"Come on, you really think you'd be the protagonist? With a face like yours, you're destined to be a background character." With nothing better to do, Xu Mo teased casually. "Besides, didn't the experts already debunk all that doomsday nonsense? The Earth's crust is stable, no threatening asteroids in sight. Hate to disappoint you, but the world's not ending anytime soon."
"You actually trust those so-called 'experts'? You do realize the Earthquake Bureau's accuracy is worse than a pig farm's, right? They're just wasting our tax money." He Shang scoffed. As a hardcore shut-in, he was also a bit of a cynic.
Due to the store temporarily opening an additional checkout counter, the long wait was significantly reduced. Half an hour later, He Shang finally got his hands on his beloved game and hurriedly left the store.
"Xu Mo, wanna come over to my place?" He asked as the bus approached.
"I'll pass. Unlike you, I actually have responsibilities. If I get home too late, I'll get chewed out. Might even have to skip dinner." Xu Mo spread his hands helplessly.
He Shang's parents both worked overseas and rarely returned home. He had several properties under his name and could easily live off rental income. This kind of worry-free "rich second-gen" life was something Xu Mo could only envy from afar.
"Oh well, suit yourself." He Shang sighed in disappointment. Then, he patted Xu Mo's shoulder solemnly and said in a deep voice, "If the world really ends tomorrow, I'll be the first to come save you."
"Yeah, right. If I ever get to the point where I need you to save me, that'd be the real end of the world."
After joking around a bit more, Xu Mo watched as He Shang boarded the bus before turning in the opposite direction to head home.
His home was only three stops away from the shopping district—not exactly far. Plus, waiting for a bus would take just as long, so he preferred walking. Though it wasn't as fast as taking a ride, the overall time difference was negligible.
In his hurry to get home, Xu Mo chose a shortcut. It meant cutting through a few dark alleys with no streetlights, but after living in the area for over a decade, he knew them like the back of his hand.
Winter nights made the alleys feel especially desolate. Doors and windows were tightly shut, with only faint glows from within casting dim light on the uneven road. Occasionally, a stray cat would dart out of a garbage pile before slipping into a gap between buildings, the only sign of life in the eerie silence.
Despite having walked this route countless times, Xu Mo couldn't shake the feeling that something was off tonight. The usual calm seemed to be hiding an ominous undercurrent. He couldn't quite explain why, but an instinctual unease made him quicken his pace.
The alley's exit was just ahead. Xu Mo subconsciously exhaled in relief, chuckling at himself. Maybe all the exam stress had fried his nerves, making him paranoid over nothing.
"Heh, well, well, look who we have here. Bet you didn't expect to see us again, huh?"
A familiar voice rang out as a figure emerged from the alley's exit, flipping a gleaming switchblade in his hand. It was one of the thugs from earlier that afternoon!
Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned to run back the way he came—only to find the other thug already blocking the path.
This wasn't a coincidence. They had followed him. He had been careless.
"W-what do you want?"
Xu Mo struggled to keep his trembling legs under control as he edged toward the alley wall, discreetly reaching into his pocket. While he had the guts to stand up to bullies, he wasn't stupid enough to think his barely-passing PE grades would let him take on two grown men. The smart move was to call the cops.
Unfortunately, the limping thug had noticed his little trick. With a snarl, he lashed out, landing a vicious kick to Xu Mo's stomach.
Xu Mo collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen as waves of nausea surged through him. The pain was so intense he could barely breathe.
"Trying to call the cops? Where was that gutsy attitude when you bricked me earlier, huh? Go on, try it again!"
The injured thug, still bitter about getting hit with a brick, was completely unhinged. He viciously stomped on Xu Mo several more times before yanking his phone from his pocket and smashing it underfoot, reducing it to a pile of shattered electronics.
"Kid! Take this as a lesson! Being a hero isn't as easy as you think! If you don't have the skills, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong! This is what happens when you meddle in other people's business! Let's see if you dare to act up again next time!"
Seeing Xu Mo sprawled on the ground, completely defenseless, the two thugs vented their frustration, kicking him mercilessly from all directions. They didn't care whether they were striking his head or his face.
A sharp pain shot through Xu Mo's skull as he took two kicks to the head. His vision blurred, his consciousness wavering. The only thing he could do was curl his body up tightly, shielding his head with his arms to minimize the damage to his vitals.
At that moment, a middle-aged man happened to pass by the alley entrance. Hearing the sounds of the beating, he instinctively paused and glanced inside.
"What? You wanna lose those damn eyes of yours?" The knife-wielding thug growled viciously.
Terrified, the middle-aged man immediately averted his gaze and hurried away, pretending he hadn't seen Xu Mo's desperate, pleading eyes.
Xu Mo's heart grew colder. He could already predict that the man wouldn't call the police, nor would anyone else come to his rescue.
People mind their own business. When did that become the rule of survival in this society?
Curled up on the freezing ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Xu Mo let out a bitter, self-mocking smile. Maybe he was the last fool in the world who still believed in doing the right thing.
The two thugs had been kicking him for minutes now, and they were starting to get winded. Their breathing grew heavy, and their attacks slowed, but they showed no signs of leaving. They continued cursing and muttering under their breath.
Xu Mo's body was going numb. His eyelids felt heavier and heavier. The world around him seemed to be fading into the distance.
Am I… going to die here?
No… I can't die… I have to survive!
A powerful will to live surged through Xu Mo, igniting every fiber of his being. In a desperate move, he grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and flung it into the thugs' faces.
Caught off guard, both men instinctively recoiled, their eyes burning from the dust. Seizing the brief opening, Xu Mo threw himself at one of them, knocking him over, then turned and sprinted for his life.
But he barely made it a few steps before his body collapsed.
A searing pain tore through his abdomen. His school uniform was slit open, revealing a gash several inches long. Dark red blood was already spreading rapidly across the fabric.
"M-Maodou, you… you stabbed him!" The limping thug gasped in shock.
"I… I didn't! He ran into it himself!" The other thug stammered in panic. He had always carried the knife for intimidation, never once considering actually using it.
"What do we do now?"
"No one saw… We run! Let's lay low at my uncle's place for a few days until things cool down!"
Without even checking if Xu Mo was still alive, the two men bolted into the night.
"Good evening, listeners. The time is now 8:00 PM in the capital. Welcome to a special broadcast of Doomsday Prophecies and Astronomy. I'm your host, Xinyu. Tonight, we have invited Professor Wang from the Capital University Astronomy Department…"
The faint sound of a radio broadcast trickled into Xu Mo's ears. His eyelids fluttered open.
He tried to get up but found that his body had no strength left. Moving his hand with great effort, he touched his abdomen—his palm came away slick with warm blood. The wound showed no sign of clotting.
So… I must have passed out from fear. But it couldn't have been for too long, or I would've bled out already.
Xu Mo opened his mouth, trying to call for help. But his voice was barely louder than a whisper—so weak that even if someone were standing right in front of him, they probably wouldn't hear it.