Un viajero que recorre los innumerables mundos

Capítulo 1

Volume 1

Chapter One: Gao Jianfei

Chapter One: Gao Jianfei

It was a summer night. The exact time was 10 p.m.

The scorching winds roamed freely through the city's streets and alleys, but this did not dampen people's vibrant nightlife.

The food street was bustling with activity. Long rows of food stalls lined both sides of the street, their clinking of glasses echoing through the air. Men, shirtless, or women dressed in various sexy outfits, offering up most of their skin for men to see, drank, ate, and flirted wildly. In some dark corners, eerie crimson lights shone, and under obscure neon signs stood prostitutes of varying prices, striking alluring poses, their figures curvaceous and alluring, enthusiastically soliciting customers and desperately promoting themselves.

Although ZG City is only a third-tier city in mainland China, this food street perfectly embodies the profound meaning of phrases like "debauchery" and "nightly revelry."

Gao Jianfei walked numbly down the food street.

Everything around him seemed irrelevant. The bustling, glamorous scene was nothing more than a silent backdrop to him.

A young, staggering, drunken girl glided up to Gao Jianfei, grabbed his hand, and said, "Brother, buy me another beer, and I'll agree to go to a hotel with you, okay?"

Gao Jianfei shook off her hand and said indifferently, "You've mistaken me for someone else."

Gao Jianfei continued walking forward like a puppet. Waves of scorching heat rushed towards him, but a chill ran down Gao Jianfei's spine.

"Hmph! You can petition, complain to the provincial government, even the central government, it's useless! I am Zeng Jian, Zeng Shiji is my father. I hit your mother, that's all! It's nothing! Giving you tens of thousands of yuan for medical expenses is already quite humane, and you still want to cause trouble? You ignorant fool! If my father hadn't specifically told me, I would have had someone kill you long ago! From now on, I'll beat you every time I see you! Get out of here!"

Zeng Jian said these words this evening, pointing his finger at Gao Jianfei.

Zeng Jian was the one who personally shattered Gao Jianfei's simple yet happy life, despite its poverty.

A month ago, Zeng Jian drove under the influence of alcohol and ran a red light, hitting Gao Jianfei's mother, a temporary worker at a sanitation station, leaving her in a vegetative state.

Three days after Gao Jianfei's mother was hit, the doctor told him, "Your mother has intracranial hemorrhage, and the blood clots have blocked some brain cells and nerve tissue, causing insufficient oxygen supply to the brain. In this situation, without craniotomy, your mother will become a vegetable! However, you must know that craniotomy is an extremely complex and sophisticated procedure, and you will have to bear high surgical costs and extremely high risks. I must tell you the truth, the chance of the surgery succeeding is 4%. But even if your mother creates a medical miracle and wakes up, her mobility and intelligence will be greatly affected. Of course, if the surgery fails, it means... death!"

Gao Jianfei dared not gamble his mother's life on that 4% chance.

Another point is that the cost of the craniotomy, which is 120,000 yuan, is not something that Gao Jianfei's family can afford.

Zeng Jian, who was fully responsible for the traffic accident, only sent someone to deliver 30,000 yuan to the hospital after the incident and then ignored the matter.

Gao Jianfei's mother was just a temporary worker at the sanitation station and did not have medical insurance.

So, after Gao's mother stayed in the hospital for half a month, the 30,000 yuan that Zeng Jian had "donated" and the 15,000 yuan in Gao's family savings were all used up.

Unable to afford the enormous costs of monitoring, observation, and treatment at the hospital, Gao Jianfei could only tearfully take his mother home.

Now, Gao's mother lies at home, motionless on the bed. If it weren't for her faint pulse and heartbeat, she would be no different from a dead person!

A person in a vegetative state!

Gao Jianfei was not satisfied with this!

He reported the case to the police and traveled to various places, hoping to get an explanation.

However, things didn't go as Gao Jianfei had expected!

The traffic police can no longer find the surveillance footage of Zeng Jian running a red light and hitting Gao's mother. Their explanation is that the surveillance camera happened to be malfunctioning at the time.

The police station won't handle this case either. It's simple: this is a traffic accident, not a criminal case or a civil dispute. What business is it of the police station?

To Gao Jianfei's surprise, all the people who witnessed the entire traffic accident remained silent, and no one was willing to testify that Zeng Jian had run a red light or been drinking on the day of the incident.

Gao Jianfei was like a headless fly, bumping into walls everywhere! It hurt!

He had lived for 22 years, and only now did he realize how weak and insignificant his power was!

He also realized just how complex this society is!

Later, Gao Jianfei learned that Zeng Jian's father was Zeng Shiji.

Zeng Shiji, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the CPC Central Committee, and concurrently Director of the Public Security Bureau.

And what about Gao Jianfei's family?

Gao Jianfei's father was disabled, and his mother came from the countryside and worked as a temporary worker in the city for half her life. Gao Jianfei did not go to university. After graduating from technical school, he struggled at the bottom of society, working as a waiter in a hot pot restaurant, a waiter in a teahouse, and killing fish and skinning rabbits in the market.

The Gao family has never had any particularly remarkable relatives.

As it turns out, such a grassroots family has no right to compete with a high-ranking official's family!

The two families are on completely different levels. Can an ant hurt an elephant?

However, Gao Jianfei was still unconvinced!

This evening, he blocked Zeng Jian at the entrance of Century Karaoke, but before he could say two words, Gao Jianfei was lifted into the air by two burly men next to Zeng Jian.

Then, Zeng Jian, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, arrogantly pointed at Gao Jianfei's nose and launched into a tirade of ridicule and warnings.

"I...I refuse to accept this!" Gao Jianfei dragged his empty shell of a body through the decadent food street. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh.

In fact, although Gao Jianfei came from a humble background, had a humble education, and a humble job, he was always an optimistic and positive person. He got along very well with everyone around him, and he always had a lot of jokes on his lips. People who knew him might not necessarily like him, but they would definitely not dislike him.

His height of 1.78 meters and healthy tan skin, while not particularly refined, combined with his pleasing features, earned him a certain degree of popularity with women.

It can be said that Gao Jianfei is temporarily content with his current lifestyle.

But all of that was murdered, shattered, and destroyed by that damned traffic accident!

After walking for half an hour through the food street, Gao Jianfei finally returned to his neighborhood.

This is a residential area consisting of low-rise bungalows, which can be described as a slum in ZG city.

In the courtyard where Gao Jianfei lived, there was an old, dilapidated locust tree in the middle, surrounded by a ring of long-neglected bungalows.

Gao Jianfei stood at his doorstep for two minutes, then sighed deeply and went home.

A dim 30-watt light bulb illuminated the living room. Gao Jianfei's father, sitting in a wheelchair, smoked, seemingly waiting for Gao Jianfei to come home. Both his legs were severed at the knees, and his left hand was severed at the wrist.

He is the kind of person who makes your heart ache at first glance!

His temples were completely white, and his face was covered with crisscrossing wrinkles. Every wrinkle seemed to hold countless sorrows and griefs.

"Xiaofei, where have you been? Why are you coming home so late?" Mr. Gao asked anxiously.

Gao Jianfei naturally wouldn't tell his father that he had gone to see Zeng Jian. He casually lied, "I was bored, so I took a walk around the streets. Dad, you should get some rest. I'm going to check on Mom."

After saying that, Gao Jianfei walked directly into the inner room.

Watching Gao Jianfei's retreating figure, a hint of worry flashed in Gao's father's eyes. His right hand trembled as he brought a cigarette to his mouth, took a drag, then tossed the cigarette butt aside and pulled an old-fashioned cell phone from his pocket. He pressed a series of numbers with one hand, but as he was about to dial the number, his right thumb paused.

At this moment, Gao's father suddenly revealed an indescribable sorrow, and two turbid tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. His shoulders began to tremble, and a low sob escaped his throat. In the end, he did not press the dial button.

Gao Jianfei entered the inner room.

The mother lay motionless on the bed, covered with a thin blanket, with a simple support above her head, from which hung two IV drip bottles.

A woman around fifty years old sat on the edge of the bed, sobbing softly, "What a tragedy! What a tragedy! Sister, please wake up! Please wake up!"

"Aunt," Gao Jianfei called out.

The woman hurriedly wiped away her tears, looked up, and forced a smile. "Xiao Fei is back. Xiao Fei, don't worry about your mother, she'll wake up. I even saw her eyelids twitch today!"

Gao Jianfei knew his aunt was trying to comfort him, so he forced a smile. "My mother was a good person in her life. Good people are rewarded. She will definitely wake up!"

"Could it be that good people in this world really do get good rewards?" Gao Jianfei wondered to himself.

"Aunt, why don't you go out and rest for a while? I'll keep my mom company," Gao Jianfei said to his aunt.

My aunt was a pitiful woman. She married at 23, but her husband died a year later. She had no children and lived a lonely life for half her life. After Gao Jianfei took Gao's mother home, my aunt moved in and took care of her day and night.

"Alright, Xiaofei, you stay with your mom for a while, but you should also get some rest." Aunt stood up, patted Gao Jianfei's shoulder, and then quickly turned away. Gao Jianfei clearly saw that tears were silently falling from his aunt's red and swollen eyes again.

After his aunt left, Gao Jianfei sat down next to his mother and gently took her left hand.

My mother's hands were ice-cold. Her face, still serene and kind, calm and unassuming, was now as pale as paper, like a lifeless statue!

“Mom,” Gao Jianfei called softly, as if chatting with his mother as usual, “Mom, could you get up and cook me a bowl of egg noodles? You used to cook me egg noodles every night at this time… Mom, I’ve never told you, but actually, your noodles are really delicious, really delicious… Mom, I used to always complain that you were nagging and that you were always lecturing me. Could you please wake up? I really want to hear you lecture me and scold me again, I really want to…”

Silent tears, like a flood bursting its banks, streamed from Gao Jianfei's eyes.

He didn't wipe away his tears, letting them roll down his face.

"Mom, I went to see that beast Zeng Jian today, but... I'm useless! I'm really useless! He was standing right in front of me, but I was really useless! Before, I asked you why my name is 'Gao Jianfei,' and you smiled and told me it was because you and Dad hoped I would gradually fly up, fly higher and higher, but your son is useless! I didn't study hard when I was in school, and now I can't find a good job after entering society. Your son must have disappointed you a lot..." Gao Jianfei slowly lowered his head and rested his face on his mother's hand. "Mom, you told me that in life, you must have a conscience and be a good person because good people are rewarded... You are a good person. You never offend anyone, whether at work or with your colleagues, and you treat everyone well." Neighbors, you've never been petty, you always seem to suffer losses, you're a good person, but… look at you now… does goodness really bring good fortune? Really? Mom, I'm at my wit's end! The Zeng family is very powerful, I can't do anything about it, I can't bring them down. I've figured it out, I can only resolve this myself! Mom, yesterday I bought a dagger at a street stall. Mom, don't worry, you won't have been hit for nothing! I'll avenge you! At worst, I'll pay with my life! Also, before I do this, I'll make sure Dad is settled! I'll get a large sum of money and give it to Auntie; that should be enough for Dad to live comfortably in his old age. Yes, Mom, I'll handle everything!

After saying that, Gao Jianfei gently put down his mother's hand, tidied her hair, and turned to leave the room.

Chapter Two: The Super Ghost-Searching Device

Chapter Two: The Super Ghostly Instrument

Gao Jianfei wiped away his tears and went to the living room.

The father and aunt were talking in the living room, both looking gloomy and distressed.

"Dad, let me help you rest first," Gao Jianfei said to his father as he walked over.

Gao Jianfei's house is a single-story building with an area of only over 40 square meters. It is divided into a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen with a bathroom.

Currently, there is a bed in the living room, which is where Gao's father sleeps. One of the bedrooms has two beds, which are where Gao's aunt and mother live. The remaining bedroom is where Gao Jianfei lives.

Aunt stood up. "You two, get ready and go to bed early!" she said, and started to walk into the inner room.

"Aunt, I'll be troubling you to take care of my mom and dad from now on," Gao Jianfei suddenly said.

The aunt didn't catch the subtext behind Gao Jianfei's words. She nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Xiaofei, don't worry. My medical retirement procedures have been completed a long time ago. I don't need to go to work now. I can receive more than 800 yuan a month in medical retirement pension. I will live with you from now on and take good care of your mother and father! You don't need to think about so much. Focus on your work and strive for success!"

After saying that, Auntie went back to the inner room.

"Dad, you should rest now." Gao Jianfei carefully lifted his father from the wheelchair and carried him to a bed against the wall in the living room.

"Xiaofei, what did you mean by what you just said? You asked your aunt to take care of me and your mother, and what about you? What do you mean by that? Explain yourself! Explain yourself!" The father, lying on the bed, said breathlessly, "Dad is warning you, you absolutely are not allowed to do anything reckless! Do you hear me?"

Gao Jianfei smiled casually, "Dad, you're overthinking it. I was just saying it casually. After all, I also need to go out to work and earn money. Of course, I'll have to ask Aunt for help with things at home! Okay, you should rest now! It's hot, and I can't sleep. I'm going outside for a smoke."

After saying this, Gao Jianfei turned and walked out of the house. Behind him, he heard his father let out a sob, unable to contain himself. Gao Jianfei paused for a moment, but he didn't turn around and went straight out the door.

Gao Jianfei sat down under the old locust tree in his courtyard, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

He inhaled rapidly, one puff after another without pausing. Soon, a cigarette lit up, and Gao Jianfei lit another, inhaling frantically. He was completely enveloped in the thick smoke.

During this process, Gao Jianfei's mind was racing, and he was planning something...

revenge.

He wanted to take revenge on Zeng Jian.

To retaliate using primitive methods.

Yesterday, Gao Jianfei bought a dagger. It was bought from a night market stall; it was made of pure steel, incredibly sharp, eight inches long, with a bleeding groove cut into the blade.