# Volume 1 Chapter 4: The Purple Napkin and the Twin Secret Tomes
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**Time**: Monday, July 22, 2075, 6:00 AM — 10:30 PM
**Locations**: 10th Floor Guest Room, Grand Chain Hotel (Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland) | Public Storage Area (Basement 1) | Zurich Central Library (Archive Section A7)
**Characters**:
1. Li Xiang (29, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Archaeology; faint purple ring deepens around his irises; residual wing-emblem burn scar on his palm; scabbed grass cut on his calf)
2. Sabina (Hotel Receptionist; hair styled in a neat golden bun; voice soft as a lullaby; swan-shaped brooch on her chest; eyes occasionally flicker with imperceptible movement)
3. Jonas (Room Service Attendant; middle-aged male; dressed in a dark gray linen uniform; simplified bat wing + gear emblem embroidered on his left chest; special alloy bat ring on his ring finger; calloused knuckles; speaks with a Zurich local accent)
4. Mysterious Elderly Woman (wears a black long dress; leans on a carved cane; gaunt face with sharp, piercing eyes; icy-cold palms; identity unknown)
5. Anonymous Note-Writer (writes distorted, error-ridden Chinese; familiar with Heisenberg-related clues; deliberately conceals their identity)
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## Scene 1: Morning Aftershocks and a Delayed "Gift"
At 6:00 AM, Zurich's sky had just brightened. Pale golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the hotel room curtains, casting slender streaks of light on the floor. Li Xiang jolted awake from a nightmare — in it, he'd returned to the river bend of the previous evening, where the "black well" churned underwater. Countless hands reached out from the darkness, clutching his ankles and dragging him down, while indistinct murmurs echoed in his ears, like someone chanting an unintelligible incantation.
He sat up abruptly, his pajama back soaked through with cold sweat. The scab on his calf rubbed against the fabric, sending a faint sting — a reminder that the bizarre events of yesterday were no dream. He walked to the window and pulled back the curtain slightly. Outside, the streets already had pedestrians; trams clanged by, and the aroma of zopf (Swiss braided bread) wafted from a nearby bakery. Everything seemed eerily peaceful, yet the wing-emblem burn scar on his palm still throbbed faintly, and the purple ring around his irises had deepened, like a gem inlaid at the edge of his pupils.
"Time is a well." Li Xiang thought of the sheepskin notebook his uncle had left in his Hangzhou dorm. He reached into his backpack and pulled it out. The double-headed eagle clutching grapes emblem on the spine was still dark; the grape-shaped fangs still clung to bits of his fingernail. The words on the first page — "Time is never a straight line, but a well" — were as clear as ever. This notebook was his only clue from Hangzhou, but its contents were obscure. Beyond that opening line and the four strands of long hair tucked inside, there was no other substantial information.
He walked into the bathroom to wash up, splashing cold water on his face to sober himself. In the mirror, his eyes were bloodshot, yet they held a stubborn glint — whether it was a trap or the truth ahead, he had to keep going. His uncle's six-month disappearance in 2025, the four sisters in the ICU, the 1975 boarding pass from the luggage tunnel, and the "black well" at the river bend — all clues pointed to the "Black Forest" and "time." He had no turning back.
Just as he finished getting dressed, the hotel room phone rang, its clear tone shattering the morning calm. Li Xiang stared at the phone for two seconds before picking it up. It was Sabina's voice, still soft as cotton: "Good morning, Mr. Li. Sorry to disturb you yesterday, but I have some good news — while passing by 'Licht am Rhein (Chronos)' restaurant yesterday, you participated in the 'Time's Gift' random draw, and you're today's sole grand prize winner."
"Yesterday?" Li Xiang frowned. He'd indeed seen the sign for "Licht am Rhein" by the river in the Niederdorf district the previous noon, but he hadn't expected the draw result to be delayed until today. As if reading his confusion, Sabina added: "Yes, the results were only finalized last night. The prize is a full set of traditional Swiss gourmet lunch, which can be delivered to your room around 10:00 AM. Would that be convenient for you?"
"Certainly." Li Xiang agreed without hesitation. After his frantic run yesterday, he'd only eaten a piece of bread, and his stomach was growling. More importantly, he sensed this "delayed gift" was the next clue — from Hangzhou to Zurich, all bizarre events had followed "time" as their thread, and this lunch would be no exception.
"Wonderful." Sabina's voice held a smile. "The menu includes appetizer: air-dried Alpine beef with cucumber sauce; main course: grilled Limmat River trout with almond butter; dessert: homemade chocolate soufflé; and a beverage option of elderflower cordial. The room service attendant will bring a Black Forest vintage map placemat — I thought you might find it interesting. Additionally, the hotel has a public storage area in the basement. If you need to store any items, feel free to consult me."
After hanging up, Li Xiang put the Hangzhou notebook back in his backpack. As his fingertips brushed the spine, a thought struck him: if his uncle had gone to the trouble of leaving this notebook, could there be another, more core record? After all, the Hangzhou notebook felt more like an "introduction" than a complete secret tome. He pushed the thought aside — he'd find out once he got the clues with the lunch.
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## Scene 2: Morning Delivery and Thirteen Bell Tolls
At exactly 10:00 AM, the doorbell rang.
After confirming it was the room service attendant through the peephole, Li Xiang opened the door. Outside stood Jonas, dressed in a dark gray linen uniform. The simplified bat wing + gear emblem on his left chest glinted coldly in the sunlight, and the special alloy bat ring on his ring finger had intricate patterns that echoed the emblem. He pushed a silver food cart inside, moving so smoothly that not a sound was heard. Embroidered on the edge of the cart's insulation cover was "Licht am Rhein (Chronos)."
"Your meal, Mr. Li." Jonas spoke with a Zurich local accent, his calloused knuckles noticeable as he handed over the placemat. It was indeed a Black Forest vintage map, with "Novaria" circled in red — identical to the mark on the 1943 German military map in his backpack, even down to the curve of the circle.
"This map..." Li Xiang began to ask, but Jonas had already lifted the insulation cover. A wave of aromas filled the room instantly — the crispy scent of grilled trout mixed with the sweetness of almond butter, and the crispness of elderflower cordial cut through the cool air. The white porcelain plates, trimmed with gold, were arranged like an exquisite still life: air-dried beef sliced paper-thin, laid atop dark green cucumber sauce; trout roasted golden brown, its skin slightly curled, with crushed almonds embedded in the flesh; soufflé fluffy as a cloud, dusted with cocoa powder in delicate patterns; elderflower cordial in a transparent glass, condensation beading on the sides, garnished with a fresh mint leaf.
"Enjoy your meal." Jonas did not meet Li Xiang's eyes. As he gathered the cart to leave, he suddenly paused and whispered, so softly only Li Xiang could hear: "Library Section A7 — no one there after noon. Locker B119. The password is related to 'purple eyes.'"
The moment the door closed, Li Xiang's fingers tightened around the placemat. Jonas's words had directly revealed two key pieces of information: "password" and "library," confirming his suspicion that another core secret tome was waiting for him. The Hangzhou notebook was a "guidepost," and what he was about to find was likely the "key."
He picked up his knife and fork, savoring the meal slowly. The tenderness of the trout, the sweetness of the soufflé, and the refreshment of the elderflower cordial temporarily eased his tense nerves. When he was a child, his uncle had taken him fishing by the lake, and the grilled fish had tasted just like this — warm and reassuring, making him forget the bizarre events for a moment.
Just as he cut into the last piece of soufflé, the sound of church bells suddenly drifted in from outside.
"Dong — dong —"
The deep, resonant bells carried on the wind. Li Xiang looked up at his watch: it was exactly 12:00 noon. But the bells didn't stop — one, two... Until the twelfth toll, which followed the steady rhythm of Zurich's usual midday church bells. Just as the echo of the twelfth toll was fading, a thirteenth bell suddenly shattered the air — deeper and longer than the previous twelve, as if dragged by something, carrying a chill that didn't belong to the daytime, before gradually dissipating in the wind.
He stood up abruptly and pulled back the curtain. The spire of the distant church glinted brightly in the sunlight. This was clearly a signal, reminding him that the anomalies had never stopped, and that the secret tome was far more important than he'd imagined.
He glanced down at the table. The alloy knife and fork handles glinted coldly. When he touched them, there was no repulsion like there had been at the "Zum Raben" inn, but a faint vibration, as if echoing the bells. Li Xiang suddenly realized: the tableware, the map, and the thirteen bell tolls — all were confirming his "qualification" — only those who could perceive these anomalies were worthy of claiming his uncle's core secret tome.
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## Scene 3: Dual Clues Under the Purple Napkin
At 12:30 PM, Li Xiang put down his fork, leaving only a little mashed potato on his plate. He reached for a white napkin to wipe his mouth, only to find the stack was twice as tall as he'd used — he'd only taken three, but now there were more than a dozen, with something hard hidden underneath, showing a deep purple edge.
He lifted the white napkins one by one, finally retrieving a thick purple napkin — stiff in texture, with tiny pentagrams embroidered in gold thread along the edges, their points pointing to the lower right corner. A familiar sandalwood scent wafted from it, identical to the fragrance of the four sisters in the ICU. Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat as he flipped the napkin over. Distorted, error-ridden Chinese characters came into view:
{ "Sorry (Baogan – correct: Baoqian), my handwriting (Ziji – correct: Zi ji) is not good (bu hao), but I have (Yi jing – correct: Yi jing) tried my best (jin quan li – correct: jin li). Since you have (Yi jing – correct: Yi jing) come here, presumably (Xiang bi – correct: Xiang bi) you are here to find answers. After finishing your meal, please visit two places — Hotel Basement 1, Locker B119, and Zurich Central Library, Archive Cabinet A7. Before you go, someone will give you the 'key.' (Your) Uncle's diary is waiting for you."}
The words "Uncle's diary" were smudged, like congealed drops of blood. Li Xiang read it three times. The errors — "Baogan" for "Baoqian," "Ziji" for "Zi ji," "Yi jing" repeated incorrectly, "Jin quan li" for "Jin li," "Xiang bi" for "Xiang bi" — clearly indicated it was written by a foreigner copying Chinese. Yet the content directly addressed his purpose, even mentioning the "key" in advance. He flipped the napkin back over and felt an extremely thin, metallic thread at the pentagram — not hair, but more like an alloy filament, embedded at one end in the napkin's stitching, with the other end sharpened like a tiny key.
What was this thread for? Li Xiang twisted it between his fingers, finding nothing unusual. He carefully folded the purple napkin and tucked it into his inner pocket, then disposed of the white napkins in the trash. As he walked to the bedside table, he noticed the previous day's room key card — a dark red mark, like congealed blood, had appeared on the swan's eye, matching the color of the scar on his palm. "The key..." Li Xiang touched the mark, suddenly remembering Jonas's words and the alloy filament. Perhaps this thread was the "first key" to unlocking some mechanism.
---
## Scene 4: The Midday Elderly Woman and the A7 Bronze Key
At 1:10 PM, Li Xiang left the hotel with his backpack. The midday sun was warm and dazzling; the streets were bustling with pedestrians, and flower stalls displayed colorful tulips. Everything seemed so normal it was unsettling. Following Jonas's tip, he headed toward Zurich Central Library, his backpack holding the sheepskin notebook from Hangzhou, the cracked aviator goggles, two Black Forest maps, and a heart filled with anxiety.
After crossing two busy streets, he turned into a quiet alley. An elderly woman approached from ahead, wearing a black long dress that glided silently over the ground. She leaned on a carved cane, its handle a bronze bat with wings outstretched — the exact same curve as Jonas's ring. Her face was gaunt, her skin wrinkled like dried bark, but her eyes were startlingly bright, staring sharply at Li Xiang as if verifying his identity.
As they passed each other, the elderly woman suddenly grabbed his wrist — her palm was cold, her knuckles prominent, and there was a faint reddish powder under her nails, like dried blood. Before Li Xiang could react, a bronze key was pressed into his hand. Engraved clearly on the handle was "A7," its edges polished smooth from repeated handling. Even stranger, there was a tiny pinhole on the key handle, perfectly sized for the alloy filament from the purple napkin.
"A7," the elderly woman's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing together. She said only two words before turning and walking deep into the alley, her figure quickly merging into the shadows. A faint, cold scent like ore lingered — similar to the smell of the Hangzhou notebook's spine, but purer.
Li Xiang opened his palm, feeling the cold of the A7 bronze key seep into his skin. He tried inserting the alloy filament into the pinhole — there was a soft "click," and the filament fit perfectly. A tiny metal tooth popped out from the top of the key, shaped like a miniature bat wing. This was the complete "key!" Li Xiang gripped it tightly and quickened his pace toward the library — the elderly woman's appearance was no coincidence; this combined key was the only credential to open Archive Cabinet A7.
At 1:30 PM, the oak doors of Zurich Central Library slowly opened before him. The lobby was empty, with towering bookshelves standing silently like giant tombstones. Sunlight filtered through stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns on the floor. The air smelled of old paper and dust, mixed with a low hum, as if the building itself was breathing slowly.
Following the signs, he found the archive section. Archive Cabinet A7 stood alone in the corner — an old metal cabinet with chipped paint revealing rust. In the center of the door was an indentation shaped like a palm, its edges polished smooth enough to reflect figures, with a bat wing-shaped keyhole in the center. Li Xiang took a deep breath, placing his right hand on the indentation — his palm print fit perfectly, as if the indentation had been carved to his hand's shape. At the same time, he inserted the bronze key with the alloy filament into the keyhole and tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. He hesitated for a moment, adjusting his hand so the key rested between his index and middle fingers, and the wing-emblem burn scar on his palm aligned exactly with the lowest point of the indentation. His fingertips could feel the tiny grooves on the indentation's inner wall. The moment his palm pressed fully against it, there was a faint "click" from the keyhole, as if a hidden mechanism had been triggered. He turned the key again, and this time it rotated smoothly.
"Click —"
At the moment of dual verification, the burn scar on his palm suddenly grew hot, and a faint electric current raced up his arm to his heart. The cabinet door swung open automatically, revealing only a dark waterproof cloth package inside — roughly the same size as the Hangzhou notebook, but thicker, emitting the same sandalwood scent as the purple napkin and the Hangzhou notebook, with a faint hint of turpentine.
Li Xiang took the package out, and the cabinet door closed automatically, as if it had never been opened. He carried the package to a desk in the corner and unwrapped the cloth — inside was a sheepskin-bound diary, with the exact same emblem as the Hangzhou notebook embossed on the cover: a double-headed eagle clutching grapes, the grape berries hollowed out like small fangs. But on closer inspection, the diary's emblem had a slightly rusted metallic sheen, not black. The sheepskin cover was thicker and sturdier, with obvious signs of wear and water stains along the edges, as if it had been carried outdoors for a long time. Instead of the fang mechanism that "bit off a fingernail" on the spine, there was a thin metal clasp, its eye shaped exactly like the wing-emblem scar on his palm.
This was his uncle's other secret tome! Li Xiang's heart raced — it and the Hangzhou notebook were indeed a pair.
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## Scene 5: Core Differences Between the Twin Tomes
At 4:00 PM, the sun still blazed brightly outside the library's floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the pages of the two notebooks. Li Xiang placed the Hangzhou notebook and the newly found diary side by side on the desk, running his fingertips over their covers. He quickly noticed their core differences, each confirming their roles as "guide" and "execution" tomes:
### 1. Appearance and Material
- Hangzhou Notebook (hereafter "Guide Tome"): Dark emblem; thin sheepskin; smooth, unworn surface; movable fang mechanism on the spine (offensive); no clasp. Overall, it resembles a "display piece," suitable for being hidden in a safe place to guide future generations.
- Zurich Diary (hereafter "Execution Tome"): Silvery emblem; thick, durable sheepskin; heavily worn edges with water and soil stains (clearly carried outdoors); wing-emblem-shaped clasp on the spine (defensive); no offensive mechanisms. It resembles a "portable tool."
### 2. Content and Format
- Guide Tome: Minimal content — only the opening line "Time is a well" on the first page, plus four strands of long hair. No other text; all clues are hidden in mechanisms and symbols (e.g., the fang mechanism, the hollow emblem design). Its purpose is "screening" — only those who can discover the mechanisms and decipher the obscure clues are qualified to seek the Execution Tome. The rest are trivial diary entries recording scenery and cultural observations, appearing to outsiders as a mere travel guide.
- Execution Tome: No opening line — the first page is filled with dense writing and hand-drawn maps. The paper is yellowed and brittle, with some curled corners. The writing comes in two styles: one is his uncle's familiar neat handwriting, recording specific dates, coordinates, and supply lists; the other is unknown mysterious runes, vaguely similar to the ancient runes on the Black Forest stone coffin — clearly core information requiring decryption.
### 3. Core Function
- Guide Tome: "Qualification Verification + Direction Guidance." Through the hidden drawer in the Hangzhou dorm, the fang mechanism, and the hair clues, it confirms the seeker is of "Li bloodline" and possesses exploration abilities, ultimately pointing to the general direction of "going to Zurich."
- Execution Tome: "Practical Guide + Codebook." It records detailed routes through the Black Forest, coordinates of multiple hidden strongholds, and fragments of steps for a certain "ritual." The runes are likely the key to unlocking the "time well" and the stone coffin's secrets, requiring on-site scenarios for decryption.
Li Xiang flipped to the third page of the Execution Tome. In his uncle's handwriting, it read: "Confirmed: The 'well' entrance is three li southeast of Novaria. Bring three items: alloy filament, bat ring, and blood of the same origin. Runes can only be revealed by wiping with turpentine under moonlight." Next to it was a tiny hand-drawn coordinate, identical to the Novaria mark on the map in his backpack.
Turning further, the writing became intermittent, occasionally interspersed with runes — clearly recorded by his uncle in an emergency. On one page, it said: "Only when the two tomes are united can the full picture be seen. The first set of decryption keys for the runes is hidden in the Guide Tome's mechanism." Li Xiang immediately took out the Hangzhou Guide Tome, pressing his fingertip on the spine's fang mechanism. With a "click," the fangs popped out, revealing a tiny groove inside the spine, containing a transparent thin film printed with three runes — which matched the runes in the Execution Tome.
So that's it! Li Xiang suddenly realized — the Guide Tome was for "hiding keys and screening seekers," while the Execution Tome was for "recording methods and storing codes." Neither could function without the other. Only by finding both could he truly approach his uncle's secret. He carefully removed the film and tucked it into the corresponding page of the Execution Tome, the fog in his mind lifting instantly.
Flipping to the last few pages of the Execution Tome, there was no more text — only a folded yellowed piece of paper. Unfolding it, he found a hand-drawn partial map of the Black Forest, with a cave marked in red and the words "Core Here" written next to it. A small well symbol was drawn along the map's edge, echoing the metaphor on the first page of the Guide Tome.
---
## Scene 6: Evening Locker and the Final Directive
At 7:00 PM, Li Xiang returned to the hotel with the two secret tomes. Zurich's sky was still bright; warm golden sunset slanted across the lobby's marble floor, reflecting soft light. A pianist played soothing music in the corner. Sabina glanced up at the sheepskin covers in his arms, her eyes flickering for a split second before her smile remained gentle. She stood up and nodded: "Welcome back, Mr. Li. It's foggy at night. If you plan to go out tomorrow, remember to bring a windproof jacket — the front desk has emergency warm scarves available anytime."
"Thank you for the reminder." Li Xiang nodded in response, knowing Sabina was fully aware of everything but deliberately pretending otherwise. He didn't return to his room immediately; instead, he took the elevator directly to the basement — there was still an hour and a half until sunset, and the light was perfect. He needed to solve the final puzzle of Locker B119.
The public storage area was lit with warm yellow lights, echoing the sunset outside. Two rows of gray lockers lined the wall, numbered from B101 to B140. Li Xiang walked to B119, remembering Jonas's words: "The password is related to 'purple eyes.'" He looked down at his irises — the purple ring was particularly clear in the warm light. He thought of the "blood of the same origin" mentioned in the Execution Tome — perhaps the password was related to numbers associated with "purple eyes"?
He tried entering the initials of "purple eyes" ("ZM") followed by the date his irises had turned purple ("20750721" — the date he'd received the plane ticket). The screen displayed: "Password incorrect." He frowned, then tried his uncle's initials ("HR") plus the date the cave was recorded in the Execution Tome ("1507" for July 15th), typing "HR1507" — still incorrect.
Wait, could Jonas's "purple eyes" not refer to his irises? Li Xiang suddenly remembered two things — first, when flipping through the Hangzhou Guide Tome earlier, he'd noticed a faint dark haze around the edges of the phrase "Time is a well," as if something was hidden beneath; second, on the 1943 German military map in his backpack, there was a blurred numerical mark in the corner near the red circle around Novaria, which he'd dismissed as wear and tear.
He quickly pulled out the Guide Tome, flipped to the first page, and dipped his fingertip in saliva, gently wiping the words "Time is a well." The faint dark haze around the ink instantly appeared, revealing a tiny line of numbers beneath: "1943" — which matched the military map's year and the blurred corner mark perfectly!
He immediately typed "ZM1943" on the screen — placing the initials of "purple eyes" first, paired with the newly found 1943 clue. But the screen lit up red instantly, emitting two short beeps: "Password incorrect. Please re-enter."
Li Xiang frowned, thinking for two seconds. Suddenly, it clicked — the Guide Tome's clues were always "hidden behind," so perhaps the password order should be reversed. He deleted the characters and typed "1943ZM" instead. The screen immediately beeped softly, lighting up with a gentle green: "Password correct. Locker door opened."
The moment the locker door swung open, a cold wind rushed out. Inside, there was nothing but a folded piece of cowhide paper. Unfolding it, he saw a line of his uncle's handwriting, written in red ink so fresh it looked like it had just been penned: "The two tomes are united; half the puzzle is solved. The coordinates leading to Zurich earlier were merely a decoy, to confuse outsiders and screen for the true heir — the real coordinates for Novaria are 47.8752°N, 8.0212°E. The runes in the Execution Tome must be activated by moonlight at the cave entrance. Remember: the key to the 'well' lies in the mark of the 'purple-eyed one.'"
The coordinates matched the GPS from that mysterious email — the very location that had guided him to Zurich! Li Xiang clutched the paper, suddenly understanding the meaning of the "two places" on the purple napkin — the Execution Tome from the library was the "method," the note from the locker was the "final directive," and the Guide Tome was the "key container." Together, they formed a complete action plan.
At 8:30 PM, when Li Xiang returned to his 10th-floor room, Zurich's sunset had finally set. Orange-red twilight filled the western sky, dyeing the Limmat River's surface a warm red. Streetlights gradually turned on, interweaving with the twilight like a painting. He arranged the two secret tomes, the map, and the note neatly on the dining table, turning on the desk lamp. The light fell on the pages, and his uncle's handwriting seemed to come alive.
He aligned the film from the Guide Tome with the rune page in the Execution Tome, placing the locker note beside it. His fingertip traced the Novaria coordinates — tomorrow, he would set off for the Black Forest, to find that cave, activate the runes, and uncover the true secret of the "time well."
The burn scar on his palm still throbbed faintly, and the purple ring around his irises grew clearer, like an awakened mark. Li Xiang knew these two secret tomes carried not only his uncle's past but also his own destiny — from the moment he picked up that notebook in Hangzhou, he had embarked on a path with no turning back.
Exhaustion and excitement intertwined as Li Xiang lay on the bed, drifting off to sleep. In his dream, there was no warm light from the hotel room — only the cold mist of the Black Forest swirling around his ankles. Standing in the mist was a familiar figure: Li Haoran, decades younger, holding the two stacked sheepskin tomes, their emblems glowing faintly in the fog.
"The two secret tomes in your hands are the 'key and map' I spent half my life writing." His uncle's voice was no longer distant, but clearly echoed in his ears, carrying the scent of turpentine and soil.
Li Xiang reached out to touch the tomes, but his uncle gently pressed his wrist. "In the summer of 2025, I entered here with one of them, thinking I could solve all the puzzles alone. But I never imagined it would require the relay of two generations." In the swirling mist, his uncle's silhouette flickered between clarity and blur, but his eyes held the same stubbornness as Li Xiang's.
"Child, don't fear the runes, don't dread the unknown of the 'time well' —" his uncle raised his hand, brushing the corner of Li Xiang's eye, his fingertip cool to the touch. "The Guide Tome holds trust, the Execution Tome holds courage, and the purple in your irises is an innate mark. When you stand at the Novaria cave entrance and activate the runes by moonlight, we will meet in the 'crack of time.'"
Suddenly, the Black Forest wind swept through the mist, and the outline of a stone coffin emerged faintly, its runes glowing with dark purple light. "Now, let me tell you why I wrote these two tomes, why I brought you here..." His uncle's voice was gradually swallowed by the wind, his figure dissolving into the mist and darkness.
Li Xiang jolted awake, his chest heaving. Outside the window, the night was still pitch-black. He turned on the bedside lamp, the warm yellow light illuminating his way as he headed straight for the bathroom to use the toilet. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a black shadow on the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling window — it was a bat, its wings askew against the glass, fluttering weakly as if trapped, its posture a clumsy, tentative gesture.
After using the toilet, he came back out. The bat was still there, but its wing flaps had grown weaker, its thin membranes glowing dull in the light. Li Xiang paused, staring at it for two seconds before walking over and gently pushing open half the window. Night wind rushed in, cold and sharp. The bat flinched as if startled, yet still couldn't break free from the burden of its wings.
His fingertip touched the bat's cool membrane, and it stiffened for an instant. Li Xiang carefully straightened its askew wings, then lifted it gently — freed at last, the bat spread its wings and flew straight toward the distant roof.
Li Xiang watched it fly away, silent for a moment before closing the window, turning off the bedside lamp, and preparing to lie back down to rest.
What he didn't see was the bat pausing above the hotel roof under the bright moonlight. The arc of its outstretched wings gradually expanded and lengthened, its black membranes transforming into an elegant skirt, its small body stretching and shifting. In just a few seconds, the bat's form vanished completely, replaced by a blonde woman, her hair fluttering in the night wind, her skirt gliding silently over the roof tiles. She glanced back at the 10th-floor room, a complex light flashing in her eyes, before turning and merging into Zurich's dark night, her figure quickly disappearing into the streets.