Chapter 4, The Murderous Intent of the Foggy Night

Those sheets of paper are invariably filled with dense English paragraphs. At a glance, this appears to be additional notes on the entire book, as well as the personal insights and understandings of the individual using this book

When the unfortunate homeless man finally lay motionless, the shadow standing by pounced, using extra ropes to bind the man securely, and then resumed its position atop the ensnared "cocoon".

Although he cannot understand them, he can memorize all these things in a very short time, leaving them to gradually recall and comprehend when he is able to understand those words in the future

Due to the interference of the mist, Xiao Fen was unable to see what the source of these sounds looked like; merely the presence of such strange noises was enough to instill fear and trepidation.

A sudden clattering sound of a train abruptly shattered the nearby silence, and the mist not only rendered the surrounding environment dreamlike, but even the sound seemed somewhat unreal. Xiao Fan could not discern how far away the train was from him.

The book was spread open in Xiao Fan's hands, and the numerous pages fluttered as if blown by the wind, rustling continuously. In a very short time, Xiao Fan had read through the entire volume.

The sound of the train passing did not cease for long, and it seemed that from a distant place, a series of dull and solemn bell tolls echoed. Xiao Fen silently counted in his heart; it was now around 6 o'clock in the evening

One can tell from the title that this book is likely related to his various past experiences, and it may also be closely connected to everything happening around him now

Due to the interference of fog, the streets are now barely visible, and it seems that no one is lingering on the streets. This is a stark contrast to what Xiao Fan understood. During the Industrial Revolution, by 6 PM, the streets would be deserted, which appears to be no different from the Dark Ages.

"Dong, cila" , "Dong, cila" ... ...

Not only that, but above this rooftop, Xiao Fen also heard some rustling sounds. These sounds were completely different from those of the mice; they resembled the noises made by small individuals climbing on ropes.

The footsteps of the homeless man are destined never to return to his temporary dwelling. Just as he is about to reach an old, dilapidated house, a rope suddenly drops from above along with books, and that dark shadow suddenly pounces on the homeless man.

Accompanying the sounds emitted by the train in motion are the harsh screeching of the wheels as they navigate the turns, along with the sharp "hissing" sound of the brake sparks erupting.

He walked to the window and glanced outside at an angle. What Xiao Fan saw was a landscape shrouded in thick yellow-brown fog

Xiao Fen casually flipped through the book in his hands, finding that it was entirely in English, with many handwritten annotations in the margins explaining certain paragraphs or phrases.

At such times, it should be those workers who are drinking and making noise, causing chaos throughout the entire neighborhood. On this street, there should also be a sense of brightness; even in a slum, it would not be this quiet. Moreover, the small building where Xiao Fan resides has already proven that this neighborhood was not previously a slum.

If it were just one such sound, it wouldn't be a big deal; the key issue is that it seems such sounds are appearing everywhere in the surrounding area of this neighborhood

That kind of sound generally emits a fixed rhythm, followed by a brief dragging sound after a sudden pause, much like the sound produced by those with mobility issues when they walk

It is precisely these suddenly appearing thick fogs that rapidly diminish the surrounding light, and these mists continue to intensify.

Without any shouting, Xiao Fan could vaguely see that the rope seemed to be alive, suddenly blocking the vagabond's mouth, causing all the panic and cries to be stifled, leaving only a faint "woo woo" sound.

After a brief comparison, it was determined that this book could perfectly fit into a specially designed pocket inside his overcoat. It can be confirmed that the owner of this book is indeed the person who originally stayed here

However, this homeless man clearly did not notice that the sounds above the street had vanished by the time he appeared. In their place, there was a movable rope that had somehow descended above his head.

When all these sounds disappeared, the surroundings once again fell into silence. Apart from the occasional sounds made by passing mice, the world of the small building seemed to transform into a realm of death in an instant

Additionally, in the final section of this book, one can see a considerable number of pasted sheets of paper

From the moment of arriving in this world until now, it has only been a total of one hour, but the darkness outside moves faster than he imagined

Xiao Fen casually took out a book and, under the increasingly dim light, glanced at the cover.

The rope was slowly retracted, ultimately rising to a point higher than where Xiao Fan was, disappearing from sight. After a while, strange rustling sounds once again emanated from above Xiao Fan's head

Having witnessed numerous changes in otherworldly realms, Xiao Fan's perception can be considered quite sharp. He not only saw that the rope was blocking the vagrant's mouth, but also observed that the rope, resembling a living creature, was continuously writhing and had penetrated deep into the vagrant's body.

Xiao Fen was unable to fully understand this book, as there were many words he had never encountered before, but this did not pose a challenge for him

The entire process resembles a web hunt, where the life chosen by the lofty spider has no possibility of escape

After a while, Xiao Fen suddenly heard some strange sounds quietly emerging from all directions of the street

On the rope, a dark shadow is swiftly descending

The homeless man seems to be quite wary of the fog on this street, as he dodges and weaves, trying to run across to the other side of the street and the library

Relying on a vast number of observations of an unseen other world, Xiao Fan's brain is fully developed and utilized, enabling him to browse through and remember the entirety of a book more quickly than those who are proficient in speed reading and memorization techniques

And what that homeless man could ultimately do was merely to wave his hands and feet in vain, and even this action gradually became weak and powerless in the end

He then closed the book, reopened it, and flipped through it in the same manner as before. After repeating this several times, Xiao Fan had already memorized all the content within, including the small notes at the back of the book that contained personal insights.

FAE & AWAKENMAN (The Awakener and the Other World)

Xiao Fen's breathing involuntarily quickened, and his hands trembled slightly

As Xiao Fen was deep in thought, a small dark figure appeared before him. It was a late-returning vagrant. Although the specifics of his attire were not discernible, the way he tightly wrapped his body in newspapers revealed his identity

Xiao Fen let out a long sigh, setting down the book in his hands. At this moment, the sky outside had completely darkened.