Chapter 668 - Dream (1/2)

Zhang Heng drove his grandfather’s car and headed back to Bai Qing’s neighborhood.

He found a building on the street where it allowed him to observe her house. He parked his car, turned off the engine, pulled out the key, and walked to a spot out of the CCTV’s range. Now, all he could do was wait.

This was also the most boring and dreary part of the quest. Even if nothing happened, Zhang Heng could not close his eyes to rest or leave the place for the time being. He was, fortunately, well prepared for a situation like this. He leaned over to the back seat and grabbed his tablet. Earlier, he had downloaded a few shows that he had been following and some short movies as well.

Zhang Heng clicked on an old anime, Penguindrum, and continued from the sixth episode. As the flick played on, he would periodically glance at Bai Qing’s house.

From the previous conversation, Zhang Heng knew that Bai Qing’s family lived on the sixth floor. The north window should be Bai Qing’s bedroom, and one on the west had to be the living room. As of now, her house was completely dark.

Bai Qing typically went to bed at 11 o’clock. Since so much happened tonight, she waited until Zhang Heng had gotten home, and the two had chatted on WeChat for about half an hour before they bid each other goodnight.

Zhang Heng seemed to see Bai Qing curling up on the bed, tapping her cellphone in the dark bedroom. The blue light from the screen was s.h.i.+ning on her face…

While watching the thirteenth episode of Penguindrum, Zhang Heng realized that his tablet’s battery was almost empty. Hence, he tossed the device back to where it used to be, stretched his back, and loosened his muscles and bones.

So far, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on in Bai Qing’s house. Zhang Heng then looked at his watch. It was 2:55 in the morning, and the street was devoid of people. The whole city was at a standstill, not much different from the dystopian city in the “Silent Hill” game.

As the clock ticked, his eyes were getting drier and drier, and Zhang Heng dripped in two drops of eye drops into his eyes. At 3:20, he saw a stray dog searching the trash can on his right side. Come 3:45, he s.h.i.+fted himself, lowered down his seat, and leaned back.

Initially, he just wanted to take a quick nap, but he did not expect to feel sleepy after closing his eyes. When Zhang Heng opened his eyes again, he found out that he was no longer in the car but was standing in a small town instead.

‘Is this a dream?’

Suddenly, Zhang Heng remembered the dream he had not long ago where those things beside the river surrounded him. This time around, it looked like he had been brought back to the past, and his surroundings seemed familiar as well.

However, Zhang Heng did not remember if he had been to this town, whether in reality or in the game. There was no doubt that this was a coastal town. The strong smell of fish in the air disgusted him, and a long sandy path could be seen under the wave breaker. On top of it were a few shacks and fishes lined up beside them.

Zhang Heng also noticed a white bell tower made of bricks and stones, with a river flowing underneath not far from him. On the other side of the wave breaker, a black line loomed between the waves, reeking with an evil aura.

In fact, the whole town was shadowed by an uncomfortable atmosphere. Although many buildings and houses were being built at the center of the town, most were in a dilapidated state. Their roofs had caved in; their walls, rotting. Abandoned railroad tracks by the street were overgrown by gra.s.s on both sides.

Judging by the architecture of the buildings, Zhang Heng figured that he was probably in a western country, circa the late 19th or early 20th century. The presence of evil loomed within the town, or to be more precise, this small town seemed to be under some sort of curse. Even the sky was marred by a suffocating haze.

Since Zhang Heng was gradually losing his emotions, he wasn’t affected by his surroundings. Instead, he had a faint feeling that he was visiting his friend.

This made him feel a little strange.