Chapter Thirty-Six: Paradise of Fear

So, Liu Chang hesitated once more.

Everyone fears death, but the degree of terror for different ways of dying varies tremendously—many people can accept a peaceful passing, to be reduced to ashes by a cremation fire, but no one wants to die torn to pieces by some disgusting tentacled monster in a reeking sewer, their corpse infested with maggots after flies have done their work, dissolving into a vile, putrid mush.

If that were his fate, Liu Chang would rather be eaten by the giant dog outside—at least that didn't sound quite so revolting!

He was now faced with another choice, even more difficult than whether to fight or flee earlier—should he climb up and let the beast devour him, or remain here awaiting a loathsome end as a pool of slime?

He wanted to climb up, but in the face of death, who can be truly calm—especially when Liu Chang didn't want to die at all!

So he stared up at the halo of light above, then down into the gloomy sewer, then back up again… until he sank into a deep internal conflict.

The dread of death, and the agony of having to choose how to die—perhaps these are the most wrenching emotions a person can experience. It is like asking a condemned man, “Would you rather be shot or beheaded?”

Terror crept in. In the darkness, every drop of water echoed through Liu Chang's mind like a tidal wave, and the furious barking overhead made his head spin and his vision blur.

He didn't even dare venture deeper into the sewer in search of another exit, for true, impenetrable darkness lay within, a suffocating blackness that felt like the end of life itself, lurking with countless tentacled horrors—once inside, there would be no return.

And so, Liu Chang timidly clung to that faint beam of light overhead, nestling beneath its glow. Like all those who sense death drawing near, he found himself involuntarily slipping into memories of the past—

Suddenly, he thought of the college entrance exam, of his final year in high school, and then of his entire student and childhood years.

Playing, gaming, reading novels, watching anime, studying occasionally…

The fish-fragrant shredded pork he'd eaten, the basketball games, the pipes he'd tinkered with…

A life of security and routine, the forbidden websites he'd visited, watching matches late at night with friends…

His parents' urging, the familiar smell of home…

Never before had Liu Chang so clearly realized—he had always been living in paradise! Complaining in paradise, bored in paradise, indulging in melodramatic self-pity in paradise that now seemed unbearably pretentious…

Remembering how he'd argued with his parents to avoid studying, how he'd run away from home to escape reading, how he'd stood atop the old city wall bemoaning the sorrows of life just because he didn’t want to study…

“What was that all about, really? Just for the sake of reading a few more books?” Curled beneath the faint light, Liu Chang began to weep for reasons he couldn't explain.

He had always thought of himself as a rather tough person, tougher than most in this apocalypse. Yet, in the darkness, reminiscing about his past, his home, and his parents, he could not help but feel his nose sting with tears.

Time slipped by in a blur as he drifted through these chaotic thoughts…

He had no idea how long had passed when suddenly the barking above grew frenzied, and gunfire erupted outside the manhole.

“Liu Chang!!”

“Liu Chang~~~~~~~!!”

After the gunshots, Liu Chang heard familiar voices. Jolted from his stupor, he stared blankly at the circle of light above.

“Am I… saved?”

“Brother Liu Chang!!!” came a desperate cry from above, and this time he recognized it—it was the little girl's voice.

The barking had ceased, and those he knew waited just beyond that ring of light.

Without hesitation, Liu Chang leapt up, grabbed the iron ladder beneath the manhole cover, and began to climb from that world of darkness towards the light as fast as he could.

Step by step…

“I’m here!!!” His head had barely emerged, his body still in the sewer, yet Liu Chang could not wait and shouted at the top of his lungs, “I’m here!!!”

As he scrambled out from the manhole, people followed his voice—there was the little girl, the fat man, and Li Qingshui.

Everyone was there.

“I’m alive, haha, I’m alive!” Bursting from the manhole, Liu Chang broke into a run, scooped the little girl up in his arms, spun her around, and cried, “I actually survived!”

“Yes, you made it!” The little girl, swept up by Liu Chang’s joy, transformed her anxious face into a beaming smile so pure and bright that the long, deep scar on her cheek turned into a graceful, curving arc.

“Man, you’re alive—that’s awesome.” The fat man came over, thumped Liu Chang on the shoulder twice, then squinted suspiciously and noticed Liu Chang’s red, swollen eyes. “Were you crying?”

“Me, cry? Hahaha…” Liu Chang laughed loudly. “The sewer stank so much it made my eyes water, that’s all.”

“You really crawled out of that sewer?” Li Qingshui stood aside, thoughtful, pulling out some alcohol and tablets. “You managed to slip into the manhole while fighting that giant dog? Impressive—I honestly thought you were done for. But… it doesn’t add up…”

“What doesn’t add up?” Liu Chang took the alcohol and poured it over his wounds.

“You shouldn’t have survived,” Li Qingshui said, making Liu Chang’s hand tremble and spill the alcohol. “What do you mean, I shouldn’t have survived—were you hoping I’d die?”

“No, I mean, I was gone for an hour, your wounds were bleeding, and you were in a sewer—by all rights, you should be dead by now, right?” Li Qingshui rubbed his chin. “It’s just not scientific!”

“Who cares about science? Maybe I just got lucky. Anyway, I’m alive, aren’t I?” Liu Chang waved his arms exuberantly. “I’ve never felt so grateful just to be alive!”

“But it still doesn’t make sense. No, I have to go down and check myself later,” Li Qingshui insisted.

“Don’t bother—imagine if I survived but you end up dying down there, wouldn’t that be a shame!” After tending his wounds and swallowing the pills, Liu Chang shoved the remaining alcohol back into Li Qingshui’s bag. “By the way, I haven’t asked—how did you get rid of that big dog?”

“We traded thirty pounds of dog meat for six or seven armed soldiers. They had military-issue high-powered rifles and shot to scare the beast off.”

“So where are they?” Liu Chang glanced around but saw no strangers.

“They’re chasing after the giant dog. To them, that thing is a walking feast, hundreds, maybe a thousand pounds—they couldn’t finish it in a month. But they won’t catch it, and even if they did, it might not end well. Their rifles are powerful, sure, but their stamina’s terrible. If that giant dog fights back, I bet those soldiers would be the ones to die.”

“Damn, you think the giant dog might double back?” Liu Chang started gathering his things, eager to leave this dangerous place.

“No, the gunfire scared it off. Besides, do you really think those soldiers could outrun it? Relax, let’s wait here a bit—soon enough, they’ll come back.”

As Li Qingshui spoke, Liu Chang heard the rustling of shoes in the grass, and soon, several soldiers emerged from the thicket, rifles slung over their shoulders and a sheepish look on their faces.