Li Yao was about to defend himself, but the other party had already hung up the phone. "Beep, beep, beep" came from the loudspeaker, making the atmosphere in the shack even more awkward.
Li Yao looked at the dark phone and really didn't know what to say. He sighed and squatted on the ground with his head in his hands.
"Do you know, for a moment just now, I actually trusted you a little bit. It's really, really shameful!"
Daniel Zhang said bitterly. "I really don't know whether you're crazy, I'm crazy, or the world is crazy. I actually trusted you!"
Li Yao raised his head and opened his mouth, only to feel a wave of soreness and weakness all over his body. He couldn't say anything, and even his own beliefs began to waver.
"You have nothing to say?"
Daniel Zhang said, "If you've already calmed down and learned to face reality, Teacher Niu will treat you to breakfast, and then you can go back to school, right?"
Li Yao nodded helplessly.
…
Although it was only six o 'clock in the morning, the breakfast stall at the entrance of the residential area was already crowded with people, and the aroma of the food assailed their nostrils. In particular, the sound of fried dumplings and fried buns coming from a huge frying pan could be heard, which aroused the appetite of people and made them drool.
Zhang Daniu sat down with ten fried dumplings and ten fried buns in his hands. Then, he instructed Li Yao to bring over their small wontons and added enough chili sauce and vinegar. He drank a mouthful of wonton soup and stuffed three fried onion buns into his mouth. Only then was he satisfied and beaming with joy.
"Let me tell you, no matter how bad yesterday was, no matter how tired and depressed you were, as long as you eat a hot breakfast in the morning, all your troubles will be gone!"
Daniel Zhang took a deep breath of the rich aroma. "The real world is still very beautiful. You still have to live your life honestly, and don't let your imagination run wild, okay?"
"… Okay."
Li Yao picked up a fried dumpling and felt that it tasted like wax, but he forced himself to swallow it.
"Are you really okay?"
Daniel Zhang observed his expression and said, "Why don't you call your family after breakfast?"
"There's no one at home."
Li Yao picked up the wonton bowl and covered his face. "My parents passed away when I was very young. I'm all alone. I'm not hungry after eating my fill."
"Oh, so that's how it is. Sorry, I didn't know."
Scratching his ears and cheeks for a long time, Daniel Zhang said, "No wonder you are addicted to the world of novels and hope to find comfort in the illusory Cultivation Universe! Sigh, how should I put it? I don't mean for you to completely give up … your fantasy. You just need to pay attention to the difference between fantasy and reality. Don't get too immersed in it, understand?
"In that case, Mr. Niu is not a completely unreasonable person. Although you are not a female college student whose skirt is swaying and whose hair is fluttering in the wind, Mr. Niu still welcomes you to come and talk with me when you are free. As long as you don't kick the door open in the middle of the night, everything will be fine!"
Li Yao smiled. "Thank you, Teacher Niu."
"You're welcome. If you really want to thank me, don't talk nonsense like 'Cultivation Universe' all day long. When you go back, prepare your resume, find a stable job, and live a normal life."
Daniel Zhang said, "If you do that, you'll be thanking me. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
Li Yao said, but his eyes were still a little absent-minded. After eating in silence for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "What is the so-called 'normal life' like?"
"Just like that!"
Daniel Zhang drank the wonton soup and said, "Find a nine-to-nine job with less money and more work. Endure the boss's roar and exploitation, work hard for a few years to make the down payment for a house, and then bear the debt for decades. Have your own nest, find a wife who is in a similar situation to you, and after you have children, you should invest all your extra time, energy, and money — if you have any — on the children. While you slowly become greasy, the children gradually grow up. When the children grow up, you repeat the process. Isn't that the life of a normal person?"
Li Yao frowned. "It doesn't sound very attractive!"
"What else could it be?"
Zhang Daniu curled his lips and said, "Don't complain that it's not attractive. How many people want to live such a peaceful life but can't? Face the reality. We are neither nobles nor heroes. Isn't this the life of ordinary people?" Zhang Daniu snorted.
"I still think that I have superpowers. No, both of us have superpowers."
Li Yao mumbled in a low voice, "I am a 'Cultivator'. I have super strength, super speed, super vision, super hearing, and super self-healing abilities. In the process of continuous awakening, I also have the ability to move mountains and seas and summon the wind and rain. Shooting fireballs and electric arcs is not a problem for me, either. All in all, I know all the techniques of a Cultivator. You are a 'Coder'. Your superpower is to write! The two of us should not live such a mediocre life. We should fight the evil forces that rule the world in darkness with our superpowers! "
"What did you say?"
Daniel Zhang asked, "What is my superpower?"
"Writing."
Li Yao said, "You have to write fast!"
"And then?"
Daniel Zhang narrowed his eyes.
"That's it. It's just writing. It's a very powerful superpower!"
Li Yao said honestly.
"Do you think that what you're saying is reasonable?"
Daniel Zhang said, "Only a modest gentleman like Mr. Niu, who has cultivated himself for more than thirty years, would not lower himself to your level. If it were another person, he would have poured all the wonton soup on your head."
"I was wrong, Mr. Niu."
Li Yao held his belly and said, "Hey, these fried dumplings and fried buns seem to be quite delicious. Give me twenty more. Twenty of each?"
Daniel Zhang glared fiercely at Li Yao. After a long time, he sighed, raised his hand and called, "Boss!"
Very soon, a mountain of fried buns and fried dumplings was placed in front of the two of them. Needless to say, Li Yao wolfed them down, but Zhang Daniu had spent a lot of energy writing crazily the night before. His appetite was also much bigger than usual. Every time he opened his mouth, he could not be bothered to talk.
There was a greasy TV hanging in the corner of the shop. It was usually turned on at night. During the day, it was just a decoration. Today, it was turned on by a regular customer to watch the latest news about the earthquake in the western Pacific Ocean.
It was said that the intensity of the earthquake had been revised to 9.3 on the Richter scale. It was the second strongest earthquake in history.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in Edo Bay, which was only dozens of miles away from the largest island and also one of the top ten metropolises in the world. First, the destructive shock wave caused serious damage to the city, followed by an overwhelming tsunami, which turned half of the city into a land of water. Even the Fusang Islands, which people were accustomed to frequent earthquakes, were trembling under the deterrence of the catastrophe and entered a state of national emergency.
Because of the natural gas leakage caused by the earthquake, the whole city was full of explosions, fireballs, and black smoke. It was like a tragic battlefield.
The buildings that were dozens of stories high were as weak as building blocks. The so-called human civilization was not worth mentioning in front of the great power of nature.
To make matters worse, it was said that among the sixteen nuclear power plants in the coastal area of the islands, eight nuclear power plants were hit by the earthquake and tsunami, and there was a hidden danger of nuclear leakage. This was the official statement. According to the gossip on the Internet, several nuclear power plants had suffered serious nuclear leakage accidents, and the intensity of the radiation was unprecedented!
"I didn't expect the earthquake last night to be so serious. It was like the plot of 'The Sinking of the Islands.'"
Daniel Zhang gnashed his teeth and said, "Have you read 'The Sinking of the Islands?' It's a very classic science fiction novel. According to the logic of you and the 'Dream Traveler', the author of the novel must have experienced similar events in his previous life. That's why he could write an immersive and lifelike novel in this life, right? Hahahaha! "
Li Yao did not answer. He stared at the ravaged city in the news. The collapsed ruins seemed to be floating on the burning sea. It really felt like the end of the world.
At this moment, a black shadow suddenly flashed in the corner of the camera.
It seemed to be a person who jumped down from a twenty-to thirty-story building that was gradually tilting. Then, it flew away, out of the camera!
"This is —"
Li Yao's pupils suddenly shrank. He could not believe his eyes.
"What's wrong with you?"
Zhang Daniu raised his head, but he could not see anything through the shaky lens.
"Nothing."
Li Yao was not sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "It seems like a fly flew in front of the TV."
"This kind of small shop is like this. It's not clean, you won't get sick after eating it. What's there to be afraid of if it's just a fly?"
Daniel Zhang pointed at Li Yao's phone on the table. "Your phone is ringing."
Li Yao was slightly stunned. He opened the screen and saw a text message from an unknown number.
"What do you want from my brother? Did you read the posts he posted online? Do you believe his crazy words? "
Right, this is the number of the 'Dream Traveler'. It was sent by the Dream Traveler's sister!
Li Yao's flame of hope struggled and bloomed with a last ray of light. He held the phone with both hands and quickly typed, "Yes, Miss. Not only do I believe it, but I've also encountered the same situation as your brother. Maybe your brother is not crazy. Can you tell me more about him? At least tell me where he received treatment! "
"Maybe he's not crazy. Maybe you're as crazy as him."
The other party quickly replied, "My brother is receiving treatment at the Ark Psychological Research Center. Maybe you should go there and take a look."
"Ark?"
Li Yao held the phone in a daze. He had never heard of such a mental illness treatment center.
"What's wrong?"
Daniel Zhang saw his ugly expression and asked curiously.
Li Yao did not say anything and pushed the phone over.
Daniel Zhang took it and glanced at it. At first, he did not think much of it, but soon, his whole body seemed to be struck by lightning. His face turned pale and strange.
"What's wrong?"
This time, it was Li Yao's turn to ask this question. "Teacher Niu, is there a problem?"
"No, no, I don't know. It should be a coincidence, right?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
