The Fallen's Guide - chapter 25

The nurse quietly observed her expression. Recalling that the patient had been found locked inside an abandoned classroom before being rushed to the hospital, countless dramatic scenarios instantly flashed through her mind.

“There’s also…”

The young intern nurse seemed hesitant to speak. “This.”

She handed a debt notice to Tang Nian.

It showed that there was already an outstanding medical bill on her patient card.

Tang Nian paused, an embarrassed look appearing on her face. “Sorry, I forgot to pay.”

She took out her phone and handed it to the nurse, saying awkwardly, “Could you help me pay the bill?”

“It’s fine, your situation is special. I’ll explain it to them,” the nurse quickly interrupted her.

Normally, patients who have undergone major surgery are not able to get out of bed, so their medical expenses are paid by family members on their behalf.

But she had none.

Since her mother had briefly appeared here two days ago, no one related to her had shown up at the hospital again-not even to help with the payments.

The TV hanging in the ward was broadcasting the midday news, and several patients’ family members were watching with curiosity.

On the screen, a group of reporters were chasing after someone, seemingly trying to get an interview. They focused their cameras on the entrance of a high-rise building’s lobby. As a figure escorted by security appeared, many reporters surged forward.

Like Hyenas drawn by the scent of blood.

“May I ask, what are your thoughts on the recent ground uplift?”

“Your properties suffered the most severe damage. Will this affect your group’s operations?”

“Recently, some posts claim to expose your company’s shady dealings, saying the subsidence and abnormal ground uplift are related to secret experiments conducted by your firm. Do you deny this?”

The man, targeted by all the cameras, only revealed his profile for a brief moment before the reporters were blocked by security guards in black uniforms.

He remained silent, not uttering a single word, bent down, and got into a black sedan, leaving swiftly. The Hyenas were left with regretful faces, wishing they could chase after the car.

That fleeting, handsome profile quickly trended on social media.

His tall, slender figure was wrapped in an ascetic black suit, buttoned up to the Adam’s apple, adorned with a cold, silvery tie clip, and a pair of thin-rimmed metal glasses perched on his nose.

Yet he was the man most women in the country wanted to rip the collar off.

A blessing for sapiosexuals.

He was the new star of modern finance, a trendsetter in investment banking, a double master’s degree holder in finance and computer science, and the owner of several skyscrapers in the city’s main business district.

Lin Yuzhi.

“This young man looks quite handsome, but his face seems a bit cold. He doesn’t look like someone with good fortune, and his lower lip is a bit thin…”

“Granny Li, you always have something to say. He’s a financier, a rich man!”

A few patients’ family members in the ward gathered together, commenting on the capitalist on the screen. The news then switched to a police announcement.

“There have been several recent cases of missing persons. If any citizens spot the following individuals, please contact the relevant authorities in a timely manner.”

Several photos appeared on the screen-men and women, young and old-with their ages and the clothes they were wearing when they disappeared.

A line of small text below stated there was a reward: a fifty-thousand yuan bonus for verified leads.

Tang Nian withdrew her gaze.

Several intern nurses were huddled together watching a live broadcast.

A daring horror adventure streamer, Er Sen, was live-streaming from one of the high-rises at risk of collapse after the ground uplift. One of these buildings was Lin Yuzhi’s International Trade Tower.

Wearing covert filming equipment, he fixed his phone to his chest, nimbly climbed over the fence, slipped past the black-and-yellow police cordon, avoided the cameras, and ran toward the core area where the ground had risen the highest.
“Everyone, the official measurement of the ground bulge has already exceeded 18 meters!”

“Do you know what 18 meters means? That’s about as tall as a five-story building.”

Er Sen spoke as he turned and moved forward.

An 18-meter bulge rising out of the ground is a concept that seems small but is actually quite exaggerated.

Tang Nian could vaguely see, through the nurses’ raised phones, several cracked high walls in front of the streamer. She belatedly realized that those weren’t walls, but asphalt roads rising upward at bizarre angles.

They folded straight up, as if an invisible giant hand had lifted them out of nowhere.

It looked like a sci-fi scene from a movie.

After climbing higher, the camera began to shake, and the voice of the live streamer came from behind the phone, “I can see huge cracks in the ground. Do you want to know what exactly came out from underground and pushed up the surface?”

The streamer bent down as he spoke.

“If we get over ten thousand likes, I’ll stick my phone inside and film. If we get over fifty thousand likes, I’ll jump into this crack! I’ll livestream what’s inside for everyone!”

With these provocative words, the number of likes in the livestream shot up, and Er Sen showed an excited smile, constantly urging viewers to keep liking.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and someone in the chat said the streamer should run-it must be the police coming to arrest him.

The camera shook again.

The horror streamer moved like a monkey, scrambling nimbly, gripping the edge of the broken asphalt, and kept running toward the center of the bulge.

No one knew how long he ran before he stopped.

The sound of sirens faded away.

The number of likes in the livestream had already reached 35,000.

Grinning, he said, “I’m going to stick my phone in now and show everyone what’s inside.”

He bent down, pressing his face close to the crack, and suddenly rubbed his eyes hard.

“Why is there water?”

His muttered words came through the receiver, and the chat filled with comments.

“What water? Where’s the water coming from?”

“Is there a Fountain underground?”

The streamer said, “Water dripped onto my face.”

He wiped his face as he sat up, but the water on his face only increased, clearly captured by the camera, making it look as if someone was holding the phone upside down in the rain.

“Wait, the crack is below!”

“How could water drip up from below onto his face? That’s anti-gravity, it’s not scientific!”

Er Sen didn’t see these comments.

He paused, water dripping more and more onto his face, and opened his eyes.

Through the bottomless crack, he saw light, and dark clouds.

“What the hell…” he muttered.

From the crack emerged a vast, magnificent scene: the shadows of treetops, strange screeches, the rustling of wind through leaves, unfolding like a fantastical, ever-changing painting.

Er Sen lay on the ground, poking his head inside.

Suddenly, his view opened up.

He stared wide-eyed in shock, turning his head.

A vast land stretched endlessly, with mountains and hills undulating, soft grass brushing his face, and rain falling there.

Below the crack, there was an upside-down world.

He saw the sky of another world, right beneath his feet.

“Did you… did you see that?!”

He looked at his phone, incoherent, both astonished and ecstatic. “This is incredible! I can hardly believe my eyes!”

But he found the phone screen was black.

The signal had quietly cut off at some point.