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Chapter 29: The Doorways
It was just a minor episode.
No matter where Forest Station Four was or what had happened there, Li Xingyuan and his companions had no intention of investigating or inquiring further. In fact, if they knew its location, they would go out of their way to avoid it.
The world had become rife with strange and inexplicable events, far too many for Li Xingyuan and his group to manage or even comprehend.
And so, the matter was left behind, just as the voice—or whatever it was—had declared: "Forest Station Four reports no anomalies."
As they moved away from the sparsely populated western regions, Li Xingyuan and his companions occasionally spotted a few vehicles passing by on the highway. Some were familiar military trucks, but most were private cars. There was little interaction between them; they would pass each other briefly and then part ways. Those still traveling likely had their own destinies to fulfill.
Along the way, they passed through several towns and villages. However, rural administrative units far from urban centers had already collapsed due to widespread outbreaks of genetic diseases. Basic social order, if it were ever to be restored, would take a long time to recover. People were still adjusting to the suddenness of death.
Other bizarre phenomena, including hallucinations, had a lesser impact compared to the abrupt onset of genetic diseases. Many strange occurrences claimed lives in ways that could almost be considered gentle compared to the brutality of the genetic plagues.
People weren’t dead, but the majority had gone into hiding. Doors and windows were tightly shut, and not a single shop remained open on the streets. A few stores stood wide open, but their contents had been looted clean—this was the result of brief riots that erupted during the initial outbreak of genetic diseases.
The riots hadn’t been quelled by law enforcement but by the increasingly ruthless progression of the genetic diseases themselves.
Now, as they drove along, traces of those past riots were still visible. Unclaimed corpses lay rotting in the streets, emitting a foul stench. Packs of dogs roamed freely, feasting on the decaying bodies. Some were stray wild dogs, while others were breeds commonly kept as pets.
Not all pet dogs had adapted to the sudden changes, but some had survived in this new era. Centuries of human domestication had been undone in a single month by nature, which had reawakened their primal ferocity.
One night, while camping at a highway service station, the three men heated a military can of food over a fire outside their vehicle. When they opened the can, the rich aroma of braised meat made their mouths water—but it also attracted a pack of feral dogs. These dogs showed no fear of humans, boldly attacking them. Old Liu fired a shot, killing one dog. The smell of gunpowder triggered their instinctive fear, sending them scattering and disappearing into the darkness.
"How strange," Lin Song muttered between bites of the canned meat, shaking his head. "Being attacked by something else, I could understand—but who would’ve thought that these days, even dogs aren’t afraid of humans anymore?"
"They know the world has changed hands," Li Xingyuan replied grimly.
Lin Song paid no heed to Li Xingyuan’s pessimistic remark. He was in high spirits today, likely because they were finally nearing Jiangcheng. They had entered Jiangnan Province, and it would take only a day more to reach Jiangcheng.
"Once we get to Jiangcheng, Mr. Li, I’ll need your help," Lin Song said, serving Li Xingyuan a piece of braised pork. "Find out where my wife and mother have been relocated. Please, I’m counting on you."
Li Xingyuan smiled faintly, though his face was pale, and he struggled to eat.
Old Liu noticed Li Xingyuan’s expression and asked with concern, "Your hallucinations haven’t gone away?"
Li Xingyuan nodded.
The hallucinations had returned, though they were far more abstract than Old Liu’s vision of the deep-sea humanoid. Li Xingyuan began seeing flashes of light, colors slipping away at the edges of his vision, and doorways—or something resembling doorways—opening at odd angles.
Certain beings—if they could even be called that—moved through these doorways. Li Xingyuan couldn’t make out their forms, and perhaps that was a blessing. It was likely the reason he had managed to retain his sanity.
These visions might not be mere hallucinations—at least, not entirely. Li Xingyuan stared at a small rotating door hovering near his fingers. It was no larger than his fist, and with the slightest effort, he could push it open.
He had tried touching it before, but his hand passed through empty air. Attempting to interact with such illusions was likely a symptom of delirium, though mental illnesses like this hardly mattered anymore in the current state of the world.
The source of these visions likely stemmed from the light he had encountered earlier. He had misunderstood it. After using its power to escape from the sky, the light hadn’t disappeared—it had become an intrinsic part of his consciousness.
Through the light, Li Xingyuan glimpsed a more fundamental aspect of the world, hidden from ordinary perception—a force that connected various spaces and times.
"Eat something and rest," Old Liu consoled him. "Maybe when you wake up tomorrow, the visions will be gone."
"Then tonight, I’ll let you two handle the watch," Li Xingyuan said. "I won’t participate."
He set down his chopsticks and bowl, stood up, and moved to the couch inside the service station. Wrapping himself in a blanket, he closed his eyes.
But the light remained. Li Xingyuan couldn’t remember the last time he had experienced the peaceful darkness of closed eyelids. He had to force himself to ignore the light, but the more he tried, the more agitated he became. Without external distractions, the hallucinations grew even clearer.
At that moment, one door after another began to close.
As the massive doors slowly shut, the luminous beings that had emerged from them faded into nothingness, their glow extinguished. The doorways themselves dimmed and vanished into the darkness.
When all the lights had disappeared, the familiar darkness that followed brought not tranquility but… fear.
A profound terror, rising from the depths of his genes, seized his entire being.
Something was coming.
All these doorways, and everything that passed through them, had temporarily closed to avoid its arrival.
Li Xingyuan’s eyes snapped open.
"Close the doors!" he shouted frantically. "Shut all the doors and windows!"
Leaping to his feet, he rushed toward the service station’s entrance. "It’s coming! It’s already here!"
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