Vol 3: Chapter 1-2.
Zheng took a deep breath. He looked out the window, this really was the place he used to work as a manager. The weather was sunny, a flock of pigeons flew by, the peaceful atmosphere and the the voices from the streets. This was the world he grew up in. A place without monsters, Aliens, or T virus, without the endless horrors. The peaceful world was like heaven.
Suddenly Zheng felt that the real world was so unfamiliar. As if it belonged to his previous life. After struggling in the horrors, he finally came back reborn.
“I was so scared, scared that I am just an illusion created by that sphere of light. Hehe. We can actually come back to the real world, makes me relieved now… Pervert, what are you thinking?”
Zheng shook his head, some information appeared in his brain. This was the information God gave him. Within the thirty days in the real world, he could not mention anything pertaining to God’s world, otherwise he, and everything that belonged to him would be erased.
At the end of thirty days he must come back to this office. God would transport him back. At the same time he must be in contact with everything that belonged to him. Otherwise those items would be left in this world. If the item could only be obtained from God’s world, then it would be erased. If he couldn’t come back to the office, he would be erased.
“That means I can’t say anything about that place, must come back here in thirty days, and must be holding onto Lori’s hands.”
Zheng nodded and kept these information to his heart. Then he said. “Let’s go. Lori, I will bring you to my parents.”
Outside the office were people working busily. Several dozen people were in front of computer desks, some were having a conversation. As Zheng and Lori stepped out of the office, many people turned to them. For a moment, the place fell into a silence.
“Manager Zheng…”
After the silence, people gathered around Zheng and started asking questions. Basically where he had been these days.
Zheng grabbed a young man he was close with and went toward the elevator. “San, how long ago had I left the company? What’s the current situation?”
San took out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to Zheng. “Zheng, did something happen in your family? Why did you leave without a word? At least leave us a message. No one knew where you were so that bitch fired you for absences. She got her boyfriend the position and he’s irritating everyone. If you hadn’t come, we would’ve quit together..”
Zheng took a smoke and said. “Yes something happened… San, I’ll teach you a trick. Doesn’t she like to play in her office? Buy a hidden camera and put it in her office. But don’t go too far, just threaten them… I have to leave now, please take care of my family if something was to happen. My parents`s health isn’t that great either, so visit them once in a while with some friends.”
Before San could reply, Zheng had already stepped into the elevator.
The two sighed after coming out from the building. Zheng was due to having experienced so much, even though it wasn’t enough to be enlightened but he had changed. Lori was marveled at the cityscape. Her memories were still from ten years ago, when the city wasn’t so developed. Shortly after, they merged into a sea of people.
As she was having difficulty getting through the crowd, Zheng picked her up. Lori blushed but said with a laugh. “Such big changes, if you leave me here alone, I will get lost within a few minutes. Hehe. Perhaps I will get abducted by human traffickers.”
“I won’t leave you… definitely won’t!”
Her smile got even wider, she almost hanged herself on Zheng and asked. “We only have thirty days. Uh. Let’s go see your parents first then visit my parents, how’s it?”
Zheng nodded, then he suddenly stopped with a daze. “Shit… we don’t have any money. I left that jacket with money in Alien… Looks like we have to walk back.”
Nothing was more embarrassing than having a cubic meter of platinum in his ring, yet he didn’t have the money to take a taxi. They had no choice but to walk to his parents’ house.
The two arrived by noon. This was a condo style apartment. It looked like an area for middle class families. As they knocked on the door, an old woman in her fifties opened the door.
She immediately recognized Zheng and smiled. “Son, why did you come over today? You weren’t home last Saturday, and your cell says out of service area when I called you. You went on a business trip? Come in.”
Zheng pulled out Lori from the back and said with a smile. “Mom, look who this is?”
Lori came out coyly. “Hi auntie, I came over to play.”
She was confused for a while then grabbed Lori in shock. She looked her over from head to toes a few times then yelled. “Honey, come out, honey!”
Zheng quietly closed the door. The old couple were checking out Lori with excitement. This made her feel embarrassed yet happy. Even though she was told to not say anything about where she had been. The old couple called Lori’s parents then started questioning her. After Lori avoided some questions, they changed the topic.
An hour later, when they were eating lunch. There was rapid knocking on the door. Zheng’s mother opened it and there stood a couple in their fifties. They rushed to Lori once they saw her. The woman held onto her and started crying. The man remained calm yet his eyes were red.
“Ok, ok, make things clear first.” The man grabbed the woman. “Are you really Lori? That’s impossible, we saw her pass away with our own eyes.”
Then he looked at Zheng. “Is this an actress you hired? Tell me, what’s this about?” He started shouting by the end of the sentence.
As Lori started crying, and was about to say something. Zheng patted her hand and said. “Uncle, I wouldn’t use Lori for a joke… I can promise that this is the real Lori, your daughter, please forgive me that I can not say anything more.”
Before the man can reply, Zheng’s father shouted. “What can’t you say? What is this? This isn’t your company’s secret, this concerns a life! I am your father, you have to say it when I order you.”
Zheng shook his head bitterly. “Dad, I understand but I really can’t say anything. Otherwise we will both die. I promise this is the real Lori you know.”
Zheng’s mother stopped his father from saying anything more. She laughed. “No matter what, it’s good that the child is back. If she really came back from… it’s true that they can’t tell us.”
Back from where? Of course hell, people their age tend to believe in superstitions. Someone that died over ten years ago suddenly appeared in front of you, that her appearance, her expressions and her tone were exactly the same. Furthermore the fact that Zheng couldn’t say anything all pointed to this.
Zheng felt relieved. He was worried that he couldn’t explain Lori’s background. Even though their parents were mistaken, he was happy to accept this mistake.
“Dad, mom, uncle, auntie, we can only stay here for a month. After a month, we will have to leave.” Zheng told them after they calmed down.
Zheng’s mother started trembling. Her eyes filled with tears. “Son, you wouldn’t also…”
Zheng got a hold of her and smiled. “No, mom, I haven’t died. I am still living very well. Touch my hand, see, it’s warm. I only said that I and Lori will leave… leave for one or two years. We still have some things to finish. Then we will come back and never leave again.”
As the women were crying, the men started to comfort them. “Yes, it’s good that they can come back, why are you still crying? Only one or two more years, we have waited ten years already. One or two years will pass in the blink of an eye…”
Zheng sighed then walked over to the window and closed the curtains. He activated the ring and poured everything out on the floor.
He picked up a bar of platinum and smiled. “Rest assured, I will definitely come back with Lori. These platinum is a specialty of that place. These are very cheap over there. Uncle and auntie, you weren’t well off these years, Lori had credit in earning these platinum, so you also take half of them. But be careful when you sell them, do it one bar at a time.”
Compared to his words, the platinum were more shocking to them. For a while the living room fell into a silence. No one noticed that a little dot under the knife blinked once.
