Beep! Beep!
The bus hissed to a stop as passengers shuffled down the narrow aisle, some getting off while others squeezed their way inside through the cramped doorway.
Then the suspicious tall man suddenly stood up and stepped down from the bus unexpectedly, his dark coat billowing slightly in the evening breeze.
"He got off?"
Jiang Dao looked back in surprise, watching the man's retreating figure through the grimy window. He had been certain that the guy would follow them, and he was already mentally preparing for a confrontation. But it was also better this way—he wouldn't have to risk his life tonight.
No matter what, she was his classmate and she had always been kind to him, so he wouldn't let her get hurt.
After a few minutes, the bus lurched forward again as the driver called out for remaining passengers to settle in properly.
...
"See you next time, Kaite."
Jiang Dao said as Kaite stepped down from the bus, her backpack slung over one shoulder as she walked away.
She passed through a long covered waiting shed on the right, her silhouette growing smaller before she disappeared around the corner into the dimly lit street.
Jiang Dao also got off, but headed toward the left side of the road.
He raised his hand and called for a taxi idling nearby.
"To Fourth Season Garden, uncle."
"Fourth Season Garden... hmm, the one up north?"
The taxi driver rolled down his window and leaned out to confirm, squinting at the young man in the streetlight.
"Yes, that's right."
"Okay, get inside."
Settling into the worn leather seat, Jiang Dao finally allowed himself to relax.
He lived in an ordinary residential area in the northern suburbs of the city, called Four Seasons Garden, where the highest building was only seven floors. The complex was modest but well-maintained, with small gardens between the apartment blocks.
Nearly an hour later, after navigating through the evening traffic, Jiang Dao finally arrived home.
"Mom! I'm back!"
As soon as Jiang Dao stepped inside, he greeted everyone as usual and quickly changed into his house slippers, then headed straight for the bathroom. The rain had washed away most of the blood, and the smell was masked by perfume he had asked from an old lady on the clothing shop, so no one would notice anything unusual.
The voice of his mother, Tang Shiyan, drifted from the kitchen almost immediately. "Xiao yuan, dinner will be ready in a while."
"Okay, Mom!"
In the bathroom, Jiang Dao turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade over his tired body. While lathering soap across his arms, he suddenly remembered the black bead he had picked up earlier.
"I remember putting it in my pocket..."
Jiang Dao murmured, glancing around the small bathroom.
Looking down at his discarded shorts, he noticed a small bulge in the front pocket. Taking two steps forward, he reached in and retrieved it.
Here it was!
Now observing it carefully under the bathroom light, it was black and not exactly a perfect circle. The more Jiang Dao examined it, the more he felt convinced that this was an egg—he remembered seeing snake eggs on TikTok videos, and it looked remarkably similar.
"An egg?"
Feeling its surface, he could detect a subtle rise and fall, like a faint heartbeat pulsing beneath the dark shell. Jiang Dao couldn't help but wonder if trusting his instincts earlier had been the right choice.
This... if this really is an egg of that creature, won't that thing from the building chase me with determination?
Jiang Dao felt troubled, his eyes flickering with uncertainty as he turned the mysterious object over in his palm.
He couldn't possibly go back there to return this. If he really did that, then something was seriously wrong with his brain—asking for forgiveness from a ruthless entity that could kill him in seconds.
Or should I ask a delivery man to send this back?
Jiang Dao quickly shook his head. He wasn't that cruel to send innocent people to their deaths. Life wasn't just a number—nobody might care if one grain of sand went missing, but the sand closest to it definitely would. What if it was a hardworking father of three children without a mother? How would his family survive?
Damn! Nothing can be done since we've come to this point.
"I hope this thing is really as useful as you claimed, my body, otherwise both of us would be doomed!"
Suppressing his strange instincts to consume this thing, he continued his shower, carefully erasing all traces of the day's events. As for the clothing he had worn during the expedition, he had already thrown it away—it had holes in it and dried blood stains that would be impossible to explain.
...
A while later, Jiang Dao turned off the shower and looked at his reflection in the fogged mirror beside the bathroom sink.
He saw a tall young man with ordinary but symmetrical features. Combined with his clear skin and clean short haircut, he was solidly above average for someone his age.
This is more attractive and taller than the me from before...
Jiang Dao only noticed it now, but he was actually quite good-looking, and with this height, it was no wonder he could keep up with the older friends who had unfortunately died yesterday. If he had been just a little shorter, they definitely wouldn't have included him in their group.
Wrapping a towel around his waist, he turned left toward the stairs to the second floor, then went directly to his room to get dressed.
"Mom! I'll stay in my room for a bit!"
"Take your time resting. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
His mother Tang Shiyan's voice drifted from the kitchen, accompanied by the familiar sounds of cooking—chopping vegetables and the sizzle of oil in a pan.
Inside his room, Jiang Dao opened his dresser drawer and pulled out casual clothes, then sat down at his personal computer. Logging into the group chat "Shadow Seekers," he was surprised to see that someone was online, and by the looks of it, they were already discussing something urgent... but contrary to his expectations, what they were discussing was something completely different.
Reading through the messages, he saw someone asking where certain group members had gone and if anybody knew where the account owners were.
"Hey guys, this is a relative of Silvia. I just want to know if anybody has any idea where she was? I heard her say that she would go somewhere with her friends from this chat, but I don't know where exactly. She promised it would take only half a day and she should already be home by 7 PM, but now she's still not back. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE IF YOU CAN HELP."
An account with a profile picture of a girl posing on a rooftop had posted the message.
"I don't know."
"Silvia? Ah, I know they went somewhere with old10, shadow13, roar98 and others to an abandoned building. They said they wanted to see for themselves whether the rumors of creepy sightings there were true."
GhostTide: "Why are you asking?"
A user named 'shadow13' also sent a message: "Guys, same situation here. My brother promised to come back early."
GhostTide:"You too?"
LostInPages: So everyone hasn't returned yet? Strange..."
"Hey, don't tell me we stumbled upon something actually supernatural?" An account with a question mark logo posted the unsettling suggestion.
"Do you really believe that?"
After a moment, Silvia's relative replied:
"Thank you, but do you know where exactly they went?"
LostInPages: Wait, let me think...