fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 11

Tan Dong didn't say anything more, but just hugged her even tighter, so tightly, as if he wanted to merge her body with his own.

Someone was knocking on the door; Qin Ge and Sha Bo were already urging them to get going.

The group of six split into two taxis and headed to the station. The city wasn't large, but the station was quite impressive. They entered the ticket hall together; it was deserted, with only a few passengers. Qin Ge bought tickets at the window and returned to distribute them. Yang Xing took his ticket and looked at it, letting out a surprised "Eh!" Xiao Fei leaned over to look at the ticket in his hand. A look of confusion and nervousness immediately appeared on Xiao Fei's face as well.

"Look, our tickets are number one through six, which means there are only six of us on this train."

Sha Bo, Tan Dong, and Tang Wan examined the ticket carefully and confirmed it was true. However, the three of them didn't seem to care. There was even a hint of relief in the eyes of Tan Dong and Tang Wan as they looked at each other.

With ten minutes left before departure, we all went to the waiting room to wait for the train.

Boarding was completed quickly after ticket inspection. The bus was a dilapidated minibus, and the seats were filthy, with the artificial leather cushions badly torn, revealing the yellow foam underneath. The driver was a burly man in his thirties, with a dark face and rough skin, clearly the result of years of exposure to wind and sun. When everyone boarded, the driver was still asleep on the back seat. A piece of the rear window was missing, and rainwater was blown in by the wind, dripping onto his chest, but he seemed oblivious.

Qin Ge stepped forward and patted him awake. When he woke up, he first wiped the drool off his mouth, then smiled humbly at everyone, and without saying a word, sat directly in the driver's seat.

When the time came, the car started, and there were indeed only Qin Ge and his group of six inside.

Xiao Fei walked around the empty carriage twice, then strolled behind the driver's seat and patted the driver on the shoulder: "You only took a few of us in this car, aren't you losing money?"

The driver turned around, chuckled twice, and then remained silent.

"Are there really few people going to Sleepy Hollow? If so, your whole family will starve," Xiaofei teased the driver.

The driver turned around this time, making "ee-ah" sounds, pointing a finger at his mouth, and then waving it around continuously.

"No way, are you mute!"

Even if Xiaofei was slow on the uptake, she understood. She spread her hands, made a helpless expression, and turned around to see everyone staring at her.

Shabo laughed and said, "I think you've really talked to a brick wall this time."

Xiao Fei returned to sit next to Yang Xing with a cold face, feeling uneasy. Yang Xing put his arm around her and whispered with a smile in her ear, "The strange things have only just begun. You should be prepared."

Yang Xing spoke lightly, but Xiao Fei felt a chill run down her spine, a real sense of foreboding.

The bus stopped in the station courtyard, then drove past the numerous parked vehicles towards the gate. The rain was pouring down, obscuring everything. Traveling in a dilapidated minibus driven by a mute driver to a strange, remote valley in the rain was an unpleasant experience. Even Yang Xing was starting to regret coming to this awful place.

The gate was in sight, and there were no other vehicles ahead. Just as the minibus was about to drive out of the gate, suddenly, a figure appeared in the rain. The figure stood right in the middle of the gate and reached out a hand to the minibus, signaling it to stop.

Caught off guard, the mute driver slammed on the brakes. The car stopped, and everyone lurched forward, finally seeing the person standing in front of it. In that instant, Tang Wan tensed, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest. Tan Dong turned to see the terror on her face, then focused his attention on the person who had stopped the car.

The man who flagged down the car was holding a black umbrella and dressed all in black. He had narrow shoulders, a thin waist, and weighed less than 100 pounds. He had a parted hairstyle, wore black-rimmed glasses, and his eyes drooped slightly, giving him a bitter look. His face appeared unusually pale in the shadows under the umbrella.

Tan Dong had already remembered that this man was the one he had seen through the glass window in the hotel restaurant just now.

—If he had disappeared, why did he reappear?

—If he is the one who has been following Tan Dong and Tang Wan these days, why has he now moved from the shadows to the light? Is it because he knows that if he goes to Sleepy Valley, he will have nowhere to hide?

Tan Dong's blood surged upwards, and in an instant, some power rose within his body.

The car stopped, and the thin man in black moved to the door. The mute driver opened the door, and the thin man was about to get in when he noticed a muscular young man standing there. The young man had bloodshot eyes and a somewhat ferocious expression, glaring at him with unusually sharp eyes.

He paused briefly, then closed his umbrella and stepped into the car.

He was then sent flying backwards, crashing into the rain.

He was kicked away by Tan Dong.

Everyone on the bus was stunned by the sudden turn of events, and Xiao Fei even let out a scream. At that moment, Tan Dong stood by the door, his muscles tense, motionless, his clenched fists bulging with veins, and his whole body exuding a menacing aura.

The crowd was so intimidated by the murderous aura that they couldn't utter a single word.

The thin man in black lay on the ground five or six steps from the car, his whole body soaked by the rain. He clutched his stomach and twisted slightly, clearly indicating that Tan Dong's kick had seriously injured him, and he seemed to have no strength left to even stand.

The car was unusually quiet, and everyone's breathing was somewhat rapid.

The mute driver was stunned by this sudden turn of events, his mouth slightly agape, at a loss for what to do.

Tan Dong stared at the motionless skinny man on the ground for a long time before turning to the mute driver and whispering, "Close the door. Drive."

The mute driver regained consciousness, made a sound like "ee-ah," and was about to close the door. Just then, he suddenly saw Tan Dong wave his hand, quickly stopped, and peered down into the car. The skinny man had actually stood up.

The skinny man stood in the rain, wiping the raindrops from his face, his gaze meeting Tan Dong's in the car, neither giving an inch.

Anger boiled within Tan Dong, and he even had an impulse to grab the skinny man and tear him apart. But he restrained himself, because a subtle voice inside him was urging him to calm down.

The skinny man's soaked black clothes clung to his body, revealing his emaciated frame. His face, gaunt in the rain, appeared even paler—almost jarringly pale. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he actually walked step by step toward the car door.

Tan Dong stood still, his strength concentrated in one place.

When the skinny man reached the car door, he stepped into the car again without hesitation.

This time, he fell even further and harder.

He lay face down on the ground, the crimson stains fading from his body. This time he remained motionless, as if he had no strength left to even twist or turn.

Everyone on the bus wore expressions of unbearable sorrow. They could all foresee the power of Tan Dong's attack, and wondered how that thin man could withstand such a blow. They also wondered what would happen if such an attack were to happen to them. For a moment, everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on the thin man lying on the ground in the rain. They hoped he would get up again, yet they also worried that he might be attacked again once he stood up.

The skinny man stood up for the second time, but he could no longer stand steadily. His body leaned forward, one hand on his lower abdomen, his pale face twitching, and there were still traces of blood at the corners of his mouth that had not been dried by the rain.

But he walked towards the car door again without hesitation.

He walked slowly, as if he had to think before he took each step. But his legs were long, and each step he took covered almost the distance of a step and a half for others, so he quickly stood in front of the car again.

This time, he stopped in front of the car door, his gaze still meeting Tan Dong's without flinching, but his eyes revealed a deep sorrow. His gaze was soft and devoid of any strength, yet it could withstand the sharp killing intent in Tan Dong's eyes.

The rain poured down, but he stood motionless in it, his lean body possessing an unshakeable strength.

Then he started moving again, but very slowly.

His leg lifted and landed on the step in front of the car door.

Tan Dong shrugged his right shoulder, about to kick out again. Suddenly, someone grabbed him, preventing him from kicking. Tan Dong struggled, but couldn't break free. At that moment, the thin man in black got into the car and walked quietly past him.

Tan Dong growled, recognizing Sha Bo as the one who had grabbed him. Sha Bo, despite his refined appearance, was surprisingly strong. Tan Dong roared, "What are you doing!"

“If you keep kicking him, you’ll kill him,” Shabo said.

At this point, Sha Bo could no longer hold Tan Dong, but Qin Ge, Yang Xing, and Xiao Fei stepped forward to block Tan Dong and urged him to calm down.

The skinny man sat down in the last seat, his gaze drifting out the window, as if what was happening had nothing to do with him.

Seeing this, Tan Dong became even angrier. He swung his arms and easily pushed Qin Ge and Yang Xing away.

"Tan Dong!" Tang Wan, who was sitting in her seat, suddenly called out his name.

Tan Dong's gaze fell on Tang Wan's face, and seeing her forlorn expression, he immediately calmed down. Tan Dong slowly walked back to Tang Wan's side and sat down.

“Maybe he really has nothing to do with us. I don’t know him at all, I just saw him once in the company elevator,” Tang Wan whispered.

“It must be him, he’s the one following us,” Tan Dong said expressionlessly. “If it’s not him, what are you afraid of now?”

Tang Wan paused for a moment, then realized that she was still trembling uncontrollably.

Tan Dong suddenly shouted, "Don't be afraid. If anyone dares to hurt you, I guarantee they will die a horrible death."

His voice was firm and powerful, and some of its echoes lingered in the carriage, causing a sudden spasm in everyone's body, a chill running down their spines. Only the thin man in black sitting in the back seat kept his gaze fixed on the window, seemingly unaffected by the voice.

His cheeks were still trembling slightly from the pain, and his hand was still clutching his lower abdomen where he had been kicked, but his expression was unusually serene. Even when his gaze inadvertently swept over Tan Dong and Tang Wan in the front seat, a faint smile would appear. A sorrowful smile.

—Is his smile a sign that he was victorious in the battle he just fought, even though he was defeated?

—Where is his sorrow? Is it because of Tan Dong and Tang Wan?

Chapter 15: Night Sleep Inn

At the ticket window of the Yi ethnic minority town's train station, he knew he had to travel with these people.

He learned from the ticket seller that the group was heading to Sleepy Valley, 300 kilometers away, and that buses to Sleepy Valley were extremely infrequent, only running twice a week. If he missed this bus, he would have to stay in this small town for another three days. A lot could happen in three days, and he didn't want all his hard work to be for nothing.

Time was of the essence; the ticket seller told him that the bus would be leaving in a few minutes.

He didn't even have time to go to the waiting room, let alone think about the consequences of traveling with that group. He rushed into the rain and stopped the minibus at the gate of the courtyard.

The man was as strong as a lion, and when he was kicked, his whole body convulsed in pain. But the pain strangely excited him, because he knew that from that moment on, he had a new goal. And finding goals had been almost the only pleasure in his life for years.

He lay in the rain, battling the pain, while a deep sorrow began to well up inside him for the man. The man wasn't particularly burly, yet every muscle in his body radiated power. Power was merely a brute's weapon; he wasn't afraid of it. Moreover, he had a fatal weakness: Tang Wan. His concern for Tang Wan would inevitably lead him to an abyss of no return.

The minibus moved slowly in the rain. A few low, dilapidated bungalows outside the window indicated that the bus was leaving the Yi ethnic town. The rain showed no signs of letting up; the clouds in the sky were thick and seemed almost within reach. The entire world was shrouded in a gray gloom, and it appeared that only the minibus was traveling on the road, the view ahead blurred by the rain.

Tan Dong fell asleep in the car.

He had lost count of how many sleepless nights he had spent watching over Tang Wan with his eyes open, while simultaneously battling a deep-seated fear. No one knew, not even Tang Wan, that his fear of the night was more profound than that of even the most timid woman. He wasn't afraid of the evil or unknown things that might lurk in the night; he was only afraid of himself.

He tormented himself until his face was contorted and his body and mind were exhausted.

He could easily display his power when standing before others, but he knew he was becoming increasingly vulnerable—his Achilles' heel. Anyone could easily crush him with a single blow. He couldn't allow that to happen, so he remained absolutely vigilant at all times, encasing himself in a hard shell.

On the bus, he was convinced that the thin man in black sitting in the back was the enemy, and being so close to the enemy, he should have been even more vigilant. For the first hour or so after the bus left the Yi village, he was indeed tense, like a cheetah poised to pounce, ready for battle at any moment. But the thin man in black sat in the back with a relaxed expression, his gaze always fixed on the mountain scenery outside the window. Every time he turned around to stare at the thin man, his intention was to be provocative, but this provocation repeatedly failed; the thin man simply didn't respond, not even glancing at him. The thin man was still wearing his soaking wet black clothes, his lean body clearly visible. Tan Dong certainly didn't underestimate him at this point, but he still subconsciously compared him to himself.

He believed he could knock the skinny guy down with just one punch.

Thinking this way, he felt a little relieved. He also realized that his opponent was in the car, and in front of so many people, he certainly wouldn't dare to act rashly. Moreover, the skinny man originally had a very strong advantage—hiding in the shadows—but now that he had revealed himself, it wouldn't be so easy for him to play tricks on him again.

Tan Dong is not afraid of any opponent he faces.

So Tan Dong fell asleep and slept soundly for a long time.

If insomnia is a kind of suffering, then being excessively tired yet unable to fall asleep is an even deeper kind of suffering. In Hong Kong and Taiwanese films, there are often scenes of police forcing prisoners to sleep, forcing them to stay awake all night under bright lights until they suffer a mental breakdown. But Tan Dong's situation was different. At night, he forced himself to stay awake. When drowsiness struck, he tortured himself in various ways. He had a multi-purpose Swiss Army knife, the sharp blade leaving cuts on his arm every night. As the blood seeped out, it seemed as if a new strength was injected into his body, and he used this strength to fight against the darkness.

He didn't know that he would pay an even heavier price for those forces.

His arms were covered in wounds, and he was physically and mentally exhausted. He was like a fruit that looked plump and shiny on the outside, but was riddled with holes by worms inside.

But sleep still follows closely, and it can sneak in at the slightest moment of relaxation.

In his dream, Tan Dong saw a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with long hair reaching his shoulders and a ferocious face, yet still retaining a childlike innocence. The boy was naked, wearing only a pair of coarse blue underwear, standing listlessly in the center of the room. In his hand, he held a blood-stained kitchen knife, some blood still slowly dripping down the blade and silently onto the ground. Moonlight slanted in through the open window, falling on the boy and making the bloodstains on his body even more eerie and terrifying.

Tan Dong deeply resented that boy.

Over the years, he had used all his strength to fight against him, trying to drive him out of his life, but the boy was more tenacious than him, always standing firmly in the depths of his mind, jumping out at any unexpected moment to give him the greatest fear.

Tan Dong shuddered and suddenly woke up.

The car sped through the mountains, which were distinctly different from those in the north. They soared into the clouds, steep and precipitous, as if cleaved by a giant axe by a legendary Hercules. At that moment, mist drifted through the rain on the opposite mountain peaks, while the more distant mountains stretched out in a half-hidden, seemingly endless.

Apart from this minibus, there were no other vehicles on the winding mountain road. Among the mountains, the minibus resembled a tiny beetle, crawling towards a goal with no end in sight.

The carriage was already quite dark. Tan Dong glanced to the side and saw Tang Wan staring at him with a pair of forlorn eyes.

Tan Dong forced a smile and took Tang Wan's hand.

"What time is it? Why is it so dark?"

Tang Wan's hands were icy cold, yet soft and boneless. Tang Wan said, "You've slept for about eight hours."

Tan Dong was startled, inwardly blaming himself for being so careless and sleeping for so long. Tang Wan leaned softly against his shoulder and said, "You look so cute when you're asleep, like a child who hasn't grown up. It's been so long since I've seen you sleep like that."