ATPnovel Chapter 1 The Door on the Street Corner
Chapter 1 The Door on the Street Corner
In 2075, in Guangsha City, Shandun Old District
It was a July evening, just as the sun was setting.
Yu Jing, dressed in a black hoodie, squatted on the embankment by the river.
The unfamiliar neon-lit city across the river is in the blues of the transition between day and night.
The Qianfan Group headquarters skyscraper, a building on the ground, sheds its cold, hard metallic light during the daytime, with its glass refracting a gradient of deep space blue. The maglev ring rail passes between the buildings along the river, and the whole city seems to be blended into a layer of cool indigo filter.
At this moment, Yu Jing had no mind to appreciate this rare scenery.
His eyes, adorned with heavy dark circles, stared blankly at the surging waves of the Lanjiang River ahead.
If I could do it all over again, would I be able to go back?
The fortune teller said that Yu Jing would have a stroke of great luck when he turned 23, and then live the life of his dreams.
"You old geezer, I don't believe you for a second!"
Having lived peacefully for over twenty years, Yu Jing, who suddenly transmigrated due to a car accident, felt that feudal superstition was indeed unacceptable!
Rumble~
Suddenly, a series of muffled claps of thunder came from the horizon.
Due to its geographical environment, Guangsha City, known as the "Mountain City," has particularly changeable weather, especially during the summer months of June and July.
It was only just after nightfall when thick, cotton-like clouds began to spread from the northeast.
The already damp air by the river was even more chilly. Yu Jing stood up and took one last look at the river.
In this awful weather, the river water must be really cold, right?
She raised her hand and flipped up the hood behind her to cover her messy, ear-length black hair that hadn't been trimmed in a long time, then turned and left.
Who cares, let's eat first!
As you walk along the riverside promenade, a completely different cityscape unfolds on the opposite bank of the river.
There are no towering skyscrapers, no elevated highways or sky trains encircling the city, and no giant holographic carp swimming in mid-air.
This is the old town area of San Dun District.
The large housing estates built against the mountain occupy every corner of the view. The old buildings of varying heights are thirty to fifty stories high. The messy and aging cables are tangled in the streets and alleys. Occasionally, you can see the gable walls that have been there for who knows how long. The exterior is covered with rusted pipes, and moss and even ferns grow obliquely in the gaps. It is far from beautiful.
The neon signs in shades of blue, magenta, and fluorescent green were piled up in layers, making one's eyes sting.
Yu Jing kept her head down, scrolling through short videos, as she walked towards the noodle shop on the street.
This old-fashioned noodle shop is the place he has visited most often during the two weeks he has been here since his time travel.
There are many fragments of memories about this shop in the remaining memories of its predecessor, and the taste is indeed good.
A metal exhaust pipe extends from a hole in the wall to the left of the shop entrance, and steam swirls in the air before dissipating.
Let the guests who are about to leave pass by.
Yu Jing lifted the plastic curtain used for wind protection.
The kitchen was right behind the curtain, without any partition, and you could see a couple busy working inside.
A man wearing a pink apron around his neck was in charge of cooking, while a woman with a marker tucked behind her ear was responsible for preparing ingredients and taking orders.
The "sizzle" sound was incessant.
Orange flames rose, and the aroma of steaming noodles wafted towards us.
Their daughter carried plates between the dining tables in the inner room, serving dishes and clearing away the dishes.
"A bowl of pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles, with a fully cooked poached egg... and a bottle of soda, I'll have the lychee flavor."
I casually pulled a glass bottle of soda from a box against the wall, next to a screwdriver hanging on the wall.
It wasn't time to leave work yet, and the window seat was unusually empty, so Yu Jing quickened her pace to sit down.
A light rain began to fall outside the window, and the sky grew increasingly gloomy.
The colorful lights from the neon signs shone on the window, reflecting his face.
Although Yu Jing's difficulty in adapting to this unfamiliar world after transmigrating made him somewhat unkempt, one thing he had to admit was that his predecessor's appearance was indeed quite outstanding, belonging to the aloof and ascetic type.
He has deep-set features and well-defined facial lines.
Her slightly pale skin and medium-length black hair actually became a plus at this time.
The most obvious example is that since Yu Jing came in, the store manager's daughter has passed by the table five times. I don't know what's so interesting about the chopstick holder on that empty table next to her. The disposable chopsticks in the holder are almost overflowing!
"What should I buy to take home later? I think I'm out of toilet paper. I also need soda, chips, and sunflower seeds—essential for binge-watching. It's a shame my savings seem to be running low. Am I going to have to work again if I time-traveled?"
Yu Jing's gaze wandered unconsciously across the streets outside the window, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
If there are any obvious benefits to traveling to this near-future world...
For Yu Jing, the various classic TV series, movies, and even games of the new world were like a gift from heaven.
However, this kind of life also has its headaches.
For example, the balance of the original bank card would always decrease inexplicably.
Beep beep~ Beep beep~
The short notification tone interrupted Yu Jing's thoughts.
Again!
He frowned and looked down at his left wrist.
At first glance, there is nothing on the wrist, but a notification sound keeps coming out, leaving people puzzled.
However, if you look out the window, you can clearly see a uniquely shaped silver-gray watch on Yu Jing's left wrist in the mirror!
Yu Jing once thought that this watch was a must-have for time travelers.
Because apart from him, no one else could see the watch or hear its sound even through the mirror.
However, this excitement did not last long.
During this time, Yu Jing tried various methods at home to activate the watch, but he was still unable to actually touch it.
Even now, he can only observe his cheat ability through a mirror!
Fortunately, with the help of a portable mirror she bought at a convenience store, Yu Jing was able to roughly figure out the condition of the watch.
It is about three times larger than a regular watch, covering the entire left wrist. The thick, silver-gray case exudes a rugged mechanical beauty, while the wide strap is a buckle type with a leather lining, providing some protection.
On the left side of the dial is an electronic screen that occupies two-thirds of the area and has a certain curvature.
Because it cannot be activated, Yu Jing has never seen what kind of image it would present in its normal state.
The right side of the dial is more complicated.
First is the black knob, about the size of a thumb, in the upper right corner. It has several labels on it, namely:
Status, talents, items, map, broadcast.
Yu Jing believes this is the key to controlling the screen, but he hasn't found a way to put his hand inside the mirror, so he can't use it for the time being.
Secondly, there's the light gray knob in the lower right corner, which is slightly smaller.
It has no clear label, and its specific function is unclear.
Finally, the source of the short beep is the semi-circular dial located between the two knobs. Inside the dial is a black pointer, a pitch-black pattern resembling an alien head, and a scale from 1 to 10 that occupies most of the area.
The range from 5 to 10 is shown in red, as if to warn you of something.
So far, this is the only function that Yu Jing has discovered that works.
Its pointer mostly remains stationary, but occasionally, when it goes out for a stroll and passes by a certain place, it will emit this short beep.
Yu Jing tried to find the source that could make it emit a notification sound.
The result was disappointing; no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find anything special, and in the end, nothing came of it.
However, the situation seems to be a little different today.
The notification tone, which was originally spaced two seconds apart, became increasingly rapid within a short period of seven or eight seconds.
Yu Jing hurriedly brought his left wrist close to the window and wiped the grease off the glass. Only then did he realize that the pointer had somehow moved from 0 to around 3.5 and was still tilting upwards.
Something is wrong!
It's worth noting that Yu Jing hasn't moved from her seat since she entered the noodle shop.
This undoubtedly means that the source of the notification sound is constantly moving closer to his location!
A strong premonition that was hard to describe made Yu Jing involuntarily tense up, and he subconsciously straightened up and looked around.
The situation inside the store remains the same as always.
Several guests each occupied a table to eat noodles and play on their phones, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Is it outside the store?
Yu Jing turned his gaze back to the street outside.
Pedestrians hurrying by in the rain, delivery drivers on electric scooters, cars parked on the street...
Wait, what's that?
Yu Jing's gaze suddenly froze, and he leaned closer with a look of surprise on his face.
Through the window, he saw a blurry shadow appear at the street corner about twenty meters away from the noodle shop.
To get a better view, I simply reached out and opened the window a crack.
The scene that immediately appeared before his eyes caused his pupils to suddenly contract.
From the blurry light and shadow in the middle of the street, a nearly three-meter-tall gray-green humanoid monster crawled out.
Its lower limbs were short and thick, its back was hunched over with tumors, its two thin arms dragged on the ground, its sharp claws with distinct joints scratched at the road, its huge, skull-like head protruded forward, its sparse long hair was draped over its shoulders, its dark gray eyes darted around, and its nose, consisting of only two triangular black holes, twitched constantly, as if it were trying to catch any remaining breath in the air.
Even more bizarrely, its nauseatingly bloated body also had a door growing out of it...
You read that right, it's a decaying wooden door with twisted patterns all over its surface, embedded in the monster's abdomen and chest.
"What the hell?"
Yu Jing, feeling a chill run down his spine, suddenly stood up to leave, but after a couple of seconds, as if remembering something, he quickly sat back down.
the reason is simple.
Yu Jing noticed that although the monster swaggered into the middle of the street, none of the pedestrians screamed or ran away. Even a food delivery driver drove straight through it without provoking any attack from the monster.
This is enough to prove that the monster is not a holographic projection, nor is it some kind of prank or variety show.
Otherwise, passersby wouldn't have reacted this way.
Ordinary people can neither see the monster nor touch it.
Yu Jing's watch had similar characteristics, which convinced him that the warning was triggered by this monster that seemed to exist in another dimension.
That's why Yu Jing realized he couldn't run, at least not in a panic!
To him, the current situation resembled a ghost encounter in a horror movie.
Pretending not to see the ghost and disguising yourself as a passerby will likely ensure your safety. Just like the previous times when I heard the warning sound, as long as I ignored it or wandered around, the watch would quickly go silent again.
Any overly unusual behavior will only reveal that you can see the monster, thus attracting its attention.
This could ultimately lead to unpredictable consequences.
Beep beep~ Beep beep~
The watch's beeping sound was increasing in speed.
The hands on the watch face reflected in the window had already landed on the deep red mark of 7.
Yu Jing didn't even need to look out the window to know that the monster was getting closer and closer to him.
His intuition told him that staying was not a good idea, so he decisively got up and went to the kitchen.
"Boss, here's my takeout, thank you."