Gu Ming scrolled to the post at eleven o'clock at night.
The cold light of his phone screen illuminated his face, revealing a pair of eyes that were gradually losing focus.
His fingertip hovered over the screen, poised to swipe up, but it wouldn't move any further.
On the screen was the latest official bulletin of cities that had lost contact. The list ran from Area A to Area Z, each name followed by a glaring red marker.
His gaze was fixed on a single line of text.
Lanqi City, time of lost contact: 22:47.
His heart first skipped a beat, then began to pound violently against his ribs.
A more primal, suffocating sensation, as if some force had suddenly seized his heart, clogged his throat.
He could hear his own heartbeat thumping in the quiet room, like someone hammering on a locked door with their fists.
「A few hours earlier.」
Just a few hours ago, he had been on the phone with his parents.
