Qin Ye walked in.
It wasn't well renovated, and the entire coffee shop exuded a sense of disrepair and disrepair.
The walls were yellowed, and there were movie posters plastered on the old wooden floor. There was a strange smell of coffee mixed with some strange odors.
The dusty ceiling lights were somewhat dim.
His shoes creaked as he stepped on the cheap wooden floor.
He pushed the door open, only to see a young man with dyed blond hair yelling into his phone, "I'm the prophet. Don't ask me why I'm checking on him. The prophet can check on whoever he wants. Number eight, jump … err … you … Hello."
Perhaps because he hadn't expected anyone to be here, he immediately switched off his microphone, "What … would you like to order?"
Poor service!
Qin Ye didn't respond. Instead, he glanced around and asked, "Is this an all-night coffee shop?"
"That's right. Someone comes to change shifts at six." Sensing that Qin Ye had no intention of ordering anything, the attendant glanced at his phone from time to time.
Qin Ye was somewhat displeased. I'm standing right in front of you, and you're still in the mood to watch a werewolf fight?
I'm not happy.
"Do you have a menu?" He asked as he strolled around.
"No."
"... Cake?"
"No."
"... Tea?"
"This is a coffee shop …" The attendant had already noticed that everyone else was smashing eggs because of his rye. He gritted his teeth and forced a smile, "Shrimp noodles, gratulas, Huainan beef soup. We have everything."
Hurry up!
I'm about to lose, alright?!
Qin Ye coughed softly, "Speaking of which, isn't this a coffee shop … You look like you're selling dog meat … What's a gratulas?
Give me an introduction?
I've never heard of shrimp noodles either … "
You could say that his service was extremely poor!
The attendant shut off his game in resignation, "Gratulas are …"
"Then give me a bowl of shrimp noodles." Qin Ye smiled as he watched the attendant switch off his phone.
Perfect.
The attendant gulped and stared at Qin Ye. Bro … you're quite the sociopath … aren't you just here to mess with me …
"How many taels?!" He gritted his teeth.
"Two taels." Qin Ye happily looked for chair number four. The attendant turned around and shouted, "Shrimp two!"
He turned around, only to see Qin Ye sitting on chair number four. Without hesitation, he yelled, "You can't sit there!"
Qin Ye paused.
"Why?"
The shop assistant appeared to be stunned. Several seconds later, he stammered, "Someone's … booked it …"
"I thought they weren't here yet?" Qin Ye smiled and was just about to sit down when he suddenly felt that the shop assistant was a little cute.
"Brother!"
Unexpectedly, the shop assistant rushed over and grabbed his hand desperately. "You really can't sit there … I'll find a better place for you.
How about the small sofa at table six? "
Thud … At this moment, a light sound came from the door.
The clerk took a deep breath and scurried behind the counter.
Du … Du … The rhythmic sounds continued to ring out.
The shabby cafe seemed to have fallen silent because of this voice.
A few seconds later, a figure stood at the door.
Through the gaps between the small advertisements, one could only see that it was very tall.
Creak … With a jarring creak, the door opened slowly, and a strange man walked in.
He was wearing a velvet coat, a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. Even his hands were covered in black leather gloves. Not much of his body was exposed.
His legs weren't too good, and he used a walking stick to support himself as he walked straight towards Qin Ye.
Thud … The floorboards sank slightly, and the 1.85m tall figure transformed into a black projection. His voice was hoarse, "Is that … you?"
"There's a new reply today." The tall figure stood against the light as he gently brushed his black leather gloves across table four, "Is that you?"
Qin Ye nodded.
The tall figure sat down at table four and pointed to the seat opposite him, "Have a seat.
It's on me. "
The shop assistant desperately tried to signal Qin Ye with his eyes, but Qin Ye ignored them.
He smiled faintly and sat down.
Interesting.
There was no Yin energy, no corpse energy, and yet … no vitality.
It was almost as though he were a walking corpse.
The man's coat was very old, and there were many pom-poms on it. He did not seem to be in good health, and he was panting slightly.
He ordered a glass of water and stared at Qin Ye through his sunglasses.
"You seem … to have been waiting?" Qin Ye finally took the initiative to ask.
The shop assistant poured him a glass of water and quickly ran away. Qin Ye gazed deeply into the man's eyes.
He didn't say anything else.
The man put down his walking stick and picked up the glass of water. However, he didn't drink it. Instead, he gasped for breath for several seconds before responding, "That's right … I've been waiting."
"Every day, every second, I've been eagerly anticipating that someone would respond to my post."
He leaned back into his chair with some measure of exhaustion, "That's why I came especially early when I saw your reply.
I'd hoped to see you in advance. "
"My name is Li Jiankang … I'm 48 years old this year, and I live at Tianxi Fish Market."
"Let's cut the chit-chat." Qin Ye turned around and saw that the noodles had been served, and he waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for the time being.
Then, he looked straight into the man's sunglasses, "Since we're all in a hurry, why don't we start now?"
There were many people out there who were looking for an additional 40 credits. Since he was already one step ahead, he didn't mind taking the lead.
Everyone in the room fell silent, almost as though they were surprised by Qin Ye's straightforwardness.
"This happened this year …" After a long time, Li Jiankang finally spoke, "I live alone at Tianxi Fish Market.
Because of the demolition, there aren't many residents left. "
"I have a cat. It's called Bell. It's very cute. It's a little black cat.
It's also very obedient, and it doesn't bark at all. But … ever since August of this year, it … has been acting strangely. "
Li Jiankang's grip on the glass made a cracking sound. He drew a deep breath and continued hoarsely, "I didn't notice it in the beginning. But over the next ten days or so, it behaved exactly the same.
It would stay right outside the door, right next to the door, and it would refuse to enter the house. Every night, at 11.50 p.m., it would start barking madly at the house. "
"Can you believe it? It's like this every day, every single day, at exactly 11.50 p.m.? It's not that it's in heat, but that Bell has undergone surgery. It's almost as though … as though there's something in the house that's giving it the creeps.
It … doesn't dare to come in. "
Splash … The water in his glass spilled all over his gloves because of the trembling of his hands.
He put down the blanket and leaned back in his chair in order to restrain his trembling.
"Then, in the middle of September, on that night … Bell entered the house for the first time in months."
He closed his eyes and raised his head slightly, yet his hands were still tightly gripping the armrests of his chair like a taut bow, "I can still remember its appearance … Its entire body was arched, and its black fur was standing on end. It stared at me cautiously. Its eyes were green, and it slowly approached me step by step …"
"And then … it bit me."
He shot up abruptly and stared straight into Qin Ye's eyes, "Do you know something? It was almost as though Bell had gone berserk back then.
I … I had a feeling that it wasn't trying to bite me, but something else … right next to me, right next to me! "
"It was because it was pouncing straight for my shoulder, almost as though a human head had grown out of my shoulder!!!"
He panted violently.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
His voice was somewhat high-pitched, almost as though it were a broken trumpet.
Ten seconds later, Li Jiankang raised his right hand and pointed to his glove. His voice had calmed down once more, and he was panting slightly, "It bit me very deeply. It even left a scar on my hand. I had no choice but to go to the hospital.
But, I had to get a friend to keep an eye on the shop for me every day between midnight and five o 'clock … "
His voice trembled, almost as though he were trying his best to control his fear, "But … but …"
Qin Ye lifted his eyelids and casually twirled a pencil on the table, "He's … dead?"
No response.
Several seconds later, Li Jiankang responded with a numb voice, "He's dead."
"How did he die?" Qin Ye asked, completely unfazed.
"He was bitten to death …" Li Jiankang's entire body trembled, and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself, "That's definitely not a normal way of dying … Those are teeth marks that can only be found on a large beast. But do you know something …"
His voice was filled with a spine-chilling terror, and he stared at Qin Ye like a corpse, "I've secretly asked a forensic friend of mine, and he told me that the bite was similar to that of a ferocious beast, and the teeth marks … were those of a human!"
"It's a human … it's a human!!"
"The door was locked from the inside!
The windows weren't open either!
My friend … was bitten to death by a human in my own home!!! "
His last few words were spoken in a somewhat high-pitched voice, and he appeared to have lost control of his emotions.
The shop assistant had already slipped away as soon as Li Jiankang spoke.
There were only two people left in the shop. Li Jiankang's voice carried a trace of echo as it drifted through the air.
Sunlight shone into the shop from outside, and specks of dust could even be seen floating in the air. The desolate interior of the shop was filled with a cold, oppressive atmosphere.
"What else?" Qin Ye finally asked.
Li Jiankang's body trembled as though he were suffering a stroke, "When I returned, I saw bloodstains all over the bed and the walls. They were the result of clawing with my bare hands!!
That must be it!
He was bitten and brought here … "
He pointed to his neck, "Half of his neck is missing … but there's no blood …"
"There's not a single drop of blood in the entire room. My friend's corpse looks as though it's been sucked dry … it's incomparably shriveled … haa …"
It was obviously daytime, and yet he was trembling uncontrollably, almost as though … someone were staring at him from behind.
He pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Qin Ye tapped his fingers on the table, "Where's your wife and son?"
"Dead." Li Jiankang responded with a muffled voice, "They died a few years ago …"
"Haven't you looked for anyone else?"