The silent sky stretched overhead like a maiden veiled in gauze, alluring and mysterious. Pinpricks of light, faint and distant as ink splatters against the celestial canvas, gradually swelled into radiant streaks. Trailing long, luminous tails, they surged towards a beautiful, azure planet.
Within mere minutes, countless radiant orbs drifting near the atmosphere's surface tore through the air with terrifying speed, plummeting directly towards the tranquil Earth.
""Yesterday, before that foreign door, sighing at the passing year… Yet sunsets and sunrises remain unchanged. Now, gazing upon my father's smiling face, words fail me unknowingly, as sunset hues stain my tear-filled eyes…"" An old song from decades past played on a smartphone. Zhao Yu stood on the vast rooftop terrace, leaning against the wall, head tilted upward, his mind wandering far away…
Suddenly, his body stiffened against the wall, eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the dazzling night sky.
The brilliance of countless meteors utterly illuminated the inky darkness, the anomaly visible to all. Many vibrant young people screamed in wide plazas, oblivious to the horror descending…
In the next fraction of a second, innumerable meteors trailed blazing tails. With disbelief in Zhao Yu's eyes, they crashed earthward bearing the terrifying power to incinerate worlds.
Boom! Boom!
In that instant, Zhao Yu's limbs turned ice-cold, his body froze, and his mind went blank, utterly devoid of reaction before the shockwave generated by the rocketing meteorites engulfed him.
The blast wave from the meteors tearing through the air hurled him violently to the ground. Scorching heat rapidly saturated the space, making him feel as if the entire world were ablaze. Everything around Zhao Yu became crimson and indistinct; even the colorless air took on the dark, fiery hue of sunset clouds under the meteorites' terrible heat…
KABOOM!
soul-shaking roar, seemingly echoing from the abyss of hell, awoke primal fear in everyone. Shaken, Zhao Yu scrambled frantically to his feet. Aghast, he watched as the meticulously restored ancient-style city walls in the distance shattered like glass struck by a giant hammer, splintering chaotically in all directions. The faux-ancient palace directly struck by the meteorite was hammered straight into the ground, vanishing utterly without a trace.
""Help! My leg, my leg!""
""Why is it dark? I can't see! My eyes, where are my eyes?""
Piercing, shrill screams cut abruptly through the tranquil night, sending an inexplicable chill through everyone. Forcing down his terror, Zhao Yu snapped his head up, scanning the sky as brilliant as New Year's fireworks. His pounding heart plummeted…
""So many meteorites falling… if just a few hit this building…""
Standing atop the building, the thought struck Zhao Yu instantly. Recognizing the immense danger, he moved like a leopard, sprinting across the rooftop platform towards the central stairwell exit.
Clutching the railing on the twenty-second floor staircase, Zhao Yu felt the entire world sway. Heaving against the wall, his throat burned as if cracked and dry. Sweat-drenched, his eyes remained sharp, scanning the junction before him, rapidly determining the downward path.
From the twenty-second floor onward, the staircase shifted to the opposite side, as access beyond was restricted to staff. Thus, the stairs to the first floor ended here, continuing via a passage on the other side.
The entire building convulsed like dancers in a rave, gripped by hysterical frenzy. The groans and snaps of fracturing objects echoed their frantic howls. Zhao Yu barely paused before darting past an elevator still illuminated by its descending light – a death wish in this chaos. He dashed left thirty meters and plunged into the concealed stairwell entrance…
He was still sane enough to avoid the elevators. Facing a life-or-death crisis, Zhao Yu retained his clarity, making the rational choice.
The thirty-five-story descent rapidly shortened under Zhao Yu’s desperate sprint. The violently shaking building made him feel like he was racing death itself. Shattered window glass rained down the stairwells, slicing him bloody as he ran. With every frantic movement, fresh wounds wept crimson, painting him like a blood-soaked specter.
Thirteenth floor, twelfth, eleventh…
Sweat mingled with blood from his wounds, blurring Zhao Yu’s vision. Muscles in his calves, pushed far beyond their limits, twitched uncontrollably. Gritting his teeth against tearing agony, he propelled himself with arms bulging with veins, leaping mid-air like an enraged bull, hurling himself towards the next landing.
Seventh floor, sixth, fifth…
Sensation gradually faded from Zhao Yu’s legs, leaving him descending purely on sheer, bone-deep will. His face, pallid and drenched in sweat, was contorted with effort. Bloodshot eyes locked onto the stairwell landing corner – the finish line he willed in his mind. Only with a tangible goal could he, nearly broken, ignite the potential within his failing life, summoning his body's ultimate reserves of resilience.
Third floor, second, first…
The near-self-destructive intensity of his flight sapped the last of Zhao Yu’s vitality. Propping his rigid body with his hands, he slid down the railings, scraping skin raw. Only when losing balance would he slam a raw, bleeding palm onto the cold steel, enduring agony like needles piercing bone, steadying his lurching descent inch by inch towards life.
Regardless of the swaying building’s violent dance, the bloody hand anchoring his body remained like an immovable rock amidst towering waves: stable, silent, unyielding, facing the chaos without flinching. It seemed the focus cultivated through eight years of middle school and university – essence, spirit, and will – coalesced instantly into that single hand, condensed onto the five fingers grasping for survival.
Thud!
The opulent ground floor lobby doors burst open as Zhao Yu, resembling a bull unleashed, crashed through. Slamming hard onto the cold marble floor, he didn't pause to wipe the blood trickling from his forehead. With a desperate heave, he struggled to his feet and charged outwards without a moment's hesitation.
Thump!
His foot had barely touched pavement when an excruciating sting, like a million ants biting, shot up from his soles. Knees buckled uncontrollably, legs folding, and his entire body crashed heavily back onto the icy marble. His hyper-extended exertions had drained every ounce of strength. Merely standing felt like scaling a mountain.
Zhao Yu braced his legs against the wall, hands gripping the trembling doorframe to haul his swaying form upright. Dizziness washed over his muddled brain as he stood, nearly toppling again. Pressing his body flat against the wall for balance, he used his bleeding palms as anchor points, dragging himself inch by painful inch towards the open doors dozens of meters away.
Behind the stubborn, struggling figure, a trail of dark, blood-red palm prints, bright as fading twilight, spaced at even intervals, stained the floor. Pushed relentlessly forward by the building's tremors, he moved like a snail, its shell a crushing weight, crawling forward with agonizing slowness yet iron resolve.
The lobby's floor-to-ceiling windows cracked and shattered with the vibrations. Outside, chaos reigned. People scrambled wildly. Cars, usually constrained by rules, became frenzied beasts on the wide avenue, careening chaotically, hunting prey. Pedestrians darting across the road were sent flying by speeding vehicles, only to be crushed into pulpy, crimson masses by the oncoming tide of metal. What should have been catastrophic accidents were ignored. The crowd surged past pulverized bodies without a glance, repeating reckless maneuvers like moths to flame, darting across the carnage-strewn avenue.
The road toll in mere minutes surpassed that of an entire year. Once clean asphalt flowed with rivulets of dark red liquid. Those not instantly killed lay injured by the roadside, struggling, gasping out hoarse pleas for salvation.
""Help me! Please...""
""Whoever saves me, I'll give them five million!""
The gravely wounded who survived the chaos added their hoarse wails to the din, offers overlapping like desperate auctioneers in a vegetable market, bartering survival with their final chips.
""You swear it? Really give five million? Great… Finally I can buy a house…"" A passing runner, hearing a wounded man's promise, seized his arm, shaking him wildly in manic excitement, oblivious to the dying man choking on blood, life fading rapidly in his eyes under the violent jerking.
""Begging me to save you? Hah… alright then, I'll save you…"" A leering, yellow-haired youth grabbed a bleeding, leg-shattered woman in fashionable clothes. Checking that the frantic crowd paid no heed, he roughly dragged her, struggling weakly, into a nearby supermarket.
Passing crowds flowed past without pausing, fleeing the wounded victims’ cries. Perhaps some kind souls hesitated, but the sheer momentum of the human tide overwhelmed them, carrying them helplessly forward unless they risked being trampled into paste for a futile stand.
As more people surged from their concrete prison-buildings, the tide trampled over many of the wounded lying near the sidewalks. Within moments, many of those still breathing were stomped into cold corpses under countless fleeing feet. Soles were smeared with dripping shreds of flesh, and the road became a macabre tapestry of bloody footprints.
few lucid drivers slammed their brakes upon seeing the mob crossing. They were instantly rear-ended. These drivers didn't stop; instead, they stomped on the gas, merging their vehicles into a monstrous flow that locked bumpers, slowly inching forward like a great beast crawling along the straight road, crushing any obstruction under its metal treads.
Suddenly, the crowd near Zhao Yu’s building stampeded frantically away. They bowled over everything in their path. People scrambled onto the crawling vehicle-beast, ignoring the peril. Terror was etched onto almost every face, as if beholding the ultimate horror.
""The building's collapsing! The sky… look at the sky!""
""Oh god! Run! Faster!""
Zhao Yu, his vision clouded by a mix of blood and sweat, didn't witness this fresh surge of madness. A million buzzing bees seemed trapped in his skull, drowning out the shouts. On the verge of collapse, he focused every shred of awareness on the open doorway twenty meters ahead – his gateway to survival.
Having danced on the edge of knives and fire, he finally saw hope. Indescribable joy momentarily flooded his heart, injecting a final, desperate burst of energy into his collapsing frame. He lurched forward from the final precipice…
""Help… me. Please… save… me."" A faint, desperate plea pierced the surrounding din, clear as a bell to Zhao Yu, causing his step to falter fractionally.
In a corner of the lobby, pinned under a massive wooden cabinet, a woman lifted her blood-streaked face. Bright, pleading eyes locked onto Zhao Yu, piercing through the haze. Racing death himself, Zhao Yu turned instinctively towards the sound.
Save her? Or not?
In that fleeting instant, seeing the source of the voice, countless thoughts collided violently in Zhao Yu's mind. Morality screamed against survival instinct.
Outside, a meteor of blinding brilliance struck Zhao Yu's building with devastating precision. Exactly as the running pedestrians had feared, the entire structure cracked and lurched sideways, groaning under immense force. The impact's shockwave ripped through key supports, spiderwebs of cracks webbing the solid surface.
Perhaps a second later, perhaps less – Zhao Yu paused for the briefest heartbeat. He drew a deep breath and whispered ""I'm sorry"" silently to himself. His eyes met the girl crushed beneath the giant cabinet one final time. Then, with fierce resolve, he turned away.
""Save me, please… please…"" The girl's fading, whisper-thin plea echoed in Zhao Yu’s ears, a fragile rope tugging at his fleeing steps. His hands trembled violently. Suppressing the urge to turn back, not wasting even a fraction of a second, he pushed on, scrambling, crawling, leveraging every muscle against walls and railings, inching desperately towards the outside.
Trapped in mortal danger, he had no time left for self-recrimination about moral betrayal or lost dignity.
Amidst the relentless thunder of destruction, a voice like a curse roared in his ear: Are you even human? Didn’t you hear that poor girl? Inhuman! You'll die a wretched death…
Zhao Yu inhaled sharply, fighting to silence the internal tumult, forcing himself to keep moving. Streaks of blood mingled with sweat hardened on his face, etching his features into a mask of terrifying resolve. His eyes, swollen and bloodshot, glared like a vengeful demon…
""Could I have saved her? Did I have the strength?"" As if unable to bear the demonic internal interrogation any longer, Zhao Yu let out a howl like a wounded, solitary wolf. Simultaneously, his movement across the polished marble floor accelerated. He dragged himself, leaving a trail of lurid crimson stains stark against the polished tiles, a testament to his savage will to live.
The act of crushing his moral compass seemed to ignite a kind of madness within him. This madness forged a terrifying force. The remaining meters vanished with unnatural speed as Zhao Yu scrambled on hands and knees with superhuman intensity.
Wind howling into the lobby blasted Zhao Yu’s face. The door to survival was within reach. An impossible, corpse-like rictus tugged at the corner of his bloodied lips. The pleading cries behind him faded into silence…
Suddenly, the chaotically shaking world around Zhao Yu seemed to pause with sinister abruptness. A wave of pure, unnatural silence expanded. Everything before his eyes froze in a single frame. Then, like slow motion in a film, the world began to drift apart with agonizing slowness…
Still scrambling, comprehension dawned on Zhao Yu. His twisted smile solidified. His forward motion ceased entirely, as if frozen by magic. Through sweat-blurred lenses, he saw a spiderweb of incredibly fine cracks spreading across the wall less than ten meters away, near the entrance. The delicate fissures multiplied like threads, rapidly weaving an immense net that seemed to trap him utterly. As one minuscule chip of stone peeled free, countless threads snapped and widened, tearing his reality apart piece by piece before his eyes.
Frozen in place, Zhao Yu watched, impossibly close, as countless minuscule fragments of matter drifted downwards. Then, the entire wall before his numb gaze dissolved with impossible rapidity, like a chemical reaction. Everything ended in this profoundly silent, excruciatingly slow, utterly unnatural manner, like the finale of some hyper-realistic 3D disaster epic.
…
Zhao Yu plunged into an icy abyss, swallowed by darkness so thick it felt solid.
Vertigo like the world spinning; the life-sapping cold of immense blood loss; soul-crushing despair at hope extinguished; the piercing sting of countless wounds – all coalesced into the final straw that shattered his fragile psyche. He was overwhelmed, crushed, obliterated into dust…
Enveloped in the silent world, he felt the remnants of reality crumbling around him. An immense, unseen force wrenched his body towards a chthonic void, extinguishing the final embers of his reason and hope."
爱心猫粮1金币
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