Cangnan City.
The low, old houses seemed to be turning to sand, dissolving into golden specks of light that scattered in every direction. The streets winding between skyscrapers rapidly receded; the solid asphalt roads vanished, replaced by muddy earth.
Streetlamps, greenery, signboards, cafés, ramen shops, wedding boutiques, Heping Bridge, offices...
Golden motes surged through the air like a flood, dancing and rising until they disappeared without a trace...
Everything, like a dream or an illusion, suddenly shattered.
"Mom, Mom..."
On the vanishing street, a seven- or eight-year-old girl stared blankly at everything before her. In front of her, a woman looked at her own body in terror.
She was disappearing too.
"What's happening? What's happening?" the woman muttered.
She suddenly looked up at her daughter. Once she confirmed that her daughter's body was not dissolving into golden motes, relief appeared in her eyes.
Deep within her eyes, a sealed memory seemed to be opening...
So that was it...
She staggered to her feet. By then, the entire right half of her body had already vanished. She walked over to the girl, the corners of her lips lifting slightly as her left hand gently stroked the girl's head.
"Tiantian, Mommy's time has come... These past ten years, the happiest thing in Mommy's life was having you... From now on, you'll have to face the days ahead alone."
She looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with acceptance.
"The miracle has finally come to an end..."
Scenes like this were unfolding in every corner of Cangnan City.
Countless people watched in terror as their family and friends gradually vanished beside them, their eyes full of panic.
Yet in the eyes of those disappearing, acceptance eventually emerged, as though they had finally remembered everything. Smiling, they bade farewell to those beside them.