Chapter 1

"Mr. Gu, your condition might be more complicated."

The air was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant. The doctor, sitting behind his desk, wearing a white coat with some gray at his temples, raised the X-ray film in his hand and examined it while speaking.

Despite wearing a mask, his expression was not visible, but it was clear that his brows were slightly furrowed.

"From our examination, your body is indeed in very good health, even to the point of being exceptionally healthy. The sub-health state that most modern people suffer from is completely absent in you, which is truly rare."

The doctor sized up the young man sitting in front of his desk, with a thoughtful expression, a clear and refined face, and a tall, slender build, and couldn't help but nod in approval.

His skin and complexion were really excellent, indicating a regular lifestyle, healthy diet, and a very disciplined person.

Unfortunately, despite being so healthy, this young man seemed to be suffering from a strange illness... but all the tests came back negative. It was unclear whether it was a real condition or just a figment of his imagination, possibly due to psychological or mental issues.

"Although we can't find any problems in our tests, you are experiencing these symptoms, so we can't be entirely sure. After all, we can't rule out the possibility that our facilities are limited..."

The doctor retracted his gaze and refocused his thoughts. He continued to look at the X-ray film, pondering seriously, but could only give a somewhat ambiguous answer due to his cautious nature.

"If you're not at ease, we recommend you get a second opinion at another hospital."

The doctor didn't want to pass the buck, but he genuinely couldn't make a definitive conclusion. This kind of situation was hard to judge. Despite the test results showing that the young man was in perfect health, he seemed to be genuinely troubled... In such a situation, which doctor would dare to give a definitive answer?

Should he insist that there was nothing wrong? Or should he play it safe, state the test results, and mention that they couldn't be absolutely certain, perhaps suggesting that their facilities weren't equipped to detect the issue?

To be honest, this choice was quite easy.

"Understood, thank you, doctor."

The young man seemed to have anticipated this response. He nodded lightly and then stood up.

...

...

Ten minutes later.

Stepping out of the main gate of the city hospital, Gu Mo looked up at the sun, which had not yet gained much heat, and instinctively moved a few steps into the shade.

It was mid-summer, and although he had arrived early, the morning sun was gentle, almost devoid of heat. The summer heat and scorching waves were not yet unbearable, not to the point of roasting the earth from early morning and turning the city into a high-temperature steamer.

However, this wouldn't last long, and he knew this from experience.

Gu Mo glanced back at the bustling hospital lobby and sighed deeply. He had listened carefully to the doctor's explanation, which was indeed mature and cautious, giving him a sense of "hearing a speech, as if hearing a speech."

In simple terms, if this kind of stock answer had any use, it wouldn't be completely useless.

—He wouldn't have come here again.

Because this was already the third hospital to give him the same response, with an eerily similar process. Gu Mo suspected they might have colluded in advance. It always went the same way: a full set of tests, followed by the statement, "The test results show that you are in very good health, theoretically with no problems..."

However, they couldn't guarantee anything, and could only suggest, in a very tactful manner, that if he was not at ease, he should seek a second opinion elsewhere.

From the moment he first noticed the issue and went to a regular hospital for a check-up, the hospital couldn't determine what was wrong. So he went to a larger hospital, but they also couldn't determine the problem and suggested he seek further opinions.

So, at this time in the morning, Gu Mo found himself here again.

The city where he lived was a large one, and the city hospital was of high quality, not the best, but certainly not second or third-rate. Yet, they were equally ineffective.

They couldn't even determine if he had any issues or if the issues were real.

Although he had a vague premonition, having experienced this twice before, he didn't have high hopes this time. However, to say he had no expectations at all would be a lie. Gu Mo was somewhat disappointed... or rather, more anxious.

Looking at the ticket in his hand, Gu Mo sighed again, tore it to pieces, and threw it into the nearby trash can. He then walked out and hailed a taxi on the roadside.

Sitting in the taxi, watching the scenery pass by outside the window, he heard a buzzing sound in his ears.

"Buzz... %￥#@&... buzz... $#%&@..."

It sounded like electrical interference, mixed with the static of an old radio.

He remained expressionless, not even frowning, and casually scratched his ear. At the same time, he took out his phone and glanced at it.

There were no new messages, but the time displayed on the screen was the key.

—07:00

Exactly 7:00 AM, a very early hour, indicating that he had taken a taxi to register and queue before dawn.

Time was running out...

Time was running out today...

Although it was still early, a sense of urgency welled up inside Gu Mo. He quickly calculated the time he had left for the day, then tapped the back of the driver's seat.

"Driver, can you please speed up? I'm in a hurry, thank you."

"Sure thing."

The driver responded agreeably, but after nearly half a minute, the car continued to move steadily, with no signs of accelerating.

"..."

"..."

Sure-thing? You're just saying that.

Gu Mo tugged at the corners of his mouth but said nothing more.

It didn't matter; he still had about an hour, which should be enough to get home without falling asleep in the car. As long as there was no traffic, there shouldn't be a problem...

He turned his head and continued to look out the window, trying to reassure himself, but his anxiety and frustration only grew.

About a week ago, he started experiencing some serious issues.

Gu Mo remembered that night, when he was playing games with friends, it was exactly midnight. At the moment the new day began, he suddenly heard a piercing static noise in his headphones, like electrical interference or a poor signal.

His first reaction was that the headphones had malfunctioned, and he was so startled that he immediately pulled them off.

After the noise stopped, he didn't dare to use those headphones again.

The situation then became increasingly bizarre. He would hear the strange static noise every hour, with a very precise cycle, repeating every 60 minutes, on the hour, without fail.

He realized something was wrong, but before he could do anything, he lost consciousness at 8:00 AM.

He only regained consciousness at midnight.

For the next week, this process repeated. Gu Mo would sleep for 16 hours and be awake for only 8 hours, always waking at midnight and losing consciousness at 8:00 AM.

During the hours from midnight to 8:00 AM, he would hear the static noise every hour, a sound only he could hear, as if it was resonating directly in his mind, like a neural reflex bouncing around his brain.

Naturally, no one would calmly accept such a situation.

Gu Mo was no exception. He suspected that there might be something wrong with his body, possibly a central nervous system disorder, so he had been going to hospitals, but none of them could give him a definitive answer.

Thinking about the same conclusion from each hospital, he didn't know what to say.

The air in the taxi was somewhat stifling. The driver had tried to tell a few jokes at first, but stopped when the passenger didn't respond. Time passed slowly.

Finally, the car stopped in front of a residential area.

"Driver, no need to give me change."

"Sure-thing, thank you."

Feeling frustrated, Gu Mo waved his hand, not interested in the small change, and was about to leave when he noticed a red glow above the driver's head, and some strange...

Things?

Or something?

Gu Mo wasn't sure if he had seen it correctly.

"Driver..."

He didn't have time to call out. As he instinctively reached out, he watched the driver step on the gas, and the car sped away, disappearing around the corner in the blink of an eye.

Having gotten used to the taxi's slow speed, Gu Mo was momentarily stunned by the sudden acceleration.

He had asked for speed, but now it was so fast. Was the driver's reaction time that long?

He pondered for a moment, looked around, and saw that it was still early, and the neighborhood was quiet and empty. Gu Mo hesitated, then checked the time on his phone.

—07:49

Damn! No time left!

His face darkened, and he quickly put the incident behind him, walking briskly into the neighborhood.

He quickly went up the stairs, opened the door, and rushed inside. He ate something quickly, checked the electrical and window conditions, and the remaining time was already counting down. He then went to his bedroom and lay down in the most comfortable position.

After a week, he had figured out the pattern and knew what to do.

Time ticked by, and as the phone displayed the last second before 8:00 AM, Gu Mo, as expected, heard the strange static noise.

In the next second, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over him, and he lost all perception of the outside world.

In his unconscious mind, the meaningless static noise continued to reverberate, mixed with the sound of electrical interference, but as the static rolled by, fragmented pieces began to become clearer.

Like an old radio tuning in, despite the interference, it gradually became possible to make out some useful information.

"Buzz... to protect... buzz... the physical and mental health of users under 18 years old, you will be restricted by the anti-addiction system. Your online time today has reached 8 hours, and you will be forcibly logged out... login restrictions... please complete... buzz... real-name verification..."

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(PS: New author, new book, please be kind.)