Chapter 22 Bubbles (6) "It's that thing you've always had on you..."
The people crammed into the art gallery were intertwined, their bodies twisted into terrifying arcs, like a massive, fleshy animal twisted together, supporting countless heads, countless joints contorted, and each limb like a finely woven foot.
However, the centipede's crawling and the movement of its legs have rhythm and regularity, but this monster does not.
The writhing heads, torsos, and limbs do not originate from a single person, nor are they controlled by a single thought process. As a result, their movements are not continuous, and they each perform their own orientation and rotation.
But at certain times, certain parts act in unison, and if you observe carefully, you can see that they come from the same body.
It looks terrifying from afar, but it's even more terrifying up close.
But at this moment, all the heads were facing the back door in perfect unison.
The monster, which had trapped itself, moved impatiently toward the back door, its limbs spinning frantically as it dragged its body forward, while its other limbs danced wildly toward the back door.
At this moment, the different mindsets that were fighting to the death abandoned their desire to find the original self and become real. Their minds were all captivated, transformed into one, and they were mesmerized, crowding towards the back door and window, pouring out like minced meat from a meat grinder.
Suddenly, many of the people trapped inside vanished with a "pop," leaving many empty spaces inside the twisted monster. The monster collapsed downwards, the knot loosened, and many people took the opportunity to untie themselves.
Because the original body was squeezed out of the art gallery, all of its bubble clones burst.
But nobody cared about it.
Those who were freed moved freely and ran forward faster, while the monsters, still in small clumps, crawled past like giant insects.
They huddled under the tall cycads, straining to look up, breathing in the sweet air, their eyes fixed intently on the people seated in the canopy, like a throng surrounding a throne.
Xie Tan's vision blurred, and he could only see large patches of strangely shaped flesh-colored objects surrounding his feet.
He lowered his eyes and looked down at them coldly.
Number 7 seemed to be calling him in his ear, saying something about a cell phone, but he couldn't hear clearly. What was wrong with the cell phone? Had the comic been updated? He couldn't watch it in his current condition.
It couldn't be anyone who contacted him; he had no one who could contact him on his own initiative... Suddenly, a pair of amber eyes appeared in his mind.
But he didn't have time to think it through. He had used inhibitors too frequently in the past and had developed resistance. The inhibitors were slow to take effect and he felt sleepy. He couldn't stand it and passed out first.
Lu Jinzhao barged into the art gallery, his phone still dialing Xie Tan's number, but it still wasn't answered.
The museum was in a mess, covered with the same strange painting, and filled with bloodstains, severed limbs, and many corpses that looked the same.
A dozen or so people collapsed on the ground, curled up and trembling, while others struggled to crawl toward the gate.
They took the opportunity to break away from their original bodies and wanted to leave, but the situation suddenly changed. They dared not make any rash moves, and their limbs were fractured due to excessive twisting, making it difficult for them to move.
Upon seeing a familiar face, Lu Jinzhao immediately stepped forward, helped Chang Mingai up, and asked what had happened.
The crowd that had been so determined to keep everyone from leaving suddenly vanished, and the crisis seemed to have mysteriously been averted, leaving Chang Mingai completely baffled.
She kept her eyes on the back door, trying to pick out the key points and explain the situation.
"They all ran towards the back door; some of the original bodies must have been taken out. Lots of bubbles popped. Is it almost nine o'clock? They..."
Lu Jinzhao: "It's already past nine o'clock."
Chang Mingai looked at his phone in disbelief: 9:02.
But she also saw a large crowd gathered at the back door, which made her scalp tingle.
Lu Jinzhao also looked towards the back door. A strong smell filled the hall, hard to describe with a single word, yet extremely eerie.
But he recognized it; it was Ah Tan's scent, but much stronger than before.
He skillfully called the police, followed the smell to the back door, and immediately saw Xie Tan, surrounded by a crowd, leaning against a high-speed train seat, seemingly asleep.
His steps unconsciously moved forward, but he immediately stopped, decisively turned around, and returned to the building.
Lu Jinzhao first casually touched a painting. The surface of the painting was damp, and his palm was left with what looked like unwashed foam.
The foam, however, was red and smelled of blood.
A look of surprise flashed in his eyes. Why was there blood? It was a person who had been split apart; they couldn't have died the moment they split apart.
He wiped away the blood foam, and as the tiny bubbles burst, a faint, eerie scent wafted out. If it weren't for his keen sense of smell, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.
Because it quickly blended into the atmosphere of the art museum.
This is also the scent on Xie Tan.
Is this Xie Tan's clone?
Wouldn't that mean they died right after birth?
He touched several more paintings, and they were all covered in the same bloody foam.
Their creation process is too short, leaving no opportunity for external forces to intervene; this is the choice made by the newly created clones themselves.
Another self, born of desire, chooses to end its own existence at the very moment of its birth, erasing its own existence.
Is this a contradiction, or is the very desire of the being... death?
Lu Jinzhao pursed his lips and quickly found the clock hidden under the painting "Bubble".
The hands of the art clock stopped at six o'clock, as if it had run out of power.
He turned the hands, closed the clock, and saw the current time was 9:06.
A chorus of popping sounds echoed inside and outside the venue as countless bubbles burst and disappeared.
Lu Jinzhao carried the unconscious Xie Tan on the balcony. In the courtyard outside the back door, there were only a few classmates lying unconscious on the ground. There was nothing else, not even blood.
"Xie Tan, how are you, Xie Tan—A-Tan!"
Lu Jinzhao carried him outside and pressed his head against Xie Tan's forehead; Xie Tan had a low-grade fever.
"I'll take you to the hospital, we'll be there soon."
Lu Jinzhao ran very fast, but his grip on Xie Tan was very steady.
The inhibitor was slowly taking effect. Xie Tan was awakened by the sound, and the fever in his body was gradually subsiding.
He was a little confused and was dozing off in Lu Jinzhao's arms, so he instinctively leaned closer to her.
He leaned against the young man's full, sturdy chest, and the powerful heartbeat pounded into his fragile eardrums.
It was like a lion galloping across the grasslands, a vigorous force, in sync with the vibrations of the planet, something that was always so far away from him, causing his body to tremble with an unspeakable, tingling sensation.
He couldn't tell whether it was hormones and pheromones burning away his desires, or whether he felt a soul-deep fear of this concrete manifestation of life.
Xie Tan had no strength, but he also lost his rationality. He grabbed Lu Jinzhao's clothes and struggled to get up a little from his arms, wanting to get closer to that warm skin and listen to his pulse to see if it was the same as his heartbeat.
Lu Jinzhao lowered his head and let Xie Tan's face bury in his neck, their warmth and breath mingling together.
He moved his left hand, which was around the boy's shoulder, up to hold Xie Tan's nape with his large palm and gently rubbed it.
"Hmm..." Xie Tan let out a low groan and shuddered uncontrollably. He was still pressed against Lu Jinzhao's neck, and the shudder was like a cat rubbing against someone.
He felt his glands were even hotter than before he took the suppressant. He felt a sense of resistance, as if his fatal weakness had been exploited, but his body obediently, even longingly, felt the caress of that hand.
Especially when he gently massaged the gland with his fingertips, he clenched his teeth and didn't make any strange noises.
Xie Tan's brain, which was half a day late, finally started to work. Remembering what Lu Jinzhao had said, he tugged at Lu Jinzhao's collar and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm not going to the hospital."
Lu Jinzhao gently coaxed, "You have a fever."
"It will come down in a bit."
"You're not feeling well."
But since he was only slightly online, Xie Tan's mind was still racing. He felt that his good neighbor had suddenly become difficult to talk to, so he frowned but didn't know how to refute him.
After a moment of silence, Xie Tan whispered, as if talking in his sleep, "The hospital makes me feel even more uncomfortable."
Lu Jinzhao lowered his head, moving a little distance away to see the face of the person in his arms clearly.
The boy's beautiful face was bloodless, especially his lips; he looked listless, his eyes drooping, and he seemed utterly dejected.
Actually, his expression wasn't that much different, just a little more than his usual expressionless face, but that little bit was enough to make Lu Jinzhao feel wronged.
"...I understand, let's go home first."
Lu Jinzhao carried him back to his home, wiped his sweat and fed him water. After Xie Tan fell into a deep sleep, he gently brushed the stray hairs from his forehead, stood by the bed, and just watched him.
At this moment, at the Reef Art Museum.
The cleaner got out of the car, and his initially relaxed and slightly expectant expression became increasingly gloomy as they approached the art museum.
Why is it so quiet?
He even saw the police cordon.
There were no police officers present; the art gallery was simply sealed off. The cleaners skillfully evaded the police barriers and quietly entered the gallery, where all the artworks had already been restored.
There were tissues and hair ties on the ground, which were inconspicuous little items belonging to the kids. The other items were taken away by the police as evidence.
The dirt left from running, the scratches on the corner of the wall, the broken doors and windows, and the trampled lawn outside the back door—these are all proof that his game had taken place.
But his game shouldn't have ended.
He played a trick, not saying that only the art gallery's clock would be open at nine o'clock. This showed his desire to control the game, and also his malicious intentions.
Whether it was the main body or the clone, they all waited for nine o'clock, but nothing happened. It was all in vain, and no one else could come in or come out to rescue them. How interesting! He could arrive late and enjoy their despair.
But now, it's empty.
The phone rang suddenly. Seeing the caller ID, he tried to suppress his emotions and answered respectfully: "Vice Leader."
The voice on the other end was an emotionless electronic tone: "At the art gallery?"
"yes."
"It's already been recycled?"
The cleaner looked grim: "Something's gone wrong." He stared at the empty iron tree outside the back door.
The power of mirrors is used more in bubble art, maintaining the art gallery's play.
The art museum also has another artwork made of mirrors, which has been given some power to project images, but its power is limited, and only fragments can be seen.
But it still left him in disbelief.
The bubble clones are derivatives of the original body's desires; there are only two ways for them to survive without bursting.
To replace one's true self, or to go to the extreme of desire, to live entirely as desire, to be distinct from one's true self, to abandon the complexities of being human, to act solely on the command of desire, and to become a monster.
The longer they exist in reality, the more they tend towards the latter; the extremes bring power that transcends the definition of ordinary humans.
It cannot become a real person unless it replaces the original body.
And what did he see in the mirror?
So many monsters, inexplicably giving up their chance to become human, squeezed out the back door and surrounded a slender, fragile boy, yet they did nothing.
Instead, they looked up to that boy with all their hearts, as if gazing at the most sacred and spiritual moon in the sky, almost kneeling down to be devoted to him!
They no longer cared about truth or falsehood, reality or illusion, the difference between humans and monsters, or their inner desires. They were willing to perish naturally, just to catch a glimpse of him at his feet.
The boy sat indifferently on the high place, coldly looking down at their obsession. In his eyes, everything was so natural and boring.
He even fell asleep surrounded by monsters!
It's practically turning his game into a joke, the biggest mockery of him.
It was just an accident; he underestimated that little brat.
He will find out the other party's strengths and weaknesses, eliminate him, and make him pay the price.
So he didn't report the details or reveal Xie Tan's existence, but simply said in a gloomy tone, "Give me a little more time."
The person on the phone didn't ask what happened, why it failed, or what remedial measures he would take.
These are all trivial matters, not worth wasting time on. The person respectfully addressed as "Deputy Leader" simply said, "Don't delay important matters."
"Please rest assured."
After hanging up the phone, the cleaner walked to the end of the gallery, but unexpectedly frowned, his expression darkening further.
The "Bubble" still hangs there, but the black background is covered with countless iridescent bubbles.
The figure hidden by the bubbles disappeared.
The mirror shards were absorbed, and it ran away.
But it wasn't completely out of control. Although he didn't release it, once it was out, what good could that monster possibly do?
Let's make it even bigger then, so as not to disappoint him.
The next day, Xie Tan woke up to find it gloomy and rainy outside the window, and he couldn't tell whether it was day or night.
It's been raining a lot in Dichu lately...
Xie Tan groggily raised his hand, only to touch something furry, which he then casually stroked twice: "7..."
He suddenly realized that this was not his home, and that there was a gaze that seemed to be fixed on him.
Trying hard to recall what happened last night, Xie Tan's hand froze, and he silently withdrew it, only to be grasped by a large hand.
Lu Jinzhao naturally leaned over, brushed Xie Tan's hair aside, and touched his forehead.
Xie Tan wanted to hide, but remembering that Lu Jinzhao had stayed by his side all night, he held back and didn't move.
The young man's large, warm palm rested on his forehead, which felt very comfortable, and his eyelashes trembled slightly.
But then came frustration, wondering if the pheromones had still had too much of an effect on him, and if there were still any residues.
"It didn't catch fire again." Lu Jinzhao breathed a sigh of relief. "How are you feeling?"
"I am……"
You had a fever last night.
Xie Tan watched him silently. Lu Jinzhao's expression was full of concern, without any reluctance or other hidden emotions.
The other person seemed unaware of anything unusual about themselves.
That makes sense; he was delirious from the fever, and the humans here couldn't smell his pheromones.
He belatedly realized that, it seemed that the first time he saw Lu Jinzhao after he woke up, Lu Jinzhao's eyes were exceptionally bright and clear.
Did she wake up earlier than him? Or... did she not sleep at all last night?
It should be the former. How could someone who takes care of him all night without sleeping be so energetic? It's hard to believe that he has such high energy levels.
but.
Xie Tan still asked, "Are you asleep?"
"No..." Lu Jinzhao's natural words took a turn when Xie Tan looked at him, and he blinked innocently, "I slept for a while."
Xie Tan looked at him quietly: "You don't lie."
Knowing he couldn't fool her, Lu Jinzhao started grinning foolishly, "I'm not sleepy."
Xie Tan sighed inwardly, really...
Just as he was about to get up, Lu Jinchao stood up first, rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen, looking full of energy: "I'll make breakfast, you lie down for a while longer, I'll call you."
"No..." Xie Tan hadn't finished speaking when Lu Jinzhao rushed off to the kitchen, and the bedroom door was closed.
Xie Tan fell silent. What kind of whirlwind dog was this?
And he stayed up all night, yet he didn't seem tired at all.
Xie Tan couldn't even bring himself to suggest that Lu Jinzhao go and rest, as Lu's bright eyes made him feel like he was making an excuse.
He fell into deep thought, but then remembered that he was still in Lu Jinzhao's bed, so he immediately ended his useless contemplation and got out of bed.
However, when he looked down, he was still wearing Lu Jinchao's shirt, and his jacket was gone. It must have been soaked with sweat, and Lu Jinchao had helped him change it.
"..."
With a numb expression, Xie Tan tidied Lu Jinzhao's bed, trying his best to forget everything that happened last night.
He looked left and right, wondering what he could do to help.
Lu Jinzhao's room was cluttered and full of all sorts of strange and unusual things: mecha figurines, puzzles, basketballs, tarot cards, dreamcatchers, pirate hats, Taoist robes, quantum mechanics textbooks... Xie Tan even saw cosmetics.
There are separate epoxy resin storage boxes for storing all kinds of flyers and promotional materials.
He inexplicably thought of a dog running around everywhere, happily bringing home anything new and interesting, finding everything interesting, and filling its little nest.
They are also the most popular customers for salespeople and scammers.
There was a pair of cat-shaped slippers by the bed. Xie Tan guessed that Lu Jinzhao bought them because he thought they were fun. He didn't usually have a chance to wear them, but now they came in handy.
He walked into the living room with very light footsteps, but Lu Jinzhao looked over immediately. He deftly shook the small frying pan, and the egg flipped in a beautiful arc before landing perfectly.
"Can't sleep? There's a TV in the living room, watch it for a bit, it'll be over soon—are you going back?"
He noticed the key in Xie Tan's hand.
Xie Tan, caught off guard, met the pitiful puppy-dog eyes: "...Go back and change your clothes."
Lu Jinzhao laughed again.
On rainy days, the room is as dark as the setting sun, but Xie Tan feels that there's no need to turn on the lights; his smile alone is enough to illuminate the room.
He changed his clothes, washed up, and returned to Lu Jinzhao's house. The TV was already on, on the news channel, and the weather forecast said it would rain all day.
In addition, regarding the recent disappearances that have been occurring frequently on rainy days, the police have already found two bodies.
Xie Tan changed the channel and didn't see any reports about the art museum.
After all, it just happened last night and is still under investigation, but it's also possible that this is too common in Finch City and not a case worth reporting.
However, there are rumors circulating in the campus group that the students who died in the old teaching building drowned.
Drowned? Not hacked to death?
And how did he drown inside the building and get thrown into the pool?
Xie Tan broadcast the rainy day report again. Could it be related to this?
Hearing the sound of the stove being turned off, Xie Tan looked at Lu Jinzhao, a black-haired young man wearing a My Little Pony apron, who was setting up a plate with his head down, carefully squeezing smiley faces onto slices of bread with strawberry jam.
Mission accomplished. Lu Jinzhao invited Xie Tan to dinner.
Xie Tan sat down, and the smiling face on the bread was as radiant as he was.
He stared at the heart-shaped fried egg next to the bread. Lu Jinzhao, sitting opposite him, happily shared, "I bought a new mold, isn't it cute?"
Xie Tan remained silent, thinking that he was indebted to the person who had fed him, and nodded in agreement.
The two started eating, and Lu Jinzhao told him about the aftermath of the art museum incident, but there was no further development.
"Because there was nothing there, just like usual, without the ghosts, bloodstains, doppelgangers, or corpses they talked about. The museum's surveillance cameras were malfunctioning, and there were no male cleaners in the art museum. The students from the University of Descartes were recuperating and needed psychological evaluations and counseling. Those who were injured might need to rest for several months, and even those who weren't seriously injured needed to rest for two weeks."
No trace of any strange phenomena was left behind, because those were all "bubbles" that disappeared without a trace once they burst, as if they had never existed.
But it's only a two-week break, maybe a few months at most? He thought he would have to take a leave of absence from school.
However, Director Jiang is very skilled at handling these kinds of matters, and Di Da obviously already has a set of procedures, which means that such things happen quite often.
Moreover, his classmate is a Finch, a native of the horror comic book world.
So two weeks of rest might be enough for this level of injury. Oh, I see. How resilient!
What did the original owner of that house experience during his year-long leave of absence from school?
He then remembered the letter with the black goat printed on it.
Perhaps he can take advantage of his original owner's connections to get involved in this important storyline.
Lu Jinzhao also used the wrong words, saying "those students from Di University" instead of "your classmates".
The neighbor hasn't realized he's also a student at the university? Aside from subconsciously avoiding the director the day he went to see him, he didn't seem to be deliberately hiding this fact.
Is it true or false?
Xie Tan didn't mention it, not because of any popularity-building plan, but because he was a little curious about when his clumsy neighbor would finally notice.
But the next second, Lu Jinzhao's words froze him.
"I washed your coat and shirt last night. They're dry and the smell has dissipated. I've packed them in a bag. Remember to take them back."
The taste? Xie Tan's mind immediately tensed up, like a stress response left over from countless times, forming an automatic circuit in his brain.
A layer of cold ice rose from his deep, still eyes: "Taste?"
"It's that scent you always have," Lu Jinzhao asked with interest and a smile. "It's quite unique. Is it a niche line from some perfume brand, a personal blend, or just your natural body scent?"
"It's not perfumery."
"It really does smell like her body, that's amazing."
Lu Jinzhao sighed from the bottom of his heart, as if he had heard someone mention a special skill he had never heard of before, seen someone with a birthmark that happened to resemble a certain shape, or happened to encounter a four-leaf clover.
He would marvel at how wonderful the world is, that such things still happen, and that this in itself is a special yet not so special little adventure of the day.
Xie Tan kept looking at him, trying to see through his falsehood and pretense, but he had too much experience in discerning people, so he understood better than anyone else that this was exactly what the person in front of him was thinking.
He couldn't understand it for a moment; it was beyond his comprehension: "Amazing? Your description... is the most unique I've ever heard."
“It’s so cool, just like my room, you see? It’s a bit messy, haha, that’s my super cool little quirk.” Lu Jinzhao spread his thumb and forefinger slightly apart and placed them in front of his beautiful amber eyes, and laughed. “There are many people and things like this in Diqiu. I like it here.”
Xie Tan stopped discussing the topic, but his mind was still in turmoil, as chaotic as when he was in heat.
He couldn't figure it out, so he could only suppress his emotions and try to do some rational analysis.
It had always been there, so Lu Jinzhao was able to smell his pheromones the first time they met.
Then why didn't he notice...? Xie Tan paused, because from the beginning, Lu Jinzhao thought this was normal.
He forced himself to suppress those chaotic thoughts and tried to analyze them.
Is Lu Jinzhao not human, but actually a ghost? Is it true or false?
Impossible. Is there such a lively and cheerful ghost that deviates so much from the values of ghosts and monsters?
Are there really ghosts that stupid?
Perhaps it's because he's the main character.
Xie Tan originally only regarded Lu Jinzhao as the most noteworthy character in the comic, but now he suddenly realized that Lu Jinzhao was the most special one.
After they had breakfast, Xie Tan had returned to calm, at least on the surface.
He wanted to wash the dishes, but Lu Jinzhao refused, as if he would get a fever again if he touched cold water.
Xie Tan could only sit beside him and watch him wash the dishes. He didn't show it on his face, but he felt uneasy inside, like facing a cat with water stains all over the floor, not knowing where to put his feet.
I was helped, cared for, and concerned; I was enveloped in kindness by a semi-stranger with whom I had no deep relationship.
It's not a trap, and it doesn't seek any reward.
There's nothing more tempting to escape than this.
These were all too unfamiliar to him; he had no experience dealing with them.
Xie Tan leaned against the side, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What are your needs, or rather, your wishes?"
"A wish?" Lu Jinzhao turned around in surprise.
His surprise was obvious, making Xie Tan wonder what was wrong with his words: "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it's just that I rarely hear people say that to me, so it's a bit novel." Lu Jinzhao pondered for a moment. "You've finished eating, do you need to rest?"
"It is your wish."
"I don't need anything right now."
"Then think about the past and the future."
Wishes simply come from these two things: the continuation of some regret from the past, or some expectation for the future. Xie Tan added with dry humor: "Make you mayor, make the sun rise in the west and set in the east, or destroy the world in a second—forget about those. Tell me something I can do."
Lu Jinzhao, however, asked in return, "Are these your wishes?" He looked at him very seriously.
Xie Tan stared at him silently, and Lu Jinzhao knew it wasn't true. He chuckled twice, but his expression became even more confused: "Past and future?"
He seemed unable to understand those two words, or rather, those two words did not exist in his world.
Xie Tan felt a little strange, but before he could think about it further, Lu Jinzhao suddenly realized and said, "I knew something was strange. My wish is for you to rest well now. My wish doesn't necessarily have to be related to me, does it? I almost got confused by you. Ah Tan, go and rest."
In the end, it was all well-intentioned advice.
Xie Tan: "..."
He's overthinking it; this guy is just a naive and innocent person who's always full of love.
There's also this name.
He wanted to say something, but Lu Jinzhao seemed to see through his thoughts and immediately raised his hand and said, "I know my wish. We're friends now, right? Can I call you A-Tan?"
Xie Tan had anticipated this and looked away beforehand, but judging from his tone, he automatically associated it with a pleading expression and couldn't help but click his tongue in disapproval.
"Then leave it until you've thought it through, although you might not necessarily need it." After all, you're the protagonist who survived 100%.
Xie Tan skipped the formalities and directly decided to postpone the promise: "Let's go back."
"Get some rest, and feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything. Don't order takeout these next couple of days, have dinner with me tonight, please, please, it's so boring eating alone—"
After Xie Tan closed the door, Lu Jinzhao closed his own door and went back to wipe the kitchen table. Suddenly, he realized that this meant it was okay to call for help.
He smiled and continued cleaning, humming a song.
A few days later, Xie Tan still hadn't received a new comic update. He looked out the window; the rain was drizzling and seemed endless.
It's been raining a lot lately, and we haven't seen the sun.
Every mealtime, Lu Jinzhao would knock on his door and invite him to eat together. The first time, fearing that he would politely decline, he even brought a pot directly to his door.
Xie Tan couldn't refuse, so he took it upon himself to wash the vegetables and dishes; he wasn't just good at cooking instant noodles.
Yesterday, my good neighbor and his classmates, who are also history majors, went to visit a museum in another city.
Lu Jinzhao was worried about Xie Tan and wanted to decline, but Xie Tan reluctantly agreed after Xie Tan promised to take good care of himself and keep in touch. Before leaving, Lu Jinzhao asked the landlady to tell him to contact her if he needed anything.
Are you really that worried? He's not a helpless child.
Xie Tan refreshed the map on the food delivery app, but thanks to the weather, no riders accepted the order.
He gave up and went to the kitchen to cook instant noodles.
The cat sat on the dining table wagging its tail and looking at him reproachfully.
It's like saying, "Is this what you mean by taking care of yourself, meow?"
So Xie Tan opened the refrigerator, took out eggs, ham sausages, and a few stalks of bok choy: "Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, it's so healthy."
The cat meowed in dissatisfaction; the person was fooling the cat, the person was bad!
Not only was the cat dissatisfied, but his kind neighbor, who asked him about today's breakfast, was also not very happy.
9:00
Embrace the Sun: [Good morning! I just finished breakfast with my classmates, got ready to leave after tidying up.]
Embrace the Sun: [Image]
Embracing the Sun: [Look! A bear waffle!]
Embracing the Sun: [Ah Tan, what did you eat for breakfast?]
Embracing the Sun: [[Dog Peeking Out.jpg]]
11:12
.at: [Image]
Embracing the Sun: [Is this all we're going to eat?]
.at: [Healthier than takeout]
The other party is typing...
The neighbor, who replied almost instantly, kept typing. Xie Tan raised an eyebrow, already imagining the other person agonizing over whether instant noodles or takeout was healthier.
Embracing the Sun: [Is this lunch?]
.at: [Brunch/Lunch]
The other person immediately grasped the concept of changing the topic.
Embrace the sun: [Okay, it's healthier than not eating at all]
Embracing the Sun: [I'm going out, I'll take pictures of some fun things to send you!]
Embracing the Sun: [[Dog taking its first paws.jpg]]
.at: [Hmm]
After filling his stomach, Xie Tan stood in the room and looked around. The rain was still falling, and he felt drowsy.
He made his plans for today: to stay in bed and scroll through his phone all day.
But things didn't go as planned. There was a knock on the door, and two policemen appeared through the peephole.
The safety awareness required in the ordinary world is even more necessary in the horror world, since besides scammers, there could also be ghosts.
Number 7 passed through the wall, glanced around, confirmed that it was probably a policeman, and nodded to Xie Tan when he returned.
Xie Tan opened the door, and the police showed their identification.
"Hello, this is Qilu Police Station. We need your cooperation in an investigation."
"Please come in."
Xie Tan poured water for the two policemen, assuming they were there for the art museum. The policemen did indeed inquire about this matter first.
Because during the police investigation, the art museum did not have a cleaner with two scars on her face, and Xie Tan did not mention it either.
He said he had a fever and fainted during class, and was taken home by a kind neighbor, but he didn't know the specifics.
The police officer nodded, but didn't delve deeper. Instead, he took out a photograph: "Do you recognize this person?"
Xie Tan knew they had arrived at the most important part of their trip. He took the photo and looked at it: "Director Wu, our appreciation class teacher. He had something to do that night and couldn't come. What is this?"
When was the last time you saw him?
Xie Tan gave the date: "I'm going to the Jiao'an Art Museum to get his stamp for the application materials to resume my studies."
The police asked a few more questions and then took their leave. Although they didn't say it explicitly, Xie Tan could tell that something had happened to Director Wu.
Is it also related to the art museum?
Before leaving, the police reminded him, "It's been raining a lot lately, and the roads are slippery and cold. Aren't you on holiday? Don't go out unless you have to."
Xie Tan nodded and watched the two policemen go downstairs.
As they passed the platform, lightning suddenly struck outside the window, illuminating the dimly lit corridor.
White and purple electric snakes flashed in the dark clouds, perfectly separating the two policemen who were standing one in front of the other, their shadows flowing across the ground.
*Snap.* Xie Tan slammed the door shut.
The rain is about to get heavier; hopefully, the two police officers won't get soaked.
The next morning, Xie Tan groggily opened his eyes. It was still raining outside, making him unable to tell what time it was; he thought it was still the middle of the night.
He propped himself up; the phone on the bedside table was lit up. Xie Tan picked it up; it was already the morning of the next day, and the police station was calling.
Xie Tan answered the phone: "Hello?"
"Hello, are you Mr. Xie Tan? Two police officers came to investigate yesterday, is that right? Their badge numbers are xxxxxxx and xxxxxxx."
"There were two policemen, one of whom had a badge number ending in xxxx, but I don't remember the other one."
Do you remember when they left?
"It was a little after 12, not quite 12:30. They asked a few questions and then left. Was it related to my teacher's murder?"
"We are still investigating. Due to certain circumstances, we are unable to visit you in person. Please stay home as much as possible and do not go out recently. Thank you for your cooperation."
The person on the other end of the phone spoke rapidly, asked questions hastily, and was perfunctory in attitude, seemingly overwhelmed with work.
In the background, there are sounds of running, other conversations, excited shouts, and police attempts to calm people down.
The call had ended, and Xie Tan searched for any major events that had occurred in the past few days.
Besides the eerie weather of continuous rain, there were also increasingly serious cases, starting with people disappearing on rainy days, then gradually finding bodies, and with more and more bodies appearing, turning into a series of murders in the rain.
As of yesterday, seven cases had been discovered, and four more victims were found today. The killer's killing speed has suddenly increased.
The deceased was found lying in the rain with no mechanical injuries, but cyanosis in all ten fingers and fluid accumulation in the trachea and organs, indicating that they died from drowning.
When they were found, the blood had been washed away by the rain.
Director Wu, who was also the teacher of the appreciation course, was found dead in the parking lot below Building A of the Di University yesterday.
Xie Tan checked the campus group chat and found that a student had indeed taken a photo. The director had died next to his car, and it also showed signs of drowning. The contents of his bag were scattered all over the ground, and the umbrella, which was already brick red, was half-pressed down by the body and stained even redder with blood.
After the two police officers who visited yesterday left, they went to investigate other households related to the director, but did not return to the station by evening.
This morning, their bodies were found lying in a puddle in a park ten kilometers away from the intersection. The car had a flat tire at the park entrance.
All the victims were murdered in the rain, and the investigating police officers were also implicated. This is probably why the police could not visit them in person and could only ask a few questions over the phone.
The rain shows no signs of stopping; it's been raining for a week now.
Intermittent sunshine, but the dark clouds lingered, preventing any glimpse of sunlight.
It's been raining for so long, it should have cleared up for a while by now, but in the last two days it's been raining harder and longer.
The time it took for the rain to stop actually decreased.
This is not normal.
That's no longer a simple weather problem; it's the work of forces outside of humanity.
A new ghost? But he didn't see the preview image for the next episode.
Even the events at the art museum haven't been updated in the comics yet.
Xie Tan suddenly thought of a possibility: Could this story not be over yet?
The cat, which had been curled up in a ball, opened its eyes, jumped off the sofa, and chased after Xie Tan, who had changed his clothes: "Meow, are we going out, meow?"
“The police couldn’t come, so I went myself.” Xie Tan picked up the black umbrella in the entryway and raised an eyebrow with a dry sense of humor. “He deserves a good citizen award.”
We can't let the rain keep falling like this; it's never going to stop.
If the riders can't get any orders, are they supposed to just eat instant noodles all the time?
Whether it's healthy or not is secondary; the main thing is that he's tired of it.
When he left home, the rain was still light. He boarded the bus, and there were only a few people on it, mostly poor working people who had to brave the rain to get to work even after the serial murders.
He sat by the window, which was covered by fine raindrops, and could only see the blurry red lights of other car lights outside, which looked somewhat bizarre.
Two stops away, the rain gradually intensified, and the bus suddenly braked hard. Xie Tan was thrown forward by inertia, and the rainwater kicked up by the wheels outside the window splattered against the window, as if it were pouring down on him.
Xie Tan, whose ears were filled with sound, turned his head. The water waves washed over the car window, clearing away the rain and revealing a moment of clarity.
The bus is stuck in a puddle on the collapsed road.
The driver cursed, "Why aren't there roadblocks?! Who can tell it's a deep ditch?! Is nobody in charge?! I'll die on this lousy road before I run into a murderer!"
The bus was no longer safe to ride, so the driver made a phone call, and the passengers carefully exited the bus through the doors and crossed the puddles.
Xie Tan decided to walk the rest of the way.
Due to historical issues, the road network in Dichow City is irregular and must avoid the rivers and lakes that flow through it, resulting in many maze-like streets in the old town.
The area around Qilu was the hardest hit, with many bends, narrow roads, and crisscrossing alleys. As expected, the main road leading to the police station was blocked by traffic.
Guided by the cat, Xie Tan took another route, walking through the alley with an umbrella.
The main street was bustling, and the sound of car horns echoed through the maze of alleys, only a faint echo lingering in Xie Tan's ears.
The alleyways were full of puddles, making it even more difficult to walk than the main road, which was fraught with problems. So he was the only one who preferred to wade through rainwater rather than muddy water.
Dirty water splashed onto his trouser legs. Xie Tan frowned, grabbed the fabric of his trousers, and pulled them up.
Cat was walking far ahead, splashing in puddles, but when Xie Tan turned to the next alley, Cat stopped.
The alley was already narrow, and filled with fine rain, it felt even more cramped.
Through the blurry rain, a tall, thin, dark figure, over two meters tall, stood at the end of the alley.
Xie Tan paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.
He got closer and closer to the shadowy figure, but the figure's appearance didn't become clear; it remained hazy behind the rain.
But as he got closer, it grew larger and larger in his field of vision.
Even when he was only a step away from the shadowy figure, he still couldn't make out its appearance.
But he saw bloodstains on the shadowy figure, flowing like blood in bubbles.
The next moment, the instant they overlapped, the shadow disappeared.
Beside him, light red rainwater flowed from another alley, washing over his exposed ankles.
Xie Tan turned his head and saw a corpse in the alley.
The man's head was submerged in the puddle, and the hem of his clothes bobbed up and down in the water.
Xie Tan memorized the location and continued on to the police station.
The police station was surrounded by parked cars, and the lobby was open and full of people, making a lot of noise.
Xie Tan climbed the stairs step by step, and saw a middle-aged man in the lobby suddenly stand up, grab the arm of a lean policeman, look around nervously, and shout loudly.
"You're just leaving the gate open like this? Without any safety measures, completely disregarding the lives of the citizens? It definitely hasn't left; it's hiding here. Are you even listening to me?"
"Sir, please calm down, it's safe here now..."
"Safe my ass! Don't think I don't know, even police officers have died. That monster kills people without any pattern. Did you hear what I said? My friend and I were walking down the street when we saw it—that ghostly figure! It was over two meters tall, had no shape, and was standing in front of us, just waiting for us!"
“We turned and ran, and when we looked back, it was gone. I thought we had gotten rid of it, so we rested under the eaves. Yes, we thought we had gotten rid of it, but then my friend suddenly collapsed and couldn't get up. He was already dead, drowned!”
"But it never left; it's always been with us, it's always there—"
As the rambling man turned his head haphazardly, he saw Xie Tan holding an umbrella and climbing the last step. His eyes suddenly widened in terror, and he pointed at Xie Tan, letting out a hysterical scream.
"Like this, it's right here!"
The noise in the hall was completely drowned out by this sound. Everyone looked at Xie Tan at the door, and fear instantly crept onto their faces.
Xie Tan was forced to stop, bewildered.
Plop, raindrops fell from the tip of the umbrella, splashing onto the floor and creating a tiny bloodstain.
Xie Tan raised his head slightly. The black umbrella blocked his view, but blood kept flowing down from it. What else was there to be confused about?
A ghostly figure was perched on his umbrella.
The people around gasped again. Xie Tan felt that the umbrella seemed to have become lighter, and the ghostly figure had disappeared.
The middle-aged man gripped the policeman's arm tightly: "See? I wasn't lying. It's hiding in the rain, ready to kill at any moment, and it'll follow you!"
Blood trickled down the umbrella handle, staining Xie Tan's hands. He calmly closed the umbrella, looked at the surface, and saw it was covered in blood.
It's unusable.
The police officer who was being harassed asked other officers to calm everyone down before stepping forward sternly.
Xie Tan thought that his calmness had aroused the suspicion of the police, and he was about to be questioned.
But the policeman simply took his umbrella, handed him a towel, wiped him down briefly, and then took him to the restroom to wash away the bloodstains.
Xie Tan had some impression of him; he had appeared in previous installments. He used to be a frontline criminal investigator in the Criminal Investigation Detachment, but he was injured during a case and voluntarily retired. Now he holds a sinecure at the police station.
As expected of a veteran detective from Fuechiu City, he's seen it all.
Because the ghost had followed Xie Tan, the veteran detective cut in line to take his statement.
Xie Tan described the location of the body on the road and recounted the police visit the day before. The veteran detective focused on asking about Director Wu, followed by other simple inquiries. After understanding the situation, he let him go, saying they would go and confirm the body.
It was still raining outside. Xie Tan had run out of umbrellas. He hadn't planned to leave anyway. He just wandered around the police station and sat back down in the lobby.
The hall was packed with people, and many were unwilling to leave.
Anyone could die in the rain, and the police station might not be safe either, but with so many people around, at least there's enough energy to comfort them.
As a result, even this small area has become extremely valuable.
There was no one within two meters of Xie Tan; they were still immersed in the scene of the ghostly figure appearing.
Xie Tan's unusual calmness fueled their growing fear.
Xie Tan wasn't bothered by this. Rather, this was the kind of person he was familiar with: everyone kept their distance from him, and he was surrounded by a protective barrier, a perpetual vacuum.
He even felt that these people were much more polite than the people in his original world.
They simply avoided him, didn't come up to cause trouble, and didn't blame him for the ghostly figure following him, nor did they threaten to kick him out.
He was prepared, but the hidden talents in Diqiu City were too numerous, and the citizens had their own rules for survival, knowing that silence was golden.
After a while, more people gathered in the hall. Those who didn't know what was going on sat down next to him, filling the empty space and making him less noticeable.
Xie Tan borrowed paper and pen from the police, propped his head up, and while gathering information from the noisy background noise, he drew a mark on the spot where the number 7 cat pressed its paw.
Although it is a series of murders, the victims so far have no commonalities. They are men and women, young and old, from different professions, and have no connection to each other, making it seem more like a random killing.
If it's a vengeful ghost or monster that kills randomly, then that makes sense.
But is that really the case?
On Xie Tan's way to the interrogation room, and after he came out, he mingled into the crowd and walked inside the police station. Cat followed him the whole time, collecting information by going through the walls.
The "cat" refers to the crime scene location marked on the map by the police. Qilu Police Station assists the criminal investigation team in handling the case, mainly responsible for scene protection, evacuation of personnel, preliminary evidence collection, and basic investigation.
The cat even remembered the time of each case, proudly tilted its head back, and received a pat from Xie Tan as a thank you.
The timing of the incidents is not fixed, but they all occurred during rainy weather, according to real-time weather forecast maps.
Although the location was incomplete, Xie Tan could tell that it was meant to be pieced together into a shape.
He gestured with his fingertips to indicate the possible directions of these scattered points, speculating on more undiscovered locations. Another team of police officers returned, and new locations came to his ears, leading him to trace more complete routes under his fingers.
Gradually, a shape appeared in his mind, and he connected it to form an arc.
goat.
The image is of a goat.
The Black Goat Family.
Location is the logic behind the ghost's killings; using the location of the corpse to piece together a pattern of a goat is like a summoning ritual.
The clay in the swimming pool was originally painted with the same pattern, so it should be the same one.
But the story of Bubble doesn't end there; the ghostly figure in the rain who kills is the figure in Bubble's painting.
He originally thought that Sun Enze was accidentally involved in this episode because of the umbrella he gave him.
Looking at it now, Sun Enze may be one of the main characters in this episode, and he is in a dangerous situation.
The rain lessened and eventually stopped temporarily, so he prepared to go and verify it for himself.
"They've left?"
The veteran detective, who had found a new victim, got out of the car and bumped into Xie Tan, who was walking down the stairs.
He glanced up at the sky and hurried past, saying, "Take advantage of the rain stopping and hurry home. Don't go outside."
He reached the door, then remembered something and turned back: "I still have to get off in a bit, so I'm grabbing an umbrella for you... Why are you walking so fast?"
The sky was overcast, and the puddles on the ground reflected the red lights of the vehicles, like an inverted night sky filled with blood-stained stars.
The boy's figure had long since disappeared.
The veteran detective turned and went into the station, walking briskly; a mountain of work awaited him.
The lobby was filled with all sorts of people. Anxious citizens used the police station as a temporary safe haven, with some even sleeping on the floor and intending to spend the night there.
He stepped on a carelessly discarded water bottle, bent down to pick it up, and then gathered up the surrounding trash as well. He called out to the young police officer on duty, "Get a broom and sweep this area, so no one trips over it..."
The young man arrived, nodding like a chick pecking at rice, when he saw the senior stop, his brow furrowed, carefully examining the draft paper in his hand.
"Brother Hong?"
Xue Hong flicked his wrist, pointing the draft paper at him: "Where did this come from?"
The draft paper was folded twice and had two dirty footprints on it. It had obviously been carelessly discarded, rolled around on the ground, and stepped on by passersby.
The image shows a pattern made up of a bunch of black dots, which looks like... a sheep?
A sheep with a nose and a mouth.
Hmm? You didn't draw the eyes?
"Indeed, a boy borrowed paper and pen, probably to pass the time with these simple sketches... Wait, Brother Hong? Brother Hong!"
Xue Hong turned and ran back to the police car: "Xiao Wen, Xiao Zhang, come with me!"
Although it was a blank sheet of paper, he recognized it at a glance as a map, with the black dots representing crime scenes.
The police already had information on nearly two-thirds of them, but they were scattered and irregular, so they didn't think of it that way.
But the boy named Xie Tan filled in a few dots in the middle, and these scattered locations actually became a complete shape!
"Chain" means that the locations are linked together!
By following this diagram, you can find other victims and even prevent them from being identified in advance!
He gripped the small peach wood sword hidden in his clothes, hoping to get it before the next case.
Are there any new leads regarding Zhu Fengliang?
The young policeman paused for a moment, then said, "That scarred fugitive? We haven't found any trace of him. Are you sure you saw him, buddy?"
"Respond to the police first."
Xie Tan didn't know the location of the next case, but he knew the location of the last case.
He arrived at Building No. 1 of the university.
Divided by the central long staircase, the numbered teaching buildings are on the far left, and the letter-numbered teaching buildings are on the far right.
Building 1 and Building A face each other symmetrically from afar, where the School of Engineering often holds classes.
The cat also brought him important information: Director Wu was not the first to die. Before he died, the police had found several bodies, but the autopsy report showed that he was the first to drown.
Xie Tan immediately thought of bubble clones.
If Director Wu was the first to die, and he died in Building A, it would be a complete cycle, returning to the starting point. The last one should be in Building 1.
They are exactly the two eyes of a goat.
The bell rang, and a moment later, Xie Tan saw Sun Enze walk out of Building No. 1.
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Author's Note: I've made some minor tweaks.
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