Apocalyptic Forecast - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: So-Called Destiny

First dazed, then stunned, followed by shock.

“What was that?”

Huai Shi jumped up in horror and leaned over for a bird’s-eye view of the basin. He made out the appearance of a dejected factory building somewhere in the outskirts.

It was incredible.

“Is Wang Hai here?”

“Yeah.” Crow replied: “It’s just a watermarking method that is traced through the ink of the branch of events. Isn’t it incredible?”

Huai Shi’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you mention that early!”

“You didn’t ask.”

Crow looked at him confusedly, seemingly completely innocent.

Huai Shi could not help but want to grab this broken bird and pinch it to death.

“You are useless!” He slammed the table in exasperation. “Look at you, in the day you eat my rice, live in my house, steal my electricity, use my network, and I ignore all that. But you know this boy wants to kill me, so why did you hide it from me?”

“Oh?” Crow looked at him curiously, “What would you have done if I had told you earlier?”

“What nonsense! I would have asked people to take care of it!”

“Astronomical Association? Or the Special Affairs Bureau? Or both together?” Crow laughed strangely, “If you did that, would you have any explanation for why they are hiding in that place?”

Huai Shi opened his mouth but was interrupted.

“No, no, no, I am not referring to your method of locating his hideout.”

Crow paused and glanced at the reflection in the water. “Instead, how do you plan to explain why the industry that once belonged to your family would become the nest of the clean people?”

“… What kind of cr*p?!”

Huai Shi’s eyes widened as he looked at the sink in amazement. “You say that this place, this location… is from my family?”

“You really have forgotten everything.”

Crow glanced at him with pity. “Why would I, an outsider, know better than you? No, it should be said that this is something that can be understood with a little investigation of property rights.

“Yes.”

She said, “The place where Wang Hai is hiding now is one of the goods transfer warehouses that used to be known as Huai Shi’s Shipping. In other words, the place that was your home more than ten years ago has now become a ‘fasting circle’ for the People of the Pure Land.”

After saying this, countless old pieces of papers that lay in around the basement fluttered down, gathering in front of Huai Shi and combining neatly into a stack.

“I can understand your confusion, but this is indeed the conclusion drawn from these old files in your home.”

Huai Shi flipped the papers silently, reading each individual page.

These were indeed the things that had piled up in the storage area of his house. They were covered with dust and mildew, discarded in unobtrusive corners.

Forgotten.

Crow was right. It was indeed one of the Huai family’s industries properties, a warehouse for transit.

“But I don’t remember it anymore.”

Huai Shi sat blankly on the chair and carefully recalled, but there were too many gaps in his knowledge, and too many unclear memories from his childhood.

After that high fever, many things gradually began fading…

However, this did not seem to be anything unusual.

Ever since the start of his family records, the family’s industry seemed to have been declining rapidly. Even if his great-grandfather’s generation was surprisingly wealthy, what remains of it today was nothing more than an old house.

There were so many industries under the Huai family. Even if something happened to one of them, it was not unusual, was it?

It was just bad luck.

Just like what had happened to himself a long time ago.

However, why did he feel angry?

“F*ck…”

He whispered softly, yet did not know what he was angry about.

In the silence, Crow stood on the desk and looked at him pitifully. The flashing lights stretched her shadow across the wall, making it dance like a flame.

“Let me give you the second lesson, Huai Shi.”

Her voice changed, unlike the frivolity and oppressive dramatics of the past, it now became solemn, as if glaciers and had iron collided, bringing about a low rumble.

“——Destiny cannot be ruled, but each one is different.”

“Destiny?”

“Yes, destiny.” The black bird said, “Some people choose their destiny, while others are overwhelmed by the difficulties and fears they encounter and stop.

“Thus, they can only wait to be chosen by destiny.

“Although the latter is not bad, how can a duckweed in the sea be blamed for its luck when it is caught in a storm?”

Huai Shi was silent for a long time, then asked, “Can the former really be happy?”

“Who knows?” Crow replied calmly, “Struggling may not lead to any result, but at least it’s better than being dead, isn’t it?”

“…”

Huai Shi was silent.

“You don’t need to hate yourself. After all, you didn’t have the opportunity to choose before, but now everything is different.”

Crow said, “If you don’t care about anything that happened in the past, you can ignore it and let it continue to sink into the darkness.

“I guarantee that you will have a bright future.

“But, if you really want to know what happened to you, no, what happened in your home, then you have to face it all head-on.”

After a long silence, Huai Shi could not help but want to laugh. “Even if I know that, can I really change anything?”

Nothing could be changed, and nothing destroyed would ever come back.

Destiny itself would not change.

It was like that book of destiny.

Once the dust has settled, the things recorded in it would never change.

Crow looked him in the eye and said to him word by word, “But at least you would know why you lost it, wouldn’t you?”

In the silence, Huai Shi closed his eyes and sighed tiredly.

After a long, long time, he opened his eyes. He got up, picked up the coat from the chair, put it on his body, then grabbed the pistol issued by the Astronomical Society. Checking the trigger, the gun body and the clip, he put the pistol into the concealed holster at the waist.

Finally, he picked up the sacrificial knife on the table and hung it on the belt buckle.

“Let me use it for a bit first.”

Huai Shi zipped up the jacket, “I will go out for a bit before coming back.”

“Yep.”

Crow waved her wings, “Have a smooth journey.”

As he went out, Huai Shi’s footsteps paused as he saw the envelope on the table.

“What is that?”

“That,” Crow glanced, “Someone dropped by at noon, but didn’t come in. They just left this thing in the mailbox outside. I think it is for you.”

Huai Shi picked up the envelope and shook it. There was some weight to it, like there were some iron pieces in it.

After opening the envelope, a key dropped out from inside, falling into Huai Shi’s palm.

A brass-colored key that looked like it had a few years on it. It did not look like a valuable item that would be used for opening an anti-theft door or a safe. It was just for the type of cheap locks available everywhere.

The faint, grounding weight was so familiar that Huai Shi almost remembered the exact position of each tooth on it.

This was the key to his piano room.

“Fu Yi?”

The person who could have sent this key, could it have been her? After all, she had abused the power of the student union to check the students’ home addresses, and she always had her own style of doing things.

What exactly did it mean?

Huai Shi looked at the key and suddenly wanted to laugh, “Escaping from class again, that guy…”

He thought about it before attaching it to the keychain in his pocket.

Never had there been such a moment when he was so sure that this abrupt holiday would end.

He half expected his old life to start once again, returning to his own room, starting to practice the piano, fish, and imagine happier times for the future.

Going back to his wardmate’s club.

“Thank you.”

He sent a message to Fu Yi. After a while, a reply came from the other side. It was a photo of Huai Shi standing hesitatingly in front of the gigolo club with two colorful flashy characters written on it.

“——You can do it!”

‘So, was it really you who led my expression?’

He did not know whether he should be angry or happy.

Turning off the phone screen and pushing open the door, Huai Shi set off.