They refrained from resorting to violence, but their verbal onslaught was overwhelming. The quartet with the Cayenne finally grumbled and drove away, and even the thick fog couldn’t hinder their hasty departure.
Insisting that Ren Feiyu undergo a comprehensive examination at the school hospital, Xia Yang stated, “Don’t think that everything is fine if there are no immediate issues. Some internal injuries may take days to manifest after a collision.”
Lin Wu and Li Junchi agreed, then turned to Xia Yang, “After talking about others, can you please take a look at yourself in the mirror?”
The doctor on duty at the school hospital’s outpatient department was Dr. Xiang from the surgical department.
Several doctors in the surgical department at the school hospital knew Ren Feiyu.
“How come it’s you again?” Although four young men entered with a ruckus, Dr. Xiang immediately focused on Ren Feiyu, “I thought you were quite honest, yet you seem to be either stumbling or colliding all the time.”
Ren Feiyu drooped his head, not bothering to explain to the doctor that he collided with a car on a foggy day. Like every time before, he wouldn’t tell the doctor that he got bruises from falling into an uncovered dry well behind the school, sprained his foot by missing the steps in front of the library, got a cut by tripping over the chairs and desks in the self-study classroom, or dislocated his jaw by using his teeth to open a bottle of Old Snow Beer.
After criticizing Ren Feiyu, Dr. Xiang noticed that there was an even more fascinating story behind.
Returning from the school hospital, Ren Feiyu enjoyed his self-heating hot pot alone, leaving the sausages for the three brothers who had helped him.
What about the big loaf of bread?
The first-year students, Lin Wu, Xia Yang, and Li Junchi, who had tasted this specialty thanks to Ren Feiyu, all tactfully chose to forget this matter.
“In fact, if you steam it, it will soften…” Ren Feiyu from the first year explained so.
At that time, Lin Wu, Li Junchi, and Xia Yang: “We don’t have a steamer in the dorm.”
“It’s also delicious in Lorong Sarong soup…”
“We don’t have soup.”
“Pair it with Gervais and sausage, chew slowly…”
“We can’t afford to lose our teeth.”
“Or cut the top, hollow it out, leave the hard shell, and fill it with thick soup, preferably creamy seafood soup with shrimp, fish slices, clams, plus light cream and milk for stewing…”
“Do we need to turn eating a big loaf of bread into a Michelin three-star team?”
—Later, they still ate it, chewed it, that’s the immortal friendship of 333. No more words, too touching, all tears.
The thick fog persisted for two and a half days.
This was the noon of the third day.
“I can’t take it anymore; my mentality is collapsing,” Ren Feiyu, with a bitter face, rolled on the bed, occasionally glancing at the dense fog outside the window with despair. “How can this be; it’s too terrifying.”
Li Junchi had just prepared a bucket of instant noodles and was searching for locally cached binge-watching shows on his phone, “Your mentality collapses every day; don’t blame heaven for your troubles.”
“But this time, it’s a big collapse, a complete collapse,” Ren Feiyu sat up in a rush, “global fog, my brothers, something unprecedented in human history!”
Lin Wu absentmindedly scrolled through Weibo.
Although Ren Feiyu was always inclined to think negatively and constantly spread a pessimistic vibe, this time he wasn’t exaggerating.
The top trending topics had been dominated by weather-related news for three consecutive days.
The first day: “Rare Widespread Fog Emerges Globally.”
The second day: “Fog Range Rapidly Expanding.”
The third day: “Mysterious Fog Sweeps Across the Globe.”
In just three days, the entire world had been swallowed by thick fog.
“We can’t do anything here; let’s just wait patiently,” Xia Yang, who had just finished trash-talking with a group of elementary school students on break, had now completely embraced the Buddhist mentality. What could be more heart-wrenching than playing a game halfway and having your teammate say, “My mom told me to do my homework”?
“But what if the fog doesn’t dissipate,” Ren Feiyu went on a wild imagination spree, “what if the weather continues like this in the future, what if we have to live in perpetual fog? By then, we won’t be able to see the road when driving, we can only rely on walking. Speaking will be impossible, and we’ll have to shout. Even scarier is that plants won’t be able to grow without sunlight, leading to widespread extinction. Then herbivores, with nothing to eat, will also go extinct, followed by carnivores without prey, and then we’ll run out of things to eat, and…”
“Da Yu,” Lin Wu reached over, patted him on the shoulder, “Control yourself, Da Yu.”
Ren Feiyu was on the verge of tears, “I can’t control myself…”
Lin Wu embraced him, “Brother, think about it. If we really have to live in perpetual fog, there will definitely be corresponding inventions, just like sunscreen for the day, night vision goggles for the night, and now cars have fog lights. Are you afraid that future streetlights won’t be able to penetrate the mist?”
Ren Feiyu: “But flowers and plants…”
Lin Wu: “We can create artificial suns.”
Ren Feiyu: “Herbivores…”
Lin Wu: “Won’t go extinct.”
Ren Feiyu: “Carnivores…”
Lin Wu: “Will happily roam.”
Ren Feiyu: “What about us…”
Lin Wu: “Soar upwards every day, contributing to the bright future of humanity.”
Ren Feiyu: “But what if none of these succeed? What if everything goes extinct?”
Lin Wu: “There are still marine animals; life originated from the ocean. Even if it happens, evolution can happen again.”
Ren Feiyu: “…”
Lin Wu: “Any more questions?”
Ren Feiyu: “I want to go home…”
—333 has three magic weapons: Li Junchi’s on-campus network, Xia Yang’s rich vocabulary of curses, and Lin Wu’s crazy and logical ideas.
Unable to find resonance in the dormitory, Ren Feiyu decided to seek comfort on the “Book Mountain Crude House” forum.
As expected, upon opening the forum, he saw a plethora of like-minded people.
Topic: Is the end of the world really coming?
Topic: Will we go extinct like dinosaurs?
Topic: I’m so scared.
The most popular posts were filled with anxious discussions.
Ren Feiyu felt a warmth as if he had found a home and immediately clicked on a post to read earnestly:
Topic: Is the end of the world really coming?
Poster: Sakura
Content: I just called home and cried to my parents. Am I too pessimistic?
1st reply: Sometimes being pessimistic is good. Always be prepared for the worst.
2nd reply: Maybe the day the school reopens will be the beginning of our struggle in the apocalypse.
3rd reply: Then I will definitely not struggle. I’ll lie down and wait for death directly.
4th reply to 3rd reply: Don’t give up so easily.
5th reply: If I had known such a day would come, I would have exercised by running laps on the playground every night!
6th reply to 5th reply: You obviously never went to the playground at night. It’s the time for couples to run. Single dogs should avoid it.
7th reply to 6th reply: Forget it. If I go at night, all I see are groups of big guys.
8th reply: Stop talking nonsense. If it can show IP, I’ll show you.
Ren Feiyu: “…”
Such a serious topic, and they are still going off-topic? Is there no humanity left?
He closed it and looked at the second post.
Title: Will Humanity Face Extinction Similar to Dinosaurs?
Poster: Mayans
Content: The enigma surrounding the extinction of dinosaurs persists. Could it be that in the distant future, novel beings will stumble upon human fossils, pondering over the perplexing cause of our extinction? Simply contemplating this possibility is profoundly saddening.
1st reply: No, in the distant future, technological advancements will be so profound that reconstructing scenes from ancient times will be effortlessly achievable.
2nd reply to 1st reply: Wishful thinking. Humans have already vanished; what kind of technological progress are we talking about?
3rd reply to 1st reply: Can humans truly advance technologically? Perhaps millions of years later, Earth’s dominators will be amoebas.
4th reply to 3rd reply: Granted, amoebas are single-celled organisms, but who’s to say they won’t evolve into more sophisticated life forms in the future? Consider the situation from an evolutionary perspective.
5th reply to 4th reply: Honestly, once amoebas evolve into higher life forms, they cease to be amoebas. Thus, the notion of “amoebas” reigning over Earth remains unfounded.
Ren Feiyu: “…”
You’re all serious, but you’re steering away from the main topic!
Frustrated, he proceeded to the third post.
Title: Overwhelmed by Fear.
Poster: Anonymous
Content: I spent a sleepless night, and even movies couldn’t dispel the darkness within me. What should I do?
1st reply: Unsure how to help, but I’m curious about the movies you watched.
2nd reply: Same here!
3rd reply: This is a school forum; please keep your restless chatter in check.
4th reply to 3rd reply: Anonymous, what’s troubling you?
5th reply to 4th reply: Reveal the IP, big brother.
6th reply: Is it possible for the IP to pinpoint the dormitory?
7th reply: It’s been three days since classes were suspended; I’m eager to return to class.
8th reply: I miss the tables and chairs in Yifu Building, the library’s air, the evergreen plastic grass on the playground, and the crooked pipes in the swimming pool.
Ren Feiyu: “…”
Your change in tone is quite abrupt. Let’s move on to the fourth post!
Title: Is Inhaling Fog Harmful to the Body?
Poster: Explosive A King
Content: I’ve been jogging daily for the past two days, and I feel like I’ve breathed in a significant amount of fog. While my body shows no immediate reaction, could there be any lingering effects?
1st reply: Why persist in running in this weather?
2nd reply: Every time I attempt homework, I crave novels; during sleep, I check Weibo; in class, I yearn for dormitory confinement. When confined, I wish to run downstairs. It’s human instinct.
3rd reply to 2nd reply: I suspect you’re peering into my life.
Ren Feiyu tossed the phone aside, lying flat on the bed, relinquishing any hope of finding resonance.
Exhausted.
When contemplating alone, a college student might fret over the nation and its people. However, when a group of students congregates, it devolves into… perhaps belated but never absent nonsense.
Just as everyone felt adrift, and the school began issuing notices to extend the class suspension, one evening, the fog inexplicably lifted.
Like its arrival, it dissipated silently, leaving behind a breathtakingly beautiful sunset painting the evening sky.
