The Book of Calamities

Longzhou, dusk. The last rays of sunlight were disappearing behind the tall buildings; the streetlights were not yet on, and the entire city was shrouded in a dim, half-lit atmosphere. Chen Mo turned the ignition all the way down, and the secondhand electric bicycle beneath him struggled forward with a throbbing, limp sound, like a dying donkey. “Daddy, the little electric scooter is too hungry to go on!” came his daughter Mengmeng’s tender voice from the back seat, her little hand tightly gripping his clothes. “Almost there, sweetheart,” Chen Mo tried to make his voice sound as light as possible. “After this delivery, Daddy will get his perfect attendance bonus. Then, Daddy will buy a new set of batteries. With the remaining money, we can buy Mengmeng that little duck pillow, okay?” “Okay! Daddy’s the best!” Mengmeng responded happily, pressing her little face against his cool back. Tomorrow was Mengmeng’s fifth birthday, and the only gift Chen Mo could give his daughter was that little duck pillow. Chen Mo felt deeply guilty about it. His daughter's voice pierced Chen Mo's heart like needles. He dared not speak again, only staring desperately ahead, forcing back the tears welling in his eyes. The bike staggered into "Emerald Garden," the most prestigious residential complex in Longzhou City. The security guard scrutinized his worn-out delivery card and the little girl on the back of his rickety electric scooter. "Leave immediately after delivery, no lingering!" His voice was cold and stern. Chen Mo nodded humbly and carefully rode towards the address. Mengmeng shrank back, her eyes filled with inexplicable fear and confusion. She didn't understand why the uniformed uncle at the gate was so fierce. At the foot of a high-rise residential building. Chen Mo stopped the bike, squatted down, and carefully straightened his daughter's pink top and floral skirt: "Daddy's going up to deliver the food. I'll be back in five minutes, no, three minutes. Mengmeng, sit on this bench and wait for Daddy. Don't go far, okay?" He deliberately chose the most conspicuous spot by the fountain near the entrance. “Okay! Mengmeng, count to 180, and Daddy will be back!” The girl nodded obediently, taking the half-empty bottle of mineral water and the plastic bag containing a few cheap biscuits he handed her. “Daddy, come back quickly.” Chen Mo picked up the delivery bag and rushed into the building. The elevator moved slowly, and he anxiously glanced at his watch. If this delivery was late, his perfect attendance bonus would be gone. Before rushing into the elevator, he glanced back one last time. On the bench outside the glass door, that small pink figure sat quietly, her little feet swinging gently. However, an unexpected incident occurred during the delivery. The customer had left the wrong building number, and Chen Mo waited in vain at the wrong unit. By the time he finally found the correct address and completed the delivery, it had been almost ten minutes longer than expected. “Mengmeng, Daddy's back!” Chen Mo pushed open the building door, his voice filled with apology. The bench was empty. “Mengmeng?” Chen Mo looked around. The electric scooter was still parked where it was, but his daughter was gone. Beside the electric scooter, the bottle of mineral water lay overturned on the ground, the cap open, water slowly leaking out. Scattered biscuits lay strewn across the floor. A wave of panic gripped his heart! "Mengmeng—! Baby—!" Chen Mo's anxious and terrified voice echoed through the empty residential area. Several residents taking a walk looked at him. Chen Mo rushed over: "Excuse me, have you seen a five-year-old girl? Wearing a pink top and floral skirt, short hair!" An elderly woman shook her head. Another middle-aged woman pointed west: "I think I just heard a child crying loudly over there." Chen Mo's heart pounded violently. He ran westward like a madman. Rounding a thicket of bushes, he heard the little girl's terrified voice in the distance! Although he didn't see his daughter, that blood-related voice pounded in his ears—it was definitely his daughter Mengmeng's voice! "Ah—I'm so scared…Daddy…Daddy…Daddy, come save me!" His daughter's terrified screams nearly tore Chen Mo's heart apart. He sprinted towards the bushes with all his might! "Mengmeng—, Daddy's coming!" However, as he broke through the last patch of bushes, his blood froze— Dozens of meters away, on that seven- or eight-meter-high jagged artificial hill, his daughter's familiar pink figure plummeted straight down from the top! "Mengmeng—!" Chen Mo charged forward like a raging beast! At the foot of the artificial hill, Mengmeng's small body lay curled up, motionless. The back of her head had struck a sharp rock, blood gushing out… Her little face was pale, her breath faint! "Mengmeng! Mengmeng! Look at Daddy!" Chen Mo knelt on the ground, trembling as he picked up his daughter, frantically kissing her cold little face. "Daddy... the big dog bit Mengmeng... Mengmeng is scared... climb high, Daddy, I'm sorry, Mengmeng got her dress dirty..." Mengmeng slightly opened her eyes, murmuring an apology. "Mengmeng, be good, Daddy's here, Daddy's taking you to the hospital right away!" Chen Mo stammered, tears streaming down his face, pressing his face tightly against his daughter's. He didn't care about investigating the cause of the accident; he only had one thought: to get his daughter to the hospital as quickly as possible! He picked up his daughter and turned to run! "Stop!" a sharp shout rang out! Chen Mo looked up and saw a young man wearing flashy shorts and flip-flops, standing in front of him with a large wolfhound with a bright red tongue lolling out! "You stinky delivery guy, your little brat scared my 'baby,' and you think you can just run away?" The young man looked arrogant, while the large wolfhound beside him struggled wildly against the iron chain in his hand, baring its teeth and glaring fiercely at Chen Mo! "Didn't you see how badly my daughter is hurt? I'll save her first, we'll talk about the rest later!" "Hmph, do you know this is retired 'Baby'? A dog could be more than enough to save both your lives!" "You scared my 'Baby'! You have to compensate me, or you won't be leaving this gate today!" The young man said, pulling out his phone and expertly dialing a number! "Hello? Captain Ma, bring a few men to the rockery! Some stinky delivery guy is causing trouble, he scared my baby half to death!!" Chen Mo knew immediately he was calling the community security guards. And what he found even more unbelievable was that this guy was actually twisting the truth, claiming he was the one causing him trouble! Seeing his daughter's breathing becoming increasingly rapid, her little face turning ashen, he couldn't delay any longer! Suppressing his overwhelming anger and grief, Chen Mo forced out a voice through clenched teeth: "Fine! Tell me, what do you want for me to leave now?" The young man smugly raised his chin, his leg trembling slightly, and said, "Simple! Pay up! Five thousand... no, ten thousand! Compensation for emotional distress!" Chen Mo's heart sank, but he immediately replied, "Okay! I only have one thousand on me right now, I'll transfer it to you right away! I'll make up the rest later!" "Hmph, anyone can write an empty check," the young man sneered, unyielding. "Trying to fool me? No way! You and your little brat aren't leaving until you see ten thousand!" If Chen Mo had ten thousand yuan right now, he would have given it to the man without hesitation to save his daughter's life. But he only had one thousand yuan in his phone account, which was far from enough. What angered him even more was that the other party, clearly the perpetrator, was turning the tables and taking advantage of the situation! Every second wasted meant his daughter's life was slipping away! He couldn't wait any longer! He was prepared to disregard everything and take down this scoundrel first, then rescue his daughter! Chen Mo's eyes blazed with fury. He swung his fist, ready to smash it into the beast before him! However, just as he raised his hand, he felt a numbness in his arm, a sharp pain in the back of his head, and then everything went black!