Mist

Chapter 19: Ouroboros

Light rain pattered.

The sky was gloomy. From the corridor, it looked like the sky hadn’t brightened up yet.
He closed the door and his two little hands subconsciously pulled on the straps of his school bag as he thought to himself that he should buy a cake from that old shop around the corner so that he wouldn’t be hungry if his father forgets to come back tonight because of working overtime.
Under the lights in the corridor, he stepped onto the ninth step and turned around the corner. There, he ran into someone.

He looked up. The other party was wearing a purple hoodie. A hood covered his face.
It was a stranger.
He paused for a moment and the other party also paused. They then passed by each other.
…….
When the light rain stopped, there were police tape put up downstairs.
It was clearly afternoon, but the sky was still dark. The sound of police cars, the sound of an ambulance as well as the sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard under the flashing red and blue lights.

He stood outside the police tape. Someone rushed over to him and held in him their arms. It was unknown whether their trembling words were used to comfort him or comfort themselves, “Jian Jian, Jian Jian.”
A police officer spoke to that person with a lowered voice. It was a little inaudible, “…….Professor Ji, the child had quite a scare. He may have met the murderer…..”

He lowered his head and saw a drop of water slipping down his yellow raincoat.
…….
It was a warm-toned room. There were a lot of plush toys which made the room feel more comfortable.
The aunty of the Child Welfare Department walked in.
Someone had completed all the formalities. He squatted down in front of him and held his little hand, “Jian Jian, I’m here to take you home. To a new home.”
He nodded.
“Are you afraid?”
He shook his head.
“Alright. In the future, you will have a mother, a father and a brother at home. It will be very lively.”
He remained silent.

“From today, you will be surnamed Ji.”

……….

“Hey Xiao Ji. You already have 89 B-level missions, you’re really not considering supporting an A-level one?” Chief Lin tried to persuade him, “I have already applied to the superiors. With one A-level mission equalling to 10 B-level missions, you will have a total of 99. Once you return, you just have to go one more time and then you would be able to get what you have always wanted!”
He said, “No hurry. It is the same if I do 10 more B-level missions.”
Chief Lin was anxious, “Goodness, why won’t this child listen to me?! For what reason did you join Tianqiong? Everyone already knows that you want a chance to return to that year. The people at the top say that they want to test you but they’re not that strict. No one wants to put you in a difficult position, you’re only doing it to yourself!”
He responded calmly, “Chief Lin, I can’t work with teammates who are blind, arrogant and hold a prejudice against others.”
Chief Lin, “That Captain Song isn’t arrogant for no reason……..Hey, Xiao Ji, wait a minute!”

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A black cat snored on his lap.
He held a book in one hand and used his other to stroke the cat.
This cat was old. He stroked it very lightly, feeling the soft and smooth fur brushing between his fingers.
When the communicator rang, the cat stretched and jumped off his lap. He moved to pick up the video call.

In the call, a grey-haired old professor with glasses appeared.
Another black cat jumped onto his lap and rolled over to reveal its belly. He scratched it as he listened patiently to the other party talk before asking, “Teacher, are you calling to persuade me to go to Jiang City?”

The old professor paused. He then sighed, “Jian Jian, the sooner you reach your goal and go back to that year, the sooner you will be freed.”

He said, “Okay.”