Just as Li Yao was about to clarify, the other party had already hung up the phone. “Beep Beep Beep Beep” sounds came from the loudspeaker, making the atmosphere in the shabby room even more awkward.
Looking at the pitch-black mobile phone, Li Yao did not know what to say. He sighed and squatted on the ground, holding his head.
“Did you know? For a moment, I almost believed you. What a shame!”
Zhang Daniu was heartbroken. “I don’t know whether you are crazy, I am crazy, or the world is crazy. I actually believed you!”
Li Yao raised his head and opened his mouth, only to feel that his entire body was sore and feeble. He was unable to say anything. Even his own beliefs were beginning to waver.
“Do you have nothing to say?”
Zhang Daniu said, “If you have already calmed down and learned to face reality, Teacher Niu will treat you to breakfast before you return to school, right?”
Li Yao nodded helplessly.
…
Although it was only six o’clock in the morning, the breakfast stalls at the entrance of the neighborhood were already packed with people. The aroma of food filled the air, especially from an enormous frying pan, from which the sound of frying dumplings and fried buns could be heard. It was even more enticing.
Zhang Daniu sat down with 10 fried dumplings and 10 fried buns. He then commanded Li Yao to bring over their wontons, which were filled with chili sauce and vinegar. He happily drank a mouthful of the wonton soup and stuffed three fried buns into his mouth. Only then was he satisfied and beaming with smiles.
“Let me tell you, no matter how frustrating yesterday was, no matter how tired and frustrated one is, as long as one has a hot breakfast in the morning, all their worries will be gone!”
Zhang Daniu took a deep breath of the rich fragrance, “The real world is still quite beautiful. We still have to live our days down to earth. Don’t let your imagination run wild, alright?”
“…Yes.”
Li Yao picked up a fried dumpling and felt that it tasted like chewing wax, but he still forced himself to swallow it.
“Are you really alright?”
Zhang Daniu observed Li Yao’s expression and said, “Why don’t we call your family after dinner?”
“There’s no one at home.”
Li Yao picked up the bowl and covered his face. “My parents left me when I was very young. I was all by myself. My family was not hungry after I ate.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Zhang Daniu scratched his face for a long time and said, “No wonder you’ve been dwelling in the world of fiction, hoping to find comfort in the imaginary four worlds of cultivation! Sigh. How should I put it? I’m not asking you to completely give up on… fantasy. You just need to pay attention to the difference between fantasy and reality. Don’t be too engrossed, understand?”
“How about this? Teacher Niu is not a completely unreasonable person. Although you are not a female university student with fluttering skirt and fluttering long hair, Teacher Niu still welcomes you to come over and exchange and discuss when you are free. As long as you don’t kick open the door in the dead of night, everything will be fine!”
Li Yao smiled. “Thank you, Master Niu.”
“There’s no need to thank me. If you really want to thank me, then stop talking nonsense like ‘cultivating the four universes’ all day long. Go back and prepare your resume. Find a stable job and live a normal life.”
Zhang Daniu said, “If you do this, you will be thanking me. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Li Yao said, but his eyes were still in a trance. He ate in silence for a while and could not help but ask, “What is the so-called ‘normal life’?”
“Just like that!”
While drinking the soup, Zhang Daniu said, “Find a job that is nine o’clock in the morning, nine o’clock in the evening, a job where you have less money and more work, a job where you have to endure the roars of your supervisor and the exploitation of your boss, a job where you have to work hard for a few years, earn the down payment for a house, shoulder a debt for a few decades, have your own home, find a wife who is in a similar situation to you, and after you give birth to a child, you should spend the extra time, energy, and money on the child. If you do, you should devote all your time and effort to the child. While you slowly become greasy, the child will also gradually grow up. When the child grows up, you will repeat this process. Isn’t this the life of a normal person?”
Li Yao frowned. “It doesn’t sound very appealing.”
“What else could it be?”
Zhang Daniu pursed his lips and said, “Don’t say that I’m not attractive. How many people want to live a peaceful life like this but can’t? Let’s face it. We are neither nobles nor heroes. Isn’t this the life of ordinary people?”
“I still think that I have superpowers. No. We both have superpowers.
Li Yao muttered in a low voice, “I am a ‘Cultivator Hero’. I have super strength, super speed, super vision and hearing, and super self-recovery ability. In the process of my continuous awakening, I also have the ability to move mountains and overturn seas and summon wind and rain. Shooting fireballs and electric arcs is nothing difficult for me. In short, I know all the techniques of the cultivators. And you are a ‘Writing Hero’. Your superpower is to write! The two of us should not live such a mediocre life. We should use our superpowers to fight against the evil forces that govern this world in the darkness!”
“What did you say?”
Zhang Daniu asked, “What is my superpower?”
“Writing.”
Li Yao replied, “I’m fast!”
“Then what?”
Zhang Daniu narrowed his eyes.
“Nope, just writing. This is a very powerful superpower!”
Li Yao spoke honestly.
“Do you think that you are speaking human language?”
Zhang Daniu said, “It’s just that Teacher Niu is a modest gentleman who has cultivated his body and mind for more than thirty years. I won’t lower myself to your level. If it were a second person, they would have long put the blame on you.”
“I was wrong, Master Niu.”
Li Yao held his stomach and said, “Hey, this pan-fried dumpling and pan-fried bun seem to be quite fragrant. Give me another twenty—give me twenty of each?”
Zhang Daniu glared at Li Yao. After a long time, he sighed and raised his hand. “Boss!”
In a moment, a mountain of fried buns and fried dumplings were placed in front of the two. Needless to say, Li Yao wolfed down the food. Zhang Daniu had been writing crazily last night and had consumed a lot of his energy. His appetite was much larger than usual, too.
A greasy TV was hanging in a corner of the restaurant. Usually, it would only be turned on at night. During the day, it was just a decoration. But today, it was turned on by a regular customer to watch the latest report about the earthquake in the Western Pacific Ocean.
It was said that the intensity of the earthquake had been revised to 9.3. It was the second strongest earthquake in history.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Edo Bay, only dozens of kilometers away from the largest metropolis in the world, which was also one of the top 10 metropolises in the world. At first, the devastating blast caused serious damage to the city, which was then followed by an overwhelming tsunami that turned half of the city into a swamp. Even the Fusang Islands, which were used to frequent earthquakes, were shivering under the deterrence of the catastrophe and entered a national emergency.
Because of the natural gas leakage caused by the earthquake, the entire city was filled with explosions, fireballs, and black smoke. It was a terrible battlefield.
Buildings dozens of floors high were as fragile as building blocks. The so-called civilization of mankind was nothing in front of nature.
To make matters worse, it was said that eight of the sixteen nuclear power plants on the seashore of the islands had been hit by earthquakes and tsunamis, with the potential of a nuclear leakage. That was the official version of the story. According to the sources on the network, several of the nuclear power plants had been seriously damaged. The intensity of the radiation was unprecedented!
“I didn’t expect the earthquake last night to be so serious. It is almost like the plot of ‘Island Drowning’.
Zhang Daniu grinded his teeth as he said, “Have you ever read <>, a particularly classic science fiction novel? If we go by the logic of you and the Dream Traveler, then the author of the novel must have experienced similar events in his previous life in order to write such a life-like novel, right? Hahahaha!”
Li Yao did not answer. He stared at the city that had been savaged in the news. The collapsed city seemed to be floating on a burning ocean. He felt that the world was coming to an end.
Right then, a black shadow suddenly flashed in the corner of the camera.
It seemed to be a man who had jumped down from the twenty to thirty floors that were gradually tilting. Then, he flew away from the camera!
“This is—”
Li Yao’s pupils constricted violently. He could not believe his eyes.
“What happened to you?”
Zhang Daniu raised his head and saw nothing in the shaking camera.
“Nothing.”
Li Yao was not sure whether or not his eyes were deceiving him. “I think a fly flew past the TV.”
“This kind of small restaurant is like this. It’s dirty and won’t get sick after eating. What’s a fly scared of?”
Zhang Daniu pointed at Li Yao’s phone on the table. “Your phone is ringing.”
Li Yao was dazed for a moment. He opened the screen and found a message from an unknown number.
“Why are you looking for my brother? You’ve read all his posts online? Do you believe his crazy words?”
Right, this was Dream Traveler’s number. It was from Dream Traveler’s sister!
The fire of hope in Li Yao’s heart was burning brighter than ever. He held the phone with both hands and typed quickly, “Yes, miss. I don’t just believe it. I have experienced exactly the same situation as your brother. Maybe your brother is not crazy. Can you tell me more about him? At least tell me where he is receiving treatment!”
“Maybe he is not crazy. Maybe you are as crazy as he is.
The other party replied very quickly, “My brother is being treated in the Ark Psychological Research Center. Maybe you should go there and take a look.”
“An ark?”
Li Yao held his phone in a daze. He had never heard of such an institution to treat mental illnesses.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing his ugly face, Zhang Daniu was curious.
Li Yao didn’t reply and simply pushed the phone over.
Zhang Daniu took the paper and glanced at it. He was not bothered at first, but soon, his face turned pale and weird, as if he had been hit by lightning.
“What’s wrong?”
It was Li Yao’s turn to ask, “Is there a problem, Master Niu?”
“I—I don’t think so. I don’t know. It must be a coincidence, right?”
Zhang Daniu stammered, “The Ark Psychological Research Center? I think it contacted me a few days ago.”
