diskusbooks #569 - Back to the familiar convenience store again
#569 - Back to the familiar convenience store again
The fluorescent blue sensory capsule slowly closed, and G-chan lay on the soft induction pad, closing her eyes. Data streams flowed through her consciousness like a galaxy, and in an instant, she became Tang Yin again.
In the night, memories flickered in Tang Yin's mind like shattered glass. Each fragment refracted different scenes: bloody scenes, shrill screams, heavy fog, and that huge wolf shadow. These scattered fragments suddenly made him freeze in place, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
"Wait, how could I—"
Tang Yin suddenly gripped the steering wheel, a thought striking him. He had experienced all this, not just once, but several times. It was as if time had been [rewound] at some point, allowing him to return to this night again and again.
"Rewind?" He shook his head with a wry smile. "What a joke, how could such a surreal thing be possible?"
But reason told him that if it weren't for a rewind, many things couldn't be explained. For example, he clearly remembered the feeling of dying, the terrible pain of being torn apart by beasts, the despair of life slipping away, all of which were terrifyingly real. But now he was alive and well, sitting in this car driving on a mountain road.
Tang Yin tried to recall more details, but his memory was as fragmented as if it had been cut with a knife. He remembered going to Mist Hidden Village, where he met many people, experienced a series of bizarre events, and finally met his death. But the specific details were shrouded in thick fog, impossible to recall.
"This feeling, it was like this last time too." He rubbed his temples. "My memory is as if it has been deliberately cut."
The fuel gauge on the dashboard was teetering, indicating that the gasoline was about to run out. The phone screen was dim, with only a few percent of battery left, and the signal bars had long disappeared. To make matters worse, a sudden feeling of thirst struck, his throat as if it were on fire.
"Exactly the same as last time..."
The road ahead gradually became clear, a neon sign flashing in the night. It was a convenience store, the last supply point before Baifeng Village. Remembering the lewd-faced clerk, Tang Yin couldn't help but clench his fists, anger churning in his chest.
But now was not the time to dwell on these things. If his guess was correct, if this was really a rewind, then this convenience store was the first signpost to the truth. All the mysteries might have to start again from here.
The night wind howled, and the shadows of the trees swayed, as if telling unknown secrets. Tang Yin took a deep breath and adjusted his sitting position. This time, he must find out the truth, he must change that bloody ending.
"Since I've been given a second chance," he stared at the lights of the convenience store ahead, "this time, I will never repeat the same mistakes."
The wheels rolled over the asphalt road, making a slight sound. Tang Yin knew that on this seemingly ordinary night, the gears of fate had begun to turn. And he would once again step into that abyss full of mysteries.
The automatic door of the convenience store slid open, and a blast of cold air hit him. Fluorescent tubes hummed faintly overhead, illuminating the narrow aisles between the shelves. Tang Yin took a deep breath, trying to calm the restlessness in his heart. Although he was very disgusted with the clerk's attitude, he had no choice but to be picky in his current situation. At least in this pitch-black night, there was still a light on here.
Behind the counter, the clerk with faded red hair raised her eyelids and glanced at him with an indifferent expression. She was wearing dark purple nail polish, holding a magazine between her fingers, and said lazily, "Welcome."
Although she didn't even raise her eyelids when she said this, this arrogant attitude made Tang Yin feel relieved. In this bizarre cycle, her meanness seemed to be the only constant, giving people a strange sense of security.
"Tch." The clerk made an impatient clicking sound.
Tang Yin knew that in her eyes, he was just a customer who came to cause trouble late at night. This thought made him feel a little funny. If she knew what was going to happen next, she probably wouldn't have this attitude.
Pushing the shopping cart through the shelves, Tang Yin began to buy a lot. Mineral water, biscuits, chocolate, flashlights, batteries... He threw everything that might be needed in Mist Hidden Village into the shopping cart. The remote mountain village was extremely short of supplies, and it was always good to be prepared.
"Checkout." Tang Yin pushed the loaded shopping cart to the counter.
The clerk glanced at the mountain of goods and raised an eyebrow: "Huh? What are you buying so much stuff for?"
She reluctantly stood up and picked up the scanner of the cash register. The beeping sound of the scan echoed in the silent store, and she muttered something while working. Tang Yin noticed that she had to turn on the radio to record this large transaction, which was exactly what he wanted.
While waiting to pay, Tang Yin pretended to ask casually: "I'm looking for places with people nearby, do you have a map here?"
"Huh? Of course not." The clerk rolled her eyes.
"You should have one, please." Tang Yin showed a sincere expression.
The clerk sighed: "Wait." She turned and walked to the storage room at the back of the store, her footsteps echoing in the empty store.
After a while, she came back with a folded map: "Found it."
Tang Yin nodded secretly in his heart, as expected.
The clerk pointed to a spot on the map: "This store is here... Go north at this intersection."
"Yeah, yeah." Tang Yin listened carefully.
"There is a sky bridge here. There is a large rock near the first intersection after the sky bridge. Turn right there and then go straight ahead." She gesticulated on the map with her dark purple nail polish.
Tang Yin frowned at the map: "There's only forest on the map, right?" He clearly remembered that the mountain road didn't even have basic hardening, and accidents could easily happen if you weren't careful. Last time, why did she guide him to that dangerous road?
"It's just not drawn on the map, there's a village there," the clerk replied casually.
This answer aroused Tang Yin's curiosity. Mist Hidden Village was indeed as remote as a paradise, but how did this girl know? "It seems dangerous to go there by bike, what about Baifeng Village here?"
"It takes two hours to walk on a shitty mountain road to get there," the clerk said unceremoniously.
"Wait, can I take some notes?"
"Whatever."
Tang Yin took out his phone and continued to ask while recording in the memo: "What about the town next to it?"
"Across two mountains," the clerk interrupted him impatiently.
Tang Yin looked at the route she drew sloppily on the map and couldn't help but complain in his heart. Two mountains? This method of ranging is too casual, right? But now he can only write it down first. The night was getting darker, and the glass of the convenience store reflected his tired face. The answer was ahead, but he had no idea how far he would have to go.
The clerk twirled a strand of faded red hair, frowned slightly, glanced at the clock on the wall, and hesitated for a moment before saying: "Ah, it's late at night, it's better not to run around near here."
The white light emitted by the fluorescent tubes reflected on her slightly pale face, softening her originally sharp features. Tang Yin was stunned for a moment, and a warmth rose in his heart—was this fierce-looking clerk worried about him?
But on second thought, if she was really so kind, why did she point him to that dangerous road last time? The steep mountain road in the rainy night was particularly slippery in his memory, and the moment the tires slipped seemed to be right in front of him. Tang Yin couldn't help but shudder.
The clerk seemed to see his hesitation, and her tone was rarely gentle: "Knowing when to quit is also a kind of bravery."
Knowing when to quit? Tang Yin silently muttered this sentence in his heart. The convenience store in the night seemed to be an isolated island, and the two of them were the only residents on this isolated island.
"Well, I'll consider it, thank you~" Tang Yin responded with feigned ease.
"Goodbye." The clerk had already turned her attention back to her magazine.
Just as he was about to leave, Tang Yin suddenly remembered something and turned around and asked: "Oh, by the way, do you have any local specialty drinks here? It doesn't seem to be on the shelf."
The clerk raised her head with an impatient expression: "No, if it's not on the shelf, then it's not there."
"Maybe you have it in the back?" Tang Yin asked persistently. The moonlight shone in through the glass door, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
"Do I look like I have it on my head?" The clerk rolled her eyes, her tone clearly dissatisfied.
"Don't get excited, let's go and see first." Tang Yin raised his hands, making a gesture of surrender.
The clerk sighed, looking helpless: "Wait." After saying that, she dragged her feet towards the storage room in the back.
After a while, unexpectedly, she really came back with something: "Found it."
Tang Yin's eyes widened, and he looked at the plastic bottle she took out from the back in disbelief. The bottle was filled with pitch-black liquid, with a capacity of 500 milliliters, and a label that was clearly handwritten was pasted on it, with the words [Wild Vegetable Cola] written crookedly.
This convenience store is really a treasure chest, it has all kinds of strange things. Tang Yin smacked his tongue secretly.
"Oh, sorry, I have too much luggage, do you have any rubber ropes that can tie the luggage to the rear rack of the car?" He made another seemingly unreasonable request.
The clerk's expression instantly became ferocious: "Do you think the convenience store is a handyman shop?"
"Please, can you help me go to the back to see?" Tang Yin showed the most sincere smile.
"Wait!" The clerk said through gritted teeth, and disappeared behind the door to the back again.
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"Found it."
She actually came back with something again!
Tang Yin looked at this unbelievable development, and his courage also grew. He took out a crumpled memo from his pocket and asked cautiously: "Um, can you help me go to the back to see if you have the other things written on this memo?"
The clerk's eyes seemed to be spitting fire: "Are you done yet! Do you believe I'll kill you!?" She raised her fist, her fingers with dark purple nail polish trembling slightly with anger.
"Queen, spare my life!! Just look! Just look!!" Tang Yin exaggeratedly took two steps back, making a terrified gesture.
"Wait!!" The clerk grabbed the memo, turned around angrily, and left.
"I'm very grateful!!" Tang Yin shouted loudly at her back. Under the lights of the convenience store, he noticed that the corner of the clerk's mouth seemed to be slightly upturned, but it was fleeting, making it difficult to tell if it was an illusion. This night was full of strange atmosphere, and this eccentric clerk seemed to be the key to solving the mystery.
After a while.
Clerk: "Found everything!!"
Tang Yin: "What the hell is going on with this convenience store!!"
This is not good, Tang Yin feels that this clerk will really kill him, but fortunately the purchase of supplies went smoothly.
Tang Yin picked up the things and ran away.
Opened the bottle of mystery vegetable cola.
The moth trap lamp above his head occasionally made a sharp current sound. Tang Yin raised his head and took a sip.
...The cool stimulation and subtle grass fragrance, the taste is not bad.
I thought the taste of this local drink would definitely be weird, but I didn't expect it to be so delicious.
...It's a bit of a pity that I can't use this to complain. Tang Yin confirmed the ingredients of the cola again.
Cola, plant essence.
...Wait, the ingredient is cola?
In other words, the cola itself is bought as a finished product and mixed?
What exactly is that plant essence, it can be fruit juice or poison, right?
Is this bottle of drink really okay?
Never mind, at least the taste is not bad.
Returning the same way should be the most correct choice,
There is danger to life in Baifeng Village, go back quickly.
If we interpret the meaning of [Death Rewind] in this way, then not approaching that place may be the correct way to do it.
But—is the truth really that simple?
Although there is no root cause, Tang Yin suspects that the root cause of this supernatural phenomenon is hidden in that magical village...
...If he doesn't solve this mystery, Tang Yin will not be able to escape the cycle of death.
Tang Yin wonders, what would happen if he just left? Spend an ordinary life outside, and when he dies, will he return here again?
...If he dies a natural death, will he be rejuvenated?
It seems pretty good, but is there really such a good thing?
...This is just his guess.
Maybe he never set foot on that mountain road.
Maybe everything before death since then was a dream, and once he dies, he will return to the origin of the dream.
If that's the case...what is the meaning of his future life?
How can he truly move forward without breaking free from his shackles?
In addition, if he ignores this strange, abnormal, inexplicable—
Terror phenomenon, can he return to the city?
When the game reached this point, the audience in the live broadcast room discussed again:
"Could it be that Tang Yin wants to back down?"
G-chan said: "Why don't we try going back the same way first? Maybe we can be safe?"
So, after drinking the carbonated drink, Tang Yin decided to hand over the dominance to reason, or rather, opportunism.
Oh my, what a magical experience, when he goes back, it should become a topic for summer ghost stories, right?