Extreme Vigilance

When the night of Deep City transitions from a vibrant bustle to a dimly lit desolation, occasional vehicles bellowing growls still rush through the streets under the streetlamps, seemingly unwilling to succumb to the darkness just yet...

When Shen Yue suddenly sat up from the bed, his eyelids were still fluttering relentlessly.

He didn't glance at the sporadic car lights that swept past his window, instead habitually checking his bedside smartphone.

The cellphone, which looked like an archaic model, seemed solidly robust. Out of place in this intelligent new world, it blared an ill-timed, piercing ringtone at this moment!

It would be more accurate to say that Shen Yue was awakened by his phone's ringtone rather than from a dream. Despite its persistent repetition, he had no intention of answering it because he knew it wasn't a call but his alarm clock.

Only after the ringing finally stopped did he pick up his phone with a faintly bewildered look. He fumbled through the alarm settings with familiar ease, looking somewhat dazed at the alarm set for 2:33.

This was an utterly unusual time for an alarm.

Even widely recognized entrepreneurs, inspired life coaches, and successful people who praise their own diligence, integrity, and excellence tend to modestly set their waking hours around four or five in the morning. An earlier wake-up call would have others suspecting the night was not yet over in the bustling multi-player nightlife.

Shen Yue was not a successful individual blessed with good fortune, nor did he exhibit any desire to become a wealthy businessman. So why was his phone set to this immodest, and one might even say, proud time?

2:33?

Why did he have to wake himself up at this bizarre time?

Shen Yue had no answer.

In fact, he had been waiting for the answer to this question ever since he came to this city. He had been waiting for all the answers!

Sitting there quietly, Shen Yue slowly took in his surroundings. The room was extremely bare, with almost no sign of habitation other than a single bed for sleeping.

The whole room felt as lonely as Shen Yue. Looking at the place where he usually slept, Shen Yue's expression seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

When his phone alarm repeated again, Shen Yue finally turned it off.

With a soft sigh, Shen Yue habitually got out of bed and headed towards the washroom.

The washroom interior was simple, akin to a solitary bachelor detached from everyday life. Shen Yue turned on the faucet and casually washed his face, reaching out blindly to get the only towel in the room. However, as he wiped his face and looked into the mirror before him, he suddenly froze!

His rigid movements were so sudden that the silence of the late night echoed with the creaking sound of his skeletal frame.

The veins in his neck strained with tension, his face an image of horror, giving his rather thin and handsome countenance a savage look.

At that moment, he could hear the thumping sound of his heart pounding in his chest.

He knew all too well that everything about the current situation was abnormal, and he had been seeking answers.

He had prepared himself for a shocking revelation, even if a disheveled ghost were to suddenly appear in the mirror, he wouldn't flinch or retreat. Still, the scene that unfolded before him was beyond his preparations, making him feel as if he had entered a nightmare.

There was no ghost in the mirror!

There was also no sign of him!

All he saw was a mirror reflecting the washbasin in front of him and the pallid wall behind him. He himself was nowhere to be found between the mirror and the wall!

The sudden turn of events left Shen Yue in a state of shock. His mind went blank, failing to notice the mosquito that had quietly landed on his neck and was sinking its sharp proboscis into his vein, greedily feasting on his sweet blood.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Shen Yue finally snapped out of it, a folklore tale flashing through his mind—ghosts don't have reflections in mirrors.

Was he a ghost?

Confronted with such a strange and eerie spectacle, Shen Yue couldn't help but consider this answer. After taking a deep breath to calm down, he shut his eyes briefly before looking into the mirror again, his mouth twitching slightly.

There was no ghost in the mirror, only a somewhat discolored reflection of him.

Had everything before been just an illusion?

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, Shen Yue hesitated for a moment, then washed his face and wiped it again. He slowly opened his eyes and peered into the mirror. The him in the mirror looked anxious and somewhat anticipatory…

The mosquito was disturbed by his odd behavior. Hovering in the air, it was reluctant to leave as it still yearned for that delicious blood.

After repeating the same action for over ten times, Shen Yue saw the disappointment on his face in the mirror. He didn't disappear from the mirror again, and he appeared no different from any other person.

What had happened earlier? Was he hallucinating? Was it an optical illusion? Was he still alive?

Shen Yue did not know the answer but eventually gave up trying. As he returned to the bed, he took a few deep breaths of the hot air that had seeped into his room from the fall night outside. He collapsed onto his pillow like a zombie and closed his eyes.

The darkness of the autumn night silently engulfed him. He was quickly surrounded by darkness and sank into a dream-filled void, hence oblivious to the fact that the mosquito which had been feasting on his blood had now landed on the mirror.

Unsatisfied with the modest appetizer it had consumed earlier, the mosquito awaited its main course after a brief period of digestion. Just as it was about to fly towards the sleeping man for a hearty meal, it suddenly halted in mid-air.

On the long streets, some vehicles were still roaring reluctantly, challenging the austere silence of the night.

Caught off guard by the roar of the engines, the airborne mosquito trembled mysteriously. Then, just like Shen Yue earlier, it stilled.

In a blink, the mosquito lost its vitality and fell towards the ground. But before it could touch the ground, its rigid body burst open and dissipated into the darkness…

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PS: Important note, this novel belongs to urban supernatural power genre, and it's not one about paranormal occurrences. ^_^