I seemed to have fallen asleep, as if I had entered the realm of "The Three Pure Ones", only that day and earth were no longer there, the hazy and blurred high mountains and forests fell off one by one, colliding with each other, and then disappearing in their own square inches.

  I think it's not bad to stay like this, at least I can temporarily escape the entanglement of fate, temporarily avoid death. After all, I am a person, and as long as I am human, I fear death.

  "Namo Ratna Trayaya, Nama Arya Avalokiteshvaraya"

  Suddenly a loud, mournful voice came from the CD player. I opened my eyes to find that we had already arrived at our destination. The driver was staring at me with fear in his eyes. After the car stopped, he found that I was sitting silently with my head down, and he didn't dare to call out to me. Perhaps it was because since the last time he met me, he felt unlucky, so he prepared a CD of "The Great Compassionate Mantra" for the car. He thought that while I was silent, he would play it, as people say this mantra can ward off evil spirits, and maybe it could get rid of my haunting presence.

  Listening to the Great Compassion Mantra, I woke up and thought with a bitter smile: Big brother, even if you think I'm a ghost and want to kill me, please, can't you just not play the DJ version of the Great Compassion Mantra? The drumbeat is driving me crazy, I really don't understand how this version came about. Is it specially prepared for monks and nuns or something?

  Due to social harmony, many monks have already followed the trend. Don't look at those TV shows where a lovesick woman or a ruthless king becomes disillusioned with worldly life and goes to a temple to become a monk. Those temples are like shelters, and there will always be an emaciated abbot with a long white beard who takes them in.

  Little do people know, this society is not like what's portrayed on TV. Everything has become commercialized, and even temples in cities have fallen. If you want to become a monk now, forget it if you don't have at least a bachelor's degree. All that talk about taking in poor people is nonsense. Beggars gather in front of the temple, but those thieving monks won't even give them a glance. They spend their days drinking and eating meat, getting fatter by the day, and when they recite scriptures, all you can smell is pork ribs.

  In some places, monks have become a hot profession, guarding the tourist attractions and making a fortune. Some of them even lead a happy life from 9 to 5. It's become a legend that young monks in the electronics city often buy PSP3 in groups of three or five. It's hard to imagine how many years it would take for them to raise thousands of dollars just by alms, but later I heard that they also have a basic salary and commission.

  I used to think these things were unbelievable, but one evening I was full and had nothing to do, so I strolled around and passed by a temple. I found that several trendy bald men came out from the side of the temple, and after leaving the temple, they all wore wigs and went straight to the nearby KTV. From then on, I understood that monks also need nightlife, so I envied these Buddhist degenerates, who would have thought they were so corrupt, chanting scriptures during the day and wearing headsets to party at night.

  From then on, I had an impulse to shave my head and become a monk, they seemed to have transcended being ordinary monks, becoming the overlords of the bald. But one time when drinking with Bao Jinlong, he told me that according to his clients, the competition is now so fierce that even having connections and finding people can't guarantee becoming the overlord of the bald, after hearing this I was stunned, it seems that even education isn't enough, you still need recommendations from others to renounce worldly life.

  The book returns to the right path, I listened to the driver's trembling and putting on a cheerful tune, my heart couldn't help but laugh, at the same time, the fear of facing death also decreased a bit. People, it's really necessary to laugh at life, don't care about your next step is prosperity or deep abyss.

  I pulled out the only 100 yuan from my clothes. Although the taxi fare was not that expensive, my blood had stained the car seat, anyway, maybe I won't be able to spend money in the world of the living anymore, so let's just consider it as a little compensation for this unlucky and honest driver.

  I quietly put the money on the back seat of the car, and then weakly said to the driver: "Don't put this thing in the future, it's useless to me. This is used by monks and nuns when they shake their heads during a social gathering, do you understand?"

  He saw that the Great Compassion Mantra had no effect on me, probably because he was afraid I would retaliate against him. At this time, he was already pale with fear, constantly nodding his head, but unable to speak.

  I forced a smile, then opened the car door. To my surprise, my left leg throbbed in pain with just one move, and my pants were almost stuck to the seat. I never thought that the scene I used to see on TV would actually happen to me.

  After getting off the bus, a gust of cold wind came, as if it was going to blow me down. Everything in front of me was blurry, but that didn't matter anymore, because I knew this was the path I had chosen for myself, so I would continue on, even if it led to a dead end shrouded in darkness.

  The Yuan's building was right in front of me, I took out a cigarette and put it in my mouth, and then I took out my phone and found that there were nine missed calls, all from Yi Xinxing, maybe he had already discovered that I was cheating him.

  Sorry, Lao Yi, I still can't get you involved in this. You have a mission to complete. If I don't take care of that little scum today, then I'll definitely die with Dong Shanshan. So, from now on, it's up to you to protect Zhang Yaxin.

  Turn off those notifications, looked at the time, and I was stunned.

  The time on the phone clearly showed 4:49.

  I rubbed my eyes and looked again carefully.

  The time on the phone is 4:50.

  What!!!!!! It's already been almost an hour???? My body hair is standing on end, this can't be happening! There shouldn't be a traffic jam at night, from Fukuzawa-dō to here it should take no more than 20 minutes, why has it taken an entire hour????

  How long did I sleep in the car?

  The cold wind continued to blow, and I really couldn't stand it anymore, so I sat down on the ground with a thud. It had already been an hour, what did that mean? That meant the underworld path opened by Lao Yi for me was now closed, which means Dong Shanshan is probably dead by now.

  Why!!!! Why am I so useless!!!! Why did I fall asleep!!!!!

  I slapped myself hard, no, this isn't real, I said I'd protect her, I won't let her die!! I ran frantically towards the Yuan's building, ignoring the wound that split open and bled as I ran, ignoring the pain, ignoring the blurry vision of things around me, ignoring the knife-like wind hitting my face, not knowing if it was sweat or tears, a cold, piercing feeling.

  One side runs. The previous short scenes, like film strips, flashed through my mind, and I felt a suffocating feeling. I tried hard to restrain myself from thinking about it, but it didn't work, and those scenes still appeared in front of me like a lantern slide.

  "Look at you, this young fellow is quite spirited after a good wash!"

  "In high school, you only had Du Feiyu in your heart and didn't even notice me."

  "No one is competing with you, eat slowly and don't choke."

  "Will you love me?"

  I don't want you dead, no!! I was like a madman, running from the staff corridor on the upper floor to the first floor lobby, shouting desperately:

  "Dong Shanshan!!!!!!!! Where are you!!!!!!!!! Come out quickly!!!!!!!!"

  But Dong Shanshan didn't show up, and my shouting attracted a group of night shift security guards instead. The guards had changed shifts and were no longer the same ones from that day. They yelled at me: "Who are you!!! Are you sick!!! What are you doing sneaking in so late at night!!!"

  At this time, I had already lost my sanity. I stumbled and staggered to the front of those security guards, shouting: "Dong Shanshan!!! Where is she?????"

  Those security guards saw me panting heavily, the lower half of my body was covered in blood, and without distinguishing between good and evil, they shouted at me with inexplicable words, taking me for a madman or a mentally ill person.

  The security guard standing in front of me saw my crazy appearance and without saying a word, took out his baton and hit me on the head. I finally experienced what it's like to be hit by a baton on the head - all I heard was a "thud" from my own head, but I didn't feel much pain. It seemed as if some liquid flowed down, blurring my right eye, which turned blood red.

  It was probably at that time, I had been dazed by anxiety and pain, I involuntarily rushed towards the security guard like him, I don't know where the strength came from, I snatched his baton and knocked him to the ground.

  The security guards next to me saw that I dared to fight back, and they rushed up together. I don't know who it was, but someone kicked my stomach with one foot, and then beat me up with a flurry of punches and kicks.

  I've become numb to the pain, unable to get up, and can only lie on the ground, hoarsely shouting: "Dong Shanshan!!! Where are you?! I'm begging you!!! Come out!!!"

  Please don't die.

  I felt several feet trampling on me, kicking me non-stop, and it seemed like there was no good spot left on my body. My face took several kicks, and the sneakers kicked onto it, swelling up quickly.

  My eyes are getting increasingly blurry, and even the sounds I hear with my ears have become noisy. Their curses at me are already becoming indistinct. The first time I was beaten, I cried out in pain, but still continued to shout.

  One by one.

  I don't know how long it took, but I seemed to hear Lao Yi's voice, and a woman's voice that was so familiar. Then the people who were hitting me reduced their strength, and I, lying on the ground, struggled to open my already swollen eyes, looking at the people in front of me, whose outlines were already blurry in my eyes.

  But I laughed. Because I saw, next to those security guards in uniform, standing two people, a man and a woman. The man was wearing all black clothes, I didn't know him, but the woman beside him, who else could it be but Dong Shanshan?

  It's great, it should be past five now. It seems that the little thing didn't come to this building after all. As for why it didn't come, it doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore.

  As long as she is still alive, nothing else matters.

  In my blurred vision, her eyes seemed to be shining with tears too. I don't know why she was crying, because of me? Never mind, none of this matters anymore.

  I feel my eyelids getting heavier, as if someone has picked me up, and it sounds like Lao Yi's voice, but my line of sight hasn't left Dong Shanshan. I struggle to raise my right hand towards her, and surprisingly, my right hand feels so heavy.

  It was as if an illusion had appeared, and everything had returned to our university days. I wanted to say to her, "Why are you crying again?"

  But his lips couldn't be opened no matter what.

  Suddenly everything went black before my eyes, just like someone had turned off the lights, and I fell into a faint.