The sky is like a cage, the world is like hell, meet Buddha kill Buddha, meet Ancestor kill Ancestor.
Early spring.
The old city that had just experienced a heavy rain.
The slightly dilapidated bus ran through the muddy streets and blended into the crowded traffic at the intersection. Outside the half-opened window, there was smoke drifting in.
Tang Zhan tightened his collar and dozed off in the corner with sleepy eyes. However, when he saw a tiger-looking child making faces at him in a car next to him, he could not help but smile.
It would have been fine if he hadn't laughed, but this smile made the originally lively child suddenly quiver. Then, his mouth puckered, and his small face turned pale. He cried out loud.
"Who is it? Who is so wicked as to scare a child?"
Just as the woman in the driver's seat cursed and stuck her head out, the car moved.
As he listened to the cries that gradually faded away, Tang Zhan sat in his seat and stretched. However, there was a trace of absent-mindedness in his eyes.
He was dreaming again.
Everyone in this world had dreams, but the most illusory of dreams were also dreams.
Often, after waking up from a dream, everything in the dream would disappear like smoke. They would vaguely remember it or even forget it completely. Who could remember it clearly and not forget it?
He could.
Not only could he remember everything in the dream clearly, he could even empathize with it and learn something from it.
For example, killing techniques.
It was as if everything in the dream was something he had experienced personally. Or rather, it was him fighting against various experts.
This kind of fighting was not like the peerless experts in martial arts novels. It was close combat, a fight of fists and kicks, and killing techniques.
Or perhaps, it was not a dream at all.
Looking at the blurry glass and listening to the old song in his earphones, Tang Zhan muttered,"This dream seems to be different again."
He had many dreams over the years.
Some dreams could end with a nap, while others were incomplete and needed countless dreams to piece them together.
"Parallel world? Or in my previous life?"
Looking at his own shadow on the car window, Tang Zhan was a little distracted.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that these thoughts were not impossible.
"We've arrived at the Gulou District!"
The sudden notification made Tang Zhan blink.
They had arrived at the station.
Compared to his classmates who had been interviewing for internships early on, Tang Zhan did not like to be restrained. He had a free and easy personality, so after graduation, he found a job as a sparring partner in a fight club.
Even though he did not have any outstanding qualifications, his amazing physical fitness and his hidden methods could be considered to be doing well.
Biting on the bun he bought by the roadside, Tang Zhan took off his hood, revealing a head of white and thick short hair and a pair of feminine and cold facial features.
The strange things that happened to him did not start when he was born. When he was nine years old, he had a serious illness and almost died. After he was lucky enough to survive, he kept having strange dreams.
Perhaps it was because of those dreams, his hair had turned completely white before he turned sixteen. The doctor said that he had overworked his mental strength, so other than working, he spent most of his time sleeping.
The sky was dark, and the rain shrouded this small city in the north.
However, when he arrived at his workplace, Tang Zhan was surprised to find that the club's door was surrounded by people. Many people were discussing and even cordoned off. There were police officers coming in and out.
Tang Zhan raised his eyebrows and looked inside in surprise.
There was a murder.
A stretcher covered in a white cloth was carried out, and a muscular arm with bulging tendons and tattoos was hanging out of the white cloth.
What made Tang Zhan's expression change was that there were actually five dark blue and purple fingerprints on the joints of the arm. The entire forearm seemed to have been crushed by a big car. It twisted from front to back, and the bones were dislocated. It looked very terrifying.
He recognized this person without even looking at his face.
It was the head coach of the club, and also one of the owners, Chen Wenxiong.
This person was once a provincial boxing champion. He had fought in Thailand and Japan in the early years and won many world-class fighting competitions. However, he had been managing the club's business for the past few years and had even become an internet celebrity.
He usually boasted that he was proficient in judo, wrestling, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts. He often brought two beautiful female assistants with him to take videos in the club. He also liked to use the gimmick of " cracking down on fake goods " to create popularity. Today, he challenged this master, and tomorrow, he challenged that boxing champion. Tang Zhan had not seen many real competitions, but the big gold chains he wore were getting thicker and thicker, and he earned a lot of money.
He didn't expect to die today.
"Tang Zhan, come here."
Someone suddenly called out to him from the cordon.
Tang Zhan came back to his senses and saw that the person had already walked over.
He had short hair, a square face, and a stubble that had just emerged on his face. He was in his thirties or forties, wearing a black t-shirt and glasses. He was a refined man. He was the club's manager and also another boss. He was usually in charge of planning and operations. His surname was Li, and his name was Li Tai.
"Manager."
He walked in.
"Something happened at the club. If these police officers ask you anything, just tell them the truth."
Tang Zhan was not surprised to hear Li Tai's words. He was a sparring partner. Because he had to organize the equipment and guide some new members, he was basically the last to leave every day. He would definitely be questioned.
A female police officer walked over.
"You were the last to leave last night?"
Tang Zhan nodded.
" It was around eight o'clock. We were a little late because two new members wanted to experience the class yesterday."
"When was the last time you saw Chen Wenxiong?"
" I think it was between 7:30 and 8:00. He drank and even called for a designated driver. Then, before I left, he was sleeping in the lounge."
"Is there anyone else besides him?"
" And his female assistant. The rain was too heavy last night, so I didn't notice anything else."
After the simple question, Tang Zhan found out that two people had died, including the female assistant. She was naked when she died.
By the time the inspection was over, it was already raining heavily outside. The onlookers dispersed in the blink of an eye, leaving Li Tai sitting in front of the bar counter, smoking a cigarette in a daze. His face was pale, and his hand holding the cigarette was trembling.
Seeing that Tang Zhan was still waiting outside, he remembered something. His face trembled and he transferred 30,000 yuan to him with his phone. He smiled bitterly and said," This shop is probably going to close soon. You should change places. I think you might as well practice boxing yourself. You were born to make a living. Don't waste your time in such a small place!"
Seeing that he had a lot on his mind, Tang Zhan nodded and did not ask any more questions. He turned around and walked out.
The rain became heavier.
Tang Zhan lifted his hood and left the club. He looked like he was rushing through the rain, but in fact, he kept thinking about the injury on Chen Wenxiong's arm.
"Hmm?"
However, just as he was about to reach the bus stop, the hair on his arm quivered quietly in the rain. His pores seemed to have felt a bone-chilling chill as they automatically contracted and quivered.
At the same time, a burly figure in a dark green raincoat was walking toward them.
The two of them brushed past each other, but at a certain moment, they stopped in their tracks and disappeared into the rain without looking back.