The pattern...
What exactly is it?
Clunk.
Suddenly, a dull sound echoed from behind.
It sounded as though someone had kicked a metal can, creating a loud noise.
Li Chengyi shuddered, quickly moving his hand away from the reflective mirror.
Instinctively, he didn't want anyone to notice the pattern on his hand.
While abnormalities could present opportunities, he feared they could also bring danger. His usual approach was to ensure his safety first, and then to pursue benefits with caution.
Clearing his throat, he pretended as though nothing had happened, lifting his foot to take a step forward, moving between the two cars.
The car on the left was black, and the one on the right was white. Both were SUVs, with unfamiliar logos—one was shaped like a "Z" and the other like a cross.
On the back of the white SUV, a large spare tire was mounted. The tire had a circular inscription: Yun Cheng Automobile.
Pausing, Li Chengyi walked through the gap between the cars. After checking his hand again and confirming it was smooth and free of any black patterns, he sighed in relief and continued walking toward the school gate.
Thud, thud.
The sound of footsteps echoed clearly as his hard leather shoes made contact with the stone floor.
But...
Isn't that sound a bit too loud?
Li Chengyi furrowed his brows, suddenly feeling something was off.
It was broad daylight, and the campus was usually bustling with students coming and going. Why was it so quiet now? Even the sound of his footsteps seemed abnormally loud.
He looked up, scanning around.
The area was eerily empty. The gray-white ground stretched out, with a dried-up fountain pool not far away.
Beyond the pool stood a few older, ten-story academic buildings, standing still amidst a light mist.
Mist? When did it get foggy? Li Chengyi's unease deepened.
He clearly remembered that when he entered earlier, there were many students around. But now...
Standing still, he scanned the surroundings, from right to left.
What troubled him even more was that the once-bustling campus was now entirely deserted.
He quickly turned around and looked at the office building where his mentor, Chen Shan, had been.
A few rooms in the building still had lights on, casting a yellowish glow through the mist.
No voices. No footsteps.
Where is everyone!? His anxiety grew.
Thud, thud.
He lifted his foot again.
Then, suddenly, he spun around. His leather shoes screeched as he walked back toward the office building he had just left.
Once again entering the gap between the two cars, his view was completely blocked. The SUVs were tall enough to obscure his vision, leaving only a narrow strip of space in front and above.
Whoosh!
Li Chengyi suddenly stepped out from between the cars.
Thud.
A large hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.
Li Chengyi froze, his black-brown pupils narrowing sharply, locking into focus.
"Xiaoyi? Why are you still here?"
His mentor, Chen Shan's voice seemed to drift toward him, sometimes faint, sometimes clear.
"I..." Li Chengyi felt as though he had just broken through the surface of the water. His hearing became suddenly sharper.
He looked carefully.
Chen Shan, his mentor, was standing right in front of him, looking at him with a concerned expression.
The dark red tie at his collar resembled a bloodstain, sharp and glaring.
At that moment, the other surrounding sounds surged into Li Chengyi's ears.
The noise of cars, students talking, footsteps, and the distant sound of a starter's pistol from the sports field—all these noises rushed toward him like a flood, pressing against his eardrums.
"I... I got distracted. Sorry, Mentor," Li Chengyi finally snapped back to reality and lowered his head, responding seriously.
He wasn't sure what had just happened, and he even wondered if he had experienced a hallucination, but for now, he decided not to say anything about it until he figured it out.
As he lowered his head, he quickly checked his hand again.
No black patterns.
"That's good. You don't seem to be in great shape. It's better to go back and rest properly," Chen Shan said, frowning.
"Yeah, I'll go now," Li Chengyi nodded seriously.
He had also been shaken by what had just happened.
Could it be that his mental state was really affected?
The events of last night, along with the strange situation just now, made him anxious.
After bidding farewell to Chen Shan, he quickened his pace and walked past the gap between the cars.
This time, there were no strange occurrences like before.
Looking up, everything seemed normal again. The sunlight shone through the clouds, casting rays onto the ground, forming a beautiful and clear scene of Tyndall scattering.
But wasn't there no fog earlier? A sudden doubt emerged in Li Chengyi's mind.
The mist created such beautiful rays, but when he entered the university earlier, there had been no fog.
With this in mind, Li Chengyi felt a strong desire to leave this place.
He quickened his pace and walked toward the school gate.
The recommendation letter from his mentor, still in his inner pocket, felt distant now. At this moment, he wasn't even thinking about following up on the job his mentor had set up for him.
In the reflection of the glass, the black pattern on his hand still lingered in his mind like a thorn, refusing to fade away.
Had something grown on him? Or was it just another hallucination?
Exiting the university gates, Li Chengyi looked back.
Many students, dressed in formal attire, were preparing to welcome back successful alumni.
A few media cars slowly drove through the school gate, passing by him with white letters on their sides indicating they were local news outlets.
In the distance, the loudspeakers of the main academic building began playing soft, ambient music.
Li Chengyi took a deep breath, feeling more like himself again. He stood still for a moment, watching the media cars, waiting for them to slowly disappear behind a bend with trees before he turned and headed for the bus stop.
The street was lined with leafless, gray-black trees, their dry branches reaching out like large hands, grasping at the sky.
Li Chengyi walked along the street, raising his hand to carefully examine the back of it.
The skin was smooth and clean, with no scars.
He passed two large green trash bins and stopped in front of a pale yellow-lit pastry shop.
Looking at the glass window, he placed his hand against it and looked again.
Black!
Li Chengyi's heart skipped a beat.
This time, he could clearly see it.
On the back of his hand, there was indeed a large black pattern, like a flower.
The pattern felt familiar to him.
It was just like the black flowers he had seen right before crossing over to this world.
"Would you like to come in and try our freshly baked maple sugar croissants?" A lady in a bear apron came out holding a yellow wooden bowl, greeting him as she saw him standing at the door.
"Uh... no, thanks." Li Chengyi quickly put his hand down to avoid being seen.
He hurriedly moved past the pastry shop, walking briskly with his head down.
People passed by him, but he didn't pay them any attention.
All his focus was on the black pattern on his hand.
What is this pattern?
Were those earlier events really just hallucinations?
A vague feeling lingered in Li Chengyi's mind. That black pattern might just be the source of his arrival in this world.
As for what it was, perhaps he would have to discover it himself.
With this thought, Li Chengyi hurried forward, not realizing how far he had walked past the bus stop until he was hundreds of meters away.
The unfamiliar street around him was filled with transport trucks carrying vegetables and fruits.
Li Chengyi stopped, looked around, and saw an unfamiliar street market across the road.
At the entrance of the market, a leafless tree trunk stood, surrounded by several middle-aged people dressed simply, gathering together to play chess or cards.
The sunlight grew brighter, and the temperature was rising.
Li Chengyi turned his attention away from the street market and walked toward a nearby coffee shop.
His stomach growled a bit, and he regretted not grabbing a maple sugar croissant from the pastry shop earlier.
The coffee shop he entered, named Yesli, sold self-serve desserts at reasonable prices, making it one of the best places for satisfying hunger on a budget.
For just thirty bucks, even a 200-pound guy could fill his stomach.
The coffee shop's white door had a circular sign floating next to it, with black text on a white background. Below it was a large, silver-black metal base.
Latest magnetic levitation technology, Li Chengyi thought, recalling some common knowledge.
The door, made entirely of transparent glass, had a ring of flowers and plants surrounding it.
Green leaves, pure white flowers, each one standing out clearly.
Li Chengyi waited for a couple to exit before quickly grabbing the automatic sliding door and walking in.
What he didn't notice was that, as he passed the white flowers by the door, a faint black pattern on his hand flashed briefly.
"Welcome. Please scan the code to order." The pleasant automated voice echoed.
Inside, the floor was pure white, the ceiling black, with flowing patterns resembling water.
There were two floors. On the first floor, by the entrance, was the counter, next to a large black rabbit plastic model.
The rabbit blinked its eyes, its ears folded down, and it pointed at a black circle on its chest.
"Please scan here," the voice said again.
Li Chengyi glanced at the counter staff, who didn't seem to care much, and quickly scanned the QR code on the rabbit model before finding a seat.
The first floor had a scattering of white tables and chairs. About ten customers were scattered around, most of them young people with cheap desserts from the self-serve section.
What do you think of Li Chengyi's mysterious black pattern? Is it the key to everything he's experiencing?Comment your theories below!