Breaking Through The Clouds

Chapter 108

The surroundings quieted down, and Yan Xie didn't dare to look back at Jiang Ting's face.

It was still dark outside. Chief Lu woke up from his sleep at some point and heard the telephone ringing outside the room.

Ring ring-

Ring-

He knew who it was.

As if repeating it the thousandth time, he rolled over and got out of bed, stepping on the cold floor tiles with his old and swollen bare feet. Outside the window, the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month was whistling, covering up his almost silent footsteps. He pushed open the door and heard a long screeching sound from the unlubricated door hinge in the bedroom.

Ring ring-

Ring-

The telephone was giving out a red light, flashing in the darkness.

He stood in front of the flashing red dot, staring at the telephone, feeling as if his fat body had melted into the winter night, turning into nothingness in the cold air.

"You pick it up," He heard a sharp and harsh voice say, "Pick it up-"

Ring ring-

Ring-

With a click, Chief Lu picked up the receiver.

Just like pressing the play button of a tape recorder, the tape started to turn, and everything started repeating the thousandth time. There was the sound of laughing and crying over the phone, and countless sharp hooks scramble into his ear holes, digging desperately into his eardrum:

"I'm sorry for them, I'm sorry for Jiang Ting, Old Lu--"

"I killed them, I killed them, Old Lu--"

Chief Lu stood in front of the telephone, wanting to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked. He heard a snake-like movement behind him. The icy breath got closer and closer, and then a rotten hand was placed on his fat shoulder; the cry on the telephone phone suddenly cleared up, appearing behind his ears:

"Why did you cover me with a national flag?"

Chief Lu stared ahead, his hands loosened, and the receiver fell to the ground like a dying head after being hanged.

"Didn't I tell you?"

"I told you specifically?"

"Why put a flag on me? Why? Why-"

Don't look back, he thought, don't look back. But the irresistible force in the dark forced him to turn his neck inch by inch, only to see the bloody purple face clinging to his back. Its purplish lips were still opening and closing, uttering a mournful cry:

"Why put the flag on me-"

"Ah!"

Chief Lu suddenly woke up, his chest heaving violently, and he couldn't tell whether he was in a dream or in reality at the moment.

Ring- the office was empty, the phone on the desk was still ringing unrelentingly, and the caller ID was Secretary Zhang.

"......" Chief Lu picked up the phone, his voice hoarse and indistinguishable: "Hello?"

"Hey Chief Lu, Vice-Captain Qin needs your opinion and confirmation on some routine reports within the division, is it okay?"

The chubby and heavy old chief closed his eyes, feeling his eardrums still buzzing, and the cold sweat had already soaked through the hurdle vest under his white shirt. After more than ten seconds, he finally tried his best to stabilize his breathing, his heartbeat was still beating in his throat, and there was a faint needle-like pain in his chest.