Before my brother disappeared, he was indeed researching a project called "Mirage".
Outside the window came a chorus of cat cries, as eerie as a baby's wails.
Xiāo Jìn's figure flickered by:
"There's no time, do two things."
His finger swiped across my phone screen, and the Weibo interface automatically popped up: "First, issue a warning."
"Are you crazy? They'll think I'm spreading rumors!"
He sneered, his sleeve brushing across the computer keyboard. The monitor lit up, revealing a screenshot of an internal email from the Harbin Meteorological Station:
【Blue Snow Phenomenon Confirmed, Secrecy Level A】.
Trembling, I registered a new account, @TodayIWillNotRain, and posted a Weibo message:
"Northeast China may experience blue snowfall within 72 hours. Prepare cold-weather supplies." The accompanying image was a pixelated "List of Extreme Cold Supplies."
As I refreshed the page, the top hot comment made my blood pressure soar:
@WebNovelBot: "Author of 'Phoenix Ascends the Nine Provinces' has an acting fit. Recommend reciting 'The Big Bang Theory' in its entirety."
But immediately after, an unfamiliar comment popped up:
@User7832: "The plum tree at the Grand Tutor's Estate has died."
The profile picture was a character design of Xiāo Jìn that I had never publicly shared: him standing in the snow, caressing a withered plum tree, the art style clearly from a discarded draft of 'Phoenix Ascends the Nine Provinces'.
The private message icon flashed non-stop. An ID, "Old Zhang from the Meteorological Bureau," sent me a message:
"What number dream have you had of the moon shattering?"
Attached was a weather radar map showing a bizarre cluster of blue clouds hovering over Harbin.
My fingers went stiff. This completely contradicted the "Do not trust anyone with 'Meteorological' in their ID" warning that appeared as garbled text in my document.
Xiāo Jìn's figure began to blur: "Second thing, go to the convenience store now and buy..."
His voice was drowned out by a piercing news alert. I grabbed my phone, the headline shocking:
【Pets Nationwide Exhibit Abnormal Agitation! Experts Suggest Link to Geomagnetic Activity】
This was exactly what I had marked in red on item 19 of my list: "Note animal behavior changes (First wave of infected)."
"That Old Zhang is tracking you,"
Xiāo Jìn's voice became intermittent.
"He's sending falsified data... The real blue snow will come from..."
Before he could finish, his figure completely dissipated. The Jade Pendant clattered onto the yoga mat, and my security door was being knocked on rhythmically—
Knock, knock, knock.
Three times, a pause, then two more.
I had to admit, this was exactly the same secret code used by the villain to communicate in my novel, 'Phoenix Ascends the Nine Provinces'.
The moment the knocking stopped, I grabbed the fruit knife from the table.
"Who is it?"
There was no response from outside the door, only a rustling sound. I tiptoed to the peephole—the corridor was empty, save for a puddle of water reflecting the hallway light.
*Ding*. My phone suddenly vibrated.
Lín Yán: 【Guess who I just saw at the convenience store? Editor Wang, the one always hounding you for manuscript submissions!】
I breathed a sigh of relief, the tip of the knife resting against the edge of the coffee table.
Xiāo Jìn's mention of the "convenience store" before he disappeared and Lín Yán's message were too coincidental, but what bothered me more was the Jade Pendant.
I bent down to pick it up, pricking my fingertip. Only then did I realize there was a sharp nick on its edge.
A drop of blood fell onto the power bank, sizzling.
"Does it hurt?"
Xiāo Jìn's voice emanated from the power bank's indicator light:
"Pain is a real anchor."
I snatched my hand back. His face appeared on the power bank's surface. Not the "starry eyes" described in the book, but electronic patterns filled with data streams.
"What exactly do you want?"
Out of fear, I raised my voice.
"To recall my settings."
His voice carried static.
"What ability did you give me?"
The content of Chapter 19 of 'Phoenix Ascends the Nine Provinces' flashed in my mind: After Xiāo Jìn was poisoned and blinded, I gave him the cheat ability of "Touch Object, Read Memory"—as long as he touched an object, he could read the memories it held.
The power bank heated up, and Xiāo Jìn's illusion reached out and touched my bleeding fingertip:
"Now, you can too."
Just then, my phone rang abruptly. Lín Yán's caller ID popped up. I answered, and the sharp electronic noise in the background was painful to my eardrums.
"Xinxin, you're not falling in love with your own character, are you?"
Her laughter buzzed.
"Editor Wang said you're so blocked you're losing your mind!"
The static turned into a rhythmic ticking sound, identical to the description of how the Grand Tutor used the "Sound Transmission Technique" in 'Phoenix Ascends the Nine Provinces'.
"Lín Yán? What's that noise on your end?"
I couldn't help but ask.
"Huh? Just the microwave at the convenience store,"
Her voice suddenly returned to clarity.
"Oh, right, do you want to..."
*Click*. The call disconnected.
Outside, sharp cat cries could be heard. I pulled back the curtain. Seven or eight stray cats were perched on the opposite roof. The one at the front was jet black, its green eyes staring directly at me.
It's him! The one that spoke human words!
I pushed open the window, but the black cat turned and leaped into the shadows.
The group of cats dispersed, and the TV in the room turned on by itself:
【Urgent Interruption】Blue hailstones suddenly fell on Harbin's Central Street. Footage captured by citizens shows...
The hailstones in the camera glowed with an abnormal fluorescent blue.
A chill ran down my spine as I watched the screen.
On the surveillance footage from Harbin's Central Street, hailstones the size of quail eggs rained down, exploding with a bizarre blue bioluminescence the moment they hit the ground.
Pedestrians screamed and scattered. A man in a down jacket reached out to catch one, only to drop to his knees the next second, shaking his hand. The pulled-back camera showed his glove smoking.
"...Preliminary tests indicate an unknown chemical composition. Citizens are advised not to make direct contact..."
The anchorwoman's voice glitched, and the screen switched to a phone-shot perspective: The hailstones hit cars parked outdoors, and the car paint faded and peeled at a visible rate, as if corroded by strong acid.
I grabbed my phone and furiously refreshed Weibo. #HarbinBlueHailstone# had already surged to the top of the trending list.
Clicking on the live video, a girl wearing a mask was crying hysterically at the camera, her voice muffled but clear:
"These aren't hailstones! They're moving!"
My trembling finger zoomed in on the image—those blue ice pellets wriggled slightly in the accumulated water, like the eggs of some deep-sea creature.
*Ding*.
The refrigerator suddenly turned on, its cooling sound abnormally loud.
Only then did I notice the cicada chirping outside had stopped. The entire city had fallen into an eerie silence, with only the alarm sound from the TV echoing.
Xiāo Jìn's list on the coffee table turned pages automatically, landing on the one circled in red pen:
【Stage One Response Plan】
1. Immediately close all doors and windows (aerosol transmission risk)
2. Wear N95 mask + goggles
3. Disconnect all electronic devices (prevent EMP)
I lunged for the fuse box. My phone vibrated at the same time. My mother's contact picture flashed on the screen. In the background, a piercing hospital broadcast could be heard: "All medical staff report to the emergency department."
"Mom? How's Dad?" I asked impatiently.
"Xinxin..." My mother's voice was choked with tears. "Your dad's respirator lost power, the entire inpatient ward... Wait! Don't touch that!"
On the other end of the line, sounds of shattering glass, people screaming, and then the dull thud of heavy objects falling could be heard.