#Strange Footsteps#
[8.20 (Log) / These past few nights, while sleeping, I keep hearing strange footsteps outside. Da-da-da, da-da-da, like tons of people walking. But I live on the 4th floor.]
OP: 8.21 (Log), It's back, it's back. Is someone knocking on my door?
OP: 8.22 (Log), I'm not sleeping tonight. Let's see who it is.
OP: 8.23 (Log), [Audio]
Yu Yu instinctively moved to play the audio but stopped. Scrolling down, she saw many replies to the OP. The OP only posted audio, their text becoming curt, less conversational. As the thread grew, the OP's tone gradually warmed, enthusiastically engaging everyone.
Until post #107, Yu Yu's eyes narrowed.
[Don't listen! Don't listen! Don't listen! They're here! They're here!]
But the next day, they were back.
Post #109: [Audio], I lied, give it a listen.
Yu Yu: "…"
She exited the thread and reported it. The response was quick: [The post you reported does not exist.]
Yu Yu: "?"
Deleted that fast?
She refreshed and, sure enough, it was gone. Checking her history, she clicked back in and found the thread updated.
Post #120: For real? I don't hear anything. Let me listen.
At Rongda Experiment Building A, someone held a phone to their ear, hearing faint da-da-da sounds. Turning up the volume, they caught a hint of roaring?
"Why do we still have classes when it's the apocalypse!" 78 slumped on her desk, sighing. "And homework! Save me! I don't want to study Java anymore! What's the point now!"
"Hey, Chen Xiao, what're you doing?"
Chen Xiao turned, secretive, offering his phone. "Found this audio online, kinda creepy. Give it a listen?"
"I think I heard roaring… or maybe not…" he muttered.
Zi Shu was writing her thesis. Not in this class, she'd already secured an internship but was dragged to lecture by Song Fuyu.
78's eyelids twitched. "I'm not listening…"
Too late—Chen Xiao's phone was at max volume, blaring the da-da-da publicly.
The front row turned. "Fuyu, you've got guts playing that openly. Old Zhang's looking—turn it off."
78 protested, "It's not me, it's Chen Xiao—"
"Song Fuyu!" The balding middle-aged man at the podium slammed the desk.
The class went silent, all eyes on them. In the quiet, the phone's noise grew piercing, audible to everyone.
Old Zhang: "Whispering, playing phones, sleeping—fine. But you dare play audio publicly…"
78, bitter: "It's not me, it's Chen Xiao."
"Hand over the phone."
Chen Xiao, head drooping, surrendered it.
"What is this?"
The app's audio usually stopped after playing, but no one noticed. It looped.
Old Zhang grabbed the phone. "What's this? Why won't it stop?"
Fumbling for the stop button, he rambled, "With an outstanding senior like Xiao Wei as your friend, you haven't improved one bit."
"Learn from your Senior Wei. You all know her grades…"
He droned on, hyping Wei Zi Shu's excellence. In his mind, Song Fuyu's friendship with Wei Zi Shu was ancestral luck, hoping Wei's influence would guide her upward…
He finally stopped the audio, slamming the phone on the podium. "Chen Xiao, see me after class."
Chen Xiao wore a mask of pain. Old Zhang couldn't fathom why the class slacker Song Fuyu was friends with Wei Zi Shu, but others found it obvious. Same dorm, both gorgeous—friends made sense, right?
Why they weren't close before? No one paid attention.
Wei Zi Shu, not attending class, was typing her thesis, avoiding interruptions. She only now tuned in. Recalling, her face soured.
"Where'd you find that audio?"
Chen Xiao, listless: "Some thread."
With his guidance, Wei Zi Shu searched keywords. One glance, and her face greened. She understood why Yu Yu and Shu Tu avoided people. You never knew when a dumb teammate would screw you over.
Too much.
Fuyu, seated, saw the post on Wei Zi Shu's phone and shivered. "No way, right? This is school. The whole class, including Old Zhang, heard it…"
"Probably fine…?" Her tone wavered, regret creeping in.
She shouldn't have stood under Old Zhang's glare—she should've shut Chen Xiao's phone off. Too late now. Wei Zi Shu, grim, replied to the thread.
Post #126, TreeSeed: [Don't listen, it's a prank. Just ghost noises, scary stuff.]
Yu Yu, reading, was on the phone.
"Hello? Cyber police? I'm reporting a post…"
She explained, and they found the thread almost instantly.
"Thank you for reporting. Have a pleasant day."
Hanging up, Yu Yu glanced at the slipper-chewing big cat, her cheek twitching. Pleasant? Not anytime soon.
Checking the thread, she saw post #126 and raised a brow.
Refreshing, the post was sealed, marked in bold red.
[Forbidden to spread, describe, or listen. C9878]
Yu Yu ignored it, heading to the kitchen to help Shu Tu serve.
Chang Yu sprang up. "I'll help!"
At dinner, the big cat couldn't resist. It sauntered in, nearly table-height. It sniffed beside Yu Yu.
She froze.
Shu Tu, seeing, tugged the cat's ear, pulling it to her. "I saved you food."
She'd made extra chicken drumsticks, unsure if tigers could eat them. Since it was in, Shu Tu brought out a basin of drumsticks from the kitchen. Half raw, half lightly boiled with salt and oil.
"Eat up. I don't know how to raise a tiger." Shu Tu squatted, feeding it. "I'll ask the zoo tomorrow."
The fat cat nuzzled her face affectionately, disorienting Shu Tu. Yu Yu relaxed, realizing trust with the cat was tough—it was huge. Shu Tu, seeing it eat happily, sat. "Dig in. How's my cooking?"
Chang Yu was already chowing. "Sister Shu Tu, your cooking's amazing! Better than our chef!"
Yu Yu, mouth full, nodded. "…Mmph."
Too good.
No more instant noodles!!!
Shu Tu smiled. "Glad you like it."
But it wasn't just them approving—the cat, too.
It wolfed down the drumsticks, raw and cooked, bones and all, then stood human-like, paws on the table, emperor engine purring. The low rumble numbed their ears.
Shu Tu, stunned: "…It does eat a lot."
The cat nuzzled her, purring louder.
Chang Yu, jealous, raised her hand. "I'm rich, I'll keep it! Can I pet it?"
Yu Yu, too busy eating, sneaked a pet when the cat wasn't looking.
It turned, nuzzling her.
Yu Yu, flattered.
Then, her bowl was gone. The cat licked twice, swiping her rice, meat, and veggies, then bit the bowl—crack.
Yu Yu: "?"
"??"
"???"
This cat?!
Shu Tu: "Hey! Bowls aren't food!"
In the chaos, Yu Yu snuck a plate of food to the living room. Still hungry, she dodged the dining room, grabbing another bowl from the kitchen. Wild tigers could starve for a month—how long had this cat gone?
The neighborhood was full of random animals, but Yu Yu doubted the cat's hunting skills. She'd seen it fish by the river, soaked and fishless after hours. Embarrassing.
Sated, Yu Yu patted her stomach, stashing two plates of food. With their mess, they'd miss dinner—she'd save some for them. Chang Yu was petting the cat, which was a pro at acting cute, purring and nuzzling after bites, like a kitten. Yu Yu found the zoo's customer service number.
No answer.
As expected.
She checked the zoo's website, long outdated, last updated twenty days ago. Not planning to keep the cat, she hadn't cared about its info.
Today, ugh.
Life's tough, Yu Yu sighed. She'd suggest Shu Tu raise pigs with her, plus chickens, ducks, fish, geese. Rabbits were tasty and bred fast—spicy rabbit legs…
Yu Yu swallowed hard. The site had detailed animal info and photos. Though checking the cat, Yu Yu clicked the panda page. After reading, she backed out, searching for the cat. Why didn't pandas come here?
So many animals did—why not them?
Were villains caging them?!
The cat, Er'er, was one year and one month old, a female tiger, gentle, affectionate, human-friendly. A glimpse revealed a housecat with no hunting skills and abysmal combat—hidden traits.
Yu Yu grumbled, scrolling photos. Photos and videos, from cub to now, were plentiful. From a tiny milk kitten to a mischievous teen, it grew sturdy in a year, becoming a big tiger. Comparing photos, it was definitely Er'er.
Shu Tu, exhausted from feeding, asked, "…Done eating?"
She was drained. "Banban's too energetic…"
Sated, the cat lazily strolled to the living room.
Yu Yu: "It's not Banban, it's Er'er, right, Er'er?"
The cat growled softly, rubbing Yu Yu's leg. She quickly cupped its chin. "Don't you dare bite my sofa."
Shu Tu, spotting Yu Yu's hidden dishes, was touched. "Chang Yu, grab the food. We'll eat in the kitchen."
Chang Yu, done petting, realized she'd barely eaten and was about to order takeout when she heard Shu Tu. They went to eat, as the cat found a new game.
"Don't bite my pillow!!!"
Yu Yu yanked the pillow with all her strength, predictably losing. The cat barely tried, just playing, and Yu Yu couldn't hold on. Watching it slobber over the pillow, Yu Yu's heart ached. This cat should live at Shu Tu's. Pet it occasionally, fine. The property damage—she couldn't handle it.
Let rich Shu Tu deal with it.
Chang Yu too.
Her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Attention, residents. Attention, residents. From 9 PM, August 23, do not look at the sky. Do not look at the sky. Day or night, do not look up, do not look up, do not look at the sky."
"Attention, residents…"
Not synthetic—a female voice, likely human.
Yu Yu checked the number: Rong City's official notification line, which she'd verified.
Don't look at the sky?
She glanced outside. Blazing sun, cloudless, river steaming in the heat—a dazzling day. Yu Yu, absently petting the cat, sank into thought. Don't look at the sky?
The dining room duo got the call too. Silence fell, save for the cat chewing the pillow and the phone's alert. Sounds so normal, yet now eerie. Repeated thrice, the call ended. Yu Yu checked online—chaos.
[School notice: don't look at the sky starting tonight. They're controlling this now? What if I can't resist?]
[Company finally approved work-from-home. Thank heavens.]
[So jealous of those lucky ones who haven't faced anything yet…]
[For real? Cars outside blaring not to look at the sky. What's wrong with it? Will it eat me?]
[Weather's nice today, clear skies, just hot.]
A flood of new posts. Yu Yu was puzzled.
A new anomaly? A or B? This much fuss?
[Heard a big one's coming. Rumor says we got a new course, book three times thicker than a dictionary, mandatory memorization, counts for GPA, fail and no graduation. Funniest thing I heard this year, haha, I'm not crazy…]
Clearly a student.
Shu Tu walked out, on the phone. "You get any notices?"
She was calling friends in Huyou City.
"Like, don't look at the sky."
"Hm?"
"No going out? Ten days ago?"
She hung up. "Maybe just Rong City. They're under a worse anomaly—can't even leave their homes."
Not leaving sounded stricter than not looking.
Yu Yu: "No clue what anomaly. I'm pulling all curtains this afternoon so I don't glance outside."
"How long till you finish moving?"
Shu Tu, helpless: "Two more days. I told them to toss the old furniture and buy new."
Yu Yu clapped. "What about my pigs?"
Shu Tu: "…"
Yu Yu went to the kitchen, washing dishes. "I'm heading out later to buy black cloth to cover my pig and chicken pens."
"I'll dig a small channel from the river for fish."
"And check for water purifiers."
Shu Tu: "Once I'm settled, I'll raise some too."
She hadn't forgotten Banban's appetite. If money became worthless, feeding Banban would be tough. Better prepare like Yu Yu.
Leaning on the kitchen door, Shu Tu said, "They say most city-to-city transport's cut off. Besides official channels, private logistics are basically dead."
Yu Yu: "I know. My stuff arrived, though."
"Not sure if my crops will be enough. Heard the black spot issue's unresolved…"
They both knew it wouldn't be enough. Rong City, a major city, had seven to eight million residents, plus another seven to eight million transients. Developed, but with little farmland. Despite land protection policies, it was a drop in the bucket. The future was predictable…
Shu Tu, firm: "This afternoon, I'll go with you. Where'd you buy your pigs?"
Chang Yu, trying to wash dishes, was pushed aside by Yu Yu. "Don't get in the way."
Chang Yu, wronged, piped up, "I'm going too. I want to buy some!"
Yu Yu considered. "Better get it done this afternoon, or else…"