Chen Xiao did not sleep soundly that night. The piercing sound of sirens from the street constantly disturbed his sleep. In his haze, he couldn't distinguish whether it was an ambulance, a police car, or a fire truck; he only felt annoyed.
He was woken by his alarm in the morning. After getting up, he rubbed his eyes as he pushed open the door. What greeted his sight was Lin Sinan eating breakfast in the living room – simple tomato and egg noodles, the aroma wafting over.
"It smells delicious," Chen Xiao praised.
"Come and sit down to eat," Lin Sinan called out. "There's more in the pot; I cooked extra in case you didn't have enough."
Chen Xiao's eyes lit up. Lately, his appetite had been larger than usual.
"The subway has stopped operating," Lin Sinan said as she ate. "Ride-hailing services can't be called either."
"Ah? When did this happen?" Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised.
"It was just announced a few minutes ago," Lin Sinan said helplessly.
As soon as Chen Xiao opened his phone, the first thing he saw was a text message notifying him of the subway suspension. Not only was the subway stopped, but even buses were temporarily suspended.
"Subway stations closed, resumption time to be announced?"
Chen Xiao saw the end of the message and felt an inexplicable surge of anxiety. This meant transportation was essentially in a semi-paralyzed state, which would have a huge impact on the entire city.
Well, no need to go to work this time.
He looked out the window; the rain was still falling. He had an indescribable feeling in his heart. He rubbed his face, "How did I suddenly become so paranoid?"
After breakfast, Lin Sinan was nestled on the sofa, watching an ancient costume drama on her phone.
Suddenly, her best friend, with whom she had gone shopping yesterday, sent her several messages in a row. But the plot was exciting at the moment, so she quickly swiped away the message pop-up and continued to focus on the story's progression.
A news alert also popped up on Chen Xiao's phone. He opened it and read.
"Early yesterday morning, a serious violent assault occurred in our city, resulting in numerous casualties and multiple missing victims. The police are working tirelessly on the investigation. Citizens are advised to pay attention to their personal and property safety and to avoid going out if possible."
Chen Xiao frowned deeply as he read. How could such a thing happen in such a good public safety environment?
Reading this news, he remembered the student who attacked him at the intersection last night. If he had reacted a little slower then, he might have been in the news himself by now.
Chen Xiao gave a self-deprecating smile. Remembering that he hadn't washed up yet, he got up and went to the bathroom.
Lin Sinan finished watching the exciting ending of the episode, feeling somewhat unsatisfied. She suddenly remembered that her best friend had sent her several messages that she hadn't replied to, so she opened the chat interface.
The first message was a video, followed by three text messages.
"Nannan, look at this recorded live stream, it's so scary!"
"I don't think it's fake, it's a bit..."
"Something's come up on my end, I'll tell you later."
Lin Sinan was a bit puzzled. She casually clicked on the video and started watching.
"Hoo~ hoo~ Holy crap, holy crap."
As the streamer's breathing became more and more rapid, the camera shook more and more violently. In the gaps of the shaking, other people could vaguely be seen running wildly in the rain on the street.
Some people ran into roadside shops, some crossed the median strip, and some lay on the ground covered in blood, motionless. Car horns blared incessantly.
"Ah! Holy crap! Get away! Help!" The surrounding sounds gradually became clearer, along with some thumping noises like cars colliding.
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Don't come over! Ah!"
The streamer suddenly screamed, and the phone broadcasting the live stream fell to the ground. The camera was tilted upwards, only showing the large trees and shrubs of the green belt nearby.
A hand appeared at the edge of the frame. After scratching at the ground a few times, it stretched forward forcefully, trying to grab onto the steps of the green belt, but it couldn't reach. It clenched into a fist and pulled back.
"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Curses accompanied the dull thuds of fists hitting a body, and intermittent low growls like those of an animal.
"Get away from me! Ah!!! Don't touch me!!!"
Crimson liquid splattered everywhere, scattering on the shrubs and tree trunks, then quickly washed away by the rain. The sounds of struggle gradually weakened.
A faint, trembling voice came, with a choked sob: "No, no, I was wrong... wrong, I..."
The voice was gradually covered by the heavy rain, but the surrounding screams and collision noises had not stopped.
Suddenly, a foot stepped on the phone, and the screen abruptly cut out.
Lin Sinan had unknowingly sat up. At this moment, she felt goosebumps all over her body and a chill down her spine.
Looking at the last message her best friend sent, her heart tightened. She quickly asked her about the situation. After waiting a while and receiving no reply, she called her via voice call, but there was no answer.
Chen Xiao had just washed his face in the bathroom. He turned around and saw Lin Sinan sitting there, her face filled with terror.
He quickly asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Lin Sinan said anxiously, "I'll send you a video, quickly watch it."
Chen Xiao picked up his phone from the sofa and was also shocked after watching the video.
What was happening?
From the terrain and buildings in the video, it was not the city he was in, but combined with the assault mentioned in the news just now, perhaps the same thing was happening in the city right now.
"Bang!"
A loud noise came from outside the window.
Chen Xiao and Lin Sinan were startled. They exchanged glances and quickly went to the balcony to check. A car had crashed into the guardrail on the road outside the Residential Area wall. Not far in front of the car, a blurry figure lay motionless on the ground, apparently having been hit and thrown by the car.
Soon, a man got out of the car, clutching his forehead, and walked unsteadily towards the figure lying on the ground. He squatted beside him to check.
Lin Sinan took out her phone and dialed the emergency number. A 'du-du' tone came from the phone, but no one answered. Recalling that she couldn't get through when she called last night, her eyebrows furrowed tightly.
"How can this be?" she asked, perplexed.
Chen Xiao's expression was grave. From last night until now, the emergency number had been unreachable!
Recalling the constant sirens in the latter half of last night, he looked towards the city center, feeling a sense of unease. What exactly had happened?
"Ah! What are you doing? What are you doing?!"
A terrified scream drew their attention back to the window. Two figures seemed to be wrestling, and the scream was actually coming from the driver. The person he had hit was now clutching his leg and refusing to let go.
At this moment, the driver fell to the ground, fiercely kicking the other person's head repeatedly, shouting loudly, "Let go of me! Let go of me! Help! Murder!"
He struggled continuously, using both his hands and feet, finally pulling his leg free from the person's grasp. He turned and ran into the car, but the car could no longer start after the collision. He quickly scrambled to the passenger seat, opened the door on the other side, got out, and fled like the wind.
The person who was hit seemed unwilling to give up, struggling to crawl through the standing water in the heavy rain in the direction the driver had fled. However, after crawling not far, he swayed and stood up.
He stumbled for a distance, then his speed increased, and finally, he began to sprint directly on the road, disappearing at the end of the road in the blink of an eye. The entire process exuded a sense of eeriness.