Wait for me to come to you

Bai Ke, sandwiched between two people and three strange creatures, lowered his eyelids. The hand behind Bai Zixu’s back tightened subconsciously, but his mind was filled with doubts—

Since the moment these two people saw him, their attitude in speaking to him was no different from how they would treat an ordinary person. They seemed completely unaware that he was blind.

From this perspective, it appeared that these two individuals hadn't previously obtained any information about Bai Ke and Bai Zixu through any channels, otherwise they would have heard something. After all, Bai Ke had been living in this area for ten years, and his family situation was somewhat unique. Most of the neighbors, especially the older ones, knew him.

But then, it was strange. If these two were acting on impulse, why did they have the air of "waiting for you"?

To say that they were related to the neighbors was nonsense because the house next door was unoccupied, and it was impossible for them to have gone to the wrong floor. Not only 302, but also 202, 402, and 502 were all empty. However, to make the building seem lively, Bai Ke and others would buy extra Chinese New Year's blessing characters every year and stick them on the door of the neighboring vacant apartment, making it appear as if someone lived there.

But if these two really came for Bai Ke's family, then what was their motive?

In the eyes of others, Bai Ke was blind, and the best-case scenario was that he was capable of living independently and didn't need others to take care of him. And Bai Zixu was eccentric. The two of them barely managed to get by, with a roof over their heads and food to eat.

It was fortunate that Bai Zixu wrote well and was acquainted with Aunt Pang. When Bai Zixu was less eccentric, Aunt Pang often made him write a few things, then somehow framed and sold them through some channels, ensuring that they had enough money to keep from going hungry. As Bai Ke grew up and Aunt Pang learned about his eye condition, she couldn't resist his stubbornness and introduced him to a suitable part-time job.

Overall, they didn't live too poorly, but they couldn't be considered well-off either, let alone wealthy enough to attract attention.

Bai Ke's brow unconsciously furrowed even tighter. His world was quite small, and with his limited experience, encountering people who clearly had ill intentions, he could only think of robbery or revenge.

But these two didn't seem to be either...

The three strange creatures glaring at Bai Ke from beside the two people clearly indicated their extraordinary identities, far beyond the realm of normal human comprehension. Why would people like them come knocking on his door...

Seeing Bai Ke silent with lowered eyes, the short one reached into his jacket pocket, the source of the scattered light spots. As he seemed to be taking something out, he smiled apologetically and said, "Why aren't you saying anything, little brother? Did we come to the wrong place? Here, take a look, we copied the address."

Bai Ke's gaze fell on what the short one pulled out—

It was a folded piece of paper, indeed looking like what he mentioned.

"Hiss—The light is too dim, and there's no door light or anything..." After taking it out, the short one complained theatrically. The tall one beside him took out his phone and used the screen's light to shine on the paper, then handed it to Bai Ke.

Bai Ke almost reflexively stepped back, then steadied Bai Zixu and calmly said, "I don't have hands to hold it."

"It's okay, we'll hold it for you. Can you help us check if this address is here?" The short one reached out to Bai Ke again, "We're not very familiar with this place, and this address is quite vague..."

"Wait a moment." Watching him bring the paper toward him, Bai Ke sidestepped to avoid it and walked around the tall one, heading to the door, "I don't have very good eyesight, so I can't see clearly even if you bring it closer. Besides, my father isn't feeling well, so I'll open the door and put him down first."

Bai Ke's tone remained calm, and after supporting Bai Zixu against the wall, he took out the keys with one hand, seemingly intending to open the door flagrantly.

"Eh—you opening the door like this is inconvenient, let us help you support him." The tall one reached out to take Bai Zixu, but Bai Ke waved his hand and blocked him.

"My father has a mental illness. If he's touched by strangers, even if he's asleep, he'll wake up and cause a big scene." Because he had to support Bai Zixu, he was half-sideways when he opened the door. His eerie eyes were half-squinted, paying attention to the movements of the two individuals.

It just felt... something was off.

Apart from these two and the three glaring creatures...

As he pondered what felt off, he planned that as soon as he opened the door in a while, he would pull Bai Zixu to the side and rush in, then close the door behind them. If luck was on his side and he was fast enough, perhaps he could block them outside. After all, in this situation, being surrounded outside the door would surely result in no escape, but going inside might still hold a glimmer of hope.

Clearly, the tall and short individuals weren't idiots. From the corner of his eye, it seemed like they exchanged a slight glance, and the short one, still holding the piece of paper he took out from his chest, moved slightly closer to Bai Ke. The tall one withdrew the hand he had extended to help support Bai Zixu, then seemed to casually make a gesture.

As he made the gesture, the three strange creatures with four eyes and long fangs almost simultaneously took a step back and then arched their bodies, their long hair trembling, clearly ready to pounce at Bai Ke at any moment. In just a few seconds, they would probably tear Bai Ke and Bai Zixu into pieces.

Bai Ke exerted a bit of force with the hand holding the keys and inserted them into the lock.

As the "clunk" sound rang out, a flash of white light crossed Bai Ke's mind, and he suddenly remembered what was wrong—

From the moment he entered the corridor carrying Bai Zixu until now, as he was about to open his own door under the encirclement of two people and three creatures, there had been absolute silence for such a long time, making the whole building eerily quiet.

The houses in this neighborhood were all products of several decades ago, and the builders seemed to pay little attention to soundproofing. So, the sound insulation was extremely poor. Despite there being only six households in Bai Ke's building, spread across two units and not on the same floor, one could still hear sounds from each household every day, whether it was someone watching TV, eating and chatting, or arguing. It was almost audible from all angles.

It was precisely because of this that this sparsely populated building seemed to have some vitality, rather than being as dead silent as a haunted house all day long. Also, because of this, disputes among households were rare, out of consideration for face; nobody wanted others from the ground floor to hear, it would be too embarrassing, indirectly promoting harmony among households.

Moreover, despite the few residents in this building, there were people of all ages, and there was activity at every hour of the day. From morning to night, there was always some noise.

But tonight, precisely at dinner time, there was not even the slightest sound, as quiet as if the entire building were empty, leaving only Bai Ke alone.

However, at this moment of direct threat to his life, Bai Ke couldn't care less about thinking about these things. He hesitated for a moment, then twisted the key, and in the moment he pulled open the door, he exerted force with his left hand, almost using a flicking motion to push Bai Zixu into the door, while simultaneously dodging through the half-open door to follow him in.

This was probably the fastest Bai Ke had ever moved in his life, but even so, he was not fast enough to evade the tall one's hand as it came down.

Three sharp, ghostly cries suddenly erupted, and the three creatures, tense to the limit, surged forward, carrying a foul-smelling gust of wind. Within Bai Ke's field of vision, it seemed like all the light and shadow contours dimmed in that instant, as if suddenly veiled by a layer of black gauze.

Barely slipping inside the door, Bai Ke was about to slam it shut with his hand when he was just a step too slow!

He only felt something cold instantly press against the back of his neck, the sensation eerie and terrifying, causing goosebumps to erupt all over his body. The stench swept past his face, enveloping him. The wailing cries, in the extremely dead silent environment, seemed even more abrupt, echoing heavily, layer upon layer, stabbing at his eardrums until they throbbed with pain.

The sensation of imminent death, even if it was just a split second, seemed to stretch infinitely long, long enough for Bai Ke to seemingly pass through countless chaotic fragments and words in his mind. But because it was too chaotic and fast, it condensed into large blank spaces. The only clear sentence, surprisingly not "too late" or "can't escape," but a distant and almost ethereal voice, low and vague, familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar, as if traversing through countless centuries of changes...

It said, "Wait for me to find you..."

From the highest heavens to the depths of the yellow springs, no matter how many thousands of years it takes, wait for me to find you...

 

Translator : DarNan