In the silence, there was only the sound of rain falling.
Ji Jue stared blankly at everything before him and then collapsed, sitting down on the doorstep.
Exhausted to the point of death.
"What the hell is all this crap!"
He pried open his stiff fingers and threw the railing he'd been clutching to the ground, looking around—the desolate small courtyard was still quiet. Luckily, Ji Jue's home was somewhat isolated, and the nearest neighbors on either side had already moved away. Otherwise, there could have been quite a disturbance by now.
He held his phone in his hand, several times he thought about calling the police, but each time he dialed the number, he abruptly hung up.
Call the police?
How? What would he say? An old man broke into my house, ate my boiled chicken, smashed my front and refrigerator doors, and tried to eat me too? Corpse? Oh, it's turned to ash, buried in the mud, look for yourself, I'm totally innocent, I was acting in self-defense.
Would that be of any use?
In Cliff City, over the past decade, the annual security budget had been shrinking, public safety getting worse, and the police becoming more and more ineffective. It was rumored that the new Governor couldn't stand it and planned to outsource the entire police department's business as soon as he took office.
Besides... it all turned to ash.
Ash.
Ji Jue looked at the two tattered garments and let out a helpless sigh.
What the hell were you after?
Yesterday, you rammed into me on a tricycle, and today, you came straight over to chew on a person... then suddenly turned to ash, gone!
Why?!
Just to come and tell me 'brother, you smell good'? And then leave a poor kid with a permanent psychological shadow?
Are you nuts?!
No, that's not right; the demeanor wasn't sober at all, it was filled with madness throughout, and... that blood-red spiritual quality that ordinary people definitely don't possess, was like a living thing—no, more like a parasite hidden within his body.
What the hell was that thing?
As he grappled with bewilderment and panic, his phone suddenly vibrated. The cracked screen lit up, displaying a familiar name, which startled him for a moment, then brought a wave of relief.
Lu Feng!
Brother Feng served in Central Earth for four years, rolling through the mud as a paratrooper and came back in one piece. He never talked about his past, but judging from the densely packed tattoos and medals he casually gave his younger siblings as toys, he definitely had experience with this sort of thing.
"Hello, Brother Feng!"
Ji Jue answered the phone, gathering his courage, "Listen to me, I..."
"Ji, are you free right now?"
Lu Feng's voice was hoarse over the phone: "Come to Jici Hospital."
He said, "Mom's had an accident."
Ji Jue shuddered.
As if struck by lightning.
Half an hour later, without bothering to tidy up or change properly, Ji Jue rode his beaten-up scooter through the flooded streets to the hospital.
The hospital was almost full, with makeshift beds set up all along the corridors, and the air was thick with a stale odor. The mildew smell, though not obvious after repeated cleanings, was still unmistakable.
Unable to afford private hospitals, unable to pay bills that cost thousands just for a registration and a consultation, the commoners could only hope for a few public hospitals with waitlists extending to the end of the following year, or the charity hospitals established by the Chongguang Church.
Amidst the hectic rush of nurses and doctors, Ji Jue finally found Lu Ma, staggering and stumbling in the corridor outside the consultation room.
"Oh, it's nothing much, just like a little bump, nothing serious. That kid Lu, always making a mountain out of a molehill."
With bandages still on her face and more than half of her short hair shaven, Lu Ma waved her hand and forced a nonchalant smile, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm still good."
She hadn't seen the third and the youngest; they should be properly staying at home doing their homework by now.
Lu Feng, head bowed, said nothing as he crouched outside the corridor entrance, smoking and holding a piece of paper, waiting for the lab results.
"What happened?"
Ji Jue looked at the bandages on her arm and the wounds on her face, dumbfounded. The second daughter, Lu Ling, had clearly red eyes, blaming herself incessantly: "I should have stayed with Mom to watch the shop last night. It's all my fault."
Lu Ma smacked her on the back of the head: "You? Plus one person just means giving the robbers another offering. Who knows, it could have turned from robbery to rape!"
Last night, towards midnight, burglars jimmied their way into the repair shop and rummaged through everything.
Lu Feng had gone out to drink with a buddy and hadn't come back. The second daughter was at home studying and looking after the two little ones. Only Lu Ma was watching the shop. Startled awake, Lu Ma yelled in fury, brandishing a wrench longer than Ji Jue's arm, ready to fight with the thief. But two fists couldn't beat four, and in the dark, she took a blow to the back of her head, went unconscious, and was nearly kidnapped.
If it hadn't been for good luck, with the thief encountering a late-night snack vendor while moving the body, recognized by the cart-pushing granny, Lu Ma might not have been seen again.
God knows where she could have been sold to.
Just the thought of the consequences gave Ji Jue chills and made his whole body go cold.
"Ah, it's okay, just a minor issue."
Lu Ma patted her chest and lifted her arm, thicker than Ji Jue's thigh, and shook it: "My constitution's good, see? Still hopping around, aren't I?"
"As long as it's nothing, that's good, that's good."
Ji Jue didn't know what to say, slumping down next to Lu Ma, frequently starting to speak then stopping, feeling even more apprehensive and powerless than his own brush with death.
Over the years, as an orphan without a father or mother, surviving alone in Cliff City was a difficulty only he could understand. Without Lu Ma's care and shelter, Ji Jue would have certainly turned into a dead Jue by now.
Without mentioning the full transmission of car repair skills... Tianmen University, as the leading institution in Hai Province and one of the Federation's top five schools, the difficulty of getting admitted, trying to change one's fate, is so great it almost suffocates every student. If it weren't for Lu Ma's all-out support, would Ji Jue now be a Tianmen student with boundless prospects?
In your dreams!
Go slash bags at South Station's train station and dock, kid!
Now that he saw Lu Ma was alright, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, as he stood by Lu Ma's side, that horrifying prompt appeared before his eyes once again...
"[Abnormal spiritual material detected, do you wish to absorb?]"
Ji Jue's smile froze on his face.
He turned his head back with difficulty, looking at Lu Ma's pale face but still forcing a smile, he swallowed.
On Lu Ma's body... at this moment, when his spiritual material activated his wristwatch, he could vaguely see the crimson glow underneath the bandage, spreading like mold.
"Lu Ma, it looks like there's some dust on the bandage." Ji Jue lifted his hand gently resting it on the bandage, "I'll pick it off for you."
The metallic Matrix-like pattern reappeared in his palm, and in the instant of contact, it swept over, the crimson light vanished completely, and the Matrix disappeared.
"Ouch, you kid, always so clumsy..."
Lu Ma cried out in pain, but soon, her face lit up with a smile: "Hey, you're right, it feels much fresher now, and my chest doesn't feel stuffy anymore. When that little dog was applying the medicine earlier, it hurt like hell, as if she was about to kill her own mother, I'm telling you, needs more practice, what are they teaching in the military... "
"Ma." The second daughter nudged Lu Ma, gesturing for her to stop talking.
Lu Feng came back with the lab reports, a faint smile on his somber face.
"It's nothing serious, Ma, just a little infection on the wound, just need a couple shots of antibiotics and a tetanus shot," he handed over the report: "But there's a bit of concussion, the doctor says you need rest, so you'll have to stay at home for a few days, the shop can run without you with me and Ji Jue taking care of it."
Of course, Lu Ma was not willing, she was still concerned about going back to clean up the auto repair shop, but Lu Feng and Lu Ling could only persuade her heavily, and after much convincing from Ji Jue as well, she finally let go of the idea.
In fact, including Lu Feng, all four siblings were not Lu Ma's biological children.
Lu Ma had a serious illness years ago, excessive hormones ruined her body, and she had never married in her life.
All four kids in the shop, including Lu Feng, were picked up by Lu Ma from the streets. Over the years, she raised them through hardships, and their family bonds were even stronger than if they were blood-related.
It's a pity that, except for the second child who just got into university, none of them were good at studying...
No wonder Lu Ma cherished Ji Jue who came to work, ever since he arrived, her blood pressure hasn't risen over the youngest's math and foreign languages.
After so many years, she had long considered him family, never treating him differently.
Now that Lu Ma agreed to rest for a few days, Ji Jue also relaxed.
After convincing her, Lu Ling went to get the medicine with the prescription, while Lu Feng gave Ji Jue a meaningful look. The two men excused themselves to go smoke outside, standing under the eaves watching the rain pour down.
Ji Jue didn't smoke or drink, but Lu Feng was a regular smoker now, a bad habit brought back from the military.
"Thanks for running over," Lu Feng thanked him: "I panicked this morning, been busy without a clue until now, my mind was blank."
"Why the fuck are you being polite?" Ji Jue glanced at him, didn't say much, just asked: "Any leads from the police?"
"No."
Lu Feng shook his head, "Relying on those good-for-nothings, heh... they told us to just wait at home. The license plate number was fake too, white delivery vans are everywhere in the Northern Mountain District, impossible to find."
"Is there surveillance?"
"The shop has some, but it didn't catch their faces, the outdoor surveillance... has been just for show for many years, it's been broken for a while."
"..."
In the silence, Ji Jue glanced at his wristwatch, after a long while, he suddenly said: "I'll go back to the shop and have a look, might find some clues."
"Also tidy up a bit, otherwise, Ma will definitely get restless again. Fix whatever is broken, and if it can't be fixed, just quietly get rid of it, otherwise she'll be heartbroken," Lu Feng patted his shoulder, embracing him firmly: "You worked hard, I'll get you a new computer later."
Ji Jue rolled his eyes, not tempted by the bribe: "You just want a new computer to play games, don't you?"
"Hahaha, you got me."
Lu Feng grinned, tossed away his cigarette butt, and threw the car keys to the second daughter: "You drive Ma back later, we'll be relying on you at home these next few days."
"What?" Lu Ling was stunned, staring: "And where will you be?"
Lu Feng, head down, just waved his hand, "I'm going to ask a few friends around, see if anything's up, I won't be back tonight."
"... Lu Feng!"
As he turned to leave, Lu Ma suddenly raised her voice, wanting to say something, but upon seeing him look back, her lips moved, yet she didn't seem to know what to say.
Just this time, she didn't call him by his nickname.
Lu Feng smiled, waved his hand.
"Don't worry, Ma, I'm just asking around."
He turned and departed, disappearing into the curtain of rain.
Half an hour later, Ji Jue lifted his hand and raised the roller shutter door of the auto repair shop.
He saw a scene of complete chaos.
From the counter to the shelves, everything was knocked over.
It was not as trivial as Lu Ma had described, but a full-on... struggle for life and death!
Ji Jue pulled down the shutter with a flip of his hand and walked towards the counter.
The malicious old man, the eerie red blood, the mysterious attacks.
There were too many things that didn't make sense.
There should have been some traces left behind.