Famine

Chapitre 5

With her palms sweating as she gripped the digital camera, Nono suddenly had a brilliant idea. This SONY F77 used a Zeiss flip lens that could be rotated 180 degrees for selfies. Nono turned the lens around, placed it about half a foot from her shoulder, and pressed the shutter button behind her. The sound of the shutter was no different from that of an ordinary film camera.

The scene behind me appeared on the 1.5-inch LCD screen; the 4.1-megapixel image was still quite clear.

On the fog-shrouded boardwalk stood a girl wearing the same Adidas down vest, the same woolen hat, the same NIKKO hiking boots, and even carrying the same heavy backpack, standing about six or seven meters away, facing her own back.

Nono could hardly believe her eyes. Wasn't that herself?!

So the so-called mountain monster was actually myself!

Could it be that there really are immortals on the mountain who used a clone technique on me?

Because the camera was held a little too low, it didn't capture "its" entire head; only the mouth was visible, the rest of the face ending abruptly at the edge of the LCD screen. That mouth was crooked, and it was actually smiling! Nono couldn't fathom the meaning behind this smile—was it a blessing? Or a mocking gloating?

Nono raised the camera to the other side of her shoulder, estimated the position was about right, and pressed the shutter again.

Nono could hear her own heartbeat, pounding so hard, thump, thump, thump, one beat after another against her chest.

This time, the upper body was captured. Nono zoomed in frame by frame and finally saw "her" complete head. The NIKE beanie covered her eyebrows, and the eyes under the swoosh pattern... it was hard to call these "eyes" anymore. There were no pupils, only a pair of eye sockets, like a black cave under a seaside reef, letting the sea breeze carry the breath of the tide.

The digital camera fell onto the boardwalk with a "thud," slipped through the gap under the railing, and plunged into the deep sea of clouds. Nuonuo let out a heart-wrenching scream that echoed through the serene, verdant valleys of Sanqing Mountain.

Click!

The screams on the boardwalk were drowned out by the ear-piercing noise of the mixer.

Simply put bananas, milk, and sugar into a blender, and you'll quickly make a large, fragrant banana smoothie. Such a smoothie would cost at least 18 yuan in a beverage shop, but making it at home costs as little as one yuan, and it's much fresher.

Du Yaofeng sipped her banana milkshake, rambling on about her thrifty ways, and poured a glass for her daughter.

"I don't like drinking it!" Nono pouted.

A real milkshake should have ice. Nono makes it at Starbucks, where there are all kinds of Frappuccinos to sample, and they're free. I've been eating those for ages, so I naturally look down on this crudely made homemade milkshake.

Du Yaofeng devoured the croissant and boiled egg in a few bites, finished the banana milkshake, rinsed her mouth quickly, and gave her daughter a few instructions: lunch was in the refrigerator, and when heating it in the microwave, she shouldn't set the time too long to avoid splashing the lid everywhere; also, she shouldn't spend too much time browsing the internet, even though broadband was billed monthly, it wouldn't be worth it if it damaged her eyes and increased her nearsightedness.

Listening to her mother's nagging, Nuonuo seemed to be listening but not really, slowly scooping out the yolk of the boiled egg with a small spoon and eating it.

Last night's dream is still vividly etched in my mind, as if I pressed Ctrl+S on the keyboard and saved it completely on my hard drive.

I remember the last dream I had was on Tuesday night. In the dream, I was in Sheshan, Songjiang, Shanghai. This low mountain, which is only a few dozen meters high, is the only mountain in Shanghai that can be called a mountain, because Shanghai is a coastal city with zero elevation and is flat as far as the eye can see.

The dreams were basically the same. Nono was walking through a bamboo forest in the mountains when someone called her name from behind. Nono remembered it very clearly; it was a child's voice, sweet and still childish, like an eight-year-old boy.

"Sister Nuonuo..."

"Sister Nuonuo..."

Even though it was a child's voice, Nono still didn't dare to turn around.

Last night's dream was about Sanqing Mountain, which seems really illogical. Sanqing Mountain is the birthplace of Taoism, surrounded by ethereal energy that can cure all diseases and subdue evil spirits with ease. How could there be mountain monsters there? As for the waitress who could lick her nose with her tongue, that's even more ridiculous. And then a female boss named Anna suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There's no girl named Anna around me, and the Starbucks manager is a man surnamed Hu.

In short, everything in the dream was so absurd and unbelievable that it couldn't stand up to scrutiny.

Du Yaofeng had no idea what was going on in her daughter's head. After nagging, she rushed off to work. The company was only a half-hour drive from home, but that was assuming the roads were clear. If there was traffic, it was hard to say. Besides, traffic jams happened every day, just for varying degrees.

"Mommy!" Nono called out to her, "Are you free this afternoon? Buy me a black T-shirt, long-sleeved, because the store requires black."

"Not this afternoon, Mom has to go to an auction."

What are you going to the auction for?

"Mom wants to buy an oil painting for your Uncle Xu. His restaurant is about to open, and Mom needs to give him a congratulatory gift."

With a bang, the security gate closed, leaving Nono alone in the two-story villa.

Today's shift is from 2 PM to 11 PM. Starbucks closes at 10 PM, so the remaining hour is for cleaning the store and washing the machines.

Breakfast was finally finished, and Nono started washing the dishes, including that troublesome blender.

Nono had never been to Sanqing Mountain before, though she did have a travel plan and even an old tourist map. However, this plan wouldn't be possible until at least next summer because she needed to save up enough money. Unexpectedly, she got there first last night and had a great time.

Oil painting No. 51: 773 Horror Series 13

Section 12: Do Ghosts Really Exist in the World?

Okay, I'm going to Paris tomorrow night.

As Nono washed the mug, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

The wall clock showed 9:30 a.m. At this moment, Mommy's car was probably stuck in traffic on one of the off-ramp lanes of the inner ring elevated highway. Mommy was probably sighing and lamenting over the office building that was so close yet so far away.

Nono's father, Qiao Ming, was a software engineer and project manager. Qiao Ming had many ingenious ideas and could come up with creative concepts on a whim, which earned him the high regard of his boss. Unfortunately, Qiao Ming passed away at a young age a little over a year ago, which is truly regrettable.

In 2001, Qiao Ming and Du Yaofeng sold their old apartment on Shaanxi South Road and bought this detached villa in Xinzhuang Area A, Minhang District. Compared to today's prices, the house was practically worthless back then, but it was still a huge sum. From securing a bank loan to the grueling renovations, the house represented all of the couple's savings and hard work. After Qiao Ming passed away, Du Yaofeng vowed to keep the house no matter what. Fortunately, Shanghai's housing prices soared in the past two years. Although the mortgage payments were heavy, the appreciation of the property made the hardship worthwhile. Their daughter also found a job, albeit a part-time one at a coffee shop. But earning money and becoming independent was what brought her the most comfort.

At 10 a.m., Nono sat down in front of the computer.

Nono frequently visits Shanghai Hotline (), and she rarely browses large portal websites like NetEase, Sohu, and Sina. Shanghai Hotline is a portal website set up by Shanghai Telecom, but it doesn't have a government feel to it. Nono finds its page design more approachable and lacks the domineering presence of those large websites.

Not long ago, Nono discovered a chat room called "The Supernatural World" on Shanghai Hotline. She was eager to discuss these topics with others and became a regular there. She deliberately gave herself the screen name "Wang Yong," which sounded like a boy, so she could avoid unnecessary harassment and focus on discussing these topics.

In this very room, she met an online friend named "Otherworldly Boy," and they hit it off immediately. Nono shared some of her confusions, including the dream she had on Sheshan Mountain in Songjiang, and Otherworldly Boy analyzed her questions about gods and ghosts from a religious perspective.

"Do you believe that ghosts really exist in the world?" Nono asked him.

"If you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't."

The boy from another dimension gave a somewhat ambiguous answer.

"So do you believe it? Please give me a clear answer."

"Hmm... I don't think I would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"Actually, I've never seen it either, but I firmly believe it."

"Because you're a girl."

Nono was very surprised.

"Why! You think I'm a girl?"

"Because your username is too masculine, it's like you're trying too hard to hide something. You must want people to think of you as a boy, that's why you chose such a username. Am I right?"

"So, you're a girl, aren't you, Otherworldly Boy?"

"Sorry, I'm really a guy. People call me Ah Hu, probably because I have a terrible physique, like a teapot."

The boy's humor and frankness left a good impression on Nono, and she decided to continue dating him, regardless of whether his body shape was like a teapot or a thermos.

Ten o'clock in the morning was the time they had agreed upon. The room was empty at this time, except for Nuonuo. Two guys came into the room, peeked around for a while, and then, feeling that "Wang Yong" was not the girl they were looking for, obediently left.

Nono sat alone in the empty room, thinking to herself: Today is the day I can confront him.

Okay, let's decide on that.

At 10:07, the alien boy entered the chat room.

Hi! Hi! They greeted each other.

"Why are you late?"

"Sorry, I encountered a minor technical problem while browsing the internet, but it was resolved quickly."

"My name is Nono, you can call me that from now on."

"This name is so cute, I'm sure it's just as cute as you are."

"I had another dream last night."

Nono didn't want to waste time and got straight to the point.

Is it still the same?

"The content is similar, but it's moved from Sheshan to Sanqingshan."

"Sanqing Mountain?"

"That's the birthplace of Taoism."

"I know that mountain is in Jiangxi, but unfortunately I've never been there. What are you going there for?"

"Well... how should I put it? In my dream, I was a doormat. My female boss was named Anna, and I ran up a mountain, wanting to yell 'Anna! Fuck You!' into the valley."

Hahahaha!

Ah Hu typed five "ha"s in one breath.

"You know, I don't actually know anyone named Anna in real life. The Starbucks manager at my workplace is a man."

"No coincidence, no story; no strange thing, no dream. It's just a dream! Go on."

"I took a picture of myself with my digital camera, and the person in the picture was actually myself."

"oh!"

"And my eyes were gouged out, leaving only a pair of dark holes staring at me."

"Haha, it's like a bootleg horror movie."

An unregistered visitor with the ID F234X012 entered the room, saw their conversation, and asked with great interest, "Hi! You two, what are you discussing? May I join?"

Nono immediately clicked "whisper" with the mouse to hide the conversation.

F234X012 is still shouting loudly there:

"Let's talk about it, I've really seen ghosts! Don't you believe me? The first ghost I saw was my deceased grandmother. The second ghost I saw was my dog, a Pekingese, which was hit and killed by a car while crossing the street last year. It was a terrible death."

Seeing that neither "Other Boy" nor "Wang Yong" paid any attention to him, F234X012 cursed angrily:

"Hmph, I think you two are hiding something!"

After he finished cursing, he left the room.

Without the distractions, Ahu began to ask Nuonuo, "You seemed to have said that there was a special reason for having such dreams, can you tell me now?"

Even if he didn't ask, Nono would have told him; that's the main topic Nono wanted to talk to him about today.

Before his death, Nono's father, Qiao Ming, was developing a game called "Mountain Monster," which was said to be inspired by a story he heard as a child. In ancient times, there was a high mountain, and to cross it, one had to traverse a rugged and winding mountain path. Whenever a lone traveler crossed the mountain, he would hear someone calling his name from behind. The voice might be a delicate female voice, a child's innocent voice, or even a hoarse old man's voice. If the person turned around in response, he had been tricked, because behind him was a mountain monster that would devour his head.

Oil painting No. 51: 773 Horror Series 13

Section 13: "You are more beautiful than I imagined."

There was a brave young man named Rao, the protagonist of a video game. After retiring from the army and returning to his hometown, he heard of a mountain monster ravaging the local people. Filled with righteous indignation, he decided to rid the people of this scourge. He retrieved his unused armor and weapons and had the village blacksmith forge him an exceptionally sturdy neck armor. Wearing it, the armor was covered in a dense layer of iron nails, ensuring that even the monster's gaping maw would be pierced and bleed profusely. Rao practiced repeatedly the "Su Qin Carrying the Sword" move, enabling him to attack the monster behind him without turning around.

Dressed in full armor, Rao set off up the mountain. Braving wind and rain, he endured many hardships, encountered a mountain monster, and also met a beautiful woman. The mountain monster abducted the woman, and Rao headed towards the monster's lair. Along the way, he was constantly attacked by terrifying monsters, fighting fiercely until the sky darkened. He used all eighteen weapons and finally beheaded the mountain monster, returning home in triumph with the beauty in his arms.

Although the plot and ending were somewhat clichéd, the company's board of directors found the concept of "The Mountain Monster" very original. In comparison, the content of other games on the market was too similar, ranging from flying knights to counter-terrorism shooters. Therefore, they decided to launch the project, with Qiao Ming as the project manager. Unfortunately, his health failed him, and he passed away young. Qiao Ming's sudden death nearly caused this project, on which the board had placed high hopes, to be abandoned halfway. Fortunately, Qiao Ming's assistant volunteered and took on the responsibility. Six months later, "The Mountain Monster" was launched with great fanfare, achieving impressive sales results, which must have been a comfort to Qiao Ming's spirit in heaven.