March 17, cloudy, dark clouds roaring silently in the sky. Storm is coming.
When Chen Yang was discharged from the hospital, security guard Zhang Qi sent him to the door and handed him his bag and a large bundle of books tied with blue nylon rope.
Zhang Qi pointed and said, "Go straight along this road. There will be a bus after two intersections. Hurry up! It's going to rain soon."
Chen Yang glanced at the sign on the building.
——The 9th Rehabilitation Hospital.
Speaking of which, Qingcheng is the most comprehensive rehabilitation institution.
Without the first eight, I don’t know why it is called “the ninth”.
Zhang Qi glanced at the thin young man in front of him. He was wearing a washed-out gray jacket and jeans, with short hair, delicate eyebrows and a clean face.
Zhang Qi had seen the young man's daily photos, which were taken with the victim of the accident that year, his sister. He looked very attractive when he smiled.
Now there is no trace of youthfulness between his eyebrows and eyes. It seems that he has been hollowed out from the inside out and replaced with new things.
Now it looks like a cup of plain water. You can see through it at a glance, and it is bland and tasteless.
It may take time to regain my former temperament.
As for his future life, Zhang Yan sighed in his heart.
Both his parents died, and his younger sister, who depended on him for everything, unfortunately passed away.
He was seriously injured and hospitalized, and later became a vegetable, and was out of touch with society for three and a half years.
Why.
When Zhang Qi came back to his senses, the young man had already shifted his gaze towards the gloomy sky, his black head tilted upwards, with an old scar behind his left ear, caused by a sharp weapon.
Very thin, spreading all the way into the furry collar.
"Brother, you have to live well," Zhang Qi patted his shoulder and pressed it solemnly, "You are still young, and you have a long life ahead of you."
Chen Yang rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and said "hmm" with a smile.
Zhang Qi looked at the young man's back. The more he looked, the more he realized that he had nothing to do with spirit and vigor. Instead, he was filled with a sense of depression. His heart tightened and he shouted loudly.
"You must live well!"
Chen Yang got goose bumps on his back when he was called. He turned his head back and found Zhang Qi was still standing there, looking disappointed as if he was sending his child to school.
"… "
Chen Yang waved goodbye to the good man.
The northern suburbs on this day were just like yesterday, filled with all kinds of busy people. The return of a man with the name of a "medical miracle" had little impact on their lives.
Chen Yang felt for the key on the door and was greeted by a cold old house. He put down his bag and walked around the house.
The passage of time leaves traces, such as mold, dust, and cobwebs.
Chen Yang stood there with empty eyes for a long time. He was brought back to reality by the rumbling of his stomach. He swallowed a few times to relieve his hunger, cleaned up in silence, and sorted out the books he had brought back.
All of them were given by fellow patients who are in recovery.
If it weren't for these books filling his spiritual world, he would have given up long ago.
Living without ideas is no less than being a walking corpse.
Chen Yang pulled out the nylon rope scattered on the table and accidentally touched several books on it. One of the books fell down with a "pop" and landed at his feet.
——"The Relationship between Consciousness and the World in Quantum Theory".
This book was given to him by his attending physician Li Yue before he was discharged from the hospital, but he hasn't had time to read it yet.
When Chen Yang bent down to pick up the book, something fell out of the book. It was suspected to be a bookmark, about four centimeters wide and about five or six centimeters long.
I held it in my hand and looked at it closely. It didn't seem to be a bookmark, but a card.
There is a faint, fuzzy mark on the back. I'm not sure if it was originally like that or if the pattern has faded over time.
There is a string of numbers in the upper left corner of the front of the card. It is very clear, just three digits in total, 019, and there is nothing special about it.
Chen Yang did not focus on the card. He decided to contact Zhang Qi and ask him to ask Li Yue. Then he threw it back into the book, put the book away and went out.
The northern suburbs are full of water lines.
Chen Yang walked along the street holding an umbrella. He didn't feel any of the familiarity he remembered. The unfamiliarity made him bored. He gave up the idea of going for a walk, ate a bowl of ramen at a noodle shop, and went to buy a cell phone.
The rain stopped after he finished buying the things and everything went smoothly. There was a small incident along the way. A clerk at the corner of the road tried to sell him bread, saying it was a new flavor.
There were some small pieces of bread on the plate, and only the one facing Chen Yang had a small toothpick on it.
Chen Yang would not try the food because of his personality, but for some reason, he picked up the toothpick and ate the piece of bread.
I regretted it after eating it.
It’s hard to describe what the taste is, it’s so disgusting, as if it’s stuck in the throat. When Chen Yang was lying in bed at night, he could still faintly smell that taste in his mouth, hitting the top of his head.
This is what happens when you eat shit.
Chen Yang was awakened by the pain at night. There was a burning sensation in his stomach. The more he tried to bear it, the more unbearable it became. He got out of bed in a cold sweat, put on his clothes, grabbed his backpack and went to the hospital.
The alley was wet and dimly lit.
The bluestone slabs were washed by rain and were very slippery. Chen Yang felt for his belt as he walked, but there was no cell phone as he had forgotten to bring it. He didn't want to fall, so he had to slow down, put his hands on his stomach, hunched his waist and walked with his back against the wall.
As soon as he came out of the alley, Chen Yang saw a taxi parked on the side of the road. A young man got out of the car. He was very tall, leaning on crutches, with a slender right leg and a bent left leg.
As he got closer, Chen Yang smelled the scent of medicine on the boy's black sportswear.
Looks like he just came back from the hospital.
Chen Yang had a severe stomachache and wanted to get into a taxi, so he quickly quickened his pace, waving as he walked, asking the driver to wait a moment.
When passing by the young man, Chen Yang was not paying attention and his shoulder bumped into him.
The vigorous feeling of power came through his clothes, and half of Chen Yang's body went numb. His steps paused, and then he suddenly felt dizzy. His consciousness blurred for a moment before he regained consciousness, and what he saw was no longer the streets in the dark night.
He saw the endless deep sea.
This is the pier?!
Chen Yang mechanically closed his eyes, and then opened them again. The sea was still floating in his field of vision. He stared blankly with his eyes wide open, his whole body covered in cold sweat, and the sea breeze blew away, making him feel cold from head to toe.
"Why is there someone with weak legs here?"
A surprised voice suddenly came from behind. Chen Yang's mind was blank and his body turned back reflexively.
In the setting sun, there was a strange man in his thirties, wearing a black windbreaker with the zipper pulled to the top, his hands in his pockets, and carrying a bag of the same color, looking very capable.
There were four other people next to the man, all looking at him.
The five people consisted of three men and two women. In addition to the man in the windbreaker, there was also a tall woman who was as calm as him.
The other three had signs of mental breakdown on their faces, as if they had experienced an indescribable collapse.
What is going on
Chen Yang couldn't calm down and observe the expressions of those strangers. His ears were buzzing, and many questions were flying in his mind. Suddenly, an explosion point popped up.
The man in the windbreaker just now said that there was someone with a bad leg here, but it wasn't him. There was nothing wrong with his legs.
Chen Yang looked to the side suddenly and was stunned.
The young man rested his arms on his crutches, his eyes lowered with an expressionless face, and his facial features could not be seen clearly.
The pores on the shoulder that had been hit opened up. Chen Yang clenched his stiff fingers, his throat dry: "You... it's you... how can you... we are together..."
All that came out of the depths of his throat was panic, and he couldn't organize his words for a long time, and his speech was intermittent and incoherent.
The young man didn't seem to care what Chen Yang said. He glanced around the dock without saying a word. His chestnut hair swept across his brow bones, revealing his facial features, which were outlined by the afterglow. The lines were clear and distinct, comparable to a medieval scroll painting.
It was very quiet.
It was very inappropriate. Lin Yue, a tall woman who had seen countless men, glanced at her. The little princess Zhou Xiaoxiao was completely mesmerized by her. Even a few men bent their heads slightly for a second or two.
But it is only for stunning viewing.
It's a very realistic problem. In such a crisis-ridden situation, everyone is panicking. No one knows what will happen. They can't even protect themselves and may die at any time.
A patient who cannot walk or run normally, no matter how handsome he looks, will be a burden here and will harm himself and others.
The setting sun cast a large area of orange and red. In the beautiful natural scenery, the sea breeze blew and fear fermented in the fishy and humid air.
Chen Yang got some information. Except for him and the boy with crutches, the other five people also came from various places, just as suddenly.
Led by the man in the windbreaker, Zhang Yan, they are Lin Yue, Zhou Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yuan, and Huang Qing.
Zhang Yan and Lin Yue were both coming in for the second time, the so-called old people.
But they don't know whether this is a certain point in the past, present or future of the real world, or some other unknown world. They need to complete the task before they can go back, and next time there will be a new task. It's like a curse, and they don't know if they can get rid of it completely.
We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.
Zhang Yan is the oldest person in the group, mature and reliable, and as an old man, it is no surprise that he has become the backbone of the group.
"Since we are at the dock, we must get on board."
Zhang Yan gestured for them to look at the boat docked not far away: "We'll talk about the rest after we get on the boat."
Just as he finished speaking, a short and thin middle-aged man came out of the boat, roaring impatiently: "What the hell are you dawdling about for? Get on board! Hurry up! The boat is about to leave, hurry up! Hurry up!"
This scene shocked everyone. In their eyes, the middle-aged man was no different from a ghost from the underworld.
Zhang Yan exhaled: "Go ahead."
He glanced at the newcomers who looked hesitant and said, "If you don't go up, the mission will fail."
Lin Yue, who was already walking towards the docking direction, turned around and giggled at Zhou Xiaoxiao who was about to cry again: "You will die."
There was a sudden thunderclap and everyone got on board in panic.
Chen Yang walked at the end, watching the young man walking slowly forward with crutches. Probably they came in together, and their shoulders were still touching in the last second in the real world, so psychologically he automatically regarded him as a companion without realizing it.
A little closer than the others.
Seeing the young man stop in front of the rope ladder, Chen Yang stepped over him in a few steps, stepped on it first, turned around and stretched out his hand to him: "Hold me."
The young man didn't answer, nor did he move, his dark eyes staring at Chen Yang.
Several people on the boat looked over together. They did not evaluate Chen Yang's kind behavior, but instead kept their eyes on the unknown boy at the same time, feeling that there was something off about the other person.
It's so peaceful.
Everyone agreed that this young man was not a newcomer and must have been here more than twice.
Maybe his leg was fine before and was only injured this time, but after all, it is no different from a disability now. Experience is useless and they don’t want to be dragged down.
However, Chen Yang felt that this was the first time the young man came in, because when he discovered him, his body under his sportswear was clearly tense.
Apart from this, there is no other manifestation. His mental quality is really strong, so strong that he doesn't seem like a... normal person.
While Chen Yang was daydreaming, his arm sank, and when he was about to fall, he hurriedly grabbed the rope with his other hand.
The young man had put away his crutches, stepped onto the rope ladder with his healthy leg, and grabbed Chen Yang with one hand.
Zhang Yan asked if he needed help.
Chen Yang was about to say yes, but he suddenly felt a pain in the place where his arm was grabbed. The five fingers holding him tightened like a pair of pliers. His scalp was numb with pain, and he subconsciously refused: "No."
The words were spoken. Chen Yang glanced at the boy who seemed fine, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he struggled to get him onto the boat.
The middle-aged man brought Chen Yang and seven others into the cabin. He slammed the door and left after saying "stay still". There was noisy laughter afterwards.
There were quite a few crew members, all speaking Mandarin with the same accent, and they were all from the same place.
"You all went to the movies, right?"
The older boy, Zhao Yuan, hugged himself tightly, trembling: "According to the current situation, if a group of people go out to sea to play, underwater monsters will soon appear."
Everyone: “…”
Zhao Yuan: "Or the monster has already appeared and bit a crew member. The crew member has mutated and is probably eating the meat on the ship raw. After that, it will eat us."
Everyone: “…”
Zhao Yuan shivered: "If it's safe on the boat, then when we get to the island there will either be some kind of bug that will bite you and your skin will fall off, or a big chunk of you will be torn off, or..."
Huang Qing, the hairdresser, couldn't stand it and interrupted: "Either your mother or just shut up, okay?!"
Zhao Yuan shuddered after being yelled at and stopped talking.
The cabin suddenly became quiet, and the sound of the sea water hitting the hull caused the ship to shake and erode everyone's nerve endings.
Chen Yang was still completely confused. He had only been out of the hospital for about ten hours when this happened.
"I want to ask,"
At this moment, a soft and weak voice sounded in the cabin. It was Zhou Xiaoxiao. She loosened her hands that had been clenched in her sleeves and asked, "Does this have anything to do with why I came here?"
Everyone's eyes shifted over.
Zhou Xiaoxiao had a white card in her hand. Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing's faces changed. They silently reached into their pockets and took out the same thing.
Three white cards, smooth front and back.
Two or three seconds later, they watched as a number appeared out of thin air on the three cards, followed by another...
It didn't stop until the seventh one.
Three strings of seven-digit numbers, all starting with 0, with different digits at the end, and the last digits are not consecutive.
Chen Yang stared at the three cards, remembering the things that fell out of the book that Li Yue gave him. Apart from the numbers, there was no difference.
"ah----"
Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly screamed and threw away the white card.
The white card thrown on the ground lay quietly. On the upward side was Zhou Xiaoxiao's face, with clear facial features, a pair of smiling eyes, fair and smooth skin, and small hairs around the lips.
Like a living person, it seems as if he is about to speak at the next moment.
There were gasps everywhere, and Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing turned over their cards and saw each other's faces.
The atmosphere suddenly became terrifying, and Zhou Xiaoxiao and the other two were panic-stricken.
"There was nothing on that thing before. No numbers, no faces. I clearly remember there was nothing..."
"So our entry into this damn place is really related to it? This is horrible. Even heavy-duty movies don't play this kind of thing."
"Fuck, I don't know how this thing got into my body. I just can't fucking remember it."
"… "
Zhang Yan looked at the pale and desperate faces, which looked exactly like his own when he first saw this thing. He gave an official explanation: "This is an identity number."
"Everyone has one, and you can come in with it. If you lose it, you can't come in. If you can't come in..." He paused and didn't say anything else.
No one asked, they didn't dare, and they didn't want to.
The way their ID numbers were called sounded creepy, as if they had become members of this strange world.
Except for the two old people, the newcomers present, Chen Yang and the young man did not reveal their identity numbers.
No one cared because you couldn’t get in without an ID number, that was the rule.
No one knew that Chen Yang's heart was like a pot of boiling water. He didn't bring his ID number with him.
The one in the book belongs to Li Yue, not you.
And...it turns out that the light mark wasn't a faded pattern, it was Li Yue's face.
Chen Yang's hands were shaking a little. He was afraid that others would notice something was wrong, so he quickly put his hands in his pockets and turned his head to ask Zhang Yan calmly, "Can the ID number be transferred to someone else?"
Zhang Yan shook his head: "No."
"What are the consequences of transferring?"
Zhang Yan glanced at him and said, "Only the people who are going to transfer and the people who are being taken over know. How?"
"Just asking." Chen Yang's hand in his pocket stopped shaking, and it felt cold. "Then how many digits are in your ID number?"
Zhou Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing also looked at Zhang Yan curiously.
"Like you, seven of you, Lin Yue too."
Zhang Yan said: "I'm still figuring out the rest. I just know one thing: the earlier someone comes in, the earlier their ID number will be."
Chen Yang took a deep breath. This was the second time Zhang Yan and Lin Yue came in, and their amounts were also in the seven digits like the newcomers.
When did Li Yue, whose ID number was three digits, come in
Thinking back now, when Li Yue gave him the book, although he smiled gently, his facial muscles were a little stiff and his expression was not natural.
Li Yue didn't accidentally put this thing called the ID number into the book for him; he did it on purpose.
He was cheated by Li Yue.
A chill ran up to the soles of Chen Yang's feet. He must have touched that thing before to be able to come in. Li Yue gave it to him, so it couldn't be his, right
It's useless to think about these things now. He will talk about them after he meets Li Yue.
And that book, I will also read it when I get back.
Chen Yang leaned against the wall of the boat with his back covered in sweat. He tilted his head slightly and glanced at the young man imperceptibly. From the time he appeared at the dock to boarding the boat, and then to the topic of his ID number, he never opened his mouth.
However, when Zhou Xiaoxiao took out the white card, the boy's breathing tightened. Although it was fleeting, it was still caught by Chen Yang, who was used to observing people's expressions.
Obviously he didn't have it and didn't know anything about it.
I don't have it on me, nor at home. I've never heard of it, never seen it, and I know nothing about it.
Chen Yang suspected that the young man was implicated by himself, but this needs to be confirmed.
If that's true, then isn't he... an illegal resident
A feeling of guilt rumbled up from deep in Chen Yang's heart, and he sighed the next moment. He was not feeling much better either.
Strictly speaking, I am also an illegal resident.
As he was thinking this, he suddenly felt something between his fingers in his pocket. Chen Yang realized what it was and the blood in his body suddenly froze. It took him a long time to take the thing out.
Identity number 019.
The face on the other side was no longer Li Yue’s blurry face, but himself.