Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 13: Sleepwalking in Dreamland [Complete]

1556: Escape and Companions

Wu Yiliu, fleeing for his life, jumped onto the first public bus that came into view and sat on it for a full two hours.

He huddled in the last row, using his backpack to occupy the seat beside him, and pulled his hat down to pretend to sleep. Li Bo knew where he lived in the dormitory, and after his escape, he likely went there to lie in wait. But Wu Yiliu couldn't hide on the bus forever, and when the driver, whose face had changed, looked back at him for the umpteenth time, he knew it was time to get off.

Should he go home?

He staggered off the bus, lost in thought. During his last video call, the faces of his parents had widened and expanded before his eyes, like two slowly rising balls of dough, finally merging and blending together as they met. When his mother asked, "What's wrong with you?" her mouth sent a wave that rocked his father's face as well.

After that, he hadn't contacted home.

No matter what was wrong with the world, his parents were safe in a way: they stood with the majority, changed like them, so he didn't have to worry about them. What he had to worry about was himself, a lone outcast.

Wu Yiliu didn't know where he could find refuge in this world.

But no matter where he went next, he needed money. When he left that day, he had only grabbed a couple of banknotes. His backpack, besides textbooks and notes, was missing essentials like a water bottle, charger, or change of clothes.

He had to return to the dormitory, but what if Li Bo was waiting for him? What if he had notified others? If the dormitory had become a trap, how could he avoid being discovered?

In his distress, Wu Yiliu's mind wandered, and it took him a while to realize that he had gotten off the bus in an unfamiliar neighborhood. He looked around at the street signs, trying to determine the direction to the school—when he inadvertently glanced back, his hair stood on end.

More than ten minutes had passed, but the bus was still stopped several streets away, unmoving. Through the front window, he could make out the silhouette of the driver, frozen over the steering wheel.

Turn slowly, don't run!

Despite his mind's scream, Wu Yiliu nearly tripped and fell. He quickly steadied himself, lowered his head, and walked briskly forward, pretending nothing was amiss. Among the people on the street were twisted faces, faces that looked like they were sucked in by a vacuum, faces that appeared entirely normal—all of them seemed to sneak a glance at him as they passed.

After crossing two streets, Wu Yiliu glanced back at the corner.

The bus had slowly come to a stop just dozens of meters behind him.

His hair was standing on end.

He didn't know how long the bus had followed him or how long the driver had been watching him. Had the driver become suspicious?

His survival instincts quickly took over. Wu Yiliu hurriedly rushed across the street and hailed a taxi, giving the name of his school. The bus, being large and slow, couldn't catch up with the taxi. After looking back several times and seeing the bus finally disappear from view, Wu Yiliu let out a sigh of relief, cold sweat breaking out all over his back.

Those who can transform seem to react to normal people who can't transform... Now it appears that even Li Bo, who had invited him to dinner, might have approached him because he noticed that his appearance never changed. The Changelings would track, observe, and probe; if exposed like the woman in the restaurant, all the Changelings nearby would surround the person as if summoned...