After the meal, Lin Sanjiu felt even worse, the intense cold giving her a headache that made it impossible to finish the small bowl of rice. After only a few mouthfuls, she pushed the bowl away. Douglas, unfazed, simply added her leftovers to his bowl and quickly ate them up. This dispelled her slight suspicion toward him. Despite having watched Douglas cook without noticing anything unusual, seeing him consume her portion reassured her. She felt a twinge of guilt for doubting him.
After she stopped eating, her body gradually stopped trembling. Wearing a thick jacket did help a bit.
Douglas, having finished his meal, wiped his mouth and let out a burp. "You don't look too good. Need more rest?"
"No... I'd like to explore a bit. Maybe I'll even find some survivors." Unfortunately, her shivering resumed right after her words. She hopped in place, seeking to warm herself through movement.
"Okay," Douglas replied, seemingly indifferent. "I've looked around a few times myself, and no one's out there. But go ahead; I'll be in my room, playing video games."
Supposedly, Douglas's first train stop wasn't Mausoleum Elementary Station but an Electronics Street. Bored, he packed a bag full of games, planning to entertain himself for the entire 14 months.
Lin Sanjiu was quite impressed by his carefree attitude. She nodded and walked out of the hotel.
"Ah, wait!" Douglas suddenly called her from behind.
He stood on the stairs leading to the second floor, half his face covered by the shadow.
"Don't go to the Bamboo Grove Mountains," he said sternly.
Lin Sanjiu raised her concerns, to which he simply responded, "It's too far. A round trip would take over two days... If something were to happen, I wouldn't be able to find you."
He had a point. The presence of hostels and hotels indicated the distance to Bamboo Groves Mountains. Acknowledging this, she thanked him and left the hotel. According to Douglas, she slept only four to five hours, about two o'clock in the afternoon. However, the sky was dark and overcast, devoid of sunlight. It was as if she was seeing everything through a gray filter, like the moment before a storm or evening time.
Even though Lin Sanjiu did not plan to go to the Bamboo Grove Mountains, she took the same path toward it. The street was lined with numerous shops, including convenience stores, snack kiosks, and souvenir stalls, accounting for nearly half of such establishments on this street, preserving a semblance of its former bustle.
To keep herself warm, Lin Sanjiu added some exercise to her stride, hopping and skipping down the street. To an unknowing observer, her buoyant movements might suggest sheer joy. She hopped past two stalls, both offering similar souvenirs, before pausing at a convenience store.
Peering through the windows from the street, Lin Sanjiu noted the clear signs of looting inside the store. Scattered remnants were all that remained, with essentials like tobacco, alcohol, food, and lighters long gone. Even the staff room door stood ajar. This scene of disarray was likely the work of earlier survivors, possibly before Douglas's arrival.
A life-sized standee of a beautiful flight attendant stood outside the convenience store. There was a bright smile on her oval face, her gaze fixed towards the train station. A crooked signboard in the shop read, "We help you book your tickets, rent your car, and organize your trip," still clear and readable. The convenience store also provided services like a travel agency.
After a casual glance, Lin Sanjiu spotted an untouched row of items and hurried over, her heart racing. It was a magazine rack. The people who had focused on looking for survival supplies naturally weren't interested in newspapers or magazines. Since reading an article by the scientist Le Bon, she'd been fixated on the term
'Perhaps I can find some relevant information in these newspapers or magazines,' she thought, tossing the entertainment magazines from the top shelf to the ground.
"Isn't there a single newspaper around?" she grumbled, discarding the useless magazines first. A newspaper, with its concise and comprehensive information, would be ideal. Unfortunately, the available newspapers were all entertainment tabloids, offering no help.
At the bottom of the shelf, Lin Sanjiu discovered a slightly older magazine. Unlike the mostly May and June issues, this one was from the previous December, titled Science and Technology Frontier.
"No wonder they couldn't sell it even half a year later."
However, this magazine was exactly what Lin Sanjiu was looking for. She urgently turned to the contents page, searching for any topics related to dark matter or Le Bon.
Surprisingly, she found something in it.
Moreover, she uncovered more information than expected. This magazine was published when Le Bon's theory was losing credibility, so it dedicated a significant section to his works, coupled with criticisms from other scholars. Despite the specialized terminology and jargon unfamiliar to Lin Sanjiu, she gained a basic understanding.
In Lin Sanjiu's world, the nature of dark matter was unknown. However, in this world, though it can't be seen, its composition and formation process had been identified through various experiments. The scientists had begun exploring its potential applications. Le Bon, a leading figure in this research, revealed a disturbing property of dark matter a few years before the doomsday: it was corrosive.
The corrosive nature of dark matter had only become apparent recently; it seemed dormant before. Different materials exhibited varied corrosion rates under high dark matter exposure. This process was gradual, but Le Bon claimed that eventually, all materials would be assimilated, with 98% of the object turning into dark matter.
Lin Sanjiu glossed over the lengthy, complex theoretical discussions and paused, reflecting on the implications. It appeared that this world had been undergoing corrosion by dark matter, transforming everything into dark matter over the years.
'But what exactly is dark matter? What harm can it cause...'
Lost in thought, Lin Sanjiu stared at the refrigerator door, once filled with beverages, when a sudden chill made her freeze.
In a refrigerator door's reflection, she could barely make out a human silhouette behind her. Slowly turning around, Lin Sanjiu found herself looking directly into the flight attendant's beautiful eyes.
"Wasn't that standee at the entrance just a moment ago?"
YOU ARE READING
Kisaragi Station || Apocalypse Paradise #3
HorrorHer skin was warm and moist when she was alive, always with a honey-colored tan. It had only been an hour, but her body had stiffened, and her skin was pale white. At first glance, one could even imagine how cold her skin would feel. Her eyes were w...
