Early the next morning, as I approached the windowsill to see how the world outside had changed, I was nearly struck by lightning again. Then, the thunder and lightning receded.
Lu Daoshi gave me a complicated look. "Your roommate really dotes on you."
I felt his level of acceptance was a bit too high. He was now firmly convinced that my roommate was God—and my husband—and didn't seem to suffer from the same agonizing sense of unreality that I did. Then I had a second thought: the one who had guided us to the conclusion that my roommate was God was Lu Daoshi himself. It felt like he was a shill hired by my roommate. Sure enough, he turned to Ren Xing and said earnestly, "You think you and Liu Wukong are in a fair competition, and that’s fine. But what if they’re already a couple? What if Ye Xiao is already pregnant? If you keep messing around, aren't you just the 'other man' breaking up a home? You’re seducing a pregnant person! How could the husband not be anxious? Now that the husband has come knocking, can't you show some decency? Do you really want him to destroy the world before you're satisfied? Officer, this isn't honorable of you. You underestimated your rival, and it’s led to serious consequences."
Ren Xing snorted but didn't argue. I didn't dare say a word either. If what Lu Daoshi said was true and my roommate was about to destroy the world for my sake, how the hell could I not claim him?
As we headed downstairs, Ren Xing whispered to me, "Do you love him?"
How was I supposed to answer that? This wasn't a choice between national duty and personal love; it was a choice between world peace and personal love, Officer! Besides, my feelings for my roommate were already quite deep. He was good to me, aside from being a bit poor... wait, is money even an issue for a god-like man? With a wave of his hand, he could probably manifest hundreds of thousands of dollars out of thin air. He definitely wouldn't let me suffer. My man was just that badass, period.
Because my thoughts had wandered so far, Ren Xing took my silence as an answer. He let out a long sigh. He looked like he wanted to pat my head, but ultimately just settled for patting my shoulder. "If you ever get a divorce, come find me."
And so, the three of us managed to concoct a tragic melodrama in our heads, all while my roommate was absent and hadn't said a single word.
When we reached the ground floor, the residential compound was deserted—not even a dog was in sight. I was a bit too scared to keep walking. Ren Xing comforted me, saying, "With the weather turning like this so suddenly, the elderly are probably all hiding indoors."
I found it strange. "Then why are we going out?"
Lu Daoshi said, "Because today is the last day to confirm registration for the CET-4 and CET-6 exams. I have to go back to school—did you pay your CET-4 fee yet?"
"No..."
Lu Daoshi made a gesture. "Then it’s perfect; we’ll go back to school together. And we can look for your boyfriend while we're at it."
Ren Xing reminded us, "The world is about to end, and you're still worried about the CET exams?"
Lu Daoshi exhaled a gloomy cloud of cigarette smoke. "If it ends, that’s fine. I’ve been trying to pass the CET-6 for three years, dammit. Why does a grave-digger like me need to learn English anyway? Am I going to chat with the old folks in the tombs?! My fear is that Ye Xiao’s husband will have a change of heart, the world will be perfectly fine, and then I’ll fail again. What then? Those who use the apocalypse as an excuse to slack off always end up looking like idiots in the end. Do you believe me, Officer? I’ll bet you on it."
Ren Xing: "..."
Lu Daoshi continued, "Besides, the school is a place full of memories for Ye Xiao and his boyfriend. The desks they leaned on together; the riverside where they walked hand-in-hand under the moonlight; the 1.2-meter wide bed; the late-night bathhouse. Right now, Ye Xiao’s boyfriend is definitely waiting at some sentimental spot for Ye Xiao to go beg for his forgiveness, waiting until he’s frantic with worry."
Ren Xing and I: "..."
I said, "You’ve got it all wrong. Don't project your memories onto me and my roommate!" My roommate spent every day washing dishes and working part-time, thank you very much. He looked like any other young guy applying for student loans. He even listened to "Qing Fei De Yi"! I’m not trying to badmouth him, but is my roommate even capable of being romantic? Completely impossible. If he said he was angry, he definitely went back to the Abyss to sleep. I knew him too well.
In the end, Ren Xing drove us out. "Might as well see what the city looks like now."
Ren Xing had considered whether to cut off the water supply last night, but firstly, he didn't have the authority, and secondly, Old Chu’s disgusting "sons" could reproduce through parasitism. Even without water, they could thrive. There was no way around it, so he didn't resort to a "kill a thousand to lose eight hundred" tactic that would hurt everyone. So far, the city's electricity and water remained stable. But food was a different story. The streets were eerily empty; the private cars that usually backed up three intersections deep were few and far between. However, the supermarkets along the street were packed, with police struggling to maintain order. The crowds were pushing and shoving, on the verge of a riot at any moment.
At this time, black clouds pressed down on the city. The sky at eight or nine in the morning looked like the dead of night. Combined with the massive vortex of clouds swirling above the city, it truly felt like the end of the world. As we drove down the main street, a burst of screams erupted from a supermarket. I leaned out the car window and saw several people running out like madmen, tripping and falling, followed by a dense volley of gunfire. I didn't know what was happening, but their screams were terrifying.
"Could it be Old Chu’s sons...?" I asked Ren Xing, who was frowning deeply.
Ren Xing said, "The sky alone is enough to scare people out of their wits."
As we passed the central commercial plaza, the giant screens on the skyscrapers were scrolling local news. The anchor said the city had established contact with the central government, that the People's Liberation Army would arrive soon, and reminded everyone not to hoard supplies or jam the highways to flee. The crisis was only temporary...
Lu Daoshi shook his head. "A cover-up. The city has no way of communicating with the outside world at all."
"Huh?"
Lu Daoshi shrugged. "I tried. Data doesn't work, Wi-Fi is dead, the internet is cut. And I tried making a long-distance call; it won't go through. We’re locked in."
"Holy shit, that’s intense!"
I really wanted to know what R City looked like on Google Earth right now. Had anyone noticed that a city on Earth was about to be wiped out? Anyone?! Look over here! Look over here!
Despite everything, Lu Daoshi still led me with startling enthusiasm to pay my CET exam fees. He said earnestly, "You'll thank me later."
I felt like he had a lot of experience surviving the apocalypse—specifically, experience taking exams during the apocalypse...
Classes were suspended across the entire school today. The loudspeakers told us all to stay in our dorms and not move. Ren Xing was supposed to leave after dropping us off, but considering how uncanny my dorm was, he instructed Lu Daoshi to keep a close eye on me and even escorted us upstairs personally. On the way up, the dorm manager auntie said there was a package for me. I wondered why it wasn't an oil painting, then forgot if I had bought anything online, so I just shoved it in my pocket and went upstairs.
After the incident with Old Chu on our top floor, three people had given up their spots for postgraduate recommendation and quit school altogether, leaving only six of us. Now, those six were all in Pi Zhang’s room, playing cards with gusto. Pi Zhang threw down a pair of Queen of Hearts and waved at us. "It’s the end of the world, you know!"
Why the hell are you so excited?!
Seeing us like this, Ren Xing felt a bit more at ease. He cocked his elbow and smashed the fire safety window, pulled out an axe, and solemnly handed it to me. "For self-defense."
I gripped the axe. Mushrooms immediately began to sprout from the handle. Ren Xing acted as if he didn't see it and instructed Lu Daoshi, "Watch him. If anything happens to him, his roommate won't wait three days to make a move."
Lu Daoshi gave a dry chuckle. "I won't give him such a good opportunity."
Ren Xing nodded and turned to leave. Just then, the shut-in who had been watching the card game suddenly called out to me, "Ye Xiao."
I had a psychological shadow regarding this guy, so I immediately took a step back, nearly falling down the stairs. Ren Xing steadied me, and seeing my pale face, his hand went to his belt to draw his gun. Lu Daoshi also stood in front of me with a grim expression. "What are you doing?!"
Seeing the three of us in such a defensive stance, the shut-in scratched his head timidly. "It’s just... what you asked me before, about the surveillance tapes downstairs."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "You took your time with that."
The shut-in blushed. "To be honest, I forgot about it after that night and only remembered a few days ago. Sorry about that. The cameras downstairs didn't capture your roommate entering the building."
I already knew that. It wasn't hard for my roommate to move while time was stopped. Hadn't I seen him stir the sky into this mess? And I no longer suspected him of being that hideously ugly "period monster"—because that was Old Chu, damn it.
"And... there’s one more thing. The camera captured..." The shut-in looked at Ren Xing, then at Lu Daoshi, appearing as if he didn't quite dare to speak.
"They’re both my friends. Just say it."
The shut-in was silent for a moment, then suddenly winked at me, then winked again. This time I saw it clearly—he was signaling toward Lu Daoshi!
Holy shit. No way!
He’s my archaeology senior!
I looked at him standing close to me, his chest rising and falling with his breath, and I was scared out of my mind!
Lu Daoshi was a bit eccentric and often acted as my personal Baidu... but if even he was a problem, what was I supposed to do?! Last time, when Ren Xing was parasitized by Old Chu’s son, he had hinted that there was something wrong with Lu Daoshi. Now the shut-in was saying the same thing. What kind of background did my archaeology senior have that made them so wary of him?! I really wanted to jump off the building! What exactly did the shut-in see? What could he have seen to be that terrified?!
I couldn't help but stand a bit further away from my archaeology senior and walked toward the shut-in. Seeing his chance, the shut-in grabbed my arm and huddled close, trembling. He was acting quite effeminate, his eyes never leaving Lu Daoshi. Lu Daoshi pursed his lips, his expression terrifying. Clearly, he realized the shut-in had discovered something unfavorable about him...
Just then, Ren Xing suddenly shouted my name, followed by the crack of a gunshot! In that instant, I was violently jerked by the shut-in, and the bullet hit me directly! Fuck, it hurt!
My vision went dark, and the shut-in bit down!
Dammit! He has bad breath!
After he bit me, he was pinned to the ground by Ren Xing, Lu Daoshi, and Pi Zhang and the others who had rushed over. He was very thin, but at this moment, his strength was beyond human; the six or seven of them combined couldn't hold him down. He was foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes while convulsing, and his chest kept surging upward, as if something behind his sternum was trying to burst out. This is a goddamn Alien! And I was in so much pain; no one was looking after me at all. I was just tossed aside like a rag, gasping for air...
"This won't work!" Lu Daoshi grabbed the axe I had dropped on the floor. "It’s about to burst out. Just hack him to death and be done with it!"
Everyone was stunned. Even Ren Xing froze in place.
We were all ordinary people. One moment it was the apocalypse, and the next, our classmates and friends were hosts for monsters. Who the hell could just strike them down? Everyone had just been playing cards a moment ago.
While we were hesitating, a syringe suddenly shot from the direction of the stairs, accurately piercing the shut-in’s chest!
The convulsing shut-in went quiet three seconds later. The thing behind his sternum stopped moving as well. Soon, I felt that thing disappear, because the shut-in’s chest suddenly deflated, returning to his thin and frail appearance.
All of us idiots stared blankly in that direction.
I was already prepared to see my roommate.
Instead, standing there were two people I never expected to see!
Zhang Litian, and the one currently wearing Captain An’s skin... Old Chu!
***
