“Argh!”
Chen Xiaolian suddenly let out a cry of shock as he violently jumped out of his seat!
He was covered from head to toe in cold sweat. After waking up, he remained in a lying position on the First Class seat. He looked around in panic as his chest pounded with severe intensity, causing him to gasp for breath!
A soft voice belonging to a flight attendant issued out from the broadcast speakers:
“Dear passengers, please note that this flight is about to reach its destination…”
His heart continued palpitating in frenzy!
Chen Xiaolian examined his surroundings like a frightened beast…
In the front row of passenger seats, one of the passengers was in the midst of reclining the seat.
Turning back, he could see the economy cabin. There, no small amount of tourists was packing up their items that were laid upon a small table plank.
Beside him…
Soo Soo yawned and removed the rabbit shaped ear phones fixed upon her ears – when she became aware that Chen Xiaolian was gazing at her, she became frightened. She shrunk her head backwards and turned around to look out the window.
“Mr, do you need anything?”
A voice came from beside him.
Chen Xiaolian quickly turned and saw Sara standing right beside him.
There was no bow or leather on her body… instead, she wore the standard blue coloured flight attendant uniform with a scarf across her neck.
Sara gave a well-mannered and professional smile while pointing at a cup placed before Chen Xiaolian – it was the cup of leftover beer.
“No, I do not need it anymore…” Chen Xiaolian subconsciously uttered.
Sara extended her hand towards the cup. This action from her caused Chen Xiaolian to reflexively recoil backwards in an instant…
Moments later, the plane began its descent…
The landing process for the plane was very smooth, but Chen Xiaolian restlessly looked around…
“Could it be… just a dream?”
His mind began to waver, once it began wavering, it began doubting, then more and more thoughts popped out to occupy his mind.
That… that is right…
It was a dream, right?
En, that must be it! I just had a nightmare!
En, no doubt about it. How could there be such a magical occurrence in this world!
That is right! It must have been a dream! I must have written too many novels, resulting in me having such a ridiculous dream.
Hahahaha! This dream is so peculiar, oh right! I will write it down once I get back, perhaps it can be used in my novels…
The smile on Chen Xiaolian’s face was extremely contrived. His mouth was parched and his heart was racing, yet he continued to desperately comfort himself…
Finally, the plane smoothly finished its landing on the airport runway. After sliding for a few moments, it finally halted.
Sara, the crew chief used the broadcast speakers to inform the passengers of their arrival and politely bade them goodbye.
Chen Xiaolian through, remained seated on his seat… he did not move.
He had originally managed to pacify his body… however… his face suddenly turned taut!
To his back, on the left hand side… sitting on another passenger seat… was someone whose face he recognized!
“Pattern Man?”
At present, his face was not painted with totem patterns. However, his appearance was one that Chen Xiaolian could clearly recognize!
Instantly, both his hands and feet turned cold and bereft of energy!
The aircraft had stopped at the airport apron and the door to the passenger compartment was opened.
Chen Xiaolian did not immediately rise up to leave. Instead, he blankly stared at the passengers passing through his side as they moved to the exit…
Among these passengers, he saw many ‘familiar’ faces.
Carrying a leather business bag and dressed like a businessperson, Du Ya was also sporting a gold-rimmed set of glasses.
Wearing a sports jacket, Damon was carrying a mountain climbing bag.
There were also…
When Chen Xiaolian finally saw Han Bi among the crowd of people…
Chen Xiaolian felt his heart missing a beat!
He gaped as he stared a Han Bi who was moving beside a skinny woman. Oh, she is one of the newbies who died. They moved pass him and exited the passenger compartment.
One minute ticked by before Chen Xiaolian made any reaction!
“No! I need evidence! I need evidence! This is a dream! It must be a dream… but, if it was a dream… then, the ones I met in the dream: Du Ya, Damon, Pattern Man, how could I end up seeing them in the plane? When I was boarding the place, I had clearly not seen them before! In addition…
“There is also Han Bi! That is right! Han Bi is the important factor! He is my reader! He had read my novels! I… he had even informed me of his residence and school… I need to get an answer from him!”
Chen Xiaolian suddenly jumped up and grabbed his backpack before rushing out of the passenger compartment.
At the passenger compartments door area, he accidentally bumped into a flight attendant. He raised his head and subconsciously said “I am sorry”.
But then he saw that the other person is… Takashimoto Shizuka!
Chen Xiaolian acted as though he had seen a ghost. He frantically turned and ran out of the door.
After rushing out of the passageway, Chen Xiaolian searched with frenzy for Han Bi’s figure amongst the crowds of people. However, he failed to find him… at the current, the amount of passenger traffic within the airport arrival hall was extremely high.
Chen Xiaolian turned around within the hall for several minutes, but he could not catch a glimpse of Han Bi at all…
Despite having an incalculable amount of doubts in his mind, he adjusted his luggage and moved out through the exit…
A light drizzle was floating down the skies. Chen Xiaolian felt the cool raindrops falling down onto his face.
This clear feeling instead caused a dream-like feeling of fantasy in his heart.
In the end… all those, are they real? Are they fake? Are they a dream?
As he was walking out of the airport hall, he suddenly saw a small figure wearing bunny earphones beside the road. A small trolley case was resting by her side.
It was Soo Soo!
He quickly rushed towards Soo Soo!
After rushing to Soo Soo’s side, Chen Xiaolian squatted down and looked at Soo Soo. He stammered. “You, you, do you recognize me? Soo Soo?”
Soo Soo stared at the youngster before her with wide-open eyes. She appeared to be afraid and desperately moved backwards… Her eyes suddenly glanced past Chen Xiaolian, looking in the direction behind him. The little girl then immediately tossed away the trolley case and ran through Chen Xiaolian’s side with her small legs. She flew into the arms of a young girl.
“Unnie…”
Soo Soo called out in a clear and delicate voice.
Chen Xiaolian turned around. It was a very young girl with long straight hair. She wore a mouth muffle on her face, but her exposed eyes had a very beautiful contour.
Soo Soo rushed into the girl’s arms and quickly said a few words. Then, the girl’s gaze towards Chen Xiaolian turned very hostile.
She pulled Soo Soo behind her before moving forward with a cold gaze. She looked at Chen Xiaolian…
Suddenly!
This masked girl raised one leg and kicked Chen Xiaolian’s upper calf bone area!
Chen Xiaolian was caught off guard and was instantly staggering in pain.
The masked girl took advantage of that moment to pull away Soo Soo’s trolley case. She then threw two words at him before turning away.
“Perverted freak!”
Chen Xiaolian kneaded his own calf as he watch the masked girl brought Soo Soo away. They went to the side of a Land Rover parked at the side of the road. She then had Soo Soo get up the vehicle before she herself jumped into the driver’s seat.
Before she got on the vehicle, she fiercely shoved a middle finger towards Chen Xiaolian.
…
Observing the Land Rover moving far away, Chen Xiaolian suddenly felt an unprecedented feeling of tranquillity.
He fell with his butt on the ground and laughed out, disregarding the strange looks given by the surrounding pedestrians and travellers.
“Soo Soo did not recognize me! Hahaha! It must be a dream! Right! It must be just a dream! En, perhaps her name is not even Soo Soo. That is only a name that I dreamt up… hahahaha! That is right, it is surely just a dream!”
As to why he would meet those passengers within the passenger compartment… Du Ya, Damon, Sara…
I must have inadvertently seen their faces while boarding the place.
En, it is the subconscious mind! That is right! It is all due to subconscious thought!
Regarding Han Bi… It is possible that I had happened to see his face. Then, I fabricated his identity and name of Han Bi while dreaming.
That must be it!
This is the only explanation!
If that incident were real… then there would be no reason for them to not recognize me!
Since none of them could recognize me… The only explanation would be that everything was but a dream.
Like I said before, how could there be such a terrifying thing in this world!
“Hahahahaha! Too good! Too good!”
Chen Xiaolian hummed some tunes as he pulled his luggage; he then stopped a taxi to bring him home.
His mood was great!
Who would willingly enter that terrible and dangerous game!
Chen Xiaolian is a good student who is in his youth. Through writing novels, he could earn a lot of money. To him, life is truly wonderful.
Who would want to be thrown into a dangerous world where one had to fight to the death to survive!
Chen Xiaolian went all the way back home; carrying his luggage into the elevator, opening his house door… he randomly kicked off his shoes and stepped in barefooted through the door and into his room.
He first threw himself onto the sofa, lying down with all four limbs extended outwards for a while. After seeing that the sky was darkening, Chen Xiaolian finally climbed up and kicked the luggage towards a corner.
Taking out the travel clothes to wash and etc… Well, I will do it when I am in a better mood.
Chen Xiaolian opened the refrigerator to retrieve a cold bottle of cola; he twisted open the lid and drank up half of its contents and belched out. Suddenly, his phone rang.
Picking it up, he saw that it was his classmate and best friend. He then pressed the answer button.
“Hey, I am Xiaolian. En… I just returned! I just got off the plane and returned home. Hahahaha! Enjoyable! It was especially enjoyable! For three days, all I did was lie down on the sandy beach and wear sunglasses to look at those bikini beauties… En, what have you all been playing for the past few days?”
“Hahahahaha…”
As he was answering the phone, he continued drinking the cola. “… En, I know… Don’t worry, I have bought it for you! Discontinued figurine! It is indeed cheaper than those sold domestically, haha! What? It is not for yourself? You broke someone else’s and now have to compensate them? I understand. Trust me; I will go get it out now. En, it is inside my luggage. Just you wait, I will go search for it. Do not close off the phone!”
Chen Xiaolian walked to the luggage and placed the phone down the ground.
He had one hand holding the cola while the other unzipped the zipper on the luggage…
And then…
In that instant, Chen Xiaolian was shocked into stupidity!
Just after he finished unzipping… a furry chubby head turned out from within!
Trap… Owner entrapping cat?
Ah wrong, Garfield?
Chen Xiaolian’s eyes turned wide, his mouth fell open. With a “plop”, the cola was spilled all over Garfield’s head, not a drop wasted!
The cola bottle was tossed; Chen Xiaolian fell with his butt to the ground right before he let out a sharp scream.
“Aaaa!!!!!!”
Garfield. “Meow?”
…
… …
On a field of grass.
Roddy (Luō dí) was holding onto a mobile phone from which came a youngster’s sharp scream of “ah ah ah ah”.
Even without activating the hands-free, the voice could clearly be heard by those around him.
Roddy’s face was one of embarrassment. “Xiaolian! Xiaolian! What are you doing? Hey? Hey?”
The phone was hung up.
Roddy cast a glance at the person standing beside him… it was a girl with long black hair, her face was wearing a mouth muffle, but the exposed contour of her eyes looked very beautiful.
“That… I really did not lie to you,” Roddy’s face was one of distress. “My friend had said that he will definitely help me get the discontinued figurine from abroad… Don’t worry, when it comes to the promises I have made, I will never…”
The masked girl snorted and turned to leave.
Roddy rubbed his head and shouted loudly. “Hey! I am really not lying to you! Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao! I will definitely send it to you tomorrow!”
The masked girl did not turn back at all; she only raised her right hand to wave goodbye.
Roddy violently stamped down with his foot. He then picked up his phone and dialled Chen Xiaolian’s phone again…
Toot, toot, toot…
“Sorry, the number you have dialled is temporarily unanswered…”
“You bitch!”
A mobile phone lied on the floor. It rang for a moment before stopping.
Within the living room, a bottle of cola was lying horizontally on the floor. A drop of cola dripped down onto the floor.
A fat adorable cat came over and gave it two licks. It then turned around with disdain; jumping onto the sofa, it nestled itself behind a pillow.
Within the living room… not a single person was in sight.
As for the door to the house… it was left open.
…
Chen Xiaolian had already run out through the staircase.
He did not take the elevator and had instead chosen to run down the staircase in a frenzy.
After rushing out of the building, he gasped heavily for breath, inhaling the fresh air.
What is going on? What is going on? Just what on Earth is going on argh?
Earlier, he had been feeling relaxed. It was a feeling of being the final survivor, born of the realization that everything on the plane was a dream. That joyful mood has now completely disappeared!
It is not a dream!
It is not a dream!
If it was, then where did that shitty cat come from?
In his anxiety, Chen Xiaolian rushed out from his residential area and came to the roadside.
What do I do?
Call the police?
Chen Xiaolian’s face turned bitter. What am I supposed to say when I make a report?
Am I to say… I may have had a dream? That dream then turned real?
Would the police officers send him to the mental hospital?
His thoughts became confused… surprise… panic… there was even fear!
Liquor!
That is right! I need to drink a glass of liquor!
En, there was no supermarket on the roadside. Chen Xiaolian instead burst into a small pub located within one of the residential streets.
“A bottle of beer! Quick!”
“Do you want Snow or Tsingtao? We have the Horizon Trekker Special…”[1]
“Like I care! Just give me one quickly!”
Behind the counter, a middle-aged uncle cast a peculiar glance towards Chen Xiaolian. He then casually took out a bottle of beer… the most expensive one.
“Ten!” The middle-aged uncle then inquired. “Do you want us to prepare some extra dishes?”
Chen Xiaolian raised up the bottle of beer and bit the cap off the bottle. He then gulped down several mouthfuls.
He retrieved the money from his pocket and placed them on the counter.
As he was about to leave, the middle-aged owner who was behind the counter suddenly said something.
The middle-aged owner’s face was originally petty; but in an instant, he appeared to have transformed into a different person.
“The truth is… that was truly not a dream.”
“Pu!”
Once he heard those words, Chen Xiaolian sprayed out a mouthful of beer. His face was no different from one who had bumped into a ghost as he stared at the owner.
The owner looked on with a serious expression. “Are you curious? I can give you an explanation…”
“Explain your sister! I do not want to know anything! I do not want any part of it!”
Chen Xiaolian turned tail and ran.
After Chen Xiaolian ran out of the pub, the owner became momentarily stunned. He then scratched his head as he looked about in confusion. “En? Did my mind turn blank again?”
…
Chen Xiaolian charged out of the pub, his face set into a mask of panic as he reached the traffic junction. The traffic light was currently red leading to Chen Xiaolian waiting helplessly together with a number of pedestrians as the vehicles drove to and forth before him.
Suddenly, an aunt who was carrying a vegetable basket right beside him turned her face. With a serious expression, she stared at Chen Xiaolian. “You were so brave and decisive back in the instance dungeon, why are you panicking so now? Truth be told, even though it was not a dream, perhaps it could lead to you acquiring even more…”
“A a a argh!”
Chen Xiaolian let out a wretched scream. He ignored the fact that the traffic light was red; he left the crowd of pedestrians and dashed through the river of vehicles until he reached the other side.
The aunt’s body shuddered a few, then she glanced at the vegetable basket in her hand. “Eh? Did I blank out?” Catching sight of Chen Xiaolian who was running awkwardly through the incoming vehicles in the middle of the road, she uttered. “Hmph, youngsters these days have no character, running red light…”
Chen Xiaolian ran madly. Halfway through, he saw a taxi stopping by the roadside. Coincidentally, its passenger was coming off. Chen Xiaolian got in and shouted. “Quick, move! Quick, move!”
“Where to?” The driver turned around.
“Go downtown! Quick!”
Chen Xiaolian then uttered the name of the most bustling street – he was now panicking and instinctively thought of that place.
The taxi began to move…
Along the way, Chen Xiaolian nervously kept an eye on the driver’s face. He was fearful that this driver would suddenly say something weird.
When none was forthcoming, Chen Xiaolian felt his heart becoming slightly calm.
He saw that the taxi had to stop due to a red light at an intersection. Chen Xiaolian then anxiously looked out the windows.
The driver slowly spoke out without turning his head. “Even if you are afraid, do you not want the reward for completing the instance dungeon? That was something you obtained by risking your life.”
Chen Xiaolian. “…”
“It is pointless. No matter where you go, as long as there is someone else beside you, I will be able to talk to you,” The driver looked at Chen Xiaolian through the rear view mirror. He grinned to reveal a set of teeth that was yellowed from smoking. “In this world, you cannot escape from me.”
“You are mad!”
Chen Xiaolian forcefully opened the car door and ran out… running towards the other side of the road…
At that moment…
A black Land Rover roared forward. Seeing Chen Xiaolian about to be knocked over, the Land Rover fiercely decelerated. The front side of the car then made a turn to avoid a direct hit, resulting in it only lightly grazing Chen Xiaolian.
Even so, Chen Xiaolian remained knocked over by the vehicle and fell to the ground.
The Land Rover stopped.
A black, longhaired girl wearing a mouth muffle came out. Her eyes were cold, with traces of suppressed anger in it.
“Are you all right?”
The masked girl squatted down beside Chen Xiaolian.
Seeing Chen Xiaolian getting into a seated position, the girl finally let out with a furious tone. “You crazy fellow! Why are you running around in the middle of the road? Are you looking to die? No matter how urgent your situation may be, you should not take your life as a joke!”
Chen Xiaolian sat down, then looked blankly at the girl. His eyes suddenly turned sharp. “We… we met before!”
The masked girl. “What?”
“Airport! Airport!” Chen Xiaolian shouted out and jumped up. He disregarded the fact that his elbows and knees were scraped raw. He got up and grabbed onto the masked girl’s shoulders. He shouted out in excitement. “Outside the airport! Do you remember?’
“Ah! You are the perverted freak who was harassing my sister!” The masked girl’s eyes turned round and wide.
“Your sister… your sister…” Chen Xiaolian’s face suddenly turned heavy. He stared at the masked girl, and spoke in a trembling but serious voice.
“I am going to ask you a question! Please tell me the answer! It is extremely important! It is very, very important!”
This attitude from Chen Xiaolian caused the masked girl to become shocked. “You… what did you say?”
“Your sister! Your sister… her name! Is it Soo Soo?”
“… … … You sicko! You actually dare to set your eyes on my sister! Spit it out! How did you find out her name?”
The masked girl became enraged and let loose a fist, which connected with Chen Xiaolian’s nose! Chen Xiaolian grunted before collapsing down. However, the masked girl followed it up with several vicious kicks!
“Freak! Sicko! You dare set your eyes on an under aged girl!”
Many passers-by quickly gathered around…
Next, a uniformed police officer squeezed himself in after pushing the crowd aside. “Stop! Stop fighting! Stop now!”
…
… …
Half an hour later, in a police station located in the vicinity.
Chen Xiaolian had a wad of cotton stuffed into his nostrils, his expression a blank as he sat there.
The masked girl was seated upon another table.
“That person is a perverted freak! He stalked and even secretly inquired about my little sister! My little sister is only ten years old! He is a paedophile! We had already met before at the airport. Unexpectedly, he actually followed me all the way. I do not even know how he managed to find me! Police officer!”
The masked girl emotionally shouted out.
The officer who was seated across her, listened quietly and replied in an indifferent tone. “Take off your mouth muffle! We are currently taking down statements! Answer what I ask of you first! First, explain why you are beating people up in the streets!”
“…” The masked girl seethed with rage. She viciously cast a glare at Chen Xiaolian who was seated not far away.
Then, following the officer’s order, she took off her mouth muffle.
The face revealed was one filled with an aura of youth. In addition… it was unexpectedly beautiful!
A delicate oval face with soft facial lines, straight nose and bright eyes. At the moment however, those eyes were filled with constrained fury.
“Name?”
“… Qiao Qiao. Qiao from arbour tree (qiáo mù). Maiden name Qiao, surname also Qiao,” Qiao Qiao scowled and continued. “18 years old, ID number XXXXXX… occupation, student. My school is XXX high school. Residence at XXX Street XXX number…”
The officer raised his head to look at Qiao Qiao. “Yo, you are quite practiced at this eh.” Having said that, he typed in something into the computer before raising his head to look at Qiao Qiao. “It turns out you have experience! Looking at your records, you have been detained twice in a year due to fighting cases. Heng… It seems you have yet to learn your lesson. This time, it’s assaulting others on the street?”
Qiao Qiao gritted her teeth without saying anything.
The officer sighed. “I have seen many little girls like you who rely on their status as a minor to go on a rampage. I will give you this advice: Little girl, you are already eighteen. Protection for minors could no longer shelter you. If you continue causing problems in the future…”
“Officer! He really is a perverted freak! He has his sights set on my little sister!”
Qiao Qiao shouted.
Chen Xiaolian was seated not too far away. However, his gaze was fixed upon the wall as he looked on in stupor.
Soo Soo…
The little girl’s name is really Soo Soo!
Hehe… hehe… hahahaha…
What else could he say? What else could he hope for?
The pet cat emerged from my own luggage.
Then, I met someone who said something bizarre to me…
Chen Xiaolian who had been pressured to the point of collapse was betting it all on the masked girl’s answer.
Soo Soo!
That is right! That little Korean loli is indeed called Soo Soo!
With this, there was no way for him to consider it as fantasy.
A strange smile appeared on his face. Then… He suddenly stood up.
…
Chen Xiaolian turned to face the police station hall and shouted out:
“Hey! Are you still there? Didn’t you say that I cannot escape from you? Very well! I will not escape anymore! I want to talk about it now!”
Everyone in the hall turned to look at this youngster; their faces etched with bewildered shock.
At that moment, a uniformed middle-aged man walked forward and stood before Chen Xiaolian.
“Are you willing to talk now?”
“En,” Chen Xiaolian smiled bitterly. “My emotions have settled down.”
“Good, come with me.”
The middle-aged man led Chen Xiaolian out of the police station hall with a swagger.
Seeing this, Qiao Qiao became shocked. “He, how could he be allowed to go?”
“What do you care? That man is our instructor! He is probably taking him to get his wounds examined! Little girl, first take care of your own matters! Why did you beat up someone else?”
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT