After coming down from the snow mountain, Qi Si traveled eastward, stopping and starting along the way, and returned to Jiang City in late autumn half a year later.
The city, not yet touched by the Eerie Invasion, brimmed with the bustle of everyday life. When he entered, it was early evening, with lights just beginning to glow. Private cars of every color streamed along the roads, horns and traffic police whistles rose and fell, and the conversations of pedestrians could faintly be heard.
A teenage girl held her mother's hand and dramatically recounted amusing stories from her class. Office workers carrying briefcases hurried along, phones wedged between their shoulders and ears as they smiled and chatted with family. A group of elderly men and women pushed a speaker toward a nearby city square, animatedly discussing their children.
Qi Si wandered aimlessly. When he came across a subway entrance, he went down the stairs and casually boarded a train.
During the six years after his parents died, he had spent most of his time shut away at home. Even when he went to the studio, he usually took a taxi. It had been a long time since he had used such an ordinary mode of transportation.
He found an unobtrusive corner and crouched down, watching all kinds of people board and leave the train. A middle-aged man dressed like a migrant worker stood awkwardly while clutching a bag of peanuts. Several young people wore earphones, heads lowered over their phones as they quickly scrolled through short videos.
Qi Si suddenly realized that he was not familiar with Jiang City at all. He could count the Jiang City natives he knew on one hand, and most of them could die right in front of him without making him so much as