C3 (1/2)

I sat there blankly as I panted for a long time before raising my head. The dim light of the street lamps illuminated my surroundings, and occasionally, a gust of night wind would blow by, making me feel like I was standing at the corner of an old Shanghai street in the sixties and seventies.

I stretched my arms and legs a little, and although it still hurt, I was able to move freely.

I stumbled toward my rented apartment at the corner of the street, confused, and looked back to where the man had been lying, but there was no one there now, and the streets, polished by the soles of so many pairs of shoes, shone with a cold, cold light that I drew back my neck, not bothering to think about where the man had gone.

”Shadowgale [1], the Nether Wandering Soul.”

”The fourth seal has arrived, Ren Er's Karma is dispelled.”

A sad and gentle voice came over, it sounded like a man's voice, but also like a woman's voice. The voice was deep, clear, and long.

It was said that strange things happened every year on the day of birthdays. How come there were so many things different today? Isn't it my birthday yet?

I shivered and took out my cell phone.

The somewhat dazzling screen impressively printed a string of characters: 12 December 2016, 12: 12.

It was like I was struck by lightning. Wasn't this the same time I was born 24 years ago?

This is when I was born!

I remember the year my grandfather died, when my father told me in secret that he should not have come to this world to begin with, so in my life, I had to go through four life or death situations, once every twelve years, once at the age of twelve, once at the age of one, and once at the age of twelve.

This year is the third time in my life!

In the first seal, his mother died.

In the second seal, his grandfather was dead.

The third seal, who could it be? Is that me?

Even though I thought that I had received a high education, I still couldn't help but believe in the strange things that happen every 12 years. I shuddered and unconsciously added on.

”Ding dang”, a crisp ringtone came in, it was my phone receiving a text message. I took out my phone and saw that the three blood-red words ”I'm here” filled the entire screen in a way that I've never seen before, slowly fading away like it was raining blood.

I took a deep breath. The cold of the early morning froze my brain, and I was sure that this was the first time I had ever received such a specific text message.

I thought I was seeing things. I looked for the information that just appeared on my phone like I was crazy. However, everything seemed to have disappeared. It was as if what I saw just now never appeared at all.

I clearly heard the crunching sound of my teeth chattering. Perhaps it was due to the cold, or perhaps it was due to my fear.

After finding nothing, I ignored everything else and jogged back to my rented apartment.

It was unknown when it started, but the streets were covered by a layer of white fog. It was like a bamboo steamer that had just been opened. The forest fog was dyed a pale yellow by the yellow light of the street lamps, like the clouds at sunset.

However, I didn't have the mood to admire such a beautiful scenery. Breathing heavily, I walked through it, stirring up the pale yellow fog.

At that moment, I shifted my gaze to the corner of my eyes and saw a few figures vaguely appearing from the mist. I forcefully suppressed the fear in my heart and placed my hand on my chest, as though I was trying to hold down the madly beating heart.

Following my line of sight, I counted one, two, three figures walking through the fog. They were solemn, cold, and without any sound, as though they were floating ghosts.

However, for some unknown reason, not only did I not run away, I stood still on the spot, trying to see clearly who it was that had appeared on the street in the early hours of the morning.

The three of them were dressed in dark robes, they were not tall or short, they were fat or thin, and under the cover of the fog they could not see very clearly, but they came so quickly that in the blink of an eye they were right in front of me.

I looked carefully and saw that the person in the lead was a woman. His face was pale, and under the light of the lantern, he appeared somewhat blue. He walked past me expressionlessly.

At this moment, a second person's face appeared before my eyes. It was an old man with the same expression as the woman from before. His white beard hung messily on his face, and his complexion was purple.

However, when I saw him, I had a strange feeling. I felt that this old man looked familiar, as though I had seen him somewhere before. However, he walked past me very quickly.

However, when the third person's face appeared before my eyes, I felt as if my head had been struck by a heavy hammer. The world spun around my head, and I staggered for two steps, almost falling to the ground.

This third person is none other than my father!