fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 4

An earthquake really happened, not just a rumor as the authorities claimed.

After the thought of an earthquake crossed Tan Dong's mind, he stood motionless, as if wanting to confirm what had happened. But the earth only shook briefly before returning to calm. Tan Dong was puzzled, wondering if the shaking had been his imagination.

The neighborhood remained quiet; even the security guard soundly asleep in the gatehouse didn't stir. Had no one else noticed the tremor? Had he truly hallucinated an earthquake? Tan Dong's fear surged again, and a look of distress crossed his face.

—Has my illness flared up again?

—Has the demon that has been dormant for many years awakened once again?

Tan Dong stood frozen by the gate of the residential compound, as if in deep meditation, or perhaps possessed, becoming dazed and confused. Then, he slapped himself hard across the cheek, the crisp sound followed by the pain.

Pain is a real feeling.

Tan Dong was bewildered.

Just then, the ground suddenly shook again, this time with continuous tremors, and a street lamp stand collapsed with a crash not far away. An earthquake had once again become a reality before Tan Dong's eyes.

Tan Dong breathed a sigh of relief, his expression instantly returning to normal, even showing a hint of joy, as if someone who had been wandering in a maze for a long time had finally found the exit.

"Earthquake! Earthquake! Earthquake!" Tan Dong muttered to himself, then burst into laughter, making no attempt to hide his excitement at being free.

Some windows in the residential complex lit up, followed by the sounds of shattering glass. Screams erupted, rousing the silent complex. A few nimble residents quickly appeared on the concrete path, carrying boxes and bags, clearly prepared. More people followed, mostly disheveled and in a sorry state, shouting and calling out the names of their families. A child was crying, the sound loud and clear.

Faced with the sudden noise, Tan Dong was momentarily bewildered, seemingly unsure how to adapt to the surging crowd. But in an instant, he tensed up, muttering Tang Wan's name, and finally, without further hesitation, took off running towards the direction the crowd had come from.

He had to go find Tang Wan; he needed to see that Tang Wan was safe and sound before he could finally put his mind at ease.

—Tang Wan, Tang Wan, you absolutely cannot be hurt.

Running through the surging crowd, Tan Dong searched his way through the throng, his mind filled with despair. He realized how incredibly foolish his decision to leave the city and Tang Wan had been. He had promised to protect Tang Wan for life, a promise that would never waver no matter what happened. But now, he was leaving her for a distant land. Of course, he could use the excuse of not wanting Tang Wan to get hurt, but in reality, he was being selfish. He was protecting himself, not Tang Wan.

Therefore, Tan Dong felt guilty towards Tang Wan at this moment. At the same time, the thought of seeing Tang Wan unharmed became strong, as if it would be his fault if Tang Wan had suffered any misfortune in the earthquake.

Chapter 5 Don't Go Home Late at Night

"Don't come home late at night," he said.

He was wearing a black shirt and trousers. The sleeves were tightly wrapped around his wrists, and only the top button of his shirt was undone, so that his whole body was encased in the clothes. But the clothes swayed precariously, as if his body couldn't support them at all.

He was so thin, it looked like a gust of wind could blow him into the sky.

But this same man, standing behind her, said in a somber, resounding tone, "Don't come home late at night." She only turned around when she heard his voice, and the man's deathly pale face came into view. Before she could even feel fear, a chill ran down her spine. But before the chill could spread, the man's hand covered her mouth, forcefully silencing the scream that welled up inside her.

The man was lean, but had arms as hard as stone.

Her lips touched a cool sensation, a coolness contained within a soft texture. It was a strange feeling; how could coolness and softness be associated with this lean man?

But she no longer had the chance to find out the result. She fainted.

She was now in his arms, and he held her as they stood on the sidewalk. Suddenly, panicked people began to surge forth from the ground. The earth shook again, the buildings along the street groaned softly, some windows shattered, and shards of glass rained down, hitting some people. The people screamed and fled even faster.

Where can we escape to? The lean man in black thought, even if you run as fast as you can, can you outrun the footsteps of death?

When he thought of Death, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched. If you looked closely, you would see that he actually smiled. His smile was stiff; the upper half of his face remained motionless, only the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Death is everywhere, he thought. He looked down at the woman in his arms, and the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched again. I am her death, her life is now in my hands. Thinking this, he felt a little smug and couldn't wait for what was about to happen.

The lean man in black hoisted the woman onto his shoulder and slowly walked down to one side of the street.

He walked slowly, as if he needed to think before taking each step, but each step covered a great distance, so he was quite fast.

Normally, even late at night, it would be quite unusual to see a gaunt, ghostly man carrying a stylishly dressed young woman down the street. But tonight was different. There had been an earthquake, and many things that would normally seem strange could be seen on the streets. Moreover, in this sudden disaster, everyone's only clear thought was to find a safe place, so almost everyone overlooked the strange behavior of the man in black.

The man in black, carrying the young, fashionable girl, quickly disappeared from our sight.

After get off work, Yuan Li planned to go to "Hao Ke Lai" for steak, but as she walked out of the building, she felt a little uneasy. Yuan Li was a bold girl, and this inexplicable nervousness made her somewhat at a loss. She walked down the street, wondering whether to go to Hao Ke Lai or just call a friend to meet up.

Her final decision was to go home immediately.

Although the house was just a rented two-bedroom apartment, it had a "Wangli" brand security door at the entrance, and although the windows didn't have security bars, she didn't believe that anyone could break in from the eleventh-floor window.

How could she have imagined someone would break in? Back home, Yuan Li sat on the sofa, lost in thought. So many things had been strange today. First, she felt a chill in the elevator; then she willingly gave up a wonderful evening to come home early; and finally, she felt uneasy even alone in her familiar apartment. Yuan Li didn't want to think about the thin man she'd encountered in the elevator at noon. Why should she think about him? He was just thin, and he was someone outside of her life; they'd only met by chance in the elevator. We encounter countless people like that in our lives, but only a very few become part of our lives. Yuan Li thought that the thin man was actually quite pitiful; she shouldn't have so blatantly mocked him.

But Yuan Li thought, since he's already been made fun of, what does it matter?

Yuan Li let her mind wander for a while, then became somewhat angry at her unusual behavior today. How could she possibly pass the long, boring night after getting home so early?

Yuan Li found some food in the kitchen: a few slices of bread that had been sitting for three days, and a bottle of salad. She spread the salad on the bread slices, then cut up a plate of "Yurun" brand sausages, intending to have a simple dinner like this.

The bread slices tasted bland to Yuan Li, and after eating only half, she threw them all into the trash. She comforted herself by thinking that eating less for dinner wouldn't make her fat.

The clock on the wall had just struck 7:30. Yuan Li glanced at the clock, her face turning ashen. She must have been cursed today to come home so early. She imagined her friends probably out at some hotel, feasting and drinking, and a strange urge stirred within her.

Around 8 p.m. that evening, Yuan Li couldn't stand it any longer, so she made a phone call to a man named Xiao An. Xiao An's father was a construction foreman, a big, burly man, but Xiao An himself was handsome, a graduate of a prestigious university, and had a gentle and refined demeanor, making him popular with many girls.

Xiao An was singing with a group of people at "Wan Zi Qian Hong" (a karaoke bar). The phone was very noisy, and Yuan Li only heard Xiao An telling her to come over. She wanted to ask which private room they were in, but Xiao An had already hung up.

As Yuan Li left, she wondered what difference it made which private room it was; every waiter at Wan Zi Qian Hong knew Xiao An. But even so, she felt a pang of sadness; Xiao An had hung up the phone far too quickly.

She hailed a taxi and headed straight for Fenglin Road under Defeng Bridge. The taxi had the air conditioning on, and Yuan Li felt a chill swirling around her from somewhere, so she instinctively hugged her arms tightly. Her arms quickly became icy cold.

That strange feeling returned, as if a part of her body had been hollowed out, and all her internal organs were suspended inside. Furthermore, subconsciously, she seemed eager to do something, but that thing was vague and she couldn't recall it no matter how hard she tried.

The car stopped at the intersection. Yuan Li's gaze drifted unintentionally to the window and saw another car stop right next to hers. Inside the car window, a thin, wiry figure was reflected.

Her eyes widened instantly, and a look of terror appeared on her face.

It was that lean man; she was certain that what she was seeing now was the same man in black she had seen in the elevator at noon. However, when she pressed her head close to the window to try and see more clearly, the car window next to her was completely dark, with no one in sight.

This is basic common sense: the car next to you had no lights on, and the streetlights outside were only reflecting the outside scenery onto the window; you couldn't possibly see what was inside the dark car. But Yuan Li firmly believed that she had indeed seen a lean man at that moment.

The lean man, though she had only seen him once at noon, was already deeply imprinted in Yuan Li's mind. Yuan Li immediately looked around in the car. There were many pedestrians on both sides of the car, but the lean man in black she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

Yuan Li didn't know whether she should feel fortunate or disappointed at this moment.

The car continued forward, and Yuan Li looked back out the rear window. Just a moment ago, her hands and feet had turned icy cold, and a subtle power had rapidly expanded and spread from somewhere in her body, instantly engulfing her entire being. Now, as the car left the intersection, her body was still slightly stiff, and she felt a light sweat and extreme fatigue.

She took a deep breath and then remembered that the feeling she had just experienced was fear.

What was she afraid of? Even if she had really run into that lean man in black just now, it would just be another coincidence of the day, and the result would be the same as at noon—she would just pass him by again. That man in black would not appear in her life and would not have any impact on her.

Yet she remained fearful, as if the man in black possessed some kind of evil power.

Yuan Li opened the car window; the cold air inside only intensified her fear. A gentle breeze blew in, quickly drying the light sweat on her body. The warm breeze made her feel a little more at ease, and the familiar sights—the bustling voices on the sidewalk, the dazzling neon lights, and the brightly lit shops—all suddenly felt welcoming.

Why think about that skinny guy? Xiao An was waiting for her not far ahead at "Wan Zi Qian Hong" (a restaurant name). She could already imagine the deafening music in the dimly lit private room, the beer splashing from the bottle into the wine glass, and then being passed from hand to hand. The gentle and refined Xiao An moved among the beautiful women, always maintaining his humble smile. His dance was graceful, and his hand on the girls' waists would tremble slightly with the music, making their waists tingle, a tingling sensation that went straight to their hearts.

Yuan Li smiled, and the fear she had felt earlier dissipated considerably.

As expected, most of the waiters at "Wan Zi Qian Hong" recognized Xiao An. Yuan Li only mentioned Xiao An's name, and a young boy in a vest led her to a private room. Yuan Li pushed the door open and saw that the room was full of people she didn't recognize.

"Xiao An isn't here. You must be Yuan Li. He asked you to wait a bit," a pretty young girl said.

Yuan Li didn't ask where Xiao An had gone. Firstly, it was normal for Xiao An to rush between several events in one night, and secondly, given Yuan Li's status, she had no right to interfere in Xiao An's affairs. Since Xiao An told her to wait, she would wait. After all, she was already out, and she had nowhere else to go.

Xiao An didn't return until the very end that night. Yuan Li wasn't familiar with the others, so she could only sit quietly in a corner. Around midnight, she became drowsy, and the loud music gradually became like heavenly music to her, still deafening, but far away. Later, when one of Xiao An's followers patted her on the shoulder and said it was time to go back, she checked her watch and suddenly realized how much time had passed. She wondered if she had fallen asleep, and thinking this, she admired herself for being able to sleep in such an environment.

Xiao An's absence was no longer of much concern; she had already whiled away the night. But as she left "Wan Zi Qian Hong," a lingering sense of disappointment remained. However, she refused to dwell on the disappointment; she needed some mental strength to persevere in her life.

At the entrance of "Wan Zi Qian Hong" (a restaurant chain), only a few taxis remained. Yuan Li remembered that there should be a long line of taxis here every night. But that didn't matter much. After their group came out, they split into several groups, and Yuan Li was lucky enough to get a car. She didn't say goodbye to the others after getting in the car, but directly told the driver the address. The driver turned around, and the car drove onto the road.

It was already so late, and the temperature was low, but the driver still had the air conditioning on in the car. Yuan Li got goosebumps as soon as she got in. She looked at the driver; he was a slovenly, overweight man. Only the bottom button of his shirt was fastened, revealing a protruding, white belly. The overweight driver had a towel draped around his neck, wiping away sweat as he drove. Yuan Li thought to herself, "Being overweight must be tough."

Yuan Li abandoned her plan to ask the fat driver to turn off the air conditioning. Although she felt a bit cold, sitting next to him gave her an unconscious sense of security. She knew she was thinking about the lean man in black again, and she was annoyed with herself. What was wrong with her today? For no reason, she was worrying about someone she'd only met once.

So she decided to go home later, take a shower, go to bed immediately, and sleep soundly until dawn, so that she could completely forget about the skinny man in black the next day.

Getting home wasn't easy either. When the car reached the middle of Hailian Road, it was speeding because there weren't many cars on the road. Suddenly, the car lurched towards the curb. Yuan Li, inside the car, could see the sparks fly from the left side of the car as it scraped against the curb. At that moment, the tire made a loud bang, clearly having blown out. The car lost control and slid forward for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop. Yuan Li and the driver were both dazed and confused. The heavier driver was somewhat better off, being strong and having a good sturdiness, but Yuan Li was in a much worse state; her forehead slammed directly into the windshield twice. Without even checking, she knew she'd definitely have a bruise on her forehead tomorrow, and might even have a bump.

The car stopped, and Yuan Li and the chubby driver remained motionless for a while. After recovering, Yuan Li began to berate the chubby driver, asking him how he had driven. The chubby driver looked aggrieved and said, "How could I have known there would be a large rock on the smooth road?"

The troublesome rock had been crushed into pieces by the car, and how it ended up on the road was now impossible to trace.

Yuan Li and the overweight driver could only accept their bad luck. The overweight driver was even more frustrated than Yuan Li, because the car was severely damaged; not only was the tire blown out and the exhaust pipe detached, but the chassis was also badly deformed. The overweight driver stood by the car with a long face, cursing the person who threw the stone on the road. Yuan Li knew that the overweight driver was the biggest victim, and that her earlier complaints were just an unconscious act. Now that she had calmed down, she paid the fare and left the overweight driver behind.

It wasn't far from where Yuan Li lived, less than a ten-minute walk, and the road was wide. Walking on the sidewalk, Yuan Li was oblivious to what was about to happen. At that moment, she only felt the air become stuffy, the clouds in the sky grew thicker, and behind the clouds, a faint, bluish light seemed about to burst forth, making the clouds appear almost transparent. It was a strange sight; Yuan Li had lived in this city for three or four years and had never seen clouds like this before.

What a strange day, Yuan Li sighed inwardly and quickened her pace.

There were still some people on the street late at night. They kept a distance from Yuan Li, but she could still vaguely make out that they were out-of-towners carrying bags, drunk street urchins shirtless, and heavily made-up, unusually alluring prostitutes. They moved within Yuan Li's sight, yet maintained a sufficient distance, which made Yuan Li feel at ease. And since she was so close to her lodgings, the thought of taking a shower and going to bed was immediately realized. Therefore, Yuan Li's mind became very simple; she had no idea about the series of changes that were about to unfold.

A rat, over a foot long, darted out from under her feet and sped across the street. Yuan Li screamed in fright, goosebumps rising all over her body. As the grayish rat fled, it seemed to turn its head once, its tiny eyes flashing green light, as if throwing a string of utterly disgusting things into Yuan Li's heart. Yuan Li stopped, feeling nauseous, her heart still pounding wildly.

Then, the whole street shook, so suddenly, without any warning. Yuan Li's instinctive reaction was to crouch down and hug her arms. She lacked the basic ability to adapt to this sudden change, but her womanly instincts told her that she had to protect herself first, and the way to protect herself was to crouch down and curl up as much as possible.

The shaking of the street subsided as quickly as it had come. Yuan Li squatted quietly on the ground, thinking about the rumors circulating throughout the city about an impending earthquake, and the thought that an earthquake had actually struck filled her with fear. Beyond fear, she thought of her bank savings and some of her cherished possessions; losing them because of an earthquake would be incredibly painful.

Just then, another strange feeling suddenly struck her, a feeling even more painful than losing her possessions, along with a deep sense of fear. She didn't know what was happening; she only felt the presence of fear for a moment, and her body tensed instantly. She dared not look, dared not move, as if she were crouching alone on a precipice about to fall, any slight movement could plunge her into utter ruin.

Next, a few cold winds blew gently, lightly brushing only her neck. That slight coolness gradually turned chilling and piercing, as if some force was quietly seeping into her body. Her whole body quickly became as cold as ice.

Don't go home late at night!

She heard a deep, hoarse voice behind her neck.

She turned around abruptly and saw a deathly pale face, a face that seemed familiar, one she was sure she had seen somewhere before. Then, she saw a person dressed in black, and a body as thin as a bamboo pole.

—Don't go home late at night.

The lean man in black repeated himself. A surge of burning power erupted in Yuan Li's mind—a manifestation of utter despair after reaching the pinnacle of terror. This burning power then spread throughout her body; she opened her mouth, desperately trying to scream to release the pent-up energy. But the lean man in black covered her mouth with one hand.

The man was lean, but had arms as hard as stone.

Her lips touched a cool sensation, a coolness contained within a soft texture. It was a strange feeling; how could coolness and softness be associated with this lean man?

She was too exhausted to explore the mysteries in her heart any longer. At that moment, she felt the whole world trembling and shaking. Then, darkness pressed down and quickly engulfed her.

Chapter 6 The Knife-Wielder in the Dream

The chandelier on the ceiling fell and shattered into pieces on the living room floor, sending glass beads flying everywhere. Father and Mother sat on the sofa, their faces filled with fear. The sudden change left them at a loss, until the whole building shook for the second time, at which point they jumped up as if stung by a scorpion.

The two walked in unison to Tang Wan's door, pounding on it and calling her name loudly. Tang Wan's room was quiet, so quiet that the elderly couple exchanged a puzzled look, then pounded even harder. The old woman's voice, calling her daughter's name, was already tinged with tears.

Actually, Tang Wan was squatting by the door at that moment. When she was lying on the bed, the building shook twice, which really frightened her. Her first reaction was to jump up, but she slipped and fell when she got out of bed. She squatted by the bed for a moment, waiting for the shaking to stop, before getting up and running to the door. Just then, she heard knocking on the door and the elderly couple calling her name. Hearing the sounds, Tang Wan calmed down. She leaned against the door and slowly squatted down, a resolute expression appearing on her face.

The elderly couple grew even more anxious, unsure of Tang Wan's condition inside, but at this point, they were helpless except for pounding on the door. Just then, the building began to shake again, this time with continuous tremors, and the sounds of shattering glass and cries could be heard outside. More items inside shifted, and ornaments hanging high up fell, shattering on the floor. The elderly couple were even more terrified; in despair, the father repeatedly rammed his body against the door, but he couldn't break it open.

Just then, another knock sounded at the door. The old couple exchanged a glance, stopped knocking, but the knocking outside grew louder. The father hesitated for a moment, then quickly ran to the door and opened it. He stepped back, his expression instantly stiffening, tinged with fear.

The person knocking on the door was Tan Dong.

Tan Dong—the father instinctively took two steps back. Faced with this young man, he was momentarily at a loss. He had never imagined that Tan Dong would barge in like this. The young man looked bewildered, his gaze filled with apprehension. However, the old man knew that within him lay a power that was imperceptible, a power like that of a wild beast, ready to pounce and tear him apart at any moment.

At this moment, Tan Dong cowered. He didn't want to stand before the old man at all, because he knew the old man knew everything about him. In his eyes, he was like a naked man, all his ugly scars laid bare. This was the very reason he decided to leave the city. It was his weakness; the old man had found it. Therefore, he no longer had the strength to fight against the old man, even though he deeply loved Tang Wan.

But things are different now. There was an earthquake, and he was worried about Tang Wan's safety. He had to see that Tang Wan was unharmed before he could leave with peace of mind. Moreover, when he ran against the crowd upstairs just now, a force was surging within him, a force that gave him the courage to face everything calmly.

Tan Dong entered the room and immediately understood the situation. He wanted to greet Tang Wan's father, but the old man avoided eye contact and turned his face away. Tan Dong strode to Tang Wan's door. Tang Wan's mother, her face filled with panic, stepped back, but then said in a trembling voice, "Tang Wan is inside, why won't she open the door?" Tan Dong nodded, pounded on the door, and shouted, "Tang Wan, it's me, open the door!" The door opened almost as soon as he finished speaking, and Tang Wan stood there, her face showing an expression of long-awaited anticipation. All words seemed inadequate here. Tan Dong hadn't truly abandoned her in this critical moment; the tenderness that welled up in her heart made her almost forget her surroundings and the terror of the earthquake.