INSIDER Chapter 3

Quiet.

The radish, which had been playfully rolling around, suddenly began circling anxiously in place, letting out low growls and occasionally lowering its front body and baring its sharp teeth. Lu Chu snapped out of his daze and, without having time to ponder the meaning of the man’s words, hurriedly typed the girl’s parents’ names into his phone, trying to call them.

“Beep—beep—”

Moments later, a sweet customer service message came from the other end of the phone: “The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

Worried people make mistakes.

Lu Chu closed his unfocused eyes, raised his head slightly, and collected his thoughts.

Since the girl called him instead of her parents, it could only mean she couldn’t reach them either. Trying to call them himself was pointless.

As his thoughts settled, Lu Chu realized the man seemed to know what was happening. He turned his body towards the man, lowered his eyes, and asked, “What do you mean by ‘begin’?” Even without seeing the man’s expression, Lu Chu could sense his extraordinary calmness, like an outsider who knew everything and controlled everything. The man stared at Lu Chu without answering, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, he suddenly asked, “Why did you stop smiling?”

Lu Chu didn’t respond, furrowing his brow.

How could he smile?

The man, not getting an answer, stared at Lu Chu’s mouth for a moment, then said calmly, “It has begun, but it’s just the beginning.”

“What exactly has begun?”

“You’ll find out.”

Lu Chu didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he stood up to leave. The radish, seeing his movement, immediately stopped its anxious actions and followed closely behind him, eyes wary like a beast’s.

The man said nothing, just watched as Lu Chu, who had been smiling warmly at him moments ago, now left with a silent, frowning face.

He knew Lu Chu would go to the girl’s place, seeking the truth.

Lu Chu knew where the girl’s home was but not the exact building or unit. Holding his usual walking stick, he stood at the entrance of the girl’s residential complex, tapping the ground with it, making a “da-da-da” sound.

Occasionally, passersby came and went in the complex. A middle-aged woman saw Lu Chu standing there motionless and kindly approached him, asking, “Young man, do you need help with something?”

Lu Chu turned towards her voice and politely asked, “Hello, do you know Zhou Xiran?”

“Xiran? Of course, I know her, but who are you…?”

“I’m her teacher,” Lu Chu said with a warm smile. “I need to visit her for something important, but I forgot the exact address. I tried calling her, but there’s no answer, and I’m getting anxious.”

In this town, the people were simple and honest, and there was rarely any crime. Plus, Lu Chu’s gentle and handsome appearance made the woman trust him completely. She warmly said, “Oh, I see. Her home is in the inner building. Let me take you there.”

“Thank you very much.”

“No trouble at all, it’s a small matter!”

Lu Chu listened to her footsteps to determine her direction and followed her, leading the radish along.

“You’ve raised this dog well. It looks very smart, like it’s got a bit of spirit.”

Talking about the radish, Lu Chu finally smiled genuinely. “Radish is quite clever, always by my side since it was a puppy.”

“Radish? That’s a good name, sounds easy to take care of…”

The woman chatted with Lu Chu, occasionally glancing at his unfocused eyes and then asking, “What’s wrong with your eyes…?”

It’s not surprising it took her a while to notice. As the only blind person in history, being unable to see was something people considered an anomaly, almost like a local urban legend. Normally, people wouldn’t immediately notice, just thinking he kept his head slightly lowered out of shyness.

Lu Chu had encountered this many times. He smiled calmly and said, “I’m blind.”

“Blind?” The woman immediately frowned. “Just like my husband…”

Lu Chu’s heart sank. “What do you mean?”

“My husband,” she said, “last night, out of nowhere, he told me he couldn’t see. I was puzzled, but after a while, he said he was fine again. It worried me for nothing.”

“Did he really recover quickly?”

“Yes,” she said, suddenly stopping, “we’re here. Xiran’s home is on the third floor. Her mom and I are old friends.”

Just then, her phone rang. She answered it and her expression turned anxious. “How could that be? He was just at home! …Okay, okay, I’m coming back right now!”

She hung up and apologized to Lu Chu, “Sorry, young man, something’s come up at home. I need to hurry back. Xiran’s place is 301, right at the end on the third floor.”

Lu Chu smiled. “No problem at all, thank you for your help. Go take care of your family matters. I’ll handle the rest.”

The middle-aged woman rushed off. Lu Chu tapped his walking stick habitually and then made his way upstairs.

“301.” Lu Chu stood in front of a door and recited the number.

The radish barked once. Lu Chu knew this was the place. The radish had been specially trained, and his parents had spent a lot of time turning it into a guide dog. It could even recognize simple numbers.

“Ding dong—” Lu Chu rang the doorbell.

No one answered. He rang it twice more, still no answer. He knocked and called out, “Zhou Xiran, are you home?”

At that moment, a woman carrying several bags came upstairs and asked Lu Chu, “Who are you and why are you at my door?”

Lu Chu turned towards the voice. “Hello, are you the owner of this house?”

“I am…” The woman looked at him suspiciously. “What do you want?”

Lu Chu apologized. “Sorry to bother you. I’m a friend of Zhou Xiran. She called me earlier, seemed urgent, and I couldn’t reach you. We talked briefly, but then she hung up suddenly. I’m worried about her, so I came to check.”

The woman was half-convinced, but seeing Lu Chu’s genuinely kind face, she muttered, “What could happen to Xiran?” while taking out her keys to unlock the door.

“Click—”

The door opened.

“Xiran, Mom’s back with the groceries—” The woman’s cheerful voice stopped abruptly, turning into a terrified scream, “Xiran! What’s wrong with you? Why is there so much blood?”

The moment the door opened, Lu Chu smelled the pungent scent of blood. The radish started circling and barking frantically behind him.

“It’s so dark, even with the lights on…”

“So quiet, no sound even when something breaks…”

“It hurts, it hurts… no, it doesn’t hurt… cutting my leg and arm with a knife, it doesn’t hurt…”

The young girl’s voice drifted in, sickly and lifeless, as if she were just mumbling to herself. Her mother, meanwhile, was frantically trying to stem the flow of hot blood from her daughter’s body, her hands trembling as she called for help. “Go back.” The man appeared silently behind Lu Chu.

Lu Chu wasn’t surprised by his presence. He knew the man had been following him.

Without turning around, Lu Chu asked calmly, “What exactly has begun?”

“A plague.”

“What kind?”

“A citywide loss of sensation.”