novelraw Chapter 76: Artificial Souls - (3)
Chapter 76: Artificial Souls - (3)
Kui Xin finally enjoyed the long-awaited quality sleep, without any dreams throughout the night.
When she woke up in the morning, she sat on her bed and stretched lazily, her joints cracking as her entire body relaxed.
After having breakfast and taking a brief rest, she proceeded with her planned morning workout routine.
Kui Xin jogged along the riverside levee, running from one end to the other. An elderly man who was also exercising nearby seemed to engage in an unspoken competition with her, matching her pace back and forth. By the time Kui Xin reached her third lap, the old man couldn’t keep up anymore.
Panting heavily, he said, “It’s rare to see young people out for morning exercises these days. My granddaughter barely passed her physical education exam during her high school entrance test. After starting work, she stays up all night, worsening her physical condition even further. Climbing just five floors leaves her breathless. I told her to exercise more, but instead, she bought a gym membership—a waste of money since she hardly used it! It would be much better to simply run behind our local riverside levee; why bother going to a gym?”
“People nowadays face a lot of stress, you know? Gyms tend to attract younger crowds, so socializing while working out together is quite beneficial.” Kui Xin found it challenging to handle such spontaneous conversations with strangers. After exchanging a few words, she quickly descended from the levee, focusing on her stretching exercises.
By 8:30 AM, Kui Xin had finished her morning workout. The refrigerator at home was nearly empty, so she decided to head to the market to purchase some vegetables, fruits, and meat.
However, as she approached the open-air market, she detected a burnt smell lingering in the air. The ground was damp, and the vegetable vendors on both sides of the road had retreated to the corners. Large vehicle tracks were visible in the middle of the market’s pathway, while merchants and customers huddled together, creating a chaotic and noisy scene.
Looking further into the market, she spotted two or three uniformed firefighters holding water hoses to cool down gas cylinders. It seemed that several shopfronts were charred, emitting wisps of smoke that obstructed her view.
Kui Xin’s heart jolted; it was clearly evident that there had been a fire there.She had a childhood friend whose family ran a business in the same market. However, the origin of the fire was too far from the entrance, making it difficult for Kui Xin to discern which shops were affected.
“Hurry up, everyone! Disperse!” No entry allowed!” A city management vehicle arrived, its loudspeaker blaring. “Can’t you see they’re still cooling down the gas cylinders? If those things explode, people will die—keep your distance! Retreat outside of the market!”
At this point, the small vendors within the market began moving, hastily gathering their fruits and vegetables onto tricycles and departing. The crowd of onlookers also gradually dispersed.
Kui Xin took out money to buy a bunch of vegetables and asked the elderly woman who had retreated with her stall, “What happened there? Which store caught fire?”
“It was a grocery store for grains and oils. The flames were massive earlier; smoke was billowing high,” the elderly woman said. “The fire from the grocery store spread to the adjacent shops. Look, it’s so severe—the storefront’ awnings have even collapsed. An ambulance arrived too; they just took away a few people who were badly burned.”
Kui Xin’s mood instantly soured. “Next to the grocery store, there’s one that sells fresh noodles. How is that shop faring?”
“It got burned as well. Those flour-based products ignite easily.” The elderly woman clicked her tongue sympathetically. “The family running the noodle shop lived on the second floor above their store, but the security window grill was welded shut, leaving them no escape. It wasn’t until the fire trucks came that the three family members were rescued. The fire started around 6 o’clock when there were fewer people around—they were asleep…”
“Which hospital’s ambulance arrived?” Kui Xin hastily asked.
“I can’t read, old lady here!”
“Thank you, Auntie.” Kui Xin straightened up, holding the bunch of vegetables, and pondered for a moment. She thought that if the injuries were severe, the victims would likely be taken to the nearest hospital, but the city’s best burn treatment facility was near the city center. There was a possibility they might be transferred later.
When Kui Xin was in elementary school, a neighborhood friend around her age lived nearby. Although they attended the same school but in different classes, it wasn’t until they entered junior high that they were placed in the same class and started walking to school together. In their third year of middle school, the friend’s grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. To cover her medical expenses, her parents sold their house, and the family of three moved into a makeshift living space above their noodle shop.
Kui Xin’s childhood friend’s family owned the affected fresh noodle store. Whenever she bought noodles, the aunt and uncle would charge her less, or sometimes not at all. Feeling uncomfortable taking advantage of their generosity, Kui Xin began rarely purchasing from them and opted for dried noodles instead.
Later, when they went to separate high schools and no longer lived in the same neighborhood, their paths diverged further. During summer and winter breaks, Kui Xin focused on part-time jobs while her friend helped her parents manage the noodle shop. They gradually spent less time together, leading their friendship to slowly fade.
However, when Kui Xin’s grandparents passed away, this family made a special visit to comfort her, bringing along a box of sausages and a costly carton of premium milk.
With the sudden tragic news about her friend, Kui Xin felt heavy-hearted and hastily purchased some groceries before heading home.
After her run, she was drenched in sweat. After hastily showering and changing clothes, she rushed out to go to the hospital.
In her class, Kui Xin was virtually invisible. Aside from academics, she rarely interacted with her classmates. Even her contacts on social media platforms were added only after graduation when she purchased a smartphone for work purposes. Her relationship with everyone in the class remained an ordinary acquaintance.
The friends at the noodle shop were among the few people Kui Xin could genuinely call “friends.”
Kui Xin first went to the hospital nearest the market and asked the security guard about any ambulance arrivals earlier that morning, receiving a confirming response.
“You’re referring to the injured individuals brought from the market, right? They’re here at our hospital; they should still be undergoing emergency treatment,” said the security guard uncle. “The smoke drifting above the market at the time—it was visible even from here at the hospital.”
Kui Xin thanked him and hurried towards the emergency center. Along the way, she encountered a nurse, explained the situation, and was promptly led to the area outside the emergency room.
“How are they doing?” Kui Xin anxiously asked.
“The two adults couldn’t be saved; they were already beyond help by the time they arrived,” the nurse replied gently. “The remaining person is still being treated; there are extensive burns all over; the condition is quite severe and not optimistic.”
Kui Xin opened her mouth, then closed it again, speechless.
“Can you contact the patient’s family?” the nurse asked. “When they were brought here, there were no identification documents or phones, making it impossible to reach their relatives.”
“I can’t contact them either,” Kui Xin said. “I’m just her friend… How severe is it?”
“Extensive burns cover her entire body, including her face and limbs,” the nurse replied. “Apologies, but that’s the situation. All we can do is strive our utmost to save her life.”
The nurse left, leaving Kui Xin alone as she sat on a chair outside the emergency room, staring blankly at the tightly closed door.
People often say that facing the realities of life, death, and separation only begins when one grows up.
However, Kui Xin had already experienced such separations before reaching adulthood. She was well accustomed to these events. Her grandparents passed away in succession, and her parents were not by her side. There was no time for grief; she had to focus on her studies, aiming to get accepted into university and escape from poverty.
Life never afforded Kui Xin a chance to pause and catch her breath. Consequently, whenever another elderly person passed away in the neighborhood and a makeshift memorial hall was set up and passed by, she would simply think, “Oh, yet another person has departed this world.” These occurrences had a minimal emotional impact on her.
Her deepest realization from such experiences was how incredibly fragile human lives truly are. A single illness or accident could effortlessly shatter a person, devastating an entire family.
After two hours, the emergency room door finally opened.
The doctor responsible for the resuscitation emerged, drenched in sweat and wearing blood-stained gloves.
Noticing only Kui Xin in the corridor, he was taken aback and asked, “No family members here?”
“No.” Kui Xin peered towards the door and said, “I’m her classmate. Was she successfully revived? How severe is her condition?”
“There’s a small door inside the resuscitation room; we’ve transferred her to the ICU,” the doctor said. “Her fingers were severely burned, possibly requiring amputation… This must be discussed with her family, along with payment for hospitalization procedures and various other matters. Without any family present, we can’t proceed.”
Accessing the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wasn’t straightforward, and Kui Xin couldn’t enter or assist with anything else. Just as she felt caught between conflicting concerns, she spotted a modestly dressed couple hastily rushing down the corridor outside the emergency room.
At first glance, she recognized them as her friend’s aunt and uncle.
Upon arrival, they anxiously grabbed the doctor, firing questions left and right. Their faces were wet, unclear whether from sweat or tears, and they completely failed to notice Kui Xin standing nearby.
Kui Xin listened silently for a moment before turning away without a word.
It wasn’t the right time now. She would come back another day.
Hopefully, when she returns next time, her friend will still be there.
Life must go on; Kui Xin couldn’t let unexpected incidents disrupt her daily routine.
————
“Why do you seem so absent-minded?” Kui Xin questioned Su Rong.
“I… am I really?” Su Rong blinks very quickly. “It must be because I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“You said the same thing yesterday,” Kui Xin calmly responded. “You’ve been distracted for two consecutive days now. Are you not interested in attending university anymore? Do you want to continue focusing on arts education?”
Su Rong instantly shuddered. “No, no way! From now on, I’ll definitely concentrate on my studies.”
Yesterday was Tuesday, August 2nd, the day of returning to the Second World. Today is August 3rd, marking the return from the Second World to the First World. To outsiders, it might appear as if Su Rong has been continuously absent-minded for two days. However, in reality, between August 2nd and August 3rd, she spent seven additional days in the Alternate World.
Su Rong could no longer keep track of the dates accurately. Each time she returned, the first thing she did was check the calendar. Her memory wasn’t particularly sharp, making it difficult for her to recall what she had said a week prior. Only after Kui Xin’s reminder did she realize how evident her distraction had become.
Su Rong began seriously contemplating the feasibility of keeping a detailed diary, aiming to prevent herself from forgetting events amidst repeated interdimensional travels.
“Actually, I feel like you’re also quite distracted, Sister Xinxin,” Su Rong muttered.
“Hmm… one of my friends had an unexpected incident at home today,” Kui Xin vaguely replied. “Focus on your homework; I’ll check it for you.”
Su Rong grimaced as she struggled through her sea of assignments.
By evening, Kui Xin politely declined three invitations from Su Rong’s mother to stay for dinner and returned home under her warm farewell.
Walking along the road, Kui Xin gazed at the sky covered with red clouds and couldn’t help but sigh.
It was a brilliantly sunny day, with the sunset clouds displaying unparalleled beauty.
She paused briefly on the street. After a few minutes, just as she lowered her head to continue walking, she suddenly felt as if she were experiencing an illusion.
The clouds seemed to reflect an image of a city, faintly resembling a mirage.
As the light shifted, the mirage-like vision disappeared, lasting approximately fifteen seconds in total.
“That was… a city?” Kui Xin’s eyes widened.
The fleeting mirage amidst the clouds bore an uncanny resemblance to the architectural style of Second World cities!