"Achoo!!"
In the cold wind, Chen Ling suddenly sneezed.
As a northerner in his previous life, Chen Ling was still somewhat unable to cope with the weather here—cold and damp. Although there was a big sun overhead, he couldn't feel the slightest warmth.
"Excuse me, excuse me!"
A lazy voice came from ahead. Chen Ling came back to his senses and instinctively moved to the side of the road.
At the end of the road, a tricycle was slowly approaching. One teenager was riding it, and another was sitting on the seat behind, with two large barrels of salt beside him.
He scooped up salt with a spoon and sprinkled it on the frosty road. As the salt grains fell, the ice on the ground gradually melted.
"Oh, Chen Ling?" The person sprinkling salt saw Chen Ling standing by the road and raised his eyebrows.
"Didn't expect to see the top student here. Didn't you go to take the Enforcer exam? Did you fail?"
When Chen Ling saw that face, a memory flooded his mind.
His name was Zhao Yi, a child who grew up on the same street as Chen Ling since childhood. However, he was naturally envious. When Chen Ling had good grades in high school, Zhao Yi's mother often compared him to Chen Ling, which made him dislike Chen Ling intensely.
"The written test passed, there's still the martial arts test." Chen Ling stood by the road and casually replied.
"Hehe, then I wish you great luck in your exam!"
While saying this, Zhao Yi scooped up a large spoonful of salt and forcefully threw it towards the nearby road, coincidentally affecting Chen Ling, who was standing by the roadside.
The flying salt grains covered Chen Ling's hair and cotton robe. He hadn't expected Zhao Yi to pull such a trick. He quickly brushed off the salt grains with his hand, then turned back to glare at Zhao Yi.
By this time, Zhao Yi was already riding away on the tricycle, swaying leisurely… He had one foot resting on the salt barrel and stuck out his tongue at Chen Ling, making a face.
As a twenty-eight-year-old adult who had experienced the harsh realities of society, Chen Ling felt a bit angry and a bit amused by such a clumsy prank…
However, Chen Ling had no intention of chasing after the boy and giving him a good beating. He merely made a mental note of the incident. At this moment, he had more important things to do.
Chen Ling was about to step forward and continue walking when his peripheral vision caught sight of the ground beneath his feet, and he paused slightly.
The frost that had come into contact with the salt grains gradually melted, leaving a slight white residue on the ground. In that instant, Chen Ling saw a line of text intertwine and form—
[Audience Expectation: 27%]
Before Chen Ling could react, the salt grains completely melted, and the scene from just now seemed like a fleeting illusion.
Chen Ling rubbed his eyes hard and muttered to himself:
"No way…"
A sense of urgency rose again, and Chen Ling couldn't help but quicken his pace, rushing straight towards the clinic.
A few minutes later, Chen Ling pushed open the clinic door.
Though called a clinic, it was actually just a private house on Han Shuang Street, two stories high, with a square, earthy-gray exterior. It immediately reminded Chen Ling of the houses in his rural hometown.
But even such a rough house was considered quite good on Han Shuang Street; at least it had two stories and could block the wind.
"It's you." From behind the wooden table, a man in a Dr. White Coat turned slightly. "Are you here to get medicine for your younger brother again? Didn't he transfer to the hospital in Second District?"
"This time it's not A'Yan, it's me."
Chen Ling's younger brother had been hospitalized here before and was quite familiar with Lin Doctor. He walked to the table and sat down, looking a bit nervous.
"Oh? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I… my head doesn't feel quite right."
"Is it a physical headache, or…?"
"Recently, I seem to have been experiencing hallucinations."
"Psychiatry?" Lin Doctor raised his eyebrows and seriously pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, "I'm good at this… Tell me about your condition."
"Last night I had a dream where I was standing on a stage, and there were many spectators below… I couldn't see their faces, but they didn't look like humans. I ran desperately on the stage, but I could never find an exit…"
"Dream interpretation is not within my scope of business."
"I know." Chen Ling took a deep breath, "But after I woke up, I always felt… they were still watching me."
Hearing this, Lin Doctor finally became interested, "Imagining yourself being spied on?"
"It doesn't feel like imagination… They seem to be in my mind, sitting in the audience, observing my every move, and I'm like an actor forced to perform, just a tool to entertain them."
"Are you saying your life is a stage, and you are the sole protagonist on that stage?"
"The meaning is right… but it's not as positive as you make it sound."
"What about the audience? Besides spying on you, do they do anything else?"
Chen Ling was silent for a moment, "I don't know if it's my illusion… They, they seem to be able to influence things around me."
"Can affect reality? That sounds a bit fantastical." Lin Doctor said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. Just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed!
Pfft!!
Lin Doctor spat out a mouthful of crimson blood, splattering it on the ground.
"Lin Doctor??" Chen Ling was startled, "Are you sick?"
"...No." Lin Doctor wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The blood wasn't his. He frowned in thought for a moment, his gaze falling on the teacup at the corner of the table…
At some point, the teacup was already filled with viscous blood.
Lin Doctor's face was a bit grim. He clearly remembered that he had brewed a packet of Pu'er tea in it just a minute ago.
During this time, there were only him and Chen Ling in the clinic. Chen Ling was always under his watchful eye, making it impossible and without motive for him to swap the tea. That full cup of fresh blood appeared as if by magic, bizarrely…
Chen Ling also seemed to have thought of something, his face growing paler.
"Just as I said." He spoke hoarsely,
"They… perhaps truly exist."
Lin Doctor stared at the cup of blood for a long time before slowly looking at him,
"How long has this situation been going on?"
"One day." Chen Ling paused, "Since I became fully conscious, only one day."
"What were you doing before you became conscious? What were you doing?"
"I…"
In Chen Ling's mind, the image of him stumbling through the heavy rain last night suddenly appeared, "I don't know, I can't remember."
"So, you're not sure if this symptom started last night, and you have no memory before last night?"
"…Yes."
"Have you ever been possessed by a 'Calamity'?" Lin Doctor pushed up his glasses,
"Or let me rephrase, last night… did you encounter a Gray Realm convergence?"