The Labyrinth of the Beasts City

Today marks the twelfth year since Gao Yang's time travel. Before he traveled through time, Gao Yang was an orphan who had just celebrated his 6th birthday in the orphanage. That night, after enjoying a cupcake bought by the matron, he fell asleep contentedly. Before drifting off, he made a wish to find his parents and then slipped into a deep sleep. When he woke up, Gao Yang found himself sitting at a dining table with a bowl of steaming noodles in front of him. He was in the middle of eating, with half the noodles hanging out of his mouth. In the old house's hall, the morning light was soft. Across the table sat a pair of unfamiliar middle-aged man and woman. At the head of the table, near the door, sat a kind-looking elderly grandmother. Beside him was a little girl with big eyes, about four or five years old. "Don't just sit there, eat up quickly. Don't be late for school," the woman urged. She looked to be in her thirties. Despite wearing simple pajamas and no makeup, she was quite beautiful. "Son, do you want dad to drop you off?" The man, chewing on a toothpick and smiling, asked. He was tall and sturdy, with a slightly bulging belly and a receding hairline, but his features still held the charm of his youth. "I won't allow it! Daddy has to take me to kindergarten!" The little girl pouted, sitting at the table and stirring her bowl of millet porridge. "Hehe, how about we drop off brother first, and then sister? Is that okay?" The grandmother smiled warmly, reaching out to pat the little girl's head. Gao Yang's mouth fell open, and the noodle dropped onto the table with a "plop." At that time, he was six years old and couldn't understand what "time travel" meant, nor did he know anything about "parallel worlds." He thought he was still dreaming, but little did he know, the dream would last for twelve years. …… Now, Gao Yang had long since adapted to this new world and merged with his host. He was Gao Yang, 18 years old, a senior high school student living in a warm family of five. He had a kind and loving grandmother, affectionate and occasionally bickering parents, and a quirky younger sister. He led a good life, studying hard for college entrance exams like most of his peers, and sometimes daydreaming about which university he would attend, what job he would find, whom he would marry, and how many children he would have... In short, Gao Yang's wish at age six was fulfilled: he had “found” his parents, along with a bonus grandmother and sister. He was living happily, wanting for nothing. That is, until his 18th birthday, when everything changed. After evening self-study, Gao Yang was cycling home. As he passed a dark road, a shadowy figure suddenly sprang out from an alley, knocking him and his bike to the ground. Gao Yang fell, but wasn't seriously hurt. He stood up, grinning, and saw the person who had hit him. Under the dim streetlight stood a short, middle-aged man looking gaunt and pale with fear, wearing tattered patient clothes stained with blood. "Uncle, are you okay..." "Run!" The man grabbed Gao Yang's shoulders with terrifying strength. "Monsters! They're everywhere! Run! Get away from here!" His voice carried a desperate, bloody undertone. "Don’t trust anyone..." "Bang!" Before the man could say more, a bullet pierced his temple, shattered his skull, and exited through the other temple, blooming a blood-red rose instantly. A thick fog of blood mixed with a pungent stench assaulted Gao Yang's nose. The hands gripping his shoulders slowly loosened. The man's horrified expression froze forever, his bulging eyes etched with despair, confusion, and unwillingness. Two seconds later, the body fell heavily. Gao Yang was stunned. He stood still, his feet quickly soaked by the spreading pool of blood, feeling sticky and damp. The faint ringing in his ears from the bullet passing through the man's skull was gradually overwhelmed by the thumping of his heart: thump, thump, thump-thump-thump... "Kid, are you hurt?" "Don’t be afraid, you’re safe now!" "Close your eyes, don’t look down..." Several police officers rushed over, one of them embracing Gao Yang and covering his eyes... ... The next day, Gao Yang made the local news headlines: "Severely Mentally Ill Patient Kills Two Nurses and Flees at Night, Later Shot Dead While Holding High School Student Hostage." Gao Yang took a day off to rest at home. He was indeed shaken; witnessing a life brutally snuffed out at close range is overwhelming for anyone. Moreover, there were many puzzling aspects about the incident involving the mentally ill man, aspects Gao Yang couldn't quite pinpoint. That night, he took a sleeping pill and drifted off into sleep, where he dreamt. The memories of his host before the age of six had long been assimilated by Gao Yang, but some vague recollections seemed to have been forgotten. In the dream, Gao Yang was back to a summer night when he was four years old. After eating too much watermelon, his bladder was full, and he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As he passed his grandparents' room, he heard a rustling sound. Curious, Gao Yang perked up his ears and pressed against the cold door. The sound became clearer and more unfamiliar. He had never heard such sounds before: they were like the moans of wild beasts, mixed with the wails of deep-sea whales, sounding pained yet twisted with a sort of manic excitement. Beneath it all was a coarse, muffled tearing sound. Gao Yang was terrified. He had just heard the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" from his kindergarten teacher and wondered if a big bad wolf had come into his home and eaten his grandparents. His heart raced, but he mustered the courage to gently push the door open. Peering through the c***k, he saw something that frightened him so much he ran back to his room, dove under the covers, and even forgot about his urgent need. The next morning, Gao Yang wet the bed, thinking it was all just a nightmare. Then his mother came in, tears streaming down her face, and embraced him, saying, "Gao Yang, your grandfather is gone." As Gao Yang followed his mother out of the room, his grandfather's body was being carried away by medical staff on a stretcher, covered with a white cloth. By the time of the funeral, his grandfather had been reduced to an urn of ashes. From start to finish, Gao Yang and his sister never got to see their grandfather's face one last time. Now, thinking back, there were many doubts. His grandfather, who adored him and his sister, their closest kin, why couldn’t they see his face one last time? If his memory served correctly, the body covered by the white cloth, particularly the upper half, had a strange shape, as if one arm was missing. Wasn't his grandfather supposed to have died of a heart attack? Why would an arm be missing? In the dream, Gao Yang stared at the corpse on the white stretcher, utterly baffled. Suddenly, the corpse on the stretcher sat up! The white cloth was pulled down, revealing the mentally ill man. His eyes gouged out, leaving two deep bloody hollows, and thick, black blood oozed from all his orifices. He reached out with blood-drenched hands and forcefully grabbed Gao Yang's shoulders. — Monsters! They're everywhere! Run! Get away from here! — Don’t trust anyone! ... "Ah!" Gao Yang woke up with a start from his dream. It was ten in the morning, the sun shining just right, with an April breeze fluttering the curtains. Outside, the city buzzed with the hustle and bustle of traffic. "Big bro, having a nightmare?" his sister sat at the head of his bed, tilting her head as she looked at him, her large eyes blinking. Gao Yang was startled, "Why are you in my room?" His sister gave him a disdainful look, "The sun's high up in the sky, mom asked me to wake you up!" "Oh, okay, I got it." His sister left the room. Gao Yang still felt a bit dazed. He rolled out of bed and gulped down a big glass of water. Just then, his phone rang. He casually opened WeChat. "Ptuh—" He spat out the water in surprise.