Chapter 2

Nineteen years later,

In late autumn,

With the cold rain falling continuously,

A young man sat woodenly in a café, gazing at the bustling city outside the window.

Although the warmth from the cup in his hand gradually spread to his palm, his heart felt icy cold.......

Why?

Because of the hospital test report in his pocket.

Although the doctor had used vague terms like "suspected," "possible," and "cannot rule out" when explaining the report, Fang Linyan could still sense a very ominous tone.

So, he called a customer who was knowledgeable about medicine, without mentioning that it was his own test report, only saying it was a friend's. After reading out the contents of the report, the customer casually said:

"Late-stage lung cancer, basically no hope of recovery."

Then, his mind went blank for half an hour, standing dazed on the roadside, not knowing how he eventually made it home.

When he came to his senses, he found himself sitting stiffly by the bed, his hands cold, and his heart filled with confusion. He mechanically poured himself a glass of water, sipping it slowly, and gradually his mind began to clear.

Suddenly, it felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he fell to the ground, hands tightly covering his face, sobbing:

"I don't want to die.......... I'm only nineteen!"

For Fang Linyan, this deep autumn of November was the longest month of his life. First, the only relative he depended on passed away, and then, right after the funeral, he was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer.

Although Fang Linyan had endured many hardships since childhood, and his nerves had been toughened, he still broke down under such consecutive blows. He stayed in his rented apartment for two days before he could recover, but the fear of death still caused him intermittent emotional outbursts.

But who isn't like that, silently drifting far away, occasionally screaming and crying, losing control, and then gradually cooling down, numbly struggling in this cold world?

Cold eyes, cold nights, cold rain, cold encounters. In this month, Fang Linyan had endured too many cold looks and immense pressure. Not breaking down completely was a testament to his strong mental fortitude. The world had been too harsh and cruel to him, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered with the tenacity of a cockroach!

After a while, Fang Linyan stood up, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and finally managed to regain his composure. He coughed a few times, his furrowed brows clearly showing the pain he was enduring. After searching around the house, he found half a stick of beef jerky that had become slightly damp.

Even though Fang Linyan had no appetite, he still forced himself to eat the remaining beef jerky bit by bit. If someone had been there, they would have thought that Fang Linyan's frowning and tearing at the food with his teeth made him look like a wolf.

A wild, dangerous wolf, cornered in a blizzard, baring its teeth and bristling with fury!

In Fang Linyan's heart, there was a phrase he always remembered:

"Whatever does not kill us makes us stronger!"

After eating, Fang Linyan checked his phone and saw that a sum of money had been credited. Just as he was about to leave, a sudden, intense coughing fit hit him, making him hunch over and lean against the wall, coughing so hard it felt like his internal organs were being torn apart.

After a while, Fang Linyan finally straightened up, gasping for breath. Blood was clearly flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his hand, which he had used to cover it, was covered in blood. He casually wiped the blood away with a piece of paper, took a pill, and then weakly walked out the door.

***

The corner supermarket was still open, but it was drizzling, and the cold rain mixed with the cold wind made people feel bone-chillingly cold. Even those with umbrellas were hunched over, hurrying along.

This road, being relatively remote, had long had its cameras and electronic eyes damaged. Since it was in a poor area, the authorities paid little attention, allowing many overloaded trucks and construction vehicles to recklessly speed through, making loud noises and causing severe damage to the road.

Fang Linyan walked down the road with a blank expression and, five minutes later, began shopping at the supermarket.

"Large pack of instant noodles, one box........"

"Ten pounds of noodles (on sale)"

"One bag of beef jerky (for nutrition)"

"One pack of broad bean sauce (for noodle seasoning)"

"........."

It was clear that Fang Linyan was buying these things just to fill his stomach. Why was he so frugal? Because he had borrowed a lot of money to treat Uncle Xu, who had raised him, and to cover the funeral expenses, totaling over a hundred thousand yuan.

Although Fang Linyan had a troubled childhood and harbored a lot of resentment, his worldview was deeply influenced by the honest and sincere Uncle Xu.

So, he had a strong conviction: even if he had an incurable disease, he would pay off his debts before he died. Additionally, his previous boss was a miser, which was another reason for his frugality.

After quickly buying what he needed, Fang Linyan was about to go to the cash register to pay, but he suddenly felt a stomachache and went to the supermarket's restroom.

After coming out of the toilet, he naturally went to the sink to wash his hands. Usually, there would be a mirror directly opposite the sink, allowing customers to check their appearance.

The pale light from above shone down, and the sink area was empty. After washing his hands, Fang Linyan habitually splashed some cold water on his face to refresh himself, a habit he had formed from working at the auto repair shop.

However, as he looked up at the mirror, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body, and an indescribable fear instantly enveloped him!!

He did not see his own face in the mirror!

Instead, a dense black cloud vortex seemed to cover the area where the mirror should have been. Not only that, but a hand covered in wounds and blood emerged from the vortex, grabbing Fang Linyan's neck and pulling him forward forcefully.

Fang Linyan felt a searing pain where the hand grabbed his neck, as if branded with a hot iron! He was completely powerless, or more accurately, the strength he possessed was no match for the blood-red hand.

Just as Fang Linyan's face was about to collide with the black cloud vortex, he suddenly saw a疯狂的血红色眼球 in the vortex. The eyeball looked as if it had been forcibly dug out of its socket, with residual bloody tissue around it, filled with blood vessels.

The deep, dark pupil seemed to have a powerful gravitational pull. As soon as Fang Linyan's eyes met it, he felt a dizzying sensation, and then he lost consciousness, knowing nothing.

***

He didn't know how long it had been, but suddenly, Fang Linyan felt a sharp, intense pain in his chest, causing him to convulse and come back to his senses.

He found himself still standing by the sink, gasping for breath, swallowing a mouthful of saliva, and looking around. He saw no blood-stained hand, no dense black cloud vortex, and no bloodshot eyes.

Only a quiet restroom, the sound of water dripping from the faucet, and the pale light shining down from above. He was still in the same position, hands on the sink, staring at the mirror, as if what he had experienced was just an illusion!

Fang Linyan stood there in confusion for a moment, then walked out, picked up his shopping basket, and headed to the cash register to pay. However, he froze when he saw the staff already mopping the floor and tidying up the shelves.

This ordinary scene indicated that it was almost 9:30 PM, as the supermarket closed at 10:00 PM. To finish on time, the staff would start cleaning early.

But Fang Linyan remembered clearly that he had left home at 7:30 PM. When he left, the TV in the small shop at the entrance was broadcasting the weather forecast on CCAV. It would not take more than twenty minutes to walk from his home to the supermarket, and he never wandered around inside, buying only what was on his list. So, how long had he been in the restroom.......

Almost an hour and a half!!

This mysterious event made the hairs on Fang Linyan's back stand on end.

"This....... This is impossible!"

If he had really stood at the sink for an hour and a half, someone in the supermarket would have come to check on him, and they certainly wouldn't have the indifferent faces they had now.

What had happened in that hour and a half?