering a final, definitive verdict on the tragic fate of the stray dogs.
I was just an ordinary passerby, busy and stressed about the new job I'd finally landed, and I didn't notice the misfortune befalling the stray dog.
When the stray dog, barely clinging to life, stared intently at the alleyway entrance, all I could think about was getting home quickly. I jogged past it.
And today, that dog is going to die.
No!
Xie Xubai internally screamed and raged, resisting the oppressive force that wanted him to accept his fate and reality.
It was at this moment that he heard a deafening shattering sound in his mind.
*Snap*
With a sudden release, Xie Xubai looked up at the world that seemed completely different before him.
As if floating up from the deep seabed, the whole world instantly shed its misty veil and became incredibly clear.
Before he could think any further, Xie Xubai, having regained his strength, immediately rushed toward the stray dog covered in blood.
The stray dog felt a gentle, warm force in the next second.
The force that lifted it suddenly became clumsy, as if it were at a loss due to its severe injuries.
An anxious yet gentle voice came from above, like a lifeline falling from the sky, gradually bringing the light back to the stray dog's dull eyes.
"It's okay, it's okay, sweetie, I'll take you to see a doctor right away."
On the other side of the residential building, a middle-aged man holding binoculars saw this scene, kicked the wall in a fit of rage, and burst out a string of profanities.
"I@*!@&*!"
His face contorted with rage, he hissed, "It's almost dawn, why does someone have to suddenly appear and ruin things? Fuck him!"
The fat man next to him seemed surprised by the turn of events. He stared nervously at the other person, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's okay. I just checked. He's just an ordinary person who occasionally appears on this road."
"The dog was barely alive. Even if he could get it to the hospital, it wouldn't last long and would surely die."
As he spoke, he looked at Xie Xubai, who had picked up the dog, his eyes icy cold, as if he were looking at a dead man, and spoke with absolute certainty.
"As for the person who almost ruined our plans, let him become the first blood sacrifice of the Ghost Dog."
This seemed to confirm the fat man's words.
The stray dog in Xie Xubai's arms began to convulse until its movements slowed down.
Xie Xubai realized with absolute clarity at that moment that the stray dog would probably die before he could even get out of the alley, and he had to do something right now.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
The blood has clotted; the problem is no longer bleeding. The focus now is on treating the burns, addressing wound inflammation, and providing ample nutrition.
But he doesn't even have a bottle of water on him!
Unless he...
Xie Xubai stopped in his tracks.
A blurry image flashed before my eyes, and indistinct murmurs rang out in my mind like buzzing bees.
He seemed to see countless scenes of despair, yet even in despair, there was still a glimmer of hope.
By the time Xie Xubai realized what was happening, he had already bitten his own wrist.
Human teeth are blunt, and we have an instinct to avoid pain. Normal people can't even bite through their fingers, so this bite is extremely difficult to take.
Xie Xubai was sweating profusely, his teeth clenching so hard that his arms trembled with pain.
He couldn't remember what those strange scenes were, given the excruciating pain. They were like ripples on a lake surface, gently stirred by a breeze, gradually calming down until there was no trace of them.
Only one thought became increasingly clear in my mind.
I want to save it, even if there's only a sliver of a chance.
The dog looked longingly at Xie Xubai, the last bit of warmth it had felt in its life. It could no longer hold on, its front paws went limp, and it curled up into a ball.
Two men in the apartment building saw this through binoculars, their faces full of ill intent, and they immediately burst into laughter. They turned around, opened a bottle of champagne, and clinked glasses.
But what they didn't know was that a miracle happened when Xie Xubai fed the blood to the stray dog.
After the dog drank the blood, it suddenly felt a surge of light, and its withered and thin chest began to swell up little by little!
The two people inside were still talking about how difficult the past few days had been.
For example, they searched for almost three years before finding such a spiritual dog, which was simply a gift from heaven to cultivate a spirit.
During this period, they drugged the cats and dogs surrounding the stray dog, publicized the incident of a rabid dog biting someone to death, and spent a lot of money to bribe the people who caught the dog, thus intensifying the malice of nearby residents towards the stray dog.
If we don't do this, how can we allow the dog to suffer and be filled with resentment in its lifetime, thus fulfilling the conditions for becoming a monster?
Once the dogs die, they will become evil creatures enslaved by them.
The middle-aged man suddenly remembered something: "Speaking of which, this method of practicing evil is ruthless and vicious, and there seems to be a great taboo. Do you remember what it is?"
Feeling confident that things were going to be a sure thing, the fat man downed several drinks in quick succession and got completely drunk.
He thought about it in a daze for a while, then grinned sinisterly.
"Remember, during that extremely short period of time when the dog is going through the cycle of life and death, never feed it human blood!"
Author's Note:
To express my apology, there will be red envelopes dropping in the comments section within 24 hours! Love you all, *smack* (*≧▽≦) The next chapter will be updated tomorrow morning.
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