Chapter 8 + Chapter 9

Chapter 8: The Lead

But suddenly…

Just before Shen Hao was about to fall into the pit — his legs already dangling inside — the hole stopped expanding. Right there. At the edge.

His heart skipped a beat. He was sweating hard, breathing fast. He couldn’t believe it — he had been seconds away from death. Trembling, he looked up at the sky and muttered:

“Thank God… thank you…”

Quickly, he began clawing at the ground with his hands, dragging his injured body away from the edge. He finally reached the roadside and leaned against the wall of a nearby building for support. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Everyone else had already evacuated the area.

Shen Hao was the only one left — sitting all alone by the side of the road with a broken leg.

Then suddenly…

A scream.

It sounded like the voice of an old man — and it was coming from the pit. It grew louder, closer, like something was rising up from deep inside.

Shen Hao, still breathing heavily, turned his head in curiosity. From where he was sitting, he looked down into the pit.

And then he saw it.

A glowing ball of blue light, about the size of his hand, was shooting up from the darkness. The old man’s scream seemed to be coming from inside it — louder, closer, and fast.

The orb flew out of the hole, straight toward him.

He flinched in fear, trying to move — but it was too fast.

In a split second, the glowing blue ball slammed into his chest, hitting him with enough force to launch him over two meters into the air. He screamed in pain and panic.

When he landed, his head hit the pavement hard.

And everything went black.

He woke up in a hospital bed.

“Wh... Wha... What happened…? Where am I...?”

The door burst open.

It was his family.

“Oh my God, you’re finally awake!” his mother cried as she rushed over and hugged him tightly.

Everyone looked relieved. But then Shen Hao looked down.

And saw what he didn’t want to see.

His leg — wrapped tightly in bandages.

His mom pulled away just as the doctor entered the room.

“Mr. Shen Hao,” the doctor said, “you have a fracture in your leg. The injury is serious, but not permanent. You’ll be able to walk again — but it’ll take at least seven months.”

Silence.

The whole family looked stunned. Deep down, they already feared it — but now that it was official, the truth hit harder than they expected.

The doctor left. The room was quiet.

Then came words of comfort.

His family stayed by his side, reassuring him, trying to lift his spirits.

“You’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

“We’re just happy you’re okay.”

“You’re strong, you’ll get through this.”

Shen Hao listened — but his mind was elsewhere.

Something else mattered more than recovery right now.

His father placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m so glad you’re safe, son. I was really worried about you.”

“Don’t worry, Dad,” Shen Hao replied. “A lot of crazy stuff has happened lately, but I’m still standing… kind of.”

His father smiled.

“You’re strong, son. I’ll let you rest now. I’ll come by later.”

His dad left the room.

Shen Hao’s mind immediately kicked back into gear.

That blue orb…

He placed a hand on his chest.

“I remember it hit me… right here.”

Then, something clicked in his head.

Wait a second…

“That blue orb… and the faint blue figure I saw during the school incident… they might be connected.”

And then suddenly — realization.

His memories were fuzzy, but he recalled the voice.

It had always been the same. Old. Rough. Maybe 75 or 80 years old.

The same voice he heard in his dream — the same one during the school quake — and just now, coming from the glowing orb.

But this time, it wasn’t in his head. It came from outside — from the ball of light.

He still didn’t know what it all meant. But for once, Shen Hao didn’t feel lost.

He smiled.

“Finally… finally, I have a lead.”

“Something’s changing. I’m getting closer to solving this mystery.”

And from that moment, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He spent the whole day — and the day after — piecing together what he knew.

Four months passed.

Shen Hao’s condition had improved a lot. His leg was healing faster than expected. Soon, he was discharged from the hospital.

Back at home, he stayed in his room — still in a wheelchair, but in much better spirits. Only three more months, and he’d be able to walk again.

But before that day could come…

It happened.

Something even stranger than before…

Chapter 9: The Voice Returns

After Shen Hao had dinner, he was going to bed as usual and was waiting for his leg to completely heal. But there was a problem. Since the blue orb incident, he always felt very tired and weak — even though he didn’t do anything. He just read books and used his phone all day in bed. Although he didn’t find out the reason, he didn’t pay much attention to it. Only three months remained until he could walk again.

He entered his room like usual, but then suddenly...

The same voice of the old man echoed in his head:

“It seems like you are getting better.”

Shen Hao was very shocked to hear this voice after so long. He asked,

“Who are you? And why are you after me, old hag!?”

He was frustrated and angry because this voice had been after him, but he was also more surprised and curious. He needed a lot of answers, so he screamed even louder:

“TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!!!???”

“AHHH!

Shut it, mortal brat! I can hear you loud and clear!” the old man snapped.

Shen Hao was shocked — this was the first time the voice answered him directly. He said, filled with curiosity and a bit of fear:

“You… you… you… you answered me!”

“Yes, I did answer you!” he replied instantly, as if he were speaking right inside Shen Hao’s mind.

“Who are you, and how can you talk to me like this?” Shen Hao asked.

“Well, it’s very complicated for you mortals to understand, but I will try my best.”

And then, the same blue light ball emerged from Shen Hao’s chest. It took the shape of an old man, about 6 feet tall, with a well-built body — not too skinny, not too fat.

Shen Hao saw this, very surprised and scared. He jumped to the left corner of his room, next to his bed, putting his guard up.

“Wha… What the heck?! Who are you!?

What the fu*k is going on in my life!?”

“Relax, kid. I can’t kill you even if I wanted to,” the old man said.

“So… so… s-s-so are you the one who’s been messing with my head?” Shen Hao asked.

“I would also like to explain everything to you, but you just keep fuking barking like a dog.

If you’d please just shut the fuk up, then I can explain,” the old man said in frustration.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I don’t want to argue with you now anyway. I’d also like to be explained,” Shen Hao answered.

Both of them relaxed themselves, and then... the story began.

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