Bilgewater

In a tavern next to the slaughter docks of Bilgewater.

The proprietress said to a drunkard in his early twenties, "Roland! You have to leave, I'm closing up."

The drunkard named Roland, reeking of alcohol, roared, "You're closing at midnight? I'm not not paying you, I'm the best harpooner in Bilgewater!"

The proprietress yelled impatiently, "Talk again when you've paid off your tab! You have to leave, or I'll throw you out."

Roland staggered out of the tavern, bottle in hand, still muttering, "It's just a few gold coins you're owed. When I get back from sea, I'll have you lying in my bed!"

Faint sounds could be heard from ahead: "No! Pyke! You can't do this! I warned them! They didn't listen!"

The sounds were abruptly cut off. Roland staggered over and found a cold corpse at his feet!

Seeing this, Roland sobered up halfway, "Duke! Damn it, I need to get out of this cursed place quickly!"

As Roland lifted his foot to leave, the sound of water boots squelching came from behind him.

Roland trembled all over, drew the cutlass from his waist, gripped it tightly, and roared, "Who's there! Stop hiding! Get out here, you hear me!"

A hoarse voice whispered in his ear, "You look familiar! Oh, right! You were there too!"

Roland brandished his cutlass and roared, "Pyke! You damned drowned ghost! Your business has nothing to do with me!"

Pyke said nothing and slashed Roland's arm. The blow nearly dislocated Roland's shoulder!

Roland threw down his bottle, pulled a flintlock pistol from his coat, and roared ferociously, "Come on, you filthy drowned ghost, let me give you a taste of lead!"

The gun Roland held was bought with his last savings from the black market. It was a Piltover gun, incredibly powerful, capable of taking a life with a single shot. Roland had made a lot of money with this gun.

Roland aimed at Pyke's figure and fired! He even chuckled, "How's that for a taste of lead, not so pleasant, is it?"

After firing, Roland immediately ran into an alley. He had grown up in the slaughter docks since childhood. When he was young, he had accidentally discovered an abandoned sewer leading to the upper city. No one else knew about this sewer but him. Just as Roland was about to climb into the sewer, a knife stabbed out from his abdomen. Roland ignored the wound and scrambled into the sewer. He knew he would be safe once he got out. Near the sewer exit was a hospital. Roland had practically grown up in that clinic and was very familiar with its owner.

Roland crawled through the sewer. Normally, he would have reached the hospital by now, but the wound on his stomach made his consciousness hazy. Roland bit his tongue to stay awake, crawling desperately towards the exit, saying grimly, "Pyke! What rotten luck to run into that damned drowned ghost today! Just you wait until I recover, I'll make you pay!"

In an ordinary small clinic in the upper city, Old Jack was engrossed in a book when there was a knock on the door. The knocking was accompanied by curses, "Old Jack, you damn old man, open the door quickly! Save me!"

Old Jack put down his book and opened the door. He saw Roland lying on the ground, his face pale, his abdominal wound soaking his clothes red, not to mention his arm, which was barely attached to bone.

Old Jack dragged Roland into the clinic, mocking him, "Roland, who did this to you? Aren't you supposed to be the best harpooner in Bilgewater?"

Roland gritted his teeth and said, "It was that damned bastard Pyke. I ran into him at the docks. Stop with the useless talk and save me!"

A smile appeared on Old Jack's face, "Leave it to me."

Meanwhile, in a distant place, on a planet called Earth.

Jiang Chuan was playing a game in an internet cafe with his friends, roaring in anger, "Is this Pyke cheating? He killed me with full health! How can I even play?"

The word "Failure" appeared on the computer screen. Jiang Chuan put down the mouse and said unwillingly, "Damn it, it's my promotion match!" Jiang Chuan waved to his friends and said, "My luck is terrible today, not suitable for gaming. I'm leaving."

After leaving the internet cafe, Jiang Chuan lit a cigarette and looked at the drizzling rain in front of him, saying, "Why is it raining again? I need to go home quickly. Getting a cold won't be good."

As a proud member of the post-90s generation, Jiang Chuan's life was quite comfortable. After graduating from university, he found a relatively leisurely job. After spending his monthly salary, he could still save a little. The only sad thing was that he didn't have a girlfriend. He had been on countless blind dates arranged by his family, but he still hadn't found a suitable one.

The rain grew heavier. Jiang Chuan stood under a large tree in the park to shelter from the rain. The cigarette in his mouth was soaked. Jiang Chuan took out another one and lit it. Looking at the young couples running to take shelter from the rain on the road, Jiang Chuan sighed, "Alas, I should have participated in more clubs in college. It's a shame I have such a good appearance."

Jiang Chuan saw a little girl standing under a tree opposite him, hugging a teddy bear and crying. Jiang Chuan walked over, covered the little girl with his jacket, and squatted in front of her to comfort her, "Little friend, don't stand outside in the rain, you'll catch a cold. Where are your parents?"

The little girl cried, "Wuwu... Daddy and Mommy are lost, I can't find them..."

Jiang Chuan carried the little girl to the police station not far away. "Little friend, wait for your parents here. Uncle has to go now."

Jiang Chuan wrapped the little girl tightly in his jacket and walked out of the police station. He left the rest to the police officers.

The rain was too heavy. Jiang Chuan had to find a big tree in the park ahead to take shelter. Jiang Chuan lit a cigarette to calm himself down.

CRACK! A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Jiang Chuan was startled and remembered what his elementary school teacher had said: you shouldn't stand under a tree during a thunderstorm. Jiang Chuan flicked the ash off his cigarette and said nonchalantly, "How can it be that superstitious?"

Sometimes, divine retribution strikes in an instant. A bolt of lightning split the sky and struck the treetop. Jiang Chuan, who was under the tree, was unfortunately struck by lightning.

As he was dying, Jiang Chuan looked at the lightning and said silently, "Damn it!"

Jiang Chuan's soul floated out of his body. He looked at his shattered corpse under the tree, feeling helpless. The surroundings were only black and white. As Jiang Chuan floated above his corpse, unsure of what to do, another bolt of lightning struck his soul. Just as Jiang Chuan was about to curse, he realized this lightning was clearly different from the previous one. The previous lightning carried divine might and destruction, while this lightning felt more like... salvation!

Jiang Chuan's soul was carried away by the lightning. Looking at the city below, Jiang Chuan felt sad. He thought of his aging parents at home and cried, "I'm dead like this? What will happen to Mom and Dad! I haven't even enjoyed this world yet!"

The lightning seemed to have a mind of its own. It stopped above Jiang Chuan's house. Jiang Chuan floated into the house and saw the cake on the table. Jiang Chuan then remembered that it was his birthday today. His father sat on the sofa, quietly reading the newspaper, but his peripheral vision kept glancing at the door, waiting for Jiang Chuan to come home. His mother was cooking his favorite dishes in the kitchen. Looking at his father's aged face, Jiang Chuan remembered the times when he was a child and rode on his father's shoulders, playing games. Every time he came home from playing outside, his mother always had his favorite dishes on the table. Later, when he grew up and got a job, his mother's nagging every time he went out made Jiang Chuan feel annoyed.

Looking at his mother's and father's smiles, Jiang Chuan cried, "I haven't been home for a long time... Dad! Mom! Your son is leaving and cannot accompany you any longer..."

Jiang Chuan's consciousness gradually faded. Everything from his childhood flashed before his eyes: the smiles of him playing with his father, his mother comforting him when he fell while learning to ride a bike for the first time, his father's self-reproach after hitting him for the first time...

"Is this a life review? Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. If there's an afterlife, I still want to be your son. I will definitely be filial to you."

Jiang Chuan's Mother looked out the window and said worriedly, "Dear, why does my eyelid keep twitching? Do you think something happened to Chuan?"

Jiang Chuan's Father took off his reading glasses and said, "You old woman, what nonsense are you talking about? Chuan said this morning that he'd be home for dinner tonight. Don't think about bad things. Today is Chuan's birthday, don't say anything unlucky."

Jiang Chuan's Mother picked up the phone and said, "But I feel so uneasy. I don't know why. I have to call Chuan to ask."

The phone on the other end rang with "dudududu" sounds. Jiang Chuan's Mother paced anxiously in the house. "Why isn't this child answering the phone? Old man, you try calling him."

Jiang Chuan's Father had just taken out his phone when he received a call from Jiang Chuan. "See? He just called me. You definitely won't get through."

"Chuan, where are you? Your mom is waiting impatiently. Hurry up."

"Uncle, hello. We are from the Shijiang Police Station."

"Police? What did Jiang Chuan do?"

Jiang Chuan's Mother said worriedly, "You arrested Chuan? I knew something was up today with my twitching eye. Old man, ask him what happened, was he bullied?"

Jiang Chuan's Father said, "Don't rush. Wait until the Police Comrade finishes speaking!"

"Police Comrade, what did my son do wrong?"

"Uncle, your son didn't do anything wrong. Earlier, when it was pouring rain, Mr. Jiang was taking shelter under a tree and was unfortunately struck by lightning. By the time we arrived, Mr. Jiang was already..."

Jiang Chuan's Mother snatched the phone, "Police Comrade, are you sure that's my son? Could you have the wrong person?"

"Auntie, we found Mr. Jiang Chuan's ID... Mr. Jiang registered here ten minutes ago when he brought a lost Little Girl to the station. We also find it hard to accept the fact that such a good person has left us..."

Jiang Chuan's Mother wailed, "Chuan! My son, Heaven is unfair!"

Jiang Chuan's Father took the phone and said, "Police Comrade, we're coming over now. Please give me a detailed address."

After the police gave the address, Jiang Chuan's Father hung up, put on his coat, grabbed his car keys, and took Jiang Chuan's Mother to the place where Jiang Chuan died.

The heavy rain was still falling. Jiang Chuan's Father looked at his son's corpse, his white hair turning a little whiter. The grief of an old man losing his son caused his back to stoop a few inches more.

Jiang Chuan's Mother hugged Jiang Chuan's body and cried bitterly. Even as she fainted, she couldn't believe that her son, who had called her just this morning, was now lying lifeless in her arms.

The police brought the Little Girl over and said to Jiang Chuan's Father, "Uncle, Mr. Jiang saved this Little Girl earlier. After our investigation, her parents died in an accident a few days ago. This Little Girl ran away from home today looking for her mom and dad. Please accept our condolences regarding Mr. Jiang's passing."

Jiang Chuan's Father picked up the Little Girl and said to the police, "Police Comrade, can we adopt this girl?"

The police looked at the aged man before him and said, "Uncle, there's no problem with that. We also find it hard to believe Heaven would do something like this."

Seeing this scene, Jiang Chuan's fading soul revealed a faint smile. "Dad, Mom, now I can leave with peace of mind."

The Little Girl looked at Jiang Chuan's disappearing soul and waved her hand, as if saying goodbye.