When I woke up, I realized that none of it existed anymore. I was still dwelling in the happy moments of my childhood. I saw my uncle waving a deck of cards at me, inviting me to learn magic tricks...
I slept at the internet cafe until 3 in the afternoon when I was awakened by the cold. The rain outside was getting heavier, and the raindrops pounded against the window like a drumbeat. The sky was overcast and dark, and the howling wind brought a sense of chill.
I remembered back in my hometown; there were heavy rains every summer. Every few days, the roads would be flooded, and there were even a couple of times when there were severe storms, and the water reached waist-high. My family had to move to higher ground overnight. Unknowingly, we became victims of the disaster...
But now, I wasn't afraid of heavy rain anymore. Even if it flooded the internet cafe, it wouldn't concern me. The most important thing was to indulge in some games!
I swiped my card and got back to gaming. Just as I was about to start playing, my phone rang.Damn, the ringtone on my new phone was really catchy! I saw it was an unfamiliar number, so I set my phone to silent and put it aside.
Under my brilliant leadership, the opposing side was about to surrender at 20 minutes. My phone kept flashing, incessantly calling. I didn't know who had the perseverance to keep calling non-stop.
I picked up the phone and asked impatiently, "Who is it?"
"Jim! You finally answered the damn phone! Fuck you!" I shivered hearing the voice filled with anger, but it was still unfamiliar to me.
However, my anger surged. Was this person fed shit for lunch or what? His mouth was full of crap. I retorted over the phone, "Who the hell are you? Spit it out if you have something to say. Don't waste my time; I'm waiting to game."
"Fine! Just wait for me! I'll fucking kill you!" Before he could finish, he hung up. I hadn't even had a chance to ask who he was or what was going on. Something didn't seem right.
Could it be because of playing cards with the girls at the hotel last night? Did I attract some trouble?
The guy who just called knew my name, but I couldn't recognize his voice. The tone of his voice indicated he was looking for me. Was it Gary who sent someone? Or maybe Adrian?
I've only transferred here recently, and I'm already getting into trouble. But now I'm different from before. I have connections with Shirley and the others, and even with my uncle. I even know Dirk, the boss of the gambling den. Shouldn't be a problem to handle anything, right?
My uncle was right before; you can't stand firmly if you're not fierce. If you don't submit, just fuck off!
I didn't dwell on it much and continued gaming. As long as we had good early-game control, I wasn't afraid the other team wouldn't surrender at 20 minutes...
Right when I was enjoying my gaming, I heard some commotion outside . I could vaguely hear someone calling my name. My heart skipped a beat; I wondered if someone had come to find me?
The doors of the private booths at the internet cafe couldn't be locked, and I was worried something inappropriate might happen inside. I immediately glanced towards the door. Around seven or eight students were searching for someone. As I took a closer look, I realized the situation was bad: it was Adrian and his group.
One of them, a tall guy wearing a white T-shirt, was familiar to me. He was the guy who woke me up in the dorm last time. He was standing there, smoking a cigarette, waiting. I thought to myself, could he be the school's boss, Charles?
Without thinking too much, I quickly took out my phone to call my uncle, but I gave up on that idea before dialing.
I couldn't bother my uncle with such a trivial matter. If he found out, he would definitely laugh his heart out. To be safer, I should contact Shirley, but I didn't have her phone number... Never mind, relying on anyone else was not as good as relying on myself!
Just as I was about to shut down the computer, I quickly moved behind the door of the private room. My uncle used to say that a brave man doesn't suffer a loss in front of his eyes, and in critical moments, one must avoid direct confrontation.
In no time, I heard someone approaching. Holding my breath, I hid behind the door, feeling quite nervous. While I might dare to fight Adrian in the classroom, here in the internet cafe, there were more people around. If a fight broke out, I might not come out on top.
"Damn it, that bastard Jim isn't here, is he? Is he at FX Internet Cafe?" The voice was from Bill, that skinny monkey. It seemed his headache had subsided, otherwise, why would he rush to bring people to confront me?
"Let's go and check. If we don't catch that little jerk today, I'll be damned if I don't beat him up!" Hearing Adrian's voice got me irritated. Nonetheless, I secretly felt pleased. If he had come alone today, I would have taken care of him in no time!
Hearing them move away, I still didn't dare to come out immediately. For safety's sake, I decided to wait a while longer before making a move. Moreover, I had made up my mind to head to the gambling den and find a few tough guys to support me. Otherwise, this situation might cause trouble later on.
After about five minutes, I cautiously peeked through the crack in the door. It seemed that they had indeed left. Still not entirely sure, I loitered for a bit longer, ensuring that it was safe before finally stepping out and rushing into the heavy rain outside.
As the saying goes, better safe than sorry. In critical moments, one has to use their wits. Even if I had many connections, they might not help if I got caught. After this ordeal, I needed to find a few buddies at school. That way, I wouldn't have to panic if I encountered trouble in the future.
By 5 PM, I arrived at the gambling den, drenched like a wet chicken. Although the entrance was filled with parked cars, I didn't see my uncle's BMW. Perhaps he hadn't woken up yet to have breakfast. At home, he used to wake up around 6 PM, have breakfast, and then go out to goof around...
I didn't know what was going on today. The gambling den's first floor was actually air-conditioned. Upon entering, a chilly breeze hit me. The only problem was that the cigarette smoke stung the eyes. Everyone had a cigarette in their mouth, and the scene resembled being inside Taoist alchemy furnace, enveloped in a haze of smoke.