Lu Mingfei: What? They're all real!

As soon as he stepped onto the ramp, Lu Mingfei's heart began to pound wildly. He didn't consider himself clever, but he was certainly meticulous. From the very beginning, he had clearly noticed that there were no vehicles coming this way, not a single one.

It was as if everyone was deliberately ignoring this road.

The strange occurrence made Lu Mingfei even happier. He watched the raven gradually descend into the gray sky, watching it fall lower and lower until it landed on the green railing on the right. It stopped there, shook its wings, and then suddenly turned around and looked in Lu Mingfei's direction.

It's a truly multicolored black...

Lu Mingfei inappropriately thought of the jokes that the design industry always complains about online, but the little bird really did have feathers that reflected the seven colors of the rainbow. It was facing this way, and then slowly lowered its body, like a well-mannered old butler bowing to its master.

Then it turned around, skipped and hopped along the railing, and at some point, it suddenly disappeared.

Lu Mingfei witnessed everything. He took off running and chased after it in the direction it disappeared, but its figure was completely gone, as if it had never existed at all.

Before he could think any further, after rounding a small bend, a stunned and surprised face appeared before him. It was a beautiful girl, squatting by the grass in a slightly lewd posture. But even in this rat-like position, even in the rain, her youthful and lively aura remained unaffected. In just one glance, her face seemed to radiate light in Lu Mingfei's eyes.

The girl blinked and gazed quietly in their direction.

Lu Mingfei frowned, craned his neck, and examined the face closely. Then, he suddenly realized that he remembered the face clearly, and a look of joy spread across his face. A surprised exclamation unconsciously escaped his lips—

"Holy crap! Jormungandr!"

He was both surprised and delighted, never expecting to see someone from his memories in this same place.

Although he and she hadn't exchanged a single word, Lu Mingfei felt that he had at least encountered an "acquaintance," and in a double sense, he remembered this face clearly.

Although his attitude towards the people in his memories was somewhat complicated, the feeling that something was about to burst out of his body and destroy everything had temporarily disappeared. He felt more of the joy of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land," so he waved with an awkward smile, indicating that he was on good terms with them.

The girl's reaction was not good. She paused, as if to confirm the meaning of the call he made and the name he called out. Her expression was full of surprise, as if she had not expected that the name would be called out suddenly under such circumstances.

She pointed at herself, blinked in astonishment, gasped for breath, then blinked faster before finally seeming to regain her composure and begin to change. Unexpected terror quickly spread across her face, soon covering it completely, even her teeth chattered. After staring at her for a moment, she finally couldn't bear the terror any longer—

Without warning, the girl screamed and turned away in a panic, scrambling into the roadside greenery. She used both hands and feet as if she were running away, even throwing mud into the air behind her. At that moment, she looked more like a disheveled puppy than the soaking wet Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei blinked, bewildered, unsure of what he had said wrong. But by the time he realized he should have grabbed the girl, she had vanished without a trace.

Chapter 8 Fate won't always bully the unlucky.

Lu Mingfei shook off the rainwater that had accumulated in the folds of his clothes and set off again.

Although he didn't understand what had happened, judging from the girl's actions and reactions, he felt he probably hadn't called her by the wrong name. Perhaps Miss Jormungandr was just a little shy, and embarrassed to have her name suddenly called in public—

Although this isn't exactly a public place...

He looked around, but the space was still deserted, as if it had been deliberately abandoned. Compared to it, Lu Mingfei felt that he was at least somewhat human, since at least people would sometimes make a few malicious jokes at him.

It was clearly an important passageway to the elevated highway, and coincidentally, Jormungandr was also lying in ambush... These things made Lu Mingfei even more convinced that as long as he went up, something to look forward to would happen. Maybe he would see the dragon in his memory that could cover the sky and earth with its wings spread, lying on the elevated highway. Maybe he would see a demon coiled in a sea of ​​fire. Maybe it was a good thing or maybe it was a bad thing.

But whatever it is, he hopes there's something there, something that can take him away from his boring life, something that can lead him to that red-haired figure.

He started running again, the raindrops blown by the wind to his side and behind him, slapping his face coldly like countless needles. He felt a tingling sensation on his face, but suddenly, all these sensations vanished in an instant. It was as if he had passed through an indescribable barrier, yet it was also as if nothing existed at all.

In an instant, just for an instant, everything became quiet.

The rain resumed and continued to fall on his face. He arrived at the ramp, but the raven was nowhere to be seen, and there was no traffic as expected. The wide four-lane road was completely silent.

It's strange...

Lu Mingfei's brief rest ended, and he continued forward. Although even kindergarten teachers might tell people "don't run into the middle of the road," Lu Mingfei's hazy memories told him that he had never attended kindergarten, and it seemed he hadn't even attended primary school.

This can be considered a case of ignorance being no excuse!

Encouraging himself with such righteous words, he raised his chest and headed toward the road, displaying the air of a general determined to go into battle and never return. Although the general was now soaked to the bone, his desire to achieve victory far exceeded that of the loyal minister Lü Bu, who longed to fight for the Han Dynasty at Wansuiwu.

Of course, Lu Bu's purpose in attacking Dong Zhuo was at least for the incomparably beautiful Diao Chan, unlike him, who was pursuing a pitiful girl whose name he couldn't even recall.

Thinking about it this way, Lu Mingfei realized that he would be inferior to others from now on, and it seemed that he could no longer identify with Zhang Sanye and shout "You three-surname slave" at Lü Bu.

He suddenly felt a pang of frustration. He figured that such a beautiful and quiet girl probably wouldn't be standing on an overpass like this, waiting for him in such a torrential downpour. Perhaps the more likely scenario was that some monster was waiting for him.

But there was nothing there, not even a hideous monster.

Lu Mingfei stepped onto the bridge. This elevated road, which should have been bustling with traffic, was now eerily quiet. There were no vehicles, no crowds, and no monsters. There was nothing there.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, a wave of disappointment washing over him. He had been filled with anticipation, and whether he saw a beautiful girl or a hideous monster, he would have been happy... But the place was completely empty, with nothing he wanted to see.

Only the rain falling from the sky mocked his fantasies. Lu Mingfei suddenly felt a sense of shame welling up from the depths of his heart. He felt he had been too stupid, jumping off a building just to chase an ugly bird... Now he hadn't found what he wanted, and he would have to obediently go back to school tomorrow morning...

He couldn't even imagine what kind of looks people would give him...

Lu Mingfei felt that his already tragic life was now even more ruined.

He looked left and right, blinked several times, making sure he hadn't overlooked any details, then sighed helplessly and slowly walked towards the roadside railing. After all, the elevated road was a dangerous place; who knew if someone would take advantage of the rain and the lack of traffic to speed here? He certainly didn't want to achieve the feat of driving 100 meters in one second.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, almost drowning people, but before that, Lu Mingfei was already overwhelmed by his regret and frustration. He slowly squatted down by the railing, grabbed his hair tightly, and tore it apart.

He squatted there for a while, until the rainwater had accumulated at his feet, stripping him of even the right to be a drowning dog. He could only slowly get up and admit that he had returned empty-handed.

But suddenly, something changed.

Lu Mingfei sensed something was slightly off. His vision seemed to darken, as if something was binding him. The wind and rain falling on him became viscous and darkened, as if darkness had finally taken on a tangible form and clung to him.

But the darkness did not linger; it soon receded, engulfing the heavens and earth. Not out of fear of Lu Mingfei's power, it gathered together, and slowly, human shapes emerged from within. They had only upper bodies; their lower bodies remained hidden in the shadows.

Lu Mingfei didn't know whether he should feel embarrassed or not, but he was glad that none of them were facing him; they were facing into the distance, making a gesture of worship.

There seems to be something in the distance.

Lu Mingfei's heart was pounding, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

But he wasn't afraid. Although he felt he should be very afraid, or at least should be, he felt no fear whatsoever. The only thing surging in his chest was boundless excitement.

What appeared before him were all living examples! These surreal things at least proved that his memories were not a result of mental derangement.

He can see it now, and perhaps he can even reach out and touch it.

Lu Mingfei felt like he was about to cry. His excitement was driving his tears. He was no longer afraid that these monster-like darkness would rush up and cut off his head at any moment. He just felt a kind of excitement of getting what he wanted. He couldn't help but be excited to see a scene that could break his boring daily life.

The figures rising from the darkness gradually became clearer, but their kneeling posture became more devout. They lay prostrate on the ground, none daring to change their position. Even the raindrops seemed to shrink, and silence descended upon the world.

Golden lightning flashed in the distance. Lu Mingfei couldn't see where it was or what it was, but the sound, like thunder, echoed on the road, like galloping warhorses, just like he had heard it in the classroom.

The sound faded into the distance, and with it, the darkness vanished. Nothing truly attacked Lu Mingfei; everything disappeared in an instant, as if a terrifying, silent beast in the distance was carrying a king, leading these inhuman warriors on a long expedition.

Raindrops pounded on Lu Mingfei's face. Once again, he was the only one left on the wide and quiet road. The ancient and decaying smell dissipated, leaving only the earthy stench of the rain.

Everything vanished in an instant, as if nothing had ever happened. There were no shadows, no golden lightning, no thunderous hoofbeats; only the pattering raindrops falling on his shoulders and splashing haphazardly on his face, making him look even more disheveled.

Nothing happened, yet everything happened; he wasn't just imagining things! Those things really existed!

Lu Mingfei's heart pounded, and he was so excited that tears almost welled up in his eyes—he knew that fate wouldn't treat a loser like him so cruelly.

His life could finally be different; he didn't want to be an ordinary person anymore!

Lu Mingfei jumped up from the spot, his feet splashing water as he ran lightly into the rain.

Chapter 9 Now I'm leaving!

"Lu Mingfei! Are you trying to die? You've been soaked in this rain, do you think we'll have money to pay for your medical treatment if you catch a cold?" His aunt roared, accusing Lu Mingfei of returning too late.

In fact, everyone in the house—including Lu Mingfei himself, of course—knew that she didn't care at all whether Lu Mingfei got caught in the rain or not. After all, it wasn't the first time he had gotten caught in the rain. She was more concerned that no one had gone to buy the groceries for the day. With the idea of ​​having Lu Mingfei "do it for them," the whole family had been going hungry until now.

“You didn’t treat me when I had a cold last time…” Lu Mingfei muttered as he crawled into the room he shared with his cousin. He didn’t have time to say much to his aunt; all he wanted to do now was make a plan for himself.

A plan about the pursuit.

"Ah!" But the aunt, who had never heard anyone argue or talk back, couldn't accept it. She shouted furiously, and her voice carried out of the window, turning on a third of the motion-activated lights in the building's corridor.

She rushed over, grabbed Lu Mingfei by the back of his collar (which was already soaked), and tried to drag him back to the living room.

She was always like this; even if the boy who made her angry was obedient and compliant, she would still find fault with him. Picking him up like a chick and giving him a good scolding helped her quell the flames of jealousy she felt towards her husband's brother's family.

But today she suddenly realized something was different. She couldn't lift the boy. He didn't seem like a little chick anymore; he was more like a mountain. She couldn't budge him, so she increased her strength, but he still wouldn't budge. Undeterred, she used all her might, vowing to make him move today—

Lu Mingfei suddenly and gently swayed his hand, firmly patting her wrist. The woman felt as if she had been hit by a stone, and her fingers could no longer grip his collar. She lost her balance, and the force of her fall caused her to stumble backward, landing hard on her backside.

She paused for two seconds, then a deafeningly loud voice rang out, and all the motion-activated lights in the building's corridors responded to her call.

"I'm going to die!!!"

She straightened up, like an angry badger, and unwillingly bent down to charge again, but missed and crashed headfirst into the door that had just closed, instantly raising a small bump on her head.

"ah!!!!!!--"

Her scream woke up the lights in every single apartment in the entire complex.

……

"Lu Mingfei!" Lu Mingze, wanting to stand up for his mother, tried to say a few words of rebuke. Although he didn't know what had happened, he could tell from his mother's pig-like screams that Lu Mingfei must have done something very outrageous.

He shouted, "I'm telling you—"

"Don't tell me anything, shut your mouth, or I'll tear it to shreds." A strange sense of malice welled up inside Lu Mingfei, and he spoke without any politeness, his expression even somewhat ferocious.

For some reason, even though he usually disliked his cousin enough, today, just thinking of Lu Mingze's name made him lose control of his emotions. A murderous intent gathered in his heart, which even frightened Lu Mingfei himself.

What bothered him even more was that, after leaving the fantasy world, he now felt as if there was another guy in his head screaming and howling wildly, pounding on his skull as if trying to break through it. That guy's emotions were extraordinary; he even felt that it might strangle his square-shaped cousin.

“This is my home!” Lu Mingze retorted with his most common and effective method, which always shut up his useless cousin who had kept him without a single room for many years.

"Your family is being supported by my parents!"

With a weak breath, Lu Mingfei said what he had always wanted to say. He had always felt aggrieved. Why was it that almost none of the child support money his parents gave him benefited? The owner of the money worked like a slave every day, while the custodian's son acted like a prince, swaggering around the school. When he met Lu Mingfei, the son would wave his hand and tell his henchmen that it was none of his business.

He wasn't a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle who could see and hear all of this without feeling anything... He was just afraid, afraid that if he turned against his last remaining family member, where would he go? His uncle's house was a complete mess, but at least they still wanted him. If even this wretched place didn't want him anymore, then he would truly be all alone.

Lu Mingfei fears loneliness more than he fears death.

But today is different. Today he discovers that he has another place to belong, at least he should have a wife somewhere with whom he is bound by fate.

Although he still didn't know the girl's name or where she was, at least he had a direction. He was going to find her, even if it meant wandering the streets. His heart had found its home.

He is no longer afraid of being alone.

Lu Mingze was speechless, his throat tightening as he struggled to find a rebuttal. It wasn't until the door opened and his parents appeared that he finally felt reassured and cried out with a hint of grievance, "Lu Mingfei has gone mad!"

"Mingfei, what's wrong?" Uncle stood at the door with a frown. He often struggled to balance the scales between his wife and nephew, so he always chose to pretend he didn't see them, but today it seemed things were getting out of hand.

"Nothing much."

Lu Mingfei's tone was frighteningly calm, even with a hint of mockery. In that instant, he looked completely different, like a mental patient who had been imprisoned for many years finally walking out of his cell. He was somewhat sinister and intimidating.

He said quietly, "It was just a discussion with my dear Mingze about my future."

Lu Mingze suddenly couldn't hold back anymore. He had never heard Lu Mingfei call his name so intimately and greasyly before. It was like a cow slapping his face with its tongue, making him feel uncomfortable!

Lu Mingfei maintained his refined demeanor, taking light steps and swaying slightly, polite yet lively. However, with his clothes soaked through and his hair tangled, he really looked like he had gone mad.

He had never looked like this before.

“I mean, graduation is approaching, and I should leave home soon,” he said with a smile. “If I don’t get into university or get accepted for studying abroad, I’ll find another way out somewhere else… But don’t worry about me. Even if I don’t succeed, my parents will support me. They’ll transfer the money to my account, so at least I won’t starve.”

He smiled elegantly, but the threat he conveyed was like raindrops falling from the sky, soaking everyone's hearts. Auntie's liver-colored face suddenly softened; faced with real economic issues, she became much more clear-headed in the blink of an eye.

"How can you say such a thing?" Her tone suddenly changed, and she rubbed her hands as she hurried over. "We're all family, what's there to worry about? You're still young, who can rest easy knowing you're leaving so early? Besides, didn't we tell you to focus on your application for studying abroad? Just concentrate on your studies. Even if your uncle doesn't support your education, your aunt will!"

Her tone was bold, a complete break from her self just minutes before, and even from her son on the other end of the line. She suddenly raised her head, glaring at Lu Mingze as she reprimanded him, "How could you just say that? Your brother's soaking wet, didn't you even go get a towel?!"

Lu Mingze was completely shocked. He now wanted to run into the rain and have a good cry, or confide in his sweet online friend named "Sunset Marks". Of course, it would be even better if she could take pity on him, a child without a father or mother, and be willing to show him care!

Ideally, the camera should also be turned on, revealing the face of a melancholic, aloof, and beautiful girl with long, straight black hair...hehe~

Lu Mingze couldn't help but grin foolishly, but was then harshly scolded by his mother, which made him feel even more aggrieved.

……

Lu Mingfei sat in the chair, listening to the endless compliments from his uncles and aunts on his left and right, and he suddenly felt a little more at ease.

It wasn't that these words softened his heart, but rather that he seemed to have calmed down from the violence of being slapped on the head.

He didn't think he could say those words himself... It was more like the words of a domineering guy who could lead a girl in a white dress, impeccably polite yet able to dance freely in the center of the dance floor.

Compared to those ancient myths and histories, he felt as if he were seeing scenes from a very recent time, far removed from those distant memories. But these more recent memories were far more blurred in comparison; he needed to slowly savor them to truly appreciate their depth…

Accompanied by these memories that felt like childhood recollections, tonight was the most peaceful night's sleep Lu Mingfei had had in many years.

The road ahead suddenly became rugged, but his heart calmed down at that moment.

Chapter 10 I'm sorry, Lu Mingfei

Lu Mingfei was stopped at the school gate by the security guard, not because of his running out of the school gate in the rain yesterday. He was able to come to school today without any problems, so the matter of running out of the school in the rain yesterday could be overlooked. After all, Shilan Middle School is considered an "elite school" and it can't be the same as those third-rate schools that always strictly enforce discipline.

He has a letter to sign for.