Chapter Thirteen: The Human Way
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Ash continued to drift down from the sky, gradually covering the ground in a layer of grayish white. Strangely, the ash corroded only flesh and blood, leaving material objects completely untouched.
“Sorry you had to hear the Three Cosmic Rules.”
Beside him, the skeletal “Shen Liangxin” spoke through the phone. “There are three ways to get out. The first is to hide and wait for the ash to stop. Since you truly exist in the real world, all you need to do is buy time.”
“The second is to find the Human World Path and follow behind him without looking back.”
Li Fengyin watched the jaw of the “Shen Liangxin” beside him open and close, yet could genuinely hear her voice only through the phone.
“And the third?”
Li Fengyin asked, since Shen Liangxin had deliberately paused.
Looking slightly embarrassed, Shen Liangxin frowned in the real world. “It involves sex. But you should give up on the third option.”
“Ahem...”
Li Fengyin seemed to have understood something embarrassing and decided not to ask any further.
..........
“Li Fengyin...”
Zheng Chao’s right foot had already been corroded to the point where the bone was showing. Yet it seemed that only by finding the “Li Fengyin” walking through the Underworld could he return to reality. The problem was, how could he cross through the ash filling the air all around him?
The small television inside a shop by the street still showed that figure walking step by step, but only from behind. Zheng Chao had a feeling that even if he saw the front, all he would find was a skeleton.
Yet he was absolutely certain that figure was Li Fengyin.
On the enormous screen covering the side of a nearby high-rise, “Li Fengyin” was also shown from behind, walking onward one step at a time. The good news was that he did not seem to be far from where Zheng Chao was.
The bad news was that Zheng Chao felt completely incapable of crossing through the ash-filled sky.
......
The Human World Path was the name given to this figure. With both hands tucked into his trouser pockets, he advanced step by step across the ash of the Underworld. There seemed to be no other living creatures here. The lonely, ethereal atmosphere made one’s heart tremble faintly.
According to the map in his mind, Zheng Chao realized that the figure’s direction of travel seemed to lead straight toward him. He reached out, and a fragment of ash landed in his palm, leaving behind a trace of corrosion. Yet Zheng Chao showed little pain. Instead, a hint of joy appeared on his face.
“At this level of corrosion... there’s still hope!”
.......
“If I choose to wait, how long will it take?”
By then, however, the phone in his hand had already fallen silent. Li Fengyin gazed at the ash filling the world outside with a troubled expression. Shen Liangxin’s voice could no longer be distinguished through the call; only the hiss of static remained.
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The connection had been cut off!
“If I wait...”
What worried Li Fengyin was not knowing how long it would take. If he had to wait until he starved to death here, that was entirely possible.
“As for the Human World Path...”
Li Fengyin looked toward the screen on the building ahead and to the right, once part of a bustling commercial district. The figure of the Human World Path was displayed upon it. Beneath the vast clouds that hid the sun, a dark shadow stretched behind him as he walked at an unchanging pace, with unchanging steps, toward an unchanging destination.
“He’s thinking about something!”
The words suddenly sprang into Li Fengyin’s mind, because that was exactly what he had looked like long ago when he walked while lost in thought.
And yet, there was also a subtle difference between that figure and himself.
The body was similar, but the temperament was not.
Li Fengyin still remembered where the figure on the screen was located. It was just beyond this pedestrian snack street, and he was about to enter Li Fengyin’s field of vision.
“Follow the Human World Path?”
Li Fengyin hesitated as he looked at the ash filling the sky. What if he was corroded away before reaching the figure’s back? What would happen then?
But there were not many opportunities. He had to get as close as possible if he wanted any hope of success.
“I’m going for it!”
Li Fengyin said the words aloud, then stepped forward, gazing toward the place where the Human World Path was about to appear. He spread his shirt over his head to shield himself from the ash.
[Author: Ahem, Li Fengyin is also in excellent shape.]
The next moment, the Human World Path appeared in the middle of the street. To Li Fengyin’s surprise, he stopped walking and turned toward the snack district, meeting Li Fengyin’s gaze.
What terrified Li Fengyin was that the other man’s face was exactly identical to his own.
There was no time to think. Li Fengyin charged forward. The ash continued to descend peacefully from the sky, and his feet began to corrode. Fortunately, the distance was only twenty or thirty meters.
.......
“He stopped?!”
Zheng Chao’s pupils contracted. The Human World Path on the screen had come to a halt and turned to look in a certain direction. Zheng Chao was startled, because that was precisely where he had encountered Shen Liangxin and Li Fengyin earlier.
“That means...”
The corners of Zheng Chao’s mouth lifted.
“Li Fengyin himself must have entered the Underworld too!”
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As for why it was not Shen Liangxin—well, that would be like asking why the Buddha knows Buddhist teachings.
For some reason, Zheng Chao’s mood improved considerably. His only concern was that the Human World Path might change direction.
..........
“Long time no see~”
Just as Li Fengyin was about to reach the Human World Path’s back, the other figure suddenly spoke first.
Li Fengyin froze in place. The ash filled the sky, yet it seemed to be ignored. A series of fragmented memories instantly returned to his mind, though they remained broken and indistinct. He merely realized that the Human World Path walking through the Underworld before him also seemed to be “Li Fengyin.”
A part of himself.
“Come on. I’ll take you out.”
That was the Human World Path’s next sentence. Li Fengyin immediately understood and moved behind him, following his steps forward one by one. To Li Fengyin’s astonishment, no ash fell behind the other figure.
After developing schizophrenia, Li Fengyin had once realized that his intelligence had declined. He had therefore tried to restore it through deep thought. But now, although his emotional intelligence had become exceptional, his intellectual abilities had shown no improvement whatsoever. This was something that troubled him greatly.
But after thinking it over, he realized that he had only wanted to get along with others and make friends. He had never cared much about intellectual achievement. As long as he could realize his own worth, he would have no regrets.
And the Human World Path walking ahead of him truly resembled his former self.
At last, as Li Fengyin continued forward through the shadows, another figure—slightly taller than him—came rushing over.
It was Zheng Chao.
The only difference was that Zheng Chao had not thought to protect his head with his clothing. He had simply charged out beneath the ash, and as a result, he had very miserably lost nearly half of his silver-gray hair.
“Tragic.”
Li Fengyin could not help uttering the word.
Zheng Chao followed behind Li Fengyin with an expression of helplessness. The two men fell in line behind the Human World Path and silently continued forward, one step at a time.
“Why did you kidnap Shen Liangxin?”
Li Fengyin asked the question at once. Zheng Chao’s soles were badly injured, and he was grimacing in pain. Hearing Li Fengyin’s question, he answered helplessly, “What if I said it was a hobby? Would you believe me?”
“A hobby?”
Li Fengyin grimaced as well. He could not understand why that would be the answer. Yet the moment he heard Zheng Chao say it, he immediately became certain that the statement was true.
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