Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 13: Sleepwalking in Dreamland

1645: Reunion with an Old Friend

Under the unrelenting downpour, it was hard to tell whether it was afternoon or evening; either way, the difference hardly mattered. Whether the small convenience store was open or closed, the empty, rain-soaked streets meant no customers would be walking in.

Yet, the local shopkeeper still sat at his computer, feet propped up, playing a card game. His loose, dull T-shirt hung slackly, looking as if it hadn't been washed in days.

The posters on the walls had multiplied, spreading like a slow-growing stain until they covered every available space behind the shopkeeper, leaving the shelves as the only clear area.

Beneath the bold letters "First Enrollment for Shunrou Girls' School," a young girl in an apron smiled brightly. Underneath the slogan "Crush All Words and Deeds that Incite Conflict" was the image of a massive, bony fist, swinging toward an unseen target.

In places they couldn't see, in certain offices around the world, people were still designing posters, contacting printers, organizing crews to hang them... Thinking about it that way, it all felt strangely unreal.

After all, less than ten days had passed since Xie Feng had gone on the run. To her, the world had turned upside down. To others, daily life carried on as usual.

Dong Luorong nodded to Xie Feng and got out of the car. The car wasn't parked directly outside the store to avoid attention, so she'd have to brave the rain to get there. She lowered her head, running a few steps through the rain, only to be jolted by some pain deep within. She clutched the doorframe, taking a shaky breath to steady herself.

The shopkeeper remained absorbed in his computer screen.

Dong Luorong wiped the rain from her face and slowly stepped inside.

When her shadow fell across his desk, the shopkeeper finally looked up, lazily at first. "What do you—" He stopped mid-sentence, blinking at her in surprise. His tone softened, a bit more attentive now, though his eyes remained fixed on her. "Miss, what do you need? Cigarettes?"

Dong Luorong was used to this reaction from men—and plenty of women too.

"Excuse me," she said with a smile. "I'm here to buy a boat ticket. Chen Qingqing sent me."

This time, the shopkeeper's expression took on a different meaning.

"Oh? You mean Chen Qingqing... When did he send you here?"

Xie Feng had already gone over this part carefully with her before they came in. Since Xie Feng's last escape, that smuggler was probably worried she'd gone to the police, which might lead him to abandon this contact point. If he'd even changed his number, then luck wasn't on their side; but if the shopkeeper could still reach him, they'd need to place the timing of "Chen Qingqing's referral" before Xie Feng's incident.

"At least half a month ago," Dong Luorong said with a soft sigh. "I thought about it for a long time, prepared everything, and only then decided to buy the ticket."

The shopkeeper looked uncertain. "Well... the truth is... I haven't heard from him in days. I don't even know if he's still... in business."

Dong Luorong took a large bill from her wallet and slid it across the counter. On the way here, they'd stopped at an ATM in the opposite direction and emptied their funds. "Money isn't a problem for me. Please, I'm asking you for help."

Even without money, few people could say no to a face like hers. The shopkeeper smiled as he pocketed the cash, then made a call—no answer the first time, no answer the second, but on the third try, someone finally picked up.