Chapter 42: Forty-first Chapter: When Fiction Shines into Reality
The night wind wailed. The dim yellow streetlights were cut into broken fragments by tree shadows, adding to the gloom.
Gu Yunsheng and Lu Jingheng stood at the entrance of the pet hospital, looking at the empty road. A strong sense of unease surged in their hearts.
“The taxi driver really left…” Lu Jingheng rubbed his hands, trying to dispel the midnight chill, but the feeling of unease wouldn’t go away.
Gu Yunsheng tightened his grip on his bag and scanned the surroundings, his gaze finally landing on a pavilion not far away. “Letâs go wait there. At least we can block the wind.”
The two walked quickly to the pavilion and sat down. By the faint light, they could clearly see the solemn expressions on each other’s faces.
Silence spread between them, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the wind and the occasional cry of an unknown animal in the distance.
Gu Yunsheng pulled his phone from his pocket, only to find no signal at all. The screen displayed a jarring “No Service.” He sighed, stuffed the phone back, and looked up at the pet hospitalâhuddled in the night like a giant beast. He said in a low voice, “It looks like we have to spend the night here.”
“What? Spend the night here?” Lu Jinghengâs eyes widened in disbelief, his tone filled with unconcealed fear.
“This… this place is too weird. Letâs think of something else.” He grabbed Gu Yunshengâs arm tightly, as if grasping for a final lifeline.
“Maybe… maybe see if there’s a community nearby? We can find a resident to help. We can’t really stay here all night, right?” Gu Yunsheng gently patted the back of Lu Jinghengâs hand, signaling him to calm down. “Look what time it is. The sun will be up in a few hours. No need to disturb people in the middle of the night.”
Saying that, Gu Yunsheng took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. The yellow beam cut through the thick night, illuminating the shadowy pavilion in the distance. “There’s a pavilion up ahead. Letâs sit there for a while. At least it provides some shelter.”
The night was as cool as water. Gu Yunsheng and Lu Jingheng sat back-to-back in the pavilion. Waves of sleepiness hit them, but they didn’t dare sleep. They felt as if something was watching them from the surroundings.
The rustle of leaves and the occasional shrill cry of an owl made their skin crawl.
When dawn broke, the sky held a strange, grayish-white tint. The community felt like an old gramophone recordâthe images were lagging, and the sound was distorted.
The birds’ chirps were so sharp they seemed to pierce eardrums, and children’s laughter sounded like it was coming from underwaterâblurry and eerie.
Gu Yunsheng and Lu Jingheng had sat in the pavilion all night, their bodies icy.
They watched the community slowly “come to life,” but it felt like they were looking through a layer of mist, unable to see clearly.
A morning-exercising old man walked over slowly, greeting them with a smile: “Young men, up so early? Exercising?”
The old man looked kind and benevolent, but Gu Yunsheng saw a flash of crimson in his cloudy eyes, and his mouth held a bizarre curve.
Lu Jingheng also felt the old manâs voice sounded as if it were coming from far awayâwavering and unstable. Listening closely, it sounded like the low growl of a beast, making his hair stand on end.
“Ah… yeah, just taking a walk.” Gu Yunsheng managed a smile and instinctively took a step back.
Once the old man was far away, Lu Jingheng whispered, “Did you feel… that old man… was a bit off?”
Gu Yunsheng nodded, his brow furrowed. “I felt it too…”
They walked to the community bulletin board. A rental notice was particularly eye-catching: “Pet Hospital for Rent, price negotiable, fully equipped.” The black ink on white paper felt inexplicably eerie.
“Fully equipped? Ha, what a joke…” Lu Jingheng gave a cold laugh. The terrifying images from last night surfaced again: the cold surgical table, the blood-stained cages, and that lingering metallic scent of blood.
However, when he looked at the notice again, he was horrified to find that the words “fully equipped” had become blurry, as if soaked by water, and they exuded a gloomy aura.
“What is it?” Gu Yunsheng asked, noticing his abnormality.
Lu Jingheng pointed at the words, his voice trembling. “You… look again… those words…”
Gu Yunsheng looked where he pointed, and his pupils contracted sharply. The ordinary rental notice had turned into an ancient piece of parchment in his eyes. The words on it were twisting and writhing like living creatures, emitting a nauseating stench.
“This… what exactly is going on?” Gu Yunshengâs voice shook slightly. He felt as if his soul were being scared out of him by the bizarre sight. A chill rose from his feet to his head, and he couldn’t help but shiver.
Were they having hallucinations?
Or did this seemingly normal real world also hide an unknown, eerie side…?
Lu Jinghengâs brow was tight; an uneasy emotion spread through his heart.
He grabbed Gu Yunshengâs cold hand and said deeply, “No, we need to leave here first!”
Before Gu Yunsheng could react, Lu Jingheng pulled him toward the bottom of the hill.
The morning sun spilled over them, but it couldn’t dispel the gloom hanging over their hearts.
At the bottom of the hill, traffic was increasing, and the clamor of the city grew closerâas if signaling their return to the familiar and safe real world.
They frantically hailed a taxi. When they opened the door, they found the driver was the same one who had driven them last night.
Gu Yunsheng and Lu Jingheng exchanged a startled, suspicious look. A chill simultaneously rose in their hearts.
Lu Jingheng was the first to break the silence, speaking cautiously with a testing tone: “Master, do you remember us? We took your car last night…”
“It was from… from that intersection up the hill.”
Lu Jingheng tried to use a calm tone to hide his unease, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed his tension.
Gu Yunsheng also forced himself to stay steady, adding: “Yes, Master, you even told us it wasn’t safe around here last night and told us to go back early.” As he spoke, he carefully observed the driver’s reaction, hoping to find a flaw in his expression.
The driver listened, a look of surprise appearing on his face. He frowned slightly, looking at the two in confusion: “Huh? I drove you last night? I went home very early… you must have the wrong person.”
As he spoke, he made eye contact with Lu Jingheng through the rearview mirror. His gaze was strange and vacant, as if he truly didn’t remember the events of last night.
Lu Jinghengâs heart jumped. He was about to speak when Gu Yunsheng lightly tugged his sleeve.
Gu Yunsheng shook his head slightly, signaling him not to continue the topic.
Lu Jinghengâs brow stayed tight. His lips moved, but he ultimately swallowed the words. He chose to trust Gu Yunshengâs intuition; after all, on this eerie morning, anything was possible.
The taxi drove steadily on the wide road. Traffic was good, and the route was clear.
They soon passed through the bustling commercial area of Xidan, and the familiar Chang’an Avenue came into view.
The shops on both sides of the street were already open for business. Bustling crowds moved through them, and the familiar atmosphere of city life rushed toward themâseeming to wash away all the unease and fear.
Twenty minutes later, the taxi pulled over steadily at their destination.
Gu Yunsheng and Lu Jingheng pushed the door open and stepped out quickly.
Lu Jingheng took several bills from his wallet and handed them to the driver. The driver took the money, said “Take care,” and drove away.
Standing on the familiar street, watching the people come and go, Lu Jingheng let out a long breath. His tense nerves finally relaxed. He turned around, the tension on his face finally easing into a tired smile. He said to Gu Yunsheng, “I’m starving. Letâs get something to eat, then go back and sleep properly.”
After saying that, he habitually reached out to ruffle Gu Yunshengâs hair, but he stopped halfway and withdrew his hand. He just smiled and started walking toward a steaming breakfast stall not far away.
Lu Jinghengâs back looked exceptionally relaxed in the crowd, as if last nightâs experience had just been a nightmare that could be forgotten upon waking.
Gu Yunsheng quickly caught up, his tone carrying a trace of reproach: “Hey, I say, you really have a big heart.”
Lu Jingheng turned back, looking at him without understanding.
Gu Yunsheng let go and walked to the breakfast stall. “Boss, one bowl of Douzhi with Jiaoquan, and a small bowl of noodles.”
Hearing what Gu Yunsheng ordered, Lu Jingheng couldn’t help but frown. “Gu Yunsheng, what are you going to eat?”
Gu Yunsheng rolled his eyes at him. “I’ll just have DoufunaĐž… Do you really dare to drink Douzhi? Like last night’s… you don’t remember it? It was like that slug turning into pus… so disgusting.”
“Oh, come on, youâre making such a big deal out of nothing!” Lu Jingheng gave an exaggerated sigh. He reached out to take the bowl of Douzhi from the owner, while his other hand steadily picked up two Jiaoquan. He turned toward a nearby table, setting them down gently. He looked back at Gu Yunsheng and smiled: “Douzhi and Jiaoquanâthat’s an authentic old Beijing breakfast. What do you know?”
With that, he turned back to the owner to get his fried bean sauce noodles.
Gu Yunsheng rolled his eyes in disgust, muttering in a low voice: “What ‘authentic breakfast,’ itâs clearly ‘dark cuisine’…” He picked up his bowl of DoufunaĐž and walked slowly to the table, pulling out a chair to sit down.
“By the way, are you still writing that novel?” Gu Yunsheng scooped up a spoonful of DoufunaĐž, blew on it gently, and asked casually. “I’m starting to feel more and more that this real world is closely related to the book.”
He set his spoon down and looked up, his gaze burning as he stared at Lu Jingheng. “Do you remember the pet hospital we went to last night? The decoration, the layoutâit was exactly like that black-hearted hospital I experienced. And that lab…”
Gu Yunsheng paused for a moment, as if remembering something terrifying. His tone began to shake.
“And, and Ling Xiâs fish scale. That’s a character from your novel! How could it exist in real life…?” When Gu Yunsheng reached this point, his voice suddenly went soft, as if he were being strangled, and his face turned pale.
“Gu Yunsheng, tell me the truth. After you transmigrated into the book, did you secretly change the plotline?” Upon hearing this, Lu Jingheng set down his Douzhi. He pulled a tissue from the table and slowly wiped his mouth before looking up at the pale-faced Gu Yunsheng across from him.
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