Can There Be Anything Normal in This Instance?

The moment he entered, that woman came at him, trying to grab him.

He immediately ran out and sprinted wildly through the surrounding alleys in circles.

When he ducked into a very narrow alley, the woman could squeeze in, but only his child-sized body could fit through the alley itself.

He had even gone back to his own home, only to find that the steps outside were still there while the house itself was gone. That woman was squatting right on the steps of his home.

He went to the protagonist's house and saw the protagonist sleeping. Later, he returned home through his own backyard and saw his grandmother.

But no matter who it was, they all seemed unable to see him. They did not react when he called out, and he did not dare go outside again because that faceless woman was still squatting at his doorstep.

In the end, he slowly fell asleep in his own bed.

The protagonist and the others all thought he had suddenly vanished, then reappeared at his own doorstep and slept for two days.

But from his perspective, he had been abducted that night and only returned home in the morning.

The story ended rather ordinarily. Many years later, the area around Wei 12th Road was to be demolished. When the two grown-up protagonists returned, they remembered that alley:

"I asked the neighbors, who lived in this courtyard?"

"The neighbors said it used to be a woman. She lived there alone after getting divorced. Later, when they widened Wei 12th Road, she was run over and killed by a car."

Zhang Anzai let out a long breath and unconsciously tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

The surroundings turned pitch-black again, and the highway continued stretching forward as always. "This little story... an unidentified monster that flashes around and chases people? Why does this feel so familiar?"

Having dealt with the fake Mountain Peddler in that gloomy little supermarket just over half a week ago, Zhang Anzai deeply related to it.

But that was useless. The problem was, what exactly was going on with this story? How was it affecting reality too?

"Burning paper by the roadside isn't exactly rare. I remember when I was young, the town even specifically cracked down on this sort of thing. That guy we just saw at least had some public awareness. Those old men and women would burn it right in the middle of the road."

Times had changed, and some things had gradually changed with society's development as well.

No one knew who started it, but people said roads, especially intersections with traffic coming from all directions, made it easier for the offerings to reach their destination.

After all the public campaigns and restrictions, Zhang Anzai had thought he would never have anything to do with this sort of thing again in his life. He had not expected to encounter it in an instance today.

He scanned the windows to either side, then checked the rearview mirror, making sure nothing strange had happened inside or outside the car because they had passed that intersection.

"Phew..."

Zhang Anzai let out a breath as the radio began wrapping up today's little story.

After the summary, there would probably be a closing statement. There should not be anything scary after that. So he stopped paying much attention and focused on driving.

At that moment, there was suddenly light up ahead again.

Just as he was about to slip back into a weary daze, he immediately perked up.

This time, though, it was not some ghost story manifesting in reality. The light was a broad expanse of white, and together with the small buildings over there, it was clearly a gas station out in the wilderness.

"Celestial Petrochemical..." Seeing those four words, Zhang Anzai felt a little more at ease.

Although there still seemed to be no sign of habitation for dozens of miles around, the place looked so legitimate that the odds of there being no major problem rose sharply.

Zhang Anzai decisively turned in, parked beside a fuel pump, shut off the engine, and got out with his wallet.

But the instant Zhang Anzai pushed open the car door and turned his head, he jumped in fright.

A young man in a baseball cap and work uniform had appeared by the rear of the car at some point. He was simply standing there quietly, neither speaking nor moving.

Zhang Anzai looked him over from top to bottom and drew on everything he had ever learned. "He has a shadow, his heels are touching the ground normally, and there's a bit of white vapor in front of his mouth, so he's breathing. He should be a normal person?"

After hesitating, Zhang Anzai said, "Ninety-two. Fill it up."

He did not know how much longer he would have to drive through the latter half of the night, but his instincts told him it would be better to fill the tank.

Besides, the fuel tank had barely been used, and he had several hundred-yuan bills in his wallet.

The man nodded but still did not say anything. Zhang Anzai turned and walked around her toward the small convenience store beside the gas station.

As he passed her, Zhang Anzai unconsciously glanced over with the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, her cap was pulled too low, and he still could not make out her face.

"Ding!" The store had an old-fashioned door chime, though the decor was quite modern, with several rows of shelves stocked with all kinds of miscellaneous goods.

One glance nearly gave Zhang Anzai PTSD. "Damn Mountain Peddler. The moment I see rows and rows of shelves now, I worry something is going to jump out of them."

But after walking around twice, he found that the store seemed fairly normal. The lights were bright and reassuring. There were simply no customers, nor was there an attendant on duty.

"Could the entire gas station really only have that one employee?" Zhang Anzai did not dwell on it and simply picked out a few things first.

In truth, there were not many useful things in the convenience store. Most of the shelves were filled with food and drinks, and he was only driving for one night. If he really needed food, there were biscuits in the car.

He only took two bottles of Red Bull in that regard. When he switched his view back to the company and checked the time, he realized that he had unknowingly been driving for over two hours since entering the instance.

Although he had been in a state of high tension the entire time and had not felt sleepy even when bored, that was precisely why he needed something to keep himself alert. Otherwise, the moment he relaxed, he might fall asleep on the spot.

Aside from food, he had basically no need for simple medicines, cleaning supplies, or other daily necessities.

The most important items in the whole store to him were the notebooks in the stationery section.

"This paper quality is decent... I'll take two." Zhang Anzai breathed a sigh of relief.

He had specifically practiced True-Form Scissors for many days and had barely gotten the hang of it. But if all he could find was tissue paper, he would basically be unable to use it effectively. The fact that this place sold some office supplies was a huge help.

Zhang Anzai turned his head and was startled again.

The door chime had not rung, and he had only spent two or three minutes picking things out, yet the attendant had somehow returned to the counter. He still had that same silent, motionless demeanor.

"Did he leave through the inner door?" Zhang Anzai could only comfort himself with that explanation.

There was a space inside the counter, probably an employee break room, and there had to be a side entrance somewhere on the side of the gas station building.

Of course, that explanation only reassured him a little. "Buy the stuff and leave as soon as possible. This place isn't quite right either..."

Zhang Anzai brought his things over and found that the attendant seemed perfectly normal while checking him out.

"Mm, as long as his register has power!"

That was right. The register was not lit up at all, yet the strange attendant kept pressing buttons on it, and the amount charged was completely wrong.

But because it was strange, Zhang Anzai did not dare argue. He carried the bag and headed back.

When he returned to the car, Zhang Anzai did not immediately get back into the driver's seat. Instead, he opened the trunk.

It was practically empty. At a glance, there was only a small first-aid kit inside. But after rummaging around, Zhang Anzai indeed felt something hard beneath the trunk mat.

"Just as I thought." Zhang Anzai pulled out the hammer hidden in the trunk.