The Real Awakening

I realised that I am so invested in this project that I’m at the point where I end up translating it nearly as much as my other projects so…it’s been moved out of Teasers and is officially a full project because I don’t have enough projects already. However, the releases for this one will likely be a bit more sporadic than my other projects still, so make sure to either follow the Novel Updates pageor join the Discord serverto be notified of releases (just let me know that you would like notifications upon joining the server). There was also a Novel Synopses pageadded for this series, like my other projects.

Minor note that Ouyang Shuo’s name was fixed.

D-University’s affiliated general hospital.

Ye Xiao was sitting on a sickbed, his right arm in a plaster and wrapped in bandages. His left hand was holding a spoon as he heartily ate a black pepper tenderloin meal, clicking his tongue in pleasure from the deliciousness.

Su Mu was leaning against a window with his arms crossed, brows furrowed at Ye Xiao.

He truly could not comprehend how someone in this world could have such a good appetite in any kind of situation and be able to enjoy it with such delight no matter what they ate.

“Oh, the hospital’s meals really aren’t bad. Do you want to try a taste?”

Ye Xiao chewed on the beef as he tilted his plate up towards Su Mu.

The corners of Su Mu’s lips twitched, and he immediately refused, “Thanks, I’ll pass.”

Ye Xiao chuckled before stuffing some more rice into his mouth as he said, “You can continue talking, I’m listening.”

Su Mu shrugged and replied, “I’m done. That’s the current situation.”

“Oh…that means, this deceased called Hua Xia graduated from D-University before too?”

“Yes. Moreover, he was a student in the same year as Ouyang Shuo, Wei Jin Ping, and Qin Ni.”

“How could it be that coincidental? Three of them committed suicide, and they all died so bizarrely. Hua Xia even strangled his own wife to death and ate her corpse…”

“You think this is a coincidence?”

“Hehe, coincidences that perfect probably don’t exist in this world, huh?”

“…”

“How about this then, let’s drop by D-University to investigate.”

“But you—”

Before Su Mu could even say anything, he saw Ye Xiao already gulp down everything on his plate and wipe his mouth. He then jumped off the bed to say in high spirits, “Let’s go.”

Su Mu’s face immediately darkened as he stared at the plaster on Ye Xiao’s arm.

Ye Xiao did not pay it any mind. However, as soon as he reached the room’s door, he was captured red-handed by a doctor that had come in while making rounds.

“Officer Ye Xiao, you must stay at the hospital under observation for two days. You cannot leave the hospital for the time being.”

The doctor in charge of Ye Xiao was Yu Xiao Yu, a beautiful woman in her twenties. She knit her elegant brows together as she looked at the patient that had only just been admitted and yet was already being disobedient soon after.

Ye Xiao chuckled and scratched his head as he replied, “Doctor Yu, it’s just a minor injury. There’s no reason to be that excessive, is there? And from what I can tell, there isn’t even a need for the plaster.”

“What do you mean there’s no need?” Yu Xiao Yu’s pretty face deadpanned to give an air of “I’m the doctor yet you dare to question me”. “The bone already had traces of a light fracture. If the plaster doesn’t secure it in place, you might accidentally break it. Furthermore, your wound is very deep and there is a possibility of it getting infected at any moment. Therefore, you must stay at the hospital under observation for two days. Please cooperate with my medical treatment.”

Ye Xiao was left dumbstruck by the other person’s tone and could only laugh awkwardly.

Su Mu stated, “I’ll go and investigate by myself first. You stay at the hospital for now.”

“But…”

“But what?”

Ye Xiao glanced at Yu Xiao Yu, then helplessly frowned before very reluctantly replying, “Nothing.”

Thus, Su Mu left alone.

Ye Xiao obediently sat back down on the bed and drew up his sleeve to let the doctor give him an anti-inflammatory shot.

Yu Xiao Yu slowly pushed the needle in as she curiously asked, “Officer Ye Xiao, what exactly bit you to cause this wound? How is it so serious?”

“Er…” Ye Xiao hesitated for a moment before smiling back in response. “My neighbour’s large wolfdog.”

“Large wolfdog?” Yu Xiao Yu frowned, clearly doubtful. However, she did not ask further.

Ye Xiao inwardly thought to himself that if he said a human had bitten him, it might possibly frighten her. Besides, others would not necessarily believe that a human’s teeth could be this powerful. Though now that he thought back more closely, he also found it somewhat unfathomable. In particular, there was that last sentence Hua Xia had said before falling from the building, about the mermaid’s curse…

Mermaids…does such a mysterious life form really exist in this world? Could it be that they aren’t meant to reside only in Andersen’s fairytale worlds?

As Ye Xiao silently thought this, he unconsciously voiced the doubt in his heart.

“Doctor Yu, do you think mermaids exist in this world?”

“Mermaids?” Yu Xiao Yu was taken aback for a moment. Then a stunning smile formed on her face as she chuckled. “I never expected that Officer Yu had an undying childish heart that would contemplate this type of question.”

“Um…”

Ye Xiao blushed from the comment and cracked a smile in embarrassment.

Yu Xiao Yu seriously thought it over before replying, “I think that there should be. The world is vast and full of extraordinary things. There could be mermaids, there could be vampires, and maybe they all just live in corners we cannot see. Who knows?”

Ye Xiao blinked and suddenly changed the topic by saying, “But, Doctor Yu, your name is quite interesting.”

“My name?” Yu Xiao Yu was stunned.

Ye Xiao grinned as he explained, “When I first heard your self-introduction, I thought it was Xiao Yu, like the ‘yu’ from rain. Only after seeing your job certificate did I realise that it was actually the ‘yu’ from fish.”

Yu Xiao Yu smiled back and replied, “That’s the name my father gave me, because my father likes…mermaids.”

It was unclear if she was purposely mocking him or teasing him. As soon as she gave this response, she covertly winked at Ye Xiao and then gathered her medical equipment to walk out of the room.

After everyone left, Ye Xiao dully leaned against the headboard of his bed by himself as he spaced out, staring at the gradually setting sun outside the window to the west.

It had already been a very long time since the naturally active him had been at rest like this. The recent chain of multiple strange cases had made him feel slightly overwhelmed. As he was taking this break to sit in a daze, he suddenly heard a faint gasp come from outside.

Ye Xiao turned his gaze over to the opposite bed.

There was an old grandfather that seemed to be in his seventies. His hair was completely white, his face was full of wrinkles, and he had a poor complexion. There was no knowing what ailment he had; it seemed that he had already been here for a while.

This ward had four beds in total. Two of them were empty, and the remaining ones were occupied by Ye Xiao and this grandfather.

This grandfather had been sleeping with his covers up earlier. Now he sat up, taking off the covers to give an almost toothless grin towards Ye Xiao in the bed across from him. In a mysterious tone, he said, “Youngster, I don’t know if there are mermaids in this world, but I believe that there are definitely ghosts.

He then furtively eyed the door as he lowered his voice and continued, “And, this hospital is haunted.”

“Er…haunted? Ha, haha…” Ye Xiao’s lips twitched as he forced a laugh.

He was an atheist that had never believed in the existence of ghosts.

Seeing that the other did not believe him, the grandfather let out a huff and pointed at the vacant bed next to Ye Xiao as he earnestly said, “See, that person next to you was originally fine this whole time, and his illness gradually stabilised so he could have quickly been released. However, he was suddenly dragged away by a ghost last night, and just like that, he’s gone.”

“Um, dragged away by a ghost?”

“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Last night, I woke up to go the bathroom. In the end, when I opened my eyes under the blanket, I saw a human figure – oh, no, a ghost figure – swaying. It was pitch-black, taking advantage of the nighttime to approach that person’s bed step by step, then lifted him onto a gurney to slowly push him away. He never came back. I think that person was probably brought to the other world. Sigh, what a sin. He was still young, not even forty…”

The grandfather sighed, seemingly feeling much regret. However, it just sounded strange to Ye Xiao. If a ghost had really come to drag someone from the world of the living, why use a trolley? Unless…could it be that the techniques of the underworld have also advanced? They no longer hook onto the souls of their targets, and have changed to using modern tools now?

The irrelevant wave of thoughts floated through his mind for a while, and Ye Xiao chuckled to himself as he shook his head. He knew that most old people believed in gods and demons, believed in afterlife, believed in reincarnation. Perhaps to them, as people with one foot in the grave, this was where they could place the hopes of their hearts. As for the person in the bed next to him, they must have had their ailment suddenly worsen in the middle of night and was taken away for emergency rescue or something.

As he thought this, Ye Xiao lazily gave a large yawn and slowly curled up under his blankets as he mindlessly flipped through some magazines that someone unknown had left on the bedside dresser. As he continued flipping, he gradually fell asleep.

He did not know how long he slept for. When he hazily woke up, his surroundings were pitch dark.

Ye Xiao’s bed screen wasn’t drawn. He only saw the large and bright moon suspended high up in the air outside the window.

Tonight’s moon was enormous and round, as well as resplendent. It seemed to be covered by a faint red halo.

The grandfather in the bed across from him had already fallen unconscious. Even through the screen, he could hear the loud, intermittent snores, with indiscernible sleeptalk in between.

Ye Xiao rolled over, but even after turning to and fro, he could not fall back asleep. Thus, he decided to get out of bed, grabbing a cigarette and a lighter to secretly sneak out of the ward.

When he reached the window at the end of the hallway, he lit the cigarette and slowly breathed it in as he faced the night sky.

The thin wisps of smoke were quickly dispersed by the chilly breeze, assimilating into the night mist and gradually vanishing.

The temperature tonight was a bit low. Ye Xiao stood facing the wind with only a single layer, feeling like the freezing air seeped directly through his collar. It was so cold that he couldn’t help but shiver several times. Thus, he quickly finished smoking one cigarette to dart back into the ward. However, he suddenly heard a faint series of strange noises. The sound was very soft, impossible to hear without listening closely. However, if he focused on it, he could tell that the series of quiet noises were especially ear-piercing in the serene night.

Crackle…crackle…crackle…

It sounds like…like the crisp sound of something hard being split open…

Ah, right! Like the sound of a walnut being shattered between a door hinge…

But where is it coming from?

In his suspicion, Ye Xiao backtracked and began to head towards the vacant, soundless corridor behind him.

There was not a single person in the hallway. The wards on both sides were all closed. It was absolutely silent. There was a dim hazy glow from the light above, which illuminated the long and dead-looking white corridor.

Ye Xiao neared the noise step by step. There was a bend at the end of the hallway, and he felt that the unusual noise was coming from around there. Thus, he slowed his pacing and walked very quietly, trying not to make any noise. However, when he was halfway there, the sound abruptly vanished.

Ye Xiao froze. As he was pondering what exactly the situation was, he sensed a sudden weight on his shoulder as someone heavily patted him, frightening him so much that he nearly jumped.

When he turned his head, he saw that the person behind him was Yu Xiao Yu in her white coat.

“Doc-Doctor Yu. You scared me to death, appearing behind me out of nowhere in the dead of the night…” Ye Xiao let out a long, bated breath.

The young female doctor sternly glared at him and said, “I was going to ask you that. It’s the dead of the night yet you’re not sleeping in the ward as you should be. What did you run out for?”

“Er, I…couldn’t sleep, so I came out for some fresh air. Huh, Doctor Yu, why are you still in the hospital so late?”

“I’m on night shift these two days.”

“Oh, is that so…”

Ye Xiao chuckled and covertly stuffed the lighter in his hand back into his pocket.

Unexpectedly, Yu Xiao Yu’s sense of smell was extremely sharp. Despite being three steps away, she could smell the smoke sticking onto his clothes. Thus, her face hardened as she reprimanded, “Officer Yu, per hospital regulations, smoking is not allowed. You—”

“Ah, sorry, sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Ye Xiao smiled foolishly and then quickly turned to escape back into the ward like a wisp of smoke.

Inside the room, the grandfather in the bed across was still snoring heavily. It was so loud that Ye Xiao could not sleep at all. Instead, he could only use his open eyes to watch the round moon outside his window until daylight.

The next day, Ye Xiao was a bit listless. With two dark panda circles around his eyes, he yawned all day as he barely listened to the grandfather across from him continue blabbing about the various “haunting experiences” from the past. With much difficulty, Ye Xiao lasted until evening. After eating dinner, he met Doctor Yu Xiao Yu once again.

After performing standard checks, Doctor Yu pulled out a needle and said, “Officer Yu, did you not sleep well? This will affect the healing of your injury. Why don’t I give you a tranquilizer shot to help you sleep today?”

“Eh, a tranquilizer? There isn’t a need for that kind of thing, right…hey!”

When Ye Xiao turned his head, the tip of the needle had already pierced into the vein of his arm before he could stop it.

Yu Xiao Yu slowly pushed the syringe as she smiled and said, “Get proper sleep tonight. You’ll be able to leave the hospital in two days.”

Ye Xiao dropped his head as he dejectedly thought: I only got a single bite from a person, yet things have gotten so excessive to the point of getting a plaster and staying in the hospital. Seriously, what horrible luck!

After getting the tranquilizer, he dully lay in bed and soon felt his eyelids grow heavy. He tried his best to keep his mind clear, struggling to open his eyes. However, every few minutes, the sleepiness would gradually attack again. The scene before him turned blurrier, and his conscious began to leave his body. Just like this, he unknowingly fell asleep.

Ye Xiao slept very deeply this time. He seemed to have multiple dreams in succession amidst the haziness. One moment, he was dreaming that he was being hunted by someone. He kept running forward with all his strength while the person behind him continued chasing after him with all their strength. When he inadvertently looked back, he saw that person suddenly open their mouth wide open to reveal bloody, sharp teeth. The next moment, he dreamed of Su Mu’s cold face instantly transforming into a monster to bite off his finger, even sighing in praise for its deliciousness while chewing….

Only when he jolted awake without warning did Ye Xiao realise he was still lying in the hospital bed. The meticulous nurse had already pulled up the screens around his bed. It was as if he was locked in a small, rectangular cage. The moonlight from outside the window shone in, reflecting shadows against the light-coloured bed screen with a gloomy glow.

Ye Xiao dazedly opened his eyes partially. His head was still very dizzy, very sleepy. The effect of the tranquilizer had not yet passed. He could feel the lack of strength in his limbs, and he was unable to even move. He could only lay down on the flat bed in his befuddled state of weakness.

Sigh, so thirsty. I really want to drink water…

As Ye Xiao blankly thought this, he swallowed hard. Just as he was about to fight to reach out and press the nurse bell, he discovered with a start that there was a black, human figure outside the screen.

He started in fright and hurriedly retracted his hand, his eyes locked fixedly on the silhouette reflected on the curtain.

The figure moved slowly and so quietly that it seemed like a spectre floating in the air. As it swayed, the silhouette grew clearer.

It was clear that this person was currently approaching his bed.

Who in the world could it be in the middle of the night? Why not turn on the lights? Why sneak around like this?

A string of questions flashed through his mind. And when that person was just about to reach over and part the bed screen, Ye Xiao closed his eyes to feign sleep.

He heard the light clatter of the metal rings sliding above the curtains. However, the person did not seem to get any closer. Rather, they stayed in place, seemingly only just to get a glimpse to check if Ye Xiao was truly asleep or not. They then slowly closed the curtains and secretly turned to leave.

Ye Xiao slowly opened his eyes, only to discover that the person had not left the ward. The strange, floating figure gradually moved over to the bed across where the grandfather was.

The grandfather was snoring away like thunder as before, not at all sensing the approaching presence. Ye Xiao did not know what that person did, but the grandfather’s snores eventually vanished, leaving the ward in silence.

After a while, there was a faint clattering noise from the ground, like wheels passing by. The sound faded out into the distance, disappearing outside the doorway.

The figure left.

Ye Xiao struggled to prop himself up, holding onto the edge of the bed as he dizzily stumbled over to the other bed. When he ripped away the blankets, he saw that the bed was completely empty under the dim moonlight. The grandfather that had been lying there sleeping and snoring away was actually gone.

Did that person bring him away?

Just as he was pondering this, Ye Xiao felt a chill across his nape. Something hard seemed to slam downwards [towards him], as he instantly felt a burst of sharp pain. His body staggered, then he collapsed against his will.

The next time he woke, it was daytime, with the sun shining brightly and beautifully.

When Ye Xiao opened his eyes, the brilliant beams of light entered his eyes. He squinted and reflexively blocked it, only to hear an icy voice next to him.

“Hah, even on a workday, you can sleep until 2 PM.”

What? 2 PM? Ye Xiao lifted his eyes to see Su Mu’s eternally blank face, his back facing the sunlight as he coldly stared at Ye Xiao. There was a faint mocking tone in his words.

Ye Xiao rubbed his eyes and hazily sat up in the bed. Suddenly, he felt a throbbing pain from the back of his neck. After spacing out for a second, he suddenly recalled that he had been knocked out last night!

Who was it? Who was that person really?

He blankly surveyed the surroundings. Within his line of vision, he saw two nurses currently tidying the bed across from him.

“Where’s that grandfather?” He asked.

One of the nurses turned around to glance at him, regret on her face as she answered, “He suddenly had a heart attack in the middle of the night yesterday and passed away.”

“Heart attack?” Ye Xiao frowned and hurriedly said, “That’s not right, I clearly saw someone bring him away.”

“Someone brought him away?”

The young nurse froze for a moment, then let out a chuckle she could not hold back as she replied, “And here I thought only old people would believe that type of thing. I hadn’t expected you to always blindly believe in gods and demons.”

“Ah…” Ye Xiao explained, “That’s not what I meant. I definitely saw someone come to the ward in the middle of the night yesterday to bring him away. Plus…that person even knocked me out.”

The two nurses exchanged a look with each other, seemingly not understanding Ye Xiao’s words.

At this moment, a sweet female voice sounded from outside. Doctor Yu Xiao Xu walked in with a smile to comment, “It appears that Mr. Ye slept very well last night, to the point where he can no longer discern dream from reality.”

The nurses giggled to each other. Ye Xiao was somewhat embarrassed and lowered his head as his face flushed.

Could it be that he actually had been dreaming? The scene from last night had just been imagination? However, what was the explanation for the throbbing pain from the back of his head then? No, that’s wrong. It wasn’t a dream. Someone had undoubtedly come in last night, and even secretly attacked him.

Ye Xiao shook his head and focused on the female doctor currently checking him as he asked, “Where is that grandfather now?”

Yu Xiao Yu was taken aback, lifting her eyes to look back at him in confusion.

“Um, I mean, where is the old mister’s body?”

“It was already cremated this morning.”

“What? Cremated so quickly?”

“Of course. Our hospital is a one-stop service, it’s very efficient.”

“But…but what about the patient’s relatives? Were they notified?”

“That old mister was alone, without any relatives or children.”

“…”

Ye Xiao stared blankly with the persistent feeling that something was fishy somehow.

“What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?” Yu Xiao Yu inquired with a smile.

“Ah, no, no, nothing.” He scratched his head.

Once the female doctor left, Ye Xiao glanced at Su Mu, who had been silent off to the side the entire time. “There is an issue with this hospital.”

“What issue?”

“I didn’t dream. Someone really did enter last night to bring away the patient in the bed across from me, and attacked me from behind too.”

Su Mu gazed at him wordlessly.

“What, do you not believe me either?”

Ye Xiao jumped up emotionally.

Su Mu flatly replied, “Just because you say something does not mean it’s true.”

Indeed, his verbal statement was not enough. No one would believe his words. Every person in this hospital pretended as if last night’s events had never happened. The person that had attacked him had even gone through the effort of moving him back to the bed.

What exactly is going on with all of this?

A few days later, Ye Xiao finally got his plaster removed and was released from the hospital. His hand had recovered very well, though per his own words, it would have healed to its original state even without the plaster, so this had just been a waste of a hospital fee. Since the bureau stubbornly refused to reimburse the cost, he could only rely on instant noodles to get through the following period.

As for Hua Xia’s case, it had long since been closed. The sole criminal suspect had jumped off a building to die, so there was nothing much to be said about it. The criminal investigations unit would not dispatch any more people to examine this case. However, according to the results of Su Mu’s solo covert investigation of D-University, it was not hard to realise that this case actually had major hidden subtext.

Firstly, the three deceased that had committed suicide in unusual ways: Ouyang Zhuo, Wei Jin Ping, and Hua Xia, had all been D-University students in the same class eight years ago. They had also studied the same major: Biological Studies.

Secondly, while selecting courses, all three had chosen the same professor. This professor had once been a powerful figure in the field of biology, with many extraordinary research achievements. However, he was now already retired, and had gradually faded out from the circle. This professor’s surname was Yu, his full name was Yu Zhi De.

The third point was also the most suspicious one. Yu Zhi De had once brought a bunch of students out to sea for some mysterious research. There was no one inside the school that knew of the contents of this research. Upon returning, those students had refused to talk about it either. It was also following this even that Yu Zhi De had suddenly resigned from his teaching position at the university and begun to live in seclusion.

Su Mu had obtained a list of students that had attended the research activity out at sea that year. And shockingly enough, included on the list were Ouyang Shuo, Wei Jin Ping, Hua Xia, and the woman that had appeared at the crime scene twice: Qin Ni.

“Oh, that means that in the end, these people all share a common point.”

It was after work. Just as before, they were at the fast-food restaurant near the police station. Ye Xiao was chewing on his plastic fork as he murmured this. In front of him was a bowl of instant noodles that had already been filled with boiling water.

Sitting across from him was Su Mu, whose head was lowered to slowly eat his sausage meal.

“Tch, I didn’t think that the woman Qin Ni actually had a connection to the third deceased too. Hey, in your opinion, could this woman be where the key to the entire matter is located?”

Ye Xiao sprawled across the table to look up at Su Mu. Who would’ve thought that he was instead met with a merciless, withering look.

“Can’t you go home to eat instant noodles? Why must you eat it in the restaurant?”

“Eh, I…I like to, is it not allowed?” Ye Xiao mumbled with a pout.

Ever since the moment they had stepped out from the office half an hour ago, he had been constantly following behind Su Mu as if attached by the hip, all the way into the fast-food restaurant. While Su Mu had been in line to purchase food, Ye Xiao had sent him secret signals N times, hoping the other person would fork over money to treat him once. Unfortunately, the other party simply had no tacit understanding with him. In the end, Ye Xiao could only gloomily pull out his instant noodles from his bag and ask the waiter to give him hot water as he sat across from Su Mu to just helplessly watch the other eat.

Tsk, miser.

Ye Xiao couldn’t help but inwardly curse.

As if having heard, Su Mu coldly asked, “What?”

“Cough, nothing. I said, how do you see this entire matter?”

“What do you mean how do I see it? The three cases were closed already.”

“But don’t you think there are still many suspicious points?”

“It doesn’t matter how many suspicious points there are. There are still many other pending cases waiting to be resolved. The station won’t send out any people to investigate this matter more deeply. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Ye Xiao stretched his neck over out of curiosity to impatiently look at Su Mu.

Su Mu glanced at him, then lowered his head to take a steady bite of the Swiss sausage. He delicately chewed it before swallowing and commenting, “Your instant noodles will turn soggy if you don’t eat them.”

“Eh?” Ye Xiao stared dumbly, then quickly pulled over his abandoned dinner from the corner and opened the cover to use a fork to mix the swollen noodles. With dismay written all over his face, he lamented, “Ah, it really is already soggy…”

Su Mu helplessly sighed and furrowed his brows as he extremely reluctantly tossed over a copy of the menu. He coldly stated, “You are not allowed to order anything that costs more than my meal.”

Ye Xiao looked at the menu in astonishment, then back at Su Mu. Delight immediately filled his face as he excitedly asked, “Are you saying you’ll treat me to a meal?”

Su Mu was silent as he went back to eating his own meal. After a while, he finally could not keep himself from asking, “With your salary, you shouldn’t be destitute to the point where you cannot even afford to eat a meal. Where does all your money go every month?”

Ye Xiao started slightly. A faint flicker behind his gaze seemed to conceal something. After a second, he laughed and scratched his head as he vaguely replied, “I don’t know either. I just use it and use it, and it disappears. Heh, hehe…”

Su Mu gave him a look and did not say anything else.

“Oh right, you said ‘unless’ just now…don’t tell me you mean…”

Ye Xiao paused. Su Mu raised his head, and the two chimed in unison:

“Unless a fourth deceased appears!”