Autophagy

Lei was pulled inside without being able to put up a fight.

'I'm doomed,' thought Lei. Although Lei was good at hiding his emotions and inner world, he had been in a constant state of nervous breakdown since he woke up inside the talisman-covered bathroom. Although he was resilient, that didn't mean that he was immune to stress.

Was he in a dream? Had he finally gone insane because of the things he had experienced? Was he Lei at all? Maybe Lei was just another personality this body's owner had. Had he been living inside a dream until now and finally woke up? Was he lying in a hospital bed having nightmares in a coma?

Lei's calm demeanor was already about to break down into pieces when he was thrown into this place, now that he was pulled into a room forcefully with god knows what inside, he had accepted a painful death. He closed his eyes.

...

"I'm not dead?" Lei talked to himself.

"Ssshhhh... Be quiet. What the hell were you thinking when you went out to the hallway at 4 a.m?"

"Huh?" Lei opened his closed eyes. It took him some time to get used to the dim lighting of the room.

"Uhhh..." Lei was dumbfounded. When his eyes finally got used to the room, he saw a living, breathing human standing in front of him. A male around the age of 20 with pretty average looks was actually making him feel relieved as if he had found an oasis on a desert.

"...And?" The person continued while raising one of his brows. "Aren't you going to answer my question?"

"What? Uhhh... Yeah right. I don't really understand the situation I'm in right now. As I've just come to this place," Lei said with an awkward tone. Going through a lot of things in a short time had made him a bit dim-witted.

'Did those stat points I spent on mind really work?'

"What do you mean you've just come to this pla-? Oh... I see. Is today the first time you've seen those kinds of things?" The person asked in a gentle tone.

"What kind of things?" Lei asked. Actually, he already knew what this person was talking about but he wanted to be sure nonetheless.

"You know like... Monsters and murderers kinds of things."

"Ah... Yes. It was something like a replicant," Lei said.

The person took a few steps backward and pointed a katana towards Lei while frowning.

"If you are new here, how do you know that it is called a replicant?" The man asked suspiciously.

'Fuck! I fucked up!' Lei thought. Fortunately, he didn't let it get to him and made a nervous expression. His expression was the same as before. 'Maybe not everyone has a system here? That's logical. If this person had a system, he could probably figure out my capabilities easily and know that he didn't need to be on guard. Anyways, I can't show people my trump card.'

"Oh? It's actually called a replicant? It was just a nickname I gave to it. Since it was a replica of me." Lei said.

"You still sound very suspicious. But it's fine I guess..." The person said. "I'm Xiang Yimu. What about you?"

"Lei."

"Just Lei? No surname?" Xiang Yimu asked. "I understand if you want to be cautious."

"No no... It's nothing like that. I'm Zeng Lei but I don't really have good memories with the person whom I got my surname from."

"Oh... Sorry for asking. It doesn't really matter anymore. Anyone who comes here is detached from the old world. You can change your surname if you want. Hell... You can even go ahead and change your name," Xiang Yimu said with an apologetic smile.

"What? What do you mean by that? What is the old world?"

"The old world is the old world. You should know what I mean. This is not your body right?" Said Xiang Yimu while he pointed at Lei.

"Yes..."

"That's it. From time to time, souls of people who are down deep in sin are sucked into rifts and thrown here."

"Sin..? I wouldn't say I was much of a sinner. If working hard and trying to live is not a sin of course," said Lei with an awkward smile on his face.

"Oh yeah... By being down deep in sin, I don't mean that you are the sinner. These rifts don't target people. If you're the nearest one while the rift is open, you'll get pulled in. That's how it is," said Xiang Yimu While shrugging.

"Fuck! So it was just because I was unlucky..." Lei frowned while cursing.

"Yes... Well, it happens a lot. So you're not alone. To be honest, you should be more careful from now on. Even though the rifts don't target anybody, it still mostly pulls in sinners. Don't go trusting any human you find. This place is filled with ghosts, monsters, and crazy murderers," Xiang Yimu said with a concerned expression.

"Uh... Yeah. Thank you very much," Lei said.

"It's alright... So? Did you think about my offer?" asked Xiang Yimu with a grin on his face. He looked much more relaxed after talking a bit.

"What offer?" Lei asked.

"You know, the one about changing your surname," Xiang Yimu reminded.

"Oh... Right, I'm..." Lei held his chin for a moment. "Call me Song Lei from now on."

Song was his mother's maiden name. As opposed to his abusive father, his mother had been an incredible parent for him. She simultaneously protected him from his father while working a job and raising Lei.

"I see. It's nice to see that you finally have a surname you can be proud of," Xiang Yimu smiled.

"Mm..."

"Come in. Which do you want? Coffee or tea?" Xiang Yimu said while inviting Song Lei in with his hand.

"Tea please," Lei smiled while thinking. 'What a gentle person!'

Song Lei sat on a chair he found and looked around. After waiting a few minutes, Xiang Yimu came bringing two cups with him.

"Here," said Xiang Yimu while giving the cup to Song Lei.

"Thanks," Lei mumbled. He then took the cup from Xiang Yimu and brought it to his mouth.

Song Lei suddenly frowned and stopped himself from taking a sip.

"Why did you take me in?" Song Lei asked.

"What do you mean why?" Xiang Yimu asked with a smile.

"Didn't you say that I shouldn't easily trust people that I meet here?"

"..And?" Xiang Yimu raised one of his eyebrows.

"Doesn't that include you...?"

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