Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 1247: Chapter 953: Traveler

Three hours ago, in Iceland.

The morning had just passed, and a slightly cold wind blew from the distant mountains, making the flying birds take to the sky.

In the small town, the door of the café was pushed open, making a jingling sound.

The owner at the counter looked up, adjusted his glasses, and saw a familiar customer.

Outside the door, in the slight drizzle, a man with round tortoiseshell glasses put away his umbrella, placed it on the rack, and after treading on the mat to shake off the water, he walked in and sat next to the bar.

After removing his hat, his graying hair was revealed.

”Good morning, Mr. Lu.”

Holding a coffee pot, the owner walked over, poured him a steaming cup of coffee to dispel the chill: ”What will you have today, the usual?”

”Yes, and another pack of toast, to go.”

The man called Mr. Lu appeared slightly aged, but his specific age was indiscernible. He just held the coffee cup, took a small sip, and waited quietly.

In this small town, many residents were familiar with each other. Seeing him walk in, they all greeted him warmly, and he responded to each one gently.

Soon, the owner returned from the kitchen, placing down a plate and the packed toast. He wasn’t in a hurry, and while the old jazz music played from the jukebox, he casually chatted with Mr. Lu.

After all, business was slow.

”It’s really rare, I’ve never seen you order toast before.” The elderly shopkeeper leaned on the counter, curious: ”What, trying a new flavor?”

”Yes.”

Mr. Lu nodded, ”Life is long; one should find new pleasures.”

While eating, he was never in a rush. Clearly, with just an ordinary fish and chips meal, he used a knife and fork, eating civilly and calmly, showing a subdued grace.

Unlike others, when eating, he didn’t look at his phone nor pay attention to the TV, simply concentrating on his meal, as if what lay before him was a banquet deserving of solemn attention.

”What day is it today?”

After finally putting down his knife and fork, he glanced at the few strings of lights prepared to be hung in the corner of the shop and was curious: ”Is it Christmas yet?”

”No, not yet.”

The shopkeeper laughed, softly sighing: ”It’s just the 30th anniversary of the shop opening, nothing major.”

”30th anniversary? So soon?”

Mr. Lu nodded slightly, understanding: ”Then it means I’ve also been here for over thirty years... How’s Peter? I heard he recently got married.”

”Yes, finding life in a big city like London, it’s not far, but he doesn’t return often. After a few months, when the child is born, he might return even less.”

”When are you retiring?”

Mr. Lu held the coffee cup, sipping slowly: ”You’re getting old too, perhaps it’s time for someone new to come in.”

The shopkeeper’s expression paused for a moment, not speaking.

It seemed he was lost, staring at the light rain outside the window.

The shop gradually quieted down.

Soon, the vibration sound came from the table. The phone screen beside the coffee cup suddenly lit up, presenting an unknown phone number.

But Mr. Lu didn’t seem in a hurry to answer.

He just quietly drank his coffee.

The screen dimmed and brightened, brightened and dimmed.

Strangely, the incoming number showed as a jumble of characters, constantly changing.

”There’s a call,” the shopkeeper said.

”No rush, let it wait.”

Mr. Lu gazed at the reflection in his coffee cup and softly said: ”I want one last bit of peace; I fear such a quiet and leisurely life won’t come again.”

He said, ”Let me finish my drink.”

”Take your time,”

The shopkeeper nodded, wiping his hands on his apron, walking toward the kitchen.

His steps were hurried.

However, upon turning around, he heard the continuous sound of falling behind him.

He froze in place, gripping the heavy handle of a gun under the apron.

Soon, the small café returned to silence, only the jukebox carrying a hoarse and damaged low melody.

Eventually, the shopkeeper slowly turned around, staring at the man sitting by the display drinking coffee.

”It’s unnecessary,”

He said, ”It’s been thirty years, Lu BaiYan, why bother?”

”It’s been seventy years.”

Lu BaiYan calmly corrected: ”Before coming here, I served nine years in prison, then lived in London for over thirty years, a place where it rained every day, making weekly commutes for reports, having a locational ring on my leg, living in a specific area with random visits from a Reviewer—like living as an animal on display in a cheap motel.

Later, someone thought I was old, so they brought me here, turning from a domestic into a wild animal... It’s actually no different, only the cage became invisible.’

That lock chain stayed on my neck, accompanying me for seventy years... until today.”

Behind him, those fallen residents made no further sound, only countless cyan-purple capillaries surfaced on their faces and rapidly turned to wax.

Some had let their guns and alarms drop, and clusters of mold grew from them.

The dispersed Source Substance carried potent poison, causing eerie colors to manifest on the floor, tables, and sofa, swiftly spreading like an overturned paint bucket.

The shopkeeper took a step back, instinctively pinching his collar.

”No need to contact the surveillance team.”

Lu BaiYan said: ”I’ve already been there before coming here.”

He thought for a moment, softly saying: ”Before coming here, I went to many places...”

Outside the window, the quiet town bathed in rain, making no sound.

The once-busy streets were silent.

Only the shopkeeper’s constrained breathing was heard.

”Are you crazy...” He pressed the gun, the veins on his hand bulging: ”You should know, you can’t escape! Even if you survive, your remaining days won’t be good!”

”Like staying here, it’s all in Hell, no difference.”

Lu BaiYan put down his cup, picking up the persistently vibrating phone, ”It’s time, old friend... we all have to say goodbye.”

Bang!

The deafening noise of parting erupted, continuously.

One bloodless wound after another emerged on Lu BaiYan’s body, as if the blood had long since been drained.

Meanwhile, in his hand, the phone was finally connected.

But no sound came from it.

At that moment, the store manager took a frightened step back, finally noticing the slender figure that had appeared by his side unnoticed.

It was a young boy.

He had a face strikingly similar to his son’s when he was little, but his eyes and hair were black, and he wore a cheerful smile on his lips.

The child sat on the bar, cheerfully observing the scene, finally turning his gaze towards Lu BaiYan.

”It seems I came at the wrong time?”

”It hardly matters,” Lu BaiYan looked one last time at the broken porcelain cup on the table, he said, ”I just wanted to finish this cup of coffee.”

”Is it such a longing, Lu BaiYan.”

The Roman boy burst into raucous laughter: ”Then why not stay in this comfort zone? Waiting for Luo Su to come knocking, offering a late reconciliation and judgment... But do you care about such things?”

”Actually, I’m not afraid of judgment.”

Lu BaiYan stroked the sharp shards of the coffee cup, feeling the subtle sting.

”I’m more afraid that no one will come looking for me,” he said, ”I’m afraid they’ll forget about me.”

There was no response.

Only the sharp porcelain shards pierced the index finger, bringing the lonely pain of one forgotten.

On the floor behind the counter, the store manager painfully convulsed and struggled to raise his head, pressing a fatal switch.

There was a sound of shattering from within Lu BaiYan’s body, a faint green flame ignited from beneath his bones, swiftly rising and spreading, covering and consuming that old shell.

Burning into ashes.

But on the skull gradually turning to ashes, an ancient jade crown emerged, like an artifact weathered by time, unchanged by the fierce burning flames, exuding a faint glow.

Immediately thereafter, countless flesh and blood regrew upon the bones, and a brand new face appeared.

As if regaining youth.

Under the blessing of the crown, he shed the cocoon woven by seventy years, his robust body of prime adulthood reborn from the flames.

Immediately, a shadow of black rose from beneath Lu BaiYan’s feet, following the memory and instinct of the past, forming a solemn suit.

”How nostalgic, this emblem...”

Lu BaiYan lowered his head, gazing at the former Utopia emblem on his chest, studied it for a moment, then reached out to wipe it away, leaving behind a blank space.

Thus, he broke free of the last chains.

He slowly stood, took the packed toast beside him, and solemnly bid farewell to the dead silent interior: ”Thank you for accompanying me all these years.”

”And thank you for your coffee.”

Lu BaiYan wiped his mouth gently and said softly, ”I’m going to travel now.”

”Goodbye, everyone—”

He pushed open the door and left.

Holding an umbrella, he walked toward a world swallowed by cold rain.

Gradually disappearing.

In the town plunged into silence, no sound remained, only endless black butterflies emerged from the cold corpses, nourished by the blood, surging like tides.

After enduring a long winter, they spread their wings covered with countless eyes, rising from this newly birthed Hell.

Welcoming rebirth.

The scales fell, raining down a deathly shower.

.

.

Three hours later, on the roaring helicopter, Huai Shi was already connected to the conference call.

On the screen in his hand appeared the surveillance footage from the fast-food restaurant.

”This message was sent by the office of academic affairs half an hour ago.” In his headphones, the vice principal explained: ”It has been deemed a major malicious event by the Jurisdiction Bureau Decision Room.”

”Who is this?” Huai Shi asked.

”Lu BaiYan, a former member of Utopia.” Isaac said: ”A survivor after the fall of the Heavenly Kingdom, now it seems he has completely turned to the Golden Dawn... if you ask me, he should have been killed seventy years ago.”

”Just because he’s a lucky survivor?”

Luo Su retorted: ”Presumed innocence, Isaac. We can’t just kill someone because they spoke to someone from Golden Dawn. Besides, he’s in prison, I can’t exactly charge in and slit his throat, can I?”

”Kill! Kill! Kill!”

From the other end of the phone, Marcus’ voice suddenly erupted, shouting hoarsely: ”Burn his family! Hit his mother!”

”—Traitors must die!!!!”

”Alright, alright, don’t choke on it, speak slowly, give me the phone... give it to me...”

A mess of noise.

You old men are truly something!

Isaac suppressed his irritability, continuing to provide Huai Shi with the details.

”Seventy years ago, he was the only survivor in the core area during the fall of the Heavenly Kingdom... Apart from him, all colleagues and students perished.

Due to ambiguous related experiences and discrepancies with other reports, there was suspicion of collusion with Golden Dawn, hence he was detained in the Tower of London.

Later, as the internal tribunal found no direct evidence, no judgment was made. After five years of imprisonment, he was monitored instead, and eventually allowed to leave London after more than thirty years of observation—he lived in a small town in Iceland for thirty years, until just a few hours ago when he killed everyone.”

”Ha, speaking of which, he was your peer.” Luo Su suddenly interjected.

”Hmm? What do you mean?”

”His Stigma also belonged to the Heavenly Inquiry Route,” Luo Su said: ”Just like you, Huai Shi.”

Huai Shi paused.

”The same?”

”Exactly.”

Luo Su said: ”Only his rank was a bit higher than yours, back then, he was considered the only one who might achieve the new generation of ’Eastern Monarch’ among the Sublimators.

Like you, he is the Great Priestess of the Heavenly Inquiry Route.”