Chapter 58#

Wandering Photograph 04#

It was just a fleeting glimpse of a few scenes.

Chu Chenli once thought it might have been a scene he’d seen in some world within a game. With so much clutter in his memory, he rarely revisited the contents of his dreams.

But a sign bearing the name “Thirty-Three” was hardly common. The moment he saw it, it was as if a certain keyword had been triggered, and the related memories came flooding back.

Closely tied to that sign was the corpse of the young man who died with his eyes open.

Even now, Chu Chenli wasn’t entirely sure why he had dreamed of that completely unfamiliar youth back then. Perhaps it was just a glimpse of a future apocalyptic scene he didn’t want to see.

Since he had now encountered it in reality, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

But this alley wasn’t the one from his dream. The boy’s face was more youthful, looking at most fifteen or sixteen years old, a full head shorter than the few people surrounding him.

The three young men encircling him were demanding he hand over something.

The boy’s expression shifted slightly, but he still stubbornly insisted he didn’t know what they were talking about.

His opponents didn’t waste words with him; they simply reached out to grab it.

The boy protected his pocket, but two hands were no match for four. Something from his pocket was snatched away by one of them.

Chu Chenli, standing not far away, paused.

The young men, unsatisfied with what they had taken from the boy, started spitting at him. The boy instinctively raised his hand to shield his face, muttering a few complaints under his breath. His aggressors suddenly grew more enraged. One of them grabbed the boy by the hair and raised a hand to slap him.

The boy instinctively shut his eyes and flinched.

Yet, after waiting for a long moment, the anticipated pain never came. Instead, the bully let out a cry of “Ouch!” as if in great pain.

The grip on his hair loosened, and the boy stumbled to the ground.

The three thugs panicked and backed away, shouting, “Who— who’s there? Show yourself if you’ve got the guts! Do— do you know who we are—”

“Ouch!” Another one of the shouters crouched down, clutching his forehead as a streak of blood seeped through his fingers.

The remaining ones trembled even more, stuttering to each other, “C— couldn’t it be a ghost?”

“N— no way! Maybe it’s that Zhao kid—”

“But wasn’t he just arrested…”

Compared to verbal and physical confrontation, an invisible threat was far more terrifying. The thugs’ legs shook uncontrollably. Eventually, defeated by their own imagined monstrous foe, they turned tail and fled one after another.

Before running off, they didn’t forget to throw out threats: “Just you wait! We’ll come back and deal with you!”

Another small pebble struck the shoulder of the only thug who had escaped unscathed so far.

He yelped but didn’t dare stop, clutching his shoulder as he ran even faster.

The boy who had fallen to the ground was still dazed. It wasn’t until all his tormentors had fled and someone slowly approached from the shadows that he looked up in confusion.

A shadow fell over him, and the boy blinked blankly upward.

Chu Chenli crouched down beside him. Noticing the red scrapes on the boy’s palm from hitting the ground, he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a pack of wet wipes—something He Ziyue had casually handed him not long ago.

The boy instinctively shrank back, but relaxed when he saw Chu Chenli’s face.

Probably because someone who looked so gentle and well-mannered wouldn’t bully him the way those thugs had.

“Th— thanks.” The boy hesitated before taking the wipes, cleaning his palm, and carefully brushing away the dust and gravel embedded in the wound, occasionally hissing in pain.

“What’s your name?” Chu Chenli asked.

“Tang Beihe,” the boy replied.

“What was that thing those guys took from you?” Chu Chenli pressed on.

“…” The boy’s hand trembled, accidentally pressing into the wound. His face twisted in pain, but he didn’t dare cry out, holding his breath until his face turned red.

After a while, he remembered to breathe. Hanging his head, he lied, “I don’t know anything…”

Chu Chenli gave a noncommittal “Oh” and didn’t press further.

This only made the boy, Tang Beihe, more uneasy. He couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Chu Chenli’s face.

Chu Chenli truly had no intention of forcing an answer. After all, they had just met, and it was obvious the boy was used to being bullied, wary of strangers. That was perfectly normal.

The scene from his dream clearly hadn’t happened today. And the thugs, having just been frightened, wouldn’t dare come back anytime soon.

Chu Chenli stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said to Tang Beihe, “See you next time.”

Then he turned to leave.

Tang Beihe stared blankly at his retreating back. It wasn’t until Chu Chenli reached the corner of the alley that he snapped out of it, scrambling to his feet and chasing after him.

“Wait— wait!”

He kept running until the next turn, where the alley opened onto a street and the sounds of people could be heard, before he stopped.

Chu Chenli halted and waited for him. “Is there something else?”

“Was it— was it you who helped me just now?” Tang Beihe’s gaze swept over his face. “Are you new here?”

Chu Chenli said, “Sort of.”

He wasn’t sure which question he was answering.

Tang Beihe, afraid of annoying him, hesitated and didn’t dare ask further.

“If you want to know, I can tell you.”

Tang Beihe changed his mind. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled Chu Chenli back into a secluded corner of the alley. He lifted his jacket and fumbled inside a hidden pocket, lowering his voice.

“But don’t go telling anyone, okay?” he warned nervously.

Clenching his fist, he pulled something out from the pocket, shielding it with his jacket before slowly opening his fingers to show it to Chu Chenli.

A small, pitch-black stone.

At first glance, it looked ordinary—no bigger than an adult’s little finger, shaped like a random pebble picked up from the roadside. But its blackness was exceptionally pure.

Chu Chenli frowned.

What he had glimpsed earlier wasn’t his imagination. Up close, the energy fluctuations from this stone became unmistakably clear.

This was exactly the kind of stone that attracted calamities and spurred further mutation in Aberrants.

But to Tang Beihe, it was clearly a precious treasure. He only showed it to Chu Chenli for a moment before preparing to tuck it away again.

Chu Chenli grabbed his wrist. “Where did you get this?” he asked quietly.

Tang Beihe struggled in panic, but the other’s fingers—slender and pale though they were—held on like unyielding iron, refusing to budge no matter how hard he pulled.

Seeing the growing fear on the boy’s face, Chu Chenli released him. “Sorry.”

Tang Beihe quickly withdrew his hand, rubbing his wrist as he instinctively took a step back.

But he didn’t run away. His brief terror gave way to wariness, then gradually dissipated. He simply looked at Chu Chenli with a strange expression.

He knew that if Chu Chenli really wanted his thing, he could have just taken it by force.

Chu Chenli asked again, “Do you know what this is?”

Tang Beihe shook his head. After a pause, he explained the background: “This thing—the leader of that group of guys was selling it on the down low, calling it an ‘Awakening Stone.’ They said if you carry it, you can awaken special abilities…”

He curled his lip. “At first, I thought they were just conning people for money.”

But—

Earlier at the arrest scene, after witnessing the whole process of someone with an invisibility ability gradually becoming visible, those doubts had vanished.

The Central Base IDs couldn’t be faked. No matter how good those thugs were at scamming, they couldn’t pull off something that elaborate.

Chu Chenli asked, “Are there many of these stones?”

“I don’t know exactly how many, but last time I saw them dump out a whole sack—about this—” Tang Beihe recalled, spreading his arms to show the size. “—about that much, piled up like a small mountain.”

“All stones this size?”

“Yeah.” Tang Beihe nodded. “The biggest one I saw was only about twice this size.”

Still not even half a palm’s width.

“And yours—did you buy it from them?”

At this, Tang Beihe’s expression stiffened, and the tips of his ears reddened.

“I…” The boy lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper. “I— I found it.”

It sounded anything but convincing.

“If you find something, you should return it to its owner.” Chu Chenli avoided using the direct word “stole.” “It’s best not to pick up random things.”

Tang Beihe looked ashamed, clearly aware that what he had done was wrong.

When he did try to defend himself, it was more out of spite toward the sellers: “They’ve stolen from others who knows how many times. I just took a little something…”

His voice grew quieter until he trailed off, unable to continue.

When he thought it through, he couldn’t even convince himself. But emotionally, he was reluctant to admit wrongdoing against “bad people,” so he simply fell silent.

Chu Chenli didn’t try to lecture him further. Instead, his mind was on the stones.

The urban district was supposedly built in the safest area from the start. In theory, this place shouldn’t have that kind of stone. Moreover, research on the stones had only made breakthroughs in the past few months. To many inside the base, it was still a secret. So how had it suddenly become the “Awakening Stone” circulating in the city?

Though it might indeed have a similar effect.

But the risks involved had yet to be fully understood.

Chu Chenli glanced at the silent Tang Beihe and asked, “Do you really want to awaken an ability?”

Tang Beihe kicked at a weed growing in a crack in the ground. After a long pause, he muttered, “I just don’t want to be bullied anymore.”

He was an orphan, without even a single acquaintance. He had lived in the city’s welfare home until he was thirteen, when he was kicked out to work, because beds were scarce and the older kids had to make room for the younger ones.

After the cataclysm, a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old was already considered an adult who could stand on their own.

Still, under the generally united circumstances, even orphans could easily find work to support themselves.

Housing was uniformly allocated for free by the city government. After two months of wandering, he got on the waiting list and was assigned a small single-room apartment nearby. He ran errands for shops and elderly people, did odd jobs, and managed to save a bit.

Occasionally, when unexpected trouble arose, whether by seeking help from the government or relying on the kindness of people nearby with a little assistance, he could scrape through.

But no matter how many kind-hearted people there were, they weren’t his family. Asking for help too many times always ended up annoying people.

Tang Beihe didn’t like living under the pitying gaze of others, so he got used to handling everything alone. Gradually, he became something of a solitary loner.

That made him the perfect target for those thugs.

He had clashed with them several times before. At first, it was because he couldn’t stand them bullying even younger kids. After a few fights, the group had their eyes set on him permanently.

In one-on-one fights, Tang Beihe’s reckless ferocity gave him a slight edge.

But those guys were like annoying hyenas. After losing a few times, they started ganging up on him, and Tang Beihe could only take the beating.

After being beaten enough times, Tang Beihe started to develop some psychological scars. His personality grew more timid, and he became increasingly afraid to fight back.

That fire simmered inside him, burning hotter and hotter.

Not long ago, while returning from delivering food for the shop he worked at, he took a shortcut and stumbled upon the scene of the Awakening Stone trade.

Tang Beihe guessed the stones couldn’t be expensive to produce, because the seller carelessly piled them up without concern. The guards, engrossed in a card game, laughed openly at the fools who paid top dollar.

Someone questioned whether the stones actually worked, and their leader said coldly, “Maybe.”

They didn’t really know either. But trying it out was easy enough, and it didn’t stop them from selling the goods first.

It was then that Tang Beihe, acting on impulse, crept forward, grabbed two stones, and stuffed them into his pocket before bolting.

They probably figured out later that he had stolen the stones, but they weren’t too bothered. They only cornered him when they happened to run into him on the road, demanding he give them back.

—Bullying him was the main goal; getting the stones back was just an optional side task.

Even they weren’t fully certain of the stones’ true value.

But as the proportion of awakened among buyers increased, they would soon realize it.

Others would eventually hear the news too.

And when the stones ran out, people might start fighting over them.

The horrific scene in his dream might very well be related to this.

Chu Chenli pondered for a moment, then extended his hand toward Tang Beihe, palm up, fingers open—an unmistakable gesture asking for something.

Tang Beihe looked at him with confusion.

“Let’s make a trade,” Chu Chenli said. “If you want to beat those who bullied you, I can teach you. Give me that stone, and don’t touch it again without my permission.”

Tang Beihe’s expression was one of utter disbelief, as if to say, “Are you crazy?”

“If you really awakened an ability using this, you wouldn’t even have a chance to take revenge. You’d be taken to Central Base for inspection and evaluation immediately. If you’re lucky, you’ll be assigned a relatively safe desk job. But you could also end up dying in battle against Aberrants soon after.”

“I…” Tang Beihe wanted to say he wasn’t afraid of death, but the words faltered on his lips.

He thought the front-line fighters at the base were glorious and admirable. But if he himself were in that position, facing death head-on—he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“You saw what happened at the tavern earlier, didn’t you?” Chu Chenli continued.

“…” Tang Beihe nodded silently.

“The two people who arrested him were both non-awakened. They were just ordinary people who had undergone a lot of training. Strength isn’t determined solely by those accidental awakened abilities.”

Tang Beihe began to understand. His fingers touched the stone in his pocket, still hesitant.

But agreeing so easily after just a few words made him feel uneasy, as if he were being taken advantage of.

“But… but I don’t even know who you are yet,” Tang Beihe said. “And for no reason, why would you suddenly want to help me?”

Chu Chenli studied his expression, then smiled knowingly. “You don’t believe in my strength.”

“I didn’t say that.” Tang Beihe quickly defended himself, but as his gaze swept over Chu Chenli’s face, he got flustered and looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

He felt he wasn’t entirely to blame.

Chu Chenli didn’t look much older than him. With that gentle face, the word “fighting” seemed completely out of place.

His strength was impressive, sure, but whether that was an ability or just natural talent, Tang Beihe knew he didn’t have that foundation. He couldn’t learn it easily.

Chu Chenli tilted his head slightly, smiling gently. “Do you need a demonstration?”

Tang Beihe only had time to let out a questioning “Huh?”

Before the sound even died out, the world spun before his eyes. The pretty face in front of him turned into the dark brick of the alley wall.

This time, there was no sensation of crushing gravity. Even when his back hit the cold ground, there was barely any pain—as if someone had deliberately cushioned his fall and gently set him down. Only the chill and the rough gravel beneath him made him feel a little discomfort.

By the time he came to his senses, Chu Chenli was already crouching on top of the wall, looking down at him.

The smile on his face hadn’t changed at all.

Behind him stretched the vast sky. The sun was perfectly blocked by the figure on the wall, leaving only diffused light that formed a soft halo around his head.

Strangely enough, even though his reason told him he was utterly powerless against someone like this, Tang Beihe felt no fear or hostility in his heart.

—He had to credit that face for most of it.

Tang Beihe thought, rather inappropriately, that he looked just like an angel.