Chapter 80: Fragments of Memory (2) |
Duoduo looked up, revealing a big, bright smile.
"Thank you, Uncle," she said politely.
The fierce-looking young man was slightly taken aback by Duoduo's innocent smile.
"Where are you going?" the young man asked.
"I'm going to find my elder brother." Duoduo struggled to open her umbrella.
"Your elder brother, is he at West City Elementary School?" the young man said.
"Wow, how did you know?" Duoduo's face was full of surprise.
"I guessed. It's raining so hard, let me take you."
"No need, I have an umbrella, and I know the way."
"Goodbye, Uncle."
Holding her umbrella, Duoduo looked at the road and started walking in the direction of West City Elementary School.
She really did know the way.
But as she walked, Duoduo suddenly felt something was wrong and turned to look behind her.
She saw a pair of green pant legs and army green Work Safety Shoes. The rain had soaked the shoes and pant legs.
They looked familiar to Duoduo, so she turned around, tilted her umbrella back, and craned her neck to look up. Sure enough, it was the same uncle from just now.
"Why are you following me?" Duoduo asked.
Remembering what her Mom and Dad had said about bad people, she became a little wary.
"I'm not following you. I'm also going to West City Elementary School to pick someone up," the young man said.
"Who are you picking up?" The naive Duoduo instantly dropped her guard."My… my younger brother."
"Oh, so your younger brother goes to the same school as my elder brother," Duoduo said with a hint of pleasant surprise.
"Oh, yes. You have an elder brother, and I have a younger brother…" the young man said faintly.
He seemed to say something else at the end, but his voice was too low and the rain was too loud for Duoduo to hear clearly.
She paid it no mind and, holding her umbrella, walked toward a nearby Small Alley.
At the end of the alley, across the street, was the West City Elementary School where her brother studied.
But just as she entered the Small Alley, she felt someone grab her from behind.
"I can walk by myself, you don't need to carry me."
Even at this point, Duoduo naively thought the person just wanted to carry her.
But then, the little fool also sensed that something was wrong.
The person didn't speak, just strode forward, his shoes splashing up large sprays of water.
The umbrella in Duoduo's hand almost fell to the ground.
"Put me down, I want to walk by myself, put me down…"
Duoduo struggled, her short legs kicking wildly, and the Kaleidoscope in her hand fell to the ground.
Seeing her struggling so much, the young man tilted his head, clamped the Umbrella Handle under his arm, freed a hand, and grabbed Duoduo's neck.
"Don't scream, or I'll kill you."
The young man's face turned vicious, his expression becoming even more ferocious, but Duoduo's face was turned toward the ground, so she couldn't see it.
Her neck was now being squeezed. She struggled, trying to pry his hand away, but she was too small.
Her soft little hands were completely useless.
The feeling of suffocation spread from her throat throughout her body, like being pierced by a dull knife, like steel needles stabbing into her lungs.
Soon, her eyes widened, her face turned purple, her hands struggled weakly, and her whole body went limp.
This painful memory was also transmitted to Shen Siyuan, who was watching it, making him feel it as if it were his own.
Then, his vision went black. The memory cut off there.
When it resumed, he found himself in a Dilapidated House.
Duoduo turned over and sat up, fearfully looking around.
This was a Civilian House. The red Wooden Window was mottled from the wind and rain, its frame covered in cobwebs, and not a single pane of glass was intact.
Inside the House were piles of Miscellaneous Items: newspapers, bricks, wood, and a Coal Stove. A tightly shut Wooden Door was locked from the outside.
Duoduo wanted to get up and look out the window, but she found her body was completely weak, without a shred of strength. Her damp clothes and hair also made her very uncomfortable.
"Dad, Mom…" Duoduo called out softly, whimpering.
But no one answered her.
She looked around in fear, then noticed her Umbrella was placed to the side, but her "Telescope" was nowhere to be found.
She quickly crawled over and hugged the Umbrella, as if only that could give her some peace of mind.
But soon, soaked to the bone, she felt cold and pained, especially her throat, which was a bruised purple. Even breathing hurt.
This was also why she didn't dare to cry too loudly, because it was just too painful.
"Dad, Mom, Elder Brother…"
She sobbed quietly, her heart filled with helplessness.
She reached out her small hand to touch her neck, but immediately pulled it back.
"Duoduo hurts so much, Duoduo feels so sick, I want to go home, sob sob…"
"Duoduo will be good from now on, I won't run off again, sob sob…"
…
Perhaps tired from crying and sleepy, Duoduo's consciousness began to fade.
Coupled with being soaked by the rain and frightened, she started to develop a high fever. Her cheeks flushed red, and her body instinctively began to curl up.
However, she held the Umbrella tightly in her arms. Right now, it seemed to be the only thing that could offer her some comfort.
An unknown amount of time passed before Duoduo was woken by the sound of a door opening.
She tried hard to open her eyes, but her whole body ached, and her limbs felt limp, completely drained of strength.
"Mom~" Duoduo whispered softly.But no one answered, so she called out again, "Dad."
Still, no one responded.
Her mind was hazy now, and she seemed to have forgotten she'd been kidnapped.
She felt someone approaching and struggled to open her eyes, trying to see who it was.
When she finally managed to open her eyes and saw that ferocious face, she realized what was happening.
"Uncle…" she called out timidly.
This was the same uncle who had kidnapped her this afternoon. He was carrying a wood-chopping Axe in his hand.
Duoduo's once fair little face was now dirty and flushed with fever. Her blue and white striped Dress was filthy, like a flower ravaged by a storm.
But the man's expression was cold, without a trace of pity.
"You have an elder brother, and I have a younger brother too," he said, squatting down to look at Duoduo on the floor.
"He goes to the same school as my brother," Duoduo recalled their earlier conversation.
The man let out a soft chuckle but didn't explain.
Then he raised the Axe in his hand and swung it directly at Duoduo's neck.
"Don't blame me.
If you have to blame someone, blame your dad…"
Duoduo shut her eyes in terror. Then she felt a sharp pain in her neck, followed by a warm sensation spreading outwards.
Duoduo opened her eyes, wanting to see what was happening.
She saw that blood had stained her dress and was flowing toward the Umbrella she clutched in her arms.
The blood soaked the Umbrella Surface, and even the Umbrella Handle seemed to turn crimson.
Duoduo was too young, and with her consciousness fading, she didn't feel that anything was wrong.
But Shen Siyuan, who had been observing everything from a third-person perspective, noticed something strange.
This Oil-paper Umbrella must have been waterproofed; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to keep the rain off.
So, why was Duoduo's blood being absorbed by the Umbrella Surface? And the Umbrella Handle as well.
There was something wrong with this Umbrella.
And just then, the young man swung the Axe down again. The light in Duoduo's bright, innocent eyes faded, and her consciousness plunged into complete darkness.
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