The cicadas stopped chirping again.
Chen Yang raised his head to look at the old locust tree. The sunlight was pouring through the gaps between the branches and leaves, covering his face in fine fragments, but he felt cold.
The packages were delivered one by one. Every time the person who got the order number went in to deliver the package, the others were outside and had no idea what was happening in the building.
The courier cannot come back alive, and cannot bring back what he has seen and heard.
This is a personal task, but also a group task. Chen Yang's face is very solemn. He suspects that the focus of the task is wrong...
The cicada stopped chirping, telling the taskers that Zhou Yuanfei was dead.
Wu Qing staggered to his feet and said, "How could this be... Impossible, 502 is very safe!"
"He was probably killed while going up and down the stairs." Pineapple tore the leaves in his hand. Whether it was studying, working, making friends or dating, there was an element of luck involved, and the same was true for completing tasks.
They were all express deliveries to 502. The uncle successfully got the customer to sign for them and got out smoothly, but Mr. Zhou died in the residential building and became a lonely soul there.
Xiangdong pulled the strap on the back of the pineapple red hat and said, "What are you thinking about? Character is more important than luck."
Fengli was stunned, covering her face and wailing: "Character? It's over, it's over, I'm dead, I have a terrible character!"
"I like to fight and tease older sisters. I'm known as the Little White Dragon of East Street. I also like to watch the fun and throw banana peels. I bully the weak and fear the strong..." Fengli said while counting on his fingers. He counted and found something wrong, "Brother Dong, your character is even worse."
Xiangdong: “…”
"Are you stupid? The character I'm talking about is not the ordinary character. Just do your task well and keep your original intention and beliefs." Xiangdong patted him.
Fengli said "Oh". Anyway, he just wanted to be a diligent and conscientious courier. Is that what he understood? He was confused and said, "Brother Dong, did you learn this line of speech from Brother Yang?"
Xiangdong said disdainfully: "Do I still need to learn from him?"
"When have you ever learned to reason? Don't you just do what you want every time?" Pineapple picked the leaf juice from between his fingernails.
Xiang Dong lay under the locust tree, feeling a little groggy: "People change." He sighed, "Your brother Dong has grown up."
"Grow up?" Fengli was stunned, "But you are almost 30..."
Dong Ge said calmly: "Development is late."
Fengli: "..." The boss's shamelessness went up a level. He didn't disturb the boss's rest, but moved to another place and whispered, "Brother Yang."
Chen Yang asked, "Have you adapted?"
Pineapple shook his head like a wave drum. Although he had been in the mission world for more than half an hour, to be precise, he had not started the mission yet.
The situation in the building was described by his teammates, and he did not see the two dead teammates with his own eyes. His current feelings are all indirect.
Fengli smelled the scent of trees and soil exposed to the sun, and felt that it was real and unreal: "Brother Yang, how can I overcome my fear of ghosts?"
Chen Yang said something shocking: "I have no way to overcome it."
Pineapple looked at him blankly.
"I just have a habit." Chen Yang rubbed the bite mark on the back of his hand.
Pineapple asked without hesitation: "Get used to what?"
"Get used to the feeling of tingling scalp and cold limbs." Chen Yang said, "Once you get used to it, you can think in that situation." He added, "Once you can think, there will be a way out."
Fengli shuddered. He didn't want to experience it. This was much harder to accept than fighting. His opponent was not a human being. He didn't know what to do.
That's a ghost!
Fengli looked at Chen Yang with complicated eyes. He admired Chen Yang very much. The reason was that Chao Jian was a violent and dangerous non-human.
It’s so awesome that Chen Yang can live with Chao Jian.
But such an awesome person is actually afraid of ghosts, and cannot overcome it, so he can only force himself to get used to it.
Chen Yang's eyes swept across the dimples on Pineapple's face and found that he hadn't smiled much since he came in. He looked like a sapling bent by the cold snow, looking wilted.
The identity number kills without bloodshed, and the price of being a citizen of the mission world is too high. Chen Yang said: "Your brother Dong has taught you a lot."
"He told me about his mission experience." Pineapple's Little Red Riding Hood.
"Then remember that. Everything else depends on your ability to respond." Chen Yang said, "He hopes you can survive."
Pineapple lowered her head and used a branch to dig up the dirt: "I know."
There were 10 people in the team, and now two of them were dead, leaving 8 people, 4 of whom had delivered packages before. Fengli felt that his advantage was that he was the eldest and had athletic ability. He was good at sprinting and had explosive power, so he could run away without any problem. The premise was that he could run, instead of being scared to the point of peeing his pants and collapsing on the ground.
The seventh package is from 602.
602 has also been sent. This situation happened not long ago and was made extremely horrifying by Zhou Yuanfei's death.
Xiao Xiang tore pieces of paper and wrote the order numbers on them. As time went by and the number of express parcels decreased, the number of paper balls also shrank, and this time there were only four.
Pineapple grabbed the paper ball that was closest to him, held it in his hand and kept repeating, "Don't do it to me, don't do it to me, don't do it to me."
No one knows how Zhou Yuanfei died. Maybe delivering a package to the same customer would trigger some link.
Therefore, Pineapple was reluctant to deliver this order, and the sixth floor was too high.
Except for the top floor, it is the highest, and it takes longer to go up and down than other floors. The length of time is related to danger and variables.
"Dead pear, are you hatching chicks?" Xiangdong, who was standing under the old locust tree, roared in frustration. His head became even more dizzy, and blood rushed to his throat, which he swallowed with difficulty.
Xiangdong grabbed a handful of dead leaves and threw them at Chao Jian who was sleeping next to him, Damn it!
Pineapple did not get hard despite the boss's scolding and ridicule. He soared in the world of cowardice for a while before he opened the paper ball and opened one eye to look carefully.
No, it was blank. The pineapple screamed as if it had survived a disaster: "It's not me!"
Realizing belatedly that his own happiness was built on the suffering of his teammates, Pineapple pressed down the brim of his hat in embarrassment, closed his mouth and remained as quiet as a chicken.
The remaining three paper balls belong to Xiaoxiang, Ayuan and Chaojian respectively.
The two girls grabbed the paper balls and opened them, both quite decisively. Chen Yang grabbed the last paper ball for Chao Jian, and he threw away the blank note: "Who grabbed it?"
"Me." Ayuan said.
Chen Yang looked at the girl's eyes full of wildness and vitality: "Remember the situation in Room 602, and be careful."
"Okay." A Yuan put the tennis bag on the ground, dusted off her tennis clothes, rubbed off two small pieces of dead leaves, picked up the bag, and raised her chin slightly to the others, "I'm leaving."
The girl's panic and anxiety were all hidden under her capable attitude, just like when she first entered the mission world.
Chen Yang witnessed her walk to the steps in front of the residential building, find a place to spit out the chewing gum, and then enter the residential building with a serious and calm aura.
Pineapple smacked her lips: "What a female general."
Chen Yang thought that the girl named Ayuan was not so calm, she just didn't like to show her emotions in front of unfamiliar people. The protective wall was erected very high.
Pineapple caught a glimpse of something and immediately tugged at Chen Yang's clothes, motioning him to look at the old locust tree.
Chen Yang was startled when he saw this, and ran towards Jian Xing. He strode over, and behind him was Lin Shuwei calling A Yuan's name in a young, lazy voice with a smile.
"Cool sister, remember to close your eyes if you see a ghost!"
It stands to reason that one cannot judge whether the speaker is fat or thin just by looking at the voice, but Chen Yang could tell that he was a little fat.
He ran towards the old locust tree and looked back at Lin Shuwei. The other party scratched his head and smiled at him, and his thin face gave the illusion of being round.
Conscious fusion, awake separation
The scene under the old locust tree was like a doomsday battlefield. One of the remaining generals from each side was lying with injuries mainly on his head, while the other was leaning against the tree with injuries on his neck.
When Chen Yang came over, he smelled blood and violence. He grabbed a handful of milk slices for Chao Jian and warned Xiang Dong with his eyes. If he fought again, he would not be able to complete the following tasks.
Xiangdong can only talk a lot at best, he can't fight. He knows his physical condition well and he has to save the little energy he has for the mission.
Chao Jian can fight, but with Chen Yang by his side, he won’t completely lose control.
"Ayuan has gone in. The only ones who haven't delivered the express yet are you, Xiaoxiang, and Pineapple Cake." Chen Yang told Chao Jian the progress of the task.
He lowered his eyes to Chao Jian and tore off the packaging of the milk tablets without saying a word.
Chen Yang sat down next to him. He asked Xiangdong for his cigarette and lit one up. "Some things... I know."
Chao Jian's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
"Let's talk after we get out." Chen Yang inhaled a large mouthful of the bitter taste of nicotine into his lungs. He was very sober. "Talk properly."
"The mission is the most important thing now." Chen Yang didn't look at Chao Jian, he looked at the middle-aged courier next to the tricycle, "Only when it's safe can we consider other things."
Chao Jian put the milk slice into his mouth, tilted his neck with a circle of dark pinch marks back, and looked into the branches and leaves, silent.
Chen Yang was smoking a cigarette when a voice suddenly rang in his ear: "Are you afraid of me?" He turned his head in surprise, "No."
The person next to him said nervously: "You have!"
Chen Yang looked at Chao Jian's shaking hands. He took the cigarette off his lips and pursed his lips: "I used to have it, but I really don't have it now."
"I'm just worried that you might get sick." Chen Yang sighed, "It's too dangerous for you to lose your mind in the mission world. I break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it."
There was a crunching sound between Chao Jian's teeth, and his neck hurt every time he swallowed the milk slices, but he kept tearing off the milk slices and eating them one after another.
"You blame me for being unreasonable." Chao Jian scolded.
"How did you come to this understanding?" A wave of negative emotions gushed out of Chen Yang's chest, "Why do you always impose your suspicions on me?"
The words that were stuck in his heart just came out like this. Chen Yang's expression changed again and again. He didn't dare to look at Chao Jian's reaction. The cigarette between his fingers was a little deformed by him.
Chao Jian did not have any extreme reaction. He just stuffed his shaking hands into his pockets, clenched his teeth, stood up and walked out from under the tree with a mouthful of sweetness. He did not bring the milk slices that Chen Yang gave him.
Chen Yang leaned back.
"Tsk tsk," the onlooker moved closer to Dong, "When I provoked him, he became a madman. When it's your turn to provoke him, he's afraid of hurting you, so he stays away and controls himself."
Fuck, assist! Whatever, whatever, whatever!
Chen Yang didn't listen to what Xiang Dong said at all. He said to himself, "Paranoia breeds suspicion. This is what he told me. I told him at the time that he could be suspicious and I would adjust myself. But now I start to blame him. I am also sick."
And at such an inappropriate time.
My brain was tense, how could I calm down and talk about that? It was impossible, Chen Yang smoked a cigarette irritably.
Xiangdong also lit a cigarette: "So, what are your plans?"
Chen Yang answered irrelevantly: "I know he likes me."
In fact, it was inappropriate to talk to Xiangdong, who had once wanted to beat him up, about this point, but he really had no one else to talk to.
Chen Yang was not sure when Chao Jian's transformation began, nor when he discovered it. Everything was vague. However, this did not affect Chen Yang's certainty of Chao Jian's feelings for him.
Xiangdong leaned against the tree and sat up. He picked his ears and looked as if he suspected he was hallucinating.
Chen Yang covered his eyes with his hands: "I'm not stupid."
Xiangdong took a deep puff of cigarette and exhaled slowly: "What about you?"
Chen Yang spoke frankly: "It's not that simple. Things are more complicated. I need to sort it out. I'm still sorting it out."
Xiangdong flipped off Chen Yang's protective shell on the spot: "You are afraid that after all this trouble, you will find that your dependence and trust in him are greater than your love for him, so you retreat while sorting things out."
Chen Yang skipped Xiang Dong's ridicule and said, "If there is no mission, I will be much more relaxed and the whole thing will be simple. I need to prepare myself mentally. I am just being turned gay."
Xiangdong's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, that's all? When Chao Jian didn't show up, you were fucking homophobic, have you forgotten
“But there are no ifs. There is a mission to be accomplished, and I don’t know where the end is. I am afraid of falling in love. It hurts my body and heart, and it can easily cost me my life. The most important thing is... I can’t make a promise. I can’t afford it.” Chen Yang was choked by the smell of smoke. He leaned forward and coughed, his red eyes glued to the figure in the distance.
The conversation went smoothly. Chen Yang let go of his guard against Xiang Dong. He spoke a few more words, unconsciously focusing on his own powerlessness, struggle and hesitation.
Chen Yang was completely unaware that he had exposed his secretly hidden emotions to the sunlight, and he took the initiative to reveal them to Xiangdong and said, "Look, this is it."
Xiangdong almost bit off the cigarette butt. The dog food made it difficult for him to breathe. He laughed hoarsely, "Indeed."
"If I and others hadn't stopped him, you would have died now." You are his medicine and life. Xiangdong didn't say this. Even if I was destined to be an assist member, I still have dignity.
"Yes, it's dangerous. We need to know the situation." Chen Yang pressed his eyes, "But..."
He immediately staggered away to the east.
What? It's nothing more than "If the mind is so easy to control, it wouldn't be called the mind." I don't want to listen to it.
Chen Yang finished his cigarette and stood up to look for Chao Jian. When he was halfway there, Chao Jian turned back to look for him. They both stopped, looked at each other, and then looked away.
After a few moments, they turned their heads back again and walked towards each other in silent gaze.
Chen Yang smelled Chao Jian's scent and his tense back relaxed. His first words were, "I'm sorry, I didn't control myself just now. This mission made me feel helpless and I was a little anxious."
Chao Jian spoke at the same time as him: "I will go back to treatment and get cured."
Chen Yang was stunned and asked, "Really?"
"Yeah," Chao Jian stared at him, "really."
Chen Yang didn't see Chao Jian's bitten tongue and the blood. He smiled happily and said, "That's good."
The summer sun is getting hotter and hotter, cicadas are chirping, the atmosphere outside the residential building is very quiet, but inside the building it feels like another season.
Ah Yuan climbed the stairs without looking around. When she was a child, her grandmother told her supernatural stories, which taught her not to look around or listen to anything when passing a mass grave, not to answer when someone called her, and not to look back when she heard footsteps following her. She remembered everything.
At that time she thought it was just a story told by her grandma, but now she was willing to believe it and do it.
Now, just think of it as walking at night, entering a cemetery. Ayuan loves sports, and has learned both Sanda and Taekwondo. Her lower body is relatively stable, and her footsteps are controlled very lightly.
First floor, second floor, third floor...
Ayuan climbed to the fourth floor breathlessly. Something was approaching from behind. She reacted quickly, closed her eyes, and stood still.
An extremely cold breath rushed towards her, carrying with it the stench of decay. Something was about to touch Ayuan's face. She tried her best to suppress her fear and not to scream.
Ah Yuan had a strange thought: the ghost was waiting for her to open her eyes, it wanted to see her. Ah Yuan closed her eyes tighter, the soft flesh in her mouth sank deeply into her teeth, the increasing pain made her keep her sanity.
After the eerie feeling disappeared, Ayuan continued to climb the stairs holding the package. Her short hair was wet with cold sweat, and the soft flesh in her mouth was bloody and rotten.
Ah Yuan touched the Buddhist beads on her wrist, her hands were sweaty, but her eyes were still dark and bright, like a burning fire. Behind the flames was her strong will and belief in survival.
—Stay alive.
When he reached the sixth floor, Ah Yuan took a deep breath and came up. He had already completed half of the journey.
The next moment, Ayuan's heart skipped a beat. There was a wreath at the door of Room 602!
A Yuan did not approach rashly. She stood at the stairs in deep thought. Chen Yang said that the old man in Room 602 was not getting along with his son and daughter-in-law. He would rather sit at the door than be an eyesore to them. He did not look well either.
Chen Yang delivered the package more than 20 minutes ago. Why is he gone now? So suddenly
No one was seen entering or leaving the building, so where did the wreath come from
Before A Yuan could figure out what was going on, the door of Room 602 opened from the inside and the man of the house stood at the door. He was wearing mourning clothes with a white flower on his chest.
"My condolences." A Yuan subconsciously said something comforting.
The male host looked haggard: "Who are you?"
"I'm a courier." A Yuan responded politely. The recipient of her package was different from Chen Yang's. It was not Mr. Zhang, but Ms. Li. The hostess of 602.
"Express delivery?" The male host glanced at the package in Ayuan's hand, then looked into the house and sneered, "She's still shopping online at this time."
"I bought it before. Sometimes the logistics is slow." Ayuan said casually, and her eyes followed the male owner to drift into the door. She saw something and the package in her hand fell to the ground.
The portrait in the living room is the man of the house! He is paying tribute to himself!
The man looked over.
Ah Yuan bent down to pick up the package, but she couldn't pick it up for a long time. Her hands were shaking. A pale hand reached out, picked up the package and handed it to her.
"Thank you." A Yuan tried hard not to scream. When she stood up, she caught the expression of the male host as he looked at the portrait. It was a look of relief.
It was hard to be caught between my wife and my father when I was alive. It was easier when I died.
The man did not return the package to Ayuan. He stood by the door without saying a word, with a heavy air of death around him.
A Yuan's forehead was covered with sweat. "Sir, the package needs to be signed for in person."
"I'm always shopping. I don't know why I have so many things to buy." The man said to himself. He opened the courier bag to reveal the contents. "It's clothes again. I buy them a few times and then throw them away. Then I buy new ones. There's no more room at home."
Ayuan didn't look up. The rotten smell in her nose made her want to vomit. She tried her best to hold it back, and her fingernails pinched her palms so hard that it hurt.
The male host asked faintly: "Do you like online shopping too?"
Ayuan said, "Rarely, I like to try them on in physical stores." This is the truth. She is afraid that the things she buys online will not be suitable, and she does not want to return or exchange the goods because she finds it troublesome.
"It's better to go to a physical store, at least you pay attention when buying." The male host said, "Unlike online shopping, you can just move your fingers and buy as much as you want without caring about how much money you spend. It's a bottomless pit."
Before this, Ayuan had never thought that one day she would have a conversation with a ghost. Her entire back was wet, and her tennis uniform stuck to her, outlining the lines of her struggling to overcome her fear.
Can't run, keep talking. A Yuan is fighting against his instinct.
The man sighed, "If you really need it, you can buy it. If you don't need it, it will only take up space and has no other use. No matter how many times I tell you, you won't listen. It's okay, I'll just buy it. At most, I'll work hard to make money, but she's always nagging. I have to listen to her nagging before going to work and after get off work. The elderly and children are all healthy. Isn't this the greatest wealth? Why can't we just live a good life..."
As he spoke, he became more ferocious.
"I'm annoyed by everyone. This place doesn't feel like home. Why can't anyone think from my perspective?" The skin on the man's face turned gray and wrinkled bit by bit.
Ayuan's fear was somewhat diluted by the information about daily life. This male owner must have lived a very depressed life, with great work pressure and a restless family. He had no one or channel to complain to.
Could it be that his last wish was just to have someone to listen to him? Ah Yuan pinched his own hands and concentrated on being a listener.
The man said a lot, and at the end he burst into tears, very sad and desperate. He said he was less than 40 years old, still in the prime of his life, his father was not old, his children were not grown up, and his wife did not live a good life with him, so he did not want to die.
But after working overtime all night, he came back, had dinner and fell asleep and died in his sleep.