Chapter 66 - 1#

Wandering Photos 12#

“What are you doing here—cough cough…” Xiaobai was choked by the dust and kept coughing.

“I heard from people on the street that you had taken someone captive. I thought you’d run into some trouble at work.”

“Ah, no.” Xiaobai immediately realized they had misunderstood. “I’m off today. I just happened to run into the person who took the boss’s stuff again, and I wanted to get the photos inside back.”

The rest of the bundle was just discarded junk, not worth taking back anyway.

Chu Chenli tore open the bundle and dumped all the contents out in one go.

“Photo album!” Xiaobai spotted the small booklet that fell out immediately. It was roughly the size of a palm, one side stuck to a cracked plastic case, probably thrown away together while tidying up.

Xiaobai rummaged through the mess carefully again, but besides the photo album, there were no other photos.

During this time, Liang Yuan remained frozen in place, not daring to speak.

He hadn’t noticed what Xiaobai had done earlier, but he clearly saw Chu Chenli kick the burly man down with one swift motion. The latter hadn’t even sensed his approach, as if he had appeared out of thin air.

But clearly, they had been far apart. The other man’s mere glance, as if unintentional, made Liang Yuan’s scalp tingle. A wave of invisible pressure descended overwhelmingly.

He doesn’t like me.

Liang Yuan easily came to this conclusion, but inexplicably, he didn’t dare to shout again and provoke him.

Seeing that Xiaobai had found what he was looking for, Chu Chenli called them to head back.

Before leaving, he glanced at Liang Yuan and reminded him coolly, “Don’t forget to return what you stole.”

Liang Yuan nodded stiffly.

Fang Xiyu patted him on the shoulder with a smile, then pushed Xiaobai out of his yard.

Xiaobai glanced back at him, hesitated, and said softly, “The meal offer still stands, but don’t steal from others anymore.”

Fang Xiyu tapped his head and asked with some exasperation, “Are you this easily sympathetic to everyone?”

Liang Yuan was clearly the type who usually bullied others; he just looked temporarily down on his luck, venting his frustration by stealing.

But no matter what, this couldn’t be written off as a minor, harmless mistake.

If this were Fang Xiyu’s child, he’d have to be pinned down and given a good beating first.

Too bad he wasn’t.

And thankfully so.

“I accidentally… saw his memories just now.” Xiaobai hesitated.

“You think he has a pitiable side too?” Fang Xiyu asked.

Xiaobai shook his head, looking somewhat puzzled. “He seems to be afraid of something. That emotion was almost swallowing him whole. At first, I thought he had gone mad.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Black stones.”

Liang Yuan had been holding a stone, chatting and laughing smugly with his underlings, seemingly looking forward to some bright future.

But the next second—bang—

The underling who had been fawning over him moments before burst like an over-inflated balloon.

Flesh and blood splattered all over Liang Yuan’s face. Through the gaps in the gory blur, he saw many, many black stones.

The terrified screams of others echoed in his mind.

Xiaobai recalled this and couldn’t help pressing his temples to shake off the lingering shock.

Honestly, he’d been startled too.

But because he’d used his ability unintentionally for such a short time, he only caught a fragmented glimpse, like a horror movie, and quickly snapped out of it once he did.

He had actually seen plenty of such gruesome scenes in the past.

But Liang Yuan was young and had always lived in the urban area; this might have been his first encounter with something like this.

And at such close range.

“Was it real or a dream?” Chu Chenli asked.

“I don’t know.” Xiaobai instinctively hugged the items in his arms tighter. “But I remember the only case of someone exploding to death from using an ‘Awakening Stone’ was the one with Zhu Wenxin before.”

Being terrified into nightmares by such a horrifying case wasn’t impossible.

If it was just a nightmare, he was being a bit dramatic, and using his ability outside of work hours was strictly forbidden.

“So I want to find a chance to interact with him again. If something like that really happened, I’d have to report it.”

“Speaking of which, that stuff really is harmful.” Fang Xiyu said.

“But quite a few people believe it’s a shortcut to gaining immense power and a hope for increasing human survival odds.”

“Do you think so too?” Fang Xiyu looked at Chu Chenli.

“I don’t have any particular thoughts on it.” Chu Chenli said. “You know I don’t like thinking about complicated things. Just let nature take its course.”

“Deal with things as they come. That’s your style indeed.”

“It’s a blessing in itself to overthink less.”

They chatted idly and eventually returned to the tavern entrance.

The owner had already been anxiously watching from the doorway. Seeing Xiaobai return from afar, he breathed a huge sigh of relief and hurried over to welcome them.

“Are you all alright?” He nervously scanned the three, and only after confirming they weren’t hurt did he fully relax. “Come in and rest for a bit.”

Xiaobai handed the photo album to the owner: “This is all we could find. Boss, see if anything else is missing.”

The owner took the album and casually placed it on the counter, giving a helpless smile. He turned to pour them three glasses of juice and said, “No matter how important, it’s just an object. Not worth you risking yourselves like that.”

He then detailed Liang Yuan’s story to them, repeatedly reminding them to be careful when they returned home.

Fang Xiyu asked about Liang Yuan’s brother, who seemed to have been a senior leader in the department overseeing Awakened individuals before.

From a certain perspective, Shen Xuanyi had essentially swooped in and pushed him out.

That was another grudge entirely.

But there was no need to explain that to the owner.

Before parting, Xiaobai reminded the owner to properly store the album to avoid losing it again. The owner repeatedly assured him that he would find time to frame it and put it in a prominent place.

Chu Chenli’s gaze also swept over the yellowed album cover without lingering.

At that moment, even he never imagined that this stranger’s photo album would have anything to do with him.

The next time he actually saw a photo from that album was a month later.

After another routine field mission, Chu Chenli and Mu Yanshen had both suffered minor injuries. After a brief treatment from Hua Jin, Shen Xuanyi handed them three temporary work badges.

There was some trouble in the urban area, and since they had free time, they were sent to deal with it together.

If it required Chu Chenli and the others to step in, it was clearly no small matter.

It turned out to be related to a new Awakened. This one’s ability was practically a demolition expert—emotional outbursts caused random explosions, indiscriminate and hitting friend and foe alike.

Several neighbors were injured, and even the Awakened himself was caught in the blast. By the time Shen Xuanyi got word, he was reportedly in critical condition.

Chu Chenli and Mu Yanshen had more than enough control to subdue the rampaging Awakened. After his condition stabilized slightly, Hua Jin provided emergency treatment.

Xiaobai, who was present but helpless, breathed a sigh of relief along with everyone else.

The others felt a sense of relief at surviving a disaster, but the three who had returned from the game world took it in stride. With them on-site to steady the situation, the incident was quickly brought under control.

Specialists took over afterward. By then, the central base had established a fairly comprehensive reception mechanism.

But this Awakened’s timing and intensity were so unexpected that they had been caught off guard.

Chu Chenli asked the person left to handle the aftermath, and sure enough, it was another incident involving “Awakening Stones.”

Although Zhu Wenxin’s tragic fate was still fresh in everyone’s minds, there were always those who clung to wishful thinking.

In the context of the apocalyptic disaster, few people were completely immune to the allure of great power.

But the full story of this incident still required further investigation.

Chu Chenli initially planned to head back to the dorm, but before he could take a few steps, the tavern owner pushed through the crowd and rushed straight to Xiaobai, hugging him tightly while laughing and crying with emotion.

He had thought Xiaobai was caught in the explosions, and only when he saw him alive and standing did a wave of relief and emotion overwhelm him.

The sight of him sniffling and wiping tears was a bit funny but also quite touching.

Even Chu Chenli couldn’t help but smile slightly.

To calm the distraught owner, the group accompanied Xiaobai to his shop after work, partly due to the owner’s enthusiastic invitation.

It was his birthday this month, and a milestone one—he was turning thirty.

The shop staff had planned a celebration, but Xiaobai happened to be on duty that day, and the others’ schedules were unpredictable. Since they were finally free, the owner decided to treat them to dinner early.

Xiaobai was anxious about not having a gift, and He Ziyue, who was called over later, was just shocked: “You’re only thirty?”

As if a comet were about to hit Earth.

The owner choked: “How old did you think I was?”

He Ziyue looked at his scruffy appearance and said, “At least forty.”

The owner: “…” Ouch.

He Ziyue was also surprised by something else: “That means you’re a year or two younger than me, probably around Xiao Jin’s age.”

She then remembered something and turned to Chu Chenli: “Oh, by the way, shouldn’t Xiao Jin have a birthday celebration too?”

Chu Chenli considered it: “We’d have to wait until next year. His birthday already passed this year.”

It was around the time they returned to reality.

But no one had the leisure for birthday celebrations then.

He Ziyue was disappointed: “Guess we’ll have to wait until next year. So, whose birthday is next?”

She started counting off on her own, while the owner’s face slowly froze as he listened to their conversation.

“You… you’re older than me?” The owner couldn’t believe it, looking He Ziyue up and down. He had always thought of her as a little sister in her twenties. “I thought you were twenty?”

Hua Jin also seemed about the same age.

He Ziyue didn’t intend to explain; she just smiled and brushed it off: “Thanks for saying I look young.”

The owner hesitated and glanced at Chu Chenli: “Don’t tell me he’s…”

He Ziyue said, “A Li? A Li is still a bit younger than you.”

Beside them, Xiaobai was slightly stunned. He had never considered He Ziyue’s age, but knowing that Chu Chenli had slept for ten years, it wasn’t that hard to accept.

During that sleep, Chu Chenli must have gone through something with them.

Xiaobai thought distractedly.

With mixed feelings, the group was led upstairs by the owner. When they entered, even Chu Chenli paused.

Mu Yanshen noticed the change first, following his gaze.

The once cluttered cabinet had been repaired and repainted, with glass doors added. The top two shelves were now display cases. The photo album that Xiaobai had risked so much to retrieve sat in one, and next to it was a larger frame containing several pictures mounted together.

That was what Chu Chenli was looking at.

The frame was mostly filled with group photos. The smaller ones were family portraits, and there were two graduation photos, showing a noticeable age range.

Mu Yanshen didn’t know which one Chu Chenli was looking at, but that didn’t stop him from probing the owner.

As they sat down, he casually brought up the photo frame.

The owner began reminiscing, pointing from the bottom to the top, finally stopping at the last group photo. It showed six people, all around twenty years old, with a school’s artificial lake in the background and half of a school monument visible in the corner.

Among those present, only He Ziyue and Hua Jin resonated with this photo.

When the disaster struck, they had both been university students.

Perhaps alcohol played a part, but the topic led them to talk for a long time, laughing and crying. Clearly, those memories were deeply cherished.

Chu Chenli sat nearby, eating absentmindedly, but Mu Yanshen could tell he was listening intently.

Mu Yanshen quietly asked if he longed for that kind of life.

Chu Chenli shook his head, smiled, and replied softly, “Hearing about these things from a different perspective is also interesting.”

The six people in the photo were the owner’s freshman-year roommates.

He pointed at one and said it was him, but everyone exclaimed that it didn’t look like him. The owner laughed self-deprecatingly, saying he had aged a lot. After the disaster, he stopped caring about his appearance, whereas before, he had been the most vain among his roommates.

The others each had their quirks, but nothing beyond the scope of ordinary college students.

When he reached the roommate at the edge, the owner pulled Xiaobai close, holding the photo next to his face for comparison, and said that Xiaobai reminded him of that roommate.

He Ziyue squinted to get a better look. Both had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth; if anything, they both had that mild, non-threatening look. At first glance, they weren’t particularly striking, but also not off-putting, easily gaining others’ favor.

But the person in the photo looked much lazier. While everyone else looked at the camera, he was absentmindedly gazing outside the frame, and the owner said he was probably looking at the swans by the lake.

This roommate, though always appearing lazy, was actually a good-natured caretaker. In the years they knew him, no one had ever seen him get angry. Whenever classmates quarreled, he would mediate.

“Back then, we thought his only flaw was having too vivid an imagination. Every time he watched a disaster movie, he’d chatter on about what emergency supplies to prepare… Actually, we have him to thank. Because of his advice, I managed to survive the hardest early days of the disaster.”

At first, the listeners took this as mere reminiscing.

But as he went on, even Hua Jin, who was usually the least sensitive to such things, froze.

The feeling was subtle, but dwelling on it felt like overthinking.

Until he turned and noticed He Ziyue’s expression shift, confirming that it wasn’t just him.

Looking further, Fang Xiyu was watching Chu Chenli, while the other two’s faces were obstructed, making their expressions unclear.

“What about him?” Hua Jin couldn’t help asking.

“I don’t know.” The owner shook his head, slowly recalling that day.

It was near the end of the semester. The advisor had posted a message in the class group chat, saying that the new dormitory building was finished and rooms might be reassigned next spring. If anyone had particular requests, they could sort it out privately and inform the class monitor.

Six-person rooms would become four-person rooms, meaning two people would have to be kicked out.

The whole dorm had gotten along well, but they all wanted to keep that nurturing roommate.

The owner was no exception.

By then, the college was on break. The other roommates had gone home right after their exams, leaving only the owner and this roommate.

The owner saw this as a perfect opportunity. Lying on his bed, he immediately pulled back the curtain and said to the roommate below, “When we reassign rooms next semester, how about we room together?”

The roommate, while packing his luggage, shook his head. “I won’t be coming back next year.”

The owner was stunned. “Why? Something happen at home?”

The roommate said, “I’m just going back to my hometown with my mom.”

He said it casually, and the owner didn’t feel comfortable pressing further, so he replied with an automatic “Take care.”

It was only when the roommate dragged his suitcase toward the door and the owner saw his spot completely empty that he thought to ask, “When are you coming back?”

The roommate replied, “Maybe I won’t.”

He paused at the door, turning back just as the setting sun cast light against him, making his expression hard to read.

But he clearly hesitated for a moment before saying to the owner, “Remember those things I mentioned about the apocalypse?”

If the other roommates had been there, they would probably have teased him about it—good-naturedly, of course. They had always thought he was joking.