Dia was woken by a piercing alarm.
It wasn't his phone alarm, nor the old fire alarm at the welfare home—he'd heard that sound for eighteen years and knew it by heart. This was a different sound, sharp, continuous, with a frequency that unsettled him, seeming to come from afar yet also from all directions at once.
He shot up from bed and grabbed his phone.
7:12 AM.
There were thirty-seven missed calls and over a hundred unread messages, all from the class group and the welfare home's work group. Before he could even open them, his phone began to vibrate—it was Xiaoyu.
"Brother Dia! Look out the window!"
Dia rushed to the window barefoot and pulled back the curtains.
The sunlight made him squint. Outside looked normal—blue sky, white clouds, distant residential buildings, the street below, occasional passing vehicles. But he quickly noticed something was wrong.
The trees lining the street.
The plane trees, which had been bare branches yesterday, were now covered in palm-sized new leaves, so lush green they seemed to drip with moisture. It wasn't just the leaves—countless new branches had sprouted from the trunks, as if on fast-forward, extending outwards madly. The roots of one tree had even broken through the concrete pavement, twisting like snakes onto the sidewalk.
"What is that..." Dia murmured to himself.
Xiaoyu's voice continued from the phone, "And the flowerbeds! The grass in the flowerbeds has grown so tall, taller than my knees! The vegetables Grandma Zhang planted are ripe overnight! And—"
"Don't rush, take your time," Dia interrupted her, his voice calmer than he expected. "How are the others? Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone's okay, but... but a few birds in the yard are dead."
"Dead?"
"Yeah, they seem to have hit the wall. And... and Auntie Wang's dog next door has been barking non-stop, it's so scary, like it's gone mad..."
Just as Dia was about to say something, a scream suddenly came from the other end of the line, followed by the sound of something shattering.
"Xiaoyu? Xiaoyu!"
"I-I'm fine..." Xiaoyu's voice trembled. "It was just a flowerpot that fell from downstairs. There was a slight tremor just now, very light, but the flowerpot tipped over."
"Stay in your rooms, lock the door, I'll be down immediately."
Dia hung up and quickly put on his clothes and shoes. As he passed his desk, he glanced at the succulent plant on the windowsill—Xiaoyu had planted it last month, and it had only been the size of a fingernail. Now it had swollen to the size of his fist, its leaves so thick they were almost transparent, with a strange, fluorescent green sheen on the surface.
He stared at the succulent for three seconds, then turned and left the room.
A strange smell filled the hallway. It wasn't the "ancient smell" from yesterday, but a more intense aroma, a mixture of fresh grass, earth, and flowers, so strong it was almost dizzying. Dia noticed a few ferns in the corner—he swore there was nothing there yesterday, and now they had grown to knee-height, their lush green leaves pushing out from the cracks in the wall, swaying gently in the morning breeze.
The situation downstairs was even worse.
The first-floor corridor had become a tropical rainforest. Vines, appearing from nowhere, covered the walls, long aerial roots hung from the ceiling, and the moss on the floor was slippery underfoot. A few younger children stood crying in the corridor, while the volunteer aunties tried to comfort them in a panic.
When Dia found Xiaoyu and Afu, they were squatting by the entrance to the cafeteria. Afu pointed inside the cafeteria, his little face pale.
Dia followed his gaze.
The old television in the cafeteria was still on, but the picture was intermittent, full of static. Some sound could be heard—broken broadcasts mixed with harsh electrical noise.
"...Emergency notice... nationwide... state of emergency..."
"...All citizens are requested... not to go outside..."
"...The military has... the city... under lockdown..."
"...Spiritual energy... revival... concept... first proposed..."
The last few words made Dia frown.
Spiritual energy revival?
He squeezed into the cafeteria and leaned closer to the TV, tapping its casing forcefully. The picture flickered a few times and became slightly clearer.
A man in a military uniform stood at a podium, with what looked like an official press conference in the background. His expression was serious, his tone heavy and urgent.
"...Confirmed by the National Emergency Affairs Department, as of 00:00 today, the entire country has entered a Level 1 emergency state. All non-essential commercial activities are suspended, schools are closed, and factories are shut down. All citizens are requested to remain at home and await further notice..."
The picture went fuzzy again, but the audio continued.
"...Regarding the global abnormal celestial phenomena last night, preliminary research conclusions have been reached. We have named it the 'Spiritual Energy Tide'... This is an unknown energy fluctuation covering the globe... Its effects are still being assessed, but it has been confirmed that this energy accelerates biological growth and metabolism..."
"Accelerates biological growth and metabolism." Dia repeated the phrase, looking at the wildly growing plants outside the cafeteria.
"...At the same time, this energy may also affect animal behavior. Reports of pet attacks on owners have been received from multiple locations nationwide... Citizens are advised to take precautions and stay away from animals exhibiting abnormal behavior..."
The screen went completely blank, turning into a field of static.
Dia stood there, his mind racing.
Spiritual energy tide. Accelerated growth. Abnormal animal behavior.
Everything the news had said was happening before his eyes.
"Brother Dia," Xiaoyu walked up to him, her voice hushed. "What does 'spiritual energy' mean? What does 'revival' mean? What's going on?"
Dia was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I don't know. But we need to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?"
"Anything."
He turned to look at the children in the cafeteria—the oldest was fifteen, the youngest four, a total of twenty-three. Including the staff, the entire welfare home had fewer than forty people. Some were crying, some were dazed, some were still asleep, unaware of the impending danger.
Dia took a deep breath and began assigning tasks.
"Xiaoyu, go gather everyone in the large activity room on the second floor. The windows are high there, so it'll be harder to see from outside. Have everyone bring water and food, as much as they can carry."
"O-Okay."
"Auntie Li, check all the doors and windows. Lock everything that can be locked. Especially the back door downstairs, I remember the lock is broken, find a way to block it."
The volunteer auntie nodded, her face pale but relatively calm.
"Uncle Wang—" Dia looked at another staff member. "Can you contact anyone outside? Where's the director?"
Uncle Wang shook his head. "The phones aren't working, and the internet is intermittent. The director didn't come back last night, said he was going to a meeting, and we haven't heard from him since."
Dia gritted his teeth. "Then we'll deal with it ourselves for now."
He started moving tables and chairs to block the entrance to the activity room. A few of the older children came to help. Afu followed him like a shadow, not saying a word, just tightly clutching his clothes.
After about half an hour of work, the door to the activity room was completely blocked by tables, cabinets, and sofas. A good amount of water and food had also been brought in—there were still some supplies in the cafeteria's refrigerator, enough for a few days.
Dia leaned against the wall, catching his breath, and looked out the window.
The situation on the street was getting worse.
The branches of the street trees had grown into the middle of the road, and vines had climbed onto streetlights and utility poles. In the distance, a car was parked crookedly in the middle of the road, its door open, no one inside. Further away, several wisps of black smoke could be seen rising into the sky, as if something was burning.
Then he heard a sound.
Not the alarm, nor the broadcast from the TV.
It was barking.
Many dogs.
Dia walked to the window and cautiously peeked out.
Below the residential building across the street, five or six dogs were attacking a person. He recognized some of the dogs—Auntie Wang's golden retriever from next door, Uncle Li's husky from the third floor, and a few stray dogs he didn't know. Their usual demeanor was completely gone; their eyes were red, saliva dripped from their mouths, and their fur stood on end, like a pack of rabid beasts.
The person being attacked was a middle-aged man, wielding a mop, but he clearly couldn't hold on for long. He had already been bitten on the leg, and blood was flowing down his pant leg.
"Brother Dia!" Xiaoyu covered her mouth.
Dia clenched his fists.
He recognized the man. It was Old Zhou, the owner of the corner convenience store, who was always very kind to the children at the welfare home and would bring them snacks during holidays.
"Stay here, don't move," Dia said and ran downstairs.
"Brother Dia!" Xiaoyu called from behind, but he didn't look back.
He grabbed a cleaver from the kitchen and went out through the back door. The dogs were completely focused on attacking Old Zhou and didn't notice him. Dia took a deep breath, gripped the handle of the knife, and charged.
The first strike landed on the closest husky. The blade sank into its back, but the feel was completely wrong—not like cutting flesh and blood, but more like hitting a hard piece of wood. The dog let out a sharp yelp and turned to pounce on him.
Dia dodged to the side and swung the second blow at its neck.
He put all his strength into it this time, the blade almost embedding itself in the bone. The husky fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and lay still.
The other dogs, stimulated by the smell of blood, became even more frenzied. Two of them turned and lunged at Dia. He took a step back, leaning against the wall, and swung at the first one to charge. The blade sliced across its abdomen, and warm blood splattered his face.
The second dog bit his left arm.
The intense pain almost made him drop the knife, but Dia gritted his teeth and stabbed the dog in the throat with his free hand. It whimpered, released its bite, and collapsed on the ground.
The remaining two dogs, sensing the unfavorable situation, tucked their tails and ran.
Dia leaned against the wall, panting heavily. The bite on his left arm burned like fire. He looked down; the wound wasn't deep, but it was bleeding profusely, soaking his entire sleeve red.
"L-Little... young man..." Old Zhou slumped on the ground, his face deathly pale, the wound on his leg shocking. "Thank you..."
"Don't talk," Dia tore off his sleeve and tightly wrapped it around Old Zhou's wound. "Can you stand?"
"I... I'll try..." Old Zhou gritted his teeth and stood up, swaying precariously, almost falling again.
Dia supported him and they walked back step by step. When they reached the entrance of the welfare home, Xiaoyu was already waiting, holding a first-aid kit, tears streaming down her face.
"Quick, come in! Quick!"
They helped Old Zhou into the activity room, and Xiaoyu began to treat his wound. Dia leaned against the wall, finally having the chance to check his own injury.
There were two rows of teeth marks on his left forearm, the flesh torn, and blood still seeping out. He wiped it with an alcohol swab, gasping in pain, then haphazardly wrapped it with gauze.
"Brother Dia," Xiaoyu came over, her eyes red. "Your injury..."
"It's nothing, just a surface wound." Dia flexed his fingers, confirming no bones were broken. "How's Old Zhou?"
"The wound is deep, I've stopped the bleeding, but it needs stitches. And... and I'm worried about infection. Those dogs looked... abnormal."
Dia was silent for a moment, then walked to the window and looked out.
There were a few more dog carcasses on the street, killed by unknown assailants. Further away, people were running, shouting, cars had crashed into each other. Black smoke rose into the sky, from more than one location.
The entire world was collapsing at a visible rate.
"Brother Dia," Afu appeared beside him at some point, tugging at his clothes with his small hand, looking up at him. "Are we going to die?"
Dia squatted down, cupped Afu's face in his hands, and looked him seriously in the eyes. "No. I promise."
Afu nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks, but he didn't cry out loud.
Dia picked him up and let him rest on his shoulder. The sunlight outside was still bright, the sky still blue. But everyone knew that this world, starting today, was different.
He looked out at the seemingly calm sky, remembering the voice that had echoed in his mind last night.
"It's finally begun."
Yes, it had begun.
And they were completely unprepared.