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APOCALYPSE COUNTDOWN:
60 days left
If you want to live, go to this website:
www.bingshi.com
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A new video had been posted by Bing Shi, and this time, it was different. She was alone, sitting on the floor with her legs spread and her back against the black screen. She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling as she spoke in a flat, emotionless voice.
"Do you ever feel like you don't belong anywhere? Like no one understands you? That's how I feel right now. Welcome to my world. This will be my last video."
Silence followed as a somber song played in the background. Her loyal fans, who had watched all of her videos, protested heavily as they listened to the song. Though they couldn't see her face or hear her cries, they understood the depth of her despair.
Was she still searching for her lost boyfriend? Was that the reason for her desolation? Or was it because the end of the world was nearing and nobody took her seriously as they should?
"To all the lonely souls out there. We may be homeless, but we are not hopeless. Goodbye," were Bing Shi's final words before the video ended. The weight of her sorrow lingered long after the screen faded to black.
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For ten consecutive months, an oxygen mask supplied the man in a coma with life-giving air. The bandages that once covered his wounds were now gone, revealing a pale, sickly face. The man's cheeks were hollowed out, and dark circles ringed his eyes, emphasizing his exhaustion.
During the collision, the airbags failed to deploy, and the man hadn't covered his face in time, resulting in a few scars across his face. The marks stretched from his temple down to his chin, and although they had begun to heal, they still looked raw and angry.
The man's narrow eyes, which hadn't seen sunlight for an extended period, finally opened. Squinting against the bright light, he looked around the sterile, white room. His gaze was unfocused at first, but as his vision cleared, he took in his surroundings with a mixture of confusion.
When a nurse walked into the room, her eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Ren Han! You're awake?!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. She hurried over to his bed, her footsteps echoing on the tiled floor.
"How do you feel?" she asked eagerly, her eyes scanning his face for any signs of discomfort.
The man stared at her in puzzlement, his eyes still adjusting to the bright lights of the room. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, an immeasurable pain assaulted his brain. It felt like a thousand needles were piercing his skull, and he let out a guttural groan of agony. "Arrrrgh...." His hands flew to his head, grasping at his hair, trying to ease the pain.
Scene after scene, memory after memory flooded his mind. The man called Ren Han, his past self, came rushing back to him with such force that it felt like he was drowning in a sea of memories.
But then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pain began to subside. The memories retreated, and his mind settled down. The nurse watched him with concern as she pressed the emergency button.
"Fūck…" Ignoring the nurse's protests, the man ripped off the oxygen mask and pulled out the IV. He was determined to get out of bed and find out what had happened to him.
Despite the nurse's attempts to stop him, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, his bare feet touching the cold, hard floor. His legs felt unsteady beneath him, and he stumbled forward, knocking over a nearby chair. His weak body wasn't used to such rapid movements, and he struggled to maintain his balance. 'Fūck this...'
The doctors arrived quickly and helped the man to his feet. They bombarded him with a barrage of questions, trying to piece together what had happened and why he had been in a coma for so long. After finding no issues with his brain, they advised him to rest and recover before attempting any further physical exertion.
Alone at last, he picked up a nearby phone and opened the front camera. Staring back at him was not the handsome youth with rustled brown haircut he was used to. Instead, a stranger in his late twenties with scars all over his miserable face looked back at him.
The previously short hair had grown longer and spread across his forehead like stray streaks of charcoal. He touched his stubbly jaw with long, bony fingers, and his brows scrunched in disdain as he muttered to himself, "I look like shit."
While browsing the internet, his expression darkened with confusion and disbelief. "Apocalypse? Bing Shi?" he muttered under his breath, 'What the fūck is this world?'
When his parents appeared, he immediately transformed into the Ren Han from his memories, his smile calculated and composed. 'I should as well go with the flow,' he thought to himself, determined to keep up the act.
During the psychical rehabilitation, he binge-watched this Bing Shi person, who seemed to have authority over the whole network. She gained his recognition; the kinds of stuff she was capable of was humanly impossible.
From her videos, it was clear that the apocalypse was looming. But after watching the last one, he grew cynical. With such immense power at her fingertips, why was Bing Shi so passive? He couldn't help but wonder why she didn't just seize control of the world.
A week later, he refused to visit his parents and instead drove out of the city at full speed, freshly shaved and armed with knowledge from Ren Han's memories. The car accident that had caused his current physical state seemed to have had no impact on him. He drove straight to his small apartment, which Ren Han had kept clean and tidy.
The bedroom was plain but immaculate. A simple navy bed with heavy dumbbells and other workout equipment next to it occupied one corner, while a small wardrobe and desktop computer sat in the opposite corner. He ordered some food and clothes and then began his investigation of the dark web, sifting through information about Bing Shi's bounty and the black market.
His phone rang and he answered it, only to hear the voice of a colleague on the other end. "Ren Han, I know you're on vacation, but we've been asked by the military to assist in the Bing Shi's boyfriend test. We've run out of single men, so could you help us out?"
Ren Han, 'Fūck her test.'
The colleague's voice took on a warning tone as Ren Han remained silent. "Ren Han, this is an order from the higher-ups."
'Fūck them.' Ren Han hung up the phone without a word and continued with his own plans, ignoring the request from his colleague.
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The next morning, Bing Shi sat on her couch, snacking on sweet potatoes while wearing black cargo pants and a thin jumper. As she went through her videos, she came across one that caused her to choke. Tears welled up in her eyes as she frantically pumped her chest.
The video showed a man with a black hoodie covering half of his face, licking a lemon with a broad smile as he provocatively pointed his middle finger at her. The image was both disturbing and provocative, and Bing Shi couldn't help but wonder about the identity of this mysterious figure.
(Ren Han): I was dragged into this būllshit.
Was his reason for choosing the "No" option.
