Apocalypse Forecast

Huai Shi opened his eyes and saw the afternoon light outside the window.

Dust fell from the ceiling and danced in the dim light.
The familiar musty smell filled the air, and he heard the sound of dripping water from next door.

This was his home.

After a dream, he found himself lying on the broken sofa in the living room.

”I…am I still alive? How long did I sleep? ”

He climbed up in confusion, touched his chest, and saw that the wound was well bandaged.
There was a slight pain, but he could move without difficulty.

He also found that the Book of Fate had transformed from a physical object to his own will, and he could flip through it with just a thought.

Soon, he heard a voice beside him.

”It ’s been about ten hours.
It seems that you ’ve recovered well. ”

The girl sitting by the window raised her head and looked at him calmly, making Huai Shi uneasy.

”What happened last night? And what about Lao Liu, is he…? ”

”Liu Dongli? Ah, he ’s alive.
The surgery should be over by now, and he ’s in the intensive care unit.
If he recovers, he may wake up in the future.
But it ’s not your fault.
Being targeted by Green Day and surviving is already lucky. ”

”Although a lot happened last night, and the mastermind escaped…it ’s all over for you now. ”

”All over? ”

”Yes, all over. ” Ai Qing nodded.
”No matter what, the things to come have nothing to do with you anymore.
No one will be targeting you anymore. ”

She looked at Huai Shi and told him seriously, ”Congratulations, you can go back to your peaceful life. ”

If Ai Qing had said this to him yesterday, he would have been overjoyed and danced around.
But now, he didn ’t feel happy at all.

Ai Qing didn ’t say anything more, closed her book, and prepared to leave.
After refusing Huai Shi ’s offer to see her off, she got up with her crutch.

”What ’s wrong? ”

She saw Huai Shi ’s absent-minded look and tilted her head.
”Is there anything else you want to ask? If you ’re worried about Lao Liu ’s car parked here, someone will come to take it away in a few days.
Don ’t worry, they ’ll call you beforehand. ”

Huai Shi shook his head and looked at her.
”I ’ve been thinking these past few days…where have I seen you before? ”

”… ”

A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.

Ai Qing fell silent for a while and shook her head calmly.
”It doesn ’t matter if you can ’t remember.
It ’s not important.
Just forget about it. ”

She walked out the door and looked back at Huai Shi, nodding goodbye.

”Well, I have to leave for Jingling to report now.
I wish you a smooth future, and I hope we don ’t meet again. ”

She said, ”Farewell, Huai Shi. ”

The door closed.

In the silence, Huai Shi sat on the steps in the garden all afternoon, his old spot, staring at the bare flowerbed, lost in thought.

”Feeling lost, huh? ”

Crow appeared out of nowhere and stood on his shoulder, patting his head.
”Don ’t be sad.
Come on, have a smoke to relax.
If that doesn ’t work, buy a bottle of wine, drink a few sips, and sleep it off.
It ’ll all be over. ”

”All over? ”

Huai Shi looked at her. ”Yes, it ’s over. ” Crow asked indifferently, ”It ’s all over, Huai Shi.
You ’ve finally freed yourself from all the mess and regained your peaceful life as you wished. ”

Huai Shi didn ’t answer.

Is it really over?

Perhaps, but the relief he anticipated didn ’t come.

There was no sense of relief, but instead, a hint of anger that he didn ’t know where it came from…
Clearly, nothing was over yet.

He suddenly remembered Old Yang ’s face.

At the last moment, when that bastard looked at him, he was smiling, as if he could be relieved once he died.

Nothing was relieved at all.
He just sold his life to exchange for someone else ’s life.
Would the woman he saved be happy?

What was he so proud of?

And now, there was Liu Dongli in the intensive care unit.

Huai Shi once thought they were his friends, but now, one was shot by him from behind, and the other shot him from behind.

He lost two friends.

And the initiator of all this had already fled…

”How could it just end like this? ”

He raised his hand and covered his face, unable to bear the anger and exhaustion in his heart anymore.
”Damn it… ”

Crow looked at him with pity.

For such a long time, she saw Huai Shi so angry for the first time.

Other than that, no matter what happened, he would just lie on the ground and let the chaotic wheel of fate roll over him like an old salted fish.

Naturally good-tempered.

He ’s strong, so what? I ’m enjoying it.

But she always felt that Huai Shi lacked something, concealed something, or…
tried to hide something.

Until now, she vaguely understood that this empty garden might be his most relaxing place.
Only here, he could face himself calmly.

Even though he resisted it so much in his heart-

”I say, Huai Shi. ” She asked seriously, ”Does this place have any important meaning to you? ”

”Maybe… ” Huai Shi looked down at the small garden under the steps and remained silent for a long time.

”If you don ’t want to say it, just pretend I didn ’t ask. ” Crow shook her head.
”After all, prying into privacy is not a very respectable thing to do. ”

”No, there ’s no need to hide anything now.
I ’m just wondering how to tell you. ” Huai Shi rubbed his face and pondered seriously.

He said, ”When I was young, I had a high fever once. ”

”My parents were very angry at that time because they were traveling abroad and I didn ’t take care of myself, which made them worried.
They gave me money and asked me to go to the hospital by myself. ”

”But I was too tired and uncomfortable at that time, so I fell asleep on the sofa in the living room. ”

Huai Shi said, ”I remember I had many strange dreams at that time.
I dreamed that I grew wings and flew in the sky, and that this old house could speak and wiped my sweat and poured water for me.
Then I heard the sound of someone climbing over the wall, someone with a mask and a knife in his hand…
I hid behind the door and didn ’t dare to speak. ”

”I was very scared.
If that person found me, I might have died. ”

”I didn ’t want to die. ”

He stared at the raised ground and murmured softly, ”So I killed him. ”

”… ”

Crow was stunned, looking at Huai Shi ’s face but couldn ’t find any trace of joking, only an unsettling calmness.

”That ’s right. ”Huai Shi repeated calmly, ”I killed him. ”

Hiding behind the door, he swung the axe at the back of the man ’s head when he came in.

With just one blow, the man fell to the ground.

Huai Shi struck again and again until he had no strength left.

After realizing that the man was motionless, he first felt dazed, then uneasy and panicked, and finally, a courage that even frightened himself emerged.

In a high fever, he dragged the body to the garden, dug a hole, and buried it quietly, along with the axe.

After covering the soil and washing his hands, he returned to bed.

As if nothing had happened.

After all, the Shi Shui Manor was so remote that no one would come, and his parents were so lazy that they wouldn ’t care about the garden.
No one would find out that he had killed someone.

That night, he slept in fear and had many strange dreams, but he couldn ’t remember any of them, along with some of his past memories.
When he woke up, the high fever had miraculously subsided.

But from that moment on, Huai Shi ’s childhood ended.

From then on, day after day, year after year.

”Come to think of it, I am really lucky, aren ’t I? ”

Huai Shi said softly, ”At first, I was afraid that someone would come to arrest me, or that someone would find what I buried in the garden.
But until now, it seems that no one has discovered it…

If I hadn ’t hidden it back then, I wouldn ’t have to work so hard now.
No, if I had been killed back then, I wouldn ’t be living like this, unable to bear my own existence. ”

”…Actually, you don ’t have to torture yourself like this. ”

Crow couldn ’t help but sigh, ”Have you ever considered that this might be just one of the nightmares you had when you had a fever? ”

”Yes, maybe. ”

Huai Shi nodded calmly, ”I have bought many shovels, but I have lost them many times.
Every time I stand here, I hesitate, afraid of what might be hidden underneath.
Actually, I ’m not afraid of digging out a corpse, but I ’m afraid of the truth. ”

He said, ”If I dig here, I won ’t be able to deceive myself anymore.
Then how can I go back to my peaceful life? ”

He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed softly, ”I thought I would deceive myself for a lifetime. ”

”…Now it seems that there is no need to fear anything anymore. ”

Saying that, Huai Shi picked up the rusty iron shovel from the corner, returned to the center of the garden, looked for the original mark, and stood still.

Then, the first shovel of soil was lifted.

Crow was stunned.

Then came the second shovel, the third shovel.

Huai Shi ’s movements were lightning-fast, without any hesitation, even though the wound under the bandage burst and oozed blood.

He chiseled away the wild grass that was in the way, shoveled away the roots underground, and dug up the soil and mud that buried his nightmare.

Sweating profusely.

”Do you know about my family… ”

Huai Shi spoke to Crow with his back turned, as if talking to himself, ”Actually, I know very well that my parents have never loved me since I was born.
After my grandfather passed away, they never cared about me again–they didn ’t need me.

When they were there, I was a burden in the way.
When they were gone, I became a homeless stray dog.
I ’ve been patching up and struggling like this for so many years.

Now, if I can ’t earn any more money, not only can ’t I pay for my tuition, but I won ’t even be able to survive…
I myself feel that this kind of life is worthless.

Actually, I often wonder why I ’m living such a tiring life. ”Anyway, it ’s always so miserable, no matter how hard you struggle, sometimes you still have to be ridiculed and looked down upon.
Wouldn ’t it be easier to give up occasionally?

But even if I ’m so desperate and suffering, I feel like I can still hold on.
Even if I have to sell my dignity occasionally, I won ’t be angry.

Because I know that as long as I keep moving forward, everything will get better.

Even if the change is always insignificant.

There are people like Lao Yang who are willing to introduce me to work, occasionally find excuses to give me more money, and Lao Liu is willing to invite me to dinner and clean up the trouble I caused in the club.
Even if I shoot them in the back, they still think of letting me escape when in danger…

Doesn ’t this prove that my life is valuable? ”

Huai Shi asked softly, but no one responded to his words.
Sweat dripped from his face and fell into the pit that had already been dug.

”But now– ”

He lowered his eyes, raised the iron pick again, and dug with all his strength.

As if to shatter the hideous face in his memory.

”My value has been denied! ”

Bang!

The shovel seemed to hit something, creating a huge crack, but nothing could be seen in the pit, no body, no bones, nothing.

Only the scattered glow of the setting sun vaguely revealed a cruel outline.

Like an axe.

Huai Shi bent down, reached out, and grasped its handle.

He said:

”–I ’m going to kill him. ”

Under the setting sun, Crow looked at the silhouette in Huai Shi ’s hand in amazement–pure invisible iron cast from source material, mixed with burning anger and cold killing intent, reflecting a cruel light.

It was the killing intent and death that had been dormant here for seven years, given substance, and armed with steel created by nightmares and fear.

Just like holding a spark, at that moment, the invisible power ignited Huai Shi ’s right hand, and white flames rose.

Finally revealing its true form after years of dormancy.

”So that ’s it, is it…? ”

She murmured softly, suddenly realized, finally understood what was happening to Huai Shi at this moment.

Breaking through the barrier between soul and material, realizing the transformation between iron and source material…

After seven years, Huai Shi finally crossed the long period of stress and strain, sublimated his nature in the burning of source material, and welcomed his own soul.

That was the unique true name of the soul given by the Silver Sea at the end.

– ’Circle Restriction Hand ’!