What It's Like Being a Vampire

Chapter 630: Chapter 630: Striking from Barbie (Part 1)

Dong! ….Dong! ….Dong!….

The ringing bell-like sounds seemed to strike at the heart of each listener.

As if it was awakening a sleeping giant, but no one knew where this giant originates from – the abyss, different dimension, the sky, or the depth of every individual’s heart?

All the people in Twisting City could hear the sound, no matter where they were, or what they were doing, they stopped their activities and began to search for the source of the sound.

Bong! ….Bong! ….Bong!….

The bell sound was still going on, and the drum sound began.

Seeming like the footsteps of the giant approaching step by step, everyone had an image of a giant in their heart, but it was very vague and indistinguishable.

Many people found that the bell and drum sounds seemed to emit from all electronic devices around them. Some from computer speakers, some from the airport broadcasts, some from the roadside TV speakers, and some from mobile phone speakers. But when they got closer to listen, they found that the sound was not emitting from there. Upon careful search, it seemed to come from the sky above and air around, as though the sound source was everywhere. However it sounded, it was unified and harmonious.

It’s not a sound from the real world!

-This thought flashed across many people’s minds.

More and more musical instruments joined in, and then a melodious female voice echoed. It didn’t have any lyrics, only a gentle hum. Yet when it fell into everyone’s ears, it seemed like a spell summoning fear monsters and abyss demons, causing anxiety, fear, and panic.

Some people found this humming tune quite familiar, like the extremely widely spread and extremely popular “Super Princess” or “Sugar Princess” from the internet that ranked high in the charts in many countries.

Although both Ye Zijun and Xiao Ding could be considered as “experienced,” with the former witnessing the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion in Myitkyina, and the latter seeing the little girl in white in the unfinished building, moreover, they had just experienced the incident in Australia recently, they supposedly should be able to stay calm in any situation.

But this situation … it was truly hard to stay calm.

It was not because there was any terrifying appearance, but this magnificent melody seemed to have the ability to amplify the sense of fear. Right from the first listen, they felt that something bad, something terrifying was about to happen.

Ye Zijun’s primary reaction was that the incident in Myitkyina might happen here too, and the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant might appear in Twisting City.

But she quickly realized that the fear and panic she felt from the melody, it was different compared to Myitkyina.

When seeing the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion in Myitkyina, the feeling of fear was from inside to outside, drawn from the depth of the soul, and from the life experience and all memories, slowly leading to a state of extracting from emotional impact, and watching one’s life from God’s perspective.

This was not only a conclusion drawn from her own experiences but was also a collective conclusion drawn from the interviews with many witnesses of the Myitkyina incident.

However, the melody in the air now only brought about a specific, clear feeling of fear. Although they were afraid, they remained rationally calm. The melody only amplified some worries, but it didn’t have that deep-rooted essence, so it was not the same.

Ye Zijun believed another reason why it was different from the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion was that the surrounding electronic devices, their mobile phones, cameras, all kinds of recording equipment, were not affected and could still be used. This was different from the situation in Myitkyina.

So Ye Zijun asked Xiao Ding to quickly turn on their recording equipment to record these sounds, to determine if they were real sounds.

Seeing Xiao Ding’s hands constantly shaking, Ye Zijun glanced at the coffee shop behind them and suggested, “Xiao Ding, if you’re scared, go in first. I’ll record.”

Xiao Ding took a deep breath, clenched and loosened her fists several times, and said, “Sister, I’m alright, I can hold on. This music is too mysterious, hearing it makes me feel as if some monsters are going to crawl out from the ground. Could this sound… be related to that thing in Antarctica?”

“It probably isn’t…”

As Ye Zijun spoke, she realized that compared to the two of them, the surrounding people were much more panicked.

They were standing at the entrance of a coffee shop, and there were quite a few people standing around who came out from the coffee shop or other shops nearby. Even without communicating, they could clearly see fear and panic on their faces.

Some of them clenched their hands, eyes closed, muttering quietly as if in prayer;

Some hugged their companion next to them, trembling all over, softly sobbing, too scared to look up;

Some anxiously dialed a number, apparently contacting their family, asking about their safety;

Some ran onto the street, running wildly on the road, shouting words like “End of the world”, “Destruction”, “Trial”, appearing to be crazed;

Most people, though, were unconsciously looking up at the sky. It was unclear whether it was because they couldn’t find the source of the sound in the sky while outdoors or because they anticipated something was about to happen in the sky.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, the thunder nuzzling inside the cloud layers, indicating an approaching storm.

However, such weather no longer baffles people all over the world. Currently, the public would not even be surprised if destructive lightning storms were to suddenly manifest.

But, unlike in the past when people would immediately seek sanctuary indoors at the first signs of changing weather, everyone now felt compelled to step outside. Those in high-rise buildings also flocked to the windows, as if in search of the “source of the sound”, drawn by an undefined allure.

Ye Zijun, holding Xiao Ding’s hand, took over her equipment and checked the footage they had recorded. It appeared that although the equipment was working correctly, she found no trace of the footage they had just filmed, as though she never even pressed the record button.

If this were before, she might’ve assumed that there was a fault in their equipment. But now, having experienced so much the first thing she thought of was, could this sound be an illusion too?

Ye Zijun noticed Xiao Ding’s rapid breathing and cold sweat on her forehead. She realized that Xiao Ding, like everyone else, seemed to grow more terrified as the melody progressed. Fear was accumulating, intensifying?

Was she the exception?

Why was she the exception?

Could it be… because she had seen the Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant illusion in Myitkyina?

Just as this thought arose, the café lights behind her flickered and then went out completely after a few flashes.

At the same time, the screen of the camera in her hands went dark. A man making a phone call nearby had his signal interrupted and started cursing, only to be interrupted as he subconsciously walked out from beneath the parasol to look up into the sky.

In the next moment, there were screams of surprise around her. Then, those screams echoed throughout the city, simultaneously starting everywhere.

Like the people around her, Ye Zijun felt an inclination, and while moving closer to the center of the street, she lifted her head to stare at the sky, hoping for a better view.

The cars on the road had all come to a halt, some drivers were craning their necks upwards while others stepped out of their vehicles.

The majority of residents in the nearby high-rises were also huddled by the windows, gawking at the scene outside.

Around the city, giants, hundreds of feet tall, appeared out of thin air, each with eight arms. Their bodies shrouded in a thick black fog, obscuring the details, one could only make out eight glaring red eyes in their heads.

It’s the Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant illusion! It really is the Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant illusion!

Ye Zijun felt a thrill of excitement, but she soon realized this event was quite different from Myitkyina. The Eight-armed, eight-eyed giants seemed much smaller this time, and multiple entities appeared simultaneously. She couldn’t make out the details of each giant, as if due to budget cuts in a special effects production.

She also noticed that when the giants appeared, she didn’t feel the spine-chilling terror she experienced in Myitkyina. Furthermore, the fear and tension she felt from the celestial melody all but disappeared.

Seeing the Eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion, she unexpectedly felt a sense of relief and peace. Even a sense of familiarity as if meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign place?!

She thought she was an exception as her fear didn’t paralyze her like the others. But when she looked at Xiao Ding and the others around her, she realised their faces no longer held any traces of terror, replaced by awe.

Did these not resemble the Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant from Myitkyina?

Ye Zijun noticed that the celestial melody was still being played but it felt different. It was no longer oppressive and heavy like before with the sense of impending calamity, instead, it felt encouraging, lofty, with a hint of tragic fearlessness.

Suddenly, cheers erupted amongst the crowd, wave after wave of rejoicing swept through, echoing harmoniously with the celestial melody, almost like a communal chorus.

Ye Zijun looked up to see the thick black fog around the numerous Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant illusions in the city dissipating, revealing their full details to the people.

As she watched an Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant passing closely by a skyscraper, she also felt a tingling sensation on her scalp. But it wasn’t out of fear, but amazement.

Because that Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giant…looked like Ultraman!

Although it had eight big ‘salted egg’ eyes and eight arms, it looked exactly like Ultraman.

In the distance, there was an Eight-armed, Eight-eyed “Superman” draped in a fluttering red cape and dressed in tight blue clothing and red shorts.

There was an Eight-armed, Eight-eyed “Batman” wearing a mask and black cape.

What was going on?

Were these eight-armed, eight-eyed giants cosplaying?

For a moment, Ye Zijun’s thoughts jumbled, but under the influence of the celestial melody, she seemed immersed in the sentiments of the people around her, feeling invigorated and excited.

Although the Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Giants hadn’t shown any substantive intentions or spoken a word, only silently walking towards the sea, everyone had a virtually instinctual notion:

These eight-armed, eight-eyed giants were going to face the monster in Antarctica.

They were here to put an end to this “end-of-the-world phenomenon”!

After who knows how long, a heavy rain splashed down, jolting some people standing in the middle of the road back to reality, who then rushed back into their cars or buildings to escape the rain.

The eight-armed, eight-eyed giants had already disappeared without a trace, and the damage they had initially caused to the ground and buildings while walking had also been completely restored.

Thus, everyone quickly realized that those eight-armed, eight-eyed giants were merely illusions. Given the previous spectacle of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion in Myitkyina in March, this wasn’t too difficult for people to accept.

With the disappearance of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion, the celestial music that lacked a discernible “source” also vanished.

Ye Zijun and Xiao Ding packed up their recording equipment and followed the crowd into the café. At this point, the electric lights and various electronic devices had resumed functioning, and the café was bubbling with conversation. Everyone was fervently discussing the just-occurred eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

With her keen senses, Ye Zijun found that these people had lost the fear and tension that had been influenced by the celestial music before the appearance of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion.

After buying coffee and some snacks and finding a seat, Ye Zijun first carefully asked Xiao Ding about her feelings.

Although she herself was a witness and had observed the entire process of the celestial music playing, the eight-armed illusion appearing, and the heavy rain clearing her mind, she had now realized that her experience could be unique. Her feelings might be different from those of others. This uniqueness could stem from her previous experience in Myitkyina and her exposure to the influence of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion.

Sure enough, after questioning Xiao Ding, Ye Zijun was more certain that her feelings were unlike Xiao Ding’s.

Not only was Xiao Ding more terrified when the celestial music first started playing than she was, but her reaction to the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion was also somewhat different from Ye Zijun’s. The moment Xiao Ding saw the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion, she felt a total relaxation, and a sense that the giant illusion was somehow related to her. Later, as the celestial music shifted and her mood became excited, she felt that the eight-armed, eight-eyed giants, which were shedding off their obscurant mist, becoming more detailed, and seemingly donning various COS costumes, seemed to be preparing to fight on her behalf against the monster in Antarctica.

Now that both the celestial music and the illusion had vanished, Xiao Ding felt much more relaxed. She felt as if she had been working with a load of ten and a half kilograms on her back, which she’s now finally discarded. Her breathing also became much smoother.

She had been continuously concerned about the increasingly large monster in Antarctica and had been watching related news reports and expert analysis online. She believed that it seemed like doomsday for humanity was imminent and was terribly pessimistic, even a bit desperate. In addition to being stuck unable to return to her country and having to endure the relentless and arguably bizarre weather, she had often visualized some unfavorable outcomes. Hence, when the celestial music first started playing, she was so scared, as the pent-up fear of the recent past had surfaced.

However, after what just happened, it seemed as if all her fears had been released. Although it was still raining heavily outside with frequent lightning and thunder, reminiscent of an apocalyptic scene, and the news on television was still reporting about the monstrous enlargement of the Antarctic monster, the potential changes in Antarctica, and the possible impacts of such changes, she was no longer afraid, no longer desperate, and no longer pessimistic.

Not just her, the other people in the café who were animatedly discussing the recent eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion and the celestial melody were the same; their faces no longer showed signs of fear.

“Sister, when you saw the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant in Myitkyina, did it feel like this? Now I understand, why when we interviewed those who witnessed the Myitkyina event, when they talk about their encounter with the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant, why their expressions are a mixture of some fear and some longing.” Xiao Ding said, somewhat wistfully.

Ye Zijun shook her head gently and said, “No, it’s not quite the same.”

She organized her thoughts before continuing, “The eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion in Myitkyina, it’s only after you see it that it stirs your own fear. It catches you right in the deepest part of your psyche, a fear that you might not usually be aware of. When the illusion disappears, this fear enables you to see yourself more clearly, like seeing the sun after the clouds have parted. But that eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion we just saw, based on my own experience and your description, doesn’t evoke fear, instead it amplifies it, and then temporarily takes the fear away… That giant illusion, it feels like a collection of our fears, its appearance… is to collect fear.”

Xiao Ding seemed somewhat stunned by Ye Zijun’s words, but based on the description, it did seem accurate. However, this made her even more curious about the kind of sensation the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion in Myitkyina could induce in those who saw it.

The two of them discussed it, and then randomly interviewed some people in the cafe. Based on their descriptions, their experiences were indeed similar to Xiao Ding’s, further validating Ye Zijun’s speculation.

When they finished the interview and were checking their recorded footage on the laptop in the coffee shop, Xiao Ding suddenly said, “Sister, look at the internet. Not only in Twistwaist, but domestically and all over the world, others also saw that giant illusion, everyone is seeing it!”

Ye Zijun crowded close to see the numerous trending posts on the social media platforms that Xiao Ding had found. At the same time that the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion was witnessed in Twistwaist, along with the divine melody, similar occurrences had happened all over the world.

There was the same fear-inducing divine melody, the same appearance of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion, the melody then transformed into an uplifting tune, the same terrible weather finally gave in to the illusion. All who experienced it shared the same sense of relief, of greater enthusiasm, a sense that their own “incarnations” were heading for a final showdown in Antarctica, a clear feeling of an impending end to this apocalyptic atmosphere.

The only difference was the form and appearance of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion that appeared in different places.

Twistwaist had Marvel and DC superheroes outfits, Japanese illusions typically had Ultraman and various other Japanese anime character appearances. In China, there were fearless military generals adorned in ancient armor, and even those dressed in uniforms with large hats. And this type of appearance of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant was found in the most numerous regions and had the biggest form.

Though there were no actual photos or videos recorded, the fact that the phenomenon happened simultaneously in so many parts of the world, and that so many people experienced it first-hand, witnessed it in its entirety, and distinctly felt it, presented no barrier to their online discussions, and everyone was able to empathize with each other.

Moreover, many “soul painters” sketched out images of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion they witnessed, and a substantial number of netizens spontaneously started keeping a tally of the different appearances of the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant, establishing various temporary online communities for sharing their experiences.

This magical phenomenon rebooted a human society that had been severely oppressed by the Antarctic monster and the harsh weather, making it “active” and “dynamic” once again.

“Sister, those eight-armed, eight-eyed giants… were they just illusions, or will they really… will they really confront the monster in Antarctica?” Xiao Ding asked, seeming somewhat unsure.

Upon seeing the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusions, this idea naturally sprung to everyone’s mind, but with the dissipation of the illusions and the calming of their emotions, Xiao Ding seemed somewhat uncertain.

However, instead of addressing her question, Ye Zijun murmured, “I don’t know why, but it makes me think of those people who saved us in that underground tunnel back in Australia.”

They knew that at least three people had helped them in the underground tunnel, as they had heard three different voices—two adult men and one little girl. But from start to finish, they had only seen what the little girl looked like.

Xiao Ding was a little taken aback and asked, “Sis, do you think the Eight-armed, eight-eyed giant illusion was created by them?”

“I don’t know… I just suddenly thought of them. I think there might always be another world that we ordinary people don’t understand and can’t understand. And now, this world is swiftly coming to the forefront. Xiao Ding, our world… it’s probably going to change a lot.” Ye Zijun said.

“Sis, what you just said… is kind of exciting for me. When the time comes, we might have countless topics for our videos!”

“Hmm, provided the world doesn’t get destroyed, and we don’t die.”

…

A little earlier, in a multimedia classroom in a university in Pancity.

Li Yang, who had just finished his class, picked up his stuff and walked out the room while looking at the gloomy and dark sky. He sighed, picked up his phone, and dialed his daughter, Xiao Pingguo’s number.

“Xiao Pingguo, Pancity looks like it’s going to have a heavy rain again, how’s Peng City?” Li Yang asked with some worry.

In the past, all it took was to look at a weather app to see the weather in Peng City. But in the present, no weather app can accurately predict the weather, not even the most reliable ones.

Previously, Xiao Pingguo had been living in Chongyun Village with her Sister Nana, and Sister Bing. They later all went to Peng City together. They originally planned to return to Pancity in early November but didn’t anticipate the sudden appearance of bizarre global weather phenomena. Due to the swift changes in the weather that could not be forecasted effectively, most international and domestic flights have been grounded, with only a handful remaining operational.

They thought of waiting until the situation got better before returning home to avoid being trapped in the airport or on the way to the airport due to bad weather, which would be troublesome for Xiao Pingguo. However, instead of getting better, the situation turned for the worse, making it even less suitable for Xiao Pingguo to return.

“We’re doing fine over here!” Xiao Pingguo replied. “Dad, if you are going home, take care on the road, and watch out for sudden drops in temperature, icy conditions, and hailstorms.”

“Hmm, don’t worry, now that you are not home, I am living in the dormitory near the school. It’s very close to the teaching area – just a few steps away. If I need to go home on weekends, I will ask your uncle to drive me.” Li Yang said, “How are you doing in Peng City? How are your Nana, Bing, and Zhen’er sisters? What about Xiao Lingdang? She surely can’t go to kindergarten now, can she?”

Sister Bing is always in Chongyun Village because she has things to attend to. Xiao Lingdang started school, but her school couldn’t hold classes, so she’s attending online classes at home haha. Nana and Zhen’er sisters are also working from home, and when we’re free, we play games and cook together, it’s really fun.” Xiao Pingguo sounded very cheerful, “Dad, I’ve learned how to cook three dishes, I’ll cook them for you when I get back!”

Li Yang felt somewhat emotional, and was somewhat relieved that Xiao Pingguo didn’t come back in early November. Having Tang Baona, Yang Zhen’r, and Xiao Lingdang with her in Peng City was indeed different.

Because of the monster in Antarctica and the abnormal weather changes, everyone around him, from his colleagues to his friends to his students, was depressed and anxious.

Even he himself, after going though lots of related material, knowing that several large countries have tried in various ways to deploy investigators and research equipment to Antarctica but have all failed without exception, and are even considering the use of nuclear weapons to restrict the growth of the black creature, instinctively judged that humans should be incapable of restraining that black creature, which made him very pessimistic about the future of the human race.

In comparison, Xiao Pingguo was faring much better. Apparently, she was having a great time in Peng City, completely unaffected by the bad weather and apocalyptic statements.

“By the way, how’s Uncle Xiang? Still on business? Has he been stranded somewhere else?” Li Yang asked with some worry.

Ever since Xiao Pingguo met Xiang Kun, she has undergone many positive changes. Some of these changes were completely inexplicable to him, but they were positive changes nonetheless. Now, Xiao Pingguo didn’t even need her walking stick anymore, she was able to walk and move about freely. Many strangers couldn’t tell that she was blind. Also, the reason Pingguo got to know Tang Baorong, Yang Zhen, and Xia Bing and was taken care of by them, was all because of Xiang Kun. So Li Yang was extremely grateful to Xiang Kun.

“Yes, Uncle Xiang is still on a business trip, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back anytime soon. Dad, you don’t have to worry about Uncle Xiang, he’ll be fine!” Xiao Pingguo said confidently.

“The birthday gift Uncle Xiang gave you… what’s the name of that… the glasses? How are they working out? Can they really help you recover your sight?” Li Yang asked, both eagerly and worriedly.

Not long ago, Xiang Kun had given Xiao Pingguo something like a pair of ultra-thin VR glasses, claiming that it could help her recover her eyesight. Li Yang was very skeptical about this. He had always kept up with the latest medical information and was familiar with all sorts of technologies and plans for treating perpetual night blindness. He had never heard of any method that allowed for a recovery of sight simply by wearing a device, without the need for surgery.

If anyone else had sent this kind of thing, he would have definitely branded them a fraudster, meted out a beating before calling the police, and had Li Sheng interrogate them.

But the words came from Xiang Kun, and the device was given by Xiang Kun. Despite his doubts, he couldn’t refuse. Because he was certain that Xiang Kun would never harm Xiao Pingguo, and the past had proved that Xiang Kun was indeed a man capable of creating miracles.

“It really works! Dad, I can now see a bit of light, and I can also see a bit of the outlines of things around me. Uncle Bald… ah, no, Uncle Xiang said… around February or March of next year, I should be able to discern some colors using the device, and perhaps by the end of next year, I might be able to see you with my own eyes!” Xiao Pingguo spoke in an elated tone.

Hearing this, though still somewhat skeptical, Li Yang was very excited. Just as he was about to say something, Xiao Pingguo on the other line suddenly gave an “Oh”, and then hurriedly said, “Dad, let’s hang up for now, something is about to happen soon, but don’t panic, it won’t take long!”

Looking at his phone that had ended the call, Li Yang was somewhat confused. What did she mean by something is about to happen? And why did she tell him not to panic? Doesn’t Xiao Pingguo know that he’s not the kind to be easily frightened or get flustered?Nôv(el)B\\jnn

As he was pondering, a clear bell sound resonated through the sky and echoed around.

Not only Li Yang, but everyone else also looked up and glanced around, trying to find the source of the sound.

Li Yang’s heart pounded, and he felt a bit panicky, recalling some of the possibilities he had been worrying about for some time. But then he remembered the words his daughter had just said, “Don’t panic, it’ll be over soon.”

Did Xiao Pingguo know what was about to happen?!