CH 2

Chapter 2: The Skeptical Mind

In the heart of the bustling city, where skyscrapers reached for the heavens and traffic jams

were a way of life, Wong Kai found himself ensconced in the digital labyrinth of his cluttered

apartment. Bathed in the glow of his computer screen, he resembled a lone voyager

navigating uncharted waters.

With a yawn and a stretch, Wong Kai leaned back in his creaky chair, his eyes bleary from

hours spent staring at lines of code. His attire, a mishmash of pajama bottoms adorned with

cartoon characters and an oversized hoodie with a logo from a long-forgotten tech

conference, spoke volumes about his current state of mind—a blend of comfort and

indifference.

As the clock on his computer ticked past midnight, an unexpected notification popped up on

his screen. It was a message from Zhang Wei, his partner-in-crime in all things tech-related.

"Hey buddy, you still up? You won't believe the rabbit hole I've fallen into. Check out this

'Cultivation Catastrophe' forum. It's wild!"

With a chuckle, Wong Kai clicked on the link, fully expecting to be greeted by a virtual circus of conspiracy theories and crackpot ideas. However, what he found was far from what he had anticipated.

The forum, with its garish colors and flashing banners, resembled something straight out of a cheesy '90s website—a digital relic lost in time. Yet, amidst the chaos, there was an

undeniable allure, a sense of mystery that drew Wong Kai in like a moth to a flame.

As he scrolled through the posts, his skepticism began to wane, replaced by a growing

sense of intrigue. People spoke of Qi cultivation and martial arts mastery in tones that

ranged from earnest enthusiasm to outright absurdity. It was as if he had stumbled upon a

secret society of wannabe wizards and kung fu warriors.

Zhang Wei's message flashed in the corner of his screen, accompanied by a string of

laughing emojis. "I know, right? It's like stumbling into a parallel universe where reality takes

a vacation and imagination runs wild. But hey, it's entertaining, if nothing else!"

Wong Kai couldn't help but agree. There was something undeniably entertaining about the

forum, with its outlandish claims and fantastical stories. It was like a digital carnival, where

the bizarre and the mundane rubbed shoulders in a riotous dance of words and ideas.

As the night wore on, Wong Kai found himself lost in the labyrinth of the forum, clicking from

one thread to the next with reckless abandon. He laughed at the absurdity of it all, yet

somewhere in the back of his mind, a seed of curiosity had been planted—a tiny spark of

wonder that refused to be extinguished.

With a weary smile, Wong Kai bid farewell to the digital carnival and closed his laptop, the

glow of the screen fading into darkness. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't shake the

feeling that his life was about to take a turn for the absurd—a turn that promised adventure,

laughter, and maybe, just maybe, a touch of magic...