Chapter 2, Is the Grim Reaper Coming?

Old Wang, please help me request leave from the director

Wang Lei silently pushed over the object covered by his palm, which was his student ID along with the identification card tucked inside it

This photograph was taken twenty hours after the accident. My father, before taking a shower, opened the wardrobe to get his clothes and suddenly felt something stab his hand forcefully. However, nothing that could have caused the injury was found afterward; it was purely a neurological illusion. Then, while turning on the water heater to take a shower, he accidentally suffered a fatal electric shock

Today, sitting here and accompanying Bai Ye in this lengthy conversation filled with "nonsense" is purely due to the influence of testosterone in Wang Lei's body. When beautiful women find themselves in distress, they always receive more unsolicited assistance from self-proclaimed "white knights" than ordinary unattractive women. No matter how numb Wang Lei may be, he is ultimately a young man full of vigor.

On the other side, in a beverage shop near the site of the ground subsidence incident, Wang Lei, holding a tablet in his hand, was conversing with Bai Ye, who was seated opposite him

Wang Lei sighed. The girl across from him seemed to be a year or two older than him. Although she was indeed very beautiful and charming, her intellect and temperament were lacking, as she collapsed so quickly upon learning the truth

How did you come back to life

The woman's eyes are very bright

The Grim Reaper is the term used by Wang Lei to refer to the mysterious force or something else that has been entangling him and demanding his death

It's nothing, I have time

Bright eyes signify a spirited soul. In Wang Lei's past life, those he deemed as "people with bright eyes" were essentially all intelligent individuals

Bai Yan nodded and then said, "Could you please repeat what you discussed with my cousin?"

This is Wang Lei's second intuition about her

Not only did his computer go silent, but the music in the café also abruptly stopped at the same time, and the lights went out. Moreover, a couple at the adjacent table, who were playing a mobile game, exclaimed in surprise about how their phones suddenly went black.

After finishing, she gave Wang Lei a polite smile and said, "I am sorry, I had to do this, not because I doubt you..."

At the intersection of Wenquan Road, a ground subsidence occurred, and a bus fell into it, subsequently being crushed by another truck. My cousin was driving and nearly fell in as well; she is now terrified

Sitting in front of the young and beautiful novice female driver, Wang Lei was scrolling through photos on his tablet while explaining his past to her. As he spoke of these matters, Wang Lei appeared so calm as if he were recounting someone else's story, his face rigid like a playing card.

Wang Lei was very cooperative, and Bai Yan was not a foolish police officer, so their conversation went smoothly. As the discussion deepened, Bai Yan's expression became increasingly serious, while Bai Ye, who was beside her, was repeatedly frightened to the point of crying out loud by Wang Lei's "detailed descriptions".

I have been pursued by that thing for a long time, and I am already quite fed up with it. If I could borrow the power of the state to investigate this matter together, that would certainly be the best outcome

At the entrance of the café, Bai Yan was crying and saying something while holding the person she referred to as "Sister Yan," occasionally pointing her hand at him. Wang Lei could roughly guess what she was saying. Bai Ye's reaction left him quite disappointed; someone like him could never escape the pursuit of "Death."

Wang Lei's experiences over the past year can be described as incredibly rich. When he elaborated on them in detail, he spoke for a full half hour without finishing. Bai Yan turned on the recorder to capture his words; for the most part, she was a listener, only occasionally interrupting to ask about certain details or to send inquiries for verification to the headquarters.

During this year, the city he lived in, named Xihai, had many "cut-off individuals" like him who were targeted by the "Grim Reaper." Wang Lei, with his eyes that could see the lines, saved six of them in succession. Afterwards, he communicated with these individuals, hoping to learn more about the killing methods of the Grim Reaper through them.

The girl across from me has an average chest and an average mind. I wonder how this one is; could she also be small-chested and dim-witted

What you said is too exaggerated, and I am hesitant to believe it easily

These are various potentially fatal accidents that I encountered later on. Whenever there was a possibility, I captured and recorded them. For example, this picture shows a falling object; a flower pot dropped from above. Fortunately, I had already retracted my feet, or I would have been hit on the head if I had taken one more step. Then there is this photo of a bow and arrow, which may seem insignificant, but at that moment, two mischievous kids were playing with a modified bow and arrow, and I was almost shot in the temple, all thanks to my quick reflexes. Additionally, there is this image of a delivery truck that suddenly braked beside me, causing a steel bar to fly out with inertia, nearly piercing me. Furthermore, there is this photo of a bow and arrow again, which may seem trivial, but at that time, two mischievous kids were playing with a modified bow and arrow, and I was almost shot in the temple, all thanks to my quick reflexes. Also, there is this image of a delivery truck that suddenly braked beside me, causing a steel bar to fly out with inertia, nearly piercing me. Lastly, there is this banana peel on the ground; I almost stepped on it at that moment. If I had stepped on it, I would have rolled down the stairs from the elevator.

This is a photo from October 9 of last year. Before my mother got on this vehicle, she suddenly stumbled, but at that moment, she did not notice anything unusual and boarded the vehicle. I sensed something was wrong and did not get on the vehicle. When I called her to come down quickly, the door closed, and it was already too late. Later, the vehicle started moving, and during a sudden brake on the road, she lost her balance and bumped her forehead against the protruding luggage of the person in front, and that is how it happened

Wang Lei expressed his understanding. The reason he knew that twenty-three people had already died was that he had habitually counted the number of people in the vehicle at that time.

Another incident has occurred? What is happening this year, why are there so many damned accidents?

As he was mulling over this term in his mind, Wang Lei couldn't help but steal a glance at the chest of the approaching Officer Bai Yan, which was quite prominent

What is going on

Soon, Wang Lei saw the woman referred to as Sister Yan by Bai Ye. She was a female police officer wearing a helmet and a uniform, and from the badge on her shoulder, she appeared to be a police inspector. As she rode her motorcycle and approached the entrance of the café, she removed her helmet, revealing a beautiful face that bore some resemblance to Bai Ye. When she tossed her elegant hair, the unintentional display of her spirited demeanor made Wang Lei unable to help but glance at her a couple more times.

I have long been prepared

Bai Yan smiled apologetically at Wang Lei, then picked up his student ID and identification card and examined them with great seriousness

At this moment, Bai Ye, who was sitting in front of him, was so frightened that tears were almost flowing down her face, repeatedly murmuring, "It can't be, it can't be..."

When Wang Lei pointed to a photo on his tablet and recounted how he found the sixth "disconnected person" dead, he suddenly heard a short-circuit sound from his tablet, and the screen went black in an instant

After these events occurred, I realized that a terrifying filth had set its sights on me

Xihai University of Science and Technology, are you in your senior year this year? From the Department of Chemistry?

Wang Lei observed this with his own eyes and helplessly slapped his forehead with force. He had seen such situations many times in the past. Most of those "cut-off individuals" whom he had saved, upon learning the truth, were in a similar state.

Bai Yan and Bai Ye are cousins. After chatting for a few minutes at the entrance of the café, Bai Yan took her cousin's arm and led her into the café, then sat down in front of Wang Lei. Wang Lei, having finished his contemplation, looked up and met her gaze.

My parents both passed away last year, and then I took a year off from school. I did not attend school this year either, as I no longer have the heart for it

Wang Lei said: "There is a Dao in all things, all things have a Dao, and all things have a glimmer of hope, which lies solely in our ability to grasp it"

This is an epic war, and it is also the longest war in human history, taking place within each of our bodies. It is a war that has lasted for three billion years between cells and viruses of the same origin. In this ceaseless war, viruses invade rampantly, even occupying cells, and the cells within our bodies have no choice but to fight for the body, even sacrificing themselves... In this ceaseless war, viruses invade rampantly, even occupying cells, and the cells within our bodies have no choice but to fight for the body, even sacrificing themselves...

Wang Lei pressed the power button again, but he could not turn on the computer no matter what. The couple at the neighboring desk, who were playing on their phones, also found that they could not restart their devices. Bai Yan felt something was off as well; she took out her phone from her pocket and discovered that it was also unusable. Even the police communication device she carried with her was experiencing abnormal conditions.

However, the situation is not that dire. According to my own information, as long as one is pursued by that thing seven times without dying, we will gain some special powers. For instance, my eyes underwent some changes after that

During the conversation, Wang Lei's tone carried an indescribable sense of fatigue. On the surface, he appeared calm and numb, but having been pursued by "that thing" for a year, he was already extremely anxious inside

As Bai Yan was filled with confusion and doubt, Wang Lei's voice rang in her ears

I understand, after all, it is a major incident that resulted in the deaths of twenty-three people. Even if it is a natural disaster, it would still attract the attention of the heavens; in fact, it would be better if it could indeed attract such attention.

During the course of the communication, among the six individuals, two were utterly unwilling to believe anything. Of the remaining four, three partially believed but then either collapsed on the spot or were in a state of semi-collapse, subsequently becoming hysterical and neurotic. This mental state made it easier for death to claim them. Only the last individual managed to maintain a semblance of calm, but even with Wang Lei's assistance, he was ultimately eliminated after narrowly escaping several assassination attempts

Soon, Wang Lei picked up the tablet, opened the stored data, and began to explain his experiences from the past year to the other party, one by one. During this process, Bai Yan's communicator rang once, and the message from headquarters also helped Wang Lei verify his identity and family situation

Hello, is this Sister Yan? Have you arrived? Um... I see you now, I am here at the hot spring café, please come quickly, sob, I am so scared... I feel like I'm going to die, sob sob...

It is now noon, and the sunlight outside is very bright. However, sitting in the café and listening to the somewhat gloomy voice of Wang Lei, who still resembles a student, Bai Ye feels as if he is sitting in a haunted house, his body constantly shivering.

What is going on

After that, the "Grim Reaper" took a long break, and apart from pursuing Wang Lei once every six or seven days, Wang Lei did not find any new "disconnected ones" in this city until today

After hanging up the phone, Bai Yan left the half-eaten meal behind and was about to leave

It is EMP

Opposite her, Bai Yan picked up Wang Lei's ID card, opened the police communication device she was carrying, and began to communicate with headquarters, reporting Wang Lei's ID number.

Wang Lei spoke while rolling up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing his forearm. Bai Ye saw that there were six or seven scars of varying ages on it

Bai Ye, sitting opposite, had a hand holding the coffee cup that was slightly trembling

Including that first time on the bridge, during this year, he killed me a total of fifty-two times, yet I managed to escape each time, though the cost was significant

Soon, everyone in the café noticed the situation; not only was there a power outage, but all electrical devices, including laptops and mobile phones with built-in batteries, were completely unusable. Some even exclaimed, "Things are burning up"

Your reaction is quite good; you did not directly say that I am insane. To be honest, I wish I were truly mad, as that would mean I wouldn't have to be killed by invisible things every few days. Although I have basically gotten used to this feeling of being hunted, constantly experiencing this 'heartbeat game of being killed' every few days, over time and with the frequency, it will still drive a person insane.

When her colleagues began to complain about the matter, Bai Yan had already picked up the clothes that were on the chair and hurriedly left

As the phone rang, Officer Bai Yan was in the cafeteria of the police station, eating while watching "The War of 3 Billion Years," a documentary about the battle between the human immune system and invading viruses, which she had downloaded yesterday.

In the past year, in order to understand the methods and techniques of the Grim Reaper's attacks, he had searched the world for individuals similar to himself

Wang Lei was lost in thought as he took an item out of his backpack and placed it on the table, then covered it with his hand

His colleague asked in confusion, "What happened?"

Then he explained: "That thing, which I refer to as the Grim Reaper, always has some signs before it kills me. Pay attention to it, grasp it, find its patterns, and then break it at the critical moment. Just like today, you were supposed to drive and follow the car in front of you, and then fall off, but you saw the warning, and nervously turned off the engine, thus escaping this disaster. But this is not the end, it is just the beginning ... ... ." Just like today, you were supposed to drive and follow the car in front of you, and then fall off, but you saw the warning, and nervously turned off the engine, thus escaping this disaster. But this is not the end, it is just the beginning ... ... ."

Bai Yan cast her gaze outside, where chaos was also unfolding on the distant street. All the cars that were driving on the road came to a halt. The drivers inside the cars exited their vehicles, looking around anxiously.

This is a photograph of the scene of the Huaxing Bridge collapse incident at Yangming Lake during last year's National Day. At that time, my family was about to cross this bridge. However, just before crossing, my mother suddenly experienced an inexplicable palpitation; she said she saw our family drowning in the water. Consequently, we did not cross the bridge, and shortly thereafter, the accident occurred right before our eyes. Prior to that, I had suddenly felt as if I had stepped into thin air, while my father experienced a hallucination of being choked by water.

Xiao Ye, where are you? I will go find you right away

Today he has started killing again, and in the days to come, there will likely be more severed connections here... I should have been more proactive earlier; if I had recklessly stopped the car back then, I might have been able to save those people... However, if I had saved too many at once, it might have turned out like last time, where I didn't save anyone and almost got myself caught in it.

Certainly, this time I will provide a more detailed explanation, although it may take a bit longer

Wang Lei murmured to himself: "It seems quite large, I hope it doesn't consume all the nutrients in the brain..."

Then the sudden ringing of the phone interrupted her viewing. After answering the call, Bai Yan spoke a few words on the other end, and then her expression changed slightly

Regardless of who it is, being "murdered" (unsuccessfully) by the "Grim Reaper" in various ways more than fifty times in a year, while simultaneously witnessing the Grim Reaper successfully murder several of his kind whom he had saved, any amount of passion and fervor will turn cold and numb.

Excuse me, may I see your identification?

"You are my little, little apple..." The sound of music from a mobile phone rang out at that moment; it was Bai Ye's phone. Wang Lei stopped speaking and watched her pick up the phone

He continued by saying

You must be cautious, within forty-eight hours, he will come to find you. If you can evade him this time, thereafter, he will come to find you approximately every six or seven days. Before he seeks you out, there will be some signs in advance; pay attention to these signs, deduce what methods he will use against you based on the signs, and then...