My Roommate is a Non-Human | Chapter 32 | A Narrow Escape | Novela.app

There were so many of them, and I was growing more exhausted by the second. I realized that the appearance of those strange plants was likely linked to me; as my physical strength waned, would they also become increasingly powerless? Just as the thought crossed my mind, a sharp pain shot through my ankle. Startled, I was instantly flipped over, landing hard on all fours amidst the decaying organic matter. Then, I was dragged backward by my ankle! The strange plants around me withered rapidly. I twisted and struggled with all my might, only to have something sink its teeth into my thigh! I thought I was finished—there was no way out. Then, without any warning, the two buildings flanking the alley began to sway. At first, I thought it was just the steel scaffolding of the fire escapes shaking. I never imagined the buildings themselves were rocking until they tilted so far they pressed against each other, blotting out the overcast sky above. Then, a brick plummeted from the fourth floor, landing behind me with a heavy thud. The grip on my ankle loosened. I scrambled up and bolted. A chorus of hissing erupted behind me. From further away, I heard someone scream, "Earthquake!" Only then did I realize the ground beneath my feet was sinking and cracking. I was on the verge of collapse, but fueled by a sudden surge of desperate courage, I ran along the fissured mud path, one foot landing on the left of a crack, the other on the right. I had only charged forward a dozen meters when bricks and iron pipes began raining down from above. As the two tenement buildings collapsed, the iron stairs twisted and snapped, their jagged ends as sharp as knives. To squeeze through a gap, I suffered a long gash on my calf, but the price was worth it. If I hadn't taken that hit, I would have been buried in that alley. The moment I cleared the alleyway, both buildings collapsed completely. The dust and debris kicked up two stories high; as far as the eye could see, not a single pillar taller than myself remained. I finally understood what it meant to be "leveled to the ground." Knowing those things were crushed underneath, I fell to my knees, laughing and crying at the same time. Finally, drained of all strength, I stayed there with my forehead pressed against the ground until the fire engines arrived. The cut on my calf was shallow—just a flesh wound that didn't even need stitches—but the bite marks on my ankle were nasty. While I was getting a tetanus shot in the ambulance, Ren Xing walked over, looking sharp and professional with his notepad. The moment he saw me, he actually whacked me on the head with his folder. "How is it you again?!" "Damn it, I didn't want this either." "You were here just now?" "What do you think?" Ren Xing looked me up and down and shook his head. He probably found my disheveled, tear-streaked appearance an eyesore but bit his tongue, maintaining his professional air. "Did you see any terrorists?" "What?" "These two were condemned buildings, over twenty years old. This area is slated for a commercial plaza. The developer and the residents reached an agreement—the residents took the money and left, and the developer planned to demolish them." Ren Xing nudged the brim of his cap with his pen. "But the demolition was scheduled for two weeks from now. In other words, the developers haven't sent anyone yet. This place being blown to bits was definitely man-made." "Whoever did it, they have my thanks!" I stood up with difficulty and began limping toward the school. Ren Xing caught up and grabbed my shoulder. "What happened?" I broke down, a pathetic mess of tears and snot. Ren Xing led me to the police car, shut the door, and tossed his notepad aside. "Fine, you can use my shoulder now." "Get lost." "Stop rubbing your eyes, your hands are filthy." Ren Xing opened a bottle of mineral water to help me wash my hands, then pulled out some tissues for me to dry them. "What happened this time? I look away for one second and you're getting bullied again?" "It wasn't a person." Ren Xing was used to this; he didn't even blink. I told him everything that had happened over the last two days. Having someone to vent to without reservation was a luxury I couldn't usually afford. I feared being tortured or killed by those anomalies, but I feared even more that telling people would make them see *me* as an anomaly. I wanted someone to believe me, to help me, and I hoped that person would at least have a shred of sympathy for me. My roommate gave me a sense of security because of his strength. But security requires a baseline of trust, and I was troubled—I had no idea what he was actually up to. After hearing me out, Ren Xing sat in the car and fretted along with me. Finally, he patted my shoulder. "At least you're alive." I turned back into a blubbering mess. "I don't want to live like this... if this keeps up, I won't even pass my English exams..." Ren Xing laughed, devoid of any sympathy. I nearly punched him. "Laugh, go ahead, laugh! What's so funny?!" "Listen to me," Ren Xing said, catching my fist. "After surviving so many brushes with death, you're probably unkillable. There are deities three feet above your head; you're being protected." "I can't see or touch this 'protection.' Most people would just call it luck." "If luck happens this many times, it's destiny." "But I can't do anything, and I don't understand anything. I can't figure out where I fit into this series of derailed events; I have zero sense of certainty. You feel grounded because you know the sun will rise tomorrow, you can keep driving your car to finish your missions, and fulfill your duty as a police officer. But it's not like that for me. I've seen time stop, I've suffered the tragedy of having my heart cut out in the middle of the night, I've been slept with by my roommate disguised as you... I don't know who to trust or what to do anymore. What if my luck runs out one day? What if the deities above my head abandon me? I don't even know how to please them." Ren Xing didn't speak. I slammed the car door shut and limped away. Passing the post office, I saw the staff huddled together, whispering. "Was that an earthquake just now? The ground shook so hard those two old buildings just collapsed." "You felt the tremor too?" I asked. "We did!" they said, still shaken. "We were okay here; we could stay upright by holding onto the tables. But it was much worse over by those buildings—the ground actually cracked open." An earthquake on such a small scale, and so perfectly timed... it made me feel that Ren Xing's words held some truth. Perhaps there really were deities in the unseen world. I could only encourage myself with the thought that as long as the great gods weren't angry, I could probably keep my little life. On the street back, I unexpectedly ran into my roommate. I was shocked because, at this hour, he was usually squatting in that filthy place washing dishes. Seeing him, I thought how wonderful it would have been if he had been with me this afternoon. He was waiting at the street corner, quiet. Seeing him, I was like a starving wolf spotting prey; despite my bad leg, I sprinted toward him. Just as I was about to reach him, a girl suddenly darted out from the side. I nearly died of shock—because that girl was incredibly beautiful! She threw herself affectionately toward my roommate. And my roommate, with practiced ease, pulled her into his arms as if her shoulder was naturally meant to rest under his armpit. They crossed the street arm-in-arm, and my roommate even kissed her long hair. The scene was so beautiful I couldn't bear to look! My roommate kissing my hair would never have that dreamlike effect, simply because my hair was short. Short-haired me stood there as if struck by lightning. The light turned green and they began to cross. I followed them for a distance and realized they were heading toward the hotel district. Midway, the girl wanted to buy milk tea. My roommate didn't go with her but stood on the sidewalk waiting. Only then did I summon the courage to approach. My mind was a mess, my heart simmering with uncontrollable rage: I had just been chased through an alley by god-knows-what, narrowly escaped a collapsing building, and here was my roommate... on a date with a woman... and going to a hotel! Fuck! Recalling Lu Daoshi's words, was he trying to breed as much as possible?! "Liu Wukong!" He turned around, looking surprised. I jerked my chin toward the girl. "Is that your girlfriend?" "What's it to you?" I was incensed by his thuggish, indifferent attitude. I grabbed his collar and punched him. He actually fought back without a word! There was no way I could beat him; I was quickly pinned to the ground. "Your leg is trashed and you're still acting crazy?" He ground his foot into my injured ankle. The pain was excruciating, but I gritted my teeth and refused to beg for mercy. His girlfriend stood by, screaming in a high-pitched, cutesy voice, "Ah! What are you doing?! Brother Liu, stop hitting him—" My roommate stopped and spat at me. "Psycho." Before leaving, he didn't forget to land two more kicks in my stomach. He beat me so badly I couldn't even crawl up. I felt like dying. He swaggered off with his arm around his girlfriend, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Even after walking a distance, he looked back with an expression like he wanted to hit me again. I lay on the ground for a good while. My stomach hurt, my leg hurt, I felt nauseous, my heart was heavy, and my nose stung. I just didn't want to get up. After lying there for a bit, I stood up, pocketed the money a passerby had tossed me, and limped toward the school. At the school gate, I called Ren Xing. "Hey, I have something to tell you. I just got beaten up by my roommate." Ren Xing said gloatingly, "Oh ho." He paused, then added, "Aha!" Finally, he laughed, "Hehehehehehehehahahahahaha!" "..." I rubbed my stomach and organized my thoughts. "If that really was my roommate, this is a huge problem—he's looking for as many people as possible to breed with. But, how should I put this... thinking back now, I don't think that was actually my roommate. The face was the same, and he felt similar when standing still, but he didn't recognize me at all, and he fought like Mike Tyson. I'm wondering if my roommate is like Zhang Litian, something that can parasitize human consciousness..." Ren Xing on the other end froze for a second, then immediately said, "Wait there, I'm coming over." I leaned against the school gate in my wretched state, looking like a defeated thug. I didn't think Ren Xing coming over would do much good, but I didn't know what else to do. After waiting about ten minutes, Ren Xing hadn't arrived, but my roommate did, carrying two buckets of duck blood vermicelli soup. He was startled to see me. Because of what had just happened, I felt nothing but resentment toward that face. I was startled too and turned to leave. He jogged a few steps to catch up. "Your leg is hurt." Isn't that your fault?! Making all these Liu Wukongs so I can't tell who's who. It wasn't even that painful before, but the moment he mentioned it, the pain intensified until I couldn't help but shed a few physiological tears. My roommate held the soup out to me. In my anger, I pushed it away. He lost his grip, and it all spilled. My roommate froze, a look of "Oh my god" on his face as he stood there, dazed. I couldn't walk anymore either, so I just stood there fuming. After a long silence, my roommate finally spoke. "You're mean," he said innocently. *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 夷为平地 | Leveled to the ground | Idiom meaning to be completely demolished or flattened. 头顶三尺有神明 | Deities three feet above one's head | A traditional Chinese belief that spirits/gods are always watching and protecting (or judging) humans. 流里流气 | Thuggish / Raffish | Describing a person with a rowdy, unsavory, or delinquent manner. 鸭血粉丝 | Duck blood vermicelli soup | A popular Nanjing specialty soup made with duck blood curds and glass noodles. 你凶 | You're mean / You're being fierce | In this context, a slightly childish or "moe" complaint about someone being harsh or aggressive.