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Chapter 21: 21

Doo… Doo… KACHA!

The phone call connected .

Gu Jun’s brows furrowed as his heart skipped a beat . From the other end, all he heard was the buzzing of static probably due to the weak signal . His eyes darted around, observing the alley . As his ears stuck to the phone’s receiver, his mouth remained sealed . He had no intentions of speaking, he only wanted to find out if there were any inhabitants left in Gurong Village .

The recipient of the call also remained silent . The buzzing noises slowly heightened .

As the noise grew more substantial, the frenzy that rumbled within Gu Jun’s heart overwhelmed him .

Who? Who was at the other end of the call!?

As much as he wished to scream the question, he suppressed it with all his might . He even held back his breath for fear that his voice would be revealed . The moment his voice was known, horrors may descend upon him .

“…” Despite the pressure on his mind gradually ballooning, Gu Jun did not hang up . Instead, he tried his utmost best to understand the low buzzing .

Is this a language? Is this the same thing I heard at the Longkan Seafloor Volcanic Belt?

No, no… This is the sound from the constant rubbing and squeezing of the throat .

Something is there . It’s trying to speak to me…

Gu Jun tried to listen clearly, but the surrounding environment was noisy . The passing motorcycles, residents talking, and songs playing in the store hindered his hearing . These sounds mixed together and covered the strange voice . While walking towards the depths of the alley, he glued his ears to the phone .

Shask . Shask .

As noise reduces, the strange voice on the other side of the phone got more prominent .

When Gu Jun arrived at a secluded garbage collection spot at the end of the alley, he could hear it clearly . In an undertone, the voice murmured, “Save me…”

5

The hoarse whisper on the other end of the phone said these exact words “Save me . ”

That was a human’s voice . While it was low, hoarse, and trembling, he could distinctly hear the emotions . The fear was unmistakable .

As though the dam was released, words flooded out, “I’m… not dead… I’m not part… . I don’t have it… the thing… in the banyan tree… Let me out… AHH! I… I don’t want to die… Save, save me…:”

The immense pain and suffering pierced Gu Jun’s heart repeatedly and balled up suffocatingly .

He could tell that this person was a villager of Gurong Village . For now, he hadn’t died, but he could also not leave the village . The disease had infected him and caused malformations which restricted him from leaving the premises of the town .

A few days ago, Gu Jun was still plagued by a terminal illness . He knew too well the pain of despair caused by helplessness in the face of death .

3

“Save me, please I’m begging you… save me…” the grief-stricken voice continued to wail .

Gu Jun’s hands tightened around the phone . A surprising scene surfaced in his mind . In the first lesson of his freshman year, he, together with his entire class, had taken the Hippocratic Oath . He vowed indifferently . To him, this was just a fake pointless ritual .

“I will remember that I remain a member of society with special obligations to all my fellow human beings . ”

“I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow . ”

Darkness loomed over Gu Jun . As a medical slave, it was his natural calling to save people . Yet now, he found himself helpless . He could not save the director of Gurong Village . He could not save the boy who attempted to climb the tree . Now, he could not save this man on the phone .

“Within the banyan tree…” The voice spoke in an increasing pained and hoarse tone . “That thing… don’t… never…”

6

Suddenly, the call was cut .

Doo… . Doo… Doo…

Gu Jun looked down at the phone and took a deep breath . Softly, he swore, “I’m sorry if I can, I want to save you . But now, I don’t have that ability . I haven’t…” He looked up at the warm evening sky and heaved a long sigh . With this long breath, a part of his heart became more firm .

2

That is what he wanted to do; to be a real doctor; to save people .

He didn’t have enormous admirable and honourable reasons . He just felt that he needed to do it .

4

Gu Jun stood still for a while, sorting out his chaotic and messy mood while silently pulling out this new SIM card .

What’s in the banyan tree? He began to think about what the dying villager just said .

What was inside? Is the source of the malformation in that big banyan tree?

The snaking large tree branches, the craggy tree bark, the dangling creepers, and the malformed limbs .

The various visions he had seen looped unceasingly within his mind . Suddenly, a realisation struck him . The malformed limbs on the cadavers looked very much like the banyan tree’s branches .

But then again, how did a tree become the source of disease?

1

As the thoughts brewed in his mind, he turned and walked back .

The sky had dimmed a few tones as cold breezes caressed all who were outside . Suddenly, anxiety struck Gu Jun’s mind . His eyes darted around his surroundings . This area was called “Fortune Alley” . There were no tall skyscrapers; only antique classical style buildings . Between them were narrow pavements sandwiched by old shop signs, the remnants of a gradually vanishing tradition .

Owed to the plethora of traditional cuisine available here, Gu Jun had come here often In the past . Eastern University students were also a common sight here .

While this area was hectic and cluttered, Gu Jun knew every turn and street .

Yet, as he walked on the battered cement pavement, there was an ominous sense of distant hostility closing onto him .

Plop, plop . Plop . Water droplets landed and echoed through the alley .

While the clouds were gathering in the sky, there was no rain .

Plop, plop, plop .

Quickly, Gu Jun whipped his head back and glared cautiously into the narrow aged alley behind him .

There was nothing . Only the lights of the old signages sway in the light breeze “Suave Hair Barber, Professional Haircut”, “Yonglong Hotel”, “Printing Services” .

“It’s that man that was stalking me . ” Gu Jun was absolutely sure that man was following him from a distance! Various options immediately played out in his mind . Withdrawing his glance, he turned around . To his surprise, he saw that man with a flat-head stood right in front of him; a mere 5 steps away .

What do I do? Pretending to walk without knowing anything? Turning and walking away nonchalantly?

Gu Jun took a deep breath and calmed himself .

He noticed that the flat-head man’s eyes were looking at him without bothering to hide the dark and hostile intentions .

Gu Jun immediately understood . He knew that I’d found out about his stalking activities . As such, he had chosen to appear like this .

In an instant, Gu Jun decided to be preemptive . Pretending to be just an ordinary person going about everyday things, he asked frivolously and loudly, “Old man, who are you? I seem to have seen you a few times recently . Why do you keep staring at me? What are you looking at?”

“Mr . Gu . ” The flat-head man smiled eerily, the corner of his mouth opened like a puppet’s mouth that was ripped open . “Give me the thing, and you will be fine . ”

4

Gu Jun was unfazed . In his mind, he scurried for a solution to this scenario . Li Yuerui’s phone was in the inner pocket of his jacket .

Looks like he was really looking for it .