Chapter 45: Anomaly

The next day. Chongming district.

Today, I followed Lu Xiu to this residential area.

Coincidentally, this old urban area was right next to the park where we caught the Super seaweed mass. A small river gurgled, winding through half the city.

According to Lu Xiu, Chongming district was one of the oldest neighborhoods and the area where aberrations occurred most frequently. Fortunately, it was mostly deserted now, as most people had moved out.

For safety reasons, it was listed as the last area to investigate.

“If it’s not here, then we can only accept our fate.”

Lu Xiu had changed into a set of newly bought clothes.

I, on the other hand, was holding a cup of Kuyan Fire Village I bought on the way, sucking on a straw. I looked at this land, which was so dilapidated it was no different from the outskirts of the city.

‘It feels a bit eerie.’

*Gulp, gulp—*

After finishing the last sip of milk tea, I tossed the cup into the mouth on the stomach and followed Lu Xiu into Chongming district.

The architectural style inside was unique. Not red brick walls, but a kind of gray sandstone wall embedded with countless small pebbles.

Aside from collapsed buildings, there was nothing else on the ground — no discarded items, only wildly growing weeds that tangled and climbed the walls in clusters, rustling in the wind.

I tasted a few blades of grass, but they didn’t taste good; they were completely bitter.

As we continued further, the sky darkened without us realizing it, though the sun was still high. It was a gloomy, overcast day.

The curved foxtail grass hung its head, bent by a ladybug, before I picked it up and stuffed it into my mouth.

“Pah, pah —”

It was still that same taste. I spat it out.

“Sui.”

Lu Xiu was calling me. I stood up and walked toward him.

“Look.”

He pointed at a bungalow. Following his gaze, I saw that green-painted wooden door from my memory.

“Does it look familiar?” he asked.

“Um… maybe… but maybe not.”

His mouth twitched.

“We can’t be sure yet. Luohu district had green door paint too.”

I nodded.

We walked and walked, from the entrance toward the interior. Lu Xiu always walked ahead of me. When I got tired, he would slow down or simply find a clean stone to sit on and rest for a while.

The summer sun was still a bit hot, making me feel weak and lethargic. I really wanted to drink a cup of chilled Kuyan Fire Village. Preferably an extra-large cup with apple slices.

“Sui, don’t daze off. It might not be safe here.” Lu Xiu’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“I know.”

‘I hope an ice demon or a mint demon shows up…’

But the moment I thought of demons, I remembered that terrifying scene from before, and my whole body couldn’t help but tremble.

‘Never mind, I’d rather not see any demons.’

Thinking this, I kept pace with Lu Xiu.

*Tap, tap —*

One heavy step and one light, our footsteps wandered through the ruins.

“Not this one.”

“Not this one.”

“Not this one.”

We visited several schools in succession, but none matched the memories of my past.

“That leaves only two: Chongming primary school and Yimin primary school.”

He drew in his notebook, closed it, and stuffed it into his pocket. “Let’s go. We’ll head to Chongming primary school first.”

I nodded and took his hand.

*Tap, tap —*

As we walked further, the surrounding vegetation became sparse, like a reflection of the past forgotten by everyone.

It was a building covered in white porcelain tiles, a blend of white and red — white on top and red on the bottom.

The school gate was still a rusty iron gate that creaked as we pushed it open, bits of rust peeling off to be crushed underfoot and merged with the soil.

We entered the abandoned campus.

This place… seemed a bit familiar… It was just a faint feeling.

Frowning, I walked forward. In the middle of the school playground was a flower bed that now held only a pile of faded, dry dirt.

[Suisui… these are daisies, and these, these are lilies…]

A tender, childish voice rang out in my head.

‘Who is it? But… I can’t remember.’

I saw Lu Xiu stop silently behind me. After thinking for a moment, I continued forward.

Several panes of blue glass in the teaching building had been smashed and lay on the ground, shimmering with a deep blue light under a thin layer of dust.

I continued further inside.

[I’m not playing with you… You’re so dull, not fun at all.]

My footsteps faltered, and I pursed my lips. I looked back at Lu Xiu again. He was still behind me. He was still there.

I took another step and entered a small classroom. It was very, very dusty, filled with wooden desks stacked haphazardly.

Some were missing legs, while others were broken into pieces, blocking the blackboard.

[Hahahaha… look at her, she’s so stupid.]

[Hey, why aren’t you talking? Are you a mute?]

These voices rose and fell, fading into the air and dust.

‘Are these… my memories?’

I felt a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t want to stay here anymore; I wanted to go back. Just as I was about to turn around, I hesitated.

‘Should I just go back like this? Then I’ll go back to eating and watching television.’

‘On some dark, rainy night, I’ll remember bits of these forgotten memories, letting them pierce my heart over and over again, yet never being able to find out what I did wrong…’

I clenched my hands and looked at Lu Xiu. He was leaning against the doorframe, looking at the distant sky without saying a word.

But a moment later, as if sensing my gaze, he looked at me and gave a faint, weary smile.

I couldn’t leave… If I left now, then everything we did before would be for nothing. I didn’t want that.

So, I took a deep breath and forced myself to turn around, looking once more at the empty classroom frozen in abandonment.

There were drawings on the blackboard, but they were no longer legible. Candy wrappers remained on the floor, having not disappeared after a long, long time.

Outside the window, thick grass grew, its green branches creeping inside and curling around the legs of a high-stacked table, blooming with a pale yellow flower. My gaze fell upon a small fragment on the floor.

I crouched down, reached out, and gently pinched it. It was hard and slightly sharp. It was a small piece of porcelain.

[It’s her, it’s all her fault!]

[It’s her, I saw it with my own eyes!]

[She’s the one who broke the vase — !]

*Screech —*

The sharp sound of glass shattering instantly broke the silence of the ruins, waking me from the slumber of my memories.

I abruptly let go, and the porcelain piece fell. Then, a strange sound came from outside the classroom.

*Clang —*

Lu Xiu drew his blade. I ran out and saw a giant, golden-yellow object rolling around on the playground. It was surrounded by broken blue glass.

“Argh… eat… no… hehehehe…”

What, what was that? I watched it writhe. It seemed to be in great pain, yet it was also snickering.

“Is it a demon?” Lu Xiu said, sounding uncertain.

‘A demon?’

I subconsciously shrank back.

“I want… big brother, second brother, fourth brother…”

The creature suddenly scrambled up from the ground. I finally saw what it looked like. A large piece of golden fried chicken.

‘Is it the… Fried chicken demon? Why is it here?’

Before I could think further, it suddenly knelt on the ground, its entire body beginning to mutate.

A thin, yellowish-orange liquid began to seep from its surface, dripping onto the ground and spreading, filling the air with a certain aroma. It was the smell of oil.

“Careful, Sui. Something’s wrong with this guy.”

Lu Xiu didn’t hesitate anymore. He pulled out a pistol with his other hand, aimed it at the twitching demon, and pulled the trigger. A silver-white bullet shot into its body, followed by a burst of fire.

When the flames met the oil, a boiling tongue of fire suddenly surged, licking the earth and the writhing demon.

“Argh… it hurts… kill me…”

It wailed and crawled toward us, reaching out a hand toward Lu Xiu.

“I’m going to be eaten… so hungry… hehehe…”

I hid behind Lu Xiu, my body trembling, before suddenly meeting those scorched eyes.

“…Eat me, eat me… sacred fetus… eat me…”

“Get, get away from me!” I backed away.

Its wailing suddenly stopped. Its voice sounded as if its soul had been drained, speaking in an inorganic tone: “The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

“The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

“The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

“Sacred fetus —”

*Bang!*

Its voice was drowned out by Lu Xiu’s gunfire.

“Sui, let’s get out of here!”

Lu Xiu grabbed my hand, his expression becoming solemn. But a second later, his forward steps came to a dead stop.

“The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

“The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

The repeating echoes didn’t come from the lifeless Fried chicken demon on the ground. In front of us, a giant Coke cup was slowly walking toward us.

On the other side was a long, thick utility pole, and to our left was a speaker with ears.

“The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

“The sacred fetus has awakened, the altar shall be established.”

This eerie, hollow voice was coming from their mouths. Further away, there were countless shadowy monster figures that were hard to see.

“Tch… it’s the Nirvana society. These persistent bastards!”

‘Nirvana society?’

“Sacred fetus, sacred fetus, lead us… to the end of the void…”

*Thump, thump —*

A heartbeat sounded. I looked at the fried chicken monster on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the latter had undergone a sudden change. Its surface was no longer crispy golden batter, but smooth, bloody white chunks of meat.

Then, countless fine hairs grew out from under the skin, covering it layer by layer, before beginning a bizarre reverse growth.

*Crack, crack —*

This was the sound of an eggshell forming. It… was turning into an egg. From a piece of raw chicken, it was becoming an egg again.

*Thump, thump —*

The heartbeat grew more intense. Lu Xiu scooped me up and tried to break through to the side.

*Bang — bang, bang!*

*Thump, thump, thump!*

The gunshots and heartbeats throbbed in sync within the eerie, quiet ruins. Three Yellow talismans slid from Lu Xiu’s sleeve, shooting out like iron plates.

The demons they hit exploded instantly, but this still couldn’t stop the overall momentum of the closing circle.

At that moment, accompanied by a crisp cracking sound, the egg hatched.