Chapter 251: Late-night stroll to relax, guests at home! |
Dark night.
It's the third watch again.
Qin Nuo, lying in bed, woke up once more. Sitting up, he found a large wet patch on the sheets and a layer of sweat on his forehead.
He got up and poured himself several glasses of water, drinking them all in one go.
Looking at his pale reflection in the mirror, he seemed utterly exhausted, as if he had overexerted himself.
"Is your body failing, or is there something wrong?" the Blood-Eyed Ghost asked.
"I don't know, it seems like I had another dream."
"Still the same oppressive feeling, but I just can't remember it," Qin Nuo said, shaking his head while holding the glass.
"Should you see someone about it?"
But Qin Nuo knew very well that it wasn't his body that was the problem; it had to be related to the Horror World.
After a moment of silence, Qin Nuo put on a trench coat and left the room.
"Where are you going?" the Blood-Eyed Ghost asked.
"Just out for a walk, to clear my head," Qin Nuo replied casually, grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment.
As he walked downstairs, the moonlight at night was different from that in the Horror World; it was bright and clear, and along with the streetlights, it dispelled most of the darkness.
Qin Nuo planned to stroll around the neighborhood, but as he walked, he ended up at a convenience store within the community.
The night shift boss was an uncle who was dozing off in a chair, watching TV, with the remote almost slipping from his hand.
As Qin Nuo walked in, the doorbell rang, waking the boss.
Ignoring him, Qin Nuo wandered through the aisles, picking up some bread and a large bottle of mineral water.
At checkout, the boss adjusted his glasses and smiled, "Isn't this young Qin? Weren't you off to study? Are you on break?"
"Yeah, just came back for a bit during the holidays," Qin Nuo replied casually.
"I saw on the news recently that your school was shut down by the education bureau for some reason, and the gates are still closed. Is that true?" the boss asked while bagging Qin Nuo's items.
"I'm not sure, I've already graduated."
Seeing Qin Nuo's absent-minded demeanor, the boss didn't press further and returned to his chair.
As he was getting into the show, the TV suddenly flickered, turning into a screen full of static.
"This TV is only a few years old, why is it acting up tonight? Bad signal?" the boss muttered, tapping the TV.
Just as Qin Nuo was about to leave with his bag, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of the static.
Turning back to look at the TV, the blurry static seemed oddly familiar to him.
The TV flickered a few times, then returned to normal, but the Peking Opera channel was gone, replaced by a bloody scene.
On the screen was a blood-soaked figure walking, stepping over a pile of corpses, holding a severed head with hollowed eyes.
He looked up at the camera, as if staring directly at Qin Nuo.
Then, a cacophony of voices arose.
The dark red blood oozed out of the TV frame, and the stench of blood filled the store.
The bloodied figure approached the camera, reaching out to grab the frame, its grotesque head pushing through the screen...
"Young Qin, young Qin?"
The boss's voice snapped Qin Nuo back to reality. He realized the TV was not bleeding, and the screen was showing a normal Peking Opera.
The boss waved a hand in front of Qin Nuo's face, asking, "You look pale, should I call a doctor for you?"
"Another hallucination," Qin Nuo thought, shaking his head. "No need, I just zoned out, probably tired. Goodbye, boss."
With that, Qin Nuo left the convenience store.
The boss, puzzled, returned to his chair, only for the TV to flicker back to static.
"Just got rid of the static, and now it's back again..." he sighed, getting up.
...
The next morning.
While having breakfast, Qin Yushi casually asked, "Couldn't sleep last night? I saw you went downstairs for a walk."
Qin Nuo wasn't surprised Qin Yushi noticed him getting up, given the unusual circumstances of the past few days. "It was fine, just a bit stuffy."
Qin Yushi didn't press further, picking up her plate and leaving with a parting remark, "Remember to wash your plate when you're done."
By noon, Qin Yushi checked the time, changed into more comfortable clothes, and told Qin Nuo, "Get ready, our guests should be arriving soon."
"The meeting place is at our house?" Qin Nuo was slightly taken aback.
"Yes, to avoid unnecessary trouble. Where else did you think it would be?" Qin Yushi asked.
"I thought it would be at your organization's base, like in the movies, hidden underground, with scientists everywhere and advanced technology," Qin Nuo gestured.
"You've watched too many sci-fi movies."
"And you wouldn't like our base," Qin Yushi said.
"Why not?"
"Because you're socially anxious. Do you like being stared at by hundreds of people?" Qin Yushi laughed, looking as if she knew him too well.
Qin Nuo shrugged, "Forget I said anything."
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Qin Nuo got up to open the door, finding Shi Yu outside, dressed casually.
Besides a black leather case, he was holding a large box of steaming stinky tofu.
"Little Phantom, long time no see. First time at your place, didn't know what to bring, so I brought some local stinky tofu. Don't worry, there's plenty."
Qin Nuo covered his nose, "Both my sister and I hate stinky tofu, didn't you know?"
"I know, but I like it."
With that, Shi Yu walked in as if it were his own home, asking with a smile, "I don't need to take off my shoes, right?"
"Or I'll break your legs," Qin Yushi said, slicing fruit and glancing at him.
Shi Yu placed the black case and stinky tofu on the table, starting to look around, "Nice place, just a bit messy. Don't you clean, Yushi? Whose socks are these?"
"By the way, after finding out you're not biological siblings, doesn't living together feel awkward?"
Once inside, Shi Yu couldn't stop talking, his mouth running non-stop.
Seeing Qin Yushi carrying a plate of fruit out, he said, "I don't like fruit. Got any beer? I only drink Harbin, zero degrees is too weak."
Qin Yushi ignored him, picking up the stinky tofu from the table and tossing it into his arms, "Finish it quickly, or throw it away. You have two minutes."
"And your mouth smells worse than stinky tofu. Want me to sew it up? I have needles and thread in my room."
"Does it? I don't think so. Didn't you used to like snail noodles? That smells strong too," Shi Yu laughed.
Qin Nuo stood in the back, amused by the scene, "Feels like a pair of bickering lovers."
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
Qin Nuo went to open it.
Outside stood a slightly chubby man in a blue short-sleeve shirt.
"Who are you?" Qin Nuo asked.
The man glanced inside and said to Qin Nuo, "I'm one of the invited guests. Who are you?"
Hearing the voice, Qin Nuo's expression turned a bit odd.
"Are you... Lan Yan?"