Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Time: 9:00 AM

You sat side by side with Old Man Chen on a bench beside the basketball court, the radio at your elbow hissing with a gritty crackle.

Guo Degang’s voice came through in fits and starts.

You and Old Man Chen kept chatting on and off, occasionally chuckling along with each other.

A thick cloud in the sky blocked the sun, casting a stretch of gloom over the ground. It should have been an ordinary morning, with gentle sunlight, crisp autumn wind, and the sound of people nearby. You shouldn’t have felt lonely.

But the stiff curve of your mouth betrayed just how far you were from comfortable. Within your line of sight, your parents and the residents from your building stood silently beneath the shade of the trees, motionless. The old men and women sat on folding stools, chatting among themselves, and every so often, they would glance your way. The temperature in early autumn was not low; it even carried the lingering heat of summer. Yet cold sweat was seeping down your back.

Before long, you could no longer stand those stares. You leaned back against the bench, tilted your head slightly upward, and looked at the clouds.

Maybe only the shifting shapes of the clouds could help you relax.

Gradually, you calmed down and began thinking about your next move.

It was hard to understand, but for now, it seemed that as long as no one discovered you could see, you were safe.

Time crept by. The first ray of dazzling light pierced through a gap in the clouds and fell across your face. You couldn’t help raising a hand to shield your eyes.

At that instant, the voices in the crowd stopped dead.

Countless faces turned toward you at the same time.

In the eerie silence, only the radio continued to hiss.

Your heart began pounding harder, as if gripped by some wordless terror. You hurriedly said goodbye to Old Man Chen and left at a brisk pace.

Only when you closed your front door behind you did you finally calm down.

After that, you spent the entire day on edge, not daring to do anything else even before bed.

You thought what happened during the day had simply passed. Exhaustion dragged at your mind, and just like that, you fell asleep.

Time: 2:00 AM

Half-asleep, you heard a faint rustling sound. You snapped awake, alert, and prepared to get up.

In the darkness, you skillfully put on your clothes.

There seemed to be an unpleasant smell in the air, and you twitched your nose.

You couldn’t hold back a sneeze. Along with that sneeze came a deafening boom.

“Bang!”

In the darkness, a streak of fire first flashed before your eyes. Then came a surging blast wave, a thunderous roar. The force hurled you backward, smashing through the glass and sending you flying out the window.

The last thing you saw was fire clawing and baring its teeth in the boundless night.

Like a demon.

…

Time: 5:45 PM

Your eyes flew open.

“Don’t let them know you can see.” The voice arrived right on cue.

This was your sixth death.