Decaying World

Chapter 1, Section 001: Awakening
It was night, and everything around was as black as ink.

A tiny, orange flame burned quietly in the darkness.

It seemed to be the only light in the world.

The flames flickered and swayed, as if a single breath could extinguish them. Utterly fragile.

In its fragile light, a pale-faced young man with bloodshot eyes sat quietly to one side.

The boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old. His features were ordinary and unremarkable. He was slightly biting his lower lip, and his lips were very pale, as if he had recently lost blood.

His hair was long and black, tied in a simple high ponytail like a woman's. He wore a gray-brown cotton long coat with centipede buttons, which reached down to his knees and covered most of his simple trousers of the same color.

dong dong dong.

Suddenly, a soft knocking sound came from not far away in the darkness.

The sound of finger joints tapping against thin wood was especially clear in the quiet night.

The knocking sound rang out again.

The man by the fire trembled slightly but remained silent. He had clearly heard it, yet showed no intention of responding.

"Are you asleep?" A sigh came from outside the door. It was the voice of an older, middle-aged woman. She hesitated for a moment, then turned and slowly left.

The man by the fire only breathed a slight sigh of relief when the footsteps were completely out of earshot.

He stretched out his hands and gently covered the flames, feeling the subtle warmth from his palms, a relaxed expression appearing on his face.

"Xiao Hui, you shouldn't have turned on the light." A low voice came softly from behind the man.

"Lighting the lamps will attract things that shouldn't come. Nighttime is different from daytime!" The voice slowly approached, and then, on the other side of the flame, a tired woman's face, bearing a striking resemblance to the man, slowly appeared.

She looked at the man with concern.

"What's wrong? Can't sleep again? You've been waking up in the middle of the night lately, did something happen during the day?"

"Mother, why are you awake too? I deliberately kept the light dim so as not to wake you," the man said apologetically. "I've just been having trouble sleeping lately."

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman sighed and gently patted the man's shoulder.

"It's all my mother's fault for being incompetent; she couldn't move into the inner city. Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened."

She didn't say anything more, but the worry on her face deepened.

"Alright, Mom, you can go back to sleep. I'll just sit for a little while and then go back to sleep right away." The man forced a smile to show that it was alright.

“Okay, your dad has to go supervise the work at dawn, so I need to catch up on some sleep, otherwise I won’t be able to get up.” The middle-aged woman nodded, got up, and went to the door to check if the doors and windows were closed properly. Then, in the darkness, she carefully felt and pinched a purplish-black stone hanging on the wall by the door.

After confirming that the stone was safe, she turned around and quietly went into the inner room. Soon, the creaking sound of the wooden bed coming into view could be heard, along with the old man muttering as he turned over.

Silence returned to the area around the flames.

The man remained seated alone, his mind replaying the dreamlike scenes of the past few days.

He dreams every day, or perhaps it's not a dream at all, but another life he once lived.

In that era, skyscrapers, cars, and airplanes filled the world. Humanity was conquering the planet and heading towards the stars. Ordinary people had no worries about food and drink, and most people passed the time by using mobile phones and computers.

It was nowhere near as difficult as it is now.

The man extended his index finger and gently wrote two characters on the dimly lit ground: Lin Hui.

This is his name, and also the only mark he has in his life.

He wiped away the traces, let out a soft breath, stood up, carefully moved away from the flames, and went to the door and window of the room.

Through the thin window, he found a few small holes and peeked outside.

The Lin family lived in a large courtyard, with dozens of members, making them one of the most prosperous and large families in the area.

What came into his view was a square Chinese courtyard house.

The courtyard has everything: artificial hills and ponds, large trees and pavilions.

Everything was shrouded in a thin, grayish-white mist.

This is called fog.

Lin Hui's life has been filled with extremely troublesome circumstances.

Or it can't be described as troublesome, but rather dangerous.

During the day, all sorts of strange creatures roam outside the city, while at night, shrouded in mist, various eerie and terrifying dangers drift about.

Here, during the day, people rely on the city's high walls to avoid monsters and ferocious beasts. At night, they rely on the Jade Talismans they receive from the inner city government offices to protect their homes and dare not go out.

These are all facts that Lin Hui has pieced together from his memory after regaining consciousness these past few days.

But that wasn't the most bizarre thing for him.

hiss.

Lin Hui carefully poked the hole in front of him a little bigger with his finger so that he could see it more clearly.

At this moment, the situation in the outer courtyard that he saw was completely different from the Lin family's own courtyard during the day!

Yes, completely different!
Although the Lin family was a prominent clan, their courtyard was not this exquisite. The decorations and repairs were only for basic living needs, unlike the courtyard in front of us, which exuded the luxurious style of a wealthy family.

Things like ponds, rockeries, and pavilions require long-term maintenance to keep them clean and enjoyable; they're far beyond what the Lin family can afford.

But now, through the thin mist, what Lin Hui saw was so clear and real.

Gulu.

Lin Hui unconsciously swallowed.

He was panicked.

If he had seen this scene every day before awakening his past life memories, he wouldn't have panicked so much.

But after he awakened, he realized what all these things he saw before him truly represented.

This is one of the key reasons why this place is so eerie.

Every night, under the shroud of mist, the scenery outside the house is different each time.

Going out at night is not allowed, and aside from the mysterious threats lurking around, the biggest reason is this.

Every night, after the fog covers the outside of the window, it first becomes thick and then gradually thins out, and the scenery that people can see afterward is different for each person.

To date, Lin Hui has seen at least dozens of different styles of bizarre courtyards in his home.

Sometimes it repeats itself, but most of the time it changes.

Various traditional Chinese courtyards have been replaced one after another, all of which look old and dilapidated, clearly indicating that no one has taken care of them for a long time.

Standing at the window, Lin Hui quietly looked outside, motionless, like a statue.

It wasn't until the fog outside gradually thickened again, and then more than an hour later, that it thinned out again, restoring the original layout of the Lin family's courtyard.

Everything quietly returned to normal.

At this moment, the sky slowly brightened from the east, and the entire courtyard returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Lin Hui breathed a sigh of relief, slowly took a few steps back, and returned to the oil lamp.

puff.

He blew out the light in one breath.

As the white sunlight slowly streamed through the window, illuminating the room, I could faintly hear my parents getting dressed behind me.

He knew that another busy day was about to begin.

The Lin family lived in the outer city, the outer city of Tuyue City.

Tu Yue is also the name of the city they live in. It is an extremely large urban area, mainly divided into two parts: inner and outer.

The inner city is the bustling core area, a safe place to live with abundant resources. It is said to be a fog-free zone, an absolutely safe area where there is no fog even at night. The outer city is the region where they live. It is not a single area, but a vast region composed of many miniature towns built around the inner city of Tu Yue.

Between each town are large tracts of farmland, vegetable gardens, orchards, and various processing workshops.

The town where the Lin family lived was called Xinyu Town. To outsiders, they were still Tuyue people, but to the outsiders, they were considered to be from the very outskirts of the city.

"Why are you still standing here?" In the inner room behind, the father, Lin Shunhe, was wearing a gray-white coat, fastening the centipede button on his chest with one hand, and holding a dark brown wild boar skin vest in the other hand, which he wore for warmth.

"If you can't sleep, just take a look." Lin Hui turned around and forced a smile; he didn't want his parents to worry.

"Sigh," the father seemed to have thought of something upon seeing this, opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped.

He had a dull face, dark skin, a strong build, and gray hair. He worked as a supervisor in the town's oil mill. His wages weren't much, but they weren't small either, enough to support his family of three.

In a normal world, this would be considered a good life. But their environment is abnormal.

With a sigh, Lin Shunhe said nothing, put on his vest, unlocked the door, and left.

"Ahe, you haven't eaten anything yet?" His mother, Yao Shan, called out as she chased after him.

"I'm not eating. I'm going to the neighborhood to get some government food." Lin Shunhe waved his hand without looking back, walked through the courtyard, opened the gate, and quickly disappeared outside.

The courtyard was restored to its original state as the Lin family had always done.

A white stone well, two dark, crooked trees, a set of gray stone table and stools, with indistinct chessboard lines and some black writing carved on the table.

The area was surrounded by uneven earthen walls, with piles of firewood, old furniture, and farm tools stacked in the corners.

Lin Hui watched his father leave, then grabbed a coat and slowly walked out as well.

His mother chased after him and stuffed a steamed bun with vegetables into his hand. It was hot and had a faint aroma of vegetable oil. He ate it in a few bites.

"If you have nothing to do, go outside and get some sun. I have to go to work in a bit, I'll be back in the afternoon." Mother Yao Shan changed into a bright white cotton dress, put on arm sleeves, slung her small handbag over her shoulder, and prepared to go out.

Lin Hui remembered that she worked in a garment workshop in the town. She was a long-time employee there and had been working there for more than ten years.

"The young lady of the house is coming to inspect today. I'll find a chance to ask about your situation and see if there's any hope. Don't rush things," the mother carefully advised.

"Mm." Lin Hui nodded.

Before his memories were awakened, he had reached the age where he should have gone out to work and earn money.

Because he hadn't learned any skills before, he drifted aimlessly for a long time, only to wake up when he reached a certain age, but by then it was already too late.

His parents have been busy arranging a job for him recently.

Seeing this, the mother looked around, leaned closer, and whispered mysteriously.

"When I said 'don't worry,' I wasn't just trying to comfort you. Your dad landed a side job the other day. Don't tell anyone. The deal was closed yesterday, and the client promised to guarantee you a great future."

"A private deal!?" Lin Hui was shocked. If he got caught, he would be in big trouble.

"Just don't tell anyone, don't worry, it's fine. Many workshops around here have done it." The mother was obviously used to it.

Lin Hui stopped talking. What's done is done, and there's no point in saying anything now.

There are more than a dozen workshops of all sizes in this town. If you really count them, many of the managers have probably worked there. If you wanted to arrest them, you could arrest a lot of them.

He was just worried about the risk. You see, the oil mill where his father worked was owned by the town. If it were discovered, the consequences would be more serious than if it were a private oil mill operating illegally. He might even be sent to reclaim wasteland as cannon fodder.

"Your father should be able to bring back a message today. Be patient and wait. During the day, you can take a walk around the area to stretch your muscles. Just remember to come back as soon as the bell rings," the mother continued.

"Okay, I understand." Lin Hui's mind was a bit confused, so he could only nod.

He's been bombarded with memories these past two days, and right now he has absolutely no concrete plans for himself or for the future. He can only take it one step at a time.

Watching her mother, Yao Shan, quickly comb her hair, put on a jade hairpin shaped like a bean pod, and then hurried out the door.

Lin Hui followed him into the courtyard, stood at the gate, and looked out.

Outside was a wide, horizontal dirt road, sparsely covered with green grass. The road surface was uneven, with puddles in some places, indicating that it had rained recently.

The houses connected the dirt road, like sesame seeds on a curve, stretching into the distance along his line of sight.

The houses vary in size, some are earthen houses and others have stone courtyards, but all the houses have one thing in common—they are surrounded by high walls.

By this time, the road was bustling with activity, with carts carrying goods, oxcarts, horse-drawn carriages carrying people, children herding chickens and ducks to graze, and most of all, people leaving their homes to go to the town center to do errands.

Lin Hui stepped out, smelling the faint, muddy scent, and walked towards the town.

On both sides of the road, between the houses, are large fields and vegetable gardens, where some people have already gone into the fields to start working.

"Xiao Hui, have you been resting poorly lately? Why is your face so pale?" After walking a few steps, an old man with a white beard, who was weeding, looked up and asked.

His name is Li Quanzhong, and he lives on the right side of the Lin family compound. They've been neighbors for many years. His only son works as a barber in town.

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I have a bit of a headache," Lin Hui casually offered an excuse.

"Then you'll have to be careful. Drink more hot water when you get back. If it's really bad, try eating some 'lucky meat' (a type of meat), it'll help you recover faster," Li Quanzhong said with a smile.

Lucky Meat
Lin Hui's heart stirred slightly.

The population of Tuyue city is extremely large, with the outer towns having the largest population. Logically speaking, it would be extremely difficult to maintain such a large city with such backward productivity in this era, but that's the strange thing.

Every so often, the city government would distribute a type of meat called "Wanfu Meat".

This is a kind of meat that smells and tastes delicious. I don't know what kind of creature it was cut from, but everyone gets a large piece weighing more than ten kilograms every month.

But that's not the main point. The real reason is that this "Wanfu Meat" can not only fill your stomach, but also cure all diseases!
No matter what the illness is, just eat a small piece, and it will cure the disease quickly, without even needing to see a doctor.

Lin Hui snapped out of his reverie, chatted casually with Grandpa Li for a few minutes, and then continued walking along the dirt road.

He hadn't walked far when he saw a large group of townspeople gathered outside a small courtyard by the roadside.

Several of Lin's cousins ​​from other branches of the family were also watching the commotion. When they saw him coming from afar, the boys scattered and started making faces at him, with one of the bolder ones even spitting at him from a distance.

Lin Hui pretended to rush over, which scared the boys so much that they ran away quickly.

Their branch of the family was considered ordinary within the large Lin family. The reason why he was so disliked by these young men was because he had accomplished nothing before his awakening. He was neither capable nor good-looking. Compared to the other children his age, Lin Hui was just an idle loafer who spent his days lying at home doing nothing.

In an era when both adults and children had to work to make a living, staying at home and sponging off one's parents was something to be looked down upon.

After shooing the boys away, Lin Hui walked over, stood outside the crowd, and stood on tiptoe to peer inside.

As he looked around, he vaguely heard a few people on his right whispering and discussing things like mountain spirits, peach tree spirits, and revenge.

On the left, several middle-aged women were gently moving their lips, chanting a prayer in unison.

Further inside, two tall, imposing men dressed in black official uniforms stood like two walls, blocking the townspeople watching the spectacle from the outside.

The two chatted quietly, oblivious to everyone else, speaking in a dialect from some unknown town that was completely incomprehensible.

Lin Hui looked further inside and could vaguely see that the courtyard gate was open and there were faint traces of blood on the ground.

A human leg, gnawed to a bloody pulp exposing the white bone, was clearly visible from the doorway.

"Still looking?" A naked child who was peeking out from the side was grabbed by the ear by his mother from behind and dragged out forcefully.

"See? This is what happens when you don't replace the jade talisman in time. I'll teach you a lesson so you won't dare to touch the jade talisman again!"

"Let go! It hurts! I won't do it again, I'll never do it again!" the child screamed as he was slowly dragged away.

Lin Hui watched the mother and son leave. Dressed in a gray long coat, he was inconspicuous among the crowd of people dressed similarly.

“This isn’t about the jade talisman,” a woman’s voice suddenly said in a low voice.

Lin Hui turned his head and saw a tall woman in a gray long coat and black leather pants who had walked up behind him at some point.

The woman's face was somewhat similar to his, and her hair was simply tied into two buns. She was holding a soy sauce jar in her hand, obviously having just returned from buying soy sauce at the corner store.

"Let's go, stop looking. This is a case of a ghost breaking into the door during the day." The woman's name was Lin Hongzhen, the eldest daughter of the Lin family's main branch, and also Lin Hui's cousin. She was a year older than him.

"The Door-Breaking Ghost"

Lin Hui repeated it, his expression turning somewhat grim. This was a general term for all the monsters and beasts that attacked humans during the day, not literally referring to ghosts.

(End of this chapter)