Something Strange

Lu Yan had always been a terrible drinker.

After just a few drinks, her eyes had gone glassy, and her cheeks had flushed red.

Luckily, Zhou Kai kept a close eye on her this time and stopped her from getting so drunk she passed out beneath the table.

The alcohol had burned through the dam holding back her reason, and a flood of emotion came pouring out.

Lu Yan started by sighing heavily. Then she buried her face in the crook of her arm, her shoulders beginning to shake.

"Xiao Kai... I'm sorry. I'm going to break my promise."

"That major of yours... it's fucking bizarre. I've called in every favor I have, and not one company has ever heard of it!"

"If nothing else works, I'll ask my dad to get you an easy job at the factory. You can just sit around at a computer and drink tea all day..."

"Ugh..."

Zhou Kai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and patted her back, soothing her like a cat. "Sister Yan Zi, I'm already grateful that you're willing to help me."

"Don't be upset over something like this."

But Lu Yan could no longer hear him. The alcohol had magnified her guilt and helplessness, and all she could do was lie facedown on the table and quietly shed little pearls.

Ma Yifan fidgeted beside them. He wanted to comfort her, but had no idea what to say. After holding it in for a while, he finally asked tentatively, "Kai, what exactly did you study in college?"

He was genuinely curious what kind of dead-end major could leave even Lu Yan, a local expert, at a loss.

Zhou Kai replied helplessly, "Classics, with a focus on linguistics and literature."

Ma Yifan scratched his head. He knew what each word meant, but together they were more baffling than the grilled pig brains they'd just eaten.

But he was quick on the uptake, and immediately came up with a new idea. "Kai, I've got a suggestion. I don't know if it's suitable, though."

Zhou Kai raised his chin. "Go ahead."

Ma Yifan rubbed his hands together, his eyes lighting up as if he'd thought of something fun. "A few of my buddies and I are really into combat sports and martial arts."

"We just haven't had any way to get into it. Either that, or we run into some frauds who just know a few flashy moves and want to take our money."

"Look at you, Kai. You've only been training for a little while, and those old hands from Falcon Wing couldn't beat you..."

"So I was thinking of getting everyone together and asking you to be our master. Teach us some real kung fu!"

Ma Yifan grew more excited as he spoke, and his idea became clearer.

"What do you think, Kai?"

Zhou Kai was stunned. A few seconds later, a heartfelt smile slowly spread across his face.

"Sure."

"Absolutely."

Sometimes, fate really was a curious thing.

A casual dinner that had come about by chance had somehow solved his livelihood problem just like that.

This wasn't the time to be shy or refuse out of some lack of social savvy.

Zhou Kai held out his hand, and Ma Yifan gripped it firmly.

"Little Ma, thanks. You've really helped me out!"

Ma Yifan grinned like a three-hundred-pound kid. "It's a deal! I'll contact them right now. I'll give you a definite answer within a week, Kai!"

"If you get this drunk again, I swear I'll dump you straight into a roadside trash can."

Zhou Kai helped Lu Yan back to her apartment building.

She was leaning against his arm, mumbling half coquettishly, half threateningly. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Got a little cocky, have you? You don't even respect your big sister anymore... Just you wait. I'll tell your sister!"

Zhou Kai pressed his lips together and said softly, "Which sister? Aren't you the one?"

Lu Yan's body stiffened, and she suddenly fell silent.

After settling her onto the bed in her bedroom and tucking her in, Zhou Kai turned to leave.

That strange feeling he'd had when he entered the dream last night pricked at his mind like a thorn. He had to go back and investigate as soon as possible.

But just as he was about to leave, Lu Yan reached out from beneath the blanket and caught the hem of his shirt.

"I promise I won't drink again."

Zhou Kai nodded. "It's a deal. I've got it recorded..."

Lu Yan still wouldn't let go. She tilted her face up to him, her eyes blurred by the alcohol and the lamplight. "These past couple of days... you seem like you've come back to life."

Zhou Kai frowned. It was true.

Perhaps it was the combined effect of the Moonlight Orchid and the Clear-Headed state. His emotions had become more acute, and he expressed them more like a normal person, rather than the cold, Walking Corpse he'd once been.

The strange thing was that the Clear-Headed state had long since vanished, but those vivid emotions had remained.

"Maybe my body got better, and my mood improved along with it."

"Sis, I'll head back now. See you tomorrow?"

Lu Yan's fingers clenched suddenly around his shirt.

Her lips parted as if words were about to spill out, but a few seconds later, she viciously shoved his shirt away.

"Go, go, go! You're just like your sister!"

"Get out of here, both of you! Hmph!"

Zhou Kai laughed and turned toward the door. "That reverse psychology won't work on me. Anyway, see you tomorrow."

He'd only said half of what he meant.

The other half stayed hidden in his heart.

If tonight's Nightmare doesn't crush me completely, then I'll see you tomorrow, Sister Yan Zi.

"Bye."

The instant Zhou Kai turned and closed the door, the smile on his face receded like the tide, leaving only an iron calm.

Light Footwork made his steps completely silent, but his wariness of the unknown Nightmare made every step feel as heavy as lead.

With a soft click of the lock, his figure disappeared completely into the hallway.

Cre-eak, cre-eak.

Lu Yan sat quietly on the bed, hugging her knees and swaying gently like an abandoned child.

What had she been about to say just now?

"Xiao Kai, why don't you move in with me? Your rental place is shabby and tiny, the soundproofing is awful, and the utilities are ridiculously expensive."

"Zhou Qing's shamelessly gone off to fool around with that awful woman, so the spare room's empty."

It would be perfectly normal to say that from the perspective of an older sister, wouldn't it?

But I...

"Why couldn't I say it?"

Her eyes grew wet again, and Lu Yan swayed for a while.

Then she suddenly toppled backward, pulled the blanket over her head, and shouted in self-disgust, "This is so annoying! I got drunk again!"

There were too many things to worry about. Sleep was the only sensible option!

There were only three people on the bus, driver and passengers combined. Zhou Kai sat by the window in the last row.

The city outside the window looked like a fading oil painting in the glow of the setting sun.

He toyed with the black business card in his hand.

[To Sleepless Dreams]

"What are you rats trying to do?"

The card flipped nimbly between his fingers, making a crisp sound.

If they were good people, why had they investigated his Identity, followed him, and resorted to such underhanded tactics?

But if they were bad people, why had they still made no real move?

The world had never been black and white. Most people and things were steeped in shades of gray.

"I can't let my guard down... Once I've dealt with the trouble at hand, I have to find out who these people really are!"

Zhou Kai's thoughts shifted to the elusive roommate from his college dorm, who had appeared and vanished like a dragon.

He'd thought that once they graduated, they'd go their separate ways and live their own lives. He hadn't expected to need the man's help so soon.

Fortunately, that guy seemed more like a higher-dimensional art being living on the internet, so he should be easier to find online.

Suddenly—

Boom!

The bus slammed on its brakes, the shriek of its tires almost deafening.

The tremendous inertia pitched the whole cabin forward.

Before, Zhou Kai would have been flung out like a cannonball.

But now, things were different.

He gripped the metal armrest of the seat with one hand. Despite the violent shaking and lurching of the bus, he barely leaned forward, steady as a rock.

His enhanced strength and coordination let him stay firmly in place with just one hand, as if he'd been welded there.

A dozen seconds later, the smoking bus crashed nose-first into the roadside greenery and finally came to a stop.

The driver, his face purple from the seat belt, fumbled it open in a panic and scrambled off to inspect the front of the bus where it had hit something.

Smoke was pouring from the vehicle, and it could catch fire at any moment. They couldn't stay inside.

Zhou Kai stood up and casually carried the other unconscious passenger off the bus like a little chicken.

"That's strange... Where is he? The front of the bus is wrecked. Where's the guy from just now?"

The driver clutched his head with one hand and paced around the bus, shouting to himself nonstop.

The bus's front bumper had caved in completely, and the windshield had shattered into a spiderweb. From the marks, it had clearly slammed into someone.

But... the bus was this badly damaged. Where was the blood?

Where had the person been thrown? Surely there'd be at least a trace of blood left behind?

"Unbelievable! This is the strangest thing I've ever seen!"

The bus driver trembled as he called the police, requested a tow truck, and contacted the company...

He turned around to say something to the passengers, only to find the space behind him empty. "You two handsome fellas, the help'll be here soon... Huh? Holy crap, where's the other guy?"

Only the unconscious passenger remained, lying in the grass in the distance. Zhou Kai had already disappeared around the corner of a street darkening with dusk.