bayedsolid Chapter 394 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (5)
Chapter 394 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (5)
Lu Liruan held her phone in one hand, the pale beam of her flashlight shining into the trash can.
With his other hand, he used the tip of a folding knife to pry open the black garbage bag.
But the moment she saw clearly, Lu Liruan's vision blurred and she realized that it was her own hands that were trembling uncontrollably.
The light trembled, the knife tip trembled...
The tremor traveled to the bag.
The cat head inside moved slightly.
It droops to one side at an eerie angle, revealing a bloody, mangled cross-section of the neck, which is now only connected to the body by a thin layer of skin.
Lu Liruan knew nothing about anatomy, but she could tell from the horrifying incision that a sharp knife had not been used to make the cut.
Or perhaps a small knife was used...
Cutting back and forth, again and again, even chopping and hacking when it reached the bone, separating the head from the body.
"yue——"
Lu Liruan really vomited this time.
The contents of her stomach churned and almost came out; Lu Liruan barely had time to turn her head.
“yue ——”
This was the last straw.
Lu Liruan only managed to stop vomiting after she had vomited everything in her stomach.
But what lingered in her nasal cavity, perhaps psychologically, was a faint, salty, fishy smell amidst the intense stench, causing Lu Liruan to gag repeatedly.
The image kept replaying in her mind, and Lu Liruan almost fell off the flower bed, feeling a sharp pain as she scraped her leg.
But she can't care about that now.
Lu Liruan had no idea what to do, but at least... she should go home first.
Perhaps only by returning to one's own enclosed space can one feel a little safe.
It felt like my mind suddenly cleared up the instant I finished vomiting.
Lu Liruan couldn't describe the feeling of being so clear-headed.
It's like... suddenly being doused with a bucket of ice water, instantly pulling you out of a daze.
A numbing sensation spread from her feet and calves upwards, and the sudden surge of fear made Lu Liruan's fingertips numb.
I asked myself a question: Why am I here again?
Lu Liruan began to feel uneasy as soon as it got dark. She was not only uneasy about what might happen at night, but also about feeling out of control.
Today, Lu Liruan spent the whole day thinking about what had happened in the past few days. She used several browsers to search for things related to what she had seen and heard, but found nothing.
The world is peaceful and normal as always, but I feel that something is wrong with it.
What I see, what I feel, what I think—are they real? What I see and hear—is real or fake?
Am I normal, or abnormal?
Am I normal?
Is the world normal?
Am I normal, thinking that the world is abnormal?
Am I... going crazy?
Lu Liruan pondered all the questions, yet she couldn't ponder any of them, because she didn't even have anything she could be certain was real or correct as an anchor point, not even her thoughts...
It's all wishful thinking.
What Lu Liruan found most absurd was her own actions last night.
Imagine yourself as an absurd, terrifying voyeur, starting by peeping through a peephole, then stalking and spying, hiding behind a flowerbed, relentlessly peeping through the gaps in the leaves in the endless, humid darkness...
Just thinking about her actions made Lu Liruan's hair stand on end, and she broke out in a cold sweat even in the bright daylight.
So Lu Liruan told herself that she could not look out through the peephole today, and she absolutely could not go out.
Pretend not to know, completely ignore it, because you're inside the house, and according to usual practice, nothing will happen.
But here I am now...
Lu Liruan is about to break down!
In the afternoon, just to be on the safe side, she even wrote in large letters on a piece of white paper with a black marker: "Don't go out!"
It was taped to the doorway.
But it was completely useless...
Lu Liruan couldn't even remember if she had looked at the paper just now. Perhaps she had, but she couldn't understand what was written on it at all!
She had absolutely no idea what was going on.
But they are beginning to integrate more and more into this world.
Lu Liruan stumbled back, retching continuously.
The physiological tears brought on by gagging blurred her vision, making everything she saw appear hazy and indistinct.
Lu Liruan was unaware of how loud she had made a sound. When she looked up, she saw that some of the windows of the two rows of buildings that surrounded the courtyard were lit up.
This proves that the people in the house are not asleep yet.
But no one looked into the yard to see what was happening after she had screamed and vomited so loudly...
It was as if they were in two different timelines, and they couldn't hear Lu Liruan's voice.
Lu Liruan felt that if she rushed to the door of a house with the lights on and knocked, the person inside wouldn't hear her and wouldn't open the door for her.
Lu Liruan didn't even want to try; all she wanted to do was go home.
But once it gets dark, is the house still the same house?
When am I truly safe?
This abyss-like fear puts immense psychological pressure on people.
Lu Liruan walked through the light and shadow of the streetlights.
One lamp, two lamps...
After passing the fourth streetlight, you will see the entrance to Unit 5.
There was a figure standing there.
Silent, motionless...
"what--"
Lu Liruan didn't even know if she had made a sound.
She wanted to back away, but her feet wouldn't obey her commands.
Perhaps it's a moment, perhaps a few seconds, or perhaps... a minute?
Lu Liruan realized with despair that she was still moving forward, towards the figure...
Lu Liruan had already recognized who it was.
It's that man upstairs.
White shirt, black suit.
Lu Liruan noticed that he was looking at his watch when he raised his arm, which wasn't covered by a black glove.
Then all the noise surging within me disappeared, and the world seemed to quiet down in an instant.
Lu Liruan came to a spot a step away from him and met his light-colored eyes.
His eyes seemed to have become lighter in color, with swirling vortexes like a galaxy within them, appearing both gray and silver.
Profound, serene...
Gentle, relaxing...
In the endless silence, Lu Liruan heard his voice, as if the sound effects were turned up to the highest level, seemingly bypassing her ear canal and being received directly into her head.
He said softly, "Nineteen minutes."
"Four minutes less than yesterday."
……
Lu Liruan stared intently into his eyes.
"It's still being affected."
When Lu Liruan heard him say that, she pulled her attention away from his eyes, and the flowing silver-gray starry river seemed to dim considerably.
It's no longer as captivating as it used to be.
Lu Liruan blinked and noticed that he was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses on his nose.
This made his demeanor suddenly become mediocre.
The word "mediocre" does not refer to mediocrity in the usual sense, and this person's face is by no means "mediocre".
Rather, it was just a feeling, similar to the feeling Lu Liruan had when she saw him during the day.
"you……"
Lu Liruan felt her chest tighten like a bellows, and she managed to squeeze out a few words: "Who exactly are you? What did you do? What exactly happened last night?"
"Did you...did you kill the cat?"
-
Lu Liruan had no idea how many questions she had asked.
"Shh-"
"Calm down."
"Good boy...give me the knife."
His voice was as smooth as flowing, silky white chocolate.
His words, like gentle instructions, entered Lu Liruan's central nervous system.
Lu Liruan suddenly realized that she was gripping the folding knife tightly.
Because of nervousness, his thumb even pressed against the blade, and the blood from the cut spread across the knife.
The moment Lu Liruan saw the blood, she reflexively felt like gagging.
But the next instant, a long, slender, cold hand covered her eyes.
Lu Liruan had a small face and a very long hand that could completely block her view.
At this moment, Lu Liruan did not become nervous because she had been deprived of her sight.
On the contrary, I felt inexplicably relaxed.
"Good boy...it's alright now, let go of my hand."
With his soft, gentle voice.
Lu Liruan felt the silky soft fabric brush against the back of her hand, tracing up along the web of her thumb...
I don't know what I pressed, but I felt a sharp pain at the base of my thumb, and the knife fell into the other person's hand.
"It's alright... Relax, don't be afraid, you won't be in any danger."
Lu Liruan felt the other person's gloved hand patting her wrist reassuringly...
Lu Liruan had never felt so relaxed in the past few days, as if she were a crumpled piece of paper being unfolded and smoothed out...
"Did you kill the cat? The cat in the bag..."
Lu Liruan persisted in asking the questions she could still remember.
When she felt the other person sigh and felt the rise and fall of his chest, Lu Liruan realized that she was leaning against the man.
“I didn’t kill the cat,” he replied to Lu Liruan.
Lu Liruan felt a sudden roar in her mind, and then she fell into complete silence.
Don't know anything.
The man looked at the unconscious girl leaning against him.
Sighed heavily.
He raised his hand, took off the black-rimmed glasses that were perched on his nose, and put them in his suit pocket.
She rubbed her temples with her slender fingertips, then raised her hand to check the time.
12:13 AM.
"It's been extended again..." he muttered to himself, looking at the halo of the streetlights.
He reached out and wrapped his arms around Lu Liruan's waist, then easily lifted her onto his shoulder.
I walked into the corridor of Unit 5.
The motion sensor light came on, and the mottled bloodstains on the wall had increased in number, concentrated below the man's knees.
The entire corridor was filled with a fishy, salty smell.
"Da da da--"
If Lu Liruan were still conscious, she would have noticed that the man's steps were exactly the same as when he walked normally, without any slowing down because of the weight of another person on his back.
He held Lu Liruan as if she were a piece of paper.
"Meow--"
A sharp meow came from the floor I had just passed.
The man didn't turn his head, as if he hadn't heard, and continued upwards.
When he reached Lu Liruan's door on the fifth floor, he was even able to bounce her up with one arm, and heard the sound of her keys and phone clattering in her right pocket.
Then, his slender index finger slid into his pocket, hooked the key ring, pulled it out, and stuffed it into the keyhole.
"Click——"
The door opened.
-
Lu Liruan regained her senses, opened her eyes, and subconsciously reached for her phone, only to find that there was nothing on the pillow.
Suddenly, like a spring, I sat bolt upright!
Although she loses control of her actions and thoughts at night, she does not lose her memory and can remember everything clearly the next morning!
The man upstairs was waiting at the door, saying strange things, his eyes as deep and shimmering as a galaxy.
Depend on!
wrong!
How did I get back?
Lu Liruan suddenly realized the problem, tiptoed and pushed open the bedroom door, only to find the living room quiet and unchanged.
Lu Liruan noticed her phone and keys on the table.
As she walked over, Lu Liruan saw that there was a note underneath.
The handwriting is clear and the style is elegant.
I wrote down a phone number.
Then the following is:
I'm going to work now. I'll explain what you wanted to ask when I get back. My phone number is also my WeChat ID.
The following line was started:
If you have a leg injury and there's anything you want to buy, you can call or text me. Please don't order takeout. If you absolutely must, order something within a two-kilometer delivery radius.
I took the trash from your doorstep last night when I went downstairs.
……
What a long-winded note.
It was bright outside, and Lu Liruan no longer felt scared. In addition, someone finally knew about the thing she had been wondering about, so Lu Liruan breathed a sigh of relief.
Search WeChat by phone number:
AAA Tongcheng Ground Promotion 002
Lu Liruan: ...
Isn't it?
Is he really a salesman?
The other side passed by very quickly.
"woke up?"
"How's the injury?"
The other party sent a message first.
Lu Liruan then noticed that the wounds on her legs and the knife cuts on her hands had been treated.
My legs were bandaged and my hands were covered with bandages.
"It's much better now. Did you help me with that? Thank you."
"Make a list of anything you need me to buy to take back. I'll be back around 5 p.m.
You can sense his gentleness, meticulousness, and rigor from his writing.
Lu Liruan didn't stand on ceremony with him, after all, she didn't know anything about it at the moment.
"Why can't we order takeout?" Lu Liruan asked.
The other person was silent for half a minute: "I'll talk to you about it when I get back."
Lu Liruan sent a message about what she wanted to buy, and also sent a 50-yuan red envelope.
The other party did not accept it.
"No need, you must have been scared by me these past few days, I'll pay."
No... Dude, do you know you're scary?
You did that on purpose?
Lu Liruan had already lost her temper.
Feeling more confident, Lu Liruan took another long nap in the afternoon, and when she opened her eyes around 4 p.m., she felt much less tired.
A while later, the other party sent a message: "I'm back, come to my place."
Worried that Lu Liruan might be anxious, the other party considerately added, "There shouldn't be any problems outside at this time. Do you need me to come down and pick you up?"
Lu Liruan took a deep breath and replied, "No need, I'll go up right away."
I grabbed the keys and pushed open the door.